Art related paraphernalia

There are many ways with which we can fuel our interest in painting. Like many hobbies, you can find a number of various paraphernalia related to watercolour. I have too many tubes of paint and paint brushes, so I've been looking at gadgets. Here are a few that I have found online:

Cell phone cases (my latest purchase)

Pendants

Mouse pads

Pens that look like brushes

I live in the country. Do you think I should get one of these for my garden?

 

There are also numerous key chains, t-shirts related to art that you can find in so many areas.

And then you can convert your watercolour paintings onto t-shirts, pillow cases, cushions leggings, coffee mugs, mouse pads, fridge magnets, tote bags, caps in addition to the obvious cards and prints.  You'll be amazed by the number of online companies that offer this type of service.

What cool paraphernalia have you discovered? 

This week's art find is Krzysztof Espero Kowalski

 

Have a great week,

Danielle

The Annotated Mona Lisa - Book Review

Anyone interested to learn more about painting and sculpture, to increase your understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of art? One way to do so is to study its history, both to discover relatively unknown works and to deepen your knowledge of works already familiar. Your library or online book store contains thousands of books on art history. I selected a book entitled “The Annotated Mona Lisa – A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to Post Modern” by Carol Strickland, after listening to a podcast early last Fall.

This book is written for a wide audience. Even Forbes magazine book club urges "the world's business leaders" to read The Annotated Mona Lisa, and be "smart about art." This very illustrated book has been in print since 2007.

Although I only started painting a few years ago, I have always enjoyed observing art in galleries and museums in any country I visit, but due to my understanding of its history, technique, and culture, I have been limited from fully appreciating art. The Annotated Mona Lisa gives an excellent overview of art history of the Western world from Pre-Classical to Postmodern. The author takes us era by era, key artist by key artist, introducing the historical events that caused shifts in technique and expression, and providing brief biographies of the most notable artists.

The book does not go into extensive detail about any of the artists or movements, but provides a great base for anyone interested in learning more about art history in general. The level of detail was perfect for me.

I must admit to have taken some time in reading this book, compared to many other art books. I was never an avid reader of any type of history. However, after having read "The Annotated Mona Lisa" I feel that I better understand paintings, painters, and the historical backgrounds that shaped them all. At least now when I hear words like futurism, neoclassicism or fauvism, I have some general idea on what they refer to.

Do you have a favorite art history book?

This week's art find is 19th century's  Winslow Homer. He was perhaps the most important watercolorist of the 19th century.  He was also largely self-taught painter who embraced watercolour.

Have a great week,
Danielle

Dilemna of black - to mix or not to mix

The topic of whether to use black out of the tube or to mix your black always makes for an interesting discussion with watercolorists.

In the past months, I painted a few 16" X 20" paintings of apple blossoms with black backgrounds. This was after practicing on smaller paintings.  Black backgrounds on larger paintings are definitely more of a struggle for me, especially getting it to look unform across the painting.

It would be so easy if we could reach for a tube of black and be done with it. However, for blacks that have more life and colour in them, mixing them is the solution.  There are a number of options for creating blacks, some of my favorites include

• Alizarin Crimson and Winsor Blue
• Alizarin Crimson and Winsor Green

Because these pigments are transparent, you get radiant blacks. Typically, one would vary the mix so that it is cooler in part of the mix and warmer in another area giving more life to the painting. This is where tubes cannot compete, they look flat because there is no variation.

I've read about it and tried mixing three colours, but my mixes didn't appear as clean.  What's your experience?

It's one thing to mix the right colours, it's another to get the beautiful effect you desire on the paper. Here are a few tips when painting large surfaces of black:

• for strong a dark, use plenty of pigment and very little water.  However, too little water will provide a blotchy appearance.
• to create uniform black for the entire surface, mix the paint and water well. Any variation in paint thickness will show once the paint is dry
• don’t wash or dip your brush in water between applications as this only dilutes the mixture and will create irregular blacks.
• make sure you have plenty of paint squeezed out – you won’t be able to mix strong darks with minute amounts of paint on your palette
• wet on dry works best (at least for me) on large backgrounds
• plan on applying at least two coats of black

For those that have a water well and water conditioner, you may run into an unusual situation. The salt in the water from the conditioner, that doesn't usually make a difference, may manifest itself in the form of light white streaks over the black.  In my case, when I tried to even these out with more water, even purified water, I ended up making the problem worse.

