Monochrome &mdash; Karin Wanderer Learns https://dotart.blog/karin-wanderer-learns/tag:Monochrome I use watercolor, ink, & Krita to paint flora & fauna & fanart. Self-taught & still learning; no AI/no ads. Fri, 22 May 2026 16:30:41 +0000 The Forecast (Calls For Payne) https://dotart.blog/karin-wanderer-learns/the-forecast-calls-for-payne <![CDATA[Hello & Hello Again! We are talking about paints today. I usually avoid mentioning brands, because no one is paying me. Today I need to specify that I use Daniel Smith watercolors. Every brand has their own unique spin on a color- it may be a little cooler, or more transparent, etc, compared to other brands. If you love a shade you see from a specific brand, buy that color in that brand! If you really like a shade but think it could be better, check out that color in different brands! #NotSponsored Welcome back to our ColorFull series! Colors have great names. Paint colors doubly so. Alizarin Crimson. Quinacridone Pink. Isoindoline Yellow. Some paint names make immediate sense, like Sap Green. Some make no sense whatsoever, like Elephant’s Breath. One color I have always wondered about is… Payne’s Gray Payne’s Gray is one of my most frequently-used colors. It is an absolutely lovely shade of blue-gray. At its most concentrated it is almost black, which shows more & more blue as you dilute it. It makes for lovely shadows, & nothing matches that blue-black you find in cats’ fur better. I use just a touch of it mixed with other colors all the time. I blend it with other colors so often, in fact, that I had a hard time finding paintings that actually show off the color itself. A kitten sits on a cliff & reaches for the moon Good thing one of the past #KWPrompts was #Monochrome! Payne’s Gray was named after William Payne. Although he sounds like an old-timey vampire in a YA novel, William Payne was a watercolor artist. He supported himself by tutoring other watercolorists, & eventually gained a measure of renown. Landscapes were his specialty. https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/mediaattachments/files/111/727/285/980/111/415/original/70a15c74c0f2f506.png An alien mountain range full of giant butterflies, as Payne intended. There are a lot of stories about why, exactly, Payne made his Gray. The most popular one is that he was trying to make a mixer that had a lot of the qualities of black, but was less overpowering. If that was the reason, he certainly succeeded. As I mentioned, I mix & blend with this color all the time! My favorite story is a bit different. It is said that Payne, in his work as a watercolor tutor who specialized in landscapes, got absolutely fed up with having to mix the perfect shade of blue-gray to portray mountains off in the distance. He solved this problem by inventing the perfect color for it! As a teacher, I empathize- anything to cut down on lesson prep. Payne was a good artist. By all accounts he loved art & he enjoyed teaching others. His paintings are on display in many private & public collections. But his biggest contribution to art was definitely the Gray. Payne’s Gray plays beautiful games with the atmosphere & depth of a painting. It is important to remember that Payne’s Gray loses some of its cool as it ages & becomes a more neutral gray. If you look at his surviving original works, you may not see Payne’s Gray! While Payne’s Gray initially came out for Winsor & Newton watercolors, it is now available in just about every brand & type of paint I could think of to check. I love this color! This Yellow Robin has Payne’s Gray in its feathers What’s your favorite color name? Is it the same as your favorite color? Let me know! You can find me everywhere ### Tune in on future #ColorFull Tuesdays to learn more! We’ll be talking about how our ancestors made pigments & what they used them for. We’ll be talking about how we currently make pigments & what we use them for. We’ll be talking about how we physically see color, how we categorize it, & how we organize it. We’ll be getting down to brass tacks & talking about specific colors! It’s going to be a wild ride. ### My 2-week #KWPrompts art challenge is ongoing! We still have another week of the #Sky prompt Check out the #KWPrompts list for more info! Get my art on mugs & vinyl stickers in my Shop! Donate to support my works & get cool perks on Ko-Fi #### Join us for #ArtABCs, the best art challenge on the internet! Find me All pictures posted are my own work. All reviews are my own unpaid & unsolicited opinions.]]> Hello & Hello Again! We are talking about paints today. I usually avoid mentioning brands, because no one is paying me. Today I need to specify that I use Daniel Smith watercolors. Every brand has their own unique spin on a color- it may be a little cooler, or more transparent, etc, compared to other brands. If you love a shade you see from a specific brand, buy that color in that brand! If you really like a shade but think it could be better, check out that color in different brands! #NotSponsored

Welcome back to our ColorFull series!

