Snowed in

This week, I'm working on a painting of boats on the Tchefuncte River. I shot the reference photos for this when I was in Madisonville teaching a recent workshop. The workshop venue was right across the street from this lovely river view, making it perfect for my seascape painting workshop.

 I paint watercolors in layers, starting with the lightest colors and values. Here I'm using my #12 Faux Kolinsky from Dynasty Brush to layer in some details. The Faux Kolinsky from Dynasty Brush is a synthetic with lots of spring, and it keeps a very fine point while holding a lot of water and paint. It performs just like a natural Kolinsky, but with the added benefit of perfect consistency that you can only get from a synthetic brush. I'll let you know when I'm done with this painting, but in the meantime, you can watch me finish it at my next open studio event.

 I'm also trying out these really cool gel pens this week, from Zebra Pen. These are the Sarasa Rapid Dry Ink Gel Pens, and because of their rapid dry technology they don't smear or smudge, which makes them perfect for artists. It's fun to sketch with these vibrant colors! Each week, Zebra Pen is giving away sets of these awesome gel pens to 6 random winners. To enter for a chance to win, follow them on Facebook and Twitter and enter their contest on their Facebook Page.

This is my patio this morning. We got close to 2 feet of snow, and it's still coming down heavy. Thank goodness I teach most of my art courses online! My next online painting class at Artists Network University starts February 25, and it's filling up fast. Don't wait and miss out -- sign up now!