Artists Around the World: Interview with Haydn Symons

3/15/2019

Welcome back fellow artists and art lovers!

I’m unbelievably excited to be sharing another segment of my Artists from Around the World interview series!

This is one of the many exciting projects I’ve been working on behind the curtain, and I hope these interviews inspire aspiring artists out there to keep pursuing their passions, as well as help get amazing artwork in front of people looking to buy from or hire amazing creatives.

One of the things I love about being active in the online world, is that it enables me to connect with other art lovers and passionate creatives around the world. In the short amount time I’ve been working on this site,my YouTube channel, and sharing my work on social media, I’ve been able to get to know amazingly talented people that I would have otherwise never met.

Haydn Symons is one of the people I've had the fortune of getting to know.

He's an incredibly talented illustrator and designer based in the U.K. that has not only developed a unique and appealing art style, but has been able to gain experience working with world-wide clients in a variety of fields. Haydn designs logos and branding work for clients, as well as editorial and book cover illustrations.

Something I admire about Haydn is that he's constantly pushing himself to explore new subjects and techniques, and that his style and personality is palpable in everything he does.

A few months ago, he wrote an incredibly helpful blog post for us titled 3 Tips to Combine Watercolor and Gouache Like a Pro, in which he shares the similarities and differences between these two painting mediums, as well as useful tips to help us combine them effectively.

Haydn was very kind to answer a few questions I sent over and will be sharing with us how his artistic journey started, how he arrived at his art style, insights into what it's like to make a living as an artist, and much more.

So grab a cup of coffee, tea or your beverage of choice, and join me for this interview! :)

Interview with Illustrator/Designer Haydn Symons

Editorial illustration by Haydn Symons. Click on image to check out more of his work!

1. What made you want to become an artist/illustrator?

I’ve been interested in art and design for a long time and have been drawing since I was around three years old. I’ve always loved to create new drawings and paintings, as well as learn about art. I studied Art and Design at Secondary School, took an Illustration course at college, and finally studied Illustration at Falmouth University, which I absolutely loved.

Illustration covers a lot of industries, from publishing, advertising to editorial, which makes it such a exciting discipline!

Throughout the years I've developed my craft and style, and have learned what it takes to become a successful freelance illustrator. I'm very passionate about the field and am 100% committed to what I do. I believe this dedication is what has allowed me to evolve my skill to what it is today.

2. You have a very distinguishable art style! Can you tell us a bit about how you arrived at it?

I started developing my illustration style during my years at Falmouth University. Throughout this time, I experimented with different mediums and materials, and pushed the boundaries of what I could produce.

My style is a mixture of traditional and contemporary elements. I consider it to be eye-catching and friendly. The artistic mediums I use most are gouache and watercolor, but I love constantly challenging myself with new techniques.

After finishing a new piece, I scan it into Adobe Photoshop in order to tidy it up a bit and do any necessary editing.

My illustration style has changed a lot from graduating back in 2013, and has evolved through a lot of practice, into what it is today.

Sketch by Haydn Symons. Click on image to check out more of his work!

3. What would you consider to be the most challenging aspect about being a working artist?

The most difficult part about being an artist is the unsteady income. It can really fluctuate from month to month and those bills need to get paid. This makes people hesitant about becoming freelance illustrators, designers or fine artists.

It can be scary and stressful when you don’t get commissions or money coming in. However, it’s an amazing feeling when you're asked to work on a new project and get paid for doing what you love. Being creative and using your artistic talent is extremely rewarding and there's nothing like being able to make a living by doing what you're most passionate about.

I've found it's incredibly important to know about marketing, sales, networking and business in general, to become successful as an artist.

4. What are your main sources of inspiration?

My sources of inspiration change from day-to-day. I’m inspired by the things around me - everything from landscapes and portraits, to news articles and popular culture.

I’m also very inspired by fine artists like David Hockney, who has become well-known figure in the art world. I really admire his use of color. I also love more traditional artists like Caravaggio, Canaletto, Rembrandt and Edward Hopper. Alongside them, I’m also inspired by well-known illustrators like Oliver Jeffers, Mr. Bingo and Sam Webber.

Lastly, I gain a lot of inspiration from reading and writing on a daily basis. I feel these practices really impact my work positively.

Abraham Ford illustration by Haydn Symons. Click on image to check out more of his work!

5. What are your must-have art supplies?

Paint

My go-to art supplies include gouache and watercolor. As I shared here at Erika's blog, I really enjoy combining both painting mediums. The paint sets I'm currently using are both by Winsor and Newton.

I usually like painting the background/base of my illustrations using watercolors, and using gouache for elements in the middleground/foreground.

Winsor & Newton Gouache Set: Assorted Colors (10 pack) $53.99

Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Color Pocket Set of 24 Half Pans $26.00

Paper

I highly recommend using thick, strong watercolor paper if you’re using water-soluble painting mediums. Having to deal with buckling during the painting process is very frustrating and so is damaging our paper! I really enjoy using Seawhite Heavy Watercolor Paper in 350gsm.

Seawhite Heavy Watercolour Paper 350gsm - 10 Sheet Pack A3 (11.7x16.5)

Paintbrushes

Lately, I've been using a set of paintbrushes by HeartyBay that I acquired through Amazon. It's affordable and perfect for use with both watercolor and gouache.

Paintbrush Set by HeartyBay (20 pcs) Nylon Hair Brushes for Acrylic Oil Watercolor Painting

Software applications that I use on a daily basis which are very common in the creative industry include Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign to Adobe Illustrator. These are paramount for any creative.

6. Do you have any tips on how to stay motivated/productive as an artist?

To stay motivated you need to commit to creating the work that you love producing. Set goals for yourself based on your passions, and actually see them through.