Colors have great names. Paint colors doubly so.

Alizarin Crimson. Quinacridone Pink. Isoindoline Yellow. Some paint names make immediate sense, like Sap Green. Some make no sense whatsoever, like Elephant’s Breath. One color I have always wondered about is…

Payne’s Gray

Payne’s Gray is one of my most frequently-used colors. It is an absolutely lovely shade of blue-gray. At its most concentrated it is almost black, which shows more & more blue as you dilute it. It makes for lovely shadows, & nothing matches that blue-black you find in cats’ fur better. I use just a touch of it mixed with other colors all the time. I blend it with other colors so often, in fact, that I had a hard time finding paintings that actually show off the color itself.

A kitten sits on a cliff & reaches for the moon Good thing one of the past #KWPrompts was #Monochrome!

Payne’s Gray was named after William Payne. Although he sounds like an old-timey vampire in a YA novel, William Payne was a watercolor artist. He supported himself by tutoring other watercolorists, & eventually gained a measure of renown. Landscapes were his specialty.

https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/111/727/285/980/111/415/original/70a15c74c0f2f506.png An alien mountain range full of giant butterflies, as Payne intended.

There are a lot of stories about why, exactly, Payne made his Gray. The most popular one is that he was trying to make a mixer that had a lot of the qualities of black, but was less overpowering. If that was the reason, he certainly succeeded. As I mentioned, I mix & blend with this color all the time! My favorite story is a bit different. It is said that Payne, in his work as a watercolor tutor who specialized in landscapes, got absolutely fed up with having to mix the perfect shade of blue-gray to portray mountains off in the distance. He solved this problem by inventing the perfect color for it! As a teacher, I empathize- anything to cut down on lesson prep.

Payne was a good artist. By all accounts he loved art & he enjoyed teaching others. His paintings are on display in many private & public collections. But his biggest contribution to art was definitely the Gray. Payne’s Gray plays beautiful games with the atmosphere & depth of a painting. It is important to remember that Payne’s Gray loses some of its cool as it ages & becomes a more neutral gray. If you look at his surviving original works, you may not see Payne’s Gray! While Payne’s Gray initially came out for Winsor & Newton watercolors, it is now available in just about every brand & type of paint I could think of to check. I love this color!

This Yellow Robin has Payne’s Gray in its feathers

What’s your favorite color name? Is it the same as your favorite color? Let me know! You can find me everywhere

Tune in on future #ColorFull Tuesdays to learn more!

We’ll be talking about how our ancestors made pigments & what they used them for. We’ll be talking about how we currently make pigments & what we use them for. We’ll be talking about how we physically see color, how we categorize it, & how we organize it. We’ll be getting down to brass tacks & talking about specific colors! It’s going to be a wild ride.

My 2-week #KWPrompts art challenge is ongoing!

We still have another week of the #Sky prompt Check out the #KWPrompts list for more info!

Get my art on mugs & vinyl stickers in my Shop!

Join us for #ArtABCs, the best art challenge on the internet!

