It might be your first attempt as an artist, or you might feel quite fulfilled. In both cases, pricing your work can be highly problematic. We have gathered six quick tips for you to ease the process and stop feeling guilty or humble. After all, who sets the rules to define whether you’re worth 10 or 100? The market does. So grab a pen and follow a rational scheme to start selling your artwork reasonably. And feel free to adjust calculations during your journey!

1. Research how similar artists price their art

To reasonably price your art, and before making up your idea of how a market works, do your research. Trends change continuously, and one of the best ways to keep on track is to study what works for others. Be realistic by selecting a few artists you consider similar or relevant to your approach and value their accomplishments, experiences, geographic locations, and production rate. You might also think of directly get in touch with them to share opinions!

SPECIAL TIP: SEARCH FOR AN ADVISOR TO HELP YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS

Artists are used to feeling lonely not only in their creative process but also in learning how to expand their network and visibility and to value their artworks. There are platforms dedicated to assisting emerging artists especially. Our suggestion is st-Art, an Amsterdam based community of curators and contributors with the aim of nurturing artists worldwide by providing valid options for developing their skill to divulge their works and sell them to buyers.

Get in touch or register here.

 

2. Don’t vary the price for sales in studio or through a gallery

Use an actual or similar rate for selling both in your studio and a gallery. These last won’t appreciate your competition and will ultimately spread the word to other galleries about how you are trying to sell it at a better price by yourself. Its real galleries charge quite a lot, although they guarantee to deliver a professional job.

3. Balance Your Emotions

Being proud of your work, or underestimating your art, is part of being an artist. It’s easy to get attached, knowing the emotions and effort you usually spend on a piece. A buyer won’t have time to listen to your emotional stories; you should base pricing your work on physical attributes. If you feel close to a specific artwork and think its final price is unfair, consider keeping it off the market and in your private collection.

4. Stand by your final price

Once you and your advisors have set a final price, stand by it. When you take the time and effort to research and price your work realistically, you will feel confident to state your amount firmly. On their hand, buyers might try hard to negotiate it, but they will even start estimating you as an artist who knows its way. Confidence does wonders.

5. Remember these formulas:

# 1 – Value your work according to your reputation

The most common formula used by established contemporary artists is very transparent. Multiply the width of the work by the length. Next, multiply the result by a reasonable amount that makes sense for your reputation and credential, and round it to the nearest hundred. Finally, double the cost of your materials and add them to the square inch amount in money.

Do this if you account for the 50% commission rate galleries usually take to sell your work.

Emerging artists should start at affordable rates of 2,5-3,5 € /3-4 $, and higher as they become more established.

If the painting is small – which often means the effort was the same as for a bigger one – you may consider a slightly higher rate and the opposite with a large-scale work.

Example:

• 18 in x 24 in = 432 sq. Inches
• 432 x 3,5 € = 1.512 € / Rounded to 1.500 €
• 100 € (cost of materials) x 2 = 200 €
• 1.500 € x 200 € = 1.700 €

# 2: Value your work according to your time and effort

This formula covers the time you work and the cost of your materials. It is beneficial for artists that are starting out selling their work. When valuing an hourly rate, compare what similar artists charge for their art. If the result is too high compared to theirs, we suggest you lower it. Double the cost of your materials if you are selling through galleries.

Example:

• Hourly rate: 20 €
• Total hours: 15 hours
• Cost of materials: 100 €
• 20 € x15 hrs =300 €
• 300 € +(100 x 2) € = 500 €

6. Build Authority

Being represented by a gallery and feeling confident with your pricing rate doesn’t exclude the never-ending story of building credibility to grow trust in your buyers.

Indeed, you will have thought about building a clear and appealing online plus social image. Now practice answering some common questions when writing your artist statement.

We share with you some of the main questions we use as a guideline to interview artists at Hue&Eye, to help them build artist credibility and write an engaging story about them:

• Why Do You Make This Type of Art?
• What Does Your Artwork Represent?
• What Inspires You?
• How Do You Make It?
• What Does Your Art Mean to You?

We hope this article will be helpful to ease your career as an artist!

Start by submitting an interview request to us to begin divulging your art!

The post 6 Tips To Learn How to Price Your Art (and Start Selling Your Work)  appeared first on Hue & Eye.

Abstract art painting means to depict a subject in a non-realistic way. When we describe something that we may not sense through touch, taste, sight, hearing, or smell, we use abstract adjectives.

As a definition, abstract art is the 20th-century movement characterized by the reduction of natural appearances into simplified forms; for example, constructing art based on geometric shapes or intuitive gestures. Abstract art does not depict a person, place, or thing in the natural world or does not make any visual references. What is very important to mention when defining abstract art is that abstract artists do not deal with figurative interpretation. Stylistically, abstract art included the movements of Surrealism, Dadaism, Cubism, and Fauvism.

Famous Abstract Artists

Famous artists belonging to these art movements are, to mention a few, Vasily Kandinsky (1866–1944), Piet Mondrian (1872–1944), and Kazimir Malevich (1878–1935), Mark Rothko (1903-1966) and Jackson Pollock (1912–1956).

The Basics of Abstract Art

Abstract art usually has its basics in something outside reality. It isn’t synonymous with chaotic design. One may confuse it with the therapeutical “mush some paint on the canvas and see what happens.” Instead, abstract art hides profound meanings and harmonic values. Try these tricks to ease your process to avoid messing around at the beginning.

Always start with a concept.

It will not only direct your work, but it will also help you out making the right harmonious decisions while working. Abstract art is indeed a lot about harmony.

Focus on composition.

As said above, never forget that your composition needs harmonious values. Whether splashing color or contouring a shape, the final piece will have straightforward storytelling with a structure in mind.

Try experimenting in the making.

As Jackson Pollock teaches, the creative process may also start without a precise idea. Indeed, being surprised may be the core of the process itself. With structure and concept in mind, free yourself to tools, techniques, and whatever support you find on your way. There are no hard or fast rules except the ones you make for yourself. The only limitation is consistency and courage. Experienced artists are confident and produce every mark with intention. Paint splatters may look random, but they’re put there for a reason.

If you like this article, find other similar and helpful creative tips!

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Watercolor may be a challenging technique also for experienced painters. Here we will guide you through the 4 main watercolor tips and techniques to practice and get started with!

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

• Watercolorolor paint set
• Brush set
• Watercolor paper
• Palette
• Container of water
• Soap

WET ON WET

Typically used for painting landscapes or backgrounds, it gives a smooth result. It basically consists of adding wet paint onto a wet surface. Here are some simple steps to guide you and get familiar with the technique:

1. Wet your brush with plain water and sketch two rectangles on the chosen surface. They will be transparent as to the absence of color. If you bend your head, you will still see the shiny wet parts.
2. On your palette, moist the pigments and pick some up with your brush. Simply start painting from side to side of the first triangle.
3. Add dabs of paint in your second triangle. This step will show you how the different amounts of water and colors will affect the final result. Watercolor, indeed, dries in unusual and unexpected ways.

WET ON DRY

The wet on dry technique is generally used for precise shapes, and it’s probably the most used. Here are a few steps to ease the process:

1. Apply some moistened paint with a big brush onto a dry surface (preferably a sheet of porous paper) and start painting as desired. The tone of your painting will depend on how much water you previously moistened the paint with. To get a more definite shape, try using a virtually dried small brush to define the edges.
2. As the paint dries, you may notice how the pigment fades and turns into a different shade as prior.

BUILDING UP COLOR AND CREATING GRADIENTS

To practice how to build up color from plain water to saturate paint mix, it’s better to use one chosen tint to create what is called ombrè, a similar effect to “chiaroscuro.”

1. Drop a small amount of water into one of your palette’s holes and some thick paint into the next one. It’s preferable to use a medium-thick brush.
2. Pick up some water with your brush, draw a transparent strip on the paper, then in your palette, add a tiny bit of paint into the water and paint a stripe on top of the transparent one.
3. Rinse and clean your brush, repeat the process by adding a bit more of paint than before. Repeat a few times to notice the diverse shades that will appear due to the different amounts of pigment.
4. Repeat as many times as you like, to feel comfortable with the result.
5. Now on your palette mix two colors side by side. The ratio of water and pigment should be 50/50. The chosen colors should also be close on the color wheels; otherwise, the result could turn muddy (Ex. pink and red or green and yellow).
6. Starting with the lighter color and paint a short strip onto the paper.
7. Clean the brush, and on the palette, add a bit of the darker shade to the lighter one. With the given mid-tone tint, paint another short strip where the previous one ended.
8. Now mix the mid-tone dye with the darker color and repeat the process by adding another piece of stripe from where you left it. Repeat with the pure darker shade to finish the line.
9. In this exercise, the real work happens in the palette, so try noticing the harmony between the different shades before painting, as it shouldn’t be harsh.

