Let’s Paint Pears! Free LIVE Tutorial at 12:30pm ET Today!

Hi friends! We have another free live watercolor class for you today at 12:30p, Eastern Time on YouTube! We will be painting pears in watercolor!

Here is a pattern you can transfer on to your paper:

Here are the colors we will use: Pyrrol Red, Permanent Yellow, Turquoise and Burnt Sienna. We will mix all colors from those 4. The turquoise paint, which is a cobalt pigment, lends itself to lovely texture and granulation in mixes while keeping to color palette soft and gentle.

You can watch the live class or the replay in the player below BUT if you want to chat with us live you need to watch at 12:30pm on this YouTube page and be logged in. Also it is much easier to chat on a computer than on a phone but both are possible:)

You can find all the supplies you need at our sponsor Jerry’s Artarama 

Supplies:
Turner Watercolors (or whatever you have) in Permanent Yellow, Pyrrol Red, Burnt Sienna, and Turquoise *All the colors I am using are in the set of 18 that are on Super Sale right now for $19 (List price $150!) If they sell out they will get more in, you can’t beat the price for this quality. It is a steal at their normal sale price of $29!

Watercolor paper: #140 Rough Arches

Brushes: Mimik Kolinski (faux fur)

Reference Photo “Pearfect” from Paint My Photo user Shawn

I hope to see you live at 12:30 on YouTube for this fun class, beginners welcome! We will start off easy with the basics and work further to bring out texture with more advanced techniques. As always you can do as little or as much as you like with your painting:) Happy crafting!

Watercolor Gourds REAL Time Tutorial!

Hi friends! Are you ready for a long watercolor painting lesson? Let’s paint gourds!

You only need 4 colors: A warm red (cad red, scarlet, vermilion) a warm yellow (cad yellow, new gamboge, indian yellow) prussian blue and sap green.  Watch the video to see how easy it is!

Video!

I am using Neo watercolors from Kusakabe, use the coupon code thefrugalcrafter if you want to order any to save 10%. As I mentioned in the video I would recommend just buying the colors you would use (check for tried and true pigments) rather than the sets.

Bottom line the Neo watercolors are OK but honestly I think you can get more for your money getting the Holbein watercolors on Amazon or the Turner watercolors at Jerrys. Both are a higher quality paint at a lower price. Now, don’t get me wrong, painting with these watercolors was fine. I am concerned with a few of the pigments in them (PY1, BV10, PR83) and some tubes of paints say “not listed” under pigment info, I don’t think that is acceptable when you are buying artist quality paint.

I wanted to love these watercolor because I love their Aqyla line of water mixable alkyd paints and found them a great value using lightfast and tried and true pigments but the watercolor did not deliver in my opinion.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored video but I did receive the paint for free for review purposes.

I hope you try painting gourds and pumpkins using whatever watercolors you have and til next time happy crafting!

Chinese Lanterns in Acrylics!

Hi friends! Sometimes when paint the final outcome is not what we expected. That was the case with today’s painting:

I had intended to do something completely different as you will see in today’s video.

Sponsored by Smart Art Box, subscribe today or check out past kits. All of the supplies except for the white paint and a couple of brushes came in the September kit. I love how you can use supplies from past kits to make each box more versatile!

Supplies:
8″x10″ birch cradled panel
Acrylic paint in red, yellow, blue and white
Brushes: #12 fat, #6 round, spotter & #10 round hog brush

Here is a reference photo of chinese lanterns. I really love the fall colors of this painting and I placed it on my mantle with some gourds for decoration. Be sure to visit out sponsor Smart Art if you would like a surprise box of art supplies sent to you each month. It is a lot of fun even if it doesn’t turn out the way you expect. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

 

Easy Hand-Drawn Frames for Quick Stamped Cards!

Hi friends! Do you ever get stuck in a rut or need a quick warm-up exercise before you start creating for the day? Or maybe you have the desire to create but you only have a few minutes? Today’s project is prefect for all of these situations ad you even end up with cute tags and cards for your efforts!

Watch the video to see how!

I hope this projects gives you permission to just go ahead and play with your supplies! Have fun and til next time happy crafting!

Aqyla Review

Hi friends! Over the past week I have had the chance to try out a new type of paint that is a cross-breed between oils and acrylics. It’s called Aqyla and it is from the Japanese company Kusakabe. A viewer asked me to review the paints and the company kindly sent me a sample. This is not a sponsored post, none of my reviews are sponsored but I like people to know if I received a product for free so they can make informed decisions. Rest assured, you will always get a truthful review from me.

Watch the video to see how I liked the paint and learn the pros and cons of this medium.

You can find out more about Aqyla here and save 10% using the coupon code: thefrugalcrafter

Update: The Aqyla mixed with acrylics dried just fine:) It did take a couple of hours though.

Pros:

• Affordable, the 18 colors set I used was $46
• Open stock available in 72 colors and effects mediums
• Compatible with oils, acrylics and watercolors
• Easier to blend than traditional acrylics but dries faster than oils
• High pigment load, no extenders
• Lightfast and uses tried and true pigments I recognize from other artist grade paints

Cons:

• You need to mail order it

I hope you found this review helpful. I base what I review on viewer requests so if you would like a product reviewed just let me know in the comments below and I will try to accommodate it (if I haven’t reviewed it already!) Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

How to Use Acrylics Like Watercolors and Paint Dew Drops!

Hi friends! If you like the look of watercolors but only have acrylic paint I have a solution for you!