Find me

  • All pictures posted are my own work.
  • All reviews are my own unpaid & unsolicited opinions.
]]> https://dotart.blog/karin-wanderer-learns/the-forecast-calls-for-payne Tue, 09 Jul 2024 16:55:07 +0000 She Made Some Tarts https://dotart.blog/karin-wanderer-learns/she-made-some-tarts <![CDATA[Hello & Hello again! Every so often on this blog, we take a break & share a recipe instead of talking about art. Here is where you can find every #recipe. Would you like to share a recipe in a future blog post? Let me know! Photo of beautiful blueberry tarts. These jam tarts are fantastic & easy to make! Use whatever flavor of jam you like- just make sure it is seedless. The original recipe was for an 8 inch tart but I prefer to bake them in a 12-cup muffin tin. This Week We’re Making Jam Tarts! Ingredients Crust: 1/2 c butter, melted 1 c 2 tbl AP flour 1/2 c sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp almond extract 1/2 tsp salt Instructions Mix all to a crumbly dough & press lightly into muffin tin Bake ~12 minutes at 350°F - until the crust is just barely starting to brown While the crust bakes, mix everything in the Topping list except for the jam Ingredients Topping: 1 c Greek yogurt or ricotta cheese 1 egg, lightly beaten 2 tbl sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 tsp of whatever spices pair well with your jam (I used cardamom) 12 tbl seedless jam (I used blueberry) Instructions Take the muffin tin out of the oven, but LEAVE THE OVEN ON with the door closed. Divide topping mix evenly between muffin cups- it's about 1 tablespoon each Top each with 1 tablespoon jam Put it back in the oven ~45 minutes (still at 350°F) - until the jam starts to caramelize. Let the tart(s) cool for a bit in the tin, then remove from tin(s) & let them cool entirely on a wire rack. Do not eat them before they are fully cooled as they will burn the heck out of your mouth (ask me how I know!) Photo of beautiful blueberry tarts, with one cut open to show the delicious center. ### The #KWPrompt is #Monochrome for 1 more week! Let's spend the next week focusing on what we can do with only one color. Show me how you think! #### Use #KWPrompts #Monochrome &/or tag me @KarinWanderer so I can see your art Pick your social & post your art! Mastodon Bluesky IG All art styles & skill levels are welcome- beginner to expert, renaissance painting to rough sketch! No AI, Yes alt text, CW as needed. Have a fantastic day, enjoy these tarts while you draw something for my art challenge, see you next week! Get my art on mugs & vinyl stickers in my Shop! Donate to support my works & get cool perks on Ko-Fi #### Join us for #ArtABCs, the best art challenge on the internet! Find me All pictures posted are my own work. All reviews are my own unpaid & unsolicited opinions.]]> Hello & Hello again! Every so often on this blog, we take a break & share a recipe instead of talking about art. Here is where you can find every #recipe. Would you like to share a recipe in a future blog post? Let me know!

Photo of beautiful blueberry tarts.

These jam tarts are fantastic & easy to make! Use whatever flavor of jam you like- just make sure it is seedless. The original recipe was for an 8 inch tart but I prefer to bake them in a 12-cup muffin tin.

This Week We’re Making Jam Tarts!

Ingredients

Crust: * ½ c butter, melted * 1 c 2 tbl AP flour * ½ c sugar * 1 tsp vanilla extract * ½ tsp almond extract * ½ tsp salt

Instructions

  • Mix all to a crumbly dough & press lightly into muffin tin

  • Bake ~12 minutes at 350°F – until the crust is just barely starting to brown

  • While the crust bakes, mix everything in the Topping list except for the jam

Ingredients

Topping: * 1 c Greek yogurt or ricotta cheese * 1 egg, lightly beaten * 2 tbl sugar * ½ tsp vanilla * 1 tsp of whatever spices pair well with your jam (I used cardamom)

  • 12 tbl seedless jam (I used blueberry)

Instructions

  • Take the muffin tin out of the oven, but LEAVE THE OVEN ON with the door closed.
  • Divide topping mix evenly between muffin cups- it's about 1 tablespoon each
  • Top each with 1 tablespoon jam
  • Put it back in the oven ~45 minutes (still at 350°F) – until the jam starts to caramelize.
  • Let the tart(s) cool for a bit in the tin, then remove from tin(s) & let them cool entirely on a wire rack.
  • Do not eat them before they are fully cooled as they will burn the heck out of your mouth (ask me how I know!)

