There are many different ways that you can clean acrylic paint brushes. Depending on how well you want to clean them you can use anything from warm water to a specialty cleaner. This article will examine some of the best ways to clean an acrylic paint brush.

What is Acrylic paint made from

Before you learn how to clean brushes it is a good idea to have an understanding of the material. Acrylic paint is made out of an acrylic polymer. This is a type of plastic. Acrylic paint also contains pigments, water, and sometimes other additives. The most important thing to notice is that they are water based. That means that water factor into every acrylic brush cleaning method that we are going to look at.

Are Acrylic brushes different then oil brushes?

Yes and no. There are brushes that are marketed specifically for oil paint. You can also find some that are aimed primarily at acrylic painters. The acrylic brushes tend to be made of synthetic materials. The oil brushes are often made of natural fibers. Technically, you could use either type of brush for either paint. If you are using oil brushes for acrylic paint, check if they are made from natural hairs. These tend to be boar or sable brushes. Some people would recommend using a special brush cleaner for these brushes. I have used water alone to clean acrylic paint off of both types. I have never had any issues, but if you have very expensive brushes you may want to consider a special product.

What do you need to clean acrylic paint brushes

There are several different things that you can use to clean acrylic paint brushes. Here are the most common:

• Water
• Soap and Water
• A specialty brush cleaner

Which one you decide to use will depend on several factors. This includes how expensive your brushes are and how well you want to clean them.

Cleaning Acrylic Brushes With Water

This is the method that I use the most often. I find that acrylic paint comes out very easily with warm water and a good scrubbing. This is the main way I have cleaned my acrylic brushes for many years. The only downside to this method is that it requires a fairly good scrub to get them totally clean. This will definitely shorten the life of your brushes. I usually use pretty inexpensive brushes and replace them often so it isn’t really an issue for me. It is also really hard to get them so clean that you can’t see any color in them. To get them that clean, you will definitely need some kind of added detergent.

Cleaning Acrylic Paint Brushes with Soap and Water

The next way to clean requires one extra product. I usually use a plain dish soap to clean them. You can often be a little bit more gentle when cleaning them this way. It is a really good idea to rinse them very well. This will help to remove any soap residue from your brush, so that you don’t get it in your paint next time you use it.

Using Acrylic Paint Brush Cleaner

There are many different products that are marketed as artist paint brush cleaners. These are usually a gentle soap with an added bristle conditioner. The conditioner helps to keep the bristles healthy. This is especially useful if you are using a natural bristle brush. Natural bristles are made from actual animal hair and they can dry out the same way that your hair can. It is less of a concern if you are using a brush with synthetic bristles. This is the best way to clean acrylic paint brushes. It will get them nice and clean and help to protect them so that they last longer.

How to clean paint brushes that have been left to dry

This has happened to the best of us. You get so caught up in the painting that you are working on, that you leave a dirty brush on the table. The next time you go to paint you see that the paint has dried onto the brush. Despair not, you might still be able to clean the brush. Here is a what I do in this situation:

1. Carefully run the brush under hot tap water for 30 seconds to a minute. The plastic in acrylic paint actually gets really soft when it is heated. This makes it much easier to remove
2. Once the paint is softened, use your nail to scrape away the paint.
3. Clean the brush with soap and water like normal.

This method should work on brushes that have a light amount of paint on them, especially if you do it soon after the paint has dried. Brushes with a lot of paint on them might be more difficult. This would also be the case for brushes that have been sitting for a while. In this case the paint might have fully cured and it wont work as well.

Some great acrylic paint brush cleaners

Now that you know how to keep them clean, lets look at some of the best products. These brush cleaners are designed to clean and protect your brushes. Many of them work with both acrylic and oil paint.

The Masters Brush Cleaner & Preserver

The Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver – $3.08
from: Blick Art Materials

This is a very popular product. All you need to do is wipe your brush clean. Then you get it slightly wet and rub it into the actual container. It will work up into a lather and clean your brush. Then you can just rinse it clean in water. It is designed to be used with acrylic and oil paint. It is great for both natural and synthetic brushes.

Paint Puck Brush Cleaner

Paint Puck Brush Cleaner – $6.49
from: Blick Art Materials

This is actually a totally different type of product. It uses a specially textured silicone to clean the brushes. You place the silicone puck in a container of water and then scrub your brush into it.

Pink Soap Artist Brush Cleaner

Pink Soap Artist Brush Cleaner – $3.65
from: Blick Art Materials

This is a great soap to use to clean your brushes. The best part is that you can use it with acrylic or oil paint.

Bristle Magic Artist Brush Cleaner

Bristle Magic Brush Cleaner – $6.31
from: Blick Art Materials

Bristle Magic not only cleans, but reconditions your bristles. This is another great product to use for acrylic paint. Some people have even reported that it can effectively remove dried paint.

However you decide to clean acrylic paint brushes, there are lots of different options. Let us know which method is your favorite in the comments!

The post The Best Way To Clean Acrylic Paint Brushes appeared first on How To Create Art.

In this article I am to to explain how to use the Zorn palette in your paintings. This limited palette has gained a lot of popularity in the last few years. It is amazing to see how beautiful and cohesive paintings can be when you only use four colors.

One of the biggest benefits of only using four colors is that is very easy to achieve color harmonies. As these colors (really only two actual colors if you think about it) are often harmonious in all kinds of ratios and combinations. The wide variety of skin tones that can be made with just these four colors eliminates the need for adding other pigments that could clash with the base four.

Who is Anders Zorn?

Anders Zorn was a Swedish artist that lived between 1860 and 1920. He is widely seen as one of the most famous artists to have ever come out of Sweden. He is most well known for his portraits and figurative work. Many prominent people sat for his portraits, this included royalty and three American presidents. Part of what is so amazing about his work is that he used an extremely limited number of colors. With only four colors he was achieve a wide range of shades and amazing warm and cool color contrasts. His palette was particularly suited to painting figurative works. Today his palette has received renewed interest from many artist who paint figurative and realistically.

What is the Zorn palette?

The Zorn palette is made up of only four colors:

• Red
• Yellow
• Black
• White

Using these four colors, you can mix a very wide range of colors. It is easy to make orange or make brown paint as well as a huge range of other colors. A surprisingly wide range of flesh tones can be made. Despite the fact that there is no blue paint you can make grey appear blue by using optical contrasts. This means by placing a very warm orange hue next to grey, the grey will appear to be a cooler blue. Green can also be made by mixing black and yellow. One of the reasons that this is such a great palette for painting figurative images is that it tends to be quite warm. Without a true blue, flesh tones have a very warm overall feeling.

You can use several different base colors in this type of system. Here are some of the most common.

Red: Vermilion, Pyrrole Red, or Cadmium Red Medium

Old Holland Classic Oil Colors – $223.88
from: Blick Art Materials

While Zorn probably used true red vermilion, it is very hard to find today. It is made from a highly toxic mercury containing mineral called cinnabar. The good news is almost every manufacturer today makes a vermilion hue. These are usually made from pyrolle pigments or other modern pigments. Cadmium red medium is also a suitable substitute.

Yellow Ochre

Old Holland Classic Oil Colors – $61.46
from: Blick Art Materials

One of the most historically used pigments, Yellow ochre is made from iron-oxide. This earth tone has been used by artists for thousands of years. It has a slightly brownish tint to it.

Mars Black or Ivory Black

Gamblin Artist’s Oil Colors – $8.25
from: Blick Art Materials

Different manufacturers call their blacks different names. What you want is a cool black. This is because there is no blue in this palette, so the black will be standing in as the coolest color. The cooler the black, the easier it will be to make blueish grey and green shades.

