Studio Techniques
Transfer a Drawing With Graphite Without Losing Your Place
Transfer a drawing with a graphite-backed sheet while keeping the paper aligned and checking the result before removing your registration tape.
COLOUR, CRAFT & A LITTLE PATIENCE
The craft table
Painting Practice
Mix a Colour String Before Painting the Whole Shadow
Use a small string of related paint mixtures to compare light and shadow before committing colour to a whole painting.
Drawing Materials
Test Pastel Fixative on a Spare Drawing Before Spraying the Finished Work
Compare a pastel test patch before and after fixative so that changes in colour and surface do not first appear on your finished drawing.
Painting Practice
Keep an Acrylic Wet Palette Useful Between Painting Sessions
Care for an acrylic wet palette by separating paper, foam and case maintenance, and testing paint consistency before returning to a saved mixture.
Drawing Practice
Try a Three-Value Sketch Before Choosing the Paint Colours
Use a small light, middle and dark sketch to test a painting’s structure before spending time on colour and detail.
Printmaking Practice
Register Two Print Colours Before Inking the Final Sheet
A dry registration check helps two print colours land in the right places before you commit ink and final paper.
Studio Materials
Make a Clay Shrinkage Test Before Planning a Fitted Lid
Record a clay body’s change from wet to dry to fired before relying on a shrinkage allowance for a fitted lid or decorative assembly.
Printmaking Practice
Reverse the Lettering Before Carving a Relief-Print Block
Plan reversed lettering on a relief-print block, test the design on paper, and check orientation before removing material you cannot put back.
Painting Practice
Wet-on-Wet or Wet-on-Dry: Try Two Watercolour Edges Side by Side
Compare soft and crisp watercolour edges with a small two-patch exercise, then use the result to choose how you paint your next shape.