This is the official Blog for the EBSQ Self-Representing Artists Community, where you'll find news, reviews, site announcements, and of course, a generous helping of art!
There’s been much debate on the EBSQ Member Forums of late about the quality (or lack thereof) of many recent show entries. And the quality issue has next to nothing to do with the art itself.
Huh?
Let me explain:
1.) Does the piece meet the prospectus?
You’d be surprised how many members enter shows willy nilly. (Or maybe you wouldn’t be if you’re a regular EBSQ exhibit visitor.) Sometimes it’s a rookie mistake. Sometimes, people enter their work in the wrong show accidentally. Maybe they misread something in the prospectus, or latch onto the title of the show without bothering to read what it’s actually about. But other times, people enter something just because they can. The number one thing you need to ask yourself is:
Does your work logically belong in Show X?
If you’ve entered a piece of a happy cat in winter and the theme of the show is self-portraits, then no. Really, no. Just don’t do it. Unsure? Read the prospectus. Still unsure? Ask. Please.
Ok. So you’ve successfully mastered the number one rule of successful show entries. If you only do one step, this is the most important take away. But if you want to take yourself from appropriate to awesome, read on…
2) Did you include a statement that explains why you feel THIS particular piece belongs in THIS particular show?
Maybe you think your entry’s appropriateness is obvious. But we don’t live in your brain. Give us a little something about your piece as it pertains to the prospectus. This is all the more important if your piece is abstract or if your piece makes an unusual interpretation of the show guidelines. Pieces with relevant text are greatly preferred by members weighing in on this issue in the EBSQ Forums. I cannot overemphasize how important it is to include a quality artist statement. And the inclusion of text also makes your work easier to find both on our site and in search engines, so not including a piece-specific statement can actually be detrimental to your success on EBSQ. It’s food for thought!
3) This goes hand-in-hand with #2–Is your statement just a sales pitch?
We understand you want to sell your work. We agree that regular show participation is one of THE best ways to get your work seen on EBSQ, improving your chances of selling your work. But we’ve found that statements that are JUST a sales pitch are a big turn off. We recommend including a piece-specific statement, even if it’s short, before going into your pitch. This keeps regular show voters happy, and we’ve found this actually improves your odds of your work selling to that special someone who fell in love with your work in one of our shows. (Psst! This is also good advice for ALL of the work in your portfolio)
4) Is you piece presented in a professional manner?
Here’s where the more objective quality attributes come into play. Is your piece properly cropped? Is there glare? Is it in focus? It doesn’t matter if it’s the most brilliant portrait of Caesar ever painted and epitomizes everything about the prospectus, plus has a pitch-perfect artist statement included. If it’s not a quality jpeg, you’ve just shot yourself in the foot.
And finally:
5) Is your piece any good?
Well…the show voters will certainly weigh in, but in the end, only you can answer that one!
So–did we miss anything? What do YOU think makes an exhibit entry stand out from the crowd in a good (rather than a cringe-worthy) way?
2011 is shaping up to be the biggest year for juried exhibits in EBSQ’s almost 11-year history, with our first juried show of the year, Motion Photography, accepting entries through the end of March. We recently sat down with this month’s juror, photojournalist Eric Schmadel, to learn a little about his background, his approach to photographing objects in motion, as well as some concrete tips for getting your best shot.
photo credit Eric Schmadel | Tribune-Review
My name is Eric Schmadel and I’ve been a photojournalist for the last 15 years. I’ve spent 12, going on 13 of those years at the Tribune-Review in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. I’ve won some awards on the local, state and national level for my work, but that’s not what’s important here. I’d like to share a little about my background in the field and my opinions on action photography.
I became a photojournalist when I had two revelations as a psychology major in college. One was that I started to believe more in psychiatry (and I wasn’t going to med school) and the second was that I should not be responsible for anyone’s mental health. I needed to find a career that suited me. My roommate at that time was the photography editor at the student newspaper so I informed him that I was going to buy a camera and take a photography class and that he should hire me. He did and after a series of right place/right time job openings, I landed in Greensburg.
Though I cover anything that happens on my shift on a daily basis, I would say that 75% of what I shoot is sports. My shift is structured in a way that I am one of the main high school sports photographers in our chain of newspapers in the Greater Pittsburgh region. I do some college sports, but that accounts for less than 10% of the sports photography that I do. I suppose I became a sports photographer by default because of my shift and I fell in love with it. Sport, any sport, any game, holds the potential to make a beautiful and timeless photograph. The peak action, the moments around that action and the old “thrill of victory, agony of defeat” can be very rewarding as a photographer.
I want to touch on the fact that first and foremost, I’m a photojournalist, not a photographer when it comes to sports coverage. I am working hard to produce the best image I can that tells the story of a game. That can be anything from the girl that scored the game-winning basket in a high school playoff game to a dejected senior football player that just lost the last heart-breaking game of his college career and everything in between. I’ve passed over wonderful action shots of dropped passes and meaningless tackles in my edits because they don’t contribute anything to the story of the game once it goes to print. That, to me, is where the art lies in sport photography and in action photography. I want to see meaningful peak action.
As for judging other styles of action or motion photography, well that takes a little more interpretation. I’ve won awards for photos where I’ve panned with the subject to blur the action and give a sense of fluidity and I’ve used high-powered strobes to stop droplets of water. I think what separates art from snapshots is highly subjective. What I may give only a passing glance to may be the world’s most wonderful photo to another viewer. As a juror, I’ll be looking for any number of qualities. The first one being that intangible connection one feels when you first see a photograph that you like. We’ve all seen those photos and we’ve all taken them. You know the photo that you can’t stop looking at because you can’t believe that everything came together just right to make it happen. Secondly, I’ll be looking for technique. 99 times out of 100, it’s not enough to just point the camera at the action and stop it. Composition does still count for something in the world of art. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a photo and thought “if the photographer had just taken a knee and looked up at the subject rather than down,” or “that’s a nice image, but all I see is that light pole growing out of the subject’s head.” Lastly, I like to see subjects that I’ve seen a million times before in a new light. Bird in flight stopped in mid-air? Maybe try panning with it and keeping it’s eye in focus. These aren’t suggestions (yet), just the musings of a juror.
