I’m often asked how I send fragile mixed-media pieces to galleries, buyers or events without returning to my studio with a heart in my mouth. Over the years I’ve developed a repeatable method for building a transport-safe portfolio that protects delicate surfaces and layered edges using...
Sep 18, 2026
• by Éloïse Martin
Latest News from Sonriseartists Co
I once rescued a small pile of collage works that had been exposed to a leaking roof after a storm. They were damp, cockled and stained with a faint ring of salty residue where contaminated rainwater had evaporated. I didn’t have access to a conservation lab, but I wanted to stabilise them so I could frame and enjoy them without causing further damage. The methods I outline below are practical,...
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I keep my brush-cleaning setup intentionally small and solvent-free — partly because my studio is compact, partly because I like rituals that are slow and sensory, and partly because I want to protect my natural-hair brushes from harsh chemicals. Over the years I’ve refined a kit and a routine that removes oil paint effectively, preserves both sable and hog bristle sets as well as modern...
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I spent a rainy afternoon last week photographing a new series that uses iridescent powders and interference pigments layered across gouache and collage. The shimmer was beautiful in person, but on my phone screen the highlights turned into blown-out white patches that flattened all the colour shift I’d worked for. After a few rounds of trial and error with LED panels, diffusers and phone...
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I remember the first time I decided to use gouache as an underpainting in a mixed‑media piece: I wanted the tonal clarity of a waterbased wash but also the ability to repaint and layer without muddying. The result taught me a lot about the differences between student and artist‑grade gouaches — not just in colour and finish, but in longevity, re‑wetting behaviour and how they survive...
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I often use gouache as an underpainting when I want my acrylic highlights to sing: the matte, velvety base of gouache gives a colour depth and immediacy that acrylics alone sometimes lack. Over the years I've developed a repeatable, studio-friendly workflow that works with both high-end paints (I reach for Schmincke when I want maximum pigment strength and mixing reliability) and more affordable...
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I ship a lot of collage work — small studies, commission pieces and fragile mixed‑media experiments — and over the years I’ve learned the hard way that exposed torn or layered edges are the most vulnerable part of a piece. One knock in transit, a sweaty day in a van, or an overzealous courier can lift a fragment, crease a thin paper tongue or crush a corner. I now treat edge stabilisation...
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Turning a tiny corner of my studio into a portable live‑teaching setup was one of the best investments I’ve made in my practice. I wanted something compact that I could pack away between classes, quick to set up before a demo, and versatile enough to teach in person or stream online. Over several semesters of workshops and streamed demos for Sonriseartists, I refined an approach that balances...
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I often get asked how I photograph iridescent and interference paints on canvas with nothing more than my phone and a single household lamp. These paints are playful and fickle: they change colour with viewing angle, light source and even the slightest move of your hand. Over the years I’ve developed a simple workflow that captures those shifting colours reliably without a studio full of...
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Keeping collage seams intact through framing, handling and shipping is one of those small victories in my studio that makes exhibitions and sales less stressful. Over the years I've repaired my share of popped corners, lifted edges and discoloured tapes — and I've developed a workflow that keeps seams secure and stable while respecting archival standards and the delicate look of collage. Below...
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I wanted to understand why my tubes of Schmincke gouache behaved so oddly on a particular paper I’d been experimenting with in the studio — a sheet I had sized to a silky finish using a dilute animal glue sizing and a couple of coats of Chinese silk sericin mix (a workflow I’d been using to get a smooth, low‑absorbency surface for collage and ink). The same colours that behaved...
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