Category Archives: Sketching tools

Playful Art Liberates!

Posted on August 15, 2026 by Bobbie Herron

(Hand-holding can be helpful too.) You know I didn’t need another art instruction book.  I moved to a tiny-house-in-apartment-form a few months ago, and every single art book I owned had to pass these tests: Over half of my beloved … Continue reading →

Posted in 1- Nuts: Graphic Styles, Beauty, Pen & Ink, Pencil sketching, Sketching tools, Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lower the (Paper) Bar and Bring on the Fun

Posted on July 14, 2026 by Bobbie Herron

Why on earth are we scared of the same art supplies we enjoyed as kids? Once you’ve fallen in love with the watercolor masterpieces of John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, and J.M.W. Turner, you might feel both inspired and intimidated.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Pen & Ink, Pencil sketching, Sketchbooks, Sketching tools, Watercolor | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Painting: Is it a Noun or a Verb?

Posted on May 18, 2026 by Bobbie Herron

What have you painted lately? If you are feeling stuck in your daily mark-making habit, I have an idea that just might help. What if you fall in love with “painting,” the verb (the action), and forget about “painting” the … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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“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