Problem No. 1: You want the color but not the texture of a granulating pigment. What to do?
Easy solution: This is so easy I don't know whether to categorize it as an AHA moment or as a big "DUH?" Case in point: Cerulean. It's a great color but I've often wanted a smooth rather than textured application of it. While browsing through the watercolor books at the Monroe County Public Library this week, I came across a solution: Turn the paper face down to dry! This forces the sediment to dry at the surface rather than down in the nooks and crannies of the paper, resulting in much less granulation. How easy is that?
Problem No. 2: You want to indulge in the guilty pleasures of eating chocolate and buying art but, oh, the guilt...
Easy solution: This weekend you can banish the guilt by combining chocolate and art with a good cause, such as Options, which partners with people with disabilities and their communities. Go to http://www.weekofchocolate.com/ and click on the Online Art Auction link to see and bid on some amazing works of art. The Art of Chocolate is this Sunday at the IU Art Museum 5:30 to 8 p.m. Art + Chocolate + Good Cause = Guilt-free Pleasure.
Problem No. 3: You want to travel light at the next paintout or SketchCrawl, but you don't want to shell out the money for one of those nifty field boxes.
Solution: Get a seven-day pillbox and squeeze out some paint in each of the compartments. All you need are a couple of brushes, a sketchbook and a paper cup for your water.
That's it for this Friday. If you have other suggestions for "traveling light" or reducing granulation, click on comments below. Also, please be a blog Follower by clicking on the Follow button at the right.
SketchCrawl #30
To join tomorrow's SketchCrawl, all you need is to grab your art supplies and head out to paint. I don't recommend outdoor painting unless you really love flirting with frostbite, but Bloomington has lots of inconspicuous indoor areas where you can paint or draw. Here are a few possibilities:
- Coffeeshops (Starbucks, The Copper Cup)
- Indiana Memorial Union (lots of beautiful interiors in public spaces; great for people watching, too)
- IU Art Museum (Angles coffee shop or a bench in the atrium)
- College Mall Food Court
- Comfy chair at Barnes & Noble
- Monroe County Public Library (inside looking out perhaps)
Also, consider all the locales on your typical Saturday schedule; you may discover inspiration right in front of you.
What's a SketchCrawl? In short, it's a global sketching marathon with no rules. Anyone can participate. You can draw all day or 10 minutes. You can do the SketchCrawl with friends or go solo. This recurring event was founded six years ago by Enrico Casarosa to encourage community among artists
When you get home, go to www.sketchcrawl.com for instructions on how to post your artwork. You can also browse the works of other artists from around the world.
Honoring Hoosier Women Artists
To celebrate Women's History Month in March, Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman has invited female artists from Indiana to submit images of their original artwork for consideration. The works juried into the exhibit will hang in the Lieutenant Governor's Office for one year.
Go to http://www.in.gov/lg/3106.htm for application requirements. In addition to the required art release form and instructions, the site also has links to previous winners.
You know that feeling you get when you walk into a store and discover that the dress/suit/coffeemaker/whatever that you purchased last month now costs a fraction of what you paid?
That's how I felt when I got an e-mail promotion titled "$11 Bargains for 2011" from North Light Shop.
Three of the twelve advertised books reside happily in my studio bookcase, and although my initial reaction was a kick to self for having paid too much, I decided a healthier approach was to pass on the tip to fellow painters.
Brief reviews
Paint Watercolors that Dance with Light by Elizabeth Kincaid. This is the book that taught me how to create a free, loose background by using Frisket film and fluid to protect the foreground subject. But that is only one of many great techniques. Beautifully illustrated, the 128-page book offers the experienced painter inspiration and tips on composition, color and light while providing the beginner critical information such as the balance of water to pigment, which brush to use for different tasks, and how to transfer a drawing to watercolor paper. The book's suggested retail price was $22.99.
The New Creative Artist by Nita Leland. This 2006 edition updates Leland's 1990 work of a similar title; its art, text and activities could lead any artist out of a creative doldrum. More than 100 activities are organized around eight chapters covering creativity, art and craft, drawing, design, realism, abstraction, experimentation and adventure. I coveted this book a long time before shelling out $29.99, so I'm pretty sure anyone will be really happy to get it for $11.
Finding Your Visual Voice by Dakota Mitchell with Lee Haroun. Not limited to watercolor, this book offers demonstrations, interviews with artists, informative text, questions and exercises to help readers develop their own styles. It, too, can nudge you out of a painter's block. In any case, it will make you think differently about what it is you are doing when you are creating your art. Its original retail price was $29.99
How to order
I couldn't find a direct link to the $11 sale, so here is what I suggest if any of these titles interest you:
Go to http://www.northlightshop.com and type in the item code for any book that you want in the Catalog Quick Order box on the left of the screen.
- Paint Watercolors that Dance with Light: Item # Z2791
- New Creative Artist: Item # 33423
- Finding Your Visual Voice: Item # 33486
For orders less than $25, North Light Shop charges $3 plus 99 cents per item. Shipping is free for orders over $25.
I found this bumper sticker in Preston Arts Center in Louisville, and thought it was a good reminder to support our local economies. The sticker is part of the Louisville Independent Business Alliance's campaign to "preserve the unique community character of the Metro Louisville area by promoting locally owned businesses and to educate citizens on the value of shopping locally." For every $100 spent at a local business, $45 stays in the community, according to LIBA's Web site, whereas, only $15 of every $100 spent at a national chain remains.
Check out http://www.artshow.com. In an e-mail exchange about juried shows, Deborah Rush recommended the site, and I second her opinion. It lists hundreds of art shows, juried exhibits and competitions for artists in chronological order of application deadlines. Links are often provided for prospectuses, and the site allows viewers to search for shows within a geographic region. Plus, this section offers a link to Tips for Entering Competitions . In short, you can get tons of info in one place!
While you're at www.artshow.com, look at the tabs for "art workshops and classes" and "tips, tutorials & resources for artists." The workshop/classes listings are searchable by medium, theme and location, and the tips section offers so much I'm almost hoping for a snow day so I can explore it.
That's it for this Friday, the final one before the semester starts. I'd like to enjoy one last day before the hectic schedule starts, but already the "To Do" list beckons.
