The Creative Colored Pencil Course is Live!!!

| thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich

Hi friends! I want to thank all of you who asked for and encouraged me to make a colored pencil class. It’s been a long time in the making. I wanted to be sure I could provide you with all the basic skills you would need to paint proficiently with colored pencils. I wanted to make it challenging but not intimidating and to distill everything you needed to know into concise lessons and inspire you to create paintings that you were proud of. I wanted to share my love of mixing colored pencils with watercolor, markers, pastels, and gouache so you could take your painting to the next level and maximize all of your supplies. I am glad I took my time with this and I think it might be the class I am the most proud of.

As always I like to launch my class with the lowest price it will ever be to my tried and true peeps and this is no exception. You can click any link in this blog post to get the 50% off deal!

My goal with the Creative Colored Pencil Course was to make it worth the time and money for any student who wanted to learn colored pencils as a stand-alone medium. I also wanted to go in-depth and educate people about the types of papers and pencils and what they were best for. Where I think this course really shines is the mixed media component because it multiplies the use of your supplies for even more variety and it saves time.

This is a use-what-you-have class. It was important to me that my instruction would be inclusive of the pencils you already own so you could get more use from your supplies. I do provide a list of suggested materials for anyone new to the media. This approach will make it so you can easily adapt your supplies to what you want to draw in the future. I want you to build the artist instinct and not have to use this exact color of that specific brand, We all like different things, let’s embrace it and use our stuff!

I draw with you at the start of each lesson. I draw loose and refine as I go which is a bit of an unusual technique for colored pencils but it is the technique I love. I understand that not everyone enjoys drawing so I have provided traceable patterns for each project. I think once you see how simple I make drawing you will feel empowered to draw with me though!

The Creative Colored Pencil course is packed with product info, techniques, and inspiration with 10 full painting projects! If you want to know my method for drawing and painting with colored pencils and how I incorporate mixed media I hope you will check it out. Click here to learn more or enroll today! Don’t miss the 50% off launch special happening now! The regular price of this course is $79, with the discount $39.50 before tax, if applicable. Use coupon code PENCIL50 if the discount doesn’t automatically appear.

Thank you for encouraging me to make this class and til next time happy crafting!

Why YOU Should Use a Sketchbook

| thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich

Sketchbooks are wonderful! They give you a low-consequence place to create. Need more reasons why you should use a sketchbook? Watch the video!

Supplies (affiliate links used)

For just a few more days I have my Watercolor Landscape Workshop on sale for 40% off in honor of Plein Air April. *Use coupon code PLEINAIR if the discount doesn’t show up automatically. Offer ends 5/1/24. Happy Crafting!

What do you do when pricey paper goes bad?

| thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich

Have you ever painted on watercolor paper only to have your colors look dull, speckled and all of the water just soaked right in? Well, then, you have experienced bad sizing. I am noticing more and more watercolor papers with bad sizing these days, or more accurately, that the sizing just doesn’t last as long as it used to. BTW if you would like a real-time tutorial of me painting this crab and working on the finicky paper you can find it in Critique Club.

In this video we will discuss:

  • What is bad sizing?
  • How to know if your watercolor sizing has gone bad.
  • What you can do with poorly sized paper?
  • What materials work best on it?
  • The Pros and cons of poorly sized paper.

Supplies (affiliate links used)

Have you experienced paper with bad sizing? I am hearing this (and witnessing it myself) more often these days. It’s just another supply they don’t make like they used to I guess. I hope this encourages you to use your supplies while they are still good so they don’t go to waste. I also wanted to add that sizing going bad AFTER you have painted a picture doesn’t matter, it will not affect the paint on the paper that is already there. It is only a problem if the sizing breaks down before you paint on it. I hope you found this useful! Happy crafting!

Art Chat: What’s New from the Art Supply Trade show?

| thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich

Today we are speaking with Becca Hillburn. She is the author and illustrator of the comic 7″ Kara, an art teacher, and art supply reviewer! She attended the NAMTA/Creativation Art Materials Trade Show a couple of weeks ago and is here to update us on new products and trends in the industry. Also, there is a lot of geeking out about art supplies! I hope you enjoy this friendly art chat!

If this 3 hour long podcast has you wanting more check out Becca’s Creativation Vlog

Where to find Becca:

I really enjoyed this conversation and I hope you did too! Happy crafting!

How To Make a Sketchbook Strap to Hold All the Supplies You Need!

| thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich

Hi friends! I saw a neat gadget advertised at Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff that was a wide band of elastic with loops to hold pens, pencils, and other art supplies snugly to your sketchbook. I thought that was a brilliant idea so I decided to try and make one using the sewing elastic I had on hand and my sewing machine and in about 10 minutes I had one that worked great!