image credit Eric Schmadel | Tribune-Review
I know every serious photographer has probably heard these tips before, but it can’t hurt to repeat them. When you’re looking for action shots there are two basic ways to go about it: stop the action or interpret the action. Stopping the action with a fast shutter and a large aperture is best for things like sports and most wildlife action photography. You’re looking to show the viewer the peak action in a way exposes elements that were too fast for the eye to see. Rippling muscle and a grimace on an enthusiastic slam dunk or the spread wings of a hummingbird at a feeder are good examples of why you might want to go this route. Panning with your subject or doing multiple exposures are better suited to showing the way things move. An incredible photo of (then) Arizona Diamondback pitcher Randy Johnson comes to mind where the photographer used a slower shutter speed and moved the camera with his wind up and delivery (while keeping his face and necklace sharp) to give a sense of motion to the image. Multiple exposures work well to show things like how a skateboarder moves during a kickflip. That can be accomplished with a flash that has a repeating strobe. The only other suggestion I have for action photography is this: know your subject. My most successful sports images have come from sports and teams that I know and understand. For example, you are more likely to get a great photo of a reception in a football game if you know which receiver a team likes to go to on third and long.
All this takes me to my last point. Through the internet, I’ve learned that there are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of extremely talented photographers out there. I am by no means the best there is. And any one of them can make a great photo at a professional sporting event with great gear and that wonderful stadium and arena lighting. But if you ask me, the best sports photographers in the world are the ones producing consistently good work in dimly lit high school or middle school facilities. When you start getting recognition for that work, that’s when you feel professionally successful. That and when Aunt Sally calls you up to order 30 prints because you took the best photo of her niece playing field hockey that she’s ever seen!
Following our relaunch 2 weeks ago, we’ve slowly been putting together some how-to guides for the new tools. This is the first. We’ll be making it a bit more media-rich with screenshots and an accompanying video soon, but in the interim, it’s just the facts, ma’am.
We’ve received a lot of questions from understandably frustrated members saying they’ve upload art but can’t find it or simply don’t know what to do next. Here’s a look at the new process:
First and foremost, you can bulk upload new work under Add Art under “My Profile.” You’ll see a progress bar for each image, and will see a thumbnail of each item after it’s finished. You’ve now successfully uploaded your images.
Your next step is to move those images to where you want them: gallery (aka your main artcase), hosted, hidden, or to remain in new art. This is done by using the Image Role pulldown menu. Select “New Art” and click the search/filter button.
You’re now looking at all of your new uploads. From this point on, you’re now working with individual images instead of working in bulk. Click the “edit” button for whichever piece you’d like to start with.
On the Main Image tab:
Change your first item from “New Art” to “Gallery.
Also, give your piece a title here.
On your Details tab:
Here’s where you include size, date, media, and your artist statement
On your Detail Images page:
Here’s where you upload your detail images, if desired
On your Gallery Placement tab:
Here’s where you make your image “live” in your portfolio by placing it in a personal gallery. You can also add your work to up to 3 EBSQ Galleries.
Right now, there is NOT a delete button. (don’t worry, that’s coming soon!) In the interim, if there’s stuff you want to hide, just select “hidden” on your “Main Image” tab.
This demonstration was originally presented by Wendy Lea Feldmann on 17 May 2010
Ken’s Green Man in Henna – Wendy L. Feldmann
Henna as Body Art – It’s Fun to Draw on Your Friends
I. Henna Through History
II. Henna Mixology
a. Acidic
b. Sugars
c. Oils / Terps
d. High Quality Henna
e. WendyMehndi’s Henna Recipe
III. Applying Henna
a. Body Art
b. Hair Dye
IV. Henna Safety
V. Henna Resources
I. Henna Through History
Henna has been found throughout history. The mummies of the ancient Pharaohs show traces of henna on their hair and nails. Henna is included in many ancient rituals and ceremonies: weddings, circumcisions, births, and other rites of passage and celebrations. Henna has enjoyed a resurgence as an art form in the west, thanks to prominent flashes of it among celebrities in the media.
Although henna has a rich past with many customs and traditions, it is also a contemporary art form. It’s fun and easy, and any wild mistakes will wear off in a couple of weeks, and you can start again. Henna can be used to “test-drive” an actual inked tattoo, or just as a temporary form of expression.
The plant, Lawsonia Inermis, is of the Myrtle family, and is found in arid areas including India, Pakistan, Yemen, Morocco, northern Africa, northern Australasia, and Egypt. It has traveled along the Silk Road, and spread all along the borders of the Black Sea.
II. Henna Mixology
There are as many many varieties of henna recipes. The secret to good henna application is having the right ingredients and the correct mix. It’s kind of like a science project.
Lemon Juice, essential oils, high quality henna, and sugar
Henna will stain keratin, a fibrous structural protein, found in hair, nails, hooves, horn, as well as skin and leather. Henna will also stain wood, wool, egg shells, silk, and turtle shell.
For body art, the ingredients are simple – something acidic, something sweet, and “terps”, which are essential oils with a high monoterpene alcohol content. This magic combination sets off the dye reaction, freeing the lawsone molecule from the henna leaf and allowing it to bind with keratin.
hosted by EBSQ Self-Representing Artists and Wendy L. Feldmann Monday, August 23rd at 9pm Eastern (6pm Pacific) EBSQ Chat Room
Ken’s Green Man in Henna – Wendy L. Feldmann
Come learn a little about the history of Henna arts, Henna Mixology (the secret is in the mixing!), and safe application of Henna, as well as how to avoid unsafe practices masquerading as “henna”.
“WendyMehndi” the Henna Faerie (of Waltzing Dog Studios) is a Henna Artist, Glitter Artist, and Face Painter (among many other artistic disciplines). Dressed outrageously, she can be found delightedly drawing unique freehand designs on people using natural henna, body paint, and glitter. When not decorating and enjoying people, Wendy works in fibre and other media. She lives in Orange County, North Carolina with her husband and children as well as their dogs and cats.
hosted by EBSQ Self-Representing Artists and Wendy L. Feldmann
Monday, August 23rd at 9pm Eastern (6pm Pacific) EBSQ Chat Room
Ken's Green Man in Henna - Wendy L. Feldmann
Come learn a little about the history of Henna arts, Henna Mixology (the secret is in the mixing!), and safe application of Henna, as well as how to avoid unsafe practices masquerading as “henna”.
