#DannyDoesArt | Eastbound

Something I realised early on: the more you progress in your adventure with watercolours, the more you invest in tools—money and contemplating time. 

I recently bought a new brush—the versatile Kuretake menso brush Kolinsky, and a new set of watercolours—the lovely Kuretake Gansai Tambi. Both products are of the Japanese brand "Zig", which is favoured by many in the stationery and arts & crafts market worldwide.

The Kuretake Gansai Tambi set has a total of 36 vibrant, dense, and traditional Eastern-inspired colours that come in extra-large full pans and, through accomplishing a DIY colour chart, I've instantly spotted some earth pigments that I thought would be incredibly enjoyable to play with.

As you can see, Kuretake paints are very pigmented and opaque, but these qualities make it fun to use in line and wash pieces which is my preferred technique. It's effortless to lift the watercolours and you don't have to add layer upon layer of colours just to achieve extra pigment. I also dig that there are amazing metallic colours included in the set and an opaque white is available to help produce pastel colours.

Need I say more? Kuretake Gansai Tambi is just worth to add to your art supply haul if you wish to amplify your creative journey.

#DannyDoesArt | Vivant

I think it's about time I enthuse about my watercolours, particularly the Japanese brand—Holbein Artists' watercolors. From the moment my brush touched the paint, I knew I was in for a vivid ride. 

Japan is known to be a place with the oldest professional watercolour practice in the world and I feel so blessed to call it my home. The country is famous for its brilliant colours and Holbein continues the same tradition by producing world-class heavily-pigmented watercolours. The Holbein collection boasts unique colours such as the intense bluish-pink Opera and Peacock Blue hues that you won't find in other watercolour lines. With this artist-grade set being part of my artillery, I felt confident in creating bright and buoyant pieces to stimulate my own senses.

Sunsets, I thought, would be a perfect subject to test Holbein's standards in lightfastness and colour vigor. I've always been a fan of sunsets and last week I was able to witness an epic one from the balcony of my apartment. I consider sunsets an "out-of-this-world finale" and one of my favourite subjects to take photos of. This time I decided to preserve the images on paper through watercolour painting.

Here are the materials I used:

☑️ Maruman Art Spiral sketchbook

☑️ Holbein Artists' watercolors

☑️ Daiso paintbrush (#12 round)

As expected, Holbein paints produced exceptionally vibrant colours. They're incredibly easy to work with as the colours flow and blend well. They don't dry on the palette as quickly as the others as well. And finally, they're very transparent, lightfast, and you'll have no problem with granulation.

Holbein Artists' watercolors is definitely a comprehensive travel set and is perfect for students and professional artists alike.

#DannyDoesArt | Aguamenti

For starters, I'm sure you Potterheads caught the reference. I thought it would be an appropriate title given that today's topic is on the magical powers of waterbrush pens.

Just recently I was able to get a hold of a set of six waterbrushes via Amazon at a very reasonable price. Just a heads up: this is neither a tutorial nor a promotional blog post. I'm not gonna go into details of how a basic waterbrush pen works or give professional tips, I'm here to mainly gush about my experiences with any cool new watercolour tool I stumble upon. I've heard many artists rave about the Kuretake waterbrush but I'm sticking to my own for the time being.

I got a request from a friend to paint an image of the Awkward Turtle and I thought it would be the perfect chance to put my new waterbrushes to good use.

Here are the materials I used:

☑️ Canson XL Aquarelle sketchbook

☑️ Holbein Artists' watercolors

☑️ Acrylic paint (white)

☑️ Zebra McKee marker pen

☑️ Waterbrush pen

Waterbrush pens are ideal for a lot of things—from activating dry paint to lifting colour directly from watercolour pencils and water-soluble crayons. Another awesome thing about these brushes is they are incredibly convenient when you travel or do some sketching on location. You can see below how I was able to use the portable waterbrushes for my special kids classes inside a McDonald's here in Tokyo.

What can I say, waterbrushes are a cooler version of ordinary paintbrushes. It's like that guy who's wearing Supreme or that chick who's rocking dreamy mermaid hair. It has a bunch of familiar-looking bristles at one end but instead of a solid wood or plastic, it sports a reservoir for a handle. Ain't that dope?

