Friday Favs on Monday! Artsy Watercolor Sketching Edition

Friday Favs on Monday because that's how I roll lately!  

Perhaps in 2017 I will make it my mission to do things on time :)   Usually I am Johnny on the spot with deadlines and keep up with my to-do list but lately I've become that girl, that artist who is perpetually chasing her tail. With that said, I've been chasing my tail with tons of good things so I'm not complaining at all!  I just feel bad not being able to keep up at times and letting people down.    Okay enough...off my soap box because that can be a slippery slope..hahah!   

Before we get into the art supplies recommendations for today--check this out!  My first e-book lesson on lettering published by Cloth Paper Scissors is now out!   I'm scheduled to do a total of 3 for them over the next few months and couldn't be more pleased with how this comes out.  The best thing--it's under 5.00 and includes a little video showcasing one of the lessons!!    Check out a little preview here!

 Alrighty...let's get to my Friday Favs on Monday artsy gifts recommendations!   I wanted to share with you some really affordable pan watercolor palettes that would make great gift items along with several other additional goodies to go along with the palettes.  I don't have all of these colors but I do have the Tropicals and they are fantastic!  Under 20 dollars, awesome compact metal pan, and great colors--what else could you want?  Maybe the other things on today's list!  :)




 


Along with your watercolors, picking up a journal to play with is a also a wonderful option.  While the Dylusion's journal is not a watercolor journal you can still use it for studies is my personal favorite for assorted journaling techniques.    Teflon sheets are great for mixing paints and keeping your surface clean.  I have 3 or 4 of these and it's made clean up a breeze in my studio!

Neocolor II crayons are so versatile that I can't imagine painting with out these puppies.  I use them to draw with, shade, write, and play in my journal. They write over acrylics,  yet can be blended with your finger or activated with water for more intense color.   Did I say MUST HAVE??  Seriously!

Lastly watercolor pen brushes are your on the go must have for art journaling, urban sketching and more!   The well conveniently stores your water so there's no mess or carrying around cumbersome water containers when you are on the go!




Finishing us off today is the Micron 6 piece pen set--I love me some pens and this brand is one of my favorites to use, especially with watercolors.  I love to make lines and scratchy doodles over top of my pieces...the Microns will help you do that.  Check it out in action:

So there you go...some great gift items for you or the budding watercolor/urban sketching artist in your life!

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BIG NEWS--I'll be back a little later today with my PWYC sale!  Yes it is late...lol....see the above message with every excuse other than my dog at my PWYC post ;)  It's neither her nor there...but it will be HERE in a few hours!! Stay tuned and be sure to come back because its very time sensitive and there are several items that have limited quantities!

Friday Favs! Brushes and Painting Tools Edition 2

WELCOME  To Friday Favs! Watercolor Brush and Tool Edition!

I've been revisiting my love for water colors and of course drawing lately, especially with my new Zen Painting class just launching so I wanted to share a few of the paint brushes I love for that process as well as a couple others that I'm favoring lately. Frankly, I have a lot of favorites and I could go on an on about this topic but I'll try to limit my selections to 4-5 for each post. If you try anything I recommend or have a favorite of your own to feature down the road, leave a comment!  OR...if you are interested in hearing about a particular product, tool, or gadget--let me know! I may have it in my stash that I could show case for you!


First up--Water Brush Pens.  These have become a staple in my to-go journaling stash as well as working on my Zen Paintings.  This set is something new to me, I've tried many different varieties but I'm showcasing these as I just received them in my last order and I love the variety of tips....AND the price is really affordable.  Less than 2.00 a brush is awesome!





More Water Color Brushes-  I buy a lot of art supplies from Jerry's Artarama, and this set is one that is a brand they sell exclusively from what I understand (other than Amazon).  They aren't the best but they are really good for the price and certainly good enough to practice and for students. I've done some large scale work with these brushes and have sold all of them so even for working artists,  they do the job!