“WendyMehndi” the Henna Faerie (of Waltzing Dog Studios) is a Henna Artist, Glitter Artist, and Face Painter (among many other artistic disciplines). Dressed outrageously, she can be found delightedly drawing unique freehand designs on people using natural henna, body paint, and glitter. When not decorating and enjoying people, Wendy works in fibre and other media. She lives in Orange County, North Carolina with her husband and children as well as their dogs and cats.
She will probably smack me when she sees this headline, but I did want to focus your attention on the following online event. EBSQ’s own Harlan will be teaching not one but TWO new online classes on oils via CraftEdu.com starting tomorrow. From their website:
Tomorrow we will offer 2 classes by Jeanne Harlan-Marriott. Her 3 part
Introduction to Oil Painting is a foundation class that will get you
started on your voyage to understanding the nature of the medium, the
tools and materials you should have and how oil paint works! Her 4 part
Trillium class will take you further as you complete your own painting.
Learn about light, color, shadow, composition and mixing your own
palette. These two classes are a must for anyone who has wanted to
paint like the Old Masters.
So, sign up between the hours of 12 Noon MT tomorrow and 12 Noon MT Thursday and take advantage of special
(25% reduced) introductory pricing.
So–if you’re hankering to bone up your oil skills, here’s your chance! For further inspiration, please be sure to visit Harlan’s portfolio at EBSQ. There’s a lot of pieces that look like photos. Don’t let the hyper-realism fool you; those are paintings, my friend!
This demonstration was originally presented by Amanda Makpeace on 17 May2010.
Good evening everyone. Thank you so much for attending Social Media, the Artist and Marketing. I’m going to start things off by defining the term social media. Most often when we hear the word social media the first sites that come to mind are Facebook and Twitter, but social media is any site that allows you to share information and interact with other people via the internet. Sharing and interacting—these are the two main aspects. Yes Facebook and Twitter apply, but so too do Blogs, YouTube, StumbleUpon, LinkedIn, Flickr, Digg and many more.
One of the best things you can do is explore social media sites. Chances are not all of them will work for you, nor do you have the time to utilize each and every one. The following link is a listing of the top 25 social media sites, along with marketing tips for each.
When I began using social media sites several years ago I tried dozens of different platforms, but now I only use a handful. Here are my tops sites for interaction:
Here are some of my recent experiences on Twitter:
Example 1: I love sci-fi/horror movies and books. I began reading Stephen King when I was 13 years old. This isn’t just something I’m interested in, it’s something I know. I follow many aspiring writers and published authors on twitter, and in turn quite a few follow me and they’ve also made purchases from my Etsy shop.
Example 2: Many of you know about my One Pebble Project? Well just last week bestselling author, Kat Richardson (who I follow and she follows me) caught wind of my tweet and went crazy sharing it with all of her friends. We bantered back and forth for a good 15 minutes. Okay yes, this was a lot of fun especially since she is one of my favorite authors, but it also spread my name and ultimately my art to the 1,117 people who follow her tweets.
Example 3: I entered a contest on a blog a few weeks ago and the blogger clicked on my profile to see who I was, and ultimately ended up at my Etsy shop. Within a matter of days she commissioned a painting!
Maybe I’m lucky, but I don’t think so. I think if you want to generate sales from social media marketing you have to interact with people and build relationships.
I’ve seen direct sales from Twitter, so I put most of my time and energy into using my tweets as a marketing tool. Twitter may not be that site for you. Maybe instead Facebook is where you generate the most interest or even YouTube. The key is to find which one works and put your energy into it, instead of spreading yourself to thin.
Here are some good and not so good practices. You can use these rules of thumb, in some form or another, on any social media site.
Good Practices
Give to Get – Successful social media marketing programs involve listening and participation. That participation centers around giving value before expecting anything in return.
Putting in the Time – Yes, social media marketing can be time-consuming, but if you choose the best times to participate you can plan and use your time wisely. There are also tools you can use so you aren’t spending all day on the computer.
You want to facilitate sales, not attempt to make sales directly. – This is probably the most important practice of all. People following you naturally become acquainted with what you do, and as you participate in the conversations and build interconnected followers sales can and do happen.
Think outside your product. – If you have interests outside your own art, and most of us do, share them! 1. You will gain new followers/friends who will then discover your art and 2. It makes you a “real” person who is interesting and not one-sided. Also, seek out people with those interests and follow them!
Bad Practices
Being fake, in any way. – This is self-explanatory. Nobody likes a fake.
Not listening.- If you aren’t listening you may miss opportunities to incorporate your product into a conversation, etc.
Being oblivious to formal & unwritten social rules – It’s good to do a certain amount of lurking to see what is socially accepted for a particular social media site.
Being pushy or overtly sales-y in messaging – If all you do is post links to your product people will ignore you.
Cautionary Practices
Be careful sharing your political and religious views. – Unless they pertain directly to your arts theme/subject. We’ve all seen the discussions that can turn ugly, this would be disastrous to your online image.
Be careful expressing anger or upset over an event/person. – This can work for you or against you. Last year I witnessed author, Alice Hoffman have a complete meltdown on twitter over a bad review. The backlash at her behavior forced her to leave Twitter, but not before her account was suspended.
Tools of the Trade for Twitter and Facebook
Twitterfeed – This site allows you to take any RSS feed and share it on Facebook and Twitter. I use it to share the images I “Stumble” but I could also use it to share new items I list on Etsy too.
Feedburner – You can also use Feedburner to share your latest blog posts on twitter, which means less time you spend on twitter! I like Feedburner for my blog because it has more customizable options.
TweetDeck – The newest version of TweetDeck allows you to simultaneously post to both Twitter and Facebook or separately. TweetDeck works on Windows, Mac and Linux, as well as iPhone and iPad and an Android application in the works.