Titanium White, Cremnitz White or Lead White

Michael Harding Artists Oil Colours – $113.61
from: Blick Art Materials

Lead white was the default white pigment used by artists in Zorn’s era. Many oil painters today still love it. Lead white has a certain radiance that can’t be achieved with modern alternatives. The problem is that lead is extremely toxic, so if you choose to use it you need to take the proper safety precautions this includes gloves.

I prefer to use titanium white because it is much more common and safer. One thing to keep in mind is that titanium white has almost 10 times the tinting power of lead white. So many artists choose to cut it 1:10 with a neutral medium to simulate lead white tint strength. Tad Spurgeon has an excellent book and several recipes on his his site that explain how to make a neutral putty medium for oil painting.

The Zorn palette proved to be quite influential to many artists. Odd Nerdrum is believed to use a very similar limited palette in his epic figurative works. Also many artist in the realism revival movement use a limited palette that is likely influenced by Zorn.

Did Zorn Palette ever include any other colors?

Despite common belief, Anders Zorn did actually use a couple of other colors during his career. While the standard Zorn palette is perfect for most of his interior portraits, there were times when other colors were needed. There is evidence the Zorn used a green and a blue in addition to the basic Zorn palette. These would have been useful for outdoor scenes where a green made from black and ochre wouldn’t be able to capture the intensity of the scene. Also things like skies and water can be made much more vivid when a blue is used instead of just blacks and grey. Another instance where Zorn would use blue and green, is if his subjects were actually wearing clothing that was in a more vivid hue. As you can see in his self portrait above, the bright green vest is most like made with a supplementary blue or green.

It is commonly believed that cerulean blue and viridian green were at least occasionally used by Zorn. These two colors can be used very effectively to supplement the standard Zorn palette.

Cerulean Blue

Gamblin Artist’s Oil Colors – $27.00
from: Blick Art Materials

Cerulean blue has been used by artists as a sky blue for many years. In fact the word Cerulean derives from the latin word for heaven or sky.

Viridian Green

Michael Harding Artists Oil Colours – $202.39
from: Blick Art Materials

A beautiful blueish green made from chromium oxide pigment. This shade of green is a perfect compliment to the warm reds and yellows used in the Zorn palette.

Using the Zorn Palette with acrylic paint

Golden Heavy Body Artist Acrylics and Sets – $77.06
from: Blick Art Materials

You can absolutely use the Zorn palette with other types of paint besides oil paint. Acrylics would be a great option and I actually do use this palette quite a bit on the under-layers of my acrylic paintings. The principals of color mixing and contrast can be transferred to all kinds of mediums. Acrylic, water colors, even oil pastels can use a Zorn palette to great effect.

I spent about a year using the Zorn palette almost exclusively in my paintings. I found that by limiting the number of colors on the palette my skill at mixing improved significantly. I also learnt a lot about using optical temperature contrasts on my paintings. This means that I could make a grey shade appear more blue by contrasting with a more warm orange shade. These are both very useful skills and I found they really helped me when I re-introduced a more extensive palette.

The post How To Use The Zorn Palette appeared first on How To Create Art.

Gel mediums allow you to change the consistency of acrylic paint. With the right gel medium you can make the paint really thick. This is great for achieving highly textured impasto techniques. Other mediums will actually thin the paint and make it easier to brush. There are also mediums that have very specific uses. This can be for blocking support induced discoloration, improving adhesion, or pouring acrylic paint. In this we article I am going to look at some of the my favorite gel mediums. These mediums will help to take your painting to the next level.

What is Acrylic Gel Medium?

Acrylic paint is made from a combination of pigment, water, and an acrylic polymer. The pigment is the color of the paint. The polymer and the water combine to create the body of the paint. The properties of the polymer used and the amount of water effect the working effects of the paint. This can make it thicker or thinner.

Acrylic gel medium is essentially paint without the pigment. This means that it is clear paint. Different types of acrylic polymers can be used to make it thicker or thinner. Sometimes other additives like glass beads or pumice are added to give it other characteristics.

The best acrylic Gel Medium

This is a list of my favorite gel mediums. They have specific uses, so the best acrylic gel medium is going to be the one the helps to create the effects you desire. One of the benefits of acrylic paint is that many of these mediums can be mixed together. If the gel you are using is just a bit too thin, you can add a little bit of a thicker medium. This is especially true if you are working with mediums and paints from the same manufacturer.

Blick Artists’ Acrylic Line of Gel Mediums

Blick Artists’ Acrylic Gel Medium – $12.80
from: Blick Art Materials

If you are already using Blick artists acrylic, then it would be a great idea to stick with the same line and use their gel medium. They are a high quality and slightly more affordable alternative to some of the more established brands. Here are some of the mediums they offer:

Blick Artists Acrylic Gel Medium

This is a nice medium body gel. Great for extending your paint, and adding bold textures to your paint.

Blick Artists Acrylic Modeling Paste

Modeling paste lets you almost sculpt with paint. It is super thick and holds marks extremely well. It tends to dry more opaque because of the additives in it.

My Pick: Golden Acrylic Gel Medium

Golden Acrylic Gel Mediums – $11.89
from: Blick Art Materials

The Golden line of gel mediums in probably my favorite things to add to acrylic paint. One of the best things about Golden gel is that there is such a wide range of textures. So you should be able to find exactly the consistency that you are looking for. Many of these gels also come in a gloss, satin, and matte version which can help you achieve exactly the look you are going for.

Soft Gel

Soft gel is one step up in thickness from Golden’s polymer medium. It is still thinner then their heavy body acrylics so it fits a very unique niche. One of the best applications I have found for soft gel is as an acrylic glue. If you are incorporating collage into your paintings, then this is is the acrylic gel to use. I would also recommend adding a bit of GAC 200 to it if you really want to increase the adhesion of your collage.

Regular Gel

This is my go too gel, it is the perfect medium body. Very similar to the consistency of heavy body acrylic paint. I personally use it for creating impasto effects and bold splashes of thick paint.

Heavy Gel

I use this product when I want to create thicker effects. Probably my favorite when I am creating a really thick painting. One thing that you need to keep in mind is that while they appear white when wet, most gels dry clear. This can be a little deceiving at first because your mixtures can appear lighter then the will be when dry. It is a good idea to to some experimenting on a spare paper or canvas so that you can see exactly what it will look like.

Extra Heavy Gel

This one is getting almost into the realm of a molding paste it is so thick. But, it still dries mostly clear. It provides the best of both worlds: the clarity of a gel and the body of a molding paste. It holds peaks, brush, and tool marks very well.

High Solid Gel

This product has working characteristics that are very similar to Heavy Gel. The difference is that is has more paint solids in it, so it won’t shrink as much as some of the other products.

Golden Molding Pastes

There is a wide range of different molding pastes made by Golden that are very similar to their acrylic gels. The difference is that they contain marble dust. This means that they don’t dry clear and will tent be a more opaque milky white. Because of the added marble, they actually hold peaks incredibly well. There is a wide range of thicknesses available.

Granular Acrylic Gels

Golden Paints make a few gels that contain gritty additives. These range from small acrylic particles in the clear granular gel to actual glass in the glass bead gel. There are also several grits of pumice gel. The pumice gel actually almost dries to give a concrete like effect.

Tar Gel

Tar gel makes your acrylic paint really stringy. It almost becomes syrupy so you can make long stringy effects.

Liquitex Professional Gel Mediums

Liquitex Gel Mediums – $11.31
from: Blick Art Material

Liquitex also makes a wide range gels in both gloss, matte, and ultra-matte looks.

Medium

A good versatile acrylic gel medium. Great for extending paint.

Heavy

If you are Liquitex fan, this is a great choice for adding more texture to your paintings. A good balance between being brush-able and holding textures.

