EBSQ Friday Five

1. Art Seen: October is here, so you know what that means. I like to hijack the EBSQ blog to share anything and everything related to Halloween, Autumn and the Harvest. Today, Cyra R Cancel’s Pumpkins painting caught my eye on the front page. Look at those oranges!

2. Call for Artists: Strathmore has announced their 2015 Greeting Card Contest. Click through for more details on how to enter and the prizes.

3. Exhibits: It’s time to vote in the September EBSQ Online Art Exhibits. Only members of EBSQ may vote. Take a look at Celebrating Fan Art and our Flower of the Month: Sedum show.

4. Learning Resources: Tip #51 from Cathy Johnson – Color and Value. “Value does all the work, but color gets all the credit.”

5. In the News: Take a Tour of LAX’s Surprisingly Impressive Art Collection

 

EBSQ Friday Five

1. Art Seen: Rose Pixie by Sara Burrier is a magical way to end the week!

2. Head’s Up: Next month is the start of our annual Think Pink Exhibit at EBSQ. Artists submit artworks that are predominately Pink along with a fee for the exhibit. The fee goes into a donation pool for Breast Cancer education, support, and early detection. Read about last year’s exhibit and see the art – Think Pink 2013.

3. Learning Resources: Art Tip #120 from EBSQ Artist Cathy Johnson – Working on Toned Paper: Cathy has some wonderful tips on her site. I’ll be sharing more in the weeks to come.

4. In the News: An Infamous Art Forger on His Most Convincing Works

5. Exhibits: We are nearing the last week of September. Have you entered in one or both of our September Exhibits? Member’s Choice receives a monetary award!

EBSQ Friday Five

1. Pumpkin Everything by Torrie Smiley is a reminder that October is on the horizon, which means we’ll be seeing more pumpkins and delightful spooky creations!

2. Making money from art: How to build a thriving freelance business – The title says it all.

3. No Rules: A collaborative adventure in painting – Have you ever collaborated with another artist?

4. There are a few days remaining to vote in the August EBSQ Exhibits. Do it now! Also, entries are being accepted for the September Exhibits: Celebrating Fan Art and Flower of the Month: Sedums.

5. Artist Tips: Overcoming shyness and learning to speak to clients

EBSQ Friday Five

1. This week’s Featured Friday Five artist is April Trice and her entrancing photograph, Undulation. Those blues… The water… Can I go there?

2. Dragon Con is next week in Atlanta, yours truly and fellow EBSQ artist Jasmine Becket-Griffith will be in the 2014 Art Show. If you’re attending don’t miss the Art Show!

3. How to Commission an Illustration – I think this should be recommending reading! Thank you to Mark Satchwill for sharing this with me.

4. We are nearing the deadline for the August Exhibits at EBSQ. Don’t miss out on the chance of winning prize money for Member’s Choice!

5. Making Purple: The Science of Art – Another short but excellent video from The National Gallery in London.

EBSQ Friday Five

1. Today’s featured artist is Cyra R. Cancel and her wonderful piece, Violet Bellied Hummingbird in my Garden. Who doesn’t love catching a glimpse of a hummingbird in their garden?

2. Do you love participating in art swaps and challenges? Yes? Then you’ll want to take a look at Art Drop Day, where art and scavenger hunt come together.

3. Have you taken a look at the August EBSQ Art Exhibitions? This month we have Toolbox and Flower of the Month: Summer Veg.

4. Looking for some Art/Anatomy book recommendations? I found this list via a deviantART artist, Qing Han.

5. Summer is a time for conventions and big art shows. They are fun and often full of freebies and entertainment. But did you know you can also learn valuable skills? I’m leading a panel this summer at Dragon Con titled Basics of Digital Painting. My panel is one of many that will teach artists both traditional and digital skills. There’s even going to be a life model panel–bring your own sketchbook! Take a look at my blog post for more info – Conventions: Panels, Art, Books and Leather.

