Art Supplies Info

Torrit Grey 2012

artadmin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:21:06 +0000

2012 Batch of Torrit Grey

About Torrit Grey

In celebration of Earth Day, each spring Gamblin Master Paintmakers recycle the pigments captured by their Torit Air Filtration System into a limited edition color: Gamblin Torrit Grey. Torrit Grey reflectstheir shared commitment to sustainability. Every batch is unique, ranging from warm dove grey to cool, bluish grey. With each year's batches of Torrit Grey, they invite artists to participate in their Torrit Grey painting contest. The challenge: say what you want to say using only black, white and Torrit Grey. To participate, visit their website.

How To Get Yours

Come visit one of our stores and recieve a free tube of Torrit Grey with a Gamblin purchases of $25 or more. Valid until May 31st. or while supplies last!

Pan Pastel Mixing and Shading

artadmin — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:11:33 +0000

Pan Pastels (Shop) are a revolutionary way to use pastel pigments. Pan Pastel allows artists to paint with their pastels and provide 30% more pigment per container than found in a piece of chalk pastel. These pastels mix very well Sofft Applicators (Shop) keep from transferring pigment from color to color on the palette tray.

Here is a Video featuring KC's own Donna Aldridge teaching us how to use Pan Pastels like a pro!

Molding a Smooth Painting Surface

artadmin — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 09:04:13 +0000

Here's an interesting tip!! Are you an artist that prefers the smooth wood texture for painting, but wish you could get a little give from your surface? Try using Molding Paste (Shop) to smooth your surface! Below is a video from Creative Coldsnow TV to show you how!

Create a smooth solid texture for painting using artist canvas! Molding Paste is flexible and won't crack, creating a perfect smooth surface to paint on for artists that prefer smooth plate surfaces. Covering your canvas with molding paste fills the gaps from the cotton canvas texture. Sealing the molding paste with acrylic paint settles the paint in the remaining texture making it even smoother. Finally one last coating of molding paste with a background color will create a beautiful surface smooth enough for artist paint to glide on.

Firing Kiln Clays

artadmin — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:52:01 +0000

Firing Clays (Shop)

It's hard to find high quality firing clays at just any store! Firing Kiln Clay serves all sorts of purposes and is

Clays like Porcelain fire to a soft white with very little texture. These clays are what's called a plastic clay with better flexibility and no grog. This type of clay is more commonly used for tiny details, and fragile china. The white color of the clays when fired are great for applying glazes of all types. preferred by pottery and sculpture artists. Some clays lighter clays are preferred for easy shaping while other clays with additives like grog are better for throwing techniques and working up textures. Some clays fire to different colors or shades at different temperatures.

Clays like Stoneware are more commonly used, versitile clays for things like vases, dishes, potters for plants, and many other things. Earthenware and Stoneware are well known for their use in the classroom and in workshops for their wide range of working properties. Clay like Stoneware can have a wide firing range depending on the blended clays used. Kiln firing is measured in cone oxidation from 01-10 in correspondence with the heat of the firing kiln.

Creative Coldsnow offers many different firing clay types at low flat rate shipping costs. Considering these bricks of clay are, at times, 50 lbs a piece, they've made it quite affordable. They offer a wide array of clay products with high quality texture image close-ups of the non fired clay.

Sculpting Tools

artadmin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 08:16:48 +0000

Sculpting with clay is a broad art form with many methods. Along with using their hands many sculpting artists use things like cutting tools, wire tools, and loops. A wide variety of sculpting tools are available for artists. Clay tools specifically for pottery. Kemper tools makes high quality tools for working with potting, sculpting, firing, an d crafting clays. Creative Coldsnow offers the entire line of these products a with a catalogue of their own high quality images.

Pottery Tools (Shop) include essential tools for every Potter such as Calipers and Holders. Kemper Tools offers Scrapers, Cutters, Turning Tools, Potters Ribs, and more! Shaping clays like porcelain on potting wheels is made easy with tools like Colour Shapers and Clay shapers.

Modeling Tools (Shop) used for more intricate shaping. Making divots, shapes and textures are simple with modeling tools. Kemper Tools offers a huge range of tools, from cutters, loops and ribbons, Imported Wood Tools, Scrapers, drills, and more!

Golden OPEN Acrylic Mediums

artadmin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:39:13 +0000

GOLDEN OPEN Gels, Mediums, and Thinner

OPEN Acrylic Gel (Gloss and Matte) has a slightly softer feel than our Regular Gel (Gloss) and the same consistency as OPEN colors. It can be used for glazes and to extend the paints while maintaining working properties of OPEN acrylics.

OPEN Acrylic Medium (Gloss and Matte) has a lower viscosity and is used to extend paint and maintain properties when a more fluid mixture is desired to increase flow.

OPEN Gels and Mediums are compatible with Golden Heavy Body and Fluid Acrylic colors, as well as regular acrylic gels and mediums and will increase open time while altering their consistency.

OPEN Thinner contains no binders and is used to thin the consistency of paint mixes without altering open time, or to maintain and adjust the workability of colors on the palette without the use of water mist and moisturizing palettes.

Shop OPEN Acrylics Information and Images Provided by: Golden Paints

Acrylic Paint Additives

artadmin — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 08:54:40 +0000

Info From: Golden Paints

Additives Acrylic Flow Release GOLDEN Acrylic Flow Release is an additive used to reduce surface tension of the water in the acrylic emulsion, therefore increasing the slickness and flow of the paint. It is effective for achieving rich stains on a porous surface. Health Labeled (HL) Product. Not for use by children.Acrylic Flow Release Product Information & Application Sheet. Retarder GOLDEN Retarder is an additive used to increase the open (drying) time of acrylic paints. Useful for "wet in wet" techniques and reducing skinning on the palette.

Polymer Mediums GOLDEN GAC (short for Golden Artist Colors) Specialty Acrylic Polymers are based on 100% acrylic polymer emulsions. The GACs are useful as mediums or modifiers of acrylic paints. GACs can be blended with GOLDEN Acrylic Paints to extend the paint, regulate transparency, create glazes, increase gloss, reduce viscosity or improve adhesion and film integrity. The GAC polymers can also be used for binding pigment solids for various effects and surfaces. Unlike the other GOLDEN Mediums and Gels, GAC Acrylic Polymers have only a minimum amount of thickeners, levelers, defoamers and surfactants to ensure good film formation. Shop Acrylic Additives

Golden Digital Grounds

artadmin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 04:44:48 +0000

Watch Videos on GREAT techniques with Golden Digital Grounds on Creative Coldsnow TV

GOLDEN Digital Grounds GOLDEN Digital Grounds are ink-receptive coatings intended for use with ink-jet printers. They allow the artist to coat and subsequently print over a large variety of substrates including paper, canvas, metal and acrylic paints, using ordinary computer printers and inks. For more information on GOLDEN Digital Grounds, see the Digital Ground Product Information & Application Sheet and the Mix More Media section of the website.

There are three types of Digital Grounds available: Digital Ground White (Matte) – A semi-opaque white ground suitable for printing onto a large variety of porous and non-porous surfaces. The smooth and absorbent surface allows printing inks to dry rapidly, making it an ideal starting product for artists exploring digital printing. Digital Ground Clear (Gloss) – A clear gloss ground for use on most porous surfaces where clarity is desired to view underlying materials.

Digital Ground for Non Porous Surfaces – A clear gloss ground for coating non-porous surfaces, such as plastic and metal, when clarity is desired.

Silverpoint / Drawing Ground GOLDEN Silverpoint / Drawing Ground is a liquid acrylic used for the preparation of supports for drawing media. The ground is designed for the achievement of fine detailed lines on a permanent, lightfast, flexible ground. Silverpoint / Drawing Ground is ideal for use with metal styli or other drawing tools. For more information on GOLDEN Silverpoint / Drawing Ground, see the Silverpoint / Drawing Ground Product Information and Application Sheet.

Information provided by: Golden Acrylics Shop Golden Digital Grounds

Artisan Artist Oil Colors

artadmin — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:52:35 +0000

Artisan, by Winsor & Newton, is a water mixable oil paint: Winsor and Newton Artisan Water Mixable Oil paint has been specifically developed to appear and work just like conventional oil colour. The key difference between Artisan and conventional oils is Artisan's ability to be thined and cleaned up with water! Hazardous solvents are not necessary to paint with Artisan, so artists can enjoy a safer painting environment, making it ideal for artists who share a work space, as well as for schools, or painting at home. There is no water within the formulation of Artisan. Traditional linseed oil and/or safflower oil vehicles have been modified to allow the paint to accept water, creating a stable paint emulsion, while retaining the working characteristics of conventional oil colour. Artisan oil colours dry in roughly the same length of time as traditional oils (from a couple days to a week, depending on the colours used), and they take up to six months to "cure", just like traditional oils. Once cured, paintings made using Artisan oils can be varnished just like paintings made with traditional oils, too. Shop Artisan Water Mixable Oils Video Post on Creative Coldsnow Youtube

Pan Pastel Portrait Drawing

artadmin — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:13:02 +0000

Pan Pastels are a remarkable new tool for artists of all types. These pastels paint on like a paintbrush with vivid colors and details using Pan Pastel Sofft Tools and pastel papers like Art Spectrum. Kansas City's own: Donna Aldridge shows us how to do a quick portrait sketch with these painting pastel techiques! (Shop Pan Pastel and Sofft Tools)