
Well, So Far this has been an interesting summer! School got out just shy of a month ago, my husband and I moved back into town, and I just got a bunch of basically brand new Holbein Duo Aqua Oil Paints! Somebody was selling these for about $100, and it was just to good of a deal to pass up. Basically, I now have almost every color in this line. My helpful Art assistant is pictured in the back of the photo making sure none of the paint gets lost :) He will sit for hours on the back of my chair in the studio watching me paint or work on the computer.... it usually works out pretty well until he decides to help out. I can tell you from experience that oil paint is VERY DIFFICULT to remove from cat hair!
I love these paints because they are like really thick water colors (in my opinion). As the name implies, this brand/variety of paint is water-soluble. I can get a light watercolor effect with them if I want to, or go really thick and textural similar to traditional oil. They are also a great alternative for people who are allergic or sensitive to traditional oil paints.
The main solvent I use with the Holbein Duo's is water (which is non-toxic!). Sometimes a use a bit of Holbein Duo Linseed oil to juice up to paint, but very rarely. It took me about 3 months to get used to this medium a while back, but it was well worth the effort learning this medium. Water Soluble oils feel different than traditional ones. They are more smooth and less gummy, or thick. If you are wanting to try your hand at oils, I highly suggest this particular brand. They're great!

In other news, I found this unique item at Goodwill a while back. It's an old handmade Mushroom House bank from Germany. I'm not sure when exactly it was made, but I thought is was really cool. So, here it is now, taking up space in my Art Studio. I sometimes get inspiration from the oddest things.
~*Manda*~