Missing Pencil Draws Alarm

Last week I found a pencil somewhere in my studio that enabled me to create lovely pictures.  The drawings seemed to flow out of this pencil onto the paper. I called this pencil, “the magic pencil”.  

The magic pencil disappeared last Sunday at midnight. I looked everywhere for it but it was gone. Could it have been placed in my studio by a faerie I accidently brought home from Ireland or Scotland)?* Perhaps the faerie revoked the pencil or its time limit expired? Maybe my pencil was stolen by a highway bandit or rival artist? The possibilities were endless. I continued searching for my pencil everywhere. I even hired a search beagle who couldn’t find the scent of it anywhere.

Last night I had a dream that told me to order more of these magic pencils. I remembered my beloved pencil was red and white striped and made by Stabilo.  

This morning I decided to go on one last pencil search.  In the box at the top of this post starting with top left this is what happened. I took everything out of the black hole of my traveling art supply bag, and the pencil was not there.  I searched in all the little zippered art bags I have stashed around my house and I found my missing lipstick and some Pepto tablets but no pencil. I was ready to give up the search when I remembered one more bag I’d recently stuffed with supplies and left in the kitchen in case inspiration struck me while cooking or eating. 

I dumped out the contents of the bag and caught my breath! My pencil slide out of the bag. We are now reunited and going to draw again together after I finish writing this post. I am also going to order more magic pencils if Stabilo still makes Opera 2 1/2HB. 

*In lreland and Scotland I asked around about how to find faeries and  I was told you had to drink a certain quantity of Whiskey. 

Pre Trip Practice Painting & Review

Today I got out some of my favorite books on watercolor journaling. I am reviewing my favorite lessons in these books so I can share some of these ideas with my students on our May trip to England and Wales.  

Still life to practice paint

I’m also painting and drawing teacups and saucers in preparation for the trip since tea shoppes are wonderful in England. Usually in the tea shoppes in smaller towns the cakes and scones are homemade by a local and delicious. I am not practice painting cakes or scones because having them close by would make me eat them and I am trying to stockpile some calories for munching and sipping everything in the British Isles.

Learning About Composition From Me Might Improve Your Paintings

I think I mentioned recently that I wrote an article that was published in the March/April 2018 issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine.  The article was about how keeping a buffet of drawings organized by categories like animals, structures, chairs etc. can help you put together a unique, personalized  painting with ease.  I listed the basic rules for arranging your objects in your paintings too. 

Well, Jeannine Stein, the editor of Cloth, Paper, Scissors, who is also a writer, book binder and artist, read my article and took my concepts out for a spin.  She talks about the results in her blog post.

 Here is a link to her article:  http://www.clothpaperscissors.com/blog/drawing-composition-techniques-you-need-today/

Get More Artwork Done by Keeping a Watercolor Sketchbook?

YES! If you want to paint more often I believe buying a watercolor sketchbook (sometimes the paper inside is called mixed media paper) and recording your ideas, concepts, inspirations, sqiggles, doodles, scratch marks and scraps of pictures may help you.

WHY? Because: the sketchbook is cheaper than watercolor paper, it can be grabbed at a moments notice, you can close the sketchbook if you don’t want anyone to see your work, the paper is easy to tear out, bla, bla, bla, all these things will help lesson your nervousness and perfectionism. 

I got an email from Cheapjoes.com today and he has my favorite Aquabee Sketchbooks on sale in many sizes. I don’t get anything from Cheapjoe for talking about his products, it just happens he has a sale on my favorite sketchbooks. I took an Aquabee Sketchbook to Italy on my first teaching trip in Cortona, about 12 years ago! 

I like this watercolor sketchbook keeping so much that I am going to be teaching a class about it at Miracosta College in Encinitas July 14- August 18 from 9 am to noon. Another reason I like using a sketchbook is that it encourages practice painting and drawing but “keeping a watercolor sketchbook” sounds alot more fun than “doing your art class homework in a sketchbbok.”

Curiousity Did Not Kill the Watercolor Artist

How many times have you saved something you want to use in your art and never gotten around to using it? Somehow I’ve moved from creating an artist lifestyle brand into the theme of “waiting or deferring till later or the perfect time.”  

I might have waited another 10 years to use this photo I have of some antique wooden dolls because today I thought it wouldn’t make an interesting subject for a painting. I was about to select something else to paint when my stubborn voice spoke up, (its usually quiet). My stubborn voice whined, “but you like that picture, please yourself + follow the advice you give to all your students, “It doesn’t have to be perfect.” 

