Tips and Tricks

As we start on our journey into the wonderful world of art, it's sometimes hard to know where to begin.
We pick up a pencil or pen, or maybe a paint brush, and make a creation. In order to get better we'll maybe take a workshop or class.
Perhaps we'll go online and check out artist's websites, or watch videos.
OR... if you're a member of an art group, you can pick up some tips and tricks from fellow members.
That's what the member's of the Crofton Art Group have done. Every year or so, the members of the group get together and share what works best for them, or what they have found does not work. It has proven to be an invaluable way of moving on with new skills.
As Bob Ross once said... "“You can have anything you want in the world — once you help everyone around you get what they want.”

Listed below are tips, tricks, and recommendations that the members have brought forward to the group.

Pens and Pencils

Acrylic paint pens - Posca brand pens are good. They are great for fine lines and signing artwork.
Micron acrylic pens - not very successful when used over an acrylic painting, as the pen point tends to get fuzzy
Watercolour pens - They can be used for sketching before painting with acrylic, as they will dissolve under acrylic paint.
Gel pens - they are effective on black canvas. There are many different effects possible.
Sakura Pigma Micron Fineliners with archival ink are very good. They come in a variety of sizes, and are primarily black and brown. Although some sets have a few other colours as well. The .005 tip is very tiny and tends to get fuzzy when working on watercolour paper, so have a few on hand to keep the work fresh.
Staedtler pigment liners are similar, and the tips tend to get fuzzier quicker than the Micron.
Sharpies are fade resistant and come in many more sizes, so they are good for when you are doing a bigger piece.
Posca pens are very nice, and can be used on top of watercolour and acrylic paintings. They can be pricey, but are available in a number of stores and online.
Copic markers are made in Japan. They come in multiple colours and are double tipped... a pen side and a brush side. They work well on watercolour paper, as they glide and are smooth. The metallics are great too.
Pentel EnerGel pens are super fine, so can also do some neat work.
Staedtler Triplus fineliner pens produce a very fine line, and goes very well on watercolour paper.
Derwent Inktense pencils provide a very intense colour and blend very well.
Tombow Japanese Dragonfly Pens are great for urban sketching. They are water based pens with dual tips.

Brushes

Recommended as best brands - Robert Simmons, Recap, Expressions, and Solo liner (microtip).
To determine the quality of brushes, snap the bristles with your finger. They should stay in the original contour or shape. Or, ask for permission and dip the brush in a bit of water and then give it a shake. It should snap back to it's original shape.
Wash brushes with water, keep water away from the ferule, and then lay flat to dry. Don't store wet brushes with the handle down.
Store brushes in a cloth to protect the bristles.
Murphy's Oil, Dawn liquid dish soap, and bar soaps work well as cleaners. Hand sanitizer works well too.
Don't waste money on cheap brushes. Save your money and buy one good brush instead. The Rekab round brush is an excellent brush.
Hake brushes are good for watercolour washes.
Always have a towel near your work to dab off extra water, and lay your brush down on it after washing the brush.
The Simply Simmons set is an excellent set of brushes.
Jennifer O'Brien's shop in Chemainus (Bramble and Bush Arts) has a watercolour brush set for $8.00

Paint

"Student" quality of paint will fade over time. It's best to use "Professional" or "Artist" quality.
Water based oil paints by Windsor are available, but were found to dry "sticky".
Quick dry medium is a product designed to help, but again a sticky surface remained.
After squeezing a dab of paint from the tube, replace the lid and tap down.
A variety of tube wringers are available from Michaels and off Amazon.
Good quality watercolour paint brands are Daniel Smith, Windsor and Newton, Grumbacher, Holborn and Spectrum.
Single pigment paints mix the best. Any more than three pigments will likely result in a "muddy" mix.
Mix cool with cool, and warm with warm to get the best colour results.
It's possible to work with just the three primary colours to obtain ALL colours.
To achieve an intense, dynamic black... mix Indanthron Blue with Anthraquinoid Red.
Irradescent Brusho and mica powder can be used for effects on watercolour painting, but they can be very messy. Use an apron.
A colour mix chart is a great reference tool for deciding what colours to use.
A plastic sleeve can be used over top of your dry work to test for colour before applying the paint to your artwork.