Super Heavy

If you want to make a really textured painting this would be a great acrylic gel medium to use. It would be a great product to use with a palette knife because it would hold the knife marks very nicely.

Modeling Paste

Like the other modelling pastes we have covered, this one is very very thick. You can actually create sculptural effects on your painting with it.

Winsor & Newton Acrylic Gel Medium

Winsor & Newton Artists’ Acrylic Gel Mediums – $18.89
from: Blick Art Materials

While they are better know for their production of oil paint, Winsor & Newton produces a line of acrylic paint. Their professional acrylic paints are very high quality. I would recommend using their acrylic gel medium if you are already using their paint. They make a gloss and a matte gel. While the range of viscosity isn’t as big as those made by Golden, they medium bodied gel is a great choice to add texture and extend your acrylic paints.

Acrylic gel mediums are probably one of the biggest advantages of using acrylic paint vs oil paint. You can achieve such a wide range of special effects. You also don’t have to worry about fat or lean or painting too thickly like you would with oil paint. I hope that you enjoy experimenting with acrylic gel medium. Let us know which one of these mediums is your favorite in the comments.

The post The Best Acrylic Gel Medium of 2020 appeared first on How To Create Art.

In this article I will look at several ways how to make brown. If you would like to know what colors make brown, read on. I will examine several different ways to mix brown, and then show you my favorite method. Shades of brown are probably the earliest colors ever used in paintings. Brown is the color of there earth and can evoke a natural calm feeling. It is usually a neutral color and is great in the background as it compliments bolder colors. One of the best things about brown, especially if you are mixing itself, is that it contains many different pigments. This allows it to compliment a very wide range of colors. Similarly to the way I did in my What Colors Make Orange article, I am going to explain some of the science behind brown. Then I am going to show you the results of my experiment mixing browns from different primary and secondary colors.

What Colors Make Brown?

Brown is probably one of the most common colors in paint manufacturing. This is because so many of the natural minerals used to make paint are brown. It is also quite easy to mix and mix another color, and end up with a shade of brown. You can see the results of this in my article on the color orange.

At its most basic level paint is really just crushed up dirt, rocks, or other coloring agent mixed with a carrier. The carrier can be acrylic polymer, oil, egg, water, wax, or casein. So it is no surprise that some of the earliest paints were brown. Earth tones were readily available to the early artists. The appeal of these shades has continued through art history and they are still popular today. Colors like ocher, sienna, iron oxide, and umber are all earth based pigments.

There is also another way to make brown. Brown can be made by mixing two complimentary colors together.

What are complimentary colors?

Complimentary colors are colors that sit across from each other on the color wheel. Complimentary colors tend to enhance each other when they are placed next to each other in a painting. Complimentary colors can be broken down into the following pairs of primary and secondary colors:

• Red and Green
• Blue and Orange
• Yellow and Purple

If you mix a color with it’s compliment it will tend to make brown. So mixing red and green will make brown. So will mixing blue and orange, and yellow and purple. There are many different pigments and shades of each of these base colors. As well, many of the secondary colors can be mixed as well. That means there is an almost infinite range of browns that you can make. So if you are asking yourself what colors make brown? Then know that the easiest way how to make brown is mixing complimentary colors.

Primary and Secondary Colors

As I mentioned earlier, one of the easiest ways to make brown paint is by mixing complimentary colors. In the simplest terms a complimentary color is usually a primary and a secondary color. A primary color is one of the three colors that all other colors can be mixed from: red, blue, and yellow. A secondary color is a mix of two primary colors that fit in between the primary colors on the color wheel: green, blue, and yellow.

For the experiment in making brown paint that I tried, I mostly used two complimentary colors. Having said that you can also use three, four, five, or even more colors to make brown. In fact, as I will explain later, mixing the three primary colors is one of the best ways to make brown.

Tubed Brown Paint

Brown paint is very common and usually one of the more inexpensive pigments. That is because brown minerals are one of the most common colors in mother nature. It is very expensive to mine a vibrant cobalt blue or cadmium red, but brown earth colors like ocher, sienna, and umber are quite common. Having said that, there are also quite a few brown paints like Quinacridone and Nickel-Azo gold that are actually quite expensive. Some of the more common brown paints are:

• Raw Sienna
• Burnt Sienna
• Raw Umber
• Burnt Umber
• A range of Iron-oxide based pigments

Here are some of the pre-tubed brown paints that we like.

Mars Yellow

Golden Open Acrylics and Sets – $19.69
from: Blick Art Materials

Many Iron oxide based paints have the name Mars in them. In this case “Mars” is the roman god of war and an agricultural guardian. This is because iron is prominently used in both weaponry and agricultural tools.

Mars Yellow is actually a very warm brown. It has hints of red and yellow and it is a very beautiful brown paint that can be used in a range of applications.

Raw Sienna

Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylics and Sets – $7.23
from: Blick Art Materials

Raw sienna is a cool, yellowish brown. It is formed from Iron-oxide, with a hint of manganese oxide in its natural state. It is very similar to yellow ocher and it is definitely one of the lighter shades of brown.

Raw Umber

Liquitex Professional Heavy Body Acrylics and Sets – $7.20
from: Blick Art Materials

Raw umber is a cool brown with a greenish hue. It is darker then many of the other earth pigments. Its cool tone make it a great choice for backgrounds and underpainting.

Burnt Sienna

Gamblin Artist’s Oil Colors – $28.50
from: Blick Art Materials

Burnt sienna paint has the same chemical make up. The difference is that when the pigment is heated it turns into a warm and rich reddish brown.

Quinacridone Gold

Michael Harding Artists Oil Colours – $35.99
from: Blick Art Materials

This is one of my favorite browns. It is borderline an orange, as it has lots of yellow and red in it. It is quite a bit more expensive then many of the browns made from earth pigments. But the radiance that it gives off is worth it in my opinion. It has a cool effect of appearing more brown when applied thickly, then red or even yellow when it is thinned or stained.

How To Make Brown

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Base Colors

I used several different colors during our experiment to make brown paint. I tried to use a version of each of the primary and secondary colors that was well balanced. This means that it was right in the middle of its section on the cool wheel. The colors that I chose were also a good balance between warm and cool. While these are the six colors that I chose to mix brown paint, you can definitely experiment with other base colors. Using warmer or cooler colors will give you all kind of different shades of brown. You can also add black to darken your colors. White will lighten them. Finally, grey will mute the color and make it less vibrant. This is useful if you want the color to recede into the background.

Pyrrole Red

Pyrrole red is a bright warm and opaque red that uses the PR254 Pigment. It is created using Diketopyrrolo pyrrole pigments and is a great substitute for cadmium red medium. I used the golden heavy body acrylic product. Most paint manufacturers have a similar color in their lineup. It is often called vermillion hue, especially by oil paint manufacturers. It is also a great paint to use if you are experimenting with how to make orange.

Phthalo Green (Blue Shade)

This is a very cool green. Phthalo is made from the synthetic Phthalocyanine dye. It is quite dark and powerful when applied thickly, but if it is thinned or mixed with water it can make a very rich bright green.

Permanent Green Light

This is a glassic green. Very similar to what most people would think of when you say “green”. It is a mix of different yellow and green pigments. I wasn’t originally going to use this color for my green. As you will see in experiment in how to make brown, I needed to substitute the phthalo green for this color.

Cadmium Yellow Medium

Once of my favorite colors to use. It is a bright, warm, and opaque yellow. It is quite powerful so it will take a fair amount of the color you are mixing it with to overcome the yellow. This was definitely a winner in my experiment in making orange paint.

