Posted by
Jul on 24 February 2011 |
10 comments
Em on the tube (in progress), oil on canvas, 70 x 50 cm.
For this portrait I’m working from a photo I snapped with my iphone while riding the tube in London with my friend Emily. The florescent lighting of the subway car combined with the flash from the iphone created a slightly eerie, strangely-colored image that I really wanted to play with. Plus the sassy one-eyebrow-raised look that Em was giving me was too good to pass up.
I’ve been working on this portrait in a combination of oil paints and oil sticks. I hadn’t worked with oil sticks (basically oil paint in stick form, so you can draw with it) in a long time, but I saw a set of Winsor & Newton oilbars on sale in an art shop in London, and Em talked me into getting them. It seems fitting that she gets to be my first subject, doesn’t it?
10 comments Tags: art supplies, oils, portrait, work in progress
Posted by
Jul on 15 February 2011 |
3 comments
My husband and I aren’t usually big on Valentine’s Day, but yesterday he gave me a present: a paper cutter. I have been wanting one for years, but didn’t feel I could justify getting one since I don’t cut paper all that often. But damn do I like a nice clean cut, and my exacto knife is getting dull.
My new paper cutter isn’t the usual kind with the big choppy guillotine blade arm; instead it has a rolling blade housed safely inside a casing. I was a little skeptical of its ability to produce as good of a result, but all test cuts have been gorgeously clean. Let the fun begin.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to chop up random pieces of paper until I think of a legitimate project to work on that requires nice clean cuts. Handmade business cards? Greeting cards with art prints on them? Hmmm…
3 comments Tags: art supplies
Posted by
Jul on 19 October 2010 |
5 comments
I love starting the day with a delivery of art supplies to unpack. So much artistic potential!
This time the delivery was mostly little canvases and canvas boards. I started the practice of daily painting about three months ago, and I’ve found it to be something I want to continue for a while. I enjoy pushing myself to experiment with new subjects, colors, and layouts in these small-scale works. Now I am all set for a couple more months of daily painting.
I realized I made a mistake – I got ten 10 x 15 cm canvases instead of the 15 x 20 cm canvases I meant to order. These 10 x 15s are so tiny! Not sure what I’m going to do with them, but I’ll figure something out.
Do you enjoy shopping for art supplies? I think I like it just as much as using them.
—
Like this blog? Please consider following me on Twitter or becoming a fan of my art on Facebook. I really appreciate your support!
5 comments Tags: art supplies