TweetDeck also allows you to schedule tweets. This comes in handy if you have a busy day ahead of you but don’t want to leave your followers in silence.
Lastly, I want to say just a few things about blogging. You don’t hear much about blogs as a social media tool, but they do fall into this category. Blog posts can be shared across a myriad of social networking sites with the click of a button. But guess what, nobody is reading your blog because of your art. If you want to know why, this recent post on Gapingvoid.com explains it in an easy to understand way.
And I am going to leave it there. I hope you find the information in this presentation useful. – Amanda Makepeace
hosted by EBSQ Self-Representing Artists and Amanda Makepeace
TONIGHT Monday, June 14th at 9pm Eastern (6pm Pacific) EBSQ Chat Room
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube … Social Media is everywhere and everyone from school teachers to big businesses are cashing in on this amazing phenomena—including artists. When utilized correctly Social Media can be a powerful marketing tool. It connects the artist directly with potential buyers not only in their home town but across the world. I’ve been using social media platforms for the last six years. My presentation will reveal my secrets for using social media as an artist’s marketing tool.
About the Presenter:
Art has been one of the few constants in my life, but early on I was put off by traditional teaching methods. I only returned to study art in 2005 after completing a commission for a book cover. The course revealed I was an artist set in my ways, so I let my muse run free to create on my own terms. Much of my art tells a story, and through it I have explored the beauty at our feet and the expanse of the universe. I live outside Athens, Georgia with my daughter, two cats and a sometimes unhealthy obsession with technology and books.
This demonstration was originally presented by Sherry Key on 17 May 2010.
Photos-Hand Coloring with pencils-Basics
Welcome to my presentation on hand coloring black and white photos with colored pencils. I use several different mediums to hand color, but today I’ll be talking about using colored pencils and the basic steps to get started. Hand coloring photos is more complicated than most people think. It is not just as simple as coloring in a coloring book. I hope you will come away with a new respect for the process and realize that it really does take an artist’s eye and an artist’s hand.
Supplies-First you’ll want to have on hand a good supply of quality colored pencils. Good quality pencils may seem expensive to start, but are surprisingly long-lasting, which makes them cheaper, the longer you have them. I started out with a set of Prismacolor brand pencils and have just kept adding to my collection of those. I probably have about 200 pencils now in a large variety of colors. There are certain colors I find myself using all the time, and there are others that I haven’t even gotten around to sharpening yet. Black and white prints and colored pencils are not too forgiving when it comes to corrections, but if I have an area where I think I can get by with a correction, I use an electric eraser which you can usually find for around $10.00.
Papers-I have printed black and white on just about every type of paper a printer will take, (without eating it.) Matte photo, watercolor, cardstock, etc., and they all have different qualities that you can play with. They also have their own headaches when you are combining printer ink into the mix. Glossy papers don’t work with most hand coloring processes and
the one I am using for this demonstration is a 67 lb. matte paper, that is a medium weight and nap, and falls somewhere in between a card stock, and matte photo paper.
Printing and ink-You will probably go through a lot of black ink to get the range of tones you want to color. Ideally you want to darken and lighten before you print to get a good contrast of darks AND lights in your photo. So if you just make your photo black and white before you print it that might not be good enough. You will have to work on adjusting your contrast, brightness, etc. to get what you need. Another thing is, not every photo is a good candidate for hand coloring. If you are doing a portrait it really works best when you have things to focus your color on like sunglasses, jewelry, hair decorations, fingernail decorations, etc. Medium to light objects are also better. I personally prefer to usually leave the skin uncolored, and I think you actually focus more on the facial features when color is surrounding them…than on them. That is just my personal preference. I use a printer that only has a black toner cartridge so it easily prints only black and white for me… (-: Now enough of the pre-technical mumbo jumbo…let’s get started!
This is the colors I use the most. 70% cool grey, 50% warm and cool greys, 20% cool grey, black and white. To me most of the blacks and whites and tones in between that the printer prints out, are cool shades. I use these colors the most for shading, re-shading and highlighting certain areas.
I use a hard surface such as a portable art easel (lap kind) a dining table or desktop. I use this big easel to clip my photos to when I want to take a step back to look at my progress or finished work. I like to step back from my work periodically to make color comparisons, look at overall composition, and where do I want to focus color, etc.
The image on the right in pink is the one I will be demonstrating today. I also did one in lavenders to show how different the mood can be depending on what colors you use.
Here is the black and white printed photo I will be using.
Doesn’t look like much now, but what is exciting to me is where, and how far can I take it with color, to really make the photo “pop.” First I decide which color scheme I feel like going with. Also, I want to make a note here that if you have black areas that get color rubbed off, markers do not usually work well to cover up those spots. Printer inks on paper have sheen. Markers are a FLAT black that will show up when you try to take final photos. It is better to color these tiny areas with black pencil. Here is an example of the contrast with printer ink and black marker. It doesn’t look so bad here, but believe me, if you have light shining on it in a certain way, it will be glaring.
Next I have outlined the t-shirt with black to make it stand out more.
In the next image I started coloring the headband and hair. On the headband I used varying shades of pinks, reds and purples. Start out with a light touch and go from using your dark colors to your lights. Go easy on the dark until you see if you are getting a color you want then you can start getting heavier handed with your pencils. I could have done Nicole’s hair any color I wanted, that’s what is nice about having a black and white palette to begin with. But her real hair color is a funky mix of dyed shades of red, black and white so I decided to go along those lines. I started with light strokes of reds, oranges and yellows.
This is a little closer shot of the hair and headband. You can also see in the picture (above the headband, to the left) how the ink from the printer is deposited and kind of has a sheen to it like I mentioned previously, when I talked about using a flat black marker in those areas.
Now I am filling in and deepening the colors on the headband. That’s Process Red (which looks like a hot pink to me) that I have in my hand. I am blending as I go, with a little more pressure each time, leaving some white at the crest of the headband to keep part of it looking like it has light shining on it.
The eyes are next starting with adding shades of blue and purple for my shadow, and under eye liner. On a portrait if you aren’t coloring the face, then the eyelids and irises are places you get to add some color if you want.
