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Writer's pictureAnnie Mason
5 min read

10 Surprising Art tools that I can't work without!





Even if you are not an "artist," you probably know the basic materials you would normally use: Canvas or watercolor paper, brushes, acrylic paints, or watercolor paints. The basic stuff that artists have is in abundance.


Did you know, however, that there are a lot of items tucked in the supply closets that we (meaning me and more than likely others) wouldn't be without?


Here's my list, in no particular order.


You need a kneaded eraser. 😂



  • Approx size 1-3/4" x 1-1/4" x 1/4"

  • This little guy is my lifesaver.

  • I make mistakes. I do.

  • I can't be without this.

I have used this little item since my undergrad days as an art major. I don't know who invented this rubbery eraser, but it sure does the trick for the oops, the pencil lines that don't belong, or the charcoal smudges that were not intentional.



A kneaded eraser is an essential artist's tool for erasing, yes, but also for blurring edges, highlighting, and using other subtractive drawing techniques. It is made of a flexible gummy material that you can mold to any form or take a small piece to access hard-to-reach areas. Artists often use a press-and-lift technique with kneaded erasers rather than rubbing them across surfaces. This method leaves paint undisturbed and does not damage even soft paper. Kneaded erasers are versatile and absorb graphite, charcoal, pastel, and chalk on contact.

My kneaded eraser ➡️

You can stretch it into any shape; the dark marks picked up can be smooshed into itself and disappear. I have used an eraser to its death when it's just time for a new one.


This Faber-Castell kneaded eraser comes in a small case, which keeps it from drying out.








 

Yes. I can draw a pretty good straight line, sometimes a decent circle. However, when I am doing an art piece for sale, I want sections of my image to be perfectly formed.





These are my go-to tools when doing details on my pen and ink drawings.



 







You can find them at your local dollar stores (pictured from my local CVS store), Amazon, or most retail stores.

What do I use these for? I never know when they can come in handy. I use them to lightly spray a section of the paper I want to paint. I can also use thinned tempera paints for special effects like snow, rain, or a speckled background.



 

4. An Old Toothbrush

You don't need to throw that old brush away. The stiffer, the better. It's another great technique for splattering paint.



clip from Makani Art (on YouTube)

 

5. Stumps & Tortillions


Yes. I know. These are not just lying around the house. If you love charcoal drawing (like I do), these are in good supply. These are so easy to use, and once you have tried them, you realize that these paper stumps have a lot of uses.




Charcoal pencils and sticks (similar to this one)


Charcoal drawings are not common, but when I do them, these tools are amazing at giving me control of softening and shading areas of my images. I used them on the vintage Christmas images for this season; one is shown here:


 






6. Mr. Clean - Magic Erasers


Yes. We're back to something that you might have around the house. These are amazing for household cleanup and marks on the wall. They are also equally brilliant in taking care of issues with watercolor paint. When I have dropped paint where it was not intended, I clip a small piece of a large pad. Then I wet it lightly, squeezed any extra water off, and patted the errant paint. Violá! A light touch and the paint is gone.


Mr. Clean bars to cut up for clean up.



 

7. Artist Tape

I know artists use painter's tape to mask off sections where they don't want to paint. I do use Painter's tape, and it works pretty well. However, using too much watercolor paint along the edge removes some of the paper.


Recently, I discovered Artists' Tape, which I ordered on Amazon. I like this tape because it has a more linen feel and sticks nicely on watercolor paper. Best feature: It DOES NOT pull off any paper when removed. I bought the three-pack, and the other painter's tape will wind up in my husband's work area.



 

8. Glue

Artists use many different types of adhesives, but here are two basics that every studio should have.

ARTnews Recommends (PVA): Lineco Neutral PH Adhesive



PH is neutral, water-soluble, and dries clear, which is important to the artist. It’s perfect for woodworking, bookbinding, handicrafts, and wallpapering. It’s also useful for sizing a porous medium such as canvas or wood or sealing a finished collage—just covering the surface in a polyvinyl acetate layer.


The Hinging Tape is essential for framing my artwork.











 

9. Cutting Tools

Goodness, I would be lost without my cutting tools.

A utility knife is handy for so many tasks:

Cutting mats, quick trim on paper, the box that arrived with new watercolor paper, and carefully trimming down your colored pencils when they are too short for the sharpener.














