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Bonus Episode #98 Trying Out New Tools and Materials

#98 Trying Out New Tools and Materials

When working to develop your artistic style, it’s a good idea to try a lot of tools and materials. I try high flow acrylics, air brush medium, and watercolor markers, and I explain what they are and what I think of them. I also recommend my favorite kinds of pens and paint pens. Mark making has become very popular with mixed media art, and I suggest many tools and techniques you can use.

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Here are some paintings I did trying out new materials.

The three purple ovals were made using Golden dioxazine purple high flow acrylic.
The interior of the flower is high flow purple dripped on, then I used the handle end of a brush to pull the purple out to make the veins. On the outer edges of the flower, I used a small brush to lightly apply the paint.
OK, ignore the fact that the leaves on the stems look like arms. I made the stems by turning the canvas upside-down and using a brush to put on a heavy line. Then I blew on it to make it drip down. This worked very well because the high flow acrylic is so thin.
The gray circle behind the flower is opaque gray high flow acrylic. I applied it using a brush, but was really surprised at just how opaque it was.
The gray lines were applied using a paint tube pen tube that I filled with the opaque gray. It applies like a paint marker. You can see where it's thicker in the middle, but it flowed over on the edges.
The light dots were made by mixing airbrush medium with titan buff fluid acrylic. The medium thinned out the paint.
Golden high flow acrylics, as they come in bottles, and an acrylic pen tube that I filled up with the gray acrylic.
Golden airbrush medium and watercolor markers.
I used watercolor markers on top of a dry watercolored page. I drew on the marker and then brushed water over it.
Here I drew with the watercolor marker and I didn't put a lot of paint over it, so you can still see the red lines and the purple lines in the bottom left corner.
Here you can clearly see the blue lines I made with the watercolor marker.
These are the paint pens I like to use.
I also use the gelly roll pens and Sakura glaze pens.
Here's an example of a painting I did that was embellished with Posca paint pens and Sakura glaze pens.

You can visit the Golden Paints website to learn more about their paint products.

The gelly roll pen website lists all their pen offerings.

On Instagram, look for hashtags that may give you some art ideas, like #poscapaintpens, #markmaking, #sakuraglaze, #gellyrollpens, #highflowacrylics. You can also find process videos on YouTube.