Because it’s easier to color over the lashes instead of in between each one, and it looks more uniform, the next thing I did was take a Micron .005 pen to go back and draw each lash individually. That brings the lashes back into focus and I can even add some extra ones if I want too.
At this point I think my headband and hair are really starting to come together so I am going to work on her t-shirt. I start with re-shading the dark areas with 70% cool grey to get more contrast. I also blackened the blacks on the bear logo with black pencil.
Then I started shading with light and dark pinks and purples, similar to what was done on the headband. I colored her irises green. I do a lot of blue and green eyes because it stands out more to me. Nicole’s eyes are brown but she loved the green iris when she saw this picture.
Here I am using a pale pink to blend some of the color on the t-shirt. Look how that headband and the eye “pop.” The outlining on the shirt and more black in the bear is really making those stand out as well.
I use a cheap .99 cent soft paint brush to brush off my painting. You will need to brush your painting periodically because you will have debris building up on your photo from using your pencils. Always use a brush because if you use your hand to brush away particles it may smear into your paper, instead of brush off.
In this photo I have outlined the face, nose and lips with grey. I colored the lip pink and finished adding pink to the lower part of the shirt.
I went back and added lots more yellow, oranges and red to the hair. Then I used dark gray and black to separate some hair strands. I put it up on my standing easel so I could step back from my work and see what final touches it needed. I finished with going back to each area using more pressure with white, light colors, and black to finish blending and adding my final touches. Here is the final piece called “Nicole on Edge.” The colors are even richer and more defined in person, than I could get to come out in my photo of the picture.
Here is the original print before hand coloring as a comparison.
hosted by EBSQ Self-Representing Artists and Amanda Makepeace
Monday, June 14th at 9pm Eastern (6pm Pacific) EBSQ Chat Room
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube … Social Media is everywhere and everyone from school teachers to big businesses are cashing in on this amazing phenomena—including artists. When utilized correctly Social Media can be a powerful marketing tool. It connects the artist directly with potential buyers not only in their home town but across the world. I’ve been using social media platforms for the last six years. My presentation will reveal my secrets for using social media as an artist’s marketing tool.About the Presenter:
Art has been one of the few constants in my life, but early on I was put off by traditional teaching methods. I only returned to study art in 2005 after completing a commission for a book cover. The course revealed I was an artist set in my ways, so I let my muse run free to create on my own terms. Much of my art tells a story, and through it I have explored the beauty at our feet and the expanse of the universe. I live outside Athens, Georgia with my daughter, two cats and a sometimes unhealthy obsession with technology and books.
hosted by EBSQ Self-Representing Artists and Sherry Key
Monday, May 17th at 9pm Eastern (6pm Pacific) EBSQ Chat Room
Seein Blue – Sherry Key
Hand coloring photographs – These ain’t your Grandma’s photo oils.
I have been hand coloring black and white photos for some years. Working on hand coloring with pencil, ink, marker, oils, pastels… in other words, anything but the old standby’s like Marshall’s photo oils. “Art Photos” help combine the natural expressions of an artist like me that enjoys working in various media such as sculpture, jewelry making, painting, drawing and photography. I can promise that this presentation will take you beyond your Grandma’s use of photo oils to hand tint and color photographs.
About the Presenter:
I started out early in life with a passion for reading and art. My family will tell you I have experimented in just about every media there is. During the 70’s – like so very many in the 70’s, I worked in macramé, decoupage and tole painting. In the early 90′s I received scholarships for sculpture and ceramics. I concentrated on 3-dimensional work like sculpture, pottery and jewelry but in the last year and a half since my son moved out, I have been focusing on honing my drawing and painting skills – working mostly with colored pencils, oil pastels and hand coloring photos.
By day I run a computer maintenance database. I live in Texas, in the North Dallas area and when not at work, I am creating. – Sherry Key
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hosted by EBSQ Self-Representing Artists and Sherry Key
Monday, May 17th at 9pm Eastern (6pm Pacific) EBSQ Chat Room
Seein Blue - Sherry Key
Hand coloring photographs – These ain’t your Grandma’s photo oils.
I have been hand coloring black and white photos for some years. Working on hand coloring with pencil, ink, marker, oils, pastels… in other words, anything but the old standby’s like Marshall’s photo oils. “Art Photos” help combine the natural expressions of an artist like me that enjoys working in various media such as sculpture, jewelry making, painting, drawing and photography. I can promise that this presentation will take you beyond your Grandma’s use of photo oils to hand tint and color photographs.
About the Presenter:
I started out early in life with a passion for reading and art. My family will tell you I have experimented in just about every media there is. During the 70’s – like so very many in the 70’s, I worked in macramé, decoupage and tole painting. In the early 90’s I received scholarships for sculpture and ceramics. I concentrated on 3-dimensional work like sculpture, pottery and jewelry but in the last year and a half since my son moved out, I have been focusing on honing my drawing and painting skills – working mostly with colored pencils, oil pastels and hand coloring photos.
By day I run a computer maintenance database. I live in Texas, in the North Dallas area and when not at work, I am creating. – Sherry Key
This demonstration was originally presented by Kris Jean on 9 March2009in conjunction with EBSQ goes green.
Recycled Artisan Paper was a detailed and through presentation. Because of the quantity of information- multiple techniques for creating and embellishing papers, supply lists, how to make tools, etc., we will post this presentation in regular installments.
We begin with the introduction and a supplies list.
Homemade Paper
Embossed Handmade Paper
Hi everybody and welcome to LIVE! In this installment, we are going to explore different techniques for recycling paper and junk mail, to use in arts & crafts projects, mixed media fine art, and beyond.
Making paper is messy, but very simple. The techniques are tried and true, but it takes practice to get good results consistently. What works for me, may not be the standard method because I like to do things cheaply. There is no process to this that is set in stone. Feel free to expand and experiment. Do what feels natural.
I have been recycling my own studio paper for several years now. This is paper from left over projects, watercolor paper trimmings even left over other recycled paper noogies. I do this purely for fun and to cut down the waste from my studio – and I use it for art, and crafty things for family and friends. Usually paper/cardboard from my household use is dropped off at a paper recycling bin at the local school, as White Settlement does not have an active recycling program for its residents. (BOO!)
