Rules for keeping a sketchbook:
Uno: Never, ever tear out a page unless you sell it, in which case you can replace it with a copy!
Due: Start on the third page to get your courage up.
Tre: Go back to the first page and do a self portrait when you've got the nerve.
Quattro: Strap your journal to your body, don't leave home without it.
Cinque: A little gold leaf and some color peps up a page.
Sei: Always carry a pencil with you, most museums won't let you use ink.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Everything I need & Everything I don't
What does a watercolor artist really need? And what can be lived without?
I've been meaning to write about this for a while, but all the year-end blog posts about Christmas wishlists, presents, new supplies and shopping sprees really got me thinking about it again.
When I first starte painting (in '06, I think) I had one set of watercolor Yarka St. Petersburg paints, and most of them were moldy. I also had a few tubes of Grumbacher Academy I'd bought on a whim when a local discount store went out of business. I had drugstore 'watercolor paper', and an old copy of a Reader's Digest book about Watercolor painting. That was it. And all of it was over ten years old.
So...when I started in earnest, learned to draw a bit and started painting a couple of times a week, I started buying supplies. And oh, did I buy supplies. Worse, I bought supplies with no real clue what I needed or what I would use them for. I saw pretty colors and cool packaging and gorgeous artwork on the wrapping, and thought "Yes! I want to try those!"
I knew not about fugitive pigments. I knew nothing about limited palettes. I had no clue how to mix colors; whenever I tried I got a muddy mess. So I compensated by buying tube colors that didn't need to be mixed.
Well, I've learned a lot since then. And everytime I learned something wasn't permanent or was inappropriate for my project, I bought something new. I mixed up the new and the old and filled several boxes with "essential" supplies. And spent a LOT of money overall, too.
Now...let me digress for a moment. I loved to read the forums and blogs and visit artist's sites. I love to see the work they do, and fell in lust with the idea of a travelling sketchkit. I quickly put one together, using cheapie stuff I could leave in the car without being paranoid about what might happen to it. I bought an old, beat-up Italian leather handbag at a flea market, and happily filled it with cheapie colored pencils and some of those old tubes of paint. I carried it around in my car for over a year, and only opened it twice. I finally realized that when I lifted the flap and saw those sub-par materials, my enthusiasm fell through the floorboards. So, I refilled the bag with better stuff.
To figure out what I needed/should bring, I posted my intentions to a forum full of other artists, and asked them for suggestions. I also sat on my living room sofa and worked on a small painting, and made a list of every item I used as I used it. If I needed a ruler, I wrote it down. If I needed it again later, I made a mark next to it, so when I read through my list later I knew what I used most often. And that's what I packed into it. Finally, I bought a spare of every item, and put them into the bag so that I wouldn't be risking my one-and-only of anything. And, I wouldn't have to go out to my car and dig through my bag looking for something inside. In some cases, I bought cheaper versions of my best stuff, so that if the bag were stolen or got left behind I wouldn't be losing mega bucks.
Somewhere in the midst of all this, I signed up for a watercolor class. I'd never taken one before, but when I read through the supply list I was sure I had everything I needed in my bag except paper. So the day of the class I grabbed two full sheets of Arches paper, several sheets of tracing paper, and my newly refilled ol' sketching kit.
When I arrived, I chose a table in the back of the room, dumped my stuff and went meandering around to meet people and see what was going on. I was excited, and couldn't wait to see what great things I'd learn.
Excitement and enthusiasm turned into fear when I saw all the gear other people were bringing in. One woman wheeled in three big totes on a special cart. Another, older, woman opened a file box and began arranging about three hundred tubes of paint. She laid them all out by color and size and transparency and permanence and brand name. I watched a man set up a full-size easel and bring out a wooden chest that was brimming with expensive stuff. He had markers and paints and colored pencils and pastels and pigments in little jars. Altogether, my classmates probably had enough stuff to represent a full third of Cheap Joes' current catalog. Yikes! I suddenly felt very underdressed.
By then I was filled with doubt. How could I just show up with my little bag and two full sheets? What was I thinking? I swear I was one minute away from just walking out when the class started.
