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Did You Know?

Martina's Little Art Tricks
Picture

Occasionally, we come across those little annoying problems when organising an art studio, working with paint or when sketching.

Sometimes a bit of creativity helps to solve those issues,  hence the reason for me to create this section. I will add more information over time by adding handy tips and ideas for all those small and large botherations that one faces over the years when producing art.   

This section is new. I will add to share tricks and inventive ideas I have learned over the years.

Stuck Paint Tubes


Painting Tip 1 Picture
Yes, we all had it coming, the annoying oil paint that sticks on the lid. Well, there are in fact two options. You either prevent that it happens in the first place by using a bit of cling wrap and put it between the paint tube and the lid. For cases where such brilliant precaution hasn't happen, and you are about to get into the usual more violent solution of almost strangling your paints, hold the closed lid of the paint tube in a cup of boiling water for about 15 seconds; it works every time.  

Keep Oil Paint Leftovers


Store Used Paint Picture
Every artist will encounter wasting paint when cleaning up for the day.  But there is an exciting solution by merely placing the oil on a glass palette and submerge the paint in water; it will preserve the oil for a couple of weeks without loss of performance. The other more known option is to keep the oil in smaller plastic containers and freeze them until you need them.

A Paintings Last Finishing Touches


Painting Tip 3 Picture
The best Art Academies of the world agree that the hardest issue for all students is learning to paint values correctly because the moment we paint in colour we misread tonal values. The overall rule in painting remains that tonal value is more important than colour.  To help you achieve the last tonal touches, it is a great idea to photograph your art with your iPhone or digital camera using the black and white setting, to reveal immediate problems. A trained eye will eventually see tonal values without this device, but for training purposes it is a legit help.  

Revive Old Brushes


How to Revive Brush Picture
Once the hair of a brush is bend it is not easy to get it back into shape. But there are methods which I use for my expensive brushes, although I try my best to look after them in the first place, so that I don't need to. I wash the brush and dip it in linseed or walnut oil and to form it back into shape. Once done I use Elmers Glue and let it dry for couple of weeks. The glue is water-soluble, so all you need doing is washing the glue out and you have your favourite brush back. 

Colour Pencil Matching Tool


Picture Coloured Pencil Matching Tool
This is a trick I showed my students for years to match colours when using coloured pencils. Take a piece of copy paper and punch a few holes. Then lay the hole onto the image you are drawing from, which isolates the exact colour you are trying to achieve. Now you can be directly next to it mix until you got it right. Gabrielle, one of my students, got the idea to do the same for coloured paper. Brilliant. 

Tonal Value Chart Checker


Picture Tonal Value Chart Checker
I really like this self-made tone value chart for matching tonal values. The added holes that were punched into each tonal value section make a great isolation tool. 

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MARTINA POOK ©  2016-2022                     |                     68 Armstrong Way, Highland Park, QLD 4211                    |                   Trading as Martina Pook                  |               ABN 54905 254 156
  • Home
    • Art School Surveys
    • Mailing List
    • Art News Blog
  • Art Tips
    • 1 Year Drawing & Painting >
      • Daily Watercolour Practice >
        • January
        • February
        • March
        • April
        • May
        • June
        • July
        • August
        • September
        • October
        • November
        • December
      • Daily Drawing Practice >
        • January
        • February
        • March
        • April
        • May
        • June
        • July
        • August
        • September
        • October
    • Art Business Tips >
      • Before Starting A Business
      • Earn from Your Drawings
      • Pricing Your Artwork
      • Art Business Planning
      • Arts Marketing
      • Artist Media Release
      • Artist Proposal Writing
      • Creative Website Writing
      • Copyright (eousness)
      • Organise Your Art Business
      • Networking for Artists
      • 5 Tips for Instagram Success
      • The Power of Pinterest
      • Art Is A Business
    • Free Art Business Books
    • Free Art Instruction Books
    • Free Stockphoto Collection >
      • Art Students Photo Collection >
        • Peculiar Photo Collection
        • Landscape Photo Collection
    • Artists Reference Photos >
      • Artist Reference Bundles
    • Best Art Websites
    • Book Recommendations
    • Gift Ideas for Artists
    • Art Magazines
    • Art Organisations
    • Art Accountants
    • Art Competitions
    • Art Infographics
    • Artists Info Sheets
    • Artists Signatures
    • Web Tools For Artists
  • Martina's Articles
    • Painting Tips
    • 15 Must Have Skills for Art Students
    • Art Competition Benefits
    • Benefits of Art Classes
    • Coloured Pencils Article >
      • Coloured Pencil Studies
    • Colour Mixing Article
    • Did You Know?
    • Learn to draw in 15 minutes a day
    • The Art of Learning Art
    • Why We Need Creativity
  • Art Workshops | Classes
    • Art Materials Lists >
      • Art Material Glossary
    • Art Student Portal >
      • Arts Ministry Liberti
      • Drawing Introduction >
        • Line Contour Variation
        • Measuring Proportions
        • Atmospheric Perspective
        • Shading Laws
        • Composition
      • Painting Introduction
      • Portrait Drawing Introduction >
        • The Eye
        • The Nose
        • The Mouth
        • The Ear
        • The Head
      • Coloured Pencil Introduction
      • Colour Mixing Introduction
    • Gallery >
      • Kids Art Gallery
      • Teen Students Gallery
      • Adult Art Students Gallery
      • Student Scholarship >
        • 2018 Scholarship Winner
        • 2018 Scholarship Winner
        • 2017 Scholarship Winner
        • 2015 Scholarship Winner
      • Artist in Residence >
        • 2017 Artist in Residence
      • Opportunities for Students
    • Gold Coast Art Teachers
    • Refund Policies
  • About
  • Contact