We’ve all seen artist hacks online. I find these tips fascinating. However, not all the hacks I’ve discovered have stuck. Today I’m talking about the hacks that have most benefited my art. I wish I could remember where they all came from. Some I’ve seen on social media, and some I’ve discovered myself through trial and error.

1. Rotating Art When Scanning In

I know many artists who photograph their work to produce prints. I’ve tried, but I’ve never been able to master this skill. Maybe it’s the inconsistent lighting in my east-facing home. Or maybe I don’t have the right camera equipment. Because of this, scanning is my method of choice for digitizing my art. To me, it’s the most dependable and creates the highest quality prints. Using a scanner works for me, because I don’t love making large art anyways. My work is too detailed to enjoy producing larger pieces.

My average work is typically around 8x10-9x12 inches. Sometimes though, I like to do an 11x14 piece, or even larger. The scanner bed on my HP printer is 8.5x11 inches. If I rotate my work, and piece together multiple scans, I can go as large as 19.5x19.5 inches. And I’ve done this many times. If I told you how many years it took me to discover this hack, you’d be surprised. The thought just never occurred to me until I needed a solution for a larger-scale client project I was working on.

*This is the newer version of the printer/scanner I have in my studio.

2. Sketching with Watercolor Pencil

Someone shared this hack with me on Instagram. I wish I could remember the person’s name, because it’s been a game changer for my work. I tend to be pretty heavy-handed with my sketching, so I would always have pencil marks showing through my paintings. They would be a pain to remove in the editing process.

The cool thing about using watercolor pencil is that the pencil dissolves as you paint over it. I use light colors like grey or peach, so any remaining pencil isn’t noticeable. You wouldn’t think watercolor pencil would erase, but it actually does. Usually additional marks on the white areas of your paper will erase just fine.

*The two pencils I use most are Derwent watercolor in Pale Peach 16 and Silver Grey 71.

3. Using Sand Erasers and X-acto Knives to Remove Stray Marks on Paper

My originals aren’t perfect. Lucky for me, I don’t sell them. However, I still try to clean them up before packing them away in storage boxes. If you have any stray paint splatters, pencil marks, or smudges that won’t come off with a regular eraser, sand erasers and X-acto knives are your best friend.

First, the sand eraser. If used lightly, it shaves off the top layer of your paper, removing anything on the surface. It can leave a little texture behind, but to me this is much better than markings. Then, we have the X-acto knife. This works better on smaller areas. If you just lightly scratch at the surface of the paper, you can remove most spots. This hack would be perfect for anyone who sells custom work and needs to clean up their final paintings.

*I use these sand erasers and X-acto knife.

4. Dipping Old Brushes Into Boiling Water to Reshape

My friend belindaxia shared this trick on Instagram, and I just love it. As someone who’s pretty rough on their brushes, I go through them quickly. Less quickly now that I have this tip. For this hack, just boil up some water (I use my electric tea kettle) in a mug and hold your clean brushes in the water for 10 seconds. Then, reshape to your liking. While this tip won’t return your brushes to their original perfection, it will extend their life and make them more usable. FYI- this tip only works for synthetic paint brushes, which is what you would typically use with gouache and watercolor.

5. Using Clipart to Understand Form

Usually, I pull inspiration from real-life photography. However, with very complicated subject matters, it can be tough to interpret real photos into simplified illustrations. This is where I do a little clip art/stock illustration search. It helps me to nail down the basics of form. For instance, I was recently painting a skeleton for a fall illustration project. The actual photos of skeletons were too complex. I couldn’t figure out which bones were crucial to the form, so I did a clipart search. By piecing together several photos, I was able to nail the shape and include only what’s necessary. So, if you’re ever feeling overwhelmed by a subject matter, try this trick out. It’s not cheating, it’s just doing your research. Most forms are much simpler than we think.

6. Using My Glass Desk as a Light Box

I used to like having a white desk. It does work best for taking social media photos. However, now I prefer glass for function alone. It’s easier to clean, and I can flip over my work lamp to shine light underneath and turn it into a light box. I most use this hack for client work. When a client needs to see a sketch before I start the final art, I draw it on tracing paper (in regular pencil). Then, I make any edits they have to the tracing paper sketch. Once the sketch is approved, I tape it to my desk, underneath my watercolor paper. Then, I use my makeshift light box desk to paint over the sketch. This ensures that my final art is pretty darn close to what the client has approved with the original sketch. I find this method to be less clunky than using an actual light box. If I need to get a detailed area of the sketch perfect, I’ll dim the lights in my studio to see the sketch more clearly through my watercolor paper.

*This is the desk and work lamp I currently have.

7. Using Gouache with Watercolor to Save Space

Did you know you can mix gouache with watercolor? I discovered this tip a few years ago. It’s the perfect travel hack for gouache users. It also works great if you’re trying to save money or space. Gouache tubes can take up a lot of room, and sometimes you don’t want to bring them with you everywhere.

So how does this work? First, I have this little watercolor palette. Then, I like to bring a small tube of white gouache to mix with it. Usually, my travel art pack includes my sketchbook and a few paint brushes/pens too. I’ll also bring little disposable plates for mixing colors.

While the application doesn’t beat regular gouache, to me it’s worth it. Others won’t be able to tell much of a difference. I made the Hawaii painting to the bottom right using this method. You can tell the paint is a little thinner in some areas, but overall it looks pretty similar to what I’d make with regular gouache tubes.

8. Perfecting Compositions in Procreate

You’ve probably figured out by now that I’m not the biggest fan of digital art - for final art, that is. To me, it doesn’t match the handmade feel of actual paintings. What I am a huge fan of is creating a quick piece on my iPad before painting it. While thumbnails and sketches are great, this method wins. I love that I can get the colors and patterns just right, undoing something when I don’t like it. My art turns out so much better when I do this. This method allows me to take more risks, because nothing on the iPad is permanent.

As an added benefit, I don’t have to live in my studio. I can sketch out my compositions while sitting in my family room or traveling, saving final pieces for later.

In order to get really quick at this method, I learned the shortcuts of Procreate with this video. My iPad sketches are super rough. I’m almost embarrassed to show you, since they’re usually for my eyes only. But since we’re all friends here, I’ve included an example below of a composition I created on the iPad, and the final work I created after:

My 8 Favorite Art Hacks