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Help with general questions about art materials.
83 articles in this collection
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About Jackson's
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Colour
Should you varnish a watercolour painting?
What to consider when deciding to varnish a watercolour painting.
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Updated over a week ago
How do you choose between watercolour pans or tubes?
What to consider when deciding between watercolour pans or tubes.
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Updated over a week ago
What is granulation in watercolour, and how do I use it?
Understanding what causes granulation in watercolour.
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Updated over a week ago
What are the different ways to use watercolour pencils?
Understanding the different types of watercolour pencils and their uses.
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Updated over a week ago
What is the difference between watercolour dye-based ink and watercolour pigment-based ink?
Understanding the difference between dye-based ink and pigment-based ink.
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What is the difference between oil sticks and oil pastels?
Oil sticks are also known as oil bars or pigment sticks.
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Updated over a week ago
How do you rescue dull patches in an oil painting?
This is the process known as ‘oiling out’, which will unify an uneven surface quality on an oil painting and saturate the colours.
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How should you store a wet oil painting?
Ways to keep paintings clean as they dry.
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What can I use with acrylic paints to slow the drying of my painting?
Ways to slow the drying time of acrylic paint.
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Updated over a week ago
What can I use with acrylic paints to stop them from drying out so quickly on the palette?
Understanding what options there are to slow the drying of acrylics on your palette.
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Are Cadmium colours safe to use?
Cadmium paint is sometimes spoken about as dangerous, is this true?
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What are the benefits of Water-Mixable Oils over Acrylics?
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When I apply a lighter colour pastel over a darker colour it results in muddiness. Do some brands of pastel not do this, should I try a different make of pastels?
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Updated over a week ago
When I apply a lighter colour pastel over a darker colour it results in muddiness. Do some brands of pastel not do this?
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Updated over a week ago
What can I use with acrylic paints to stop them drying out so quickly on the palette?
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How do you fix a pastel painting?
The best technique for fixing a pastel painting
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After sketching out on canvas is there a thorough and effective way of erasing pencil marks/ or fixing pencil marks so that the lead does not interfere/smudge when painting?
Painting over sketch marks
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What is the difference between 'Permanence' and 'Lightfastness'?
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How long do paints last?
What is the shelf life of art materials
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What paint and mediums can I take on a plane?
Safe art materials to take on an airplane
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Updated over a week ago
What do I need to know to get started in oils?
Everything you need to know to get started in oils, an extensive guide.
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Updated over a week ago
Painting in acrylic or oil on top of gold-leaf
How best to go about painting acrylic of oil paint over gold-leaf
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Updated over a week ago
Understanding different viscosities of paint
Understanding the terms heavybody, softbody, fluid or ink with our dairy scale
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Updated over a week ago
What's the difference between Titanium White, Zinc and Mixing White?
An explanation of the difference between whites
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Updated over a week ago
Are heavy body acrylic paints suitable for acrylic pour painting and what is a suitable ratio of paint to pouring medium?
Pour painting with thick viscosity paint
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Updated over a week ago
When a colour or paint is listed as 'lightfast in normal conditions', what does this mean?
Understanding lightfast
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Updated over a week ago
Which blue would be suitable to use with the colours in the Zorn palette.
What is a Zorn palette
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Can you paint over gold leaf?
Using gold leaf in painting
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What's the best way to sharpen a charcoal pencil?
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What's the difference between Ultramarine Blue and French Ultramarine?
An explanation of the difference
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Can you use Cold Wax on Aluminium Painting Panels?
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Brushes and Painting Tools
How do I reshape the point on my paintbrush?
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Updated over a week ago
What's the difference between a synthetic brush and a natural hair brush?
An article that describes the development of synthetic brushes and how they replicate properties of natural hair
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What does the brush stiffness rating mean? Why is it important?
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Updated over a week ago
My sable brush has splayed hairs? What can I do about this?
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Updated over a week ago
How to Use Palette Knives for Painting
A blog article explaining how to use palette knives
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Updated over a week ago
Surface - Paper, Board, and Canvas
Why do many watercolour papers say they are NOT/Cold Pressed?
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Updated over a week ago
Is there a vegan or vegetarian product that you can use instead of rabbit sking glue, for sizing a canvas before applying gesso?
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Updated over a week ago
Is there a vegan or vegetarian product for sizing a canvas before applying gesso?
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Updated over a week ago
How do I choose the correct centre bar for my stretcher bars?
How to select the correct size centre bar
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Updated over a week ago
How do you prime a canvas?