The paper I make is used in my own mixed media projects, handmade cards, seed paper, and other nifty little things. I take what I don’t use to work and let the kiddies have a go with it too. When creating your own papers – the sky is the limit!! I’ve made paper out of rose petals and even lint!
Above all else – be creative!
Basic Materials
Paper to be recycled (Stay away from super high gloss papers, waxy papers, papers with adhesives, plastic or hard paint)
Dishpan
Large Bowl
Water
Blender
Scissors
Window Screen Material (I prefer metal over vinyl)
Lots of Felt or Absorbent Material
Rolling Pin or Similar (wood will warp over time because of the water – so don’t use your GOOD one)
Old Wood Picture Frame
Stapler or Staple gun (depending on the hardness of the wood)
Some basic supplies:
Some more advanced supplies (we will have fun with later):
Please join us tomorrow, January 22nd, for The Basics, The Sifter Method and Drying Techniques!
About the presenter:
Kris Jean, a world wide collected artist, has dabbled in her fair share of mixed media. She has been recycling her own paper for years. In the past 5 years no scrap paper has left her studio; it has all been recycled.
Like what you see here? We hope you’ll consider leaving a comment or subscribing to one of our feeds. Never miss another cool post from EBSQ. Subscribe to EBSQ: Art Meets Blog v2.0 by Email today!
This demonstration was originally presented by Alma Lee on 10 August 2009
Color Pencils rock my world! Just when I had relegated my color pencil collection to the sketch supply pile, opening them only for an occasional a quick draft. The color pencil world was incorporating to new technology, experimental techniques, and new formulations revolutionizing the color pencil status as a medium.
These new configurations, allow for better color saturation, intensity, and light-fastness. It is now possible to accomplish highly detailed, richly textured and brilliant colored finished paintings without ever picking up a brush. If you have not tried Color pencils lately, you have never tried Color pencils. These aren’t your Mama’s Color pencils!
Tonight I am going to take you step by step to the creation of the following painting.
For this demonstration, I will be using Pentel Brush pens water based markers, Prismacolor color pencils (CP) (water based) and Walnut Hallow colored pencils for Wood (oil based) (WHCP).
For the benefit of any media purists this project could be completed in 100% Prismacolor. But in the interest of time I will be using markers and brush pens to block in my color starting base.
When working with color pencil on wood or MDF panel the most important step will also be the first. Step one: adding gesso to the panel. You can put CP directly on to wood without gesso, and you will end up with a very transparent, pastel finish, much like watercolor.
If you are looking to for the more saturated color of acrylic or oil you are going to want to apply gesso. What makes this step so crucial is CP water oil base will not adhere well to acrylic and gesso contains acrylic. We want the thinnest coat possible for this step.
So when you apply your gesso, you will want to use a thinner bodied formula. Don’t water down a thicker gesso. I used Liquitex Gesso Surface Prep artist acrylic grade.
In very thin lines (about 1/3 the width of a pencil) I apply the gesso directly out of the bottle and onto the surface wrapping my fingers around the 2” foam brush head, using hard pressure to rub.
I “force” the gesso into the grains of the surface. Your prepped panel will be quite streaked. No worry, this is a good thing!
When dry you can either draw your image directly on the surface with graphite or transfer it with transfer paper. Keep in mind if you decide to use transfer paper, that you cannot erase the transfer paper marks and you are going to be working with transparent and translucent substances.
I generally will draw my idea out on paper and copy it to size on the computer, then with a graphite pencil fill in the back of the copy, tape it on the board and trace as a transfer.
You can now fill in your image with markers – or if using all color pencil, you will build up your base in several “light” layers of color.
Few quick tips:
-Leave only the harshest highlights white.
-Black (CP) is extremely flat and lifeless looking. Instead I determine whether to use a hot black (red base) or cool black (blue base)
-Shadows are only hinted at during this stage. It is easier to define those as you get into the (CP)
-Shadowing is best achieved by using contrasting colors on the color wheel. THE EXCEPTION TO THIS RULE IN COLOR PENCIL IS YELLOW AND PURPLE. On those I will pick a brown, gray or black. pencil
-Add Color pencil to the large white areas only towards the end. This helps preserve your white areas as (CP) acts as a magnet to stray color specs.
After you have blocked it all in you can take a Q-tip dipped in alcohol and squeezed to wash out some of the hard edges where you don’t want them and also to blend in some of the stronger colors making the image look a little more integrated.
Notice also how I have begun to introduce some light yellow to the white diamonds to warm them up a bit. I am also now building up the shadow areas in the piece with contrasting colors using a light pressure on the pencil.
Now with light/medium pressure, I fill in the overall red in the shoes.
During the second coat on the shoes, I will make the pencil strokes in the opposite direction of the 1st coat.
I will begin to increase (slightly) the pencil pressure, as I am getting a nice “waxiness“ to adhere to.
In real life, I tend to skip around the page to all areas of the piece.
While I am for organizational purposes talking about only one area, bear in mind that you must be thinking about reflections and shadows in the surrounding objects and background and pulling in the color of such right along. Otherwise, you may forget what colors were used and not be able to get a true representation.
As I get into the 3rd coat again I will change the stroke direction still using no more than medium pressure. I also start looking at introducing some enhancing mid-tones of magenta and orange.
I want to do it at this stage because we are fast approaching saturation in some of the shadows areas and too much build up of wax will make it difficult to add color without marring or “lifting” up the waxy surface.
This is going to be one of my last chance to really saturate the surface, so I am concerned with 2 things:
Finishing my shadow intensity
Dragging in the very lightest mid-tones color into the highlight. I will leave only the brightest and sharpest highlights untouched.
Now I am hardening the edges bringing up the gold in the buckles and apply gold to the reflections.
I will add with medium pressure to the white on the shoes. First an over all layer on the highlights. Then a heavier hard line at the center of the highlight. I will then blend out the outer edges of the highlights with a light pink.
This is followed up by medium heavy pressure of the hard white lines, and medium pressure on white to the bottom of the shoe catch light.
I am adding black to the background using a very light all over coating at first, then lightly shadowing in the darker areas to give it some grounding. The third coat is done by lightly blending the two.