Read Erika's blog post titled Time Management for Artists: My Secrets for Staying Consistently Productive to learn how to define life goals and set objectives to ensure you're progressing towards them every week.

As an artist, you'll discover the specific subjects and styles you like creating, whether they are portraits, landscapes, abstract paintings, etc. If you continue focusing on getting better at what you want to be producing, and sharing your work with the world, people will start knowing you for that kind of work. But you have to stay consistent!

It's normal to have to do work to pay the bills that we're not necessarily passionate about doing, especially when we're starting out, but it's essential to keep making time for self-initiated projects that light us up.

Whenever I'm struggling or feeling unmotivated, I always think back to my why.

Why am I a freelancer?
Why am I an artist?
What will I gain (professionally and personally) if I keep pushing towards my dreams, and what will I have to give up if I stop?

Taj Mahal illustration by Haydn Symons. Click on image to check out more of his work!

7. Do you have any projects you'd like to make happen in the near future?

I traveled a lot last year and am super pumped about creating a series of illustrated maps, soon! I visited some amazing places that I really want to document in my own way. My illustrations will help me remember those amazing moments, and will be awesome additions to my portfolio.

It's so important to include the kind of work you actually want to be doing in your portfolio, whether these projects are ones you're actually getting paid for, or self-initiated ones!

I’m currently working on a couple of illustrations for magazines, and would love to do more of this kind of work in the near future, along with publishing and advertising projects.

Aside from this, it's very important for me to keep developing my illustration and artistic style, and just keep producing and creating new things consistently.

8. If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring artists, what would it be?

My one piece of advice for aspiring artists is to not give up. Even if you keep receiving knock back after knock back, keep going. Learn from your mistakes, get better, and improve.

If you’re constantly creating, improving and putting yourself out there, nothing will stop you.

Keep going and never give up on your dreams!

New York Map illustration by Haydn Symons. Click on image to check out more of his work!

9. Lastly, could you share where we can find more of your work and news from you?

You can find my portfolio and personal blog over at www.haydnsymons.com.

You can also find me on social media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haydnsymons/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/haydnsym
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/haydnsymonsillustration

A huge thanks to Haydn, for taking time to answer my questions, sharing his experience with us and, most importantly, for inspiring us to pursue our passions.

Hope you enjoyed this interview and make sure to follow Haydn's work. I personally can't wait to see what he'll be producing in the future!

Cheers!

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3 Tips to Combine Watercolor and Gouache Like a Pro

1/3/2019

2 Comments

*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :)

Confused as to what the similarities and differences are between watercolor and gouache? What are the main things to have in mind when combining these two painting mediums in one same piece in order to achieve the best outcome?

It's no secret that watercolor and gouache can work amazingly well together. This said, it can be difficult to get the most out of their combination if we're unaware of the differences between them, as well as how we can combine their distinctive characteristics to create balanced pieces that allow both of them to shine simultaneously.

Learning tips and tricks from experienced artists can definitely open up our horizons to make our ideas come to life more successfully, and this is why I've asked the amazingly talented Haydn Symons to write a post for us!

In today’s blog post, U.K.-based artist Haydn Symons helps us understand the similarities and differences between watercolor and gouache, and why they are so compatible. He'll also be sharing some of his expert tips that will help us successfully integrate both mediums into one great-looking piece.

Haydn is a skilled freelance illustrator and designer with a vast experience working with watercolor and gouache. Throughout the years, he has developed a very striking art style and currently works with clients worldwide within the editorial, publishing and advertising spaces.

Though watercolor and gouache are his favorite painting mediums, Haydn is a multi-passionate artist that constantly explores different drawing and painting techniques, which is something I really believe in myself.

Without any further ado, let’s get into Haydn’s blog post!

Make sure to visit his website to check out more of his amazing work and follow him on social media. Links will be provided at the end.

3 Tips to Create Amazing Artwork Combining Watercolor and Gouache

Combining watercolor and gouache can be a hard nut to crack, especially if you’re new to either of these painting mediums or to the world of art. In this post, I'll be sharing the main similarities and differences between them, as well as why they are perfect for each other. I'll also be providing three pro tips to keep in mind when using both of these painting mediums in one same piece.

If you want to level up your use of gouache and watercolor, look no further than this blog post!

Similarities and Differences Between Watercolor and Gouache

The main similarity between watercolor and gouache is that they are both water-soluble. Both of these painting mediums can be reactivated with water once they've dried. On the other hand, when we work with acrylics or oils, we can certainly lay down subsequent layers of paint to add to or further enhance the look of previous layers, but it will be impossible to modify the layers in and of themselves once they've dried.

In terms of differences, watercolor is transparent, while gouache is opaque. Most of the time (depending on the thickness of the paint layer), when watercolor is placed on paper, we're able to see the underlying paper through the paint. Conversely, when gouache is placed on paper, its thickness and opaqueness covers up the surface fully unless it's been heavily diluted with water.

Check out Erika's Watercolor vs. Gouache blog post to see examples of the same subject painted with both mediums.

Same pear painted with both watercolor and gouache. Illustrations by Erika Lancaster.

Many famous artists have used gouache to produce ground-breaking work, from Edward Hopper and Henri Matisse to Paul Klee. Famous watercolor artists include J. M. W. Turner, John Singer Sargent to Vincent Van Gogh, just to name a few.

Matisse’s famous paper cut outs were created using gouache!

I love painting all kinds of subjects (portraits, landscapes, etc.) integrating both of these mediums, as they mesh together so well. I’ve become quite addicted to combining them!

Check out this book cover illustration of mine, as an example.

