Share This
Blog
City at Dusk – ink & gouache, 5″ x 7″, $50
This one came right after the Country at Dawn (see yesterday’s post).
This comes in a double mat (black inner, white outer) ready for an 8 x 10 frame.
On paper, that was collaged with daily life ephemera on its way to the recycle bin and gessoed prior to painting.
Price includes U.S. shipping/handling
My NEW Favorite Brushes – Princeton Neptune
It’s important for me to use great brushes – as an artist, AND to use cruelty-free brushes – as an animal lover.
There is no compromise AT ALL with these NEPTUNES, they are terrific – load up FAT with WATER and PIGMENT. The rounds come to exquisite points, each brush is soft and amazingly supple and responsive like squirrel brushes but I find them much hardier …believe me, with my gouache paintings I give these brushes a beating every day and all day and they are holding up beautifully. Not to mention, at a FRACTION of the price of real squirrel brushes. The square wash brushes are a gorgeous color, and have aquarelle tips…..I draw into my paintings all the time, so it’s exceptionally handy to have those tips ready to go. As well, on their side they draw exquisite thin lines. The quill mop, well it’s become my most beloved brush – it’s shocking that these are not really traditional squirrel brushes they way they soak up the water and paint. I can’t say enough, just go get yourself one or two or six!
So leave the squirrels to their frolic in the trees, and get yourself a set of Neptunes….You’ll be amazed. And NO this is not a paid advertisement (LOL) – just me, when i love a product i shout it out to the world.
I buy mine at my local art suppy store or online at DickBlick, here’s a link:
Lots more about the art supplies and materials I use here.
I am an affiliate with DickBlick…so if you click the graphic at left, I may end up earning a few pennies for another brush eventually!
Country at Dawn – ink & gouache, 5″ x 7″, $50
A departure for me, a little landscape appeared. And then another…but you’ll see that tomorrow [City at Dusk].
This comes in a double mat (black inner, white outer) ready for an 8 x 10 frame.
On paper, that was collaged with daily life ephemera on its way to the recycle bin and gessoed prior to painting.
Price includes U.S. shipping/handling
My Every Day Art Supplies – gouache, brushes and pen
I’m often asked about my art supplies and I’m just as curious about other artist’s supplies so here are some of mine.
I bought myself a kids set of paints (Reeves, I think), just because i HAD to have that cheery red tin and I’m rather addicted to making new portable watercolor/gouache palettes. I removed the kids paints and wrapped them in a ziploc bag and gave them to my neighbor’s kids who were thilled to receive them. Then came home and filled them with my empty pans, and a few half pans full of artist grade gouache. I used a little ball of poster putty to hold the pans in place.
Left to right:
- titanium white (m graham – best to use only a bit of white at a time and refill)
- lemon yellow (holbein – prob won’t replace as azo is all-purpose yellow)
- azo yello (m graham)
- cad orange (the end of it, will not replace…no more cadmiums for me -m graham)
- napthol red (i like this as well as pyrrol red) (m graham)
- aliz. crimson (m graham)
- phthalo blue (m graham)
- ultramarine blue (m graham) – for some reason M graham ultramarine isn’t dark enough for my taste, so might switch to Schmincke ($$) next.
- burnt sienna (m graham)
- neutral (schimcke)
Bottom row (half pans) – I added these after working with top row awhile….i had them in my box and thought, what the heck, a few new ones keeps ideas fresh.
- golden ochre (schmincke)
- opera (not lightfast but glorious nonetheless, winsor newton)
- quin rose (m graham)
- cad yellow green (holbein – forgot i had it, great color but won’t replace)
- silver and gold (holbein, just wee bits in there due to quick dry/crack, but really awesome fun)
At first i liked that there were no hinges and I held the top lid in my hand, seemed good. Then I tired of that and used my paper tape to hinge them and now i LOVE it. This sits on my coffee table and gets used all day, everytime i take a break from work and need to chill……i paint. This and my india ink and dip pen, and I’m in bliss! As I’ve said in previous Art Tips posts, the M Graham and Schmincke gouaches are the only ones truly rewettable and suitable for palettes such as this, lots of folks use other brands successfully but mostly straight out of the tubes.
I’ve got bigger palettes full of gouache for larger works, but I do 90% of my paintings from this little box.
- 8.5 inches long
- 2 inches wide
If you haven’t already seen it, I also figured out how to make a really EASY TO MAKE pochade box which works for oils or acrylics. Watch the video here.
Click on any thumbnail and you’ll see enlargements and scroll thru them.
Mini Watercolor Kit – 9 half pans in tiny tin box
I put this together after my friend Nancy gave me an empty little tin on our way back from the Camille Pisarro exhibit at the Legion of Honor. Awesome!
I was so surprised that this little tin held 9, count that NINE, half pans. The tin measures a whopping 2-1/4″ square, and 7/8″ tall.
I added the following watercolors (I’m plum out of gouache, and had a few of these already filled!) from top left corner going counter clockwise, my favorite nine:
- azo yellow
- yellow ochre
- napthol red
- alizarin crimson
- ultramarine blue
- phthalo blue
- viridian
- burnt sienna at top
- titanium white in center…..remember, I’m a gouache gal, so i’ve got to have my white.
Bought a new waterbrush, and I tell you I am NOT a fan of waterbrushes, but for a tiny portable set they can’t be beat. I mean, I can paint ANYWHERE…I’ve even sketched while going thru a carwash…they do take awhile after all. LOL.
The notebook is not really great for water, but I just love the size and the metallic holder flap whatever it’s called. Wish an art journal had that feature. I also take my Lamy Safari with me in this set, forgot to photograph it. I am set!
NOTE: I cut out two pieces of cardboard the size of the tin (too deep otherwise) and put those in bottom of tin FIRST, then painted some gel medium on top of that, placed my pans on top of that, and voila, perfection! I’m thinking about painting the outside of the lid white for a better mixing palette, BUT the clear is so cool, I just don’t know yet what I’ll do about that.
Celebration Candles – ink & gouache original, 11 x 15, $160
Ink (india ink with dip pen) and gouache on Arches 140lb cold pressed. These are some candles that are just too pretty to burn, and my brother gave me these beautiful Waterford crystal candlestick holders the last year of his life. Very special needless to say!
This is a quarter of a watercolor sheet, thus, 11 x 15, but it could be framed in 11 x 14 quite easily.
A Time for Everything….A Time to Celebrate!
$160 includes U.S. shipping/handling
Shake it Up – ink & gouache original, 11 x 15, $160
This looks much better than I could photograph it. Ink (india ink with dip pen) and gouache on Arches 140lb cold pressed. The shakers appear whiter than the background and really they are all the same color, there is no paint on the shakers. These are my big every flowing salt and pepper shakers. This is a quarter of a watercolor sheet, thus, 11 x 15, but it could be framed in 11 x 14 quite easily.
A Time for Everything….A Time to Shake It Up!
$160 includes U.S. shipping/handling
Lion – original acrylic painting, 10 x 10, $90
I’ve redone this lion a few times in the past year…..I’m liking him lots now! I LOVE animals, actually, all felines. His eyes are gold shimmery. Oooh!
acrylic on 300lb paper.
$90 includes U.S. shipping/handling
Bearded – ink & gouache portrait, 14 x 11 inches, $160
Another piece I did for upcoming show. I got to choose who’s photograph I wanted to paint, and this Harley Davidson looking dude I found fascinating. I’ll actually meet him when the show happens. Cool beans!
ink & gouache on gessoed paper
$160 includes U.S. shipping/handling
Red Hat – ink & gouache portrait study, on 8 x 10, $25
I am now making a select number of my sketches and studies available for the discriminating and budget-minded art collector. I sew my various small sized drawing and paintings to smooth white cardstock that is cut to 8 x 10 inches for Easy, Effortless framing. Hang a few of these on a wall in a grouping and you’ll have yourself a great starting collection.
$25 includes U.S. shipping/handling
Facebook
Twitter
GooglePlus
RSS
LinkedIn
Email