10. The Tool Box to Fit You!

This is my "toolbox"! It has the items that I am constantly pulling out. It might contain what you need and give you ideas to add to your "box" for your hobby, craft project, or artwork.



My


  1. PROFESSIONAL Scott 75130 Shop Towels low lint strand cleans glass in my frames.

  2. Tools Claw Hammer, 60-014, 8 Ounce Similar to one shown which I have had for YEARS.

  3. X-Acto® Knife Blades, No. 11 Blade With Safety Dispenser, Pack Of 15 and cutter blades.

  4. Cabinet tip screwdriver. I use this for hard to get to places when I am cutting mats.

  5. Long Nose Pliers. Handy when I am attaching a wire to the framed artworks.

  6. Staedtler Pencil Sharpener. Two hold dials accommodate different sizes.

  7. Shop Towels, 14"x12", 50 Pack You can bet I use these in my art studio.

  8. Uni Kuru Toga Mechanical Pencil. My FAVORITE. Rotates the lead refills.

  9. Cotton Swabs. Lots of use. Dab with paint for little circles. Cleans up small spots.

  10. I can't live without items YOU use for your art, photography, crafts, knitting, candlemaking, or other hobby tools. (Scroll down at the end of this post for comments).



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Writer's pictureAnnie Mason
6 min read

Delaware Artists - Lineage & the American Style


This is a series on artists who are associated with the state that they lived or worked in primarily. This post is Delaware.


From the establishment of the 17th and 18th centuries, artists carried the traditions of their peers in England and European countries into the New World (see Massachusetts Artists - Portraits and the Soul of America), each pursuing commissions from the prominent and the wealthy.


Enter the 19th century when Academy training developed a "true" American style. One such style was the Brandywine School. This artist colony in Wilmington, Delaware, was founded by artist Howard Pyle.


Howard Pyle

b. 1853 d. 1911




Pyle was known for his widely published adventure novels, magazines, and romances in the early 20th century, where his teachings would influence such notable illustrators as N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, and Norman Rockwell.


Pyle advocated against studying in Europe, hoping his students would find fame and success through American education.


The Brandywine School buildings, which are still standing, are located a short walk from Brandywine Park, a stretch of the riverside park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. Of the 500 students who applied to attend Pyle's school in its first year, only twelve were accepted.



An illustration from Howard Pyle Jr. Book of Pirates (1903)

The Brandywine School began a period of generations of artists in the same genre and often from the same family.


Here we have Howard Pyle Jr's work, an illustration from Book of Pirates.


The illustration was in high demand. The boom in illustrated publications provided work for a cadre of male and female illustrators well beyond the Pyle circle. Popular magazines like Harper’s Weekly, Collier’s, and the Saturday Evening Post reached hundreds of thousands of readers each month across the United States and beyond.


Although they were available far and wide, these books and magazines were aimed at the educated, white middle class in the United States, and the stories and illustrations in them reflect those values.















The Wyeth lineage

N.C. Wyeth

b. 1882 - 1945


In 1902, Newell Convers Wyeth joined the Howard Pyle School of Art in Wilmington, Delaware. He quickly became one of the period’s most popular magazine illustrators.



Westward Ho by N.C. Wyeth

Born in Needham, Massachusetts, in 1882, N.C. Wyeth began studying art at a young age. His mother encouraged him to enroll in several art schools, one of which was his acceptance in 1902 into Howard Pyle's School of Illustration in Wilmington, Delaware. After only one and a half years of Pyle's instruction, Wyeth's work began to appear in national magazines such as Collier's, Harpers, Scribner's, and others.


Wyeth went on to produce illustrations for renowned books such as the Scribner Illustration Classics, as well as advertisements and illustrations for the notable publications The Saturday Evening Post, Harper's, Scribner's, Collier's, Century, Outing, and Ladies' Home Journal.


The swashbuckling stories of adventure and romance were extremely popular with artists of the day. N.C. Wyeth's work continues to sell at high prices at Auction.



Henriette Wyeth

b. 1907 d. 1997



Portrait of Patricia Ryan Nixon (1978) by Henriette Wyeth, The White House, Washington, D.C

As the eldest daughter of N.C. Wyeth Henriette followed his advice to “paint the light and air around the subject—paint the mystery” through a series of fantasy paintings that drew her interest in theater and ballet.

