Fun Stuff for Artists
Etsy.com is a great online art gallery option for artists. Check out Two Fold's artwork created from recycled materials. |
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A Custom Watercolor Palette
Do you have tubes of paint that you rarely use? Or do you have many variations of each primary color? Recently I realized that, over years of painting, I had accumulated quite a few tubes of paint. Some I used more than others. I understood the properties of those I used regularly, but wasn't so sure about the lesser-used colors.
While attending a painting workshop, I was given a small piece of watercolor paper, perhaps 4" x 6", with about ten dabs of watercolor paint on it, each a different color. It was a color chart promoting the paints of a particular manufacturer, but it was also a miniature palette. Throughout the workshop, I occasionally moistened the paints on the sample sheet and tried them out in my painting.
When I returned home from the workshop, I studied my own collection of watercolors and decided to get to know them better. First, I found several of my abandoned paintings on watercolor paper (Arches 300 lb). Using the clean reverse side of the paper, I created separate sheets for blue, green, yellow, red and earth colors. I roughly organized each set in a cool to warm progression. I say "roughly" because the determination of whether a color is cooler or warmer is entirely dependent upon the color next to it and because the color that appears on the label isn't always representative of how the color appears on paper. So, while each color is not necessarily in a proper temperature order, I am still able to see what the colors look like next to each other.
Each dab of paint is about the size of a pencil eraser or smaller. I left a little room to the left of each paint dab to write in the name of the paint. I moistened each dab of paint with a little water and, with a wet brush, pulled out a long stroke of each color across the paper. This has helped me to see the paints both in their most intense color and also in their more diluted and dry-brush stages. I am also able to observe the granulating characteristics in certain paints.
When I'm painting a picture, I spritz water on the paint dabs and pick up the paint with a brush. I also keep another small piece of watercolor paper nearby to test mixes of colors. While the smooth, bright-white plastic palettes are still useful, especially for storing larger amounts of paint and pre-mixing colors, I like the ability to see at a glance what the various paints look like on watercolor paper.
The watercolor paper palettes shown above each measure about 12" x 15", which is a little bulky for storage. When the paints are dry, I can stack them, however. For convenience, I can create smaller paper palettes for individual painting projects once I've settled on my color choices.
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Texture in Frozen Watercolor 
If you live in a cold (freezing) climate, you may be able to create a special texture in your watercolor art. To create the texture in the image to the left, I first moistened the paper with water, and then dropped in red and blue watercolor paint, allowing it to mix freely on the wet paper. Immediately, while it was still quite wet, I set it outside to let the freezing temperature do its work. I also put weights on the edges of the paper, so it wouldn't blow away! Amazing designs, similar to the frost patterns that develop on a window pane, appeared in the frozen paint. |
Mini Demo 
Coy Cats by Janice Tingum
To create the "Coy Cats" art card, I first painted glazes of watercolor paper in a checkerboard pattern on the paper. When that was dry, I cut out cat shapes from the Scotch brand Safe-Release (TM) Painters' Masking Tape and applied the shapes to the painted paper. The cat whiskers were also made from the tape. I then painted over the entire piece, including the tape, with Black Sumi Ink. I carefully blotted excess ink from the tape. When the ink on the painting was dry, I removed the tape. I used a fine paintbrush and ink to add final details.
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Joel Osteen's book, Your Best Life Now, is the most inspirational and motivating book I've come across lately. I "read" the book by listening to Osteen read an abridged verson of the text on an audio CD. I listened to it while driving around town on my various daily tasks. Each day, I could hardly wait to get in the car so I could listen to another segment. I'll admit I was, at first, skeptical to even pick up the CD/book, thinking it might just be over-hyped prosperity teaching. But my doubts were allayed as I started to listen. Osteen presents a very balanced and practical understanding of what it means to live at our full potential. I was immediately drawn in by his challenge to "enlarge your vision". I think, as an artist, this motiviated me to set aside my self-doubts, to dream bigger painting goals and realize that God's resources are boundless. Another principle that Osteen drives home is gratitude, something that can truly change a person's outlook on life. Osteen also addresses the tough questions of how to handle the difficulties of life, both those brought on by external circumstances and those that result from our own choices. I hope your vision is enlarged and that you are living your best life NOW! |
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| Try This:
* Tear Mender Fabric & Leather Repair Adhesive works great as a masking fluid. Find it in the hardware store. It is just as effective as the masking fluid products sold in art stores and cheaper.
* Murphy Pure Vegetable Oil Soap Original Formula will clean brushes, even if the bristles have become stiff from use with acrylics and mediums. For best results, allow the bristles to soak in the soap for fifteen minutes and then rinse well. Repeat if necessary.