Combine These Two Painting Mediums Effectively By Doing the Following

Even though watercolor and gouache can work very well together, to create balanced and visually striking artworks, it's essential to have in mind a few things that will ensure we're playing to each of their strengths. We want the two mediums to complement and enhance the other harmoniously, and develop a sense of contrast that will create visual interest.

Tip 1. Use watercolor first and gouache second

As previously explained, gouache is the opaque sister of watercolor. Because gouache will easily cover up watercolor, but not the other way around, it's essential to plan out which areas to paint in with each medium. Gouache is the most dominant of the two and you want to make sure that it doesn't overtake the areas painted with watercolor.

Watercolor is delicate and provides a transparent glow, while gouache is punchy and solid. By giving thought to how you'll combine them, you'll allow each to shine in its own way and create a more interesting, balanced piece.

Give thought to how you can complement them, depending on the subject you'll be painting.

It’s a good idea to start your painting with a watercolor base, which is particularly helpful if you've created a preliminary sketch underneath as you'll still be able to see it through the watercolor layer(s).

Another idea is to use watercolor to create a warm or cool underpainting for your gouache to build upon. You can also create a background using watercolors that will then be added to with gouache. Finally, you can start with a wash of watercolor to simply break up the dreaded white space.

St. Basil Cathedral. Illustration by Haydn Symons. Click on image to check out more of his work!

Tip 2. Create depth by using a higher color saturation and level of detail in the foreground

The characteristics of these painting mediums can be combined to create an amazing sense of depth in a piece!

If you’re painting a landscape, for example, you can create depth by painting the sky using watercolor and your foreground elements in gouache. Because gouache is thicker and more opaque than watercolor, it will add a bold, sharp punch to closer elements, creating the illusion of these being closer to the viewer.

Because elements further away from us are usually blurry and less saturated in color, adding further details to our foreground elements using gouache can really enhance the sense of depth in a piece.

Walter White. Illustration by Haydn Symons. Click on image to check out more of his work!

Tip 3. Use thick watercolor paper or canvas

Because you’ll be using water throughout the painting process, working on thick watercolor paper or watercolor canvas is essential. Using thin, non-suitable paper will make the painting process difficult, as it will warp easily.

I enjoy using Seawhite’s Watercolor Paper in 350 gsm to create my illustrations, whether that be for commissioned work or personal work. Whether you choose to go for this brand or others, I highly recommend using paper that is at least 300 gsm in thickness.

Another alternative is painting directly onto watercolor canvas, as this paper is already pre-stretched and will not result in warping and buckling.

Singapore Map. Illustration by Haydn Symons. Click on image to check out more of his work!

*Bonus Tip: Use plenty of water when creating watercolor paint mixtures, but leave gouache mixtures thick and undiluted

One of the major errors that I have come across when combining these two mediums is making them fight against each other by adding too much water to both.

To ensure we're creating a balanced outcome (and to make the painting process go much smoothly), use plenty of water within the watercolor mixtures and only a bit in the gouache mixtures. This will allow the two mediums' contrasting characteristics of translucency vs. opaqueness to really stand out and contrast with each other, creating a ton of visual interest.

Finally, make sure to have fun!

I hope you've enjoyed this blog post to help you create stunning artworks combining watercolor and gouache, and encourage you to give it a go!

Remember to have fun! When creating art we can get bogged down with advice and technicalities, and loose the whole essence of what makes art so enjoyable.

Keep practicing and you'll be onto a winner!

Cheers!

How have you tried combining these two painting mediums yourself? Are there any tips you’d like to share?

Haydn and I would love to hear from you in the comments section below. :)

A huge thanks to Haydn, for being so generous and sharing all of this useful information with us! He’s definitely inspired me to combine these two painting mediums more in my own work!

To find out more about more about Haydn and his work, visit his website/portfolio at www.haydnsymons.com

Also, follow Haydn on social media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haydnsymons/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/haydnsym
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/haydnsymonsillustration

Become a Patreon community member to get access to:

-Real-time drawing/painting tutorials with full walkthrough commentary
-Downloadable outline drawings, reference pictures and supply lists
-Direct feedback from me
-Downloadable workbook titled How to Discover Your Artistic Voice
-Instant access to a growing vault of original reference pictures that you can use for your own art
-Special thanks in YouTube videos and opportunities to get your work shared
-Participation in polls to decide new blog post and YouTube video topics
-Live classes and Monthly Creative Assignments
+ much more!

*Click below to learn more!

How to Swatch Watercolors and Why It's Important

Pen and Ink Sketching Shading Techniques

Common Watercolor Painting Mistakes and How to Fix Them

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Watercolor Bird Painting Process + Affordable Supplies

12/13/2018

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Bird Watercolor Painting Process Affordable Supplies

*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :)

Interested in buying a few watercolor painting supplies that won't break the bank and will actually help you progress your skills? Tired of investing in art supplies that end up on sitting on your shelf or drawer completely unused? Afraid you'll only be able to create amazing looking artwork by using expensive paint, paper and paintbrushes?

None of these things are true at all, dear Art Friends!

While it is important to use quality art supplies in order to progress efficiently, there are excellent paint, paper and brush manufacturers that offer stand-up products for accessible prices.

I was able to make a huge amount of progress using my student-grade Koi Watercolor Set and Canson XL/Strathmore paper (for more about my favorite drawing and painting supplies visit the My Art Tools section of my website). Of course, before discovering these supplies, I invested in quite a few that either were very frustrating to work with or ended up completely unused.

This is why I want to share my findings with you.

If you're a beginner just starting out with watercolors, I highly recommend checking out my blog post Watercolor Supplies for Beginners and Things You Must Know. In it, I dispel common myths in regards to watercolor painting supplies and provide thorough information about paint, paper and paintbrushes that will help you make more informed choices when it comes to buying supplies.

