Make Your Own Watercolor Paint from Vegetables!

Want to watercolor but don’t have the right color? Create your own natural pigments using vegetable dyes! This simple how-to shows you how to turn ingredients from your fridge or local market into beautiful, natural paints.

Shading for Depth: Bargue Plate Method

Here’s a tiny excerpt from a recorded lesson where I demonstrate how to push for additional layers of shading—both in my own drawings and in my students’ work.

Not enough shading? You’ll often get choppiness or less sense of volume. In this lesson, I follow the traditional Bargue Plate method, inspired by Charles Bargue’s lithographs from Cours de dessin (1866-1871).

DIY Phone/Tablet Stand for Online Art Classes

Looking for the cheapest, easiest way to set up a camera stand for remote teaching? This simple setup helps teachers and students show their artwork live while learning online!

A year ago I was able to give away two Høvel Pencil Sharpeners made by Maker's Cabinet. Since then I've used the Høvel in the studio periodically and have found one of the best uses for it is to even out the wood of the pencil when the lead is uncentered in the pencil or when you've sharpened it more on one side than the other side. Often times a regular pencil sharpener that works evenly on all sides won't work very well to correct this problem, making the unevenness continue! If you have a Høvel, try this method instead.

You can purchase a Høvel Pencil Sharpener from the good folks at Maker's Cabinet: https://www.makerscabinet.com/

The simplest of all drawing tasks: tracing a circle. However, I see a lot of people make this simple task difficult. Here are some quick tips for those that want to avoid retracing too many times. Become a master at using a template to simplify your art life!

This is the easiest way to transport your big drawing paper to and from class! Use an old purse strap to clip on a handle and throw your drawing pad over your shoulder. So easy and simple!