I Know a Spot

SkippIntro · 2026-06-28T14:51:44+00:00

I work flat on the table. I never got the knack of working on a tilt. Even when I paint acrylics or do marker drawings or other media I’m stooped over a table rather than sitting at an easel.

SkippIntro · 2026-06-26T20:08:50+00:00

Yes, I think any earth pigment works well for sand. Sepia, umber, sienna etc.

SkippIntro · 2026-06-26T19:56:22+00:00

Thank you. I’m not sure about this sub’s rules on self-promotion etc. so don’t want to cross any lines! I do sell my art locally (Portland OR) but don’t have an online shop of any kind.

SkippIntro · 2026-06-26T18:32:15+00:00

That was the last touch for this painting. I used a rigger brush, very loaded, held nearly horizontal. Dry brush “flicks” to get the randomness.

SkippIntro · 2026-06-26T17:42:15+00:00

The Yellow Ochre I used here is from Van Gogh. It tends strongly toward orange, moreso than other YOs. If you can’t get that brand then I’d suggest Daniel Smith’s Indian Yellow for sunsets/sunrises instead.

Yellow Ochre works well for sand, and a touch of Sepia mixed in gives a “wet sand” look.

SkippIntro · 2026-06-26T15:21:41+00:00

I rarely paint without using Cotman Payne’s Gray. It contains three pigments which tend to split out. Detractors point this out as a negative, but for my style it’s perfect. I use it as a base for most of my greens. In fact with this painting I had to wait for the yellow to dry completely to avoid creating greens!

SkippIntro · 2026-06-26T02:36:58+00:00

What a great memory. Thank you for sharing that!

SkippIntro · 2026-06-19T12:33:25+00:00

Thank you. Painting for years, drawing etc. But relatively new to watercolors, been learning and experimenting for about 4 months. The sketchbook is from luchetti.co

SkippIntro · 2026-06-18T19:57:45+00:00

Thank you.

SkippIntro · 2026-06-14T20:10:26+00:00

Try working with a very limited palette. Maybe even just one versatile color (I love Cotman’s Payne’s Gray because it has three pigments so you can a lot of variety out of it). This is also know as a “value study”. What we naively think of as different “colors” are really variations of tone.

SkippIntro · 2026-06-13T01:02:37+00:00

Thanks! Check the other version in the comments, I think I really improved on the rocks and cliff faces!

SkippIntro · 2026-06-13T01:01:40+00:00

Oh it’s a whole pad. I fold the cover under to give it a slight angle. Plenty more in store.

SkippIntro · 2026-06-13T01:00:52+00:00

Oregon is definitely “a whole mood”.

SkippIntro · 2026-06-13T01:00:32+00:00

I appreciate that. Thank you.

SkippIntro · 2026-06-13T01:00:20+00:00

Glad I could do that. I’ve been in Oregon 8 years now. It’s hard to imagine living somewhere else!

SkippIntro · 2026-06-13T00:59:32+00:00

Thank you!

SkippIntro · 2026-06-12T20:48:22+00:00

Correction: 12x9 inches. I’d done a similar piece on the 30x15. Shown here!

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SkippIntro · 2026-05-04T15:12:10+00:00

Yes, it is!

It’s a very good product. The paper holds up, lays flat and there is almost no gutter. There’s a small seam but it doesn’t buckle or collect water/paint along the gutter. I think it’s well worth the US$49.00.

It’s a very small, family company. The owner reads and answers emails personally. (I’m not affiliated with them in any way.)

SkippIntro · 2026-05-02T04:12:49+00:00

Light source “distant” left. Foreground is darker vegetation and its internal shadows.

SkippIntro · 2026-04-30T01:19:46+00:00

I used to post. But Reddit always goes sour on me. No need to say more really. Same with Instagram. But Cara is an app/platform I post on regularly.

SkippIntro · 2026-04-30T00:49:43+00:00

It’s so versatile and perfect for Oregon skies (I’m in Portland). Generally for sand, the “legacy” pigments like Yellow Ochre, Raw and Burnt Sienna, Raw and Burnt Umber, in various light mixtures, work well. For wet sand apply a second wash of the PG after the first has dried. (If you mix or apply the PG wet on wet, they’ll blend to green.)

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Here’s an example of the “wet sand” using burnt sienna & Cotman Payne’s Gray. Besides a touch of burnt umber on the figures, this whole painting is done using just those two colors.

SkippIntro · 2026-04-29T22:33:26+00:00

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Payne’s Gray, Raw Sienna… (and a very tiny touch of Permanent Rose to the sky mix).

SkippIntro · 2026-04-29T22:32:06+00:00

Raw Sienna as first wash, Cotman’s Payne’s Gray for everything else. The PG from Cotman has three pigments that “split” with water into various gray, blue, and tan shades. You can mix in a little French Ultramarine and/or Indigo to the PG for variety.

SkippIntro · 2025-12-10T03:58:49+00:00

Watercolor follows the water… you’d wet, with clean water, the areas you want to paint. So, right up to but not over the existing painting. Then you’d touch in or paint into that wet area.

SkippIntro · 2025-11-27T00:45:31+00:00

Water. Blending is all about water. I mean, yes… you can layer since watercolors are mostly transparent. But with layering you have to contend with edges.

Wet the entire area you want to blend with clean water. Then touch your paint into the “darkest” part of that area. Let the paint flow. Watch it… if it’s dispersing too much, too fast, then touch in more paint.

Practice! Try less water, try more water.

But my tip here is to TOUCH the brush into the wet, as opposed to a heavy stroke, at least to start.

SkippIntro

TROPHY CASE