Permanent Violet Dark

Made from Quinacridone pigment this is a beautiful medium purple. The problem with many tubed purple paints is that the tend too much towards blue or red. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but for this experiment in mixing brown paint I wanted a purple that was right in the middle of red and blue.

Cadmium Orange

Probably one of the most vibrant colors I have ever used. Cadmium orange shares many of the same characteristics as cadmium yellow. You can also find pyrrole orange, which is also very bright without the cadmium content if that is something you are concerned about.

Ultramarine Blue

A classic warm blue. Traditionally this color was made from lapis lazuli, which is actually a semi-precious stone. You can still find true lapis lazuli blue, but it is probably one of the most expensive paints you can buy. Today, most ultramarine blues are made from a synthesized pigment. Cobalt blue is another similar alternative that is also very vibrant.

The results of my experiment in making brown

To figure out what colors make brown, I combined made four different primary secondary combinations. I was only going to use three sets, but my first mix didn’t really work so I added a fourth. Finally, I experiment with combining the three primary colors to make brown paint. The results were very interesting as you will see later.

For each mix, I added the darker color to the lighter color with a palette knife. Then I scraped the palette knife across a sheet of white paper.

Phthalo Green + Pyrrole Red

This was the first way I mixed brown. Green and red is the most basic way to brown. As you can see in the image above, I ended up with a very dark brown. This color was so dark, that it actually almost looked like a dark grey-purple or a black. This is because there was too much blue and not enough yellow in my green. I would not recommend using these two pigments to make brown paint.

Permanent Green Light + Pyrrole Red

My second attempt at mixing brown with green and red. This time it was much more successful. This made a slightly cool medium brown that I was much happier with.

Cadmium Yellow Medium + Permanent Violet Dark

This was actually my favorite brown mixed from only two colors. It came out very warm and rich. It is probably because the base colors both contain very rich bright pigments. Cadmium yellow and the quinacridone in the violet are both very rich. This would be quite a potent color so keep that in mind if you are mixing it with anything else.

Cadmium Orange + Ultramarine Blue

This made another warm rich brown. Using a warm blue with a bright cadmium orange gave the color lots of warmth.

The best way to make brown

These were only four different combinations of making brown. You can absolutely try it on your own using any combination of a primary color and a secondary color. There are hundreds if not thousands of combinations that you could try, so experiment away to find the best way to mix brown paint.

After trying with two colors, I decided to add a third. Here are the results of that experiment.

Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Yellow Medium + Pyrrole Red

This ended up being my favorite way to make brown. It gave me so much more control in adjusting the color to be exact hue that I wanted. If it was too yellow, I could just add a little more red and blue. The trick with mixing brown, is that if you find it starting too look too much like one color, you add it’s compliment to balance it back out.

• Brown too red: Add more green (blue + yellow)
• Brown too orange: Add more blue
• Brown too yellow: Add more purple (blue + red)
• Brown too green: Add more red
• Brown too blue: Add more orange (yellow + red)
• Brown too purple: Add more yellow

You can also add black or white to your mixed brown. This will give you an even greater range of browns. I hope that this experiment was helpful and has helped you learn how to make brown.

The post What Colors Make Brown appeared first on How To Create Art.

In this guide we will examine 42 different ways to make orange paint. So if you have ever wanted to know what colors make orange, read on. Orange is a great color that is generally warm and vibrant. As we will examine in the article there is a tremendous range of oranges. Orange can even being to take on hints of pink, peach, and brown which is useful if your are painting the highlights or shadows of an orange object. For example if your were painting a fall scene with orange leaves, the shadows underneath the leaf might be closer to brown and the highlights on top might be closer to pink. It is very useful as an artist to explore the full range of color possibilities.

What colors make orange?

On the color wheel,  orange fits in between red and yellow. It is mixed by combining a yellow and a red pigment. There are also several pigments like cadmium and several earth colors that can come in a naturally occurring orange form.

There are several types of paintings that would feature orange. Obviously if you are painting actually oranges it would be a great start. Other fruits like peaches, mangoes, and even apples can feature orange. Fall scenes like harvested fields, and trees with warm colored leaves all prominently feature orange. Believe it or not, the right orange can really bring a figure painting to light. The right hue in small amounts can add a dimension of warmth and radiance to flesh tones. Sunrises and sunsets can also have a ton of orange shades in them. Another great place to use orange is on a canvas that has some blue in it. We will examine the science behind why this a good idea a little later on in the article.

Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Colors

If you look at a color wheel you will see the three primary colors: red, yellow, and blue. The are spaced out evenly along the wheel as if they are in a triangle. Between each of them are the secondary colors. These are formed if you were to mix two primary colors that are beside each other. Red and yellow mix to make orange. Yellow and blue mix to make green. Red and blue mix to make purple.

Finally you have the tertiary colors. These are similar to the secondary colors in that they are mixes of the primaries. The difference is that they skew more towards one primary then another. So you can imagine that a medium orange would be a secondary color. A reddish orange (grapefruite) or a yellowish orange (school bus) would be considered tertiary colors.

Warm and Cool Colors and making orange

There is a couple of different ways of thinking about warm and cool colors. The easiest is to think of blue, green, and purple as the cool colors, and red, yellow, and orange as warm colors. Essentially the two primary colors next to orange (yellow and red) are warm. The two secondary colors (green and purple) next to blue are cool. Cool colors give a soothing and relaxing effect, and warm colors give a vibrant, energizing effect. Although most artist when use both warm and cool colors in the same painting.

A more advanced way of looking at warm and cool colors, is by examining whether a color tends towards being red or blue. For example you can have a warm yellow like cadmium yellow medium that has hints of reddish orange in it. You can also have a cool yellow like hansa yellow light that has hints of greenish blue. If you pick any primary, secondary, or tertiary color tube you should be able to see whether it tends to be cooler or warmer by laying it next to a similar color. Keep in mind that in a painting, warm and cool is relative to the colors around it.

It is useful to artists to be familiar with warm and cool colors, and even build a warm and cool palette. This means that they have a warm and a cool version of each of the primary colors. In a painting warm colors tend to come forward and cool colors tend to receded. This is very useful to know if you are trying to create a realistic three dimensional space. By placing warm colors in the foreground and cool colors in the background you can really enhance the sense of depth of a painting.

Browns, Pinks, and Peaches. Are they mixed orange?

One thing that is interesting when you mix oranges is that most tubed paints are not purely made from primary colors. Many of them contain brownish shades, white, black, and gray. That means when you are examining how to mix orange paint, you will come up with all kinds of different shades. But this is nothing to be a afraid of. Pink, peach, and brownish oranges can be some of the most rich and beautiful colors that you can mix.

It is also worth noting that if you mix a cool red and a warm yellow (or vice versa) you will get a different range of oranges. This is because the blueish tint of the cool color will mix with the orange to mute it slightly and make a brownish shade. So if you want a really “hot” orange then stick to mixing warm yellows and reds like pyrrole or cadmiums. So if you want to learn how to make orange, you will also be able to make many other similar hues.

What is the brightest orange paint?

In my experience the brightest orange paint that I have found is Cadmium Orange. Golden Heavy Body Cadmium Orange is very vibrant and can be mixed with a small amount of cadmium yellow to make it pop even more. In my experience, this tubed color will give you a brighter orange than anything you can mix.

This is because it contains only the PO 20 cadmium orange pigment, which is very bright. You lose some of the optical brightness when you begin to mix a yellow and red together. Cadmium orange and Pyrrole orange are available in acrylics, oils, and watercolors by a range of paint manufacturers.

Another possibility if you are after the absolute brightest color is to use a fluorescent orange paint. Golden Fluorescent Orange-Yellow paint uses special fluorescent pigment that makes the orange appear brighter than is possible with conventional pigment. These polymer coated dies are incredibly transparent. The best way to use it would be to layer the fluorescent orange on top of another orange color. Golden makes great products and this is no exception.