Watercolor food illustration by Erika Lancaster

Watercolor illustrations created on 140 lb Canson XL paper and Winsor and Newton pan set.

Today, I'll be sharing a couple of my latest YouTube videos in which you'll see me paint two different subjects (a landscape and a bird) using the same combination of paint and brushes. The reason I did this, is because I really believe in testing out supplies thoroughly before coming to a conclusion about them.

These products were sent to me to try out and share with you guys by an awesome online store called ConsumerCrafts. They offer a very wide array of art supplies at very affordable prices and, I've been able to find specific items at their website that I haven't been able to find through Amazon.

Though I had prior experience using these particular round brushes by Royal and Langnickel, I had never used the flat and the dagger brush. Also, I had never used watercolor tubes from Winsor and Newton. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of most of these supplies and they are very accessibly priced.

If you enjoyed these videos, I'd absolutely love for you to subscribe to my YouTube channel. I publish a brand new video every-single-week sharing art tips, drawing and painting tutorials, and encouragement for aspiring artists. :)

Affordable Watercolor Painting Supplies

All of the supplies used in these video can be found at www.consumercrafts.com. Click on the images to learn more about each product.

Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Set (12 pieces) $26.25

Arches Watercolor Paper Pad 10 X 14 inches (12 sheets) $15.68

Royal ZEN All Media Round Brush (Size 8) $3.00

Royal ZEN Watercolor Artist Brush: Flat Wash (1 inch) $3.00

Become a Patreon community member to get access to:

-Real-time drawing/painting tutorials with full walkthrough commentary
-Downloadable outline drawings, reference pictures and supply lists
-Direct feedback from me
-Downloadable workbook titled How to Discover Your Artistic Voice
-Instant access to a growing vault of original reference pictures that you can use for your own art
-Special thanks in YouTube videos and opportunities to get your work shared
-Participation in polls to decide new blog post and YouTube video topics
-Live classes and Monthly Creative Assignments
+ much more!

*Click below to learn more!

I hope you found these videos helpful and I wish you all the best as you move forward in your artistic journey!

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How to Swatch Watercolors + Why It's Important

12/2/2018

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*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :)

What's the actual reason behind swatching watercolor paint (aside from the satisfaction of laying pretty colors down on paper)? What specific things should we be looking for when testing out a new watercolor paint set, besides differences in color? What are the different variables that may affect watercolors' behavior and their final appearance?

In this blog post, I'm going to explain the most important characteristics that you should start taking note of when it comes to watercolor paint. By understanding these different aspects and how they vary from pigment to pigment, you'll be able to make more informed choices when it comes to picking your color palettes/schemes for your paintings, which will make everything go a lot smoother.

I'll also walk you through my own personal method for swatching out a new paint set and share why I like testing my paints on two different types of paper.

It's very useful to explore a new paint set before actually attempting to create a painting with it. This is especially the case when it comes to watercolors, as this painting medium's inherent characteristics make it tricky to use.

For one, watercolors are translucent, which means we can't simply cover up our mistakes like we can when working with acrylics or oils. Secondly, due to their water-soluble properties, they tend to have a mind of their own. Finally (and something that was very hard for me to wrap my head around in the beginning), behaviors and effects can vary greatly from pigment to pigment, even within a set manufactured by the same company.

There are also many external factors that can affect our watercolor painting process and the final outcome of a piece, such as how clean our water is, what kind of paper is used, and even the temperature of the room we're working in!

Always remember that, as artists, we have to learn to embrace the exploration process. It may seem like a waste of time and resources when we're just starting out, but these smaller studies give us confidence and allow us to find ourselves as artists, so that we're then able to create more effective finalized works.

If you're a beginner just starting out with watercolors, I highly recommend checking out my blog post titled 10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting With Watercolors. By understanding these ten ideas and applying them in your painting, you'll be able to progress your watercolor skills much quicker and waste less supplies in the process.

Let's get to the swatching!

If you enjoy this video, subscribe to my YouTube channel! I publish a brand new video every-single-Friday with art tips, drawing/painting tutorials and encouragement for aspiring artists.

There is no right or wrong way to test out a new watercolor paint set. The whole point of swatching and testing out colors is for you, the artist, to have a better understanding of different color behaviors. This way, you'll be able to select the colors you like best depending on the particular subject you paint, your personal techniques and the overall effects you're going for.

If you're just starting out and haven't found your style, no problem! As your artistic journey progresses, you'll discover your own way of working and the specific paint qualities that are important for you. Later on, you'll be able to modify your swatching process to whatever fits you best and perhaps leave out aspects that aren't as important.

Watercolor Paint Characteristics

a) Mass tones
A color's mass tone tells us what it looks like when it's straight out of the tube and at its fullest saturation. Basically, it's the color at its purest and undiluted self.
-This is usually the first rectangle I fill in below the hue's name and I make sure to use the least amount of water possible.

b) Staining qualities
A color's staining quality refers to how difficult it is to remove from the paper when lifting, scrubbing or attempting to reactivate it once it's dry.
-To test this out, I like lifting paint from a small section of my Masstone square/rectangle when it's still wet with either a rag or a paintbrush. I also like coming back to my color swatch once it's dried completely to see if any color can be lifted or reactivated because I personally use this technique a lot in my work. There are some pigments that are known for being extremely staining, such as Prussian Blue, and others that lift up quite easily.