At the same time with medium pressure, I will lay in the darkest black on the floor and the like.
Note: don’t apply heavy pressure until you can feel the little nubs of wax building up, rather uniformly on the surface. You will know this is happening when you notice less and less color saturation occurring while using lighter pressure and it will start to feel a bit like you are lightly coloring on a bumpy back of an old cast iron pan.
This is also the point to draw you finer lines as on the floor.
Note: if you can’t get a fine enough line you may try either a VERITHIN CP – taking care not to mar the surface of the panel substrate, or the image.
Add highlights to the black floors with red, blue and white to build up to the appropriate levels of visual contrast. Then add about 10-20% more contrast than you will want to see in your final piece, as this will be blended and toned down during burnishing.
Choose at least two shades of each prominent color to build up contrast within their respective objects. I used both Camille red, Magenta, Hot Pink and a touch of Vermilion for the Red areas and Aquamarine, Non-Photo Blue and Indigo in the Blue area.
I filled in all the white areas left in the floor with either Camille/Aquamarine. I then used the lighter shade of each in order to feather blend it into the black, taking time now to really concentrate on filling in any white specks still lurking in the dark areas.
Note: you will not be able to fill them all in at this time, and you must never use hard pressure at this stage.
I am now addressing the “white” diamonds in the background. Like black, I feel white lacks a certain depth.
I also feel that the warm red tones, of the shoes would result in a catch light, not as a color reflection on the matte wall finish, but certainly present itself in a change in gradient tone.
I added light green to the polka dots overall, and then layered white on top of that.
In the white diamonds I added that same green to just the peaks of the diamond – again 10-20% more than I desired on final piece.
I also added a beige color to the base of the diamonds and colored it all with white at medium pressure. I continued to do this until I received the desired shade.
Now I pay careful attention to the surface of the piece
Note: absolutely every bit of the surface should be covered with at least 80% of CP color, even the whites!
This is important because you are about to burnish and if you try to burnish over empty or lightly coated areas you are going to drag in a color that you don’t want.
We are now ready to burnish starting with the prismacolor colorless blender. Burnish over the entire image with med-med hard pressure, doing the lightest areas first and working your way to the dark areas.
You will want a thin yet workable layer of the colorless wax. In the dark areas you are also trying to fill in with more earnest now, any remaining “snowy” specks.
Note: don’t worry, you absolutely will never get them all out, but like in pointillism, the eye of the viewer tends to blend the small specks in for you.
Our surface will be smoother but not completed.
It is time to break out your Walnut Hollow oil pencils. The oil pencils will help you lay down some serious color after burnishing, and provide more of a translucent, rather that transparent color finish. They also tend to “flake” a little more, so I keep an old make-up brush handy to whisk away crumbs.
Note: you can continue to use the Prismacolor and can use them after you use the Walnut Hallow pencils. However, they are a harder pencil and you have to be careful not to mar the surface with them.
Bring up your colors a little more with light pressure (notice the oranges deepening along sole of the shoe as it picks up a slight reflection from the floor.)
With hard pressure you are now going to add your strong white highlights.
Note: hard pressure is best defined as the same amount of pressure you would use to color in a solid color on a chalkboard.
Burnish one more time with the colorless blender, working in the opposite direction where possible. I chose not to burnish the white diamonds, as I was happy with the texture as is.
Note never be afraid to stop, let it sit for a day, live with it. If you are happy, walk away. (Once you have overworked a piece at this point it is nearly impossible to correct.)
Complete the project using a paper smudge stick with a medium light pressure. Burnish any areas that need smoothing. At this point I generally avoid all white highlights. Again I “live” with it a couple of days and then sign it.
Once the signature is dried, use your makeup removal pad to bluff out any excess wax build up. Working the light areas first then proceeding to the darker shades using a light to medium light pressure.
Note: sign before spraying on the finish. The surface is very difficult to sign once it has been fixed.
Once you are satisfied with your piece you are ready to spray it with spray fixative. I use Prismacolor Premier Matte Fixative.
Unlike many CP artists, I like to leave it unfinished for a couple of months if I have that time available to me. This allows the wax bloom to come up. I then buff it out with a makeup removal pad and fix it. That way I know that the wax bloom issue has been put to rest. Then I spray with fixative and wait an hour and spray it with Krylon UV-Resistant Clear.
To see a clip of the entire visual process in a 1 min video:
Materials Used For This Demonstration:
MDF Panel (Home Depot)
Pentel Brush Marker (Dick Blick)
Prismacolor Pencil (Michaels Craft Store, Dick Blick
Walnut Hollow Oil Pencils (Michaels Craft store in the wood project section, DickBlick)
Prismacolor colorless blender (Michaels Craft Store, Dick Blick)
Liquitex Gesso (Michaels Craft Store, Dick Blick)
Paper smudge stick (Michaels Craft Store, Dick Blick)
Prismacolor Matte Fixative (Michaels Craft Store, Dick Blick)
Uv-Resistant Clear Acrylic Coating (Michaels Craft Store, Dick Blick)
Foam Brush (Home DePo)
Make up Brush (Walmart)
Q-tips (Walmart)
Makeup removal pads (Walmart)
Alcohol (Walmart)
Research Materials List – Materials and further reading:
We’re celebrating the last day of Summer here in the Northern Hemisphere by helping you get ship-shape for Fall and the upcoming holiday season.
Is your contact information up-to-date? Make sure we have your current private email address for lost password retrieval and public contact information for people who want to learn more about your art. We’ve often seen members post that they do commissions but don’t offer a contact method for potential buyers.
Are your website and blog addresses still correct? How about your eBay and Etsy ids? Again, if we don’t have the right information, people aren’t going to be able to find you or your work at your prefered sales venues.
When is the last time you took a look at your artist’s statement? Do you have a “Hi, I’m new,” message that you posted back in 2004 and simply forgot about? Or notes about your Spring cleaning sales? Are you talking about your past realist work when you’re now showing a portfolio full of abstract expressionism? Have you done any new shows or changed galleries? Don’t forget to add this new information to your CV.