Here's a Round set with a fan brush that's a really good start to your collection. I might add one more larger round like a 10 or 12 but truly you have enough selection of the basics in this package to get started:





I do like flats for watercolors, too...I don't use them quite as much but to make sharp lines, you can't go wrong with this set as well:




or get an assortment of flats and rounds(including a pricey large flat) in this set:





One last suggestion for this watercolor brush/tool  edition of Friday favs, are these lidded containers for paint.  In my Zen painting, I do a lot of ink work for my class as well as in Grunge Ink.  When I'm working on a series of paintings, I do like to make my own concoctions of acrylic and or ink paint colors so having a lidded containers is a necessity.  I also use portion cups which are great too except if you travel a lot with your paints.  Not quite as sturdy....ask me how I know!  But still, if you can find the portion cups, you can get about 40-50 for 5-6 dollars.

In case you missed last week's Friday Favs--take a look here! 

If you'd like to learn more about my Zen Painting Class and join in on the fun...you'll be using all of these tools and more during this expansive online course!   Stop by our  class description page and read more about it!

Watercolor gone Wild! On Yupo Paper...

 Just a little eye candy for you :)

A couple of years ago I was introduced to the wonders of Yupo paper at Jerry's Artarama....where I often fill in as a demo and workshop artist (one of the many wonders I've discovered at my favorite art store)...but it wasn't until last year that I really began to experiment with it.  It is such a fun product to use, I am hoping to share the love by offering a 6 hour work shop on it with my friends at Art Is.  My proposal hasn't been accepted yet so I can't be sure I will get in but these are a couple of the fun samples I will be offering to them.

 So what is Yupo paper anyway?

 It is essentially a sheet of very thin plastic and uses are intended for water colors or other water soluble products, as well as alcohol inks.  Where traditional watercolor paper is absorbent, Yupo paper is not.  The pigment washes will evaporate on yupo leaving behind just the color pigment.   It is not easy to work with because the color easily slides off and moves around so there is a fine line between too much water and not enough..as well as controlling the movement of the washes.

One of the exciting properties that Yupo paper is the extreme vibrant colors that are achieved through even the lightest of paint applications.    I am using a watercolor brand that Jerry's asked me to demo for them called "Soho" watercolors, their colors  are very rich and are said to go on with using a 1/3 less color then some of the leading brands of tube watercolors.  I do believe that claim is true! YUMMY colors for sure!

 You can even draw with water soluble pencil, or detail with india ink.  

 Make a mistake? Erase it off!

Stay tuned and I will show you even more exciting possibilities that can be achieved when I teach this course (fingers crossed) at Art Is in Petaluma this September, and in Stamford in October.

I promise you...you will have a colorful and wonderfully exciting time using this product! We will have the most colorful paintings in the event ;)!!

I'm off for  few days to go help my friend at a trade show in Orlando...I'm going to be her helper so this is totally new to me as we are doing a wholesale show this week.  I don't know what I would have that would fit the wholesale market unless its my prints...I don't know if I can bare to make 100s of my magnets even those would be good for wholesale. Those puppies are cute as can be but way time consuming!. I'd rather spend the 6-8 hours making 25-30 of those magnets doing a 30 x40 painting..lol  but one never knows what opportunities lie ahead...and I am hoping to learn a lot about sales, marketing, show set up and even make some contacts while there.

Of course I'm bringing a rolling cart of art supplies to play with. I just can't leave home without them!

Till we meet again,  

Live a life of purpose, purposely live your life.

xoxo

Jodi Ohl

Day 7....Following your Heart

Today's post is going to be just a drive by....I'm  soooooo tired you would not believe, having so much trouble sleeping lately  and have been up since 3:00 in the morning again.  The good news is that I get a journal page done early...the bad news is that I  crash and burn mid day and that's not good when there is a bazillion things I need to be doing.  Am I just excited for Christmas??LOL    

Today's page is about following your heart.....wouldn't you agree, magical things happen when you do?  

Hope you have a wonderful night and are in the midst of following your own adventures led by your heart and soul.

With love,

Jodi Ohl