* Scotch brand Safe-Release (TM) Painters' Masking Tape is sold in the household paint department of hardware stores and is generally used to protect trim and windows when painting a wall. And it works on watercolor paper, too! The tape has a good adhesive hold and can be easily removed without tearing the paper. This tape is blue, but so are other tapes sold by Scotch. Look inside the roll for the Safe-Release trademark.
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Painting the Background While the background may not be the focal point of a painting, it is nonetheless very important. The background can contribute to the overall style, unity and interest of a scene. Consider using some of these ideas to create a background for a watercolor painting:
 | This image, cropped from my painting, Morning Glow, illustrates two techniques for painting an interesting background: 1. A wet-in-wet technique was used to allow colors to move across the wet paper and blend together. 2. When the paper was moistened prior to applying pigment, small areas of the paper were left dry. When the paint was applied, it only moved into areas that were wet, leaving the dry white paper exposed. This resulted in a wonderfully creative effect for the painting. Note: Learn more about using the wet-in-wet technique in The Beginner's Watercolor eBook: Start Painting Today. |
 | This piece is a portion of the background in Girls' Night Out. This background was built up in layers. The first layer was created with a wet-in-wet technique. Since the painting is large, I only moistened a small area each time, immediately applying varying colors of paint next to each other in the wet area. I worked quickly, moving on to an adjacent section of the background in order to remain consistent with color and texture. After the first layer dried, I continued to apply paint from the same palette of colors used in the first layer. To avoid disturbing the first layer, however, I applied the subsequent layers of paint in more of a dry-brush fashion. When I was satisfied with the depth and texture, I applied a final glaze over the entire background. This final glaze was a thin dark blue which unified the background color. |
 | This background image comes from Bromeliad, a piece that uses both watercolor and ink. To create the background, I first applied a layer of thinned black ink. After that layer was dry, I used a crumpled paper towel dabbed in black ink to apply blotches of the ink to the grey background. Immediately, while the ink blotches were still wet, I dabbed them with a dry tissue to remove excess ink and leave the lighter grey textural marks. |
Tips for Photographing Your Artwork There are several reasons an artist may need to photograph their art: - To create slides or digital images for an art competition
- To create a portfolio to present to art galleries
- For review of artwork by a client
- To maintain a record of the artist's own work
For helpful and detailed instructions on how to photograph artwork, check out the three-part article by Ed Pointer posted at the Kansas Watercolor Society website. Pointer covers the process for photographing in both sunlight and under tungsten light. Another excellent source of information is Kate and Robert Burridge's Art Marketing Workshop, which includes a section on "How to Photograph Your Own Artwork with Goof-Proof Results Every Time". The Burridges' advice can also be found in their book, "Hot mARTketing: The Business of Selling Your Art" available at their website. This book is packed with helpful advice on a wide variety of marketing subjects for artists. |
Whitey's Patio by Janice Tingum 
The Steeples of St. Michael's
by Janice Tingum | Paint Your Hometown Inspiration and painting ideas exist in our own backyards, neighborhoods and hometowns. Consider these reasons for painting local scenes: * Connect with local viewers. Local residents often enjoy seeing their favorite street scene, park, church or school featured in a painting. When they recognize the scene, there's an instant connection with the painting and with the artist - a shared appreciation of a meaningful place. * Reach out to tourists. Visitors to your region may be looking for a special way to remember their visit to your community. A small piece of original art depicting a place they visited can meet that need. Consider postcard or greeting card reproductions to widen your market. * The price is right. You don't need to make a plane reservation to capture the local scenery. The convenience of painting locally also allows you to pick the time of day when the lighting is best and return to the spot as often as necessary. * Paint on commission. When you exhibit art depicting local scenes, invariably someone will ask whether you've painted a particular location they are especially interested in or whether you might paint a scene on commission. This can open the door for additional painting opportunities for you. |
Online Art Galleries: National Gallery of Art offers online tours of its numerous art collections. Many of the guides for the Collections tours are available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. For in-depth study tours, select from a list of artists, artworks and themes. Explore the virtual exhibition tours for large-image views, close-ups and streaming-audio commentary. Storyopolis bills itself as representing the world's finest children book illustrators, editorial artists, and cartoonists. Indeed, the site contains an impressive array of artwork available for purchase. You can go to Studio City, California to view its current exhibition. Or go to the website and take a peek at lithos by Maurice Sendack, original watercolors by Chesley McLaren, acrylics by Mark Buehner, and mixed media by Noah Woods. |
Engaging the Viewer 
Close-up detail of Rainbow Garden #1 See the whole painting in the Gardens Art Gallery. In this painting, the colored shapes provide enough information to suggest a garden scene. The viewer will connect these shapes, using their own imagination and experiences to complete the story. | An important principle in fiction writing is to show, rather than tell, the story. What does this mean and how does it apply to art? Consider the following sentence: “Lester slouched across the room and silently dropped the whole weight of his body onto the couch.” Can you sense Lester's mood from this sentence? The author doesn’t have to tell the reader that Lester is depressed, tired or exhausted. With subsequent descriptions, the author will refine the image to help the reader fully understand the character’s state of mind without expressly stating: “Lester is depressed.”