GETTING PRECISE

Learn how to control and define the edges of shapes.

1. Start by painting simple shapes, like petals or leaves, onto a dry and blank piece of paper.
2. With a thin brush, paint around these shapes using a different color. With a bigger brush, fill the background. Make sure to have enough of this color on your palette, following the ratio of 50/50 between water and paint.
3. Try to get very close to the shape without touching it with the brush.
4. Repeat the process until you reached the desired effect.

Hope you enjoyed these watercolor tips. Looking forward to seeing what you will come up with next!

The post Watercolors Tips For Beginners appeared first on Hue & Eye.

When asked to design a logo, having a prior understanding of the brief will save you time and money. Don’t hesitate to ask the client for a meeting before designing their logo to deepen their needs and vision and eventually avoid redesigns and misunderstandings during the design process.

To ease you, we’ve divided the questions into topics so for you to go straight to building a coherent plan without missing out on essential aspects of the logo design process. We advise using this as a checklist. Don’t conceive it as an interview with your client, as this may appear uncomfortable! Informally, ask the ones you think the best fit for the logo design project!

The Company

1. How long has your company been established?
2. Can you describe your business?
3. What is your company/organization/product/service name?
4. What services or products do you provide?
5. If you had to describe your business in one word, what would it be and why?
6. What sets your company apart from the competition?
7. How big is your company? (number of employees? revenue?)
8. What are the strengths and weaknesses of your company?
9. What are the long-term goals of the company?

THE TARGET AUDIENCE

1. Who is the primary target audience (age, gender, location…)?
2. What is the average household income of your target audience?
3. Are there any new markets you’d like to break into? If so, what would they be and why?
4. If your customers had to describe your company in one word, what would it be and why?
5. How do most of your customers find out about your company?
6. How do you plan to communicate with your target audience?

The Branding and Design

1. What are the values and/or mission statement of your company?
2. What is the current logo?
3. Why are you looking to change the logo? What do you want the new logo to accomplish?
4. Do you have a strapline or slogan that goes along with your logo?
5. What three attributes would you like your target audience to consider when they look at your new branding?
6. What colors or color palettes do you like and why?
7. Where will the logo be mainly used? Print, web, etc.?
8. In your opinion, what defines a successful logo?
9. Is there anything that must be included, like existing brand elements, words, or icons?
10. Are there any logos that you particularly like or dislike, and why?

The Budget, Deadline and Management

1. Do you have a budget for the new logo and a deadline that needs to be considered?
2. Will there be anyone else involved in this project? Any third party sub-contractors or other agencies/freelancers?
3. Is there anything else you’d like to add that we haven’t already covered?
4. Who will be the internal decision-makers on this project? Giving feedback and approvals? (Stress to the client that the fewer decision-makers, the better!)

EXTRA TIP: A SHORT SURVEY FOR CLIENTS TO HELP THEM FIGURE OUT THEIR COMPANY LOGO’S NEEDS.

At last, if you still notice your client is a bit confused about what they really want,  friendly consider sending them a printed or digital copy of this short survey for pushing them to build a sharper need and brainstorm a bit more.

1. Which of these words is a better fit for your brand? Traditional or modern?
2. Which of these words is a better fit for your brand? Friendly or corporate?
3. Which of these words is a better fit for your brand? High end or cost-effective?
4. Which of these words is a better fit for your brand? Consumer or Trade?
5. Why does your current branding use those colors, fonts, etc.?

Follow us to receive updates on how to expand your career and practice!

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Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to go to art school to create meaningful pencil drawings and become an artist. It certainly does help to have those tips and tricks you learn throughout your art classes, but they aren’t the only things that will help you create art that resonates with other people. 

At the core of every piece of art is the hope that people care about your work. Art doesn’t always have to invoke negative emotions! Be it a positive resonance with the viewer, or a negative one, as long as you manage to touch people’s hearts, you have succeeded as an artist, and this is by no means an easy feat to achieve. If you are more adept at pencil drawings, this may be trickier for you.

Now you may be wondering, what makes a drawing meaningful? And how can you create your representative works? Here’s a guide to creating meaningful pencil drawings! 

Practice, practice, practice! 

It seems like a pretty obvious tip, and yet it’s one that many end up ignoring for its simplicity. Drawing is a skill, and it’s essential that you keep practicing and trying out new motions for your art to improve. To create a drawing that speaks to people, you have to be familiar with your subject, and for that, you’ll need a ton of practice!

