Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Paint Fresh from the Tube

Sometimes you gotta work out of the box. Take a break from what you normally do. I prefer to squeeze my watercolor paints into a nicely arranged palette allow them to dry and set up before using. Do you do the same? Then today's tip is just for you!

Squeeze a little fresh watercolor paint out onto your palette.

Create a painting using fresh from the tube watercolor paint!

What do you notice that is different?

Perhaps, you'll find it easier to get certain colors to go dark.

Are you someone who's watercolors are normally rather pale?

Splurge a little today, test out what it's like to paint with watercolor paint fresh from the tube.

Enjoy and have fun with it.

Trophy Puppy and Siblings

Trophy Puppy (on the left) visits his sister (in the middle) and his big brother (on the right). Although he was the smallest and last to be born in the litter, he has now grown bigger than his sister. His big brother is still the biggest.

I love the floppy ear! I think if he keeps it floppy, he can get away with doing silly puppy things a lot longer. Once that ear stays up, he's gonna have to start acting like a big dog.

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Stuck Watercolor Paint Tube Caps

Haven't painted in a while?

Haven't opened that tube of paint to fill up your palette?

Finding you've got yourself a well stuck cap?

I lay the tube of paint on my table top and squeeze all the paint towards the cap with my fingers. If you have one of those fancy little paint tube gadgets you can use that too. With all the paint towards the top of the tube, you have a sturdier tube of paint to grasp and you won't be twisting the tube into a pretzel. Try now to twist off the cap.

If that does not help. Soak the top of the watercolor tube of paint in a little dish of warm water. This may loosen up and soften some of the dried up paint that is keeping the cap in place. Using a painting rag to dry and hold the tube, again try to twist off the cap.

I rarely get a stuck cap, but these methods have always helped me.

Some people have had to use a small plier to twist off the cap after soaking. Just remember to squeeze all the paint close to the cap so you have a greater mass to hold onto.

Recently Read

Remember Me?

by Sophie Kinsella

I love her shopaholic series! And I love this book too. It's light and funny. I enjoy her style of writing and humor.

Tuesdays Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Tuesday's Tips & Techniques for watercolor painting is back!

The Brushes are Ready & Waiting!

First tip of the new year ... just paint!

It's about time you start painting again or perhaps it's time to start painting period. Winter is a great time to paint.

Get out your brushes, paper, watercolor paint, a bowl of water. Find a comfy place to sit and spread out your supplies. Dip those brushes in water, then load the brushes up with paint and swash it all across your paper.

Paint with no abandon!

A New Year

Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday to Me!

A new year, another birthday, a new beginning ...

My birthday was last wednesday.

Today our puppy turns 8 months old.

I baked a batch of cupcakes this afternoon and tried to take a photo of him with one cupcake and of course ... he bit it!

I've got new plans for my blog this year.

I want to add posts of jewelry people have created using my torch fired enameled beads. I want to bring back the Tuesday's Tips & Techniques for Watercolor Painting. Keep it going regularly again. I've done a few posts on recently read books, I want to do more of that as well.

Other new plans for the new year ... I'd like to create step by step tutorials for watercolor painting and have them available for sale.

Before the bite.

If I shake your hand, can I have another bite? Please?