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What is the difference between cotton and linen canvas?
Understanding the characteristics of linen and cotton
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Updated over a week ago
What is Vellum paper?
A short description of Vellum paper
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Updated over a week ago
Why do many watercolour papers say they are NOT/Cold Pressed?
Written by
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Updated over a week ago
Can you remove dried acrylic/oil paint from a canvas?
The method to remove dried acrylic or oil from a canvas
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Updated over a week ago
How do you treat a smooth wooden panel (unsized/unprimed) before paint application?
Everything you need to know to prepare a painting panel
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Updated over a week ago
Everything you need to know about watercolour paper
What does mould made watercolour paper mean? And what are the advantages of internally/externally sized papers?
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Updated over a week ago
Choosing the right canvas for your painting
Help with understanding the differences between canvas and linen materials
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Updated over a week ago
Everything you need to know about drawing/sketching paper
An in-depth look at the different types of paper and how they affect the materials used
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Updated over a week ago
How to stretch watercolour paper
Helping you prevent wrinkled watercolour paper
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Updated over a week ago
How to make a canvas painting panel
Choosing the right materials for the job
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Updated over a week ago
How to assemble Alu-Pro aluminium canvas stretcher bars
A step by step guide to making an aluminium stretched canvas frame
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Updated over a week ago
Removing Dents in Stretched Canvas
Repairing a stretched canvas
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Updated over a week ago
How to assemble stretcher bars for canvas
Help with with creating a stretched canvas
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Updated over a week ago
How to use the canvas wedges and what are they for?
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Updated over a week ago
How to Stretch Canvas
A visual guide to stretching a canvas
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Updated over a week ago
Can you correct warped stretcher bars?
What to do if a canvas warps.
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Updated over a week ago
Can you sand acrylic primer and gesso primer?
Sanding acrylic primer
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Updated over a week ago
Can you use PVA to size a painting surface?
Priming a surface with PVA
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Updated over a week ago
What canvases are vegan?
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Updated over a week ago
Does Watercolour Paper ever expire?
How long does watercolour paper last
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Updated over a week ago
What is the difference between a block, a glued pad, a ring-bound book and a stitched or stapled sketchbook?
Sketchbooks binding explained
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Updated over a week ago
Studio - Mediums, Solvents, Primers and Varnish
What is the best varnish to use for oil paints?
Understanding varnishes for oil painting
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Updated over a week ago
What is the difference between acrylic primer and acrylic gesso primer?
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Updated over a week ago
What is the best way to clean an oil brush without using solvents?
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Updated over a week ago
What paint should you use to paint a mural that will be exposed to harsh sunlight and rain? Also which sealer varnish?
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Updated over a week ago
What's the difference between, Linseed Oil, Poppy Oil, Walnut Oil and Safflower Oil?
Understanding the difference between different drying oils for oil painting
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Updated over a week ago
Solvent safety guide
An extensive article explaining the differences between many of the different solvents available today.
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Updated over a week ago
How to clean your Oil and Acrylic brushes
With more on how to use Jackson’s Marseille Soap
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Updated over a week ago
What can I use with acrylic paints to slow the drying of my painting so I can blend the colours more?
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Updated over a week ago
How do you safely clean up and dispose of paper or rags used for wiping oil painting brushes, if you are worried about spontaneous combustion?
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Updated over a week ago
Should a retouching varnish always be removed before using a final varnish? Or is it okay to varnish on top of the retouching varnish once the painting has been allowed to cure?
Using Retouching varnish
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Updated over a week ago
How long should you wait before varnishing alkyd oils - is it the same as traditional oil?
Drying time of oils and alkyds
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Updated over a week ago
How do you remove varnish from a painting?
Removing Varnish from a painting
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Updated over a week ago
Can you glaze a painting with oil thinners?
Written by
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Updated over a week ago
What is Linseed Oil for and do I have to use it?
Using oil mediums
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Updated over a week ago
Does turpentine affect the fat over lean rule when oil painting?
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Updated over a week ago
How do I use a Powder Blender for Pencils and which brushes and sponges should be used?
Powder Blender Explained
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Updated over a week ago
What is Pouring Medium?
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Updated over a week ago
Accessories
Help with choosing a frame for your artwork
Canvas, panels and paper are matched with suitable frames, here is a short guide
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Updated over a week ago
How to care for a wooden oil painting palette
Looking after a wooden palette
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Updated over a week ago
What do you recommend for packaging artwork for transporting or sending via a courier?
Packaging Artwork for transportation
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Updated over a week ago