You can thin down acrylics to watercolor consistency if you are working on paper. You never want to thin acrylic down more than 30% on canvas or wood but if you are using paper you can do it and it works really well. I even tried this with cheaper craft paint and it worked great too. The only acrylics that do not work well for this are heavy body acrylics because they don’t like to flow. You can totally do this project with watercolors (it will be easier in watercolors to be honest) but if all you have is acrylics it is a great solution! Watch the video to see how!

Video!

You can use any soft body or craft acrylic for this and I recommend the brighter colors as they tend to be more transparent. You can also just do this in watercolor if you have it:) I am using Aqyla paint, a viewer requested a review of this paint and the company sent me a set. I will post the review to my blog in a day or two. This was one of the ways you can use the paint. You can save 10% with coupon code: thefrugalcrafter

Here is the reference photo I used by Jan Russ at Paint my Photo.

One more thing!

You still have a few hours to take advantage of the big sale at Craftsy, ALL classes are under $20 and any class you purchase through my affiliate links helps support my free daily tutorials on my blog and YouTube, thanks:)

I love taking Craftsy classes, you get lifetime access and you can watch them anytime! I like to watch them while I am walking on the treadmill and then put the skills I learn to practise the next time I am at my craft table. Here are a few classes I am working through and I think you might enjoy!

Anna Mason is a top notch instructor, if you like painting botanicals you should give her classes on flowers and fruit a look!

Or if you need to loosen up or you are a true watercolor beginner try Kristy Rice’s fun class!

And thinking ahead to items to make for Christmas I am taking this Quilt as You Go class which it perfect for certain crafters who lose steam shortly after finishing their quilt blocks and never actually quilt their quilt (totally guilty!)

And you can always take my mixed media class at 50% off🙂 There are so many classes I have enjoyed from Craftsy and they have over a thousand to pick from and all under $20 through midnight! Have a look around and you will be amazed at what they have to offer across all forms or art, crafts and cooking. I am always finding something new! Thanks for spending some of your sunday with me and til next time happy crafting!

Stamp School: Quick Christmas Cards!

Hi friends! I know Christmas is a couple of months away but if you like to send handmade cards it’s never too soon to start. Here is a quick batch you can make!

Watch the video to see how easy it is! Feel free to pop other items in the jars for other event and holidays too!

Video!

Sponsored by Rubber Stamp Tapestry. Use coupon code HOLIDAY25 to save 25% on all individual holiday stamps and holiday peg stamp sets! Sale ends September 30, 2016, so don’t miss out!

Holiday stamps can be found here.

Supplies:
White cardstock or watercolor paper
Christmas themed scrapbook paper
Mason Jar die cut
Peg stamp sets:
Gingerbread Wreath, Embellished Holiday Wreath, Poinsettia Flourish 
Memento ink

Don’t wait to start holiday card making so you can send a special card and not be stressed when December rolls around. Also don’t wait to shop the 25% off holiday stamps at Rubber Stamp Tapestry, the coupon HOLIDAY25 expires on 9/30/16! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

LIVE! Teacup With Grapes Watercolor 12:30pm ET Today!

Hi friends! I’ll be back with a free live watercolor painting lesson at 12:30pm Eastern Time today on YouTube! We will paint a teacup with grapes from this amazing photo by Lillian Bell at Paint my Photo!

Here is a pattern you can print and transfer to your watercolor paper if you like:

We are only using 4 colours in this painting, feel free to substitute with the closest you have: New Gamboge (warm yellow), Napthol Red (neutral red), Burnt Sienna (warm brown) and Ultramarine Blue (warm blue.) In the swatch below you can see some of the mixes we can achieve from these colors.

You can catch the live show or the replay in the player below but if you want to chat and ask questions be sure to watch on YouTube.

Supplies available from sponsor Jerry’s Artarama:

• M Graham Watercolors (Ultramarine, Gamboge, Napthol Red, Burnt Sienna)
• Arches #140 CP watercolor paper (torn to 11″x15″)
• Brushes: Mimik Kolinski and Mimik Squirrel
• Pencil
• Eraser (white vinyl)
• Water buckets
• Reference photo by Lillian Bell at Paint my Photo.

SALE! All classes under $20 this weekend at Craftsy! Pick up a great class while helping support the free tutorials on my blog and YouTube channel! It is a great chance to get a jump-start on holiday crafting too, check out their painting, drawing, quilting, papercrafts and sewing classes. Speaking of holidays you can even give a class as a gift! There is so much to offer and it’s all on sale through Sunday!

Here is an even better deal! Enroll in my Craftsy Class at 50% off, here is a peek at one of the 3 paintings you will learn!

Remember any Craftsy class you buy after clicking my link helps financially support my channel and enables me to share free tutorials with you daily. I hope to see you at 12:30pm Eastern Time today for this fun and free live painting class! Til then happy crafting!

Acrylic Painting Tutorial: Vase of Brushes

Hi friends! Today I have a project that can be done in acrylics, oils or gouache.

I think I might want to do this one in watercolor too, well the pot anyway, maybe with a cup of tea and a pastry! Let me know what you think about that in the comments but for now here is the video tutorial!

Video!

This was the first time I tried Aqyla paint. I have a viewer request a review of it and I will have one for you this weekend. I needed to try a few techniques and experiments with it before I gave my final opinion. The set of 18 colors they sent me sells for $46 and every tube contains the pigment number. It acts like an acrylic but is easier to blend. Technically it is an alkyd resin. You can find out more about Aqyla here. They also gave me a coupon code for my viewers to save 10%: thefrugalcrafter This is not a sponsored post but they did send me the paint for free for review purposes.

I am working on an 11″x14 canvas, my sketch was done in a watercolor pencil:) I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and you give it a try yourself! BTW there will be a live show tomorrow at 12:30pm ET, hope to see you there! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!