Forget about others’ opinions. 

At the heart of a meaningful pencil drawing is an artist’s intention. If you want to create a great final piece solely for the trends or money, you can bid goodbye to the emotional aspect of the job. Instead of focusing on other people’s opinions and what they think you should draw, pour in all your energy into creating a pencil drawing that means a lot to you – that emotion will automatically translate into your work as well!

Use references but ignore the trends. 

There is nothing wrong with using references. To create an incredible drawing, you will need to know the ins and outs of your subject, and references are your friends! However, make sure you are at a safe distance from trends. They might get you the short-term engagement you’ve been craving, but they will rarely end up being pieces that genuinely mean something to you, and by extension, the audience. 

Draw from reality 

What’s better than some references you find online? The real thing, of course! Another tip for creating meaningful pencil art is to go out into the world and take your environment as a reference. Although references are helpful, they rarely show you what’s going on behind a picture. Drawing from reality will allow you to translate that picture onto your art and learn a lot more, too!

Know your medium 

In this case, your medium is a pencil drawing. Know which pencils are best for specific subjects and what type of paper you will need to produce particular results. It would help if you learned the basics, although the technique and tricks will come from experience. Try different warm-up exercises for your wrist and your brain. Switch out your usual pencil for a different one – for instance, a lead pencil for a mechanical one. Test what you’re comfortable with, and experiment with what you’re new to.

Experiment 

Last but not least, never stop experimenting – be it with different materials, new ideas, or fresh themes, don’t tie yourself down to what you’ve been creating. Keep moving and learning, and you will find what makes your art meaningful in no time! All that’s left is to put it to paper!

The post How to Create a Meaningful Pencil Drawing appeared first on Hue & Eye.

While staring at a collage layout, you may bump into typography, letter fonts, painted figures, stuck objects, newspaper cutouts, glued items, and so on. We may also translate this into a final digital piece to give a three-dimensional feeling to the artwork. Some creatives use a digital approach by digitally reproducing the mixed feelings given by all the elements. The result is stunning, entirely unexpected, and very strong, as if all of those pieces were struggling before they finally encountered that final layout. They are yet happy there, in tune with one another.

Experimenting means understanding and exploring all the possible ways the elements may interact.

Choose a Theme

Are you having trouble finding inspiration for your collage? Give yourself a theme, as sometimes, setting limits can force you into making creative decisions. It can be something as simple and obvious as ‘holidays’, or abstract and open to interpretation as ‘whatever.’ 

Choosing a specific theme will also help you to build up a more specific image source. It is also an excellent way to churn out multiple collages or work in series, as the material you amass might be too much for just one piece of artwork. Collage Composition. A compromise between Art and Design

There is something highly emotional and intriguing in staring at a collage illustration layout.

Not only is the viewer compelled to find a hidden message, but he also has to participate in an artist’s silent manifesto. The artist uses collage to engage with a particular point of view using any tool he likes. No boundaries are allowed.

The creativity resides in the composition, which is how the artist chooses to assemble all the pieces. This creative process is what connects design with art.

Collage composition is empowered to speak artistically to the viewer through a visual language typical of a design approach.

Storytelling Tips: It’s like Entering a Room.

Try seeing your artwork through the metaphor of entering a room filled with unfamiliar people. You start by staring at everybody. The approach will be smooth, starting with something essential, like where you come from, to stick with the most people you enjoy. Then you will begin to search for the most pleasing way to interact and possibly initiate some deeper conversation. This same method will be helpful to build your collage. Attract people with direct and primary elements to keep them interested with specific details. Isn’t this a good process also for a collage?

@ Montserrat Serra@ Montserrat Serra

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The post 3 Simple Collage Composition Tips. appeared first on Hue & Eye.

Typography is the application of letters, numbers, and symbols in writing to a graphic design composition. It is everywhere, and we eventually notice there is so much we can do with it. There’s a science behind kerning, leading, serifs, point size, line length, tracking, and more. It still covers communication skills, indeed, but it now holds also a vast visual appeal. Type fonts are shapes and forms that flow inside the layout to produce messages and feelings.

Typographic Composition

To introduce the meaning of typographic composition, we should step back a bit. Since the creation of the modern alphabet much has occurred. Nowadays, thanks to a valuable evolution in the nineteenth century, typography is finally seen as a form of art.