But, about half-an-hour into the class, something incredible started happening. First, the woman on my left needed a sheet of tracing paper. No problem...I gave her one of mine. I also cut one of my full sheets of Arches into quarters to give some to the lady who owned an art gallery. I gave another quarter away an hour later to a woman who was trying to paint on printer paper.
The class lasted all day; and in that time nearly every item I brought was needed by somebody. Which left me wondering just what was in all those totes, chests, backpacks, and boxes? How could these intelligent, educated, creative, and upstanding people be so laden and yet so unprepared? At the very end, as everyone was showing their finished works, even the instructor needed to borrow my ruler.
I left feeling pretty smug. But that feeling changed when I got home and took a long look at my creative spaces. I realized that while my little field kit may have had everything I needed plus, I was still just as overly supplied at home as everyone else had been at class. I had some of everything. And I had some things in doubles and triplicates; usually because I'd either forgotten I bought them the first time, or lost them and needed to buy another.
...to be continued...
I've been meaning to write about this for a while, but all the year-end blog posts about Christmas wishlists, presents, new supplies and shopping sprees really got me thinking about it again.
When I first starte painting (in '06, I think) I had one set of watercolor Yarka St. Petersburg paints, and most of them were moldy. I also had a few tubes of Grumbacher Academy I'd bought on a whim when a local discount store went out of business. I had drugstore 'watercolor paper', and an old copy of a Reader's Digest book about Watercolor painting. That was it. And all of it was over ten years old.
So...when I started in earnest, learned to draw a bit and started painting a couple of times a week, I started buying supplies. And oh, did I buy supplies. Worse, I bought supplies with no real clue what I needed or what I would use them for. I saw pretty colors and cool packaging and gorgeous artwork on the wrapping, and thought "Yes! I want to try those!"
I knew not about fugitive pigments. I knew nothing about limited palettes. I had no clue how to mix colors; whenever I tried I got a muddy mess. So I compensated by buying tube colors that didn't need to be mixed.
Well, I've learned a lot since then. And everytime I learned something wasn't permanent or was inappropriate for my project, I bought something new. I mixed up the new and the old and filled several boxes with "essential" supplies. And spent a LOT of money overall, too.
Now...let me digress for a moment. I loved to read the forums and blogs and visit artist's sites. I love to see the work they do, and fell in lust with the idea of a travelling sketchkit. I quickly put one together, using cheapie stuff I could leave in the car without being paranoid about what might happen to it. I bought an old, beat-up Italian leather handbag at a flea market, and happily filled it with cheapie colored pencils and some of those old tubes of paint. I carried it around in my car for over a year, and only opened it twice. I finally realized that when I lifted the flap and saw those sub-par materials, my enthusiasm fell through the floorboards. So, I refilled the bag with better stuff.
To figure out what I needed/should bring, I posted my intentions to a forum full of other artists, and asked them for suggestions. I also sat on my living room sofa and worked on a small painting, and made a list of every item I used as I used it. If I needed a ruler, I wrote it down. If I needed it again later, I made a mark next to it, so when I read through my list later I knew what I used most often. And that's what I packed into it. Finally, I bought a spare of every item, and put them into the bag so that I wouldn't be risking my one-and-only of anything. And, I wouldn't have to go out to my car and dig through my bag looking for something inside. In some cases, I bought cheaper versions of my best stuff, so that if the bag were stolen or got left behind I wouldn't be losing mega bucks.
Somewhere in the midst of all this, I signed up for a watercolor class. I'd never taken one before, but when I read through the supply list I was sure I had everything I needed in my bag except paper. So the day of the class I grabbed two full sheets of Arches paper, several sheets of tracing paper, and my newly refilled ol' sketching kit.
When I arrived, I chose a table in the back of the room, dumped my stuff and went meandering around to meet people and see what was going on. I was excited, and couldn't wait to see what great things I'd learn.
Excitement and enthusiasm turned into fear when I saw all the gear other people were bringing in. One woman wheeled in three big totes on a special cart. Another, older, woman opened a file box and began arranging about three hundred tubes of paint. She laid them all out by color and size and transparency and permanence and brand name. I watched a man set up a full-size easel and bring out a wooden chest that was brimming with expensive stuff. He had markers and paints and colored pencils and pastels and pigments in little jars. Altogether, my classmates probably had enough stuff to represent a full third of Cheap Joes' current catalog. Yikes! I suddenly felt very underdressed.