By showing the character's behavior, readers fill in the blanks and become involved in the story. It doesn’t really matter if the couch was leather or a floral print – each reader will fill that little detail in on their own, contributing their own imagination to the story. But the author gives enough clues to suggest Lester's state of mind with words such as “slouched”, “dropped” and “weight”. As readers, we know things are heavy in this scene. It may have been quicker for the author to simply tell us Lester's mind-set, but the story becomes more interesting when we are allowed to interpret the scene, supply our own imagination and figure some things out on our own.
This principle of writing can also make our art more interesting. When preparing to paint, consider the question – how much do I have to tell the viewer and how much can I leaving open for interpretation? Realism in art obviously has its place, as does completely abstract art. There’s a lot of room in the middle to suggest an object, be it a flower, a building or a person, without filling in all the blanks. Encourage your viewers to participate in the story of your painting, to use their own imagination, to figure some things out on their own. It will hold their attention longer than if you give them all the facts right up front. Engage your viewer like a good author. |
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Artist to Artist By networking with other artists, we learn new skills, find encouragement and find opportunities to grow in our creative journeys. Consider these networking possibilities... Join an art society, attend their regular meetings and get involved. For a list of societies, visit the Links page.
Attend artist receptions for gallery and exhibit openings; mingle with the other artists.
Volunteer your time with a local arts council.
Participate in online art forums.
Talk about your interest in painting with your friends and co-workers. You might be surprised to discover others who share your passion for painting.
Attend at least one painting workshop each year and use the opportunity to not only learn about painting. but also to become acquainted with other artists in the class.
Offer to assist in setting up an art exhibit. You'll get a chance to meet artists as they bring in their art, as well as the gallery staff.
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Floral Weave by Janice Tingum 2005
Watercolor and acrylic, woven strips
23" x 20" matted and framed size
To create a woven painting: Choose two paintings, one with a definite design and one with an abstract pattern. In this case, one is a watercolor painting of a flower. The other is an abstract design created by random strokes of acrylic paint. The abstract piece also has more light areas than the floral piece. The paintings must be of the same size. Cut one painting into horizontal strips; the other into vertical strips. Secure one end of the strips with painter's tape to a sturdy support and weave the pieces together. After the paintings are completely woven together, tape the edges to the support. It is helpful to use a support that can be trimmed to fit in a frame. |
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Stuck in a Painting Rut?
Try one of these ideas to get unstuck . . .
Change the size of your paper or canvas. If you typically produce small paintings, significantly increase the size - at least double it. If you are losing momentum with your large paintings, try something really small, like an art trading card of 2.5" x 3.5".
Change the shape/orientation of your paper or canvas. Take a look at your most recent work. Is it predominantly horizontal, vertical or square? Once you've identified the typical orientation of your paintings, set that shape aside and explore a different one.
Too many color choices on your palette? Reduce your palette to the three primary colors of red, blue and yellow. Create a series of paintings using only those three colors.
Experiment with a different type of paper or canvas. Is there a different product you've wanted to try? Do so now. If you generally paint on traditional watercolor paper, try Yupo paper, illustration board or watercolor canvas.
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22 Uses for Watercolor
 Add color, shapes and textural looks to scrapbooks Make a personalized piece of art as a gift Illustrate greeting cards Enhance stamping projects Scan watercolor designs and incorporate them into digital art Be a fine art watercolor artist Design cover art for books Make and exchange art trading cards Illustrate children's books Donate art to non-profit fundraisers Use a watercolor sketch as foundation for an acrylic or oil painting Experiment painting on Yupo paper (see demo) Enter competitions sponsored by watercolor societies
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Chart your colors
If you use Winsor and Newton paints, visit their website for helpful color charts. The watercolor charts, for example, include a color sample of each paint, its ASTM rating, and information regarding permanency, transparency, opaqueness and staining properties. The site provides definitions of the paint terminology, as well as health and safety data sheets.
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