ARTIST: Isabel Manibardo, Spain
ARTIST STATEMENT: The reason for this study is that watercolor and nature are two of my passions, so I really enjoy painting plants, flowers, animals…Usually I do a very light drawing with an erasable pencil and apply only a few watercolor washes in order to preserve the light of the […]
ARTIST: Sucharita Sengupta Suri, India
ARTIST STATEMENT: I have always liked painting everyday objects and maintaining sketchbooks mostly using watercolor. Lately, I have discovered my love for painting animals. I have been a vintage enthusiast and also enjoy things that are slightly whimsical, which creates a world of its own in my mind. In […]
ARTIST: Agathe Molvik, Norway
ARTIST STATEMENT: I live in a remote part of Northern Norway, and we don’t have access to a lot of exotic goods. We have lots of sketching opportunities out in nature, when weather permits, but we have very few shops and cafes. It’s all really a rather quiet life and […]
Stillman & Birn’s Beta Series is an extra heavyweight (270 gsm) mixed media surface with a versatile cold press texture. The Beta Series holds up to a wide variety of techniques, such as layering, wet in wet watercolor washes, and mixed media mashups. Because this beautiful white paper is double-sized, it is especially robust […]
ARTIST: Allison Sohn, United States
ARTIST STATEMENT: I love good illustration, and beautiful portrait work. I don’t draw often enough, but when I make the time I feel like I just want to get a little bit closer to being better at both those things.
I always pencil my pieces out first, and then […]
ARTIST: Vin Ganapathy, United States
ARTIST STATEMENT: I used a red ink induced water brush and to create a background. When it dried, I drew over it with white ink, Japanese Brush pens and gouache to create the image. The piece was my reaction to society’s willingness to accept masks and facades, complacency with […]
ARTIST: Jordan Rhodes, United States
ARTIST STATEMENT: For my gouache studies I like to go with a layering approach, working from dilute to more opaque as I build up layers. The dilute layers allow me to experiment with different color combinations, which can be easily covered or further incorporated into the piece.
MEDIA: Gouache, […]
ARTIST: Monali Haldipur, New Delhi, India
ARTIST STATEMENT: I enjoy sketching en plein air with watercolours, and I use these to achieve fluidity and vibrant hues that inspire my choice of subjects. I usually begin with a line drawing using 3B/4B graphite pencil and then use watercolour washes.
MEDIA: Graphite, WatercolourSURFACE: Alpha Series – […]
ARTIST: Allyson Tierney Jones, South Carolina, USA
ARTIST STATEMENT: My neighbor’s gorgeous camellia bushes always inspire me, especially when in full bloom. A promise of spring contrasted against the stark, bareness of winter’s chill. Camellias are one of my favorite flowers to paint for this reason! I referenced a photo I took myself, and […]
ARTIST: Martin Cavataio, United States
ARTIST STATEMENT: My method of creating pictures is using a dot outline method using a 2h pencil from any set. The dot method is where I make an outline using light dots with a 2h pencil and then, when I find the shape that I like, I’ll outline it […]
ARTIST: Artdrawnd, California, United States
ARTIST STATEMENT: As I always use my painting processes to express inner feelings and emotions, I never really control what will happen on a blank page. On this black paper, it seemed like a space void to me, and I spontaneously had this idea of filling it minimally […]
ARTIST: Cilla Ellis, Australia
ARTIST STATEMENT: Although I use charcoal for many of my sketches, I was keen to push the level of detail and realism further in this study and so used graphite. My son was sitting quietly by the window and I was inspired by his “reflection”. I began by sketching and […]
The Nova Series burst onto the scene in 2018 and it has become one of our customer’s most beloved products. This series give artists new options in paper color, all while still maintaining Stillman & Birn’s high quality mixed media standards. These papers weigh in at 150 gsm, and are ideal for dry and […]
ARTIST: Jaimie Dent-Campbell, United States ARTIST STATEMENT: My mantra is “show up every day”. I set yearly challenges for myself to draw and/or paint every day. The practice of “showing up every day” has vastly improved my drawing/painting skills and has strengthened my confidence when approaching any subject. This year’s challenge, that I’ve dubbed “Life […]
ARTIST: Colleen McCafferty, Australia ARTIST STATEMENT: I was inspired to paint camels by Danny Gregory’s blog on Sketchbook Skool. I remembered that I have photographed lots of camels on my travels. But having seen the camels first-hand helped enormously with my colour choices and to paint with an artist’s eye.
I usually sketch out with […]
ARTIST: Kate Hadfield, United Kingdom ARTIST STATEMENT: I’ve recently started a new sketchbook project specifically to play more freely with different materials, patterns and techniques as a balance to the more stylised drawings I create for my everyday work. This sketchbook drawing was inspired by a weekly drawing challenge I take part in on Instagram, […]
Artist: George Lewis, United States
Artist Statement: I use watercolor as a tool to express my thoughts and emotions. One of its great qualities is seeing the water and paint co-mingle together, almost dancing on the paper. I have always been deeply drawn to architecture, on which the majority of my work is centered, and […]
PICK OF THE DAY AT WET PAINT – ST. PAUL, MN. Thank you to Meg and the rest of the wonderful staff at Wet Paint (St. Paul, MN.) for selecting Stillman & Birn as their Pick of the Day. Meg writes, ““My go-to sketchbook is the Zeta by Stillman & Birn. The extra-heavy weight, smooth […]
Artist: Andrew Banks, United States Artist Statement: My sketchbook is a record of my artistic process; a place for me to investigate and develop techniques and to record what inspires me. This Prairie Style planter is just one of many sketches in an ongoing series dedicated to the architecture of the Lincoln Park neighborhood of […]
Artist: Joe Rayome, United States Artist Statement: As much as I enjoy working in the studio, there really is no substitute for the experience of working on location. Although it can be intimidating, the knowledge I’ve gained from drawing and sketching in city crowds and changing environments has led me to understand my process more […]