Photo of beautiful blueberry tarts, with one cut open to show the delicious center.

The #KWPrompt is #Monochrome for 1 more week!

Let's spend the next week focusing on what we can do with only one color. Show me how you think!

Use #KWPrompts #Monochrome &/or tag me @KarinWanderer so I can see your art

Pick your social & post your art! Mastodon Bluesky IG

All art styles & skill levels are welcome- beginner to expert, renaissance painting to rough sketch! No AI, Yes alt text, CW as needed.

Have a fantastic day, enjoy these tarts while you draw something for my art challenge, see you next week!

Get my art on mugs & vinyl stickers in my Shop!

Join us for #ArtABCs, the best art challenge on the internet!

Find me

  • All pictures posted are my own work.
  • All reviews are my own unpaid & unsolicited opinions.
]]> https://dotart.blog/karin-wanderer-learns/she-made-some-tarts Tue, 19 Mar 2024 15:43:46 +0000 It's Not All Black & White https://dotart.blog/karin-wanderer-learns/not-all-black-and-white <![CDATA[Every 2 weeks I post a new art challenge prompt! ### The new #KWPrompts is #Monochrome Watercolor forest elephant waving Hello with his trunk. Some subjects are already monochromatic, which makes things easy Let's spend the next 2 weeks focusing on what we can do with one color at a time. Digital monochrome yellow drawing of a superbloom of yellow flowers in the desert. The sun beats down, the fw clouds in the sky do nothing to block it. The mountain chains in the distance seem hazy. This art challenge is a tribute to the #NDDoodle challenge, now retired ### Use #KWPrompts #Monochrome &/or tag me @KarinWanderer so I see your art Show me how you think! Ink painting of polar bears on a snowy background. One bear is sitting upright, the other is sleeping. Don't sleep on this art challenge! Pick your social & post your art! Mastodon Bluesky IG All art styles & skill levels are welcome- beginner to expert, renaissance painting to rough sketch! No AI, Yes alt text, CW as needed. Have a fantastic day, draw something for my art challenge, see you next week! Get my art on mugs & vinyl stickers in my Shop! Donate to support my works & get cool perks on Ko-Fi #### Join us for #ArtABCs, the best art challenge on the internet! Find me All pictures posted are my own work. All reviews are my own unpaid & unsolicited opinions.]]> Every 2 weeks I post a new art challenge prompt!

The new #KWPrompts is #Monochrome

Watercolor forest elephant waving Hello with his trunk. Some subjects are already monochromatic, which makes things easy

Let's spend the next 2 weeks focusing on what we can do with one color at a time.

Digital monochrome yellow drawing of a superbloom of yellow flowers in the desert. The sun beats down, the fw clouds in the sky do nothing to block it. The mountain chains in the distance seem hazy. This art challenge is a tribute to the #NDDoodle challenge, now retired

Use #KWPrompts #Monochrome &/or tag me @KarinWanderer so I see your art

Show me how you think!

Ink painting of polar bears on a snowy background. One bear is sitting upright, the other is sleeping. Don't sleep on this art challenge!

Pick your social & post your art! Mastodon Bluesky IG

All art styles & skill levels are welcome- beginner to expert, renaissance painting to rough sketch! No AI, Yes alt text, CW as needed. Have a fantastic day, draw something for my art challenge, see you next week!

Get my art on mugs & vinyl stickers in my Shop!

Join us for #ArtABCs, the best art challenge on the internet!

Find me

  • All pictures posted are my own work.
  • All reviews are my own unpaid & unsolicited opinions.
]]> https://dotart.blog/karin-wanderer-learns/not-all-black-and-white Tue, 12 Mar 2024 15:43:29 +0000