Changes in my Paint Box

 

Last year I wrote a post about my favorite watercolors. 

I wrote about my favorite colors, how I choose them, brands, and my 

 sets. You can read it here.

Although my sets are pretty much the same in the last five years or so, sometimes I make little changes which, depend on what I'm painting at the moment.

 

This time I replaced four colors in my big box, three because I wasn't using them and the other one just because I liked it better than the one I had.

Here is a close up of the new color chart showing name, pigment code and brand. 

WN = Winsor and Newton Artists' Watercolors

DS = Daniel Smith

Ma = MaimeriBlu

H = Holbein 

Please feel free to ask any question, you can leave a comment or use the contact form.

NOTE: The colors I replaced from my post from last year are Winsor Red, Opera, Aqua Green and Winsor Green (Yellow Shade). The colors I put in are Transparent Yellow, Daniel Smith's Quinacridone Magenta, Cerulean Blue and Cobalt Turquoise

Featured in The Mandala Guidebook

I can't describe the feeling of seeing your work being published, even more when it's featured in a book you LOVE!!!

Last year, the talented, hardworking and very organized Kathryn Costa from the 100Mandalas, who I admire very much, asked me if I would send her some of my work for the book she was writing. What can I say?  I couldn't be happier so, immediately said yes!

Today I got on my mailbox a copy of her book, "The Mandala Guidebook: How to draw, paint and color expressive mandala art", signed and addressed to me, a couple of her personal cards and a gorgeous thank you note.

Thank you so much Kathryn, from the bottom of my heart!!!

I took some pictures to show you.

The book is not only beautiful, but full of information on how to create your own mandalas, from freehand techniques to sacred geometry, how to make your own color combinations, collage, the use of different media, where to get inspiration from, and much more.

I wish this book had been out when I started doing mandalas in 2001, this is exactly the kind of book I would have love to be able to get back then, one of my top favorite books on mandalas right now and my favorite mandala-how-to-book.

Here is a photo of the table of contents so you can have a better idea of what's in it.

Finally, here are some photos of my work on it and the actual pieces which I keep with me. 

On of my mandalas even made it to the cover of the book!!!

The second one in a Mandala Stone, it's design was inspired in a mandala I had painted in one of my journals. On this page, my mandala from the cover appears again and complete.

 

My last piece featured in the book is still in the making, sometimes I abandon somethings I'm making to come back to them even years later.

You can have a peek inside this amazing book here.

And you can by it here.

 

Flowers: Free Coloring Page

Free flowers coloring page for you.

Free Download Here

Sparkly Return: My Favorite Metallic Paints

It's been a little bit to long since my last post, sorry about that, I haven't fallen of the web as some one pointed out on my Facebook Page, I've been just lazy...

I thought it would be nice to have a sparkly return so, for today I'm going to present my favorite water-based metallic paint.

The ones I use all the time are Winsor and Newton Designers Gouache Gold and Silver and the Daniel Smith Luminescent Iridescent Antique Watercolor Gold, Bronze, Copper and Silver.

I recently got a FineTec M600 6 Pearl Colors Set. It includes five different golds and one silver. These are all gorgeous, rich and very sparkly! I haven't painted anything with these yet, only this color chart, but I'm already in love!!!

Here is a closer view of the color chart including all the metallic paints I mentioned above.

On the left only one coat of paint, on the right two.

 Metallic paints are very difficult to photograph to show their beauty, I made a mini video on Instagram where you can see them better.