c) Opacity
A color's opacity tells us how opaque or transparent it is. Usually, you're looking for transparency when it comes to watercolors, as this is the quality that gives paintings created with this medium their distinctive glow.
-For faster swatches, I like drawing a couple of ink lines in this square/rectangle (allow them to dry completely) and painting over them with each color to see if there is any chalky residue left behind.
-Another option is painting a couple of lines or shapes with a different color (a different color from the one you're testing) and seeing how much the subsequent layer of color allows the bottom to shine through.

d) Level of dispersion
A color's level of dispersion refers to how easily it expands and/or intermixes with other colors when dropping on damp paper. A high level of dispersion means a paint color expands quickly and intermixes a lot with colors around it. A low level of dispersion means it mostly stays in place.
-For faster swatches, I like simply wetting this square/rectangle with clean water and dropping the color in in several different places to see how fast it expands.
-Another option is dropping a different color in first and then placing the specific hue you're testing out to see how much it expands/intermixes. I do recommend preparing a larger square/rectangle for swatching if you want to test this out. Because I don't do a ton of wet-on-wet work myself, this isn't I take too much time doing. However, if you do a lot of landscapes or even abstracts, it may be very useful for you to spend time testing out this particular one for your different colors!

e) Granulation
A color's granulation level can be identified by laying down a flat wash, allowing it to dry completely, and observing how even and uniform it looks after. Pigments that have a high level of granulation separate from their binder when mixed with water and tend to settle into the texture of the paper it is placed on. This leads to white dots and a patchy look in some areas. *A high level of granulation isn't inherently bad, as it can be used to create great effects in areas that require them. Many artists use highly granulating paints to their advantage!
-I don't usually create a separate square/rectangle to test out granulation, but come back to observe this later on after my paint has fully dried and settled into the paper in all my sections.

f) Permanence
A color's permanence refers to how resistant it is when exposed to light. In other words, how quickly does it start to fade out? Usually, manufacturers include this information somewhere within the packaging of the product with the following codes: AA (Extremely Permanent), A (Permanent), B (Moderately Durable) or C (Fugitive).
-I don't usually create a separate square/rectangle to test out permanence, but come back to observe how much the color has faded out a few months later.

g) How do colors react on different types of papers?
I usually like seeing how different pigments react on at least a couple of different types of watercolor paper because I know how much of a difference the right paper can make!
-For the swatching of this particular Winsor and Newton set, I used both higher quality Arches watercolor paper, as well as cheaper Canson paper. Both of these were 140 lb. Cold Press papers, but the Arches had much more of a texture to it. Another option could be testing your paint out on both Cold Press and Hot Press papers.

Check out my blog post/YouTube video Watercolor Supplies for Beginners + Things You Should Know. In it, I explain everything you have to know about watercolor paper and demystify a lot of common thoughts beginners have in relation to watercolor supplies.

Swatching Outcome and My Conclusions

Swatching out Winsor and Newton paint set on Arches 140 lb. Cold-Press watercolor paper. This photo has not been manipulated in any way.

Swatching out Winsor and Newton paint set on Canson 140 lb. Cold-Press watercolor paper. This photo has not been manipulated in any way.

The colors included in this Winsor and Newton 12-piece tube set are:
Cadmium Yellow Hue
Cadmium Red Pale Hue
Alizarin Crimson
Ultramarine Blue
Cerulean Blue
Prussian Blue
Viridian Green
Yellow Ochre
Burnt Sienna
Burnt Umber
Ivory Black
Chinese White

I enjoyed testing out this Winsor and Newton watercolor tube set and look forward to painting a piece with it. Even though this brand's Cotman line is described as being their affordable/student grade option, this particular tube set offers an excellent color payoff, contains a good amount of paint and is quite comfortable to work with. The paint's texture is just thick enough when squeezed out of the tube and onto the paint-mixing palette. Each tube contains 8 ml of paint and the manufacturer has included relevant information on its packaging such as each color's level of Permanence and Pigment Code.

A few things I noticed in regards to the differences between the swatches created on the two different watercolor papers:
a) Overall, the colors painted on the Arches paper are more vibrant than how they appear on the Canson paper.
b) The degree of this varies from pigment to pigment, but I was able to lift up more paint from the Canson paper, especially once the paint had dried. This probably has to do with the fact that the 100% cotton Arches paper absorbs the pigment a lot more effectively.
c) Wet-on-wet effects were much more beautiful on the Arches paper, which allowed them to disperse a lot more fluidly and gradually. On the Canson paper, the paint pooled in certain areas and left a patchy effect.
d) All colors, except for the Chinese white are completely transparent (which is a good thing). Transparent watercolors allow bottom layers to shine through and give paintings a unique glow. If you zoom into the ink lines below the Chinese white swatch, they appear to have a bit of a chalkiness over them.

Become a Patreon community member to get access to:

-Real-time drawing/painting tutorials with full walkthrough commentary
-Downloadable outline drawings, reference pictures and supply lists
-Direct feedback from me
-Downloadable workbook titled How to Discover Your Artistic Voice
-Instant access to a growing vault of original reference pictures that you can use for your own art
-Special thanks in YouTube videos and opportunities to get your work shared
-Participation in polls to decide new blog post and YouTube video topics
-Live classes and Monthly Creative Assignments
+ much more!

*Click below to learn more!

Watercolor Supplies Used:

*I buy most of my art supplies online through ConsumerCrafts or Amazon. Both of them are excellent options for finding great supplies at accessible prices. Click on images below to learn more about each product.

Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Set: 12 pieces

Arches Watercolor Paper Pad: 10 X 14 inches

Canson XL Watercolor Paper Pad: 11 X 15 inches

Royal and Langnickel Zen All Media Long Handle Round Brush, Size 6

Subscribe to my email list and get access to my exclusive group of growing artists over on Facebook. Art in Harmony is a safe place to share your art and connect with other artists in a positive environment. I'm at the group daily providing feedback and have a free live class based on topics of members' choosing every week. There are also Weekly Challenges you can take part of, Thursday Art Tips and inspiration to help you make creativity a habit.