During World War II, the political manifestos were filled with letter fonts and brief sentences to explicitly and straightforwardly shout information. When the war was finally over, people reacted boldly to propaganda by giving it a more pleasant feel for all the nineteenth century. It was about communicating with forms and colors overall. Typography became a visual art by influencing the world of art and design.

We could go now on and on mentioning famous typography composition designers as Neville Brody or Paula Scher, two of the biggest influencers of new typography and graphic design.

How to create a Typography Artwork 

Throughout the nineteenth century, arranging typefonts became renowned as Typography design.

The typeface you choose and how it works with your layout, grid, color scheme, etc., will differentiate between a good, bad, and great design.

Font design

Font design is a long and involved process. Typefaces are created by craftspeople over substantial time, using talent honed over many years. The best, professionally designed fonts come with various weights and styles to form a complete family, carefully considered kerning pairs, multi-language support with international characters, and expressive alternate glyphs to add texture and variety to typesetting.

You’ll need to double-check the one you pick holds all the options you need to produce a great design. There’s a stunning collection of free fonts to choose from online. Or you could either design your own!

Hands-on: Creative Tip

Try strictly designing a layout using letter fonts, typefaces, or related shapes. Keep in mind to divulge a message. Try focusing on the chosen symbol’s semiotics and put yourself in the viewer’s shoes: is the message still clear, or do the shapes and forms cover it? Use whatever medium you prefer and have fun!

Get some inspiration here or follow us for more creative tips! 

The post Typography Composition – Brief Introduction & Examples appeared first on Hue & Eye.

The difference between Serigraphy and Lithography may be tricky. Whether you are a consumer or an artist, knowing how the art world terminology works can make or break your place in it. If you consider yourself an admirer or a reviewer, however, this is all more demanding. 

With that in mind, don’t worry if some terminology seems unfamiliar to you – you aren’t the only one! Even artists are prone to misusing or muddling up some of the terms. Two such complex terms are serigraph and lithograph, which catch collectors’ eyes far and wide. Contrary to popular belief, they’re not the same thing – in fact, there is a world of difference between them. 

Besides the creation process, there’s also a stark difference in collectability and value. In that case, if you wonder about the difference between the two, then you’ve come to the right place – here is a complete guide to distinguishing between the two art styles. 

The definitions 

The word “serigraph” derives from the outcome of the Latin and Greek words for “silk” and “to write or draw,” respectively. Serigraphy basically refers to the printing of an image on fabric with stencils and ink. This is also what someone calls silkscreen. 

On the other hand, for a lithograph, you need to print the image onto stone with oil and water. Lithographs come into two types: offset and handmade. The latter refers to the artist or maker throughout the entire process, and that distinction makes hand lithographs more valuable and expensive. 

The processes 

The main difference between Serigraphy and Lithography is that serigraphs are printed onto fabric, while lithographs are printed on stone plates. A serigrapher places the stencil on the cloth (usual silk) and applies the ink to the silhouette created by the stencil. Unlike the stenciling method for serigraphy, a lithograph is made by printing an image with oil and covering it in ink, which sticks exclusively to the oiled areas. The outcome image is then printed onto paper. 

The final product 

Another difference between the two art styles is their final quality. A serigraph has much more texture than a lithograph, as the ink pours directly onto the surface of the final product. This method is also likely to result in a more vibrant and vivid end piece. In contrast, a lithograph may have a slightly tinted finish because the lithographer prints the image onto the final surface. 

The value 

There is no confirmation about which type of print is more valuable – it merely depends on the buyers’ preference. While some may opt for the detailed serigraph print, others may prefer the more affordable lithograph piece. Your decision as a buyer is all about what you prioritize, be it colors, texture, vibrancy, or affordability.

When it comes to the pricing of the two styles, it is also dependent on your vendor. There is no set rule about which piece will be more valuable – depending on the quantity of the stock for a specific work, their prices may skyrocket, whether it is a serigraph or lithograph. 

Which piece should you get?

If you are purchasing a piece hoping that its current value will rise shortly, then a serigraph is the way to go. Serigraphs tend to be more valuable and expensive, even compared to limited edition lithographs, and so, it seems to be the obvious choice as a collectible. 

Go to Hue&Eye’s Creative Tips to learn more about the contemporary art market and techniques!

The post Serigraphy vs Lithography. Whats’s the Difference? appeared first on Hue & Eye.

It’s not that easy to spot a bad graphic design at first sight.

Jared Spool, the American writer, researcher, and usability expert, once said: “Good design, when it’s done well, becomes invisible. It’s only when it’s done poorly that we notice it.”

