Binder splitting from pigment in paint tubes is a common occurrence with some easy fixes, but did you know binder can separate even from paint on your palette? What can you do when this happens? Well, the answer isn’t quite as simple as stirring a paint tube.

Let's demystify how to mix a range of earth tones using orange in watercolour. From deep browns to earthy reds and yellows. I'll take you through my thought process with the example of mixing with Pyrrole Orange. We'll look at a finished painting and mixing chart using this orange, and how I mixed earth tones with it. Earth pigments are wonderful for convenience, so why learn to mix earth tones without them? It can help you practice colour mixing theory, learn how to make interesting hues, and help increase the range of limited palettes for you to use. Mixing with complementary colours is a staple part of colour theory, yet there are a whole world of mixes available to you by utilising near-complements too.

Can I fall in love with Pyrrole Orange? Let's find out! Today I'll share a mixing chart featuring its pigment properties, and some colour mixes with my favourite everyday pigments. I made sure to use the same pigments as for the Transparent Orange PO107 chart, so that the two oranges can be compared.

My first moleskine sketchbook ended in disaster. The binding fell apart only a few spreads in. Ouch! Three years later I’m giving it another go. Rediscovering how the paper acts with my favourite art supplies, and whether the sketchbook can hold up to daily use this time.

Transparent Orange PO107 from Winsor and Newton is a relative new and uncommon orange pigment in the watercolour scene. Let's explore some of its pigment properties and create a colour mixing chart with some of my favourite pigments. I'll also share my experience using it as part of a limited palette for an illustration.

With my favourite watercolour pigment discontinued and running out, I now embark on a quest to find its successor. With colour mixing charts at the ready and limited palettes to explore, who will be the victor? The warm red throne lay empty, waiting for its new monarch.

Choosing what scanner is best for you is dependant on the characteristics you need. For an entry level scanner specifically for artwork, this is what I chose and my initial results with it so far.

Watercolour pigments often have a range of hues and properties available, and PV19 is a great example of this. When I was a beginner to watercolour I started with a split primary that used Quinacridone Rose as the cool red. Years later, I am curious about its sister Quinacridone Violet. Both are the same pigment number, but with very different hues and producing different colour mixes as a result. Let’s dive in to some first impression discoveries about Violet-PV19!

Art supplies change or get discontinued entirely more frequently than people may realise. Rather than letting discontinuations be all doom and gloom, I want to share with you all the joy and help that an old pigment has given me in my painting practice over the years. Today we’ll be looking at Transparent Pyrrol Orange by Daniel Smith - but the much redder version that was discontinued before 2019 - and the process of a tiger painting.

A few months ago I changed my watercolour palette set up to see if it would help my painting process and creativity. Now that I have experience using the new palette system in practice, do I think its working for me?

It’s all about my favourite and essential art supplies today, in a Q&A about sketching pencils and illustration supplies.

Have an art question you would like answered? Drop it in the comments! Anything art-related is welcome. From learning art to the creative process to drawing and painting supplies!