10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting with Watercolors

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10 Perfect Gift Ideas for Artists Who Paint

11/20/2018

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Perfect Gift Ideas for Artists Who Paint

Looking for some meaningful and practical gift ideas that your artsy friend/significant other/family member would absolutely love to receive this Christmas? What items could help encourage an artist to keep creating and pursuing his/her creative passions?

First and foremost, I'd like to take a moment to thank you for reading this post, as it most likely means that you're interested in celebrating your friend or loved one's individuality and passion for art, and want to encourage him/her to keep going. As an artist myself, I can tell you that knowing people close to me support my decision to pursue art means everything, especially when one is just starting out.

I'm all about encouraging fellow artists to keep going because I 100% believe the world would be a better place with more art in it.

All this said, no matter how mysterious and complex people make us artists to be, we're honestly an easy bunch to buy presents for. Not only do we tend to wear our hearts (and minds) on our sleeves more than others, but there are things we need to constantly replace in order to keep feeding our need for creation. We also need to constantly seek ways to stay inspired and motivated, and a huge variety of things can get our creative minds going.

In this blog post, I'll be sharing a list of ten awesome gift ideas that your artistic friend will absolutely love. I've made sure to include options for both males and females, as well as an explanation as to why each item is so great.

Enjoy!

Perfect Gifts for Artists on Amazon

I personally love buying art supplies, as well as Christmas gifts for my loved ones from the comfort of my own home through Amazon.

Click on the images below to learn more about each item on this list.

1. A sketchbook (or two)

Illo Sketchbook 180 GSM Paper (8x8). Click on image to find out more about this item.

An artist can only paint as well as he/she can draw, and keeping sketchbooks is a great way for us to continue sharpening our drawing and observational skills throughout our journeys. Not to mention, sketchbooks are portable, allowing us to stay creative wherever we go, and provide a chronological record of our progress that we'll keep forever.

You can honestly never go wrong with giving an artist a sketchbook.

Find out more about why sketchbooks are such an essential part of an artist's journey in this blog post.

2. An artsy cell phone case

Gifts for artists- watercolor cell phone case

CRAFIC Watercolor Paint Cell Phone Case for Apple iPhone 6 / 6S Plus. Click on image to find out more about this item.

Not only do artists love making their passions known to those around them, but many of us working artists actually depend on it. Especially when an artist is just starting out, it's incredibly important to get the word out about what it is we do so that we can start building up those connections and experience.

An eye-catching statement accessory like this artsy cell phone case is a great way for us to transmit our originality and love for art, but also encourages other people to strike up a conversation with us.

3. A leather pencil and paintbrush case

Gifts for artists- Flyshine Canvas Artist Brush Holder Rollup Pouch

Flyshine Canvas Artist Brush Holder Rollup Pouch. Click on image to find out more about this item.

An artist's supplies are his/her tools for creation, and they must be taken care of. This can definitely be a challenge when we do sketching and painting outside of our studios. A quality paintbrush case or pouch like this canvas roll-up ensures that our favorite paintbrushes will be kept safe.

I love the practicality of a roll-up pouch like this one, as there is no space wasted and paintbrushes can be organized/kept in place perfectly.

Click here to subscribe to my email list and receive news about my work for sale, monthly freebies featuring my watercolor illustrations and insights into my work.

4. A painter's apron

Gifts for artists- Artist Canvas Unisex Apron with Pockets

Artist Canvas Unisex Apron with Pockets. Click on image to find out more about this item.

The struggle is real for us artists to keep our clothes free of paint, which can be a problem because a lot of us prefer to spend our money on more art supplies, than on new clothes!

A canvas apron like this one is durable, wraps around the back for a higher level of protection, and I love that it includes different pockets for paintbrushes, rags and other things we might need to have on hand while painting. It's perfect for both males and females.

5. Some high quality hand lotion

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Hand Lotion, Lavender (12 oz). Click on image to find out more about this item.

Hand lotion is a total must for artists, especially in the winter time. We're constantly washing paint and other harsh liquids off our hands, which makes them extremely dry and itchy. I personally have bottles everywhere, including my studio, and always carry a tube with my in my bag.

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day line offers a variety of scents like Lavender, Lemon Verbena, and Peppermint. They are perfect for those of us who need a higher amount of protection/moisture, as they are created especially for people who work with their hands.

We must take care of our hands because without them we can't create!

6. An inspiring (and practical) artsy mug

Paint Water & Not paint water - Set of two mugs (11oz). Click on image to find out more about this item.

Whether your friend paints with watercolors, acrylics or oils, chances are he/she's experienced dipping a paintbrush in his/her beverage on more than one occasion. It may sound odd to the non-artist, but I promise you, it happens time and time again when one is immersed in the art-making process!

I actually know someone who drank paint thinner by accident. I'll just leave it at that...

These mugs appear to be humorous, but they may also help keep an artist safe.

7. A color wheel umbrella

Streamline Rainbow Color Wheel Umbrella. Click on image to find out more about this item.

An umbrella like this one is not only beautiful and inspiring to look at, but is also large and sturdy to help us keep our work safe when walking to and from vehicles in the pouring rain (which can be very challenging).

What better way to let that artist in your life know that you're there for him/her than providing a canopy of protection from the rain?

8. An artsy enamel pin

GIfts for artists- Painter's Palette Enamel Lapel Pin

Pinsanity Painter's Palette Enamel Lapel Pin. Click on image to find out more about this item.

