Craft Archives - Page 4 of 15

Multimeter (Watercolor Speedpaint 07)

The 7th watercolor in my Tools series in a multimeter.

What’s In My Bag

The “What’s in my bag” newsletter was kind enough to ask me to participate in their series highlighting bags and their contents. Read my submission here or in their online edition.

About the bag

The Fraction backpack by Mission Workshop

I love this backpack. It’s waterproof, which is great for city commuting by any method, and it holds a lot of stuff, but can take on a smaller profile when it’s mostly empty. I bought mine in 2015 and use it for everything from day-to-day laptop toting to overnight trips, and I even sometimes use the top flap to strap something big and awkward to it, like a bag of plush stuffing.

What’s inside the bag

Wet Ones antibacterial wipes

I keep a pack of these antibacterial wipes in just about every bag I have. They’re great for wiping away germs after using the subway railings, or for sanitizing your airplane tray table. I also use them to disinfect my phone.

Paracord zipper pull

You never know when you’re going to need a small bit of strong cord! I made a tutorial for these paracord zipper pulls a few years ago and attached one to every jacket and bag. Not only are they effective as zipper pulls, they can be untied to become a useful length of strong cord.

BaoFeng BF-F8HP 8-Watt ham radio

I recently got my ham radio license, but without an antenna on the roof, I’ve got to be outdoors (preferably up high) to make contact with other hams. This 8-Watt radio is ubiquitous in the ham community because it’s small, affordable, easy to program. I did upgrade the antenna to get better performance.

If you want to get your ham radio license, I recommend checking out Ham Radio Prep’s excellent courses. Get 20% off at hamradioprep.com with code BECKY20.

Bi-fold small parts organizer

When I teach electronics prototyping to design grad students at SVA, it’s useful to have some small parts on hand to demonstrate with and lend to my students. I love this double-sided parts organizer for transporting small things like switches, sensors, LEDs, and small microcontroller boards.

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Crescent Wrench (Watercolor Speedpaint 06)

I’m back with another watercolor tool illustration. This time it’s a handy crescent wrench.

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RJ45 Crimper (Watercolor Speedpaint 05)

I’m back with another illustration of a Patron-requested tool: a BIG CRIMPIN’ RJ45 crimper.

I always use a piece of foamcore wrapped in packing tape as a substrate for my paintings. It’s smart to tape your painting down to limit warping, but this way you can move the painting around while you work to get the best angle. In case you are interested, I’ve made a post cataloging all the supplies I use to create watercolor paintings.

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Duct Tape (Watercolor Speedpaint 04)

I’m back with another on illustration of a beloved tool: this roll of duct tape.

I like to create my line art first. I use Pigma Micron pens to draw on top of my pencil sketch, then erase the graphite before beginning to paint. In case you want to get into watercolor painting, I’ve made a post cataloging all the supplies I use to create watercolor paintings.

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Helping Hands Tool (Watercolor Speedpaint 03)

I’m back with another on illustration of a beloved tool, like this helping third hand.

I like to create my line art first. I use Pigma Micron pens to draw on top of my pencil sketch, then erase the graphite before beginning to paint. In case you want to get into watercolor painting, I’ve made a post cataloging all the supplies I use to create watercolor paintings.

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Scissors and Craft Knife (Watercolor Speedpaint 02)

#2! I’m working on illustrations of beloved tools, like this craft knife and these scissors.

I like to use a lightbox to trace from my sketchbook. The one I use uses LEDs and plugs in with a USB cable. In case you want to get into watercolor painting, I’ve made a post cataloging all the supplies I use to create watercolor paintings.

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Wire Cutters (Watercolor Speedpaint 01)

Welcome to a new video series on my YouTube channel, all about watercolor painting. I’m working on a series of illustrations of beloved tools, like these flush diagonal cutters.

What I like about watercolor is how relaxing it is. Finding time to paint a little each day helps me unwind. In case you want to get into watercolor painting, I’ve made a post cataloging all the supplies I use to create watercolor paintings.

When I’m done painting, I scan it in, touch it up, and upload it to my print shop, in case you are interested in owning a copy of this design. I’ve also made a poster featuring all the tools in this series so far. You can get a discount to my print shop by signing up for my email newsletter or joining my Patreon.

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Watercolor Tools Poster

I started trying to paint a tool every day in the month of December. I did ok, holiday travel notwithstanding, and made 22 paintings in 31 days. The best of this set went into this watercolor tools poster, now available on my Society6 print shop. What tools should I paint next?

Best Watercolor Tools and Supplies for Beginners

I started out in watercolor pretty recently, and have become completely obsessed. These are the tools and supplies that got me started and keep me going.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases you make using my affiliate links.

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