If you love watercolor painting but want to try something a little different, why not mix it up with some Chinese inks and techniques? You can learn some new ways to add style to your work with Lian Quan Zhen’s Chinese Watercolor Techniques: Painting Animals. You’ll discover how to paint a dog, a tiger, fish, chickens and more animals, using easy and fun watercolor painting techniques in combination with Chinese inks.

Renowned for his watercolor paintings of the figure, this artist reminds others to simplify, merge the subject with the background, and respond in a way that is natural and authentic.To read more features like this, subscribe to Watercolor today!Watercolor: What is your training in your art? How did you acquire your skills in drawing and painting?

Whether painting in oil or pastel, Connecticut artist Claudia Seymour avoids static compositions by using line, color, and design to move the viewer’s eye through the painting. by Linda S. PricePersian Bittersweet2003, oil on linen, 20 x 16. Allartwork this article collection theartist unless otherwise indicated.

With a scientist’s precision, artist John N. Agnew captures the textures of “lesser-loved” species and their habitats on scratchboard. His animal portraits in scratchboard are featured in Magazine (July/August 2012), including the following step-by-step demonstration of Maternal Instincts (below).

With such a plethora of art supplies out there, what can we do to discover what works best for us? Experimentation is key, and there are many ways to test new products. Painting with Holbein Acrylic Colors MAT and Da Vinci Fluid Acrylics, I experimented with ways in which the two perform when applied.

Congratulations to Tina Spratt, our January 2012 Artist of the Month. Her work, The Black Dress, was chosen from our list of finalists in the portrait/figure category of Magazine‘s 28th Annual Art Competition.Tina SprattBurnham-On-Sea, UK and when did you get started creating art?