Now I’m thinking several different length strips the same width, with different faces, might be a sort of cool art piece. I’ll have to think about this.
Sat Jan 6 another face bookmark :)
Category: Uncategorized
Fri Jan 5 2018… bookmark (pen and marker face)
Just a quick sketch tonight. Still starting with other people’s ideas, but I did give it my own twist.
Thurs, Dec 4, 2018… Celtic circles
So my post-one-a-day plan hasn’t bled over into 2018 … but I am still trying to do something creative each day. I worked on this yesterday and today. The coolest thing about it is the shiny gold ink!! I don’t know if you can really see how shiny it is… I used Dr. Ph. Martin’s Iridescent Ink: Copperplate Gold. (and Qor watercolor paint, in my inktober drawing pad, 90 lb smooth paper)
I purchased this ink in APRIL and have only used it TWICE now. I do really like it, though, and hope to make myself use it more frequently. I used a thin brush and it worked great, was easy to use, and no trouble with the clean up. (a calligraphy nib would work, too)
I was trying to create a Celtic circle like PearFleur does in this video… in fact, that is why I originally purchased this ink! (She is a favorite of mine… go check out some of her stuff on youtube!) (Remember the Secret of Kells movie from 2009? Beautiful!) I also used the Molotow Liquid Chrome Marker I purchased a month or two ago in an ArtSnacks subscription box. This thing draws a mirror-like silver finish… it’s super cool, but honestly I think I like the Martin’s ink better, although a pen/marker is more convenient. I have the 1mm marker, very useful… but there are larger nibs that might be nice to have. I never would have purchased this on my own, but I’m glad to have it now.
Happy new year!!!
Day 365 (Sun Dec 31) watercolor faces, Qor vs White Nights?
I used kelogsloops again from youtube for these practice entries. I haven’t done faces and admire them but don’t really know how? These are from entries in his watercolor journal… you can find him on youtube and see his originals, which are much nicer. I stayed fairly true with the first one and took quite a few liberties with the second, but it is still very definitely his design, face, and hair. These are quite fun and I’m hoping in 2018 to be able to design my own. The first (blue) used Qor paints, the second (red) used White Nights. I enjoyed both, the Qor kept more vibrancy as they dried. Drying lighter is normal for watercolors, so not a weakness in the White Nights, but an unusual attribute I think of Qor and Daniel Smith.
My last entry for 2017!! I wish I had been able to do something EVERY day, and not missed so many days the last quarter, but I really learned a lot this year and consider my project a success, even though I missed some days. (And I’m so happy that I ended on 365!! I expected my count to be off!) Many days I invested HOURS, not moments, so maybe it kind of evens out. There’s no way I could have painted these faces last Christmas, even copying someone. I didn’t even know I enjoyed watercolor. I have a lot of favorite pieces from this year… even a bunch of things I DIDN’T COPY from someone else’s idea, but created myself, so YAY ME. And I’m figuring out my “style”, which is cool. I expect to continue my project into 2018. If there are things you’d like me to try, or supplies you’d like to see tested, let me know. And happy new year… 2017 was good, and 2018 will be better. There’s a lot to look forward to… Stuff we don’t even know about yet. Exciting things are coming our way!!
Day 364 (Sat Dec 30) WATERCOLOR. Finally.
NOT. MY. IDEA. I am totally COPYING this image from this youtube video, which you should check out, kelogsloops 2017 watercolor sketchbook tour. His stuff is really nice. I wish I could come up with incredible ideas of my own, even without all of the skill of the people I follow… maybe over time, but can you really teach an old dog new tricks like that?? Anyway, his original is better, but I’m happy with my attempt.
