Made from pigment mixed with nondrying oil and a wax binder, the first oil pastels were invented by the Osaka-based company Sakura in 1924 for use in Japanese schools. While oil pastels…
Creating your own paint is a great way to cut costs while exerting greater control over the shades and effects you desire. Dry pigment powder can be combined with binders to create a…
Keep those fingers clean: Pick up a tortillon or a blending stump to blend, soften, and smudge your creative marks. Made of paper that is compacted and shaped into a pencil-like design…
While many graphic designers work largely on computers these days, markers remain a must-have tool in the profession. Ideal for sketching ideas and working through challenges, markers…
Acrylic medium is a versatile product for use with acrylic paint and in mixed-media projects. A liquid that’s milky when wet and translucent when dry, it can be added to acrylic to…
Art kits are a great option for keeping children occupied while traveling, whether on a road trip, flying internationally, or zipping across the country on an Amtrak train. Art-making…
Essential to any oil or acrylic painter’s practice is a great palette knife, or spatula. Artists employ them to combine colors, pastes, and other materials, and they can also be used to…
Love charcoal but hate the mess? Pick up a charcoal pencil, which is composed of compressed charcoal inside a protective layer, typically wood. Suitable for drawing, sketching, or…
Most of us take for granted the ability to pick up a pair of scissors and cut. But the fine-motor skills needed to use scissors are learned through practice, and often children need…
Marbling is a fun and relaxing printmaking method, a rewarding process that yields unique and mesmerizing compositions. It’s an ancient art, historically associated with bookmaking. The…