G&B Blog

By changing our language we can change the colors we see.  And by truly examining the colors around us we can learn to see past the language we've learned to describe them. In this blog post we'll explore how words influence perception and go over an exercise to help transform the colors in your palette.

If you happen to find yourself in this lovely place - whether while attending one of our Watercolor Workshops, while passing through on a road trip, or while on vacation, I invite you to dig in and immerse yourself.  Here is a list of Matt and my favorite Boulder experiences...

One of the biggest fears I've heard about watercolors over the years is that they cannot be erased, that mistakes are irrevocable.  Hearing this never fails to send me to my soap box to passionately defend my favorite medium because it simply isn't true!

This post will walk you through the basics of watercolor brushes so that you will have a better idea of which ones are right for you.  We'll start with the different parts of the brush, then go over the main component variables, talk about quality, and lastly we'll go over some of the various manufacturers.

Before I gross you out, let's start, briefly, with why watercolor and ox gall are even a pair.  When browsing the watercolor section of the art supply shop, you've probably noticed a line of little bottles with relatively vague information on the labels.  Ox gall is usually in one of these bottles, sold as a watercolor additive.

This post is a basic guide to water brushes.  I will go over the pros and cons of water brushes in general, do comparison of the different designs available, and offer tips on how to go about choosing the right brush for you!

In the Magic Paint Tubes Paintable Project, you are provided with an assortment of drawings of paint tubes.  Instructions will lead you through printing them onto watercolor paper.  There is an information packet that will guide you step-by-step through painting in the value tones of your tubes.  The project leaves you with sheets of nicely painted tubes - and YOU get to take it the rest of the way from there!

I decided to call the painting idea I started with: Pixie Dust Paint.  I wanted to depict the colors in my palette as being enchanted and celebrate the pure potential they represent before they are brushed onto paper.

The Sunshine & Shadow Set contains forbidden colors - all colors that in one way or another have been banned from watercolor palettes.  (See my previous post on why watercolor and the color White belong together after all.)  But this set was not created to fly in the face of tradition.  It was designed around the concepts of Light and Value...