Archive for February, 2009
Videos on ArtDiscount
We have now added some demonstrational videos. These range from tutorial videos, that show how to execute certain techniques to demonstrating how a product works.
Our aim is to help you, the customer to know what you are buying before it arrives, and to give insight into different techniques to aid in your artistic work.
Here is [...]
New “Share” Feature - Social Networking
Here at ArtDiscount we are proud of the products we sell and we are very competitive when it comes to price. So we have added a feature that allows you, the customer to share products that you have found on our site with your friends, family and colleagues on social networking sites such as Facebook, [...]
PayPal Now on ArtDiscount
Thats right ArtDiscount now has the ability for its customers to pay via PayPal.
PayPal helps protect your credit card information with industry-leading security and fraud prevention systems. When you use PayPal, your financial information is never shared with the merchant.
To help safeguard you against identity theft, every PayPal payment is followed by an email confirming [...]
The Importance of Sizing the Canvas
Sizing the canvas is an absolute necessity when working in oils. Oil paint should never come in contact with the fibres or the canvas will rot, eventually becoming weak, brittle and crumbly.
Hide Glue: The purpose of hide glue is to protect the fibres of the canvas from coming in direct contact with the succeeding applications [...]
Popular Pigment Colours
Lamp black
Traditionally lamp black was made from soot collected from oil lamps. This is chemically known as amorphous carbon, because it is not bonded to form the naturally occurring carbon allotropes, graphite and diamond. Amorphous carbon reflects very little light, so lamp black and ivory black are darker that mars black.
Ivory black
Historically ivory black was [...]
Oil Paints
Oil paints are composed of ground pigments suspended in a drying oil, such as linseed or safflower oil. Oils do not dry by evaporation as with acrylic and watercolour, but oxidise into a solid state. The drying time of an oil painting can extend into weeks or month, limiting its commercial applications. However, the long [...]
Gouache Paints
Gouache is a paint based on watercolour, but with an added mineral compound which increases opacity. Gouache generally contains a higher proportion of pigment, the particles of which being generally larger than in watercolour. Consequently, when dry, more solid remains on the surface, increasing the paint’s reflective qualities.
Gouache’s relatively high opacity means that artists tend [...]
Acrylic Paints
Acrylics are paints composed of particles of pigment suspended in an acrylic emulsion. Acrylics are also available as inks and aerosols. Acrylic paints have extensive applications: they can be reduced with water to be used as watercolours, and can be used thicker to simulate oils. They have their own characteristics as well, which means that [...]