A passion project by Sarah Burns
The Gouache Spotlight is a segment where I focus on an artist who creates gouache artwork that I admire. I will share some examples and discuss what I find appealing about it. I first discovered Mike’s work in 2019 when it was recommended to me by the Instagram algorithm. I clicked on his profile and […]
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The question I get the most often on my YouTube channel is “what is the best gouache for beginners?” Followed closely by “what is your favorite gouache?” It’s time to answer those questions! Table of Contents This post may contain affiliate links. Using an affiliate link to purchase your items gives me a small commission […]
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My favorite sketchbooks come in a wide variety of papers, colors, sizes and prices. Let’s take a closer look! Jump to the bottom of this page to watch the full video, or read on for the links and some thoughts. Oh and FYI – I’m not sponsored by these companies. All of these thoughts are […]
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Hiking is one of my greatest passions. Combine that with painting and I’m a happy girl. The biggest lesson I’ve learned after hiking hundreds of miles with heavy packs is that if I don’t make sketching as easy as possible on the trail, I just won’t do it. If my sketch kit is buried in […]
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Throughout 2021-2022 I have been on a mission to find the perfect gouache brushes. I have tried dozens – and even started sharing my results and thoughts with you all. So imagine my delight when Craftamo reached out to me about creating a custom gouache brush set!! Naturally I fell off my chair and screamed […]
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Exploring the variety of marks I get from a single water soluble pencil.
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I love mixed media sketching, but never delved into the vast universe of water soluble sketching – until now! I recently splurged on some new supplies, and today I’ll share a bit about them, but there will be much more in the future as they become a normal part of my practice. This post contains […]
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This post is not sponsored or affiliated and I don’t get any money if you buy an iPad. My experience with the iPad as a (mostly) traditional artist I’ve been using an iPad for over 12 years and love it as a “sidekick” to my art endeavors. I know MANY artists who do digital painting […]
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As most artists know, painting is an exercise in decision making. What materials to use, what colors to mix, how to apply each color…the list goes on. A single painting can be made up of thousands of small decisions.Some decisions are easier than others. And occasionally, the painting seems to decide everything for itself and […]
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Lately I’ve been diving deeper into exploring GREENS and GREYS. At first I was determined to make an entirely separate travel palette containing custom mixes of greens and greys. Upon further thought I realized that two travel palettes wouldn’t align with my goal of slimming down my travel supplies. Less is more when painting outside. […]
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Etchr is one of the few companies who have a set of brushes marketed towards gouache painters. Are they any good? And how do they compare to Etchr’s watercolor brush set? Let’s discuss! My first impressions were that the gouache brush hairs are very fine and very soft, and not as densely packed as the […]
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This past weekend I attended my first public art meet-up in Scotland. The Art Society of Inverness organized a plein Air meet-up in Findhorn, a beautiful coastal town in Moray county. Since it was my first time, of course I over-planned and brought every art supply I owned. So in order to spare you the […]
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This blog post will contain results from my search for the perfect brushes for gouache, comparing and testing brushes, and all my insights into the process with video examples. Each brush must adhere to my criteria: Must be under £20 Must be synthetic (vegan) Must be flat Must be easily available where I live (highlands […]
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Do you use a gouache travel palette? If so you know how messy they get! I usually deep clean my palette every few months. In this post I’ll show you step by step how to clean, mix, renew your gouache from dry and filthy to new! I will also tell you everything I know about […]
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During April I took part in a 30-day outdoor painting challenge known as #PleinAirpril – if you want to see lots of lovely artwork, use that hashtag to search on instagram or pinterest. So much good stuff out there!Anyways, for my challenge I used gouache in a toned paper sketchbook. See below for my travel […]
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As I continue along my journey to learn how to use alcohol markers, I have decided to document the progress. Last time I mentioned markers, I shared my new set of Shinhan Touch Twin Markers and a color chart that was missing a lot of colors I didn’t know I needed. So it’s time for […]
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The Etchr Slate Mini setup guide shows how to maximize space and efficiency with a few customizations.
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Jelly gouache is an affordable way to experience gouache – but is it worth it? Let’s talk about it!
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A close-up look at the new Shire super granulating watercolour set by Schmincke.
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I love markers for landscape drawing. They are so portable. No water, no palettes, no extra STUFF. Just grab a few and head outside to sketch the beauty, and you’re good to go. This is my limited palette for landscapes.
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