Behind every great taut, flat canvas is a set of seriously tough stretcher bars—at least, that’s the hope. Flimsy bars and poor construction can doom an artwork the minute it’s mounted. If you stretch your own canvases, you can avoid that nightmare with our favorite stretcher bars, rounded up below, which all land somewhere on […] Continue reading
Leather cord is a strong crafting material that’s easy to work with and never seems to go out of style. Leather only gets better with age, becoming more supple and stretchy the more you wear it. Whether you are looking for something to lace through your latest leatherworking project or simply love the look of […] Continue reading
Most commonly used by graphic designers and architects for technical drawings, drafting vellum is a versatile paper suitable for a range of uses. Its surface lends itself to fine-line drawing and calligraphy, and because it’s translucent, it can be used for tracing images; for photo overlays in scrapbooking projects; or for storyboarding. And because it’s […] Continue reading
It’s not always a bad thing to be tightly wound. Rolling yarn by hand can be time consuming and tedious, and often those balls wound by hand roll around and fall apart. As an alternative, yarn winders get the job done fast, making center-pull, flat-bottomed yarn balls that stay put as you knit or crochet. […] Continue reading
Hand quilting can prove difficult without the help of a hoop or a frame. Serving as an extra pair of hands, quilt frames and hoops are structures that hold all three components of a quilt—the batting, top, and backing—and keep each piece taut while you work so you can achieve straight lines, even stitches, and […] Continue reading
Unless you’re an ace draftsperson or prefer to work directly on a surface, enlarging a design without tracing can be a chore, even for some Old Masters. Vermeer, for one, is believed to have used a camera obscura as an aid to drawing, and look at how well his paintings turned out! You too can […] Continue reading
Scrapbooks provide the ideal opportunity for a walk down memory lane while also encouraging personal creativity. The practice of scrapbooking began in 19th-century England; it was particularly popular among those who went on the Grand Tour of Europe and wanted to preserve tokens from their travels. One avid practitioner was Mark Twain, who carried a […] Continue reading
Pottery making requires more than just a wheel and a block of clay. To shape your vessels, imprint them with creative etched designs, and trim rims so they’re perfectly even, you’re going to need some tools. The most commonly used implements in ceramics are ribbon tools, which are used to cut away clay; ribs, for […] Continue reading
Scrolling through the Instagram postings of American influencers whose brands rely on a certain adjacency to European culture, I’ve noticed that the standard fare of empty Diptyque glasses, Matisse cutouts, and starburst mirrors is now being complemented by sculptural candles. In the past few years, we’ve seen pastel-hued candles shaped like geometric solids, candles speckled […] Continue reading
More than a century after their invention, tungsten filaments—the coiled metal wires at the heart of many incandescent light bulbs—continue to be popular. This is despite the growing market for LED bulbs, which use less energy and generate light much more quickly. It’s easy to understand why people still like incandescents : There’s a certain […] Continue reading
It’s vital for young children to express themselves, but their art can be difficult to love when it’s on your clean walls or all over their clothing. Drawing boards, which typically involve a stylus and a responsive surface, are a great addition to any toy box. Endlessly reusable, they are eco-friendly, mess free, and safe—your […] Continue reading
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, we may receive an affiliate commission. A good utility knife should be something you want to reach for over and over again. Deploy it for general everyday tasks, like opening cardboard boxes and slicing tape, or more specialized projects in […] Continue reading
Rib and scraper tools are essential when it comes to pottery and other ceramic work, aiding in the shaping and smoothing of clay. Though most often used when throwing pieces on a wheel, ribs can also be used in other clay practices. Ribs come in a range of materials including wood, metal, and soft rubber […] Continue reading
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, we may receive an affiliate commission. Watercolor sticks are a great tool for artists who want to add watercolor effects to sketches and drawings. They are somewhere between a watercolor and a pastel, with a good amount of variation among […] Continue reading
Paint isn’t as permanent as you might think! If you’ve made an error with your acrylics or oils, there is a way to fix it: Pick up a painting scraper. Featuring a sharp blade, this tool makes quick work of dried pigment; you can use it to lift paint off your canvas without ruining the […] Continue reading
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, we may receive an affiliate commission Essential to any oil or acrylic painter’s practice is a great palette knife or painting knife. With such tools, artists can combine colors and materials in the process of creating their works. Though originally […] Continue reading
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, we may receive an affiliate commission. Gouache, an opaque water-soluble paint with gum arabic or acrylic as its binder, is one of the best-kept secrets in painting. Want flat, opaque areas of color? You’ll need only one coat with gouache. […] Continue reading
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, we may receive an affiliate commission A sandpaper pointer, usually a block of small sandpaper sheets mounted to a wooden handle, is a handy accessory for artists who use charcoal, pencils, and pastels. Pointers can be used to sharpen each […] Continue reading
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, we may receive an affiliate commission Create kaleidoscopic compositions with acrylic pouring paint. In recent years pouring paint has become quite popular, but the technique has actually been around since the 1930s, when Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros happened to […] Continue reading
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, we may receive an affiliate commission Traditionally used in Japanese woodblock printing, a baren is a circular tool with a flat face used for rubbing paper to effectively transfer ink. Like many artists, you might have found that a wooden […] Continue reading
