I’ve come down with it too!

Hi friends, I hope you are having a nice weekend! Past Lindsay had the forethought to film Sat Chat on Thursday because there is no way I could talk for 27 minutes today without blowing my nose or coughing. My symptoms are fairly mild but majorly annoying and we should all come through this fairly well. All other members of the family are over it or on the mend and hopefully the one who hasn’t got it can keep it that way. I hope you are all happy and healthy wherever you are this weekend!

I also wanted to remind you that today is the last day of the 50% off Launch special on my new Watercolor Crayon Workshop class. Use coupon code CRAYON50 if the discount doesn’t appear, Regular price $79, with a discount $39.50. Offer ends 5/1/22. Now on to Sat Chat!

Other Stuff:

• New lesson up in Critique Club (sneakers)
• FREE class all about choosing paper for colored pencils sponsored by Derwent *Sign up for free if interested! 5/5/22 8pm ET live on Zoom.
• PREMIUM Colored pencil class (Dragonfly) 5/19/22 8pm, cost: $20 *Students will receive a recording emailed to them the day after the live class.
• Article about the AI program that makes art from James Gurney’s blog (What kind of dystopian nightmare is this?!?)

And that about does it for me! I hope you are having a lovely weekend and til next time happy crafting!

Last days to save 50% on Watercolor Crayon Workshop!

Hi friends! I don’t know about you but this month has flown by for me! I have so enjoyed seeing my student’s work in my new Watercolor Crayon Workshop and watching them progress through the lessons.

Here are some of the things my students have been saying:

Hi Lindsay. I just wanted to say thank you for doing this on watercolor crayons!  It’s a favorite supply and now I’ll be using it very differently and I’m very excited about that.  They won’t just be sitting there rarely getting used anymore.  I can see how many textures and things you taught us all throughout the course and how useful it will be to apply to all kinds of different things.  I think this is a home run.  It’s also nice that they’re manageable projects too.  Not overwhelming.  So thank you very much for offering this to us all.
~Faye Lukezich

Lindsay! I have been waiting for the lessons using the Neocolor II’s.  There is very little on Youtube on this subject.  I purchased the lessons and watched the videos.  So much content!  more than just using them.  Drawing lessons, textures from smooth to rough,  various medium options, and links to other tutorials you have already released (which include uses in mixed media).  Money well spent!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!
~JA

This class is great. It’s given me ideas for my Neos, Gel sticks/Gelatos & more. You will thoroughly enjoy it.
~Marilyn Perez-Martinez

Thanks, Lindsay, both for your advice and this course. And all the courses of yours I’ve taken. All have been so beneficial. It is obvious the amount of work you put in. I’m looking forward to taking another in the future.
~Jill Lusey

I wanted to pop in and remind you that the 50% off launch special ends at the end of the month so if you were thinking of treating yourself to the course now is the time. With all of my stand-alone courses, you get lifetime access which means you can snag it on sale and do the class when you have the time. It won’t expire and I will be there to help you when you are ready.

So, are you ready to join hundreds of happy students on a watercolor crayon journey? Click here to learn more about Watercolor Crayon Workshop or enroll today! Don’t wait, the 50% off launch special ends on May 1st, 2022. The regular price is $79, with the discount $39.50. Use coupon code CRAYON50 if the discount doesn’t appear. 

Happy Crafting!

How To fix A Broken Plastic Palette (or other plastic things)

Hi friends! I found the most amazing travel palette that I could hold in my hand and would support my sketchbook while painting! It was affordable ($10) and suitable for gouache and watercolor. The only problem was it broke the first time I used it. I was super bummed! I didn’t want to buy another one because it would just break. I needed to find a way to fix and reinforce this one. Watch the video to see how I did it and it is better than new!

You will need:

• Baking soda
• Super glue
• sandpaper
• file
• craft knife

You will be able to fix all sorts of plastic stuff now! This is NOT a project for children so if you are a kid watching this get a trusted grown-up to help you. Happy crafting!

Textures and detail in colored pencils! REal-time drawing tutorial

Hi friends! I loved the colors and textures in this burger and I thought it would be fun to draw in colored pencil.

I used the new Arrtx set of 72 colored pencils on Canson XL Sand Grain Dry mixed media paper. You can find the reference photo here.

Well, this video got long! If you like these long, in-depth real-time lessons like the burger I demonstrated today then you will love Critique Club with over 75 real-time more advanced art lessons in a variety of media. Click here to learn more or enroll. I also wanted to remind you that there are only a few days left to take advantage of the Launch month special and save 50% off Watercolor Crayon Workshop. Use coupon code CRAYON50 if the discount doesn’t appear. Offer ends 5/1/22,

Happy crafting!

Have you tried this with Your alcohol markers?

Hi friends! Today I have a tip that will help you get more use from your alcohol markers and your stencils!

Supplies: (Affiliate links used)

• White cardstock (smooth)
• Alcohol markers (I am using this budget set of 80 from Art Beek because they are cheap and have a great selection of colors including pastels and skin/earth tones)
• Stencils (Martha Stewart) Doily (P.M. studio)
• If you don’t have self-adhesive stencils you might want stencil spray to make them tacky.