Golden Heavy Body Artist Acrylics and Sets – $47.94
from: Blick Art Materials

If you are concerned about using cadmium pigments then there is another very bright orange from Golden Paints. Pyrrole Orange comes in several of the golden ranges. Pyrrole orange also uses only one pigment which helps to make it optically brighter then a mix.

Golden High Flow Acrylics and Sets – $7.76
from: Blick Art Materials

Simultaneous Contrast for the brightest possible orange

There are several tricks that artists can use to make their orange seem even brighter. By harnessing the power of the red and green cones in our eyes we can amplify the intensity of one or more colors. Simultaneous contrast occurs when you place a color on the color wheel next to its complimentary color. The complimentary color is the color directly across from it on the color wheel. So in the case of orange, you would place blue next to it. When our eyes focus on something blue they create an after image of the complimentary color. This is the appearance of the complimentary color even when it isn’t there. By using this phenomenon, an orange and a blue placed next to each other will both look more vibrant then if they were on their own. Amedeo Modigliani does an amazing job of this in his painting Girl in Blue. You can see how he uses orange and blue in simultaneous contrast to make them both appear very vibrant.

How to mix orange paint

I wanted to see how to mix the best orange. So I combined seven different reds and seven different yellows to see what kind of shades of orange I would come up with. The results were actually quite remarkable as I ended up with 42 different shades of orange. As you will see shortly, they range from bright and vibrant, to brownish, to almost pink in appearance.

What colors make orange: The base colors I used

I used several of my favorite reds and yellows. These included both vibrant pure colors and more muted earth tones like siennas and umbers. You could easily replicate this experiment at home with the colors you have available to see what kinds of orange combinations that you can come up with.

Yellows

These are the yellows that I used to create my oranges. These are only a few of the available yellows. There are many more like Hansa yellow that could give you interesting results

Yellow Ochre

A cool earthy brownish yellow. It is an earth pigment primarily made from iron oxide, clay, and sand.

Raw Sienna

A cool yellowish brown. Also an earth pigment that is primarily made from iron oxide and manganese oxide.

Cadmium Yellow Light

A rich, very bright, pure yellow made from cadmium pigments. This is one of the brightest colors that I have used.

Cadmium Yellow Medium

Similar to cadmium yellow light, except it is slightly warmer and a tad less vibrant.

Naples Yellow Hue

A warm reddish yellow with an opaque white component. It is made from Titanium, Iron Oxide, and Diarylide. It was originally made from lead and was quite popular with the old masters. This version was created as a safer alternative. The high content of white in this yellow will give some interesting results.

Golden Heavy Body Artist Acrylics and Sets – $64.32
from: Blick Art Materials

Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide

A rich, warm and very transparent brownish yellow. Normally great for creating rich and warm glazes.

Reds

The reds I used also range from pure cadmium colors to more brownish earth tones.

Cadmium Red Light

This is a very vibrant cadmium based paints. Probably the brightest red that I have used, it actually is on the cusp of being an orange-tinted red.

Cadmium Red Medium

Another rich vibrant color. This is more a pure, bright, fire engine red. You could also use Pyrrole red as a substitute which is a non-cadmium alternative.

Quinacridone Red

A cooler, transparent red. Almost has a pinkish hue. This color is pretty transparent and makes glazes that are very vivid. I also use it mixed with white to make beautiful and cool pinks.

Golden High Flow Acrylics and Sets – $54.45
from: Blick Art Materials

Alizarin Crimson Hue

A modern mix of quinacridone and phthalo makes a vibrant cool reddish brown.

Golden Heavy Body Artist Acrylics and Sets – $111.22
from: Blick Art Materials

Red Oxide

This is one of the oldest pigments ever used by humans. It is made from iron oxide. It is a rich reddish brown also known as Venetian Red by some manufacturers.

Burnt Sienna

The same composition as the raw sienna that I used in the yellow section, but it is heated to change the pigment to a reddish brown.

Transparent Red Iron Oxide

Another iron oxide pigment that gives a rich reddish brown that is great for glazing.

Golden Open Acrylics and Sets – $13.01
from: Blick Art Materials

How to make orange: The process

I mixed each of the colors above with a palette knife and applied them to raw canvas on the following chart. I did not use set ratios of red and yellow to make orange. This is because each color has very different tinting strengths. Instead I adjusted the ratios for each combination to get a medium orange. This means an orange that would be as close as possible to the middle of red and yellow on a color wheel.

The results: 42 different ways to mix orange paint

Below are the swatches of color of each orange. I have also included my notes for each mix.

A rich warm brownish orange. The ocher subdues the vibrant cadmium red quite a bit.

Super rich. The transparent yellow darkens it a bit. Would be good for shadows.

This is getting into a peach flesh tone hue. This is because there is so much white in the naples yellow that it is almost like mixing a pink.

This is a bold classic orange. It is the brightest orange that I mixed. This is the color you initially think of when you think “orange”. You could adjust the ratio of yellow and red for some incredible variations.

Nice bright red. The slight coolness of the cadmium yellow light, mutes it just a bit.

This is really more of a reddish brown. But a nice rust color none the less. Sienna is already pretty brown and doesn’t have enough power to overcome the cadmium red.

Another beautiful rusty brown.

This is a really interesting creamy peach color. Could be used for warm shadows on a portrait.

A very warm classic orange. Probably the “warmest” of all of the colors that i mixed. Great color for the brightest areas of a painting. My mix here is a little skewed towards yellow so a bit more red could be added.

Another rich orange. Any combination of a cadmium red and a cadmium yellow will make a pretty vibrant classic orange.

I rusty brown. I almost see a purplish tinge to this color.

A warm amber color. Would be a good shadow contrast to a more vibrant highlight orange.

The coolness of the red created an interesting orange brown.

Similar to above, but with an even cooler tone because of the raw sienna.

This one is pretty surprising. The warmth of the cadmium yellow “warmed up” the quinacridone red to make a very rich color. A great way to mix orange paint.

Same as above. The warmth of the cadmium really influences the overall orange shade.

This one actually just made a pink. The amount of yellow in the Naples hue wasn’t enough to balance out the quinacridone red. I could try using more of the yellow.

This is actually one of my favorite colors for glazing. A very warm transparent brown.

Interesting combination. It is funny how many of these mixes start looking very similar even though they are using totally different pigments.

Same as above, just a bit cooler. This seems to be a pretty common pattern. Raw sienna and yellow ocher are pretty close, with the former being just a hint cooler. It isn’t that surprising that every swatch using these two colors looks very similar.

A yellowish brown. This orange swatch almost looks like yellow ocher in its tube form.

An interesting and rich color made by combining a very transparent pigment with a very opaque one.

This is definitely in the realm of pink and peach. has a cool hue, could be used for flesh tones.

This would be a rich glazing orange brown.

This would be another great orange shadow color. Would be good on leaves or the shadow of a fruit.

A some point, some of these colors no longer look like oranges. This one still has enough warmth to maybe qualify?

I nice vibrant amber color. The earthy red oxide balances out the intensity of the cadmium yellow.

Very similar to the color above, but maybe just a tiny bit cooler.

This is a nice reddish orange-brown that would be good for shadows.

A very earthy opaque orange brown.

This just appears brown to me, but a warm brown.

Same as above but a little cooler. This is probably the most “brown” color that I mixed. If you are looking up how to mix brown, this would be a good solution.

The burnt sienna cools the heat from the cadmium yellow quite nicely.

Same as above just a little bit warmer and more of an orange tint.

