Art 101

Oil Painting 101: Painting Additives and How to Use Them

Oil paint can be used straight from the tube, but various additives allow you to adjust its properties to suit your painting technique. An additive can make the paint thinner or thicker, affect its drying time and sheen, and help create anything from thin glazes to textured layers of paint. The choice can seem rather complicated at first. Faced with shelves of oils, alkyd mediums, solvents, drying agents and varnishes, it can be difficult to know which product you need in a particular situation. In this Oil Painting 101 article, we introduce the main types of oil painting additives and explain the role they play.

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Oil Paint 101: An Introduction to the World of Oil Paints

Oil paints have been valued by artists for centuries. They are loved for their rich colours, depth and flexible working process, which allows artists to work on a painting over an extended period. Unlike watercolours or acrylics, oil paints do not require you to work quickly. Instead, they give you time to mix colours, add layers and revisit earlier decisions.

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Textile 101: Painting on Silk and Leather

When decorating textiles and other flexible materials, it is important to remember that different surfaces behave differently when painted. Delicate, highly absorbent silk calls for different paints and techniques than leather, where paint adhesion and flexibility are especially important. In this Textile 101 post, we look at which paints to choose for silk and leather, how to use them and what to keep in mind for a lasting result.

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Textile 101: Paints and Materials for Painting on Fabric

The range of textile paints is wider than you might think. In addition to classic textile paints, there are markers, printing inks, spray paints and even products that allow you to use familiar art materials on fabric. In this Textile 101 post, we take a closer look at the different options for painting and drawing on fabric and what you should know before getting started.

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Watercolour 101: Water-Soluble Tools and Creative Alternatives

Watercolour is not limited to traditional pans and tubes. Today, there are many water-soluble tools that combine the qualities of drawing and painting, allowing artists to use watercolour techniques in entirely different ways Watercolour pencils, markers, and other water-activated tools are excellent for sketching, detailed illustration, and more experimental work. They can serve as a bridge between drawing and painting while often offering more control than traditional watercolour.

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Watercolour 101: Mediums and Expanding the Possibilities of Watercolour

Watercolour is often associated only with paint, water, and paper, but in reality there are many additives and mediums that can alter the behaviour of colour and open up new techniques. Some help achieve greater control, while others add texture, transparency, or special effects. Although mediums are not essential in watercolour painting, they can significantly expand creative possibilities and make experimenting even more exciting.

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Lightfastness in art: Why it matters and what you should know

Lightfastness is one of the most important quality indicators of art materials, showing how well a pigment withstands the effects of light over time. When an artwork is exposed to daylight or strong artificial light, some colors may fade or shift over the years. This makes lightfastness especially important for works intended for display, sale, or long-term preservation. The marking on a paint tube, pencil, or marker is not just a technical detail, but information about how permanent your work will truly be.

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