To be honest, I purchased this waterbrush set on a whim, which was expected of me, and I have no regrets. It has got me under its spell!

#DannyDoesArt | Espina

An improved ARTillery of art supplies means much more room for experimentation and advancement as an artist. Every tool seems to be a Rubik's cube yet to be solved—like being really into someone and itching to uncover their strengths and weaknesses, the good and the bad alike. This is exactly what makes art so damn appealing to me.

This time I decided to create some splintery pieces to match my uncharacteristic agitated mood. My new set of paintbrushes by Artify just arrived in the mail so I didn't waste any second to see which instruments I can put to the test and simultaneously paint my angst away with.

The kit came with a free sponge, plastic palette, and palette knife—a really good deal considering the price.

The palette knife caught my attention right away as it is something I have yet to accustom myself to. I used to think it's not something that is usable for liquid medium and I got schooled. Man, I really got schooled.

Here are the materials I used:

☑️ Maruman Art Spiral sketchbook
☑️ Holbein Artists' watercolors
☑️ Palette knife

Through watching a couple of tutorial videos, I was somehow able to achieve these doodles with some linear work done solely with a palette knife:

I found palette knives to be quite handy if you're into nature-based themes. They're perfect for creating tree trunks, branches, water, hills, and grasses. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my stint with this delightful tool. It's notably sensitive, responsive, versatile, and with more bonding time, I'm sure we'll be best buddies. The palette knife creates some very fine, sharp effects and yet, strangely, I find them to be rather calming.

For fellow noobs out there, don't be afraid to play with knives. It's a gem to add to your kit!

#DannyDoesArt | Planasthai

As soon as I saw a sample of this image on YouTube by the lovely Makoccino, I couldn't sit still. Springing out of my chair, I hurried to set up my makeshift workstation in the common room.

This artwork is particularly special because of a unique method called Salt + Watercolour technique. It is rather simple, but could generate some very unpredictable and interesting effects on your watercolour piece.

Here are the materials I used:

☑️ Holbein Artists' watercolors

☑️ Maruman Art Spiral sketchbook

☑️ Daiso paintbrushes (flat, wash, liner)

☑️ Tombow Mono HB
☑️ Uni-ball Signo gel pen (white)

☑️ Jar lid (to trace the circles)

☑️ Salt

As you may see in the image above, I have applied the salt trick to the planets Venus and Mercury, giving them some texture. The tiny white spots on Mercury were created using a white gel pen. Below I have included Pluto and the Moon because why not. They're fun to paint! 

Another thing about this solar system piece is that it could be time-consuming if you're a beginner—not very good for instant gratification people like me. You have to be very careful not to paint outside the penciled outlines, use tons of tissues, wait for a few minutes for the salt to absorb the water in the paint and a few more minutes before you can start some retouching.

That being said, I still enjoyed the entire process and seeing how salt reacted to the paints. I would definitely apply this technique again to my future paintings.

It's amazing what a pinch of salt could do, eh? Salt bae!

#DannyDoesArt | Astrophilia

When I see an image that I like, there's no stopping me in trying to recreating it. I decided to step it up a few notches by spoiling the astrophile in me and painting some starry, starry landscapes. I've always been fascinated with stars, planets, and galaxies. Heck, I have a star projector in my room to further prove it.

To achieve this artwork, I made a little trip to Sekaido—one of the biggest stationery and art supply shops in Tokyo, Japan. The flagship store is located in Shinjuku and it's massive! Six floors of reasonably-priced heavenly goods for art lovers. Twenty four hours isn't enough to explore this artist's paradise.

Here are the materials I used:

☑️ Holbein Artists' watercolors

☑️ Daiso paintbrushes (round, liner)

☑️ Hake brush (3cm)

☑️ Uni-ball Signo gel pen (white) 

☑️ Acrylic paint (white)

☑️ Toothbrush

☑️ Masking tape

☑️ Maruman Art spiral sketchbook & Canson XL Aquarelle

These particular paintings are a new experience for me as I had used masking tape for the first time to mask off the borders and I messed up every time I peel the tape away. I wouldn't recommend a regular masking tape as it may hurt the paper—blue painter's tape or brown artist's tape will work best. 

I made small and large versions of the galaxy landscape on two separate watercolour pads just to test the differences on paper weight and texture. Speaking of which, I'm obsessed with the cold pressed 300gsm acid-free watercolour paper, though they could be a bit pricey.

