Dark yellowing is the reversible, temporary yellowing that dried oil paint undergoes when stored in the dark or subdued lighting. While noted in many historical writings, most painters remain unaware of it and become surprised or concerned when they discover it happening to their own works. Which makes sense. With no other context to go … Read more
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Direct, exterior exposure is highly demanding on coatings, with the test fences set at a 45º angle to maximize the effect of sun, rain, snow and ice. In 1993 and again in 2009, long-term exterior tests of the acrylic colors lasting 4 and 3 years respectively were conducted in South Florida. From these results and in … Read more
When painting on watercolor paper with transparent watercolor, the paper often buckles and stays that way once the painting is dry. This article offers one possible way to flatten the paper using a temporary ‘paper press.’ This method is appropriate for paintings composed of thinly applied glazes and washes of transparent watercolor on paper, and … Read more
It’s summertime and Munsell is in the air. Or at least it seems that way, given the increasing number of requests for various Munsell notations that have recently come our way. And if you happen to be new to Munsell, a widely used standard for classifying colors since its debut in 1905, not to worry – there is … Read more
We varnish works with the best of intentions that our paintings are, at last, truly and finally done and that months ago the last marks were made and the last adjustments added. But inevitably, for one reason or another, we might feel that we need to go back in to add a forgotten signature, make … Read more

The Sam and Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts is delighted to showcase the works of its 2016 Artists in Residence. The fifth Made in Paint show exhibits the works of Caitlin Albritton, FL, Ella Amitay Sadovsky, Israel, Miriam Ancis, NY, Lorene Anderson, CA, Mel Dion, PA, Martin Dull, NJ, Franklin Einspruch, MA, Mark Flowers, NC, … Read more
This article briefly explores the permanent changes created by varnishing transparent watercolor on paper, in particular the aesthetic changes to color, value, texture, and sheen. Keep in mind that varnishing also changes the nature of the painting through the permanent addition of acrylic. While there are several approaches to varnishing watercolor, we only focused on … Read more
When water is applied to paper, the fibers can soak up liquid and expand. This may create the infamous buckles and cockles that can be the bane (or joy) of those who paint with watermedia. This article reports on what happened when High Flow Acrylics and Heavy Body Acrylics were applied to Arches 140 lb. … Read more
Editor’s Note: Added April 26, 2022 For some time, our recommendation for artists using oils over acrylic has been to work over harder, matte acrylic surfaces and avoid working on softer gels and gloss products. Our intention was to optimize the level of adhesion that would be achieved on a toothier surface as well as … Read more
In many ways this article is a continuation from an earlier one, Waterproof India Inks and Shellac-based Primers, which focused mostly on the alkaline sensitivity of shellac-based india inks when used with acrylics. However, towards the end of the article we briefly looked at Zinsser’s B-I-N®, a common pigmented shellac primer, to see if it had similar … Read more