This is a beige brown, there is really little classic orange in it. But it could be useful in the shadow areas of an orange object.

This is a nice dark orange mix.

Another warm orange brown that would almost be a good flesh tone. I really like naples yellow as a base for flesh tones, and many of the reds that I have mixed it with have made great combinations.

A very warm mustard orange.

This color reminds me of fall leaves. It has a unique warmth to it.

Always interesting results when mixing a transparent color with a more opaque one. It kind of makes me curious what it would look like if the iron oxide red was glazed over the raw sienna.

Another earthy combination that looks very similar to the other amber browns.

This would be a really great glazing color. Very rich and warm.

Tubed Orange Colors

There are also a wide variety of tubed orange paints. These are bright and rich colors that you don’t even need to mix for the perfect orange. You can also mix them with any of the above colors for an even wider range of choices.

Old Holland Brilliant Yellow

Old Holland Classic Oil Colors – $59.33
from: Blick Art Materials

While this is labeled as a yellow, it is really on the cusp of being an orange. A beautiful, warm yellow-orange oil paint.

Michael Harding Indian Yellow Red Shade

Michael Harding Artists Oil Colours – $16.92
from: Blick Art Materials

Another tubed paint that is labeled as yellow but has a lot of orange characteristic. Michael Harding makes some of the highest quality oil paints available. They are incredible to use. Believe it or not, indian yellow was originally colored from the urine of cows that ate mango leaves! Thankfully this is not longer the case, but the rich warm yellow orange hue continues to live on.

Winsor & Newton Professional Water Color Cadmium Orange

Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolor Tubes and Sets – $8.82
from: Blick Art Materials

Cadmium orange whether it is in Acrylics, Oil, or Watercolor is probably the brightest orange that you will be able to get without moving to fluorescent paint. I have found that mixing cadmium orange with a little bit of cadmium yellow medium makes it even more vibrant.

Golden Quinacridone / Nickel Azo Gold

Golden Heavy Body Artist Acrylics and Sets – $25.89
from: Blick Art Materials

Quinadrone Gold is a rich brownish orange. It is actually one of my favorite colors and it truly radiates warmth. It would be great for warm shadow areas.

A wider range of ways to mix orange paint

I have mixed 42 different hues of orange for you to see. If you want to push this range even further and you could adjust the ratios of yellow to red in each mix. I tried to mix each one to get a medium orange. But, you could add more yellow or red to each one to explore a range of tertiary colors. You could also try adding 3 or more of the above colors together for a super wide range of possibilities. As with all primary and secondary colors you also have the option of adding black, white, or gray to the above mixes. This will give you darker, lighter, or more muted oranges depending on the effect that you are going for.

Conclusion

Orange is a beautiful secondary color formed by mixing a yellow and a red pigment. There are also paints that have a natural orange hue that can be a useful addition to your palette. Remember you aren’t just limited to bright orange. If you look at something that is orange in real life you will see the wide range of hues and shade that this wonderful color can take.

The post How To Make Orange Paint: 42 ways appeared first on How To Create Art.

If you are painting with acrylic paint, it is important to prime the canvas before you begin painting. Let’s face it, paint is expensive. By Priming the canvas with a high quality gesso, you can get the most out of your expensive colors. Not only that, priming the canvas helps to make your painting last longer and look better.

Golden Acrylic Gesso – $19.24
from: Blick Art Materials

Why should I prime a canvas With gesso?

Priming a canvas creates a better bond between the actual acrylic paint and the weave of the canvas. When we are talking about working with acrylic paints, the best primer to use is an acrylic gesso. Gesso is designed to soak into the weave of the canvas and seal it. The means that your actual colored paint will sit on top of the canvas rather than soak in and look muted. It also has a fair amount of chalk in it. The chalk creates a “tooth” that helps the paint to adhere to the canvas. This tooth means that the paint on the surface will stick to the canvas better, and will help it to avoid cracking and delaminating from the canvas as time goes on.

What is The difference between sizing and priming?

Sizing is used more often in oil painting. By its very nature, oil paint can rot the canvas over time. By sizing the canvas, a very thin layer of a sealant soaks into the canvas fibers and protects them from the oil paint. If you are working with oil, I would recommend using Gamblin PVA Size as the first layer on your raw canvas. Traditionally oil painters have used rabbit skin glue as a size, and more recently acrylic dispersion products as a size.

Now if you are using acrylic paint, then sizing is less of an issue because acrylic paint doesn’t rot canvas in the same way that oil paint does. There are some cases where you may still want to consider using a sizing on an acrylic painting. This is when you might run into issues with support induced discoloration from the surface you are working on.

What is Support Induced Discoloration?

Support induced discoloration occurs when tiny impurities from the surface (canvas, panel, or whatever you are painting on) are sucked up into the paint as it dries. These impurities can cause a yellowing of the paint as it dries.

Do I need to size a canvas If I am painting with acrylic paint?

Generally no, and this is because most acrylic gessos do a fair bit of sizing on their own. They do this by soaking into the canvas an sealing it. One time where you would want to size the canvas are if you are working with a lot of translucent colors. Translucent colors show support induced discoloration more readily. If you are using more opaque paint, the pigments in the paint will usually hide any kind of support induced discoloration. Another time that you may want to consider sizing is if you are working on a type of surface that would contain a lot of impurities like some types of wood.

Golden Gloss Medium is generally recommended as a suitable size for working under acrylic paint.

Can I paint on raw canvas?

Yes you definitely can, and many artists throughout history like Morris Louis and Helen Frankenthaler have worked by staining the paint directly into the canvas. This creates a unique effect that is almost like water color paint. There are issues down the road for conserving these paintings, as the canvas fibers are open to the atmosphere, dirt, and moisture. (Morris Louis paintings actually need to be vacuumed!)

If you want to benefits of acrylic gesso, but still want to see the color and weave of the canvas. You can use a product like Golden Matte Medium. The matte medium provides a clear layer of protection to the canvas and still has enough tooth for subsequent paint layers to adhere to.

What is the best primer for an acrylic painting?

For most acrylic paintings on canvas, an acrylic gesso will provide the best surface to paint on. There are many different brands and qualities of acrylic gesso and I will examine some of the best ones a little later in the article. They usually come in white which is a great choice for gesso. Part of the luminosity of a painting comes from light being reflected back to your eyes through the paint. So a white surface is going to be the most reflective and the most luminous. Titanium white, the main pigment in most gessos also has a very high covering power which is an added benefit.

Can’t I just use white paint as a primer?

Gesso is not only a mixture of acrylic medium and white pigment. There is also usually a component that helps to make it absorbent and add a tooth for adhesion. This is usually calcium carbonate or chalk. It is also designed to be brushed onto raw canvas easily and soak in, so it is usually a little thinner then regular paint. It is designed to shrink a bit as it dries in order to help tighten the canvas on the stretcher bars. So if you were to use white paint alone, not only would it more expensive, but you would be missing out on the ease of application, shrinking factor, and adhesion properties of a true acrylic gesso.

Can I use a colored primer for an acrylic painting?

Well there aren’t that many brands that specifically make a colored gesso, there are some alternatives that work quite well. One that I have used is Golden High Load Acrylics. They are like normal golden acrylics but have a super high load of pigment in them. The higher ratio of pigments actually makes them more “toothy” so they behave a lot like gesso on the canvas. I have used them in a past when I wanted a rich warm earth tone background. I achieved this by mixing the yellow ocher and burnt sienna Golden High Load Acrylics with a bit of white gesso.

How do you apply acrylic gesso to a canvas?