Let’s figure out a list of fundamental points to avoid common misinterpretations and hire a bad graphic designer!

Communication Skills

An immediate way to spot a bad designer is by deepening its ability to understand what the users need, and then deliver that information. He won’t overload you (the client) with plenty of options to choose from, he will rather make the right questions (never too many) before starting the project.

Working with creatives isn’t easy for non-designers. But a good graphic designer already knows this.

Information Overload

It’s challenging when a big amount of information has to fit in a tiny space. This is one of the first signals of a designer’s ability. Knowing what to highlight and what to place on a secondary spot is the know-how for a skilled designer. They will understand what the users need, then design based on that, to help reduce information overload.

A clever way will be to go for visuals instead of text.

Ignoring Usability

Usability is everything today. Users won’t spend half a second trying figuring out how to navigate a website. Clever designs can backfire and hurt usability.

Clever designs should always be made as foolproof as possible, and/or tested on actual users. 

Non-Original Content

If a graphic designer comes up with a mishmash of stock photos and vectors and just added the text from the brief it’s not a designer who gave some thought into what you need as a client.

Vectors, stock photos, and free illustrations are design elements that even non-designers can create a visual with, and a professional is expected to create something unique and creative.

Being a graphic designer means being original.

Misinterpreting the Audience

We all know how different generations, geographic locations, cultures, etc, have different perceptions of design. For example, different colors have different meanings in cultures all over the world. To a typical western audience, white means purity, but in China, white is a color for funerals.

Western audiences, for instance, perceive information left to right while Eastern cultures or Arabic native speakers right to left.

This means the focal point of the design has to adapt to its perception. If you’re working with freelance designers who are from a much different background than you, you’ll possibly need to state things that are obvious to you in your design brief.

Sometimes the tone of voice or aesthetic of the design has to fit a certain group’s tastes, so your designer needs to know the target audience they are designed for.

Visit our design stories and interviews, or our tips&tricks section to improve your creative skills!

The post Bad Graphic Design, 5 Signs To Spot Low Quality appeared first on Hue & Eye.

Following is a listing of the most common sketchbook brands’ specifics to help you navigate and make the right choice!

#1

Pentalic Watercolour Sketchbook Journal

GENERAL SPECIFICS: Pentalic Watercolour Sketchbook Journal uses 100% cotton, 300gsm paper, and has 64 pages.

DESCRIPTION: The Pentalic sketchbook has high-quality paper and may resist heavy washes, although it will lightly buckle. For this, it’s not the right choice for pen and ink work because the cold press surface is relatively coarser with more grain.

FOR WHO: Pentalic sketchbook is for those who like heavy washes. Satisfying with pen and ink, but it’s more suitable for paint.

GO TO WEBSITE.

#2

Khadi Papers Sketchbook

GENERAL SPECIFICS: The Khadi sketchbook uses 100% cotton, 210 gsm paper, and has 80 pages.

DESCRIPTION: the paper is handmade in India and sold in loose sheets, but it also comes in a sketchbook of different formats with a cardboard cover.

Excellent paper quality is the right choice for wet on wet techniques as it has a lovely granulation. It also handles well heavy washes.

FOR WHO: This choice is the perfect one for both pen ink and watercolor.

GO TO WEBSITE.

#3

Watercolor Sketchbook from Global Art Materials

GENERAL SPECIFICS: The GAM sketchbook uses 25% cotton, 200 gsm paper, and has 60 pages.

DESCRIPTION: The paper is pure white with a clothed cover. The paper handles wet on wet well but not for heavy washes.

FOR WHO: This choice is suitable for who prefers white paper. It is ideal for pen ink and light washes.

GO TO WEBSITE.

#4

Strathmore 400 Series Watercolor Journal

GENERAL SPECIFICS: The Strathmore watercolor Journal has 300 gsm, no cotton-made paper, and 48 pages.

DESCRIPTION: This is a good quality sketchbook with a paperback and hardcover format, useful as a solid back to draw on.

It handles water well even though the paper has no cotton content. It isn’t easy to use with heavy washes. As the support is not as absorbent as cotton paper, use wet on wet with care to prevent puddling.

FOR WHO: Strathmore sketchbook is for those who use pen and ink and medium washes.

GO TO WEBSITE.

Conclusion

For watercolor techniques, it is preferable to use paper with at least some cotton content. It makes the surface more absorbent so that it can handle some wet on wet techniques. It doesn’t have to be 100% cotton, unless for heavy washes.

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