Also, I have applied a new splatter paint technique to create the tiny stars using an ordinary toothbrush. You can pull this off by dipping the toothbrush into the paint then, with your finger, start flicking the paint onto the paper. Careful though, this can be a bit messy!

For the bigger stars, I used the Uni-ball Signo white gel pen. I read a gajillion reviews on gel pens before deciding on getting this one and I'm a satisfied buyer.

What I love about painting more detailed or challenging images is that not only do I get to expand my knowledge but also it's a way to motivate myself to grab more art supplies. The only downside is that I'm a very meticulous shopper so it takes ages for me to decide which stuff to purchase. Thanks to Amazon online shopping, though, I don't have to stay in a store for a long, tedious time!

#DannyDoesArt | Fab Fleurs

After that initial portrait challenge, I opted to slow down and take a smoother route with the guidance of South Korean artist, Jay Lee. I got mesmerised by his colourful and vivid style and it's even a plus that his works are beginner-friendly. Also, he has his super adorable baby with him when he paints—What a scene-stealer!

Through his spell-binding demos, I have picked up some incredibly fun techniques that will certainly help one grow as an artist. 

These ones were inspired by his works. No sketching required.

Here are the materials I used:

☑️  Maruman sketchbook

☑️  Holbein Artists' watercolors

☑️  Daiso paintbrushes

Throughout the process, I have learned a few very essential wet-on-wet tricks. Still a rough start, but hey, as long as you're having fun, yea?

#DannyDoesArt | Arya Stark Watercolor Portrait

Hola! I am so stoked to announce that—drum roll—I got back into painting!

It's been 84 years since I last touched a paintbrush and I gotta tell you, it took a few good minutes of warm up to get cosy with these slender pieces of magic again. For the longest time, I have been uninspired or perhaps just incredibly distracted that I haven't found time to make art. I have always been into art and this creative itch has been something I've been waiting for. I'm glad I've found my way back into painting as this has been a big help on relieving stress and keeping my sanity amidst the pressures of adulthood.  

I kicked off my journey to the Land of "Happy Accidents" with a tribute to one of my favourite Game of Thrones characters—Arya "badass MF" Stark through a medium I had zero knowledge of—the fabulous aquarelle or simply watercolour.

Like some of you, I had no clue how to start—all I had was a set of student-grade watercolour cakes (a Christmas gift from a dear student of mine), a palette, a plain sketchbook, YouTube tutorial videos on my iPad, and some cheapass paintbrushes I got from the dollar-store Daiso. But let me tell you something, never underestimate the abilities of Daiso paintbrushes. I love using them! Very affordable and they don't disappoint when it comes to quality.

At the time of writing, I have upgraded to Holbein Artists' watercolors, which are just absolutely wonderful to work with, and have been stocking up on better paint tubes and paintbrushes. I don't know if it's a practical idea to use such artist-quality paints for beginners, but I didn't mind. I like short-cuts.

For this particular art work, here are the materials I used:

☑️ Guitar Watercolour Cakes

☑️ Daiso paintbrushes (blue handles)

☑️ Tombow Mono HB

☑️ Maruman sketchbook

I started by sketching the character's face which was a fairly quick process, even though I was a little rusty.

 2017 © Dana Eve Valencia

Then onto a combination of the wet-on-dry and wet-on-wet techniques which was quite a "trial and error" struggle as it was my first time to deal with watercolours. I had a blast, though, with discovering how the colours move and blend on paper. The highlights, midtones, and shadows gave me a real challenge, fun nonetheless.

2017 © Dana Eve Valencia

As you can see, I have applied the splatter paint technique by just a few flicks of my wrist—Aguamenti! 💫

I know I still have a long, long way to go, but I must say I'm very happy with my first legit watercolour art piece. It was such a thrill relearning the brush strokes, tricks, and experimenting with watercolours!

2017 © Dana Eve Valencia

A girl is Dana Eve Valencia of Japan, and it feels good to be back.

#DanaDoesHaiku IX

2017 © Dana Eve Valencia 

#DanaDoesHaiku VIII

2017 © Dana Eve Valencia 

#DanaDoesHaiku VII

2017 © Dana Eve Valencia