By then I was filled with doubt. How could I just show up with my little bag and two full sheets? What was I thinking? I swear I was one minute away from just walking out when the class started.
But, about half-an-hour into the class, something incredible started happening. First, the woman on my left needed a sheet of tracing paper. No problem...I gave her one of mine. I also cut one of my full sheets of Arches into quarters to give some to the lady who owned an art gallery. I gave another quarter away an hour later to a woman who was trying to paint on printer paper.
The class lasted all day; and in that time nearly every item I brought was needed by somebody. Which left me wondering just what was in all those totes, chests, backpacks, and boxes? How could these intelligent, educated, creative, and upstanding people be so laden and yet so unprepared? At the very end, as everyone was showing their finished works, even the instructor needed to borrow my ruler.
I left feeling pretty smug. But that feeling changed when I got home and took a long look at my creative spaces. I realized that while my little field kit may have had everything I needed plus, I was still just as overly supplied at home as everyone else had been at class. I had some of everything. And I had some things in doubles and triplicates; usually because I'd either forgotten I bought them the first time, or lost them and needed to buy another.
...to be continued...
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
All I want for Christmas
I've decided I want some good markers and a nice calligraphy pen.... Now to just figure out what brands and types, exactly.
Here's what I'm looking at, so far:
http://www.dickblick.com/products/prismacolor-premier-illustration-marker-sets/
http://www.dickblick.com/products/koh-i-noor-nexus-studio-pens/
Here's what I'm looking at, so far:
http://www.dickblick.com/products/prismacolor-premier-illustration-marker-sets/
http://www.dickblick.com/products/koh-i-noor-nexus-studio-pens/
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
More Interesting Reading
Friday, December 18, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
While I'm at it; here's some more
Here's my last finished painting. I don't like it very well, as the values are waaay off. The air space was supposed to be light blue, but as I was painting it in a glob of magenta pigment got caught up in my brush. As I dragged it across the paper, it actually scratched the paper, and of course, it's staining, too. I tried to scrub it away, but that just made it worse. Finally, I washed the whole area with a mix of the magenta and peacock blue, which made it darker. It would've been okay if it had been a bit moodier, but as it is it appears flat and lifeless to me. I hope to revisit the subject, but I didn't save a seperate drawing so would have to begin all over again. Maybe it will happen, maybe not.
And, here's the unfinished drawings on the front page of my latest sketch journal. This will be the cover and the inside flap.
Better late than never, right?
Friday, December 11, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Andrew Loomis
I have several of Andrew Loomis' books as .pdf files I downloaded; and one more that I bought on eBay. When I read through them, his methods make sense. His drawing technique seems to flow from one step to the next in a logical, useable fashion.
Until I try it. Then, I just can't seem to wrap my head around the various parts of a head and where they go. I'm especially lost when I'm working with a photograph I want to copy, and trying to build it using his methods. The model's face never matches the proportions of the ball, and I get completely confused. The eyebrow line seems too high or too low; the space for the nose seems wrong, the lips don't appear to be where he says they should be.
I'm off to work on it some more this evening, as I'd really love to learn to make it work for me. I don't want to spend my life just copying photos; I want to be able to draw from life and from imagination and I don't want to spend hours on each subject. But I want to be able to do it in realistic style, not turning the model into some caricature or modelling distorted features. :(
Also...I really don't like that so many artists idealize human forms by making them taller or longer-legged or wider. I see slenderized feet and tenderized curves and mechanized muscles...and kinda shudder. I'm more interested in depicting reality realistically. I'll save the heroes and the impossibly endowed for the day I take up cartooning.
