As a paint additive, mediums serve several different functions in oil painting. Adding a medium to paint can extend its volume as well as extending its drying time. Read more »
Mediums for Oil Paint
Making Oil Paint
While the famous Dutch painter Jan Van Eyck is often credited with the invention of oil paint, pigments mixed with an oily resin have been used since the days when Neanderthals decorated their cave walls. Read more »
Acrylic Glazes
Glazes have been around since the days of the Renaissance oil painters. These painters developed the technique of painting a monochromatic underpainting. Over that painting, they would apply glazes, which are very thin layers of transparent color. Imagine that the glaze is a colored film that you apply over a black and white photograph. The […] Read more »
Acrylic Mediums & Additives
Learn about the variety of mediums, gels and additives that expand the performance characteristics and physical properties of acrylic paint. Read more »
Caring for Garments with Heat Transfer Vinyl
I am frequently asked how many times you can wash a garment with a heat transfer vinyl applique before it deteriorates. Durability of this material all depends on the specific type of heat transfer vinyl that you are using and garment care. If you are washing and drying the garment properly, a high quality heat transfer vinyl […] Read more »
How to Troubleshoot and Prevent Paint Problems
What makes painting a challenge for sign makers, compared to vinyl application, are all of the variables. And with each variable the chance that what can go wrong increases. In fact, it seems that that guy Murphy has stacked the odds against us. Our only recourse is to identify the causes of our failures and learn how […] Read more »
Shades of Black
Using most black paints in the shadow areas of a painting can create a dull, muddy color when mixed with other colors. Here’s a recipe for chromatic black that darkens a color without changing the color’s hue. Read more »
What Causes Ink Adhesion Problems?
When screen printing polycarbonate film, learn what causes ink adhesion problems. Read more »
What Makes UV Curable Inkjet Inks Work?
Unlike solvent, eco-solvent or water-based inks, UV-curable inks do not evaporate into the air. Instead these inks dry or “cure” instantly through a polymerization process. This process is initiated by exposing the inks to a certain spectrum and intensity of UV light. Read more »
Which Typeface Should You Use?
Readability and Legibility When I worked in advertising, 40 years ago, I was taught that a serif type, such as Times Roman, was more readable than a sans serif type because the first words that we read in elementary school primers are in that family of typeface. The morning newspaper is also set in a […] Read more »
