DaniDraws.com

Sketching is the way artists practice their skills. How do you make the most of it? Here are my own guidelines for how I spend my drawing time.

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Do you have a favorite brand of paper? Have you found a particular surface that works well for a specific medium? Have you ever used an unusual material in order to save money?

Leave all your tips and tricks in the comments section. For my answer, read on…

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Have you ever had trouble finding just the right sketchbook? Maybe you can’t find the right kind of paper, or they are just too darn expensive. Well, it’s probably easier than you think to make one of your own, and everything you need might already be lying around your house.

Why Make Your Own Sketchbooks?

• Use your favorite paper. Why settle for the same old white paper when you can use toned, textured, heavy weight, watercolor, or lined paper instead? Or, this is a great way to get rid of all those half-used sketchpads you know you’ve got tucked away somewhere.

• It’s cheap. Since most of your materials consist mostly of scraps, paper, and glue, this project is pretty easy on the wallet.

• Style points. No more boring black sketchbooks! Choosing the colors and patterns to use for your sketchbook is half the fun. I once made a sketchbook that was entirely pink, just for the heck of it.

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Some things you have to learn the hard way.

Like painting skills that are not taught in the classroom or listed in the typical handbook. It’s not all about mixing colors and priming a canvas. Here are a few lessons that I’ve learned while painting, but are often overlooked and under-appreciated.

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Here is a bit of an explanation behind the making of my “Tough Teddy” painting, which I posted as a video earlier this week.

My traditional painting process is a lot like my digital work in that I like to experiment. As a result, a lot of my traditional paintings are done with mixed media. I like the interaction of the different materials and being able to use each of their advantages to create a one single great image. In the making of this painting, I used a whole mess of stuff, including gouache, oil, colored pencil, and acrylic.

In this post, I’ll explain which media I used and why, and hopefully you’ll be inspired to do a little experimenting yourself. Happy Painting!

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Here is the first non-digital DaniDraws.com painting video. This is a small character painting I did for fun. You will see me use various media, including acrylic, gouache, oil, and colored pencil.

The original painting is for sale. Find details at danijonesillustration.blogspot.com.

Video: Tough Teddy (Quicktime, 2:27, 4.19 MB)