EBSQ Friday Five

 

1. This week’s featured Friday Five artist is one of my favorites at EBSQ. Gretchen Del Rio’s Spirit Bear stands out on the EBSQ front page this morning.

2. Voting has begun in the July EBSQ Online Exhibits! Cast your vote now for EBSQ Ripped Off 2014, Flower of the Month: Dianthus, and Plein Air: Found Reflections. Voting ends Aug. 8th.

3. Words can inspire and words can kill your spirit. Surround yourself with positive people. – Need a pick-me-up? Read Will Terry’s blog post: Don’t Let Them Crap on your Art.

4. Too incredible not to share – Artist’s newsagent shop made entirely from felt looks sew real – in pictures.

5. How to Draw the Figure in Charcoal with Steve Huston – Free HD Tutorial from New Masters Academy

EBSQ Friday Five

1. This week’s featured Friday artist is Natasha Wescoat and her magical siren painting, A Little Birdy Told Me.

2. The Art of Copying – a history, a business, and a tool. This is an excellent blog post from Dinotopia creator James Gurney.

3. This week I want to invite my fellow artists to take a look at a Kickstarter campaign – Pictures at an Exhibition. Even $1 will help, but if you can’t donate to the campaign can you share it with a few friends? This is a fusion of Art and Music:

Join us on an adventure as a young woman journeys through the art that inspired Mussorgsky’s classic  Pictures at an Exhibition!

4. The deadline is approaching fast for three EBSQ Art Exhibits – Plein Air: Found Reflections, Flower of the Month: Dianthus, and the 14th Annual EBSQ Ripped Off Show.

5. Another great video from Will Terry – How to Get Past Artist Block:

EBSQ Friday Five

 

1. This week’s featured art work is Heroin Harlequin by Jenny Berry. I invite you to explore Jenny Berry’s portfolio. It’s rich in texture and moods!

2. Free PDF Ebook: MAKING YOUR LIFE AS AN ARTIST – A GUIDE TO BUILDING A BALANCED, SUSTAINABLE ARTISTIC LIFE.

3. EBSQ Artists have you found your partner for the 14th Annual Ripped Off Exhibit?! Let us know who you are teaming up with on Facebook.

4. Have you seen the huge parrot sculpture gracing London? Well, take a look at this: Giant Art Picnic Engulfs Swiss Countryside

5. Watch and enjoy!

EBSQ Friday Five

1. Summers are hot, humid and uncomfortable where I live. Mats Eriksson’s painting Summer Flowers reminds me of trying to stay cool, but also yearning for those summer hues.

2. Apply to an artist residency in the Rocky Mountains – Rocky Mountain National Park Artist in Residency Program.

3. 7 Tips for Creative Success from artist Anita Kunz – You’ll want to bookmark this one!

4. Using Shape and Value for Better Compositions – Excellent article from Dave Palumbo over at Muddy Colors.

5. It’s time for the 14th Annual EBSQ Ripped Off Show! Here’s a snippet from the exhibit prospectus:

If you haven’t done a Ripped show in the past, here’s how it works: you pair up with a fellow EBSQ Artist, and go through their portfolio and “rip off” their artwork. It can be one piece or a combination, or your interpretation of their work, ideas, medium, and technique. We invite you to check out past years’ exhibits to get an idea of the sort of things you can do. You MUST pair up with someone from EBSQ. Rip-Offs of non-EBSQ art, like redoing the Mona Lisa or ripping off Picasso, are NOT allowable for this show.

So, go ahead and pair up! If you’d like assistance looking for a partner, sign up in the EBSQ Forums or on our Facebook Page. Feel free to contact someone privately and see if they’d like to partner with you. The artist whose work is being ripped doesn’t have to rip off your work in return, but they do need to consent to their work being a springboard for your own.

EBSQ Friday Five

1. Vibrant colors and wet petals after a rain is what comes to mind when I look at Ulrike Martin’s latest watercolor painting, Abstract Flowers. It’s a beautiful time of year here in the Northern Hemisphere.