Her portraits of society figures and family were exhibited and won awards at juried shows at the Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts.













Andrew Wyeth

b. 1917 d. 2009


The youngest of N.C. Wyeth's five children, Andrew is recognized as one of the most influential American artists of the twentieth century. His career as a watercolorist was launched in 1937 when the artist’s first one-man show at Macbeth Gallery in New York drew critical acclaim.




Boy on a Bicycle with Feather by Andrew Wyeth

Andrew Wyeth worked primarily in tempera and watercolor, often using the drybrush technique. Wyeth maintained a style strongly oriented toward realism during the heyday of Abstract Expressionism. His paintings suggest rural quietude, isolation, and a somber mood and are usually devoid of modern-day objects like automobiles.



In an Art News article in 1955, Andrew gave a rare description of this painting, "My wife had placed the clothes basket up against the house to dry in the sun. Somehow it was forgotten." A rare look into the artist who finds everyday objects fascinating. Andrew's work and friendship with Edward Hopper are strong in their stark and empty compositions.






Autumn Cornfield by Andrew Wyeth published in the Country Gentleman 1950

Unlike his father, Andrew was a reserved and subtle artist who restricted himself to a limited color palette. Although he frequently painted landscapes like the one above, he described himself as an abstractionist.



Jaime Wyeth

b. 1946



Portrait of JFK by Jaime Wyeth. JFK Hyannis Museum 1967

James Wyeth is the second child of Andrew and Betsy Wyeth. In the same way, his father had been brought up, and with much the same influence, he demonstrated the same remarkable skills in drawing as his father had done at comparable ages.


Early on, Wyeth became interested in oil painting, his grandfather's primary medium, although he is also adept in watercolor and tempera, his father's preferred media. He also admired his father's and grandfather's work and that of Howard Pyle, his grandfather's teacher, and American masters Winslow Homer and Thomas Eakins. As a boy, Jamie was exposed to art in many ways: the works of his talented family members, art books, attendance at exhibitions, meeting with collectors, and becoming acquainted with art historians.


Wyeth married Phyllis Mills, his muse and frequent model. Phyllis had known John Kennedy as a senator and president. Through his acquaintance with the Kennedy family, Wyeth was commissioned to do a posthumous unofficial Portrait of John F. Kennedy (1967), understanding that he would keep it if the surviving family did not accept it. The portrait has served some time at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Its most recent journey, however, is the request by President Biden to have this portrait spend some time at the White House. ➡️ On Loan from the MFA


So, just as in politics, the lineage is profound in the world of artists. The Adams, Tafts, the Roosevelts, the Kennedys, the Bush families, and dynasties define U.S. presidents. This parallels the art world: The Holbeins, Rosettis, and here in the U.S, the Wyeths, the Lopers.



Edward Loper, Sr.

b. 1916 d. 2011



Edward Loper was an artist and teacher from Delaware, best known for his vibrant palette and juxtaposition of colors. He taught painting for almost 70 years.


1936, during the Great Depression, Loper started working in Delaware for the Works Progress Administration (WPA), rendering drawings of decorative art for the Index of American Design, a large archive of folk art images based in Washington, DC.



Loper started teaching painting in 1940. To escape some of the racism he experienced at home, he began traveling to Quebec City in Canada, where he would paint boldly-colored cityscapes.



St Pierre, Quebec oil on canvas 1980

Following his death, Delaware Today wrote of Loper, "Few local painters have achieved his level of recognition and influence, here and beyond, or have been as beloved by so many students."


His paintings are in the permanent collections of the University Museums at the University of Delaware's Paul R. Jones Collection of African-American Art, National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art








Edward Loper, Jr.

b. 1934


Again, the lineage moves through the paint. Edward Loper, Jr. took the reins and jumped into painting with his father's bold, bright colors. Since the late 1960s, his vibrant figurative paintings have been featured in solo and group exhibitions throughout the greater Mid-Atlantic region.

Edward Jr. and Edward Sr. are prominent in the greater Wilmington area, and their art fills the walls at a host of museums, including:






Check Edward Loper Jr.'s website:



Pool Room at 11th and Walnut by Edward Loper Jr. 1971


Continuing to add to the family tradition, Jaime Loper, son of Edward Jr., is Gallery Manager for his dad.