It is actually very easy to apply. In general, you want to apply 2 to 4 coats of acrylic gesso for maximum protection and adhesion. The amount of coats you will need will depend heavily on how high a quality your gesso it. It is best to apply several thin coats, then one thick coat. Gesso isnt quite as flexible as regular acrylic paint because of the water and chalk content. So thin coats can avoid the gesso cracking down the line if you are working on a flexible surface like canvas.

STEP 1

Lay your canvas flat on the ground face up. Some people like to run a pumice stone lightly over the canvas to remove any irregular bumps, but this is not necessary.

STEP 2

Dip a 2 to 3″ stiff brush into the gesso container and begin applying it using a scrubbing motion from one side to another. The scrubbing allows you to just apply as much as is necessary, get in between all of  the fibers, and avoid brush marks caused by applying it to thick.

STEP 3

Wait until the surface is touch dry and repeat. It usually takes about an hour for it to be dry. You don’t want to apply it to soon because it might pull up the previous layer.

STEP 4

Let dry thoroughly and your canvas is ready to paint on. I like to leave the canvas overnight before I work on it, but if it is dry to the touch you could start painting on it right away. If you are going to be drawing on it with a pencil, make sure that it is quite dry to avoid pulling at the gesso. Also, if you are planning on painting on top of it with oil paint, you should wait much longer to ensure that the water has fully evaporated before you start painting.

What Is The best White Acrylic Gesso?

Almost every brand that makes acrylic paint makes an acrylic gesso. It is a good idea to stick with the same brand as the paint you are using because then you know that they are designed to work together. Having said that, most types of acrylic gesso contain essentially the same basic ingredients

The best acrylic gesso: Golden Gesso

Golden Acrylic Gesso – $19.24
from: Blick Art Materials

This acrylic gesso comes in both white and black. It goes onto raw canvas very easily and provides excellent adhesion, tooth, and shrinkage. I have used this gesso almost exclusively for the last 15 years it is that good. One of the biggest benefits of Golden Gesso is it’s covering power. In fact, I often only need 2 thin coats of gesso to have a solid what base for my painting. You will really notice how loaded with pigment it is when you go to wash your brush and white paint just KEEPS COMING OUT. Amazing product.

Let me know in the comments if you have any more questions about how to apply acrylic gesso.

The post Best Way To Prime a Canvas For Acrylic Painting with Gesso appeared first on How To Create Art.

The Artograph spray booth is a great option for people who want an effective and affordable way to filter the air when using spray paint and airbrushes. It can be used with or without ducting to the outside. In this article we are going to review some of the features of the Artograph, and also look at some of its closest competition.

When it comes to creating art, health and safety should be one of your greatest concerns. Certain types of art making like spray painting and airbrushing require specific tools. These techniques release harmful aerosols and vaporized paint particles into the air. You don’t want either of these to be circulating in the room you are working in. This is especially true if your art studio is in your home. You will want to ensure that as much of the fumes and particulate matter as possible is removed from the air.

While wearing a respirator should always be a first line of defence, a spray booth can be very helpful to improve the air quality in your studio. A spray booth is a contained surface that is attached to an extraction fan or filter. The platform and walls of the booth help to protect the surrounding areas from the paint spray. The fan sucks out the polluted air along with any floating particles of paint and vents it outside or runs it through a filter. Ideally the fan you are using is strong enough to suck up and filter or extract most of the polluted air before it can spread to the rest of the room.

The Artograph 1530 hobby model spray booth is a great solution for hobbyists and home artists. It cleans the air by running it through a 3-stage filter. While this is not as effective as an industrial spray booth that extracts the air to the outside, it is a much more affordable option for the hobbyist and artist working from home. It is also much easier to install as it is a self contained unit and doesn’t require ducting to be run to the outside.

Details

The Artograph spray booth measures 15 by 30 inches. This allows it to fit pieces that are up to 28 by 13 inches. It uses a 370 Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) fan that is run through a filter. The front has a clear panel that allows a lot of light in. There is also an edge that allows you to hang small pieces from the top of the unit. The filter on the Artograph spray booth is a three stage design. As the air is sucked out of the booth and through the filter the first stage it meets is a polyester pre-filter. The pre-filter removed airborne particulates (like paint still floating in the air) before it can contact the rest of the filter. This is the stage of the filtration that will need to be changed most often as it will be the first point of contact with any wet spray paint that comes through the filter. The second stage is a woven polyester filter with a PVC binder. The second stage filter is designed to removed particles up to 5 microns in size. The third stage is a carbon-impregnated polyester material that is designed to remove odors and even more particles that may have made it through the first two stages. The cleaned exhaust air vents back into the room but it can also be connected to ducting. The ducting can be vented outside for maximum safety. The filters are replaceable, so you can ensure that the Artograph spray booth is operating at maximum efficiency.

Unfortunately the Artograph spray booth has been discontinued by Artograph. Having said this it can still be found on Amazon at the time of writing this article. You may also want to consider the Master Airbrush Spray Booth if you are unable to find the Artograph model.

Pros

• Easy to Install
• Ability to be vented outside
• Can be used without ducting outside
• Clear Acrylic Panel lets in lots of light
• Edges to hang small pieces from the roof

Cons

• There are less expensive alternatives
• Filter Replacement costs
• It has been discontinued so it might be hard to find

Master Airbrush Hobby Spray Booth

One of the most popular alternatives to the Artograph Spray Booth is the Master Airbrush Hobby Spray Booth. This is another spray booth for airbrush or spray paint that is aimed at the hobbyist. The added benefit of the Master Airbrush spray booth is that it vents directly to the outside. The spray booth includes a hose and outlet that can be directed out of a window. This is a little less convenient as you need to make sure that you place the spray booth close to a window. It would also be a good idea to remove you screen if you are going to use this booth to ensure that it doesn’t get covered in paint particles. The Master Airbrush spray booth is also quite a bit less expensive. It is also available with an LED light. This allows you to clearly see the art or craft project that you are working on. This spray booth measures 16.5 inches Wide x 19″ Deep x 13.5″ High, so it is great for smaller projects. Unfortunately it won’t be large enough for large scale pieces.

Now that the Artograph Spray booth has been discontinued, many people are looking at the more affordable Master Airbrush Hobby Spray Booth. Both of these spray booths are quite good and a good solution for the home hobbyist.

The post Artograph Spray Booth 1530 Hobby Model Review appeared first on How To Create Art.

Paris Art has the ability to fill your room with romance and beauty. Here are some of the best prints and paintings of Paris.

Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It has a unique charm. Historical buildings blend with the chic Parisian way of life. Paris art captures this charm and the colors of Paris.

Paris Art for your home

Paris Art showcases the beauty and romance of this spectacular city.

An Adventure In Paris

This painting by Shawn Mackey

Wandering In Paris

Another Painting by Shawn Mackey,

Promenade Pace

This piece by Shawn Mackey, is filled with rich warm colors.

Boulevard Bustle

This painting by Shawn Mackey is the companion piece to Promenade Pace

Paris Patchwork

This is a unique take on a Paris cityscape. Artist Shawn Mackey has taken an image of a parisian map, and transformed it into an abstract painting. The patchwork of colors creates a festive and modern feel.

The post Paris Art: Paintings and Prints of Paris, France appeared first on How To Create Art.

Art markers let you create all kinds of amazing drawings. They allow you to use creative techniques and vivid colors that are normally only seen with paint. The best part is that they come in a convenient and portable package. Art markers can be brought with you almost anywhere. From school to work and even en-plein-air. There are hundreds of different colors available so you can find the right hue no matter what you are drawing. There are sets that are specifically designed for figurative work and skin tones; sets made with bright vivid colors for manga; and many more. If you can’t find the exact color that you want, you can even layer colors together to mix them. Not only are there a ton of different colors available, there are also many different shades from dark to light. This allows you to make realistic drawings on three-dimensional objects, and so much more. Here are the top art marker sets for all kinds of artists, designers, and craftspeople.