2. There are only a few more days left to enter our June Exhibits. Have you entered? Check them out: Flower of the Month: Ferns and Plein Air: Found Reflections.

3. I Hate Marketing – Sound familiar? I’m sure I may have used that phrase once or twice. Jon Schindehette talks marketing, some simple tricks and lessons learned.

4. Tutorial: Watercolor Tricks with Copic Various Ink & Multiliners

5. What Do Artists Do All Day – Frank Quitely: Scottish comic book artist.

EBSQ Friday Five

1. Bunch of Carrots by Delilah Smith is this week’s featured Friday Five Artist. The contrast between the carrots and the background gives this such a fresh feeling, like summer gardens.

2. How would you like it if the entire Internet behaved liked Facebook? Big companies got all the views, while artists and indie creators were pushed to the bottom—made invisible. You need to read this easy to understand (written by an artist) article on Net Neutrality and take action today.

3. Calling All Strathmore® Card Artists! We’re looking for fresh fall and winter themed greeting card art. Submit your artwork for a chance to win cash and card products! 

4. This month’s exhibits at EBSQ are underway. Have you entered? Flower of the Month: Ferns and Plein Air: Found Reflections are taking entries till June 30th.

5. World’s Street Art Finds Its Gallery With Google – Just wonderful!

EBSQ Friday Five

1. It was impossible to miss the encaustic painting, The Crimson Tide by Gray Jacobik, on the front page of EBSQ today. Wow!

2. I became acquainted with a new drawing resource online (Thank you, Chris Oatley) called Drawing Tutorials Online. It’s FREE.

3. There’s another drawing video that’s been making the rounds this week – Contour vs. Gesture – Check it out and then browse the site too. Lot’s of great drawing resources to be had.

4. Here’s another gem from Muddy Colors by David Palumbo – Choosing the best lens for your . . . painting?

5. Do you ever compare you art with other artists and feel discouraged? Do you ever think I’m going to learn to paint just like her (or him)? Don’t fall for the trap.

 

EBSQ Friday Five

 

1. The soft colors and swishes in Alma Lee’s digital artwork, Birth of the Butterfly 1, is an exquisite dance.

2. While I’m on the topic of digital art, Wacom has a great board on Pinterest – 90 Tips in 90 Days!

3. I downloaded a great resource this week via Muddy Colors – Art Business Bootcamp: Getting your Found (Social Media, Self-Promotion, and More). The download is free!!

4. We are half-way through May now, have you entered one of our online exhibits? This month EBSQ is hosting Under the Sea and Flower of the Month: Columbines. The Member’s Choice winner receives prize money too!

5. In the news: Is it art or is it craft? Two Boise Art Museum exhibits blur the lines.

 

Friday Five

1. Today’s featured Friday Five art is The Incongruous Meeting by Shawn Marie Hardy. If you’re not familiar with her art, I invite you to explore her imaginative portfolio!

2. Drawn Today has an excellent podcast on the benefits and pitfalls of social media for artists and the art industry. Listen to it here: Podcast Episode 46: The Social Network.

3. Hands-On Art at the MoMA – Please Touch the Replicas of Lygia Clark’s Work. Really?? Yes.

4. Why a Color Chart and Color Wheel are a MUST-HAVE for Painters via EmptyEasel.com

5. EBSQ Artists, do you have an upcoming exhibition? Let me know and I’ll feature you in the Friday Five. Contact me at amanda[at]ebsqart[dot]com

 

EBSQ Friday Five

 

1. I’d love to see a forest of bluebells like that painted by Janet M Graham in her ACEO, Bluebell Forest. Gorgeous!

2. Thumbnail sketches are a valuable tool for any artist, not matter your medium. Check out EBSQ’s Cathy Johnson’s Tip #131 to learn all about them.

