Top 5 Favorite Tools and Techniques--Winter 2022

One of my favorite things about being an artist is experimenting with new techniques and art supplies (mmm...art supplies...). Below are the top 5 that I've been in love with lately:

1) Palette knifing: I've found myself straying away from the brush and picking up palette knives instead. I love the texture and the looseness they give to my pieces. There are also so many varieties! They are exceedingly versatile, and honestly, I don't see myself putting them down anytime soon.

2) Cold wax: In going with the palette knife theme, I've really taken to cold wax lately when painting with oils. Once again, the texture is unbeatable and I love the frosty look they give to my art work. It's also just super fun mixing different colors with the wax--you can make it look like frosting on your palette--really creamy and rich. Love.

This piece was created with a lot of palette knifing and cold wax. You can see the frosty effect with the white band at the bottom.

3) Tissue paper: Collage has also been something that I've been circling back to lately. Tissue paper has become one of my favorite types of materials to use because of its transparent and translucent effects. You can layer it in unique ways to produce something really beautiful or quirky. My favorite has been a red polka dot tissue paper--simple, but also super cute. I'll definitely be doing more with this.

4) High-Flow Acrylics: I LOVE these paints. They produce such cool drips and effects. I'm honestly still learning how to incorporate them into my art work and paintings, but they've been so much fun to experiment with in the process.

5) Photoshop: I know, this seems a little odd since it's not a direct painting technique. However, using photoshop during my creative process has helped me to reimagine my paintings and push myself on new ideas. I collect so many photos throughout my days that I have my own library of images that I pull from. When I'm stuck on a painting or just need a fresh look, I take a picture of it and pop it into photoshop and start layering images. I love the effects and I love that I can create something totally new.

That's it! What did you think? Leave a comment with your favorite technique or tools!