Paint the Picture

The autumn period is a beautiful time to paint en plein air (outdoors). There’s so much changing in nature each day: fruits ripening on branches, vegetables and leaves turning different colours, and seedheads developing. Squirrels and chipmunks scurry about collecting acorns and nuts from trees. Look above, you’ll see birds in V formation. 

The dappled sunlight at this time is fantastic to add character to painting, as well as a joy to be immersed in. The temperature is also, like spring, in that pleasant Goldilocks range: not too hot, not too cold, just right!

At Figg Street Co., we’ve stocked up on supplies you can use to capture your favourite elements of autumn in watercolour: various papers, notebooks and paints, including some on the way! 

When it comes to watercolour painting, you definitely want to use watercolour paper. Paper that’s made specifically for watercolours is created to allow paint to seep into the page gradually. Too fast and you’ll end up with waterlogged paper that’s soggy and misshapen. Too slow and you’ll have a pool of paint sitting on top.

The three main types of watercolour paper are:

Rough – as the name implies, this is the most textured paper of the three and is great for expressive works and heavy washes of paint.

Cold Press – probably the most popular of the bunch, this paper is slightly textured and suited for most painting techniques. It allows colours to blend well and layers beautifully.

Hot Press – the smoothest of the three, this type of paper is best for detail work, where precise lines and realism is important.

We offer all three types at the shop.

What would you like to paint? If you’d like to share your artwork, feel free to show us as the shop. It brings us joy to see all the ways in which our products are used to make even more beautiful things! Happy painting!