My plan is to blow on this little spark of not waiting anti perfectionism, are you with me?

Artist Lifestyle Brand Painting Shoes

I received some encouraging comments on my proposed Artist’s Lifestyle Brand, so I’ve decided to pursue creation of Artists lifestyle brand products. My products will be green of course, made from as many recycled materials as possible and must be needed items not fru-fru.

I developed my first product 5 minutes ago. It’s a kit to make your own painting shoes. 

It comes packaged in it’s own attractive green case.

It’s easy to assemble.

It turns any pair of shoes into painting shoes in moments and may protect your shoes from paint drips and stains.  

Would you like to beta test my new product or order a kit? 

Logos, Branding and Me, I need your help...

I love other people’s old faded laundry drying on a clothesline

I am a baby boomer artist, who grew up in the low tech age. I am old enough to remember needing to make my first set of business cards at a printing company when marketing and branding were known as advertising.

Today’s artists are urged to make themseives a “brand” identity. Recently, I heard I also can have a “lifestyle” brand. I am brainstorming what my “lifestyle” brand could be and why anyone would want to follow my lifestyle advice.

Would you follow someone whose home is furnished in early American thrift shop finds embellished with a patina of dog hair? Whose bathrobe has paint stains on it that coordinate with their paint drip covered slippers? Who travels with a five year old suitcase and realizes their socks have a hole in them when they go through the x-ray scanner at the airport? Whose goal is not to create an empire but instead to teach a multitude of people to love making art?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions maybe I might contemplate lifestyle branding sometime. Let me know your thoughts?

Beagle Drawing Model Will Be Missed

Socks our 14 year old beagle left the earth this morning. If you came to my house for an art lesson, I am sure you must remember the debonair beagle with the deep bark. 

Why Putting Together A Portable Art Studio Might Be The Most Important Thing You Do

I think figuring out what art supplies you need for painting anywhere is very important.   I think putting those art supplies in a portable bag or box might be the next most important thing.  The 3rd important thing for successful anywhere painting is knowing a little about drawing and watercolor painting, say maybe 5 drawing and 5 painting techniques, that's all. 

Last of all you need the right attitude. You have to develop the attitude of looking at each of your paintings as  practice exercises like practicing your scales to learn to play the cello.  After you practice a while you are able to play a simple tune. If you can look at your  painting and sketching with this attitude, and if you can locate your supplies and they are slimmed down enough to be portable you can do it.....by it, I mean paint and sketch wherever you find yourself.

I’ve put all the above into the class I will be teaching in San Diego, this Sat. at Artist and Craftsman from 10:30-1:30. Email me to register anywhereart4u@gmail.com

Art Class Changes It’s Date

Just in case you’ve planned your social calendar around my art classes, you may want to mark March 24th on your calendar as the new date of my class at Artist & Craftsman Supply.

The class will be about all the fun da mental skills and supplies you need to watercolor sketch anywhere, from your backyard to Bombay. If you’ve taken a class with me before on this topic, you will learn new stratagies, new ways to paint + get lots of ideas on how to be an organized and more productive artist. 

You’ll also leave class with a fully assembled grab & go art tote or cigar box. 

Email me to register at anywhereart4u@gmail.com

Have You Ever Attended an Art Class in Art Supply Heaven?

Are you busy next Saturday? April the 17th? Want to learn how to sketch and watercolor anywhere you find yourself in a 3 hour workshop that takes place in an art supply heaven otherwise known as Artist and Craftsman Supply? I will return to  this shop for the 3rd time to teach yet another version of Anywhere Art. I have reduced my method for finding time and places and methods to sketch anywhere, anytime into 5's. 5 must have supplies, 5 drawing techniques and 5 painting techniques.  Plus in this workshop, you are going to assemble your very own grab and go art bag so you can find your supplies and sit right now and paint whenever, however and anywhere.

The class cost is $25 and you can register by emailing me at anywhereart4u@gmail.com  If you sign up and attend the class you will get to spend 180 minutes in art supply heaven. Class starts at 10:30 and ends at 1:30.

Italian Vacation in Your Plans?

I’ve been all over the map lately planning the itinerary for the Fall Anywhere Art Tour to Italy. It will be our 31st tour! 