On the lookout for something small, but meaningful? Enamel pins are all the rage now-a-days and are a perfect little surprise that your artsy friend will be able to actually wear while out and about.

This is another perfect accessory that can not only help us express our individuality and love for art, but can also be a conversational piece. Making time for conversation with others is essential for us, especially because artists tend to be alone a lot.

Some of us forget what it's like to talk with others. True story.

9. An inspirational art book

Living and Sustaining a Creative Life (Sharon Louden) and Art & Fear (David Bayles/Ted Orland) Books -Click on image to find out more about these items.

An artist's life can definitely get lonely and sometimes we need to be reminded of how others have gone through what we're going through. We also need to be inspired by stories from other artists who have reached success so that we can keep working hard to make our dreams come true.

Both of the books above are, in my opinion, must-reads for any serious artist.

Living and Sustaining a Creative Life is a compilation of 40 personal stories/essays by working artists. Each one of them shares his/her own experiences and struggles as they have pursued making a living as an artist. This book helps us understand the reality of what it's like to sustain a professional creative career over time.

Art and Fear is a very popular book amongst creatives of all kinds. This book tackles artistic insecurities, and the internal and external challenges that professional artists face throughout their journeys. Finishing projects, getting our work out there and receiving critique are difficult tasks that artists must learn how to do/handle. This is a book to read over and over again.

10. A painting easel

US Art Supply Tall Tabletop Adjustable H-Frame Wood Studio Artist Easel. Click on image to find out more about this item.

As a painter myself, I have a variety of easels. I enjoy standing when I'm creating my larger pieces, but a desk easel like this one is absolutely perfect for smaller and more relaxing works to enjoy on weekend mornings. Switching from one easel to another is a great way to reset my mind from a piece I'm creating for selling purposes, and one I'm creating for myself.

This easel is sleek, sturdy, and is perfectly sized, even for beginner artists working in a small studio.

Become a Patreon community member to get access to:

-Real-time drawing/painting tutorials with full walkthrough commentary
-Downloadable outline drawings, reference pictures and supply lists
-Direct feedback from me
-Downloadable workbook titled How to Discover Your Artistic Voice
-Instant access to a growing vault of original reference pictures that you can use for your own art
-Special thanks in YouTube videos and opportunities to get your work shared
-Participation in polls to decide new blog post and YouTube video topics
-Live classes and Monthly Creative Assignments
+ much more!

*Click below to learn more!

Watercolor Supplies for Beginners and Essential Things to Know

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What I Learned With My First Inktober

11/2/2018

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*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you.
These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :)

Welcome back, fellow artists!

I'm very excited to share that I made it through my first time participating in the Inktober drawing challenge!

In today's blog post, I'll be sharing my last time lapse compilation of Inktober sketches, as well as things I learned by having pushed myself through it. Though the drawings I'll be sharing were created specifically for Inktober, most of the information I'll be including throughout the post (and video) can relate to any type of daily art challenge.

There's no question that being able to produce a new piece every-single-day for an entire month (no matter how small), is extremely difficult. However, there's a ton to learn from participating in art challenges like this one, as they allow us to improve not only our cold-technical skills (drawing, shading techniques, etc.) and our time-management abilities, but also test us mentally in many ways.

This is why I made the decision to finally take on Inktober this year!

If you visited my blog or YouTube channel at any point throughout October, you're probably aware that I've been sharing time lapses for every-single-one of my Inktober sketches! I've also talked about a variety of topics pertaining to it.

Make sure to check out my past Inktober blog posts and find the rest of my time lapses over at my YouTube channel:

5 Tips to Make it Through Inktober and How I'm Going About It
My Inktober Supplies and Time-lapses for Sketches 6-11
Inktober Sketches 19-25 + Reviewing My Supplies

Inktober sketch for prompt: Double by Erika Lancaster

Inktober sketch for prompt: Gift by Erika Lancaster

Inktober sketch for prompt: Jolt by Erika Lancaster

Inktober sketch for prompt: Slice by Erika Lancaster

Inktober sketch for prompt: Stretch by Erika Lancaster

Inktober sketch for prompt: Thunder by Erika Lancaster

If you enjoy this video, I highly recommend subscribing to my YouTube channel. I publish a new one every-single-week sharing art tips, drawing/painting tutorials and encouragement for beginner/intermediate artists! :)

What I Learned from Inktober

Technical Aspects

1. Stay present/mindful while you're creating art

I noticed pretty quickly as I was starting with Inktober, that when I was tired and/or my mind was just not in the art-making process, my drawings turned out much sloppier. I either went overboard with my mark-making, which led to certain areas appearing very flat or I created too much of a texture where I wasn't intending to.

Now I know that, no matter how small a sketch or study I'm working on, I have to do my best to stay present (whether it be 5 minutes or an hour). If I'm too tired or unable to concentrate, I'll consider resting and getting back to work the following day, or take a break to do something else that will allow me to de-stress before getting back into it.

2. Take it slow and respect the process

With this, I don't necessarily mean to force yourself to lay down each line or brush stroke super slowly if this isn't your thing. Personally, I love working at a faster pace and leaving some sort of expression, rawness and imperfection in most of my work.

What I mean with taking it slow is learning to enjoy the different phases of creation (brainstorming, preparation, preliminary sketch, developing marks/colors/values, etc.) and acknowledging each as an essential part of the process. I realized this halfway through the challenge. Whenever I skipped a phase, my piece didn't turn out as well as it could have.

With a daily challenge like this one in which I had limited time, many of these phases were done simultaneously with other tasks, but I made a point to go through them, nonetheless.

