Lisa Spangler

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Portfolio
    • Leaf Series
    • Cacti & Allies
    • Mushrooms
    • Landscapes
  • Learn
    • How to Fold a Book From a Single Sheet of Paper
  • About
  • Contact

Gear

Gear

Ultimate Ultramarine Blue Showdown!

I’ve been on a quest the last few weeks to find my ultimate ultramarine blue and I wanted to share the results with you — but first, the backstory! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lisa Spangler (@sideoats) The Backstory I’ve been using ultramarine blue from Daniel Read more…

By Lisa Spangler, 8 monthsMay 20, 2022 ago
Gear Pigments

Texas Gulf Coast Prairie Palette

I’m going to be teaching an in-person workshop near Houston and put together this palette for the students and had to share. It’s designed for ease of mixing out in the field and the colors of the Texas Gulf Coast Prairies, but I bet it would make a great everyday Read more…

By Lisa Spangler, 10 monthsApril 12, 2022 ago
Gear

Four Ways to Add Cactus Spines

Here are four ways to easily add cactus spines while working en plein air: White gouache – this is probably my favorite way to add cactus spines. I squeeze out some gouache into a little container with a snap-on lid and keep it in my pack. I prefer Winsor & Read more…

By Lisa Spangler, 10 monthsApril 3, 2022 ago
Gear Pigments

An Ode to Cobalt Teal Blue (PG50)

I’ve had Cobalt Teal Blue on my palette for years — it’s one of my favorites. I’ve found that not many people know about this glorious color and all the magic mixes you can make with it, so I decided to write this Ode to Cobalt Teal Blue. This is Read more…

By Lisa Spangler, 10 monthsMarch 25, 2022 ago
Gear

Spring palette update!

Tomorrow is the first day of spring here in the northern hemisphere so I gave my palettes a good cleaning and I added 2 colors for spring: phthalo blue (green shade) and quinacridone coral! Just look at all these glorious colors that you can mix with those two: Check out Read more…

By Lisa Spangler, 10 monthsMarch 19, 2022 ago
Gear

Exploring Red Watercolors

When I first started painting I went on a quest for the perfect red — little did I know that I could mix red from magenta and yellow — and I knew nothing about pigment numbers. Mixing Red Yes, everything I learned in school was wrong — red is not Read more…

By Lisa Spangler, 12 monthsFebruary 6, 2022 ago
Gear

Winter Palette Update

I’ve had several people ask what colors are in my Art Toolkit palettes so I thought I’d do a post with a winter update. I like to switch up the colors seasonally. All colors are by Daniel Smith except for those marked with a WN for Winsor & Newton or Read more…

By Lisa Spangler, 12 monthsFebruary 3, 2022 ago
Big Bend Gear Landscapes National Parks Nature Sketch

Value Studies/Thumbnail Sketch Setup

A minimal sketch kit I setup for doing value study thumbnail sketches on the go.

By Lisa Spangler, 1 yearDecember 2, 2021 ago
Gear

Water Containers for Field Sketching

When I first started painting in nature I spent time researching how to carry water in the field — it’s kind of essential for watercolors. I eventually came up with a few ways that work great and I’m sharing them here. So let’s talk water! Pack It Out Before we Read more…

By Lisa Spangler, 1 yearNovember 15, 2021 ago
Gear Landscapes

Untitled Marfa

Finding motivation with art challenges and what to do when visiting Marfa, Texas.

By Lisa Spangler, 1 yearNovember 15, 2021 ago

Posts navigation

Previous 1 2 3 Next
Subscribe

Blog articles delivered straight to your inbox.

Join 93 other subscribers

Hello! I'm so glad you're here. Hope you'll stay awhile and visit often. Learn more about Lisa.


Tip Jar

Have you enjoyed a blog post or learned something useful? Consider leaving a tip to help with website hosting costs. Thanks so much for your support!


Nature Spots eBook

I’m super excited to share that I wrote an e-booklet: Nature Spots! What are nature spots, you ask? They’re spots of color to mark your observations while out in nature. Find out more >>


Art Toolkit Coupon Code

Use code LISAFAN10 for 10% off your purchase of an ArtToolkit, palette, or mixing pans.

Full disclosure: I'm a Brand Ambassador for Art Toolkit and I’ll receive a small commission at no charge to you if you use the code — thank you so much for your support. I've been using these palettes since 2018 and I truly love them. Reviews here are my own.


Current Sketch Kit


A Field Guide to Watercolor Brushes


Recent Posts

  • My Palette for the Nature Spot Challenge
  • What Papers to Use for the Nature Spots Challenge?
  • January 2023 Nature Spots Challenge!
  • What’s On My Palette?
  • Nature Spots

Categories

  • Acorns
  • Big Bend
  • Camp
  • Gear
  • Happy Trails
  • Joshua Tree
  • Landscapes
  • Leaves
  • Mushrooms
  • National Parks
  • Nature Sketch
  • Nature Spots
  • Palettes
  • Pigments
  • Portfolio
  • Press
  • PSA
  • Saguaro
  • Sketchbooks
  • Uncategorized
  • Workshop
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Portfolio
  • Learn
  • About
  • Contact
Hestia | Developed by ThemeIsle