Friday, March 29, 2024

PWCS plein air painting at Valley Forge

 I'm thrilled to announce new painting demonstration coming up in April! On April 18th, I will be demonstrating plein air painting at Valley Forge National Historical Park for the Philadelphia Watercolor Society during their Spring Paint Out. This event is free and open to the public, click here to register

PWCS plein air at Valley Forge, April 18, 2024

All artists will receive FREE samples of Hahnemuehle watercolor paper and a free tube of paint! There will be lots of door prizes for other art supplies, too! 

Annie Strack painting en plein air

This event is generously sponsored by Hahnemuehle who is providing watercolor paper for to give away to all the artists. 




posted by Annie Strack @ 11:11 AM   0 Comments

Saturday, March 23, 2024

More Exhibitions!

 This week I'm framing and boxing up more paintings to ship off to juried exhibitions around the country. My painting "Weight of the World" is juried into the Illinois Watercolor Society International Exhibition. 

Weight of the World, 9x12 watercolor by Annie Strack

I'm thrilled that my painting "Every Which Way" juried into the Society of Watercolor Artists International Exhibition in Texas. 

Every Which Way, 12x16 watercolor by Annie Strack

And I also learned that my painting "Disconnected" juried into the Watercolor USA Honor Society exhibition in Missouri. 

Disconnected, 14x20 watercolor by Annie Strack

And in other news, the National Watercolor Society begins accepting entries for the 104th International Open Exhibition on April 1st! Get ready for another great exhibit in San Pedro, California in October and November of this year. We have lots of exciting activities to go along with the exhibition, so be sure to put it on your calendar. 

posted by Annie Strack @ 5:22 PM   0 Comments

Thursday, March 7, 2024

All About Paper, Part II - Sizing

 All About Paper -- Part II – Sizing

Sizing is an additive to watercolor paper to make it a more durable surface for painting. It reduces absorbency and adds stiffness to paper. Without sizing, it would be like painting on a paper towel – the moisture would soak in and spread throughout the paper. Sizing can be added to the pulp vat for internal sizing, or it can be applied to the surface of the paper, or both – some papers have sizing added to the surface and also internally. There are two common products that are used for sizing, and there are pros and cons to each of them. 

The Collection, Watercolor Paper by Hahnemuehle


Vegetable sizing is STARCH, and animal sizing is GELATIN. Think of a vegetable starch, like a cornstarch -- it can be easily and quickly dissolved in cold water. Gelatin, on the other hand, is much harder to dissolve and requires boiling water and a lot of effort. That's why it is also used as a glue and as a surface preparation for oil painting (in it's form of rabbit skin glue), as well. 

Annie Strack pulling handmade watercolor paper in Fabriano, Italy


When dried, the starch products are easily reconstituted but the gelatin products require much more effort to reverse or dissolve. So, as a paper sizing, vegetable sizing will not hold up to a lot of "abuse" -- scrubbing, multiple layers, lifting, masking, over-working, etc., whereas traditional gelatin sizing is much more durable. 

testing different mediums on a paper


Vegetable sizing is much brighter, whiter and doesn't discolor, while gelatin sizing often causes a warmer tint. Gelatin is a byproduct of meat production (animal hides, usually bovine) so vegans and some religious doctrines avoid it. These are the pros and cons to consider for each, and it’s up to the individual artist to decide which is best for them. 

Read the other articles in this series: 

All About Paper - Part I - Surface Textures 

All About Paper - Part III - Weight 

All About Paper - Part IV - Handling

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Annie Strack is an industry trained expert in the uses and properties of artist materials. She is a Brand Ambassador for Hahnemuehle Paper and several other companies, and teaches at art centers, art supply stores, and workshops around the world. 

posted by Annie Strack @ 11:32 AM   1 Comments

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

new car old car

After weeks of online research and shopping, we finally bought a new car this week. This is Brian's new ride -- not quite as nice as his old car, but it's new and he likes it, so we're happy.  


It's replaces the lovely silver Mercedes that I bought eons ago. That car would have lasted forever if he hadn't wrecked it. 


In other news, my dryer quit right in the middle of washing sheets. It's been raining steady for weeks, so I had to hand the sheets up in the garage to dry until Brian could order the parts and fix it.  


The laundry was piling up and I was happy when the parts came and he was able to put it back together again. 

posted by Annie Strack @ 7:07 PM   0 Comments

All images and content copyright Annie Strack 2024. Although I occasionally receive compensation for some posts, I always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own.