Meanwhile, I spend more time fighting with Explorer than I do reading or anything else. I have to restart every page over and over and over every session. I open one too many tabs or try to navigate to another page or open a document...and the whole thing crashes so I have to restart it all. :( And the "restore last session" is a joke. If the last session crashed it, it will attempt to restore it errors and all. :(
I feel like kicking it out and reinstalling the older version. And I would, too, if I wasn't so darn convinced that it would just automatically update itself again. :(
Until I try it. Then, I just can't seem to wrap my head around the various parts of a head and where they go. I'm especially lost when I'm working with a photograph I want to copy, and trying to build it using his methods. The model's face never matches the proportions of the ball, and I get completely confused. The eyebrow line seems too high or too low; the space for the nose seems wrong, the lips don't appear to be where he says they should be.
I'm off to work on it some more this evening, as I'd really love to learn to make it work for me. I don't want to spend my life just copying photos; I want to be able to draw from life and from imagination and I don't want to spend hours on each subject. But I want to be able to do it in realistic style, not turning the model into some caricature or modelling distorted features. :(
Also...I really don't like that so many artists idealize human forms by making them taller or longer-legged or wider. I see slenderized feet and tenderized curves and mechanized muscles...and kinda shudder. I'm more interested in depicting reality realistically. I'll save the heroes and the impossibly endowed for the day I take up cartooning.
Meanwhile, I spend more time fighting with Explorer than I do reading or anything else. I have to restart every page over and over and over every session. I open one too many tabs or try to navigate to another page or open a document...and the whole thing crashes so I have to restart it all. :( And the "restore last session" is a joke. If the last session crashed it, it will attempt to restore it errors and all. :(
I feel like kicking it out and reinstalling the older version. And I would, too, if I wasn't so darn convinced that it would just automatically update itself again. :(
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
A Common Place Book
I spent most of my day trying to rescue some old copies of Artist's Magazine. I've had these things since the 90's and have done my best to keep them in good condition because there's so much good information and so many beautiful works and talented artists represented.
But...over the years they've really deteriorated. And, one of our cats peed on the whole stack once, so many of them were ruined and all of them smelled. I packed the salvageable ones in a bag with some baking soda and left them for a while. But I kept trying to think of a way to rescue what was left.
So, today I took a 3-ring binder and started making my version of a "Common Place Book". I've taken apart several of the magazines, saved what I thought was worth saving, and dumped the rest. I either punched the pages directly and inserted them in the binder, or took the relevant parts and pieces and glued them to copy paper, then inserted both layers as one page. In some cases I just clipped out a favorite piece of art and glued it over the ads on other pages.
It's not a work of art. It's not going to become a fancy journal someone will want to read and sift through. But, it will preserve stuff for a while longer that I've found useful or inspirational, and that's the point.
The scanner is on the blink, and I still haven't gotten around to taking any photos. :( I intend to; but life just keeps happening and before I know it the day is done and I'm just not in any mood to fiddle with it any more.
But...over the years they've really deteriorated. And, one of our cats peed on the whole stack once, so many of them were ruined and all of them smelled. I packed the salvageable ones in a bag with some baking soda and left them for a while. But I kept trying to think of a way to rescue what was left.
So, today I took a 3-ring binder and started making my version of a "Common Place Book". I've taken apart several of the magazines, saved what I thought was worth saving, and dumped the rest. I either punched the pages directly and inserted them in the binder, or took the relevant parts and pieces and glued them to copy paper, then inserted both layers as one page. In some cases I just clipped out a favorite piece of art and glued it over the ads on other pages.
It's not a work of art. It's not going to become a fancy journal someone will want to read and sift through. But, it will preserve stuff for a while longer that I've found useful or inspirational, and that's the point.
