Friday Favs- Artists Gifts and More!

Beyond the Skyline
20 x 26 Acrylic on yupo paper

New release art supplies by Liquitex! I have been eyeing these up for awhile now and finally pulled the trigger to get them--lush but soft colors, perfect for the artist who has a love for color but wants to paint in a more neutral tones. They also come in these great boxes which are a nice touch for gift giving.  5 acrylic  ink colors and 5 soft body acrylic paint colors.






New to Me...Strathmore Maker Paper!  If you like to draw with markers or pens, or perhaps love to  do illustrations, one thing you probably are always searching for is paper that your ink doesn't bleed (or spread out) as you are illustrating.   This paper DOES bleed through the back side so you can only use one side which isn't a problem to me, but here's the thing---you can draw on the pad and your marker ink doesn't infiltrate to the next  page.   For me, the biggest advantage of this paper is the clean lines you can achieve when drawing and the sturdiness of the paper without being too rigid.  

 



As long as we are talking about MARKERS.... 
I received these babies as a gift for doing some extra work from a friend of mine as a thank you and I have to say I love them! 24 lush colors in a beautiful and handy carrying case (I can never keep my markers organized)!  They have dual tips (brush and fine point) so you can create bold strokes or more controlled details with this set.   Again, the wonderful case makes for a great gift giving item
Other options:  Smaller 12 count set, .  Fine point pens in black (assorted nib sizes),  Assorted .05 colored illustration pens.   Again most artists would LOVE to find any of these goodies under their tree this Christmas (or any holiday or gift giving moment)!







I'd be remiss if i didn't mention some of my favorite types of paint for water media applications  Golden High Flow which i use in both my 'Grunge Ink,  Abstracts on Yupo, and Zen Painting classes).  This is just one of several sets available,  the paints also come in larger sizes of course.  Love a color?  These paints of course are available in larger sizes, to!
    

Protecting your work--check out these favs of mine to use! Remember, anytime you use water soluble products on your last layer of your painting (Stabilo Pencils, Pastels, Neo Color Water II Water soluble crayons, charcoal...etc) you should spray a barrier layer (or 2) of spray varnish or workable fixative. If you use brush on varnish before that isolation layer, you will 'smear' the water soluble products. As always, follow the manufacturer's recommendations and use in a well ventilated area, with a breathing mask to protect yourself..




 



Thank you for joining me for another addition of "Friday Favs"!  If you want to catch up on some of the other recommendations given so far, please check out my page "Favorite Products" I'll be updating that regularly with some of my favorite supplies and product recommendations throughout the year.  I have tried all of these items and use them regularly in my work!



Upcoming classes not to miss!

I'll be back at Donna Downey's studio January 21-22, 2017 to share  my hot new workshop, "Zen Painting" with you!  We had so much fun last year, and I'm soooo excited to be back again in 2017 for more artsy goodness.  BONUS--all supplies are included as are snacks and lunches both days!

For more information, head over to Donna's website HERE.

Friday Favs! Abstracts in Acrylic and Ink edition! (Guess who wrote that????))

When I was a young woman, I dreamed of writing a epic romance novel, or envisioned traveling around the country writing about eclectic local eateries (watch out Guy Fierri!). I even toyed with traveling around the world writing about the effects of economic systems on the citizens of various countries.  (That was a very short period of my political/economic writing while in college ;) Needless to say, none of that happened.  Instead of pursuing a career in writing, I went into retail management and then later on worked as a bank manger for many years.

 Flash forward to me at age...late 40 something, and I am living out a new dream that has percolated for many years: writing a book that mimicked one of my workshops!  My first book (hopefully there will be several more to come), "Abstracts in Acrylic and Ink: A Playful Painting Workshop" will be released on December 26th, 2016, but is available on Amazon for pre-order now! 

The great thing about Amazon is that when you pre-order, you are guaranteed the lowest sale price prior to release, so it's a win win!    

Just like you feel when you fall in love with the significant other in your life, I fell in love with art and painting--but even more so with teaching adults about finding their creative voice. One of my goals for writing this book is to help those that want to paint in an abstract way with acrylics to get over the fear of the blank canvas in a playful, non imposing way. What's the word???? Yes, PLAYFUL!  

I can hardly believe all the work that started more than a year ago is finally coming to fruition. Honestly, the work began YEARS ago, but the book portion of this baby of mine started in earnest in September of 2015.  It was about this time last year I was finishing all the projects and getting ready to head to Cincinnati to do the book photo shoot.  Wow, was that a project!  Having never prepared for something so monumental before, I had no idea what to expect or frankly how to prepare.  Do you know what I did?  I just dug in.  When you don't know what to do, the best thing to do, is to simply start and trust your instinct.

Here I am reviewing the PDF file of the book to ensure it was all put together correctly.  I can't believe this is happening!!

That's one of the big themes in my book.  You don't have to be an expert to simply start and learn.  Abstracts in Acrylic and Ink, is very similar to attending one of my workshops except for one or two main projects...there's 22 projects to learn from!  Wowza is right!    You'll learn about a variety of surfaces to use from wood to Yupo paper; you'll discover how to incorporate a variety of mediums into your paintings to create depth and texture.  Students who read this workshop/book will also be encouraged to just play and try anything!  What do you have to loose?  Nothing...but you have EVERYTHING to gain!

Case in point...I didn't choose the cover but I love the painting that the editors chose.  It's bright, colorful, full of texture and patterns, contrast and movement. BUT...this wasn't a painting I had intended on creating as a cover for my book, rather it was a painting I completed during a painting session that I had for a very large work. Here's the original piece I was working on (it's still available fyi :)

"Hanging On By A Shroom"  36 x 48

  In other words, it started off as what I call my "palette painting".  I had a smaller canvas by my side as I worked on my biggie and cleaned off my brushes on it. I  kept layering and layering as I worked on my main painting.  I loved how it came together but it wasn't intentional at all...it was playful and full of instinctual mark making.   Of course I  finished all the details so it tied all together in a composition that I was happy with, but my point is, I didn't stress over it being a masterpiece. It just came alive as each brush stroke was laid on the surface.   Just play, and you never know where that work may take you.....It just may become a cover of your first book!!!!!!! Here is the full painting in case you are interested:

If you'd like to pre-order my new book, be sure to click HERE!  I will also be offering a few packages for sale myself that will include a variety of choices for limited edition prints with a signed copy.  I don't have my website ready for that since I've been traveling so much lately  but that's one of my next main priorities to get set up. Stay tuned for those offers coming up!

Thank you for joining me today for this introduction to my book, "Abstracts in Acrylic and Ink". I'll be sharing a few demonstrations from the book over the next few months as well as even more inspiration for you to get started painting. That's my main goal-to inspire artists like me to get started painting and let go of any pre-conceived notions on how something should be.  Just play and see what happens!

In addition to my book in this Friday Favs article--I wanted to also showcase a variety of mediums I used in the book and use A LOT in my work.   You can't go wrong with any of these acrylic products used to enhance your work! 

Have a great day, make time to create this weekend and beyond!


Fluid Mediums:


Texture Mediums

Glass Beads

Other Fav Crackle Mediums: