One small drop -- possibly a big mistake....

I have several DaVinci colors on my pallet. After I squeezed them out of the tube, they never "settled in", but stayed in little piles in the corner. When they dry, they pop out of the wells and rattle around when I move the pallet. When I spritz them, they take a long time to "melt".

On the other hand, I have two Van Gogh colors on the same pallet that settled in nicely, stay where I put them, and moisten up very nicely when I spritz them.

So, I solicited some advice on an artists forum, and the answer came back with half of the replies recommending a drop of gum arabic, and the other half recommending a drop of glycerin. I chose the glycerin.

That may not have been my best choice.... 48 hours later, the paints are still liquid and gooey in the pallet wells. I'm worried that they may never actually dry again.... because that would be messy. I'm not terribly worried about cost. I got these tubes on clearance, and I don't like them nearly as much as Daniel Smith pigments.

I didn't do it! ACEO

"I didn't do it!" by Allison Stein.
ACEO 2.5 inches x 3.5 inches, watercolor on Arches 140# cold pressed paper.

I posted this little darling to my ETSY shop last week. I used a combination of watercolor and watercolor pencil. The texture was created with salt. I love the expressiveness of the eyes and the color, but I do believe I've reached the limit of how big I should make them.

Joining With Kindred Artistic Souls....

I've just joined Etsy's ACEO Street Team. Come visit the group blog: http://acetsy.blogspot.com/

What's For Dinner? ACEO

What's For Dinner? ACEO original watercolor

Secret Smile - ACEO

Secret Smile, ACEO watercolor original on Arches 140# paper

Where's My Peeps? ACEO

Where's My Peeps? ACEO watercolor on Arches 140#

All I Survey.... ACEO

New ACEO, posted to my etsy store tonight. Watercolor on Arches 140# paper.

Playing Catch-Up....

Posting several ACEOs created over the past month or so. All were created using watercolor on 140# paper. I've posted all of them to My Etsy shop (see right column for link).

(above) "Valentine? What Valentine?"
ACEO 2.5x3.5 inches, watercolor on 140# paper

(above) "Gift From The Heart",
ACEO 2.5x3.5 inches, watercolor on 140# paper

(above) "I Will Find It!",
ACEO 2.5x3.5 inches, watercolor on 140# paper

(above) "Just One Sniff",
ACEO 2.5x3.5 inches, watercolor on 140# paper
(above) "Hello in There!",
ACEO 2.5x3.5 inches, watercolor on 140# paper

(above) "Heart, I Haz It!"
ACEO 2.5x3.5 inches, watercolor on 140# paper

Three ACEOs

Three ACEOs to ponder. All of which should be posted soon in my Etsy store.

Pretty Cleo, 2.5"x3.5" ACEO, watercolor on 140# Arches

"Pretty Cleo" is another attempt at an image I posted a few months ago. She's a cutie, isn't she?

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The Twilight Castle, 2.5"x3.5" ACEO, watercolor and watercolor pencil on 140# Canson

This ACEO started as I contemplated castles and landscapes. I need to start adding more environments to my work. My imagination apparently inhabits a barren, rocky world that has specatular sunsets.

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Smokey Joe, 2.5"x3.5" ACEO on 3"x4" paper, watercolor on 140# Canson

"Smokey Joe" started as a practice piece, experimenting with wet-in-wet on Canson paper. He's such a well-mannered kitty.

Two Purple Princesses, 5x7

(top) Purple Princess With Orb, 5x7, watercolor on 140# Arches

(bottom) Purple Princess With Wand, 5x7, watercolor on 140# Arches

I started these two paintings several months ago, but abandoned them. They seemed weak, washed out, and a little cartoon-y. Last weekend I gave them a fresh look. I decided they needed some depth of color, some contrast in tone, and some detail. So, I darkened the darks, built up some depth in the shadows, and added some detail to the face and dress.

They are still in search of a name. She's still in search of a name. For now, she's known as the Purple Princess, even though the one with the wand is a little misshapen, like a fairy godmother who has seen better days.