Journey Art Supplies Blog
Tips, Tricks, Thoughts, and inspiration from across the art spectrum.
20 Noteworthy Tips For Notetaking
I love sitting in on an art demo or seminar, taking a workshop, or even just watching an instructional DVD. There is always something new to learn no matter how long you have been painting.
20 Noteworthy Tips For Notetaking
I love sitting in on an art demo or seminar, taking a workshop, or even just watching an instructional DVD. There is always something new to learn no matter how...
Colored Pencils: Time to Take Them Seriously
Seriously? Colored pencils? I remember in grade school, one of my favorite things to draw with was colored pencils. I would spend hours and hours creating with the ones that came in the small box, only had about 6 colors, and came from the local five and Dime.
Colored Pencils: Time to Take Them Seriously
Seriously? Colored pencils? I remember in grade school, one of my favorite things to draw with was colored pencils. I would spend hours and hours creating with the ones that came...
Gerald Brommer: Hardcore Construction Worker at...
When we think of basic construction, the first thing that comes to mind is Building Construction; high rises, shopping malls, rural housing developments and big burly guys with hard hats driving giant Tonka Trucks around the worksite.
Gerald Brommer: Hardcore Construction Worker at...
When we think of basic construction, the first thing that comes to mind is Building Construction; high rises, shopping malls, rural housing developments and big burly guys with hard hats...
Susan Crouch's \Painting in Living Color: Carol...
As a self-taught artist, I have been using instructional material to learn about art for as long as I can remember. From Bob Ross to Walter Foster, many professional artists have entered my home and life through this type of media. My shelves are chocked full of books, magazines, DVDs and VHS videos. In fact, I am always on the lookout for new additions to my art reference library, as I believe these tools will always have a valuable place in my studio. Recently, Cheap Joe’s introduced a new DVD to our large diverse collection of instructional material. “Painting in Living Color – Carolina Morning” by Susan Crouch. The moment I reviewed the DVD, I fell completely in love with Susan’s art. The first thing I noticed about her work was the bright and vivid colors that bring the painting to life. Fresh, clean watercolor pigments that stand out and grab your attention. Also, the subject matter she chooses is a celebration of life and beauty. She frequently paints the birds, animals, and flowers from her own backyard. Susan is a resident of North Carolina and just happens to be our neighbor. She and her husband Clay live just down the mountain in Statesville. I recently had a chance to visit Susan at her home and studio. The day I visited, she had opened her home studio up to the public for her annual Holiday Open House. Susan’s dining room was filled with beautifully framed full sized paintings as well as note cards and smaller framed version of her artwork. Her paintings are enjoyed and collected by admirers all around the U.S. She currently participates in Art Shows and Festivals throughout the Southeast. Susan also designs cards for Hallmark Dayspring division for the retail stationery market. Her paintings, along with her own line of greeting cards, are inspired by God’s Word and His glorious creation. When time allows, Susan offers workshops to the public to share her experience and talent with others. But, in the meantime, her new DVD will offer a unique look into Susan’s world and allow you to sample just one of her beautiful paintings. I noticed while looking around her very practical studio, that Susan, herself, had a wall-sized bookshelf filled to the gills. It seems we share the same love for books and DVDs. Susan explained that there are a lot of professional artists that have influenced her artwork through reading their books, watching DVDs and taking workshops throughout the years, especially, Edgar Whitney, Tony Couch, Jane Hofstetter, Wes Waugh, and Anne Abgott, just to name a few. And she still uses the material frequently for all of her paintings. Susan uses a variety of materials for her unique process, including Cheap Joe’s American Journey Interlocked Synthetic Brushes. In the DVD segment above, Susan gives you a great tip on how to distinguish older worn brushes from new ones with sharp tips! This and other great information is available on Susan’s DVD. Susan’s style is so refreshing, and if you are like me, you will immediately want to ask her, “How do you do that?” Well, on the DVD you will see just how she creates the painting from start to finish. The design is comprised of layers and layers of transparent watercolor washes giving depth and dimension to the watercolor paper surface. She uses a wet into wet technique and also negative painting to create a great deal of the background and then adds just the right amount of detail to the main subject. This 100-minute full-length demonstration will take you through the complete process of painting two beautiful Carolina wrens sitting on a luscious branch of Fall leaves. Susan will let you in on how she begins the painting by collecting her photographs, what materials she uses, design tips on how to create a pleasing composition and much, much more. All in addition to her three-part step by step demo. Susan’s full-sized wren pattern also comes with the DVD so you can follow along with her to reproduce the sample painting yourself. Susan hopes you will use the information as a “springboard” to help you to develop your own individual style and techniques. The following list provides the Chapters included on the DVD. Susan Crouch-Painting in Living Color – Carolina Morning Chapters: 1. Supplies and Materials2. Favorite Tips3. Photographing Birds4. Choosing Colors5. Mixing Greens6. How to Make a Color Journal7. Carolina Morning – Part 18. Carolina Morning – Part 29. Carolina Morning – Part 3/ Layer 110. Carolina Morning – Part 3/Layer 211. Carolina Morning – Part 3/Layer 312. Carolina Morning Review13. About Susan14. Gallery So you see there is an enormous amount of information all wrapped up in this 100 minute DVD. Susan also has several YouTube videos available on Cheap Joe’s YouTube Channel for free viewing 24 hours a day. You can also see more of her artwork on her website www.susancrouch.com. Sign up for her monthly newsletter to keep up with new paintings and where she will be showing her work. Susan also has her own Facebook page, where she posts frequently regarding inspirations for paintings and interesting art news. In my opinion, a person never truly stops learning and thank goodness for that! I want to learn something new every day, no matter what it is. Knowledge is something that cannot be taken away from you. Once you have absorbed it and put it to practice, it is yours, forever. So I say, take every opportunity to learn something new every day. From books and magazines, DVDs and videos, classes and workshops, don’t ever stop learning. Then, when you are comfortable with what you have learned, spread your passion like Susan and teach someone else! Have a Happy “Learn Something New” Day!
