Why use acid-free materials? Is exposure to sunlight always to be avoided? Should watercolour paintings be kept in plastic sleeves? Is it better to store paintings horizontally or vertically? Read on to find answers to commonly asked questions about storing and framing finished art pieces and to gain a better understanding of archival quality materials.
Acrylic pouring is an innovative way of abstract painting with acrylics and is a very popular trend right now. Its roots can be found in the drip painting technique popularised in the mid-twentieth century by Jackson Pollock. Pouring is a great technique for beginners: it needs minimal preparation and materials, it’s impossible to make mistakes because of the random nature of the technique and it is a lot of fun!
Read on to find out what you need and watch our tutorials to see three different ways to go about it: acrylic pouring with a colander, the dirty pour and the upside-down cup technique.
Continue readingCharcoal artists will be delighted to know that popular and well established Nitram brand came out with two innovative products this year: liquid and powdered charcoals. We are testing them both to see what they can do and how they compare with other products such as watercolour and Indian ink.
Welcome back to our series ‘Starting out’. This time we will explore the history of pastel painting, its advantages over other media and all the different materials available for the pastel artist. Stay tuned for a quick pastel painting of a cat where you can see many of the materials in action!
When it comes to relief printing, linoleum is traditionally seen as the obvious choice of cutting surface (apart from wood). There are many alternative surfaces on the market, but have they managed to offer something new or is it worth sticking to what you already know?
This month we set out to do a little experiment with our relief printing surfaces. I will be testing traditional lino, Japanese vinyl, Speedball’s Speedy-Carve, SoftCut and Quickprint blocks using the same design and our Professional Tofko press to see which one performs the best.
Watercolour is a popular medium all year around with the prospect of taking it outdoors in good weather. With not much to do outside in the winter, it is equally fun to cosy up and wait for spring with a warm cup of tea and a watercolour palette.
If you haven’t tried this medium before, negative painting can be a fantastic way in; it is quick and simple and making mistakes with it is virtually impossible!
There’s a new kid on the block, a synthetic watercolour brush called Sablene. It was developed to replace the need for natural sable which is generally regarded as the best watercolour brush because of its’ capacity to hold a lot of water. I am testing the new Sablene brushes,comparing them to other types of brushes.
Our Lawrence Art Shop has been working on a collaborative craft project since early October to bring a Christmas forest scene to life. Our talented crew of artists made over a dozen figurines and set up a wintry street leading to a miniature model of the Lawrence Art Shop. Using commonly available materials in the household such as newspaper, cardboard and glue you can make your own paper mache models by following this simple guide.
Yupo is a new synthetic paper with an incredible versatility, available in loose sheets and pads. You can use it with almost any dry and wet media which makes it great for mixed-media artists and experimenters like myself. I got excited when I heard Yupo is suitable for watercolour – I couldn’t imagine how this glossy, cotton-free, tree-free paper takes water – and I couldn’t stop there! I conducted a series of tests with watercolour, gouache, acrylics, Indian ink, pencil, alcohol markers and charcoal to find out what this paper is capable of – have a look at the results!
Relief printing is an exciting art form with amazing creative possibilities but just like with any craft, you need to be equipped with the right tools and information to get the best of your materials and your ambition. We compiled 5 tips and hints to help you on your journey to learning block printing.
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