For this I used my Khadi sketchbook (found here) It is almost $13 plus about $6 shipping, and the photo shows a green paper cover, but mine came with NO cover, just papers sewn together. One edge is rough cut, which is very attractive, and the paper is high quality… made from cotton rags, very textured, kind of a strange book but I have really enjoyed it and get compliments on its unique nature. I used my new leningrad white nights watercolor paints… that I have mentioned in the last several blog entries. They worked fine, pretty much like any other paint, I think? I’m not jumping up and down screaming YOU MUST HAVE THESE, but I do like them and will use them… as I mentioned before, they have a smaller set very suitable to someone starting out and very affordable compared to other student sets (and these are professional grade paints)…this 12 color set with box (my set doesn’t have a palette box) At $28 for 12 FULL pans, not half pans, it’s a good start, I think, with quality paints.
I’m really beginning to believe, after testing so many brands this year, that it comes down to using any (professional quality) brand paints you love using. They all have different qualities, and if something about them stirs something in you, use them!! Just paint. I highly recommend looking through Jane Blundell’s blog. She reviews all types of paints, and even suggests 12 color palettes for most, so you can start with as few as possible, but a SMART few. I’ve heard several other artists say paint with whatever professional brand you want to try.
In the end, as much as I enjoy EVERY paint I’ve tried this year, I suspect I prefer my Daniel Smith paints, and a few of the Qor colors that I love thrown in. Daniel Smith and Qor can be an expensive way to begin, but you really only need 6-8 paints to start, and this Daniel Smith introductory set at $31 for the 6 tubes isn’t bad at all. You’ll want a palette box and pan, however, and it can still get costly. The problem with Daniel Smiths… there’s always another color you can add!!! It never stops at 6. And 6 is really fine. 12 for SURE. With these paints you can try this meeden palette box with 6 full pans… so you really won’t be tempted to add more until later!! I like this box a lot and you can get 12 half pans if you prefer. There are so many palette box choices.Honbay 12-color watercolor tin looks to me just like the meeden tin, but at $2 less! It is new so has few reviews, but all are good. Doesn’t offer the choice of pan size… it comes with half pans. I haven’t tried it myself but for $9 with pans it seems like a decent buy. I will do an updated palette box blog sometime… I have tried PLENTY and have lots of favorites. But really… anything works. A dollar tree tin will hold your paints and a white ceramic plate works great as a palette.
One more 2017 post!!!!
Day 363 (Fri Dec 29) Snail Mail?
So… I basically did nothing today. That’s me drenched in purple and rainbows, under the FUN sign, hooves on the wheel:
Okay NO, I am not really a fluffy purple unicorn. Usually. But today was spent doing that, and other FUN things, because life should be made of more moments like this… and then I spent 15 minutes on this:
Which is technically art. And look at those little decorated letters… swap-bot worthy.
I can’t believe I only have 2 days left on my project!! And I can’t believe how far I got! And I can’t believe how much time I lost in December! A habit disappears so quickly. Lesson learned, I hope. It takes dedication and commitment to keep doing something when life intervenes and it becomes inconvenient to continue. It is all too easy to fall OUT of a habit, even one you like. But also, maybe a day off now and then isn’t such a bad idea.
My friend’s friend translated that Russian paint box I talked about yesterday and Wednesday. The St Petersburg White Nights. Basically, it is the name and address of the paints and paint company, and also says if there’s anything wrong with it to contact the company and give them the batch number. (As ridiculous as I know it is, it is still a load off my mind… no scary Russian warnings. It must be nice to know several languages, hmm?) Thank you, friend’s friend! And friend!
Off to bed to dream about the last two posts for 2017!!
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Day 362 (Thurs Dec 28) more on White Nights
A friend from Swap-bot has told me she might be able to translate the Russian paint insert I mentioned yesterday here in my blog. 🙂
Today instead of real ART, I did a little more research on the White Nights paints, and swatched them out. I found this page on Jane Blundell’s blog dedicated to her test of these paints, and it was very helpful. She also posted a link to this photo:
which gives me the company’s paint info… telling us which are lightfast and which are “fugitive” paints. As you can see, most of the colors have ***, meaning they are rated very ‘lightfast’. The square tells us whether the color is opaque ope transparent. The chart gives us the pigment colors, so we can compare the colors to other brands… and also see which are single pigment colors. (Artists often prefer single pigment colors for clearer mixing results when they paint.)