What are Art Markers?

Art Markers are similar to normal markers. They consist of a tube filled with ink, and a felt tip, that releases the ink onto your paper when it is pressed down. The difference between art markers and regular ones is that they come with high-quality vibrant inks are meant to be smoothly layered. Not to mention the hundreds of colors and shades. Some art markers also come with different shaped tips. This allows you to get the perfect mark you need for your artwork.

The Best Art Markers

Prismacolor Premier Double-Ended Art Markers

These Markers have both a skinny-tip for really detailed areas and a large flat chisel tip for covering large areas. There is a tip on either end of the marker and they share one unique ink reservoir that is in the middle of the marker. This means that you will have consistent and uniform color no matter which end you use. The best part is that they come in several different sizes of sets. There are 12, 24, 48, 72, 156 piece sets. There are also special sets that contain only cool-grey and warm-grey for all of those mid tones. They are designed to make a very smooth application and use high-quality and vibrant inks. They also are made with and alcohol based, non-toxic, dye-based ink.

Copic Marker 12-Piece Sketch Basic Set

Copic Sketch markers feature a unique Super Brush nib. This nib feels works like a paint brush tip. These art markers feature a comfortable oval shape. The best part about these high-quality markers is the incredible range of colors that they come in. Copic markers are available in 358 different hues. The markers are refillable with Copic inks. You can also replace the brush tip when it gets worn out. This ensures you always have a crisp edge when you need it.

Chameleon Art Products Double Ended Marker Pen

Chameleon double ended markers provide a really unique way to blend colors and create gradations of tone (changing from light to dark). Each pen comes with a mixing cap that adds a colorless filler to the selected nib. The longer you hold the mixing cap, the more filler is added. When you go to use the marker, you will initially only be releasing the colorless filler. Then as it drains from the nib and onto the paper, the color will gradually return and create a faded gradient. 

Colors can also be layered on top of each other like other art markers to create new mixes of colors. A really unique trick is to layer two gradients of contrasting colors in opposite directions. This lets you easily fade from one color to another.

Copic 6-Piece Skin Tones Sketch Set

Copic is a leading name in art markers. This set of skin tones is great for artist who are creating realistic depictions of the human form. They come in a convenient pack of 6 so you don’t need to buy all of the markers individually. Great if you are making portraits, manga, or comics that feature people.

Prismacolor Double-Ended Marker Set Manga Colors

This is the second time Prismacolor markers have been featured on this list. This set has the same high quality features that we mentioned previously. It is perfect if you are creating manga comics. It features colors that are commonly seen in Manga. This includes skin tones, an an assortment of primary and secondary colors.

Prismacolor Colorless Blender Markers

A colorless blender marker is an essential tool if you are working with art markers. This Prismacolor marker is clear. It allows you to blend two or more colors together once they have been applied to the paper. This helps save your other colors (especially lighter ones) from getting dirty. It is always a good idea to have a fresh blender marker on hand. These work best when used on specific marker paper. This helps to make the blending appear smoother and the colors more vivid.

Chartpak AD Tri-Nib Art Markers in Landscape Colors

These markers feature a very innovative nib design. It has a unique shape that lets you draw in 3 different widths. By rotating the marker you can have a fine point, a medium width, and a wide tip for creating broad strokes. The xylene based ink on these markers is vibrant and comes in a huge range of colors.

Faber-Castel PITT Artist Brush Pens

These brush tipped markers feature colored india ink. This makes them very light-fast, which means they won’t fade as easily as some other markers. The Brush tips act like a brush, but in the convenient form of a disposable marker.

Winsor & Newton BrushMarker Set Pastel Tones

These markers are twin-tipped markers like many others on the list. They offer a wide chisel nib on one end for covering large areas. The other end is a flexible brush nip that allows for finer detail or a more calligraphic mark. There are 72 different rich colors available that can be blended to create even more. This set includes several pastel hues that are great for drawing skies and sunsets, or anywhere that subtle hues are needed.

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There are many different art galleries on the Big Island of Hawaii. Here are a few of them:

1. Third Dimension Gallery
   Third Dimension Gallery is located in the shops at Mauna Lani on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island. The represented artists include Carlos Acevedo, Scott Amrhein, Peter Avdoulos, Joaquin Barrios, Brian Berman, Curtis Brock, Shawn Mackey, and more.
2. Dolphin Galleries
   Dolphin Galleries has several locations in the Hawaiian islands. On the Big Isalnd, they are located in the King’s Shops at Waikaloa Beach Resort. There is wall art, jewelry, sculpture and glass art on display. Some of the artists carried by Dophin Galleries include Alexi Butirsky, Dr. Seuss, Chuck Jones, Thomas Arvid, and Fabio Napoleoni.
3. Kohala Coast Fine Art
   Kohala coast fine art is also located in the King’s shops in Waikaloa Beach Resort. Their landscape, still life, and animal artwork represent the beauty of the hawaiian islands.
4. Lahaina Galleries
   Lahaina galleries has locations in Newport Beach,Maui and the Big Island. They are located in the shops at Mauna Lani, in Kamuela. Some of the artist that are displayed in this art gallery includes Craig Alan, Robert Bissell, and Guy Buffet.
5. Genesis Galleries
   Genesis Galleries has two locations at the Waikaloa Beach Resort. They have a store in the King’s Shops as well as the Queen’s Marketplace in this beautiful resort. Artist’s carried at these locations include Dale Chihuli, Heather Brown, Roy Tabora, and Wyland. This is a great place to shop if you are looking for art that showcases the natural beauty of Hawaii.
6. Starscape Gallery
   Starscape Gallery is a truly unique shop. At it location in the Queen’s Marketplace, it exhibits starscape photography. Star scapes are photographs of the sky at night. The many combinations of celestial objects create endless possibilities for beautiful compositions and color combinations. The work of Steve Cullen and Andrew Hara is prominently featured at this gallery.
7. Wright Gallery
   The Wright Gallery is located on Kauhola Street in Kailua-Kona. This is one of the more forward thinking galleries on the island with a focus on contemporary art. There are a wide variety of paintings, sculptures, and photographs by artists like Mike Weber and Amber Aguirre.
8. Hawaii Blue Sea Artisans
9. Clint Stone Studios
10. Kailua Village Artists Gallery
11. Pacific Fine Arts
12. J Lambus Photography
13. Krazy About Kona
14. The Eclectic Craftsman
15. Wyland Kona Oceanfront Gallery
16. Maka Fine Art
17. Colors of Paradise Gallery
18. CC Whisper Enterprises
19. Seaside Art Gallery
20. Kona Oceanfront Art Gallery
21. Holualoa Gallery
22. Waipio Valley Artworks
23. Big Island Glass Gallery
24. Isaacs Art Center
25. Volcano Art Center
26. Woodshop Gallery
27. Cafe Hawaii Arts & Crafts
28. One Gallery
29. Arthur Johnsen Gallery
30. The Makery
31. Alan’s Art and Collectables
32. Hilo Fine Art Center
33. Extreme Exposure Fine Art Gallery
34. Hawaiian Arts
35. Dreams of Paradise Gallery
36. Stairway To Art
37. High Fire Hawaii Gallery & Studio
38. Hawaii Wood Arts & Crafts
39. Banyan Gallery
40. Kohala Artworks
41. Dunn Gallery
42. Pure Vida O’Kohala
43. Rankin Fine Art Gallery
44. Harbor Gallery
45. Gallery of Great Things
46. Wishard Gallery
47. Showcase Gallery
48. Lavender Moon Gallery

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