3. Value, highlights, forms, pigments, strokes and more, all in 10 Things… Applying Paint by Gregory Manchess.

4. David Tracy’s Lego art, furniture on show in ‘A Million and One Pieces’ – Yes, Legos!

5. Entries are now being accepted for the May Exhibits: Under the Sea and Flower of the Month: Columbines.

 

EBSQ Friday Five

1. Have a look at this delightful painting from Kimberly Vanlandingham. April Showers bring May Flowers….as well as Puddles for splashing!

2. If you only click on one link in this blog post, make it this one: 5 Simple Ways to Talk about your Art.

3. Download Free Andrew Loomis books on illustration and drawing. These are classic gems!

4. This week it was announced that a dozen previously unknown digital artworks by Andy Warhol were discovered on floppy discs dating from 1985. What a discovery!

5. We are in the final days of the April Art Exhibits at EBSQ. Have you entered? I’m putting the final touches on my piece for Medieval-Inspired Mosaics. The Bluebells exhibit could use a few more entries too!

 

 

 

EBSQ Friday Five

 

1. Marcia Baldwin’s Spirit Thunder Indian War Horse is available by auction on eBay. Gorgeous!

2. Donato Giancolo talks color and skin tone–it’s relative. This is another gem from Muddy Colors you don’t want to miss.

3. 5 Costly Mistakes That will Stop you from Selling your Art–excellent advice from Disney Character Designer Chris Oatley.

4. EBSQ is accepting entries for the March Exhibits:  Selfies  and Flower of the Month: Nandina. Deadline to enter is March 31st.

5. Do you have an upcoming exhibit or other event you’d like us to promote in the Friday Five? Open to EBSQ Artists only. Contact me at amanda[at]ebsqart[dot]com.

 

EBSQ Friday Five

1. Ulrike Martin’s butterfly caught my eye this morning. I can’t wait to see butterflies again. Spring? Are you here yet?

2. Artist Kathleen McMahon has compiled a list of Known Scammer Names used in Art-Related Email Scams. She also offer some information on what a scam email looks like and how to protect yourself.

3. How I Became a Facebook Meme is another great blog post from Kelley McMorris, with a lesson on watermarks.

4. How much money can you make illustrating children’s book? Ever wondered? Will Terry shares his experience.

5. The clock is ticking. Have you voted in this month’s EBSQ Exhibits?

EBSQ Friday Five

1. I woke to thunder and heavy rain this morning, Abril Andrade Griffith’s Rainy Day was particularly appropriate as well as being a darling painting.

2. 10 Things… Finding Your Voice – Artists like writers have a voice too, their own unique style. Finding that voice is one key to success and fulfillment in your art.

3. PACT went live yesterday. What is PACT? Professional Artist Client Toolkit – From their website: PACT is a tool to help freelance Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Comic Book and other illustrators negotiate a better living for themselves. I’ve joined, but even if you can’t, there are some great freebies to be had, including sample contracts you can download and articles from leading artists and art directors.

4. Italian cleaning woman throws away modern art she believed to be biscuit crumbs!

5. Mona Lisa Unleashed — Where are the entries? Come on folks!

EBSQ Friday Five

1. Catch a Falling Star artist Sherry Key has a message for you all today: “Here’s wishing you all a lot of love and happiness today…Happy Valentine’s.”

2. We are mid-month now. Have you entered one or both of our EBSQ Exhibits? Mona Lisa Unleashed and Flower of the Month: Houseplants are taking entries till February 28th.

3. Do you believe in Artist’s Block? I tend not to, and instead believe blocks are just small obstacles in our creative process we must overcome. I shared how I deal with those obstacles in a blog post at Tessera – Understanding the Beast.

4. I know many of you are sick of the snow in the US, but don’t forget to take advantage of the opportunity for reference shots! Donato Giancolo shared some wonderful reference photos I took for upcoming paintings over at Muddy Colors.

5. In the News: Art to Die For: Artist Paints Portraits with Human Remains – I love this quote from the artist: “Having ashes in an urn on a mantle somewhere is a good way to constantly remind yourself that person died, but when you use them in an artwork it’s a good way to remember someone lived.”