We will be visiting a variety of locations around North Western, Central and Southern Tuscany with a touch of the Lazio province thrown in because we must visit the UNESCO World heritage site of Tarquinia and learn more about the Etruscans, their customs, and their fabulous murals. We’ll also taste wine in the Chianti region, visit the Festival of the Thrush (which promises dancing in the streets), dip our toes in a thermal spa, ride bikes or stroll in the wall park in Lucca, visit a shoe factory, see the Cinque Terre and spend a Sunday at an Antiques Faire in the heart of Lucca.

In fact, I am so excited about the Fall Italian adventure that I got the vapors and our rescue Aussie had to revive me.

How to Not Do Any Artwork or A Guide to Procrastination

Lest you think I am perfect, (lol, just ask any family member), I must let you know that I sometimes avoid doing artwork. Why? I don't know. I could give you some deep psychological reasons, but I won't and let's just chalk it up to" sometimes I just don't feel like it" mixed with a bit of immaturity. 

Take today for example, I spent time straightening the kitchen and then had a burning desire to sweep my office floor. After the office, I just had to sweep the dining room and the laundry room.  "Stop!" I yelled at myself, "Go to your office and paint!" Don't touch anything else, don't do anything else, just paint." So I went into my office and saw a package I needed to return to Amazon. Suddenly, I had this burning desire to return that box immediately.  What's with this procrastination? 

Pro crastination? What does it mean? It must mean its a good thing because it starts with pro.  Crast? I could maybe understand if it was pro crash ination, it would mean in favor of a crash of some kind, but that doesn't make any sense. 

Merriam-Webster defines procrastinate as "to delay doing something until a later time because you do not want to do it, because you are lazy, etc.  Well, I am insulted by Merriam W.  I don't think I am lazy..................So I need to make up my own definition.  I think my procrastination is much more complicated then simple laziness. It's situational procrastination due to possible painting issues.  I wonder if there is a drug to treat this problem? 

Finally I sat down and did some pencil sketches for a painting using red and green paint since I’d been teaching color theory in my Thursday class and red was our color for the session. 

This morphed into a Valentine’ theme painting with images combined from different reference material so the perspective is a bit wonky. The background was done with doillies used as stencils. The result is one I either love or hate or something in between. The goal I have with my paintings these days is to see them as practice not to create madterpieces. This helps me to feel freer to experiment and try different new thing without fear of making a mistake.  

Best of all, my husband said he really liked the painting so I will use the painting to make him a card for Valentines Day.

How to Organize Your Art Supplies Or How Often Do You Lose Your Favorite Pen?

Did I ever tell you that I met my husband on a blind date? Now you are thinking, "What does that have to do with organizing art supplies?".  My friend who introduced us, worked  in the same department with him. It seems their job was to organize things so they ran more efficiently. My friend had an immaculate apartment and her canned goods were organized by the alphabet in her closet. 

I couldn't believe that anyone whose business was organizing and efficiency would like me. I was a scruffy, hippy artist with art supplies falling out of my purse.  We met, we liked each other, and it turned out that my soon to be husband wasn't too organized at home, just at the office and he  know a lot  about how to function efficiently in the workplace.

Fast forward after being married 31 years. I have become less scruffy, less hippy and more of a business artist. I realize that artists need both creativity and logic to survive. I am always asking my husband for tips on how to be more efficient. Recently when I was drowning in a mess of art supplies in my office, I asked him for help. He looked around my office and made one suggestion that I found extremely helpful. Put your most import tools and supplies that you use regularly next to your workspace.  

Okay, you may think, duh, I know that. However, when I looked around my office I discovered most of the stuff near my desk was stuff I rarely used.  I moved 50 cigar boxes out of my office and onto a shelf in our garage, plus a lot more stuff and put my paper and canvas in their spot.

I urge you to try this at home. Move all your extraneous stuff out of your workspace and store your supplies you use most often very close to you.  Then let me know if this works for you. If not, I have other ideas for organizing and more.

Ollie, above left corner has asked me to create a space for her bed close to where I work so she can be petted more often.

Paint Your Own Cottage

Imagine you and I sitting in front of a charming cottage getting ready to paint.  We have just finished a lunch or tea and are comfortably full with dark tea, sandwiches and perhaps a slice of cake.  

We open a our paint boxes, pick up our pencils and sketch a few lines. I lean over your shoulder to see your sketch and offer a supportive comment and a tidbit of advice. You dip your brush into your paint and begin to record your version of the cottage in front of you.  