The scanner is on the blink, and I still haven't gotten around to taking any photos. :( I intend to; but life just keeps happening and before I know it the day is done and I'm just not in any mood to fiddle with it any more.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Commonplace-book. Formerly Book of common places. orig. A book in which 'commonplaces' or passages important for reference were collected, usually under general heads; hence, a book in which one records passages or matters to be especially remembered or referred to, with or without arrangement. First usage recorded: 1578.Oxford English Dictionary:
http://www.diyplanner.com/docs/commonplace1
http://diyplanner.com/docs/commonplace2
Monday, December 7, 2009
Celtic Knots
I hope to learn to draw celtic knots. I love seeing them used for borders, page breaks and design elements. And I've seen a few outstanding examples of them used as elements in art works. Here's a few links I hope to visit often:
http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/knots/index.htm
http://www.thinkythings.org/knotwork/knotwork.html
http://www.wallace.net/knots/howto/
http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/knots/index.htm
http://www.thinkythings.org/knotwork/knotwork.html
http://www.wallace.net/knots/howto/
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Freebie Images:
http://hubpages.com/hub/Christmas-images
http://picasaweb.google.dk/silmara.marian
http://picasaweb.google.com/rigedyk
http://s29.photobucket.com/albums/c251/Kazren25/
http://picasaweb.google.com/brendageneral
http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d130/Craftypixiedust/
http://s143.photobucket.com/albums/r125/madjara/SHEETS/
http://s116.photobucket.com/albums/o29/majse/
http://picasaweb.google.com/heljellens/3dSpecificAges#
http://www.freecraftstuff.co.uk/
http://digital-inkco.com/
http://digital-inkcochallenge.blogspot.com/
http://creationsbyjj.com/Forum/
http://hubpages.com/hub/Christmas-images
http://picasaweb.google.dk/silmara.marian
http://picasaweb.google.com/rigedyk
http://s29.photobucket.com/albums/c251/Kazren25/
http://picasaweb.google.com/brendageneral
http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d130/Craftypixiedust/
http://s143.photobucket.com/albums/r125/madjara/SHEETS/
http://s116.photobucket.com/albums/o29/majse/
http://picasaweb.google.com/heljellens/3dSpecificAges#
http://www.freecraftstuff.co.uk/
http://digital-inkco.com/
http://digital-inkcochallenge.blogspot.com/
http://creationsbyjj.com/Forum/
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Ugh! Was busy all day
I had to drive into town today, and didn't get back 'till almost 6pm. So, no pictures, no painting, no journaling...but, I did buy some supplies. Nothing special, just some more drawing paper and cheap-o markers for my little journals, and some stuff to help organize my space a bit (always needed).
I was too late to bid again on the watercolor boxes, so I lost both auctions. :( Maybe next time.
I did spot some linen thread at the quilting shop that I think might be good for bookbinding. I wasn't sure of the sizes, so I didn't buy any. But I plan to go back to pick up some of the 30/3 (medium) stuff. It's a real pretty grey-brown color that I think will look terrific against watercolor paper.
I was too late to bid again on the watercolor boxes, so I lost both auctions. :( Maybe next time.
I did spot some linen thread at the quilting shop that I think might be good for bookbinding. I wasn't sure of the sizes, so I didn't buy any. But I plan to go back to pick up some of the 30/3 (medium) stuff. It's a real pretty grey-brown color that I think will look terrific against watercolor paper.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
It's all cleaned up!
But, I managed to get the whole box cleaned up, and didn't even destroy the little paper insert that told what colors were originally in it. It looks good, and now I just need to take some pictures and decide what eight colors I'll use to fill it for the first time. That's the hard part, but also a lot of the fun. :)
Here are the "before" pictures that were on the auction listing.
Monday, November 30, 2009
My new watercolor box arrived.
Well, new to me. As I said earlier, it's ancient. I bought it on eBay and it's a bit beat up.
The ceramic half-pans are still caked with ancient paint; so caked that even after a couple of hours of soaking in warm water they're still not coming loose.
The lid closes real well, and the five little bowls inside are all in great shape.
I hope to win more of these in the future, as I just love working with them. I probably should've taken some "before" pictures to show what it looked like; but I will for sure take some after I have it all cleaned up. It looks like it good use a good coating of Rustoleum, but I'll know for sure once I get all the old paint and grunge off.
Overall, I'm happy with it...and I guess that's what counts. :)
The ceramic half-pans are still caked with ancient paint; so caked that even after a couple of hours of soaking in warm water they're still not coming loose.
The lid closes real well, and the five little bowls inside are all in great shape.
I hope to win more of these in the future, as I just love working with them. I probably should've taken some "before" pictures to show what it looked like; but I will for sure take some after I have it all cleaned up. It looks like it good use a good coating of Rustoleum, but I'll know for sure once I get all the old paint and grunge off.
Overall, I'm happy with it...and I guess that's what counts. :)
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