Mental Aspects

1. Practice increases confidence (and speed)

The only way to really improve your self-confidence with any particular activity is practicing it and experiencing it first-handedly on a continuous basis. The more you do something, the more skilled you become, which makes you more comfortable doing it, which translates into doing things better and faster.

I had previous experience drawing with pen and ink, and have even shared different tutorials on mark-making and shading techniques both here at my blog, as well as over at my YouTube channel, which I highly recommend you check out:

Guide to Shading Techniques: Hatching, Cross-Hatching, Scribbling and Others
Pen and Ink Sketching: 6 Shading Techniques
Shading a Hand Using Pen and Ink

However, I had never drawn with pen and ink as continuously as this drawing challenge pushed me to. By the end of the month, I was creating my sketches a lot faster than in the beginning. I was also able to tell when I was making a mistake quicker, which enabled me to stop in my tracks and succeed at making them less noticeable.

2. Creativity is a muscle that gets stronger with consistent use

I'm sure you've heard this saying about creativity being a muscle before, but there's really nothing like participating in a daily challenge to really understand what pushing our creative limits every-single-day for a long(ish) period of time can do for us.

At the beginning, I really struggled to come up with the ideas behind my drawings. I was also really unsure about what arrangement/composition would look best and took a long time to decide these things. By the end of the month my ideas came to me a lot faster and I was able to visualize more visually-pleasing compositions quicker. I knew whether an idea would work or not right off the bat and, if I thought it wouldn't, I moved on to thinking of a new one.

**3. Persistence and determination are essential in order to reach any meaningful goal**

In my blog post titled Time Management for Artists: My Secrets for Staying Consistently Productive, I explain how important it is to get to know ourselves so that we can truly come to a conclusion about what we want in life. This is the only way, really, that we can set meaningful goals so that we can then work towards them consistently.

Many of us are able to set those goals initially, but we fail at sticking to what we have to do because we lack motivation or life simply gets in the way.

It has been through gaining clarity on what I want in life and sheer persistence, that I've been able to get to where I am today. I think I owe my completion of Inktober to this basic understanding. I knew that participating in this challenge would be difficult, but that it would help me progress my skills further, faster. This is important for me at this point in my life, and I honored my decision by sticking with it.

Become a Patreon community member to get access to:

-Real-time drawing/painting tutorials with full walkthrough commentary
-Downloadable outline drawings, reference pictures and supply lists
-Direct feedback from me
-Downloadable workbook titled How to Discover Your Artistic Voice
-Instant access to a growing vault of original reference pictures that you can use for your own art
-Special thanks in YouTube videos and opportunities to get your work shared
-Participation in polls to decide new blog post and YouTube video topics
-Live classes and Monthly Creative Assignments
+ much more!

*Click below to learn more!

4. Chasing perfection is counterproductive

Perfection is probably the biggest enemy of creativity. It cripples us as artists and stops us from producing the work we need to create in order to keep moving forward. Getting something done, no matter how small (or flawed) is better than not doing it at all.

In art, exploration and learning to embrace the process is incredibly important. Even more important, I would say, than creating a finalized masterpiece. Once I learned this, my skills progressed a lot faster. Perfection is overrated.

Something I've come to realize is that constantly chasing perfection has a lot to do with an innate fear of not being enough and having to prove to the world, in some way, that we are. You don't have anything to prove to anyone but yourself, and what matters is to strive for progress, not perfection.

Life is way to short to let our fears stop us from doing the things we want to do in life. It is usually the people who are able to acknowledge their fears and move on despite them that succeed in achieving their goals.

5. Staying flexible is a must

Life is unpredictable. We can plan as much as we want to, but things will always come up and we have to be okay with shifting things around. As someone that thrives on routine, I'm still learning to be okay with modifying my schedules and specific things I had planned.

It's perfectly okay to take a break if you feel you need to (I did this a couple of times myself throughout the month). However, keep your priorities in check and get back to it as soon as you're able to.

There are two main ways that I stayed flexible throughout Inktober. For one, I had to accept that I would have to move my sketching to a different time of the day because things came up that I had to prioritize, or certain tasks simply took longer than expected. Sometimes I had to accept the fact that I would have to work on my Inktober sketch at the end of a long day of work.

Another way that I stayed flexible was with my supplies. The pages of the original Leuchtturm1917 sketchbook I planned on using ran out about 3/4's of my way through Inktober (I talk more about the specificities of my Inktober suppliesin this blog post).

Initially, I thought it would hold all of my sketches, but my heavy application of ink made it necessary for me to skip pages in between each piece. I had to make due with what I had on hand and be okay with using another sketchbook that didn't exactly match the characteristics I was looking for with this project. I accepted it and moved on.

6. Always focus on the good

There are two ways in which I applied this throughout Inktober: throughout the creation process and whilst analyzing my finished pieces.

If you've been following my Inktober work, you're probably already aware that I decided to go with following the official prompts this year. There were honestly some prompts that weren't inspiring for me at all and I struggled to think of a good idea for my piece. However, in these situations, I decided to focus on what I could enjoy and what could go well. Even if I wasn't smitten with my idea, I set out to use the opportunity to improve my cross hatching/line work, etc.

To be perfectly honest there were several sketches that I didn't like very much, either because the idea just wasn't that great, or because I feel the execution was sloppy. Nonetheless, I decided to take it easy, pat myself on the back for getting the work done for the day, and always focused on the good.

There are always things that go well, no matter how much more our mistakes stick out to us. Being able to recognize both possible areas of improvement as well as our strengths is essential for us to improve our skills and find our artistic style.

My Inktober Supplies:

Thanks so much for checking out this blog post! Did you participate in Inktober this year? If not, are you planning to in 2019? I'd love to hear from you in the comments section below! :)