Category Archives: Sketching tools

Emulating the Masters Again

Posted on January 26, 2025 by Bobbie Herron

As I mentioned last week, I am navigating a couple of medical challenges that leave me with very little energy to do extra things, even those things that normally rejuvenate me. Then I glimpse my sketchbook on the table…. next … Continue reading →

Posted in Beauty, Musings on Life, Sketching tools, Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Is Community the only art tool you’re missing?

Posted on September 29, 2024 by Bobbie Herron

For the next ten weeks I’ll be sharing excerpts from my illustrated memoir, “Double Take,” published in 2022. Enjoy! June 17, 2014 – sketchbook journal entry I only pretend to like Art Instruction. What I really crave is Art Community. … Continue reading →

Posted in Book #2: Double Take, Pencil sketching, Sketchbooks, Sketching tools, Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Secret #6 – “Don’t push me!”Guide the Bead Instead

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Bobbie Herron

Create a Bead, then guide it for juicy, brush-mark-free painting success. So many beginners will try to paint with watercolors the same way they would with other paints, like acrylics or oils. Their watercolor paintings end up looking dry and … Continue reading →

Posted in Beauty, Look at That- Second Edition, Second Edition of Look at That!, Sketchbooks, Sketching tools, Watercolor | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Welcome to Week 4 of “The 8 Secrets of Watercolor Success”

Posted on August 4, 2024 by Bobbie Herron

Secret #4 – How dark is your mix? (Or “How to Stop Wasting Paint”) See page 77 of the newly released Second Edition of Look at That! Step 1: Prewet your Palette Cover (i.e., mixing area) Really? That sounds silly. … Continue reading →

Posted in Beauty, Look at That- Second Edition, Second Edition of Look at That!, Sketching tools, Watercolor | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“Look at That!  Second Edition” is almost ready!

Posted on May 5, 2024 by Bobbie Herron

What a roller-coaster ride it has been! This delightful book is the high point of my entire long life, and I am so proud of it. Here’s what you can expect: Stats: This Second Edition  is twice the length of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1- Nuts: Graphic Styles, 2- Bolts: Sketching Tools, Beauty, Cartoons, Design Basics, Look at That- Second Edition, My Story, Nuts & Bolts & Magic, Pen & Ink, Pencil sketching, Second Edition of Look at That!, Seeing and looking, Sketchbooks, sketching, Sketching tools, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity), Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Learning to Trust Your Creative Instincts

Posted on January 8, 2024 by Bobbie Herron

Sometimes when I am in the middle of painting a watercolor, a voice inside nudges me to take a photo midway through. Perhaps I have hit a place of hesitation, and I want a record of what it looked like … Continue reading →

Posted in photography, Seeing and looking, Sketching tools, Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Perfect Cure for Your Next Creative Stall-out

Posted on June 10, 2023 by Bobbie Herron

Do you ever feel like sketching, but you don’t feel like sketching? By that I mean, do you ever feel like playing with your pens and paper and watercolor toys, but you have no interest at all in finding a … Continue reading →

Posted in Beauty, Books I Love, Pen & Ink, Pencil sketching, Sketchbooks, sketching, Sketching tools, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity), Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

My Ultimate Toolkit for Plein Air Watercolor Enjoyment

Posted on April 30, 2023 by Bobbie Herron

As promised last week, here is the story of the latest “Ultimate Plein Air Watercolor Set-up.” This time, yes, I think I’ve nailed it. Warning: If you are not a watercolor painter, or even if you are and you never … Continue reading →

Posted in Beauty, sketching, Sketching tools, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity), Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Downshifting to autumn tempo

Posted on October 25, 2022 by Bobbie Herron

The only thing that beats my love of words and watercolor is having people to share both with. I’m sitting in my favorite cafe, Bean & Bakery in Concord NH, indulging in the most amazing pumpkin raisin muffin I’ve ever … Continue reading →

Posted in 2- Bolts: Sketching Tools, Book #2: Double Take, Look at That! book, Musings on Life, Sketchbooks, Sketching tools | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

I did a terrible job explaining viewfinders…

Posted on July 10, 2022 by Bobbie Herron

… but this guy does a great job. Our approaches are somewhat different, but the point is the same. He shows how to make a clear plastic viewfinder, as well as the “hole in the index card” style that I … Continue reading →

Posted in Book #2: Double Take, Look at That! book, Pen & Ink, Pencil sketching, Seeing and looking, Sketching tools, Tip Jar, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity), Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment