No Sense of Humor

We went to Jerry's Artarama yesterday and I got a literal handful of items and spent nearly $40!  The nice clerk told me I'd saved $50+ dollars but I didn't stop to debate her.  Just glad I didn't pay what they said was full price!  Jerry's was crowded but that's probably usual for a holiday weekend.  People are off work and want to pursue their hobbies or just relax.  I wanted to play with my new toys too.

Most women don't get holidays off though.  As a matter of fact, my husband asked me this morning if I was going to wash clothes.  He said he was out of underwear.  I said I had just caught up all the laundry and surely he had clean clothes.  He said rather sarcastically that he did wear a pair of underwear a day after all.

My husband usually is very good-natured and funny but scowled and stomped off when I suggested that he cut it back to a pair every other day.

Sometimes even the funniest men just don't have a sense of humor!

Christmas Gift Quandry - What To Give!

Every year it's the same question - what can I give to (you fill in the blank) for Christmas? Of course I'm going to tell you that a gift of original art is always appropriate and it needn't break the bank either. There are some wonderful ACEOs or OSWOAs available that are very reasonably priced for what you receive. They are so reasonable they can even fill the bill for those gift exchanges where the dollar amount is limited! Check e-Bay and Etsy and other online shops and stock up now for the best selection!

And, although it's getting almost too late, a custom portrait of the giftee's favorite pet is truly a gift that will be remembered and treasured for a lifetime. Even if your favorite artist is all booked up and it's too late to commission the portrait itself, a gift certificate is the next best thing.

But, I really think other artists read my blog more so than non-artists - what does an artist want for Christmas? My daughter says I'm impossible to buy for because she feels as if she's in a foreign country when she goes into an art store. She says it's overwhelming and she's afraid she'll get the wrong thing when she goes in. There is that danger, of course, but again, a gift certificate would be a great gift.

But, at least for me, there are easier solutions that don't even involve a trip to the art store! My favorite aisles in WalMart are the stationery aisle and the arts and craft aisle and there are really some great items there that would make super stocking stuffers for the artist.

One thing I always need are those 2-hole pencil sharpeners. Pastel pencils dull the best sharpeners very quickly and I always like to keep several on hand. The sharpeners with 2 holes usually fit any pencil I have. And while we're in the stationery isle, markers are another item I always look at with longing but just don't buy for myself. And pencils! A few plain ole pencils would delight most artists and some mechanical pencils with different sized leads could bring tears of joy!

Moving to the arts and crafts aisle there are craft knives and blades and those rotary cutters are very nice too. There's tracing paper, some specialty art supports (which would be suitable for practice if nothing else), and my WalMart carries some brand name art items like Prismacolor in limited supply. There are also these bags of brushes for just a couple of dollars and I like them for applying masking fluid or just having around for the youngest grandkids to use. There are lots of acid free, lignon free papers for scrapbooking that work great for collage too.

And if you look around the store, you'll find many other items - for instance, I use quantities of that lavender colored low-tack tape in the painting aisle and can always use a new roll . Foam brushes and those small foam rollers or refills are great ideas for applying gesso or primers.

These are just a few things that I would definitely like to get and they don't require a trip to the art store nor a second mortgage to buy either!

I'd love to hear more suggestions from those of you who stop by here too. Let's hear some suggestions for everyone and then some specific suggestions for the artists among us!

What would YOU like for Christmas?

Where Does Time Go?

I had high hopes and good intentions of updating this blog on a daily basis but you know what they say about good intentions! (For those of you who don't know - the old saying is that the path to hell is paved with good intentions!)

Anyway, I suddenly find myself with three pet portrait commissions which is pretty unusual at this time of the year. Most people decide to have a portrait done for Christmas & think it can be ordered on December 18th for delivery before Christmas! I don't think most people know how long something like that can take. Just putting together a good sketch from some of the photos I'm given for references takes a big chunk of time not to mention the actual painting time. But, I understand that we live in an "instant" society where most people have come to expect getting what they want in the time it takes to go through the drive-through lane.

Along those same lines is the misconception that since an artist can whip out a painting in no time at all (in the mind of the potential client, that is), that it shouldn't cost much. The average person who doesn't usually buy original art or commission a special painting is sometimes horrified at the cost of a painting. These same people think nothing of spending hundreds of dollars on designer shoes and clothes or the other little things that cost in their everyday life.

But, I'm getting off track a bit here. I'm delighted at receiving the commissions but they come at a really busy time. My granddaughter is getting married in Maine at the end of this month plus we're doing some things around home and there are tomatoes in the garden just begging to be put to some good use! Thankfully, the people who have commissioned the portraits aren't in a huge rush. If they had been, I would have turned them down as I refuse to rush something so important. At least I've made a good start on the one portrait and I don't have everything I need from the other two yet so they won't even need to be started until I return from the wedding.

I know things always work out and I'm sure this won't be the exception. After all, what kind of grammy would I be to miss my oldest granddaughter's wedding?!

Meeting the Art Challenge

I'm still catching up on work leftover from my boss's vacation but I did manage to paint a couple of ATCs or Artist Trading Cards. For those who aren't familiar with ATCs, they are small (2 1/2" by 3 1/2") paintings/drawings/art that are traded with other artists. There are some artists who also make these cards to sell (called ACEOs when sold), especially on eBay and other auction sites. They are a good way for the ordinary person to collect art without having deep pockets and I have seen some stunning little pieces of art.

It's difficult to get much detail into such a small space but I enjoy trying! The first painting was for a WIP (work in progress) demonstration for Let's Make Art, a site especially for self-taught artists. I don't consider this one of my better efforts but here it is.

The second effort is one I like better. I think that may be because of the subject. This is the Ocracoke Lighthouse on Ocracoke Island, Outer Banks, North Carolina one of my most favorite places!



Both paintings are the same size but I resized for uploading and did not size them equally. Also, both have been done with the Inktense pencils from Derwent. These pencils are a water-based ink in pencil form. You use them as you would colored pencil but you can make the color brighter and more intense by dampening with a little water on a brush. I waited for months for these pencils last fall and by the time they arrived, I was busy with other things and am just now beginning to use them. So far, I really like them but need to find a support that I like to use with them. Because we're so rural, most of my art supplies have to be mail-ordered so I like experimenting with materials I can get locally. But, no matter where the supplies come from, I do insist on archival, acid-free materials.

Well, my first posting of any art and I did post one painting that I'm not particularly proud of so maybe I am a little courageous! We'll just have to see how it goes as I experiment with other mediums and subjects that aren't exactly within my comfort zone!