Jane Blundell suggested which colors she would include in a twelve color palette. I separated those in my palette, and ordered a couple more individual pans (between $2.50 and $3.50 each for the full pans on Amazon!) to complete the palette. I removed four fugitive or or possibly fugitive colors. (Why worry about using them??) Violet (sad to see that one go… but I’ve seen purple fade to pink and that’s sad, too), Green, Scarlet, and Yellow Ochre. Green and yellow ochre aren’t actually fugitive, but don’t have the *** rating, so I think I’ll use other colors instead.
Here is the White Nights Plein Air Set, if you want a smaller set. They do stay nice and bright after they dry, and are a great price for someone just starting out, I think, and seem to be much higher quality than other “starter” sets, (Cotman, Prima, etc), but I can’t imagine anything will top Daniel Smith or Qor to me. I’m looking forward to playing with them soon. At $25 for 12 full pans of color… seems like a steal, and I would easily recommend them to someone just wanting to try them out, or looking for a starter set.
Here’s my palette… I’ve left spots for the ones which will arrive in a week or two. The section outlined in blue holds the main colors I’ll use. I may end up removing the others, the top row, first 8, but I want to wait and try them a bit. Also, I’m torn between Golden, which gets **, and cadmium orange at ***.
Day 361 (Wed Dec 27) Anyone able to read Russian??
After months of considering, and subsequently rejecting, these Leningrad (St Petersburg) White Nights watercolor paints I have finally succumbed to their lure… They came without a palette box, but in full pans ( both full sized and TRULY full to the top pans) and I have to admit I’m finding them interesting. I was just playing around with a quick sketch with a broken sharpie marker, but now I’m thinking I need to put a little more effort into testing them. They are really bright and vivid and creamy.
(really vivid even dry)
They actually were shipped to me from St Petersburg, Russia, which surprised me, and they arrived two weeks earlier than I’d been told. At $41 for 24 full pans, these may be better than a lot of the marketed beginners sets I’ve seen (and tried). No box to store them in, it’s true. I did see other sets with an English cover instead of Russian saying they are the same type, with a plastic palette box, but I don’t know if they are. However… I do have a tin I found for a dollar that will fit them nicely, if I put magnets on them, so you really don’t have to spend a lot on a palette box unless you want to.
What else have I noticed about them? They rewet very quickly, they are moist and easy to use, they lift off easily (the colors I’ve tried)… they flow nicely. I’m still pretty committed to Daniel Smith and Qor… but these are much nicer than I was expecting them to be. The description claims they are artist quality, single pigment paints, still made the way they originally were, using traditional materials and techniques dating back centuries. Also says they contain gum arabic and honey, and are lightfast.
A quick messy sketch just throwing paint on… bold unexpected colors.
Anyone want to translate the Russian on the paper in the box (first photo) for me??
Day 358 (sun dec 24) Merry Christmas-(Eve)!
Day 357 (?) (Sat Dec 23) colored pencil Christmas
I HAVE been doing art, (some), but having trouble posting! Apologies for the posting gap!
I haven’t thought I liked colored pencil at all, but I really do enjoy using my caran d’ache set. They are watercolor pencils, but I don’t always add water.
I didn’t realize I’d smeared pink across the page and wondered why the lighting was causing the edges to appear so pink. After taking several shots I finally realized they ARE pink in the bottom right hand corner!
…WERE pink. It erased easily with a white eraser. I used my caran d’ache museum aquarelle watercolor pencils. I’ve linked the marine set here, because it was the best price currently at $57 for the set of 20, but I actually think I have the landscape set. (landscape was $60 right now) I’ve checked a few other sites, and this price at Amazon is the best I could find right now. You can also start with this set of 12 for $40, if you prefer. (I’d just as soon spend another 20 and get a larger set.)
I don’t know if I really even NEED 20 pencils… but I love these so much I still kind of feel like I need the marine and basic sets TOO. 🙂 (I should have asked Santa!!!) Even though I imagine I might only really use ten colors. I don’t want to spend a hundred bucks on them though!!!
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