Susan Crouch's \Painting in Living Color: Carol...
As a self-taught artist, I have been using instructional material to learn about art for as long as I can remember. From Bob Ross to Walter Foster, many professional artists...
Cheap Joe's HeART Stuff: Postcards for Hurrican...
The effects and damage are still apparent even months after Hurricane Sandy made her way up the Eastern coastline in late October 2012. The super storm displaced thousands of people, many whom lost everything, including family and friends. In times such as these, we struggle to put ourselves in their place, to know what they are feeling.
Cheap Joe's HeART Stuff: Postcards for Hurrican...
The effects and damage are still apparent even months after Hurricane Sandy made her way up the Eastern coastline in late October 2012. The super storm displaced thousands of people,...
The Power of One Word
On New Year's Eve we all wait and watch for the stroke of midnight. Watching the ball drop in Times Square, counting down the seconds, ready to celebrate the New Year. Out with the old, in with the new.
The Power of One Word
On New Year's Eve we all wait and watch for the stroke of midnight. Watching the ball drop in Times Square, counting down the seconds, ready to celebrate the New...
Value Study
Today I'd like to show you how I do value studies to then add them to a watercolor painting. Most people don't like doing value studies I know or little sketches with value in them, but I love them.
Value Study
Today I'd like to show you how I do value studies to then add them to a watercolor painting. Most people don't like doing value studies I know or little...
Carmella Jarvi: Pastel Painting a Woman in Water
In this segment I'm going to walk you through one of my women swimming in water pastel paintings. This is a series I'm known the best for and I've been working on this for a number of years. I love water but I love the human figure as well and it's a lot of fun to do as well.
Carmella Jarvi: Pastel Painting a Woman in Water
In this segment I'm going to walk you through one of my women swimming in water pastel paintings. This is a series I'm known the best for and I've been...
Carmella Jarvi: Pastel Painting Water in Landscape
In this segment, I'm going to show you how I go about painting one of my water in landscape pieces. This time I'm starting with a photograph that I shot on location. Sometimes I work en plein-air, but a lot of times I like to go back and work in my studio.
Carmella Jarvi: Pastel Painting Water in Landscape
In this segment, I'm going to show you how I go about painting one of my water in landscape pieces. This time I'm starting with a photograph that I shot...
Carmella Jarvi: Mounting Surfaces with Pastel P...
We've talked about some of the different surfaces for pastel. There's paper, Gatorfoam, stiff boards, using your color theory and not using light colors. So in this video
Carmella Jarvi: Mounting Surfaces with Pastel P...
We've talked about some of the different surfaces for pastel. There's paper, Gatorfoam, stiff boards, using your color theory and not using light colors. So in this video
Carmella Jarvi: Composition and Colors in Paste...
We've talked about some of the different surfaces for pastel. There's paper, Gatorfoam, stiff boards, using your color theory and not using light colors. So in this one
Carmella Jarvi: Composition and Colors in Paste...
We've talked about some of the different surfaces for pastel. There's paper, Gatorfoam, stiff boards, using your color theory and not using light colors. So in this one
Tools of the Trade: Zoomfinder
Artists are always looking for easy ways to solve common problems when it comes to creating art. Tools of the trade are clever gadgets that are constantly being developed to ease the design chores and allow artists to get down to the business of painting. We use light boxes to transfer patterns more quickly and projectors to enlarge photos, even computers are becoming more and more popular as design aids for artists. Anything to make these time consuming and laborious necessities just a little bit less so. One very popular composition design tool is the Zoomfinder. This handy little invention will help you isolate your view and even create a grid to aid in transferring your design to the paper. Made of durable plastic, the Zoomfinder has an adjustable rectangle and square that allows you to choose the appropriate format for your painting. Place it over the picture you want to paint and slide the inner sheet in and out until you find the desired composition. If you are cropping a picture larger than the opening, move the Zoomfinder closer to your eye. This will allow it to cover a larger area. This is also necessary when composing a landscape on location. The Zoomfinder can be used for landscape as well as portrait formats. The ratio of the rectangle opening is 3:4, with the width being up to 3″ in increments of 1/2″ and the length of 4″. The 3″ x 4″ opening will also make a great template for thumbnail sketches, which will enable you to try out several views before deciding on the best one. The square will open up to 3 inches and also can be used to create a grid for sketch transferring. Creating a pleasing composition is a very important aspect of design. It is the first step in developing a successful painting. The Zoomfinder is a great time-saving tool that will help you to bring your ideas down to the paper. It will enable you to visualize your… This is only one of many wonderful tools of the trade that make painting much more productive and enjoyable!
Tools of the Trade: Zoomfinder
Artists are always looking for easy ways to solve common problems when it comes to creating art. Tools of the trade are clever gadgets that are constantly being developed to...
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