There are several reasons that I like this hack:

1. You can practice your marker blending.
2. You can get a look of freehand drawing.
3. You can easily move and layer up stencil images (see the macaron and flower image from the video) and create new, larger, and more complex compositions. It’s like stamp masking but quicker!
4. You can get the look of stamping, and stencils are cheaper to buy and easier to store than stamps.
5. Most of us have stencils.

I hope you give some of those seldom used stencils in your stash some love today and til next time happy crafting!

I need an amazon intervention / Sat Chat 4/23/22

Hi Friends! This was especially frantic this week, still nothing to report, yet I talked for half an hour.

Some of the stuff I mentioned (hopefully most of it?)

• My new Watercolor Crayon Workshop is launched and you can save 50% with my Launch special through the end of April 2022! Use coupon code: CRAYON50 if the discount doesn’t appear automatically.
• Critique Club (strawberries and new lesson coming next week! Plus nearly 80 others!)
• Owl painting tutorial on YouTube
• Stencil marker tutorial on Youtube
• Canson XL Sand Grain Paper This comes in grey and natural, acid-free and has no optical brighteners, and is a steal! 40 sheet pads of 9″x12″ are $5.67 and 11″x14″ pads are $7.35. I think it is a great value! It’s textured but is not as rough as sanded paper. I am really enjoying it for oil pastels, soft pastels, and watercolor crayons.
• New Arrtx colored pencils (hamburger drawing real-time tutorial will post on Youtube tomorrow)
• Steering wheel table (I know…)
• Plastic Crayons (I really should have my head examined)
• Crayola colored pencil sticks (because how can I recommend them if I haven’t tried them?) *I am hoping the colored pencils sticks and plastic crayons will be an affordable alternative to Neocolor 1 wax pastels, we will see.

Happy crafting!

This was a hoot! (Bad pun but fun art!)

Hi friends! I had an absolute blast painting this owl!

I hope you enjoy the real-time, edited tutorial and I hope you paint along!

Here’s what I used (affiliate links used)

• Neocolor 1 crayons: Amazon or Blick
• Derwent Drawing Pencils: Amazon or Blick
• Touch Up Texture and Titanium white (you mix both together to make a highlight paint)
• Canson XL Sand Grain Dry Mixed Media Paper

• Slice knife
• Watercolors
• Reference photo by Daniel Macura on Unsplash

If you liked this tutorial you might also enjoy my new Watercolor Crayon Workshop where we create 8 beautiful projects with Neocolor 2 (or similar) water-soluble crayons. You can save 50% on the class now through the end of April. *Use coupon code CRAYON50 if the discount doesn’t automatically appear **Regular price $79, with a discount $39.50 (before tax) ***Offer ends 5/1/22

That’s all for tonight! Happy crafting!

Sometimes you just need to go inside your pillow fort and color

Hi friends! Today I have a project that will help you relax and unwind…

It’s called neurographic art and it is very soothing to do. The world can be a bit much at times and simple art projects like this can bring calm and order to your mind. Watch the video and see how!

Supplies (Affiliate links used)

• Derwent Inktense Blocks (set of 12 used in demo) Amazon has the 72, 24 and 12 sets nearly half off MSRP today and Blick has single sticks on sale for $2.27
• Black waterproof pen (Derwent Line makers)
• Watercolor paper or Inktense paper
• White colored pencil (Chromaflow) Amazon or Blick

Have you done any art like this before? I hope you give it a try and til next time happy crafting!

Chromaflow has expanded to 72 colors!

Edit 4/28/22: Here is the chart with lightfast info shared with permission from Derwent.

Hi friends! Last year when I reviewed the brand new Derwent Chromaflow pencils the one question I got over and over was “Will they expand the color range like their other pencils?” At that time, there were no plans to expand the range but apparently enough people asked because now they have!

Watch the video to see what’s new!

You can order the new sets on Amazon, or from Derwent UK. *They used to have the full-color chart with lightfast info on this page but I am not sure where it went, there is only a 24 color chart there now. Blick only has the original sets for now. *I received my set as an advance copy from Derwent. They are releasing them to the UK market first. I have used these pencils a lot over the past year. The colors are very soft and opaque and the 24 color set is well balanced so it was handy to grab when I wanted a limited supply set. They feel most like Prismacolor pencils as they have a thin barrel and are very soft. They work well on most papers and are very easy to use especially if you have hand strength issues in your hand.

What’s new!

• 72 colors in total including a gold and silver
• Open stock availability
• Lightfast tested (Although I can no longer find the color and lightfast chart I printed out, hopefully, it will be back up by the time this review airs)

Here are the colors swatched on black and white drawing paper.

Pros:

• Vibrant Soft 3.5mm Cores
• Highly mixable for infinite colors
• Good coverage with little pressure (good for weak or arthritic hands)
• Opaque on dark papers
• Sharpens well in a small hole sharpener or electric sharpener (less breakage compared to Prismacolor in my opinion)
• Lightfast info available
• Open stock available

Cons:

• Skinny barrel
• Price (I think this will come down after initial sales slow)

Bottom line: I am so glad they expanded the color range. I think they are a bit expensive for what they are (especially if you compare them to what Prismacolor sells for in America) but I also feel that they are a better quality pencil than Prismacolor (less breakage and better casings) but not as good as other Derwent colored pencils. I suggest waiting until the price goes down and grabbing a set if you like a soft, opaque and blendable pencil. Happy crafting!

*Affiliate links used in this post.