We sit companionably for close to an hour and then, close our painting journals, pack up our minimal supplies (because we always travel lite), and head off to explore the village. We may visit the local community garden or sip something in the local pub, tour the village museum or browse in the antique shops. Whatever we do, we have a very good time and return to our b&b in time for cocktail/snack hour, painting discussions or maybe take a nap before dinner.  

We have a very good day and will repeat another good relaxing day tomorrow with nothing to worry about except what color scarf to buy. 

If you like this senario and you enjoy traveling, England and a little watercolor painting then please come along on my Anywhere Art England Tour May 14-22. I have only  2 spots left open. Email me to sign up or for more info at anywhereart4u@gmail.com

Watercolor Art Class Lesson

Yesterday in my Escondido Adult School class our topic was butterflies, bees, bugs and flowers. It was up to the students to make a painting with some, all or none of these objects.  

This was my example

What Does......

mean to you? We won’t be doing any frog eating on this blog, so think of some other possible meanings for this saying. 

I heard someone say when you have something you need to do and you find yourself procrastinating, you should eat the frog first. Hmmmmm, I wonder what that means?

Watercolor Teaching 101

Do you remember a time when you were in 2nd or 3rd grade and you saw your teacher in the grocery store? Were you shocked? Didn’t you think they lived in their classroom, slept in the coat closet and if they ate, they dined in the cafeteria alone at midnight? I know I did.

I am preparing to teach a 2 day workshop at San Clemente Art Store this weekend and besides making a special notebook printed on paintable paper, I’ve been squeezing out paint, cutting paper, figuring out how to explain shadows in a new way and wondering who my students will be.  Sometimes I try to imagine what they will look like and I am almost always way off base.

Getting to know students is one of the things I like best about teaching art. I also like watching students begin or continue to develop skill in painting. I feel very fortunate to get to pass along art techniques that have been used for hundreds of years (things like mixing colors, drawing, and brush stroke techniques.) I didn’t invent any of these techniques but I have renamed some of them. I call the drip of watercolor paint you guide with your brush to paint a wash, a blob.

After teaching students drawing and painting for a zillion years, I know from observation that anyone can learn to paint and draw if they do their homework and practice their skills. I also have discovered recently that to paint well you need to see each and every painting as practice and not want to hang your first painting in the Louvre. 

Want to Take an Art Class with Me in Beautiful San Clemente?

No Stress Watercolor Painting

This coming  Sat.& Sun. Jan. 13-14, 10-4

This is a good time of year to start or continuing learning watercolor and enjoy San Clemente too. The studio at San Clemente Art Supply is cozy and warm.  You can walk out of the class and right into "art supply heaven" otherwise known as San Clemente Art Supply.  This shop is filled with tons of supplies and goodies that are difficult to find elsewhere. The help is helpful and the art class teacher (me) is very nice and supportive and won't send you to the principals office.  So contact them right now to register at   http://www.scartsupply.com/classes-and-workshops

 

In class you will learn all the basics so you can paint what you see around you where ever you are! I painted this in my kitchen late one night.

Learn or brush up your watercolor techniques + get lots of tips, secrets and tricks to paint with watercolor with lots of success and no stress. You will see step by step demonstrations and learn how and when to use each technique.  I will give you a booklet with all the top secrets that you will add to in class and bring home so you can refer to it when you are painting at home.  You will leave class with the skill to paint a variety of subject matter + the confidence that you can paint with watercolor happily.

Pep Talking Yourself into Painting

This weekend I tried a new technique to get myself to my desk to watercolor.  You may have used this technique before with a friend or family member. Maybe you’ve said to them  “You can do it! You’re smart, you have a good head on your shoulders, just try,”

Pep talks are not to be cnfused with affirmations. I think an affirmation is something you repeat to yourself that you want to be or happen. You could say, “I am a successful painter, I am creating all the time, even if these things aren’t true I think the theory is that if you repeat them often enough you will believe them. Affirmations don’t work for me. I tried saying to myself, “I am 20 lbs thinner,” then I reached for a cookie.

Today I said to myself something I had been mulling over for a while. “Barbara, you need to practice the painting concepts you have been studying, you don’t need to create a perfect painting.” I also threw in, when you finish you can have a cookie, ooops I said carrot”. 

Here is my practice. Going into the kitchen to get my carrot now.