As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission when you purchase from the links in this blog. I only post products I have used satisfactorily or know people who have recommended them. The funds from this partnership help me maintain this website, and I hope it gives my visitors some confidence in the products I promote here.



Books on artists and topics posted here:



 


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Writer's pictureAnnie Mason
3 min read

Let's go abstract!





If you have visited this site, no one would call me an abstract artist. However, I go in that direction occasionally.


This post will feature my artist friends on Society6.







For those of you whose niche is not in the visual arts, let's define abstract; at least let's try.


Abstract.

If you google it, you will wind up more confused than you started. I like this definition from the Tate Gallery in London: Abstract art is an art that does not attempt to represent an accurate depiction of a visual reality but instead uses shapes, colours, forms, and gestural marks to achieve its effect.


Then, there is this, from the Oxford Languages: art that does not attempt to represent external reality, but seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, forms, colors, and textures.


And another from artist, Arshile Gorky “Abstraction allows man to see with his mind what he cannot see physically with his eyes.”


So, got it? No? Well, you can probably find a myriad of definitions. This article from artistnetwork.com is a good one: What is Abstract Art? And Why Should I Care?


Common definitions contain the words you find in the above: forms, colours, shapes, and textures. I would add line to that list. Watch for those elements when I post my choices of "abstract" artworks below.




Moonlight Print uses simple shapes like the green half-circle at the top, balanced against an arch made with simple, repeating lines.


hmm. Is it a garden fence? Or just geometric shapes, lines, and color. Maybe both.












ThingDesign lets us know by the title that this is "abstract." It too has a line, although a squiggle. Color, yes, and shape.


Does it have texture? I think so. That line surely could be a string. Or a hand reaching out.


It has a real "Boho" kind of feel.








 



Nadja is literal when she titles the painting "Sun Retro Art III"


Indeed, we think of "sun" as the triangles which form rays radiating from the lower, bright half circle.


The abstract does imply realistic subjects. However, I have never seen a sun with this much color in any instance. Shape and color are dominant here, but placement plays a role.






 











 






Nicklas Gustafsson uses this digital graphic design with a simple choice of slanted lines complemented by wood texture to balance the strong navy stripes.


If you like minimal design, this is a good selection as an iPhone Case. Clean, strong linear feeling harkens to classic Marine, Naval, strength, and power.










Searching "abstract" brought up this tote bag design by Color and Color.


The artist wants us to know the subject matter by giving us the title, "Four Blue Dandelions." They're recognizable, but I daresay I have never seen blue dandelions unless it's late evening and the dark is setting in.


Abstract. This design is abstract by technique, with its spattered paint, shapes, and colors that don't apply to "real" life. For me, this is borderline "abstract."








VWDigitalPainting uses this digital graphic design to create this abstract. (Personal note: I would do far more abstract designs if I were more proficient in using Procreate and other software.)


This, to my eye, is the definition of "abstract:

Color, shapes, lines, texture, pattern, and layers. What is it? No matter. It makes me think about ribbons, celebrations, New Year's Eve, tangled forests, the moon, mystery, and more. Its overall design is balanced by a simple color palette (green, purple, blue, and shades of those colors),










Abstract Flower Palettes by Alisa Galitsyna on a sling chair

Once again, the artist lets us know it's "abstract" in the title, "Abstract Flower Palettes."


The artwork by Alisa Galitsyna is fabulous.

The true artistry of clean, bright color shapes, balance, bold in its design, and modern in its concept. Minimalism and direct. Flower Palettes? Doesn't matter. This design looks great on all the products offered by Society6.








 










 






My work? As I said, I don't do much artwork in an abstract style. One I will show here:



This is watercolor and pen. I used a template from my Creative Memories days. Using a blue palette, I continued to place the shapes around the paper. I thought this looked like an office cubicle for me, the artist. Hence, the name.


In conclusion, there is no strict definition of "abstract." Paying attention to all the samples here, you will know that the elements of art are all present: color, line, shape, form, value, texture, and space. Other design principles are used: contrast, rhythm, proportion, balance, unity, emphasis, movement, and variety.










For your interest:




 

Thanks for joining me as we shared thoughts about "abstract" artwork.

I invite you to browse Society6. Over 500,000 artists from over 200 countries worldwide choose to showcase their artworks.





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