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Welcome to your Studio Insiders' newsletter
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Hi Insiders!
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March has arrived, and that means spring for those of us in the northern hemisphere... so our thoughts naturally turn to flowers.
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This month I thought I would expand my floral horizons, and learn about flowers from around the world by trying to paint them. So the March members' challenge is called #flowersoftheworld and the prompt sheet has us painting a flower that's well known in a different country every day.
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If you're up for this challenge too, you'll find everything you need in our membership communities on Patreon and YouTube.
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Get Set for Success when Painting Florals
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While preparing for the challenge I realised how important the right materials are when painting flowers, so I've dedicated this week's newsletter to explaining what I mean by that, and sharing some of my recommendations.
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For no subject is your choice of colors more important than when painting flowers.
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Especially important is the transparency and clarity of the colors you choose when painting delicate wildflowers, or any yellow flower such as daffodils or crocuses.
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To help you with this choice I have a few suggestions based on my experience over the years.
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Pick Transparent Paints
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Cheap paints contain ‘filler’ which is a substance used to make the paint look more bulky and brighter than it actually is. These paints will not have bright, vibrant colors once on the paper, nor will they be luminous like watercolor can be, no matter how good you are at painting, because they aren’t transparent. Keep these paints for young children or unimportant work.
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Here are some highly transparent paints which don’t cost the earth and which I recommend.
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Viviva and Meeden
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Colorsheets, pans or tubes, sold direct via their own websites, with 10% off just for you!
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Use code DIANEANTONE on Viviva's website and DIANE10 on Meeden's website.
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Paul Rubens
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I use Paul Rubens products less often than the Viviva and Meeden paints, I think because they mostly come in tins which isn't my preferred way of painting, but they all offer excellent transparency and intensity for a tiny price.
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These are all sold via Amazon, and they are affiliate links so we will receive a small commission if you choose to buy something after clicking these links:
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And if you want to treat yourself to something a bit special and unusual you could try these:
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My Diane Antone x VHAquarell set of handmade watercolors is particularly suitable for florals
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QOR watercolors are especially vibrant and transparent and dramatic effects are possible with these paints!
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Cheap paper will always give different and often disappointing results. Whilst I am not a die-hard advocate for 100% cotton paper, it has to be said that if you are looking for soft blends and wet in wet effects, and more importantly glazes, you are better off with 100% cotton. I recommend Meeden paper these days as it has the ideal combination of features and is great value for money.
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I also recommend using mixed media paper for your watercolor work, as it’s highly sized to behave well no matter what you do with it. One of my favorites is the Canson XL mixed media paper which is available in books or sheets.
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(Availability of sizes and weights does tend to vary a bit from country to country, so please take the time to check that the link hasn't redirected you to something similar but different before you buy!)
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Canson XL Mixed Media Sketchbooks
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Channel News: Extra-Long will be getting even longer!
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If you have been enjoying our extra-long videos then watch this space, because we're planning a series of even longer ones! If there are any particular themes you'd like to see, let us know by replying to this email or drop us a comment somewhere on YouTube.
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YouTube tells us that more than usual of the people who are watching the long videos are YouTube Premium subscribers. In case you doesn't know about it, YouTube Premium lets you watch ALL of YouTube completely ad-free, as well as allowing you to download videos for offline viewing. For anyone who likes to leave long videos playing while they go about their day it's a very reasonable price!
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And before you ask... No, we aren't going to stop doing regular tutorials!
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If you aren't seeing new tutorials in your feed, just check our channel homepage to see our latest uploads. (Once you've done that once or twice YouTube should get the message and start showing them to you again!)
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To Inspire You...
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This week's inspiration is a painting I've just found lurking on my phone - perfect for spring and Easter, painted in March 2001.
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Thanks for reading, and we hope you enjoyed this edition of the Insiders' Newsletter.
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