Winsor & Newton Ultramarine Blue (PB29) is one of the essential colors on my watercolor palette. This affordable blue produces dramatic granulation, lifts easily, and mixes beautiful darks and near-blacks—especially when combined with Burnt Sienna. Watercolor Essentials: Ultramarine Blue (PB29) Purchase this paint ONLINE Ultramarine Blue is one of those colors that simply belongs on…
Watercolor Essentials: Burnt Sienna Winsor & Newton Burnt Sienna is one of the foundational colors on my watercolor palette. This granulating, low-staining earth color lifts easily and mixes beautiful grays, darks and near-blacks with blues. Purchase this paint ONLINE Burnt Sienna is one of the few colors I have on EVERY single watercolor palette I…
Tunisia surprised me. Before my first trip, I knew embarrassingly little about the country. I knew it was in North Africa. I knew it had Mediterranean beaches. And, most importantly, I knew they filmed Star Wars there. Honestly, that last fact was probably enough to get me on the plane. What I didn’t realize was…
The ancient Maya ruins of Tikal, Guatemala had been on my bucket list since I was a kid—especially after I discovered that the view from Temple IV appeared in Star Wars: A New Hope as the Rebel base on Yavin 4. Ancient Maya ruins swallowed by jungle and Star Wars? I was going. Years later,…
Creating believable fog in watercolor is one of the most challenging atmospheric effects artists attempt. In this demonstration, I show how I transformed a photograph of St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh into a misty watercolor painting using opaque layers and a watercolor pouring technique. One of the things I love about teaching watercolor classes and…
I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Angkor Wat and the temples of Angkor in Cambodia several times over the years, first as a professional travel photographer and later as a watercolor artist looking back through decades of photographs for inspiration. It remains one of my favorite places in the world to photograph. In fact, when…
Purchase this paint ONLINE Daniel Smith Perylene Violet is a transparent, single-pigment (PV29) watercolor with excellent glazing ability, smooth washes, medium blossoming, and muted, atmospheric color. It excels in dramatic skies, shadows, and lowering the chroma of brighter colors, although it isn’t intended for vibrant violet mixtures. When I pulled Daniel Smith Perylene Violet out…
Daniel Smith Blue Apatite Genuine is one of the most heavily granulating watercolor paints available. Made from genuine mineral pigment, it excels at creating textured rocks, mountains, skies, and water while producing only modest watercolor blossoms. Purchase this paint ONLINE When I first bought Daniel Smith Blue Apatite Genuine, I had no idea it would…
Purchase this paint ONLINE Daniel Smith Lunar Red Rock is a heavily granulating PR101 watercolor that creates beautiful warm earth tones for rocky landscapes, brick architecture, canyon walls, and weathered stone. It excels in landscape painting and mixes exceptionally well with cool blues for natural neutral grays. When I first squeezed Daniel Smith Lunar Red…
Purchase this paint ONLINE Winsor & Newton Hooker’s Green is a vibrant, high-staining watercolor made from PG36 and PY110. While too bright for realistic foliage straight from the tube, it excels at intentional watercolor blossoms and becomes an outstanding landscape green when mixed with Burnt Sienna or other complementary reds. Hooker’s Green was one of…