In this video, I will show you how to make one, although truth be told it might be cheaper just to buy one LOL! It was quick and fun and I got to use stuff I had so it was worth making it for me. After making this project I decided to see what other sketchbook pencil holder straps were available and there were tons of different kinds on Amazon to check out. Stationary designers must be some of the most clever people on the planet! Anyway, here is my humble DIY tutorial:)

Are you all inspired to make one of these and go sketching? I hope so! The weather is getting warmer and time to get outside to paint If you want some guidance on watercolor landscape painting I am offering a 40% discount on my Watercolor Landscape Workshop in honor of Plein Air April. *Use coupon code PLEINAIR if the discount doesn’t show up automatically. Offer ends 5/1/24.

Happy crafting!

How to Use a Waterbrush

| thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich

Hi friends! I was asked by a viewer about water brushes. Water brushes are paint brushes with a hollow barrel you fill with water. When you squeeze the brush water feeds through the bristles eliminating the need for a cup of water. To clean the brush between colors, squeeze out some water and wipe it on a rag. This makes them a no-mess option for painting and great for travel. Waterbrushes are best for watercolor, watercolor pencils, watercolor crayons, and dry panned gouache.

In today’s video, I’ll show you how to use a water brush and explain the differences between the brands I used. Enjoy!

Featured Water-brushes (affiliate links used)

  • All Water brushes on Blick I recommend the Derwent and Pentel as the easiest to squeeze and the Niji for the most compact and if you like a more water flow. I do not recommend the Royal & Langnickle brushes because they flood out too much water (they are nice for making glitter or mica watercolor pens tho)
  • Amazon has lots of cheap generic watercolor brush sets and some name-brand ones. I have not had much trouble with the cheaper water brushes but I have had several viewers say they bought bad off-brand ones so take my experience with a grain of salt. The thin brushes without a push button can be a bit hard to squeeze.
  • Be sure to price compare on the brand names because they are often the same price or less on Blick.

Did you like painting glass in today’s demo? I have a whole Watercolor Glass Class in my teachable school if you want to learn more! Check it out here and til next time happy crafting!

A Cheaper Way to Seal Watercolors

| thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich

Hi friends! I have been experimenting with old stuff in my studio. I had a couple of jars of home decor liquid wax left over from some chalk paint projects a few years ago. I did not like using it on furniture because you periodically needed to reapply it, hence why I have this leftover. I wondered if there was an artsy use for this stuff and after much experimenting I found one. Protecting your watercolors, painted postcards, and art journal pages instead of using Dorlands Wax. Learn how in today’s video!

Pros of this method:

  • It’s quick and easy It is cheap (or free if you have some leftovers)
  • It works well

Cons:

  • There is a slight cream color to the wax
  • You must be gentle and use a soft brush so you don’t smear your watercolor
  • I don’t know if it is archival (Use Dorlands Wax if you need a clear and archival solution)

Here are the products I mentioned (affiliate links used)

Another quick and frugal idea for postcards is to rub a chunk of paraffin or beeswax on it and heat it if desired for a nice seal before sending it through the mail. What did you think of this idea? Let me know in the comments below and til next time happy crafting!

I Saw Big Foot! Sat Chat 4/13/24

| thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich

Hi friends! It’s another riveting installment of Sat Chat. Kick back, relax, and enjoy a supersized version this week!

Stuff I mentioned (that I can remember)

  • I am offering a 40% discount on my Watercolor Landscape Workshop in honor of Plein Air April *Use coupon code PLEINAIR if the discount doesn’t show up automatically.
  • The QOR mini palettes are still on sale! See below. The regular price of these is $55 and Blick sells them for $32! I paid much less! I purchased mine from the Amazon seller Small NC Town and received them in 5 days, much sooner than what was promised. I am very happy! I wanted to make sure they arrived OK before I recommended them, I don’t know why they are so cheap on Amazon)
  • Urban sketch set (8 left)
  • Intensity (13 left)
  • Granulators (12 left)
  • A new tutorial up in Critique Club

That’s all from me today! The weather has cleared up and it was so warm that I actually took my winter coat off while walking the dog in the woods today. Luckily I did not run across any Sasquatch! Happy crafting!

Brusho, it’s been a while

| thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich

Hi friends! Do you remember a few years ago when Brusho was the “it” product? It was showing up all over the internet mainly with cardmakers and art journalers but these fun watercolor powders are great for special effects in paintings too!

I used them to create this painting. When sprinkled on wet paper it makes lovely textures and colors and you can dilute it in a palette for more traditional effects. I’ll show you how I used it in this step-by-step tutorial!

You will need watercolor paper, water, a palette, brushes, and pigment powders for this lesson. some brands I recommend are:

Just a reminder: I am offering a 40% discount on my Watercolor Landscape Workshop in honor of Plein Air April. *Use coupon code PLEINAIR if the discount doesn’t show up automatically. Offer ends 5/1/24. Happy crafting!