Not too long ago I discovered the beautiful paintings by self-taught artist, Teddi Parker. Teddi is located in Fort Collins, CO and creates her work using house paint. I really enjoy her use of layering and subject matter, ranging from animals to still life to people. You can learn more about Teddi and her artwork here. What do you think of Teddi's work? Have you ever created a painting using house paint before? 

Below is a helpful guide to different size paint brushes. On the left you'll see round paintbrushes and on the right are flat paintbrushes. Flats and rounds are two types of brushes you want in your collection (you can watch the on-demand class on paintbrushes here). You definitely don't need every single size brush, but it is size to have a variety including some larger brushes, some medium brushes and then some smaller brushes. This will give you a lot of different options when you are painting to achieve different looks and effects. For example, you may want a flat in 24, 16, 10 and 6. Then a round brush in 20, 14, 10, 2 and 0.  If you have any questions about paintbrushes and selecting sizes, please let me know in the comments below. 

Join me on Friday at 2PM MST for an introductory live class on watercolor pencils. I will be using Prismacolor watercolor pencils, a handheld sharpener, Canson XL watercolor in coldpress, a cup of water, a paper towel and a variety of paintbrushes. Feel free to have some reference photos on hand of some flowers or birds, even landscapes can work. If you are unable to make the live event, it will be available on demand to view any time you'd like. If you have any questions, be sure to leave a comment!

Both Watercolor and Gouache have their unique properties and offer benefits that an artist would may like to have in their artwork. It's important to know the benefits  come and drawbacks when you are choosing one over the other. The differences they have are pretty key, for example when it comes to glazing. Glazing is a process where a wash of color is applied to an already dried area of darker paint. The process can be repeated until the desired effect or color is achieved. You can glaze with watercolor but you cannot with gouache. I found this article which highlighted the similarities and differences between the two mediums very well, going into detailed explanations which can be very helpful when learning about a new medium.  I put together a Venn diagram of the key differences. Do you have experience working with watercolor and/or gouache? What similarities or differences would you add?