Gesso and Paint Mediums

Three layers of gesso are recommended to be put on your canvass before putting down any paint.
Use a sponge, roller, or paint edger to apply. Use a plastic bank card to spread perfectly smooth.
Golden has a polymer isolation coat (GAC 100). Apply this before you put gesso on a board. It will save the oils of the board from interfering with your painting.
Other mediums that can be used for texture include crackle pastes, fibre pastes, tissue paper, glass beads and modelling pastes.
When preparing a canvas for painting watercolour, brush on two to three coats of gesso.
Put a watercolour ground on to a canvas to mimic watercolour paper, for those who prefer a looser application of watercolour.
To make a watercolour ground, mix three to four teaspoons of baking soda into gesso.

Palettes

A cradled wood panel with glass inset over a grey background, is durable and easy to mix paint on. It can also be covered with Saran Wrap to preserve paint dollops for a few days.
Glass can easily be cleaned with a scraper.
Michaels have little plastic palettes with six wells. A set of six costs @ $3.00. They are easy to pack and arrange on the table.
Used plastic margarine container tops can be used for a palette.
A good replacement for the sponge pad in a stay wet palette is a drying mat that can purchased from the dollar stores.

Paper

Some find Arches paper to not be the best.
Check for watermark placements to avoid an irregular surface.
Stretch watercolour paper before using for the best results.
Art Board by Canson is good for plein air. Can be mounted on base or frame.
Cold press vs hot press... cold press is absorbent and dries quickly.
A good resource for paper is Island Blueprint, located in Victoria.

Framing

The most expensive route to get a frame is to go to an art shop.
Opus Art Supplies is recommended.
To get tidy and safe wire twists for hanging on the back of the frame, use "heat shrink" instead of tape. It is available in the electrical supplies section of most hardware stores, or can be purchased online.
Keep the wire hanger at the back tight for certain Duncan art shows, but slack for Crofton Art Group shows.
Watercolour paintings need framing with acid free mats.
Excellent Frameworks in Duncan is a good place to go for framing. The work is well done, and at a reasonable cost.
Framing materials (matt board and glass) are available for Crofton Art Group members. Contact Andy Friis for more information.
The main purposes for framing is to enhance and protect your artwork.
A good frame should compliment your work, not detract from it. Your artwork should be the focus, not the frame.
When we don't frame our work, we need to finish the edges.
Place protectors on the back corners of the frame. This will help from damaging the wall that the painting is hung on.
Try to stick to a regular sized frame in order to avoid the high costs of custom framing.
Architectural Digest is a good reference publication for what is current in framing styles.
When transporting multiple pieces of framed artwork, always be sure to have them facing glass to glass, or back to back.

Techniques

To keep lines, horizons, etc. orderly, a carpenter square can be useful.
Transferring - use graphite paper to transfer a sketch on to canvas or paper. When tracing, use a different colour of pencil to see where your lines have traced.
Transferring - the use of grids is also a good way to transfer a sketch or photo on to an art surface. Keep in mind to use an equal number of squares from the small reference to the larger art surface.
Transferring - this can also be done by using a soft pencil to trace over the design, and the rub the reverse side on to the art surface.
Remove watercolour paint from small areas on your painting by using a Mr. Clean eraser, or a scraper.
Use a pizza cutter to paint fine lines for things such as sailboat rigging, etc.
Windsor Newton Professional Spray gloss varnish works well on watercolour with ink. Always be sure to test first so that you know how the pen part will come out, as some will run.
Mod Podge (gloss or matte) can be used on watercolour work. Use a soft cloth to apply.
Dorland wax is a nice first layer on watercolour before you finish with a spray.
When painting with watercolours, test on a cheap piece of paper first.
After using watercolour paint on a canvas, finish the piece with a matte spray varnish.
Try making a painting without drawing it out first... just go for it!
A folding ruler can be used as good tool for drawing perspective lines.
Picture negatives are a great tool for a value study.
When drawing out your painting, put down the general idea first. Details can be added later if needed. Use a watercolour pencil or 3B.
Don't worry about having pencil lines still showing when your watercolour painting is finished. Charles Reid paintings are wonderful examples.

Miscellaneous Items

Watercolor Online recommended as a good website for art supplies.
Transfer paper can be purchased in rolls.
The Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts at Pearson College run five day and two day courses. Excellent instruction.
The Lucy Flex drawing tool (camera Lucidia) can be used for tracing the basic shapes of an object or scene by lining up the device with the object, and then looking down through the Lucy to see the reflection of the object on the drawing surface. This can be purchased through Amazon, or directly from drawlucy.com

Copywrites

Your painting cannot be reproduced
Copying others work, calendars or photos is infringing on the rights of others.
If you produce a painting with the help of an instructor the work needs to be credited to them