I’m definitely not a watercolor “purist.” I’ll incorporate whatever materials and techniques I can to achieve the results I’m envisioning. Masking fluid, gouache, pastel pencils, watercolor pencils, stencils, salt, cheesecloth, crackle paste, plastic wrap, rubbing alcohol…That’s the fun of it. And, of course, I lean toward lots of COLOR!

I thought I’d come up with the idea of painting over cheesecloth to create gauzy tutus or sheer curtains—but I think someone had beaten me to it.

I have a love/hate relationship with salt. When it works, the effects are breathtaking; when it doesn’t, the screams can be heard across the country.

Rubbing alcohol dropped into wet paint with a pipette. Magic.

Scrunched up plastic wrap for craggy mountainscapes.

Stenciling

Crackle paste applied to paper and allowed to dry for 24 hours before painting. Great for birch tree bark.

Watercolor artwork on paper pasted onto wooden cradled panels and covered with several layers of wax, adding sneeze-proof protection. I buff it up for a slight sheen. No frames needed.

And, of course, let it snow, let it snow—with white gouache flicked onto the paper via toothbrush and thumb. Messy but it works. (And 99% of dentists approve.)