If you do use black out of the tube, you might want to try different brands since not blacks are create equal. They each have different properties of granulation and staining and transparency, and significantly different hues, that is quite a range of things to shun! If you do experiment with tube blacks, you may want to try adding a bit of Ultramarine Blue or Alizarin Crimson to them to give it is some warmth or coolness.

What are your tips for creating unified vibrant black backgrounds?

Today's art find if Véronique Piaser-Moyen:

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Have a great week
Danielle

Various free online resources

Isn't it crazy the amount and variety of resources we can get for free on the Internet to support our watercolour hobby? Today, I thought I'd go through a few of my favorites. I'm hoping some of you will contribute to this list - add to comment section below and I'll add to the content of this blog

Issuu: this is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. You can enjoy unlimited access to magazines, catalogs and more from wherever you are, whenever you like, at no cost. Stack collections of your favorite magazines and share them across social networks. http://issuu.com/search?q=watercolour
 
PicMonkey: This online tool (http://www.picmonkey.com/)that you to do basic photo editing without downloading any kind of software. I use it mostly this tool for its "collage" function, which gives users the ability to edit several photos together to make a single larger photo - see this example

You can also create Facebook headers with this tool. 


FaceBook:  Well I'm sure this resource is not new to anyone. So here are a few of my favourite groups I follow:

• Watercolour Addicts:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/308185455893832/
• Watercolor Critique: https://www.facebook.com/groups/251485618264964/
• Watercolour Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/194665527281541/
• Techniques Aquarelles: https://www.facebook.com/groups/296621697110096/

Informed Collector: this is a free daily e-newsletter by Clint Watson, former owner of the US National Art gallery. This newsletter puts a daily focus on artists that collectors should know about. they also feature art collecting resources, tips and commentary.  http://informedcollector.com/email-newsletter

Art history:  for tidbits about art history, this site is decent: http://arthistoryresources.net/ARTHLinks4.html

To sell your art, there are countless sites (unfortunately, I don't have experience with these sites):

• Fine Art America:  http://fineartamerica.com/
• Etsy:  https://www.etsy.com/ca/?ref=lgo
• Crated:  https://crated.com/
• ArtPal:  http://www.artpal.com/
• ArtsyNet:  https://www.artsy.net/

Misc Art Tips: This site publishes helpful information for both new and professional artists—without any of the vague or confusing “artspeak” common to the art world.   http://emptyeasel.com/

What online resources do you use?

Today's art find is Shi Tao. I love this portrait.

Have a great week,

Danielle 

Increasing number of Art Shows

Is it me or have you also noticed an increase in art shows, including a wave of pop-up galleries in the past couple of years? Maybe it's because once you start noticing them you realize that there are many opportunities for artists to exhibit their work and for art admirers to see art. Could it be that it's just like when you buy a certain make and colour of car, you start seeing more and more of them on the road afterwards?

 

Where I live, the season for art shows starts in the Spring and ends in early December. These shows allow hundreds of artists to show and sell their creations to the art-loving public. Participating in these shows can be exhilarating, terrifying and exhausting, all at the same time.

 

For many, participating in art shows can be a very positive experience as the public compliments your art, buys your art and you get to meet other artists with similar interests. However, I have seen some artists become completely discouraged when they either didn't sell anything or failed to get the attention desired.

 

If you're thinking of exhibiting at an art show, here are a few tips since not all shows are created equal. If you're not in a hurry, take the first year to check out as many shows as possible. Here are a few things to enquire about or observe:

• what is the quality of the art
• how much traffic/visitors are there
• does anyone seem to be buying works of art
• talk to their artists about their experience with the current shows and other shows they have attended
• look at the set ups
• how much publicity is there to attract the public
• find out what you need, e.g., business cards, grids, curtains, etc.
• are the fees reasonable

Take notes and when you are ready, make sure you check out when you have to register for these shows. For many, you might have to register up to six months ahead of the big day.

I enjoy doing a few shows a year.  Feel free to contact me if you have any specific questions.

This weeks art find is Kathy Los Rathburn

Have a wonderful week.
Danielle