Have your commission prices changed? If so, don’t forget to make these edits if you have pricing listed on your commissions page. Or maybe you don’t do commissioned work at all anymore–you can always turn off this feature by unchecking the “commissions available” box in your profile tools.
Are you showing your newest work? While we do have members that update their portfolio as soon as they have something new, others simply upload a handful of work when they join and forgeddaboutit, letting their portfolios collect cyber dust. When was the last time you added something new? Every time you add new art to your portfolio, that piece shows up on the front page of EBSQ, which in turn brings more people back to your portfolio.
Have another great tip for getting your portfolio fall-ready? Feel free to share it in the comments below!
Like what you see here? We hope you’ll consider leaving a comment or subscribing to one of our feeds. Never miss another cool post from EBSQ. Subscribe to EBSQ: Art Meets Blog v2.0 by Email today!
hosted by EBSQ Self-Representing Artists and Alma Lee
Monday, August 10th at 9pm Eastern (6pm Pacific) EBSQ Chat Room
King David Danced - Alma Lee
I have always loved drawing and detailing with color pencils, but until recently I had no idea of their virtually unlimited potential for PAINTING. Not only do color pencils have the same depth, and vibrancy of color, but they also have the added precision of a graphite pencil that results in a satin-like glowing finish rivaling oil. New innovations and materials made it possible to “paint” on a variety of substrates previously off limits; including wood and MDF fiber panels. During my LIVE presentation I will be demonstrating some of the possibilities of Color Pencil, in a step-by-step visual diary of my painting process.
About the presenter:
Alma Lee with a degree in Marketing Communications studied both Fine Art and Marketing, at Stout University and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Wisconsin. Is a full time art licensor and artist living and working in Green Bay WI.
Like what you see here? We hope you’ll consider leaving a comment or subscribing to one of our feeds. Never miss another cool post from EBSQ. Subscribe to EBSQ: Art Meets Blog v2.0 by Email today!
hosted by EBSQ Self-Representing Artists and Alma Lee
Monday, August 10th at 9pm Eastern (6pm Pacific) EBSQ Chat Room
King David Danced - Alma Lee
I have always loved drawing and detailing with color pencils, but until recently I had no idea of their virtually unlimited potential for PAINTING. Not only do color pencils have the same depth, and vibrancy of color, but they also have the added precision of a graphite pencil that results in a satin-like glowing finish rivaling oil. New innovations and materials made it possible to “paint” on a variety of substrates previously off limits; including wood and MDF fiber panels. During my LIVE presentation I will be demonstrating some of the possibilities of Color Pencil, in a step-by-step visual diary of my painting process.
About the presenter:
Alma Lee with a degree in Marketing Communications studied both Fine Art and Marketing, at Stout University and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Wisconsin. Is a full time art licensor and artist living and working in Green Bay WI.
Like what you see here? We hope you’ll consider leaving a comment or subscribing to one of our feeds. Never miss another cool post from EBSQ. Subscribe to EBSQ: Art Meets Blog v2.0 by Email today!
This demonstration was originally presented by Lauren Abrams on 22 June 2009
I’m going to show you how I make one of my split pendants. It involves using a Skinner Blend, a simple cane, and a “gem” I make out of alcohol inks and silver leaf.
The first thing you have to do when working with polymer clay is to condition it. You can do this by rolling it out with a rolling pin, kneading it with your hands, or any number of ways…but the best and easiest for me is my pasta maker…and with a motor on it it’s even easier! You just push the clay through the top and it comes out underneath at whatever thickness you’ve set it on…there are between seven and ten usually on a pasta maker. Once you’ve put it through a number of times, it’s conditioned and ready to use.
The first thing I want to demonstrate is the Skinner Blend, so called because of the person who figured it out…Judith Skinner. She made it easy to do a beautiful graduation of colors with just a few easy steps. The first one is deciding which colors you want to use, and conditioning them…I’ve done my blue, now I’m doing a white clay.
I’ve decided I don’t want a chalky white, so I’m adding a bit of translucent clay and a tiny bit of yellow..then conditioning it while mixing the colors together at the same time, using the pasta machine.
Once you’ve mixed the colors you want and have them the same thickness…you put one on top of the other, and using your tissue blade(very sharp)cut a triangle through both, so they are the same size.
Take them apart and put the longest sides together…
Squish them together a bit so they don’t come apart the first time you put them through the pasta machine…sometimes you need to overlap a bit..
Now, just fold it in half like in the picture, and put it into the pasta machine.
Catch it, fold it again THE SAME WAY… and put it through again and again…it’s most important that you always fold it the same way.
Keep doing this until you start to see a blending begin, then do it until you are happy with the blend…sometimes you can do it in five or six times, others it might take you twenty.
I’m pretty happy with this graduation so I stop.
I place the graduated color on top of another sheet of clay and trim it
I set the pasta maker thickness at number one..which is it’s thickest setting
Putting it through the pasta machine, I now have a nice big piece of graduated clay, with a solid base
Using a circle cutter, I cut out a circle on an area of the graduation that I like.
Using my tissue blade, I cut it in half
Setting that aside, I start making my cane.
Canes using polymer clay are generally made by stacking different colors and shapes of clay, then slicing it to reveal it’s pattern…once you make a cane, you can slice many pieces of it to use. This striped cane is one of the simplest to make. If you are interested, just do some research on the variety of canes people have designed in the thirty odd years since polymer clay hit the art scene. These were modelled after the millifiori (many flowers)that glass makers have been making for centuries…
I”ve decided to use three complimentary colors and different thicknesses for this cane.
I start stacking the different colors and thicknesses of clay, rubbing them down a bit in between to get rid of air bubbles.
I keep stacking until I get what I want as a pattern(you can slice the end and see how it’s going)
On this particular cane I want a repeat, so I just cut the can in half and put one half onto the other.
Slicing the end, I decide it’s what I’m looking for…and stop.
On a this backing piece of clay, I lay down a sliced and spliced together piece of cane
I line Up my two parts of the graduated blend I’ve already done and snug them up on either side of the cane slice.
Using a number 11 xacto knife, I cut out carefully around the oval that is formed by doing this and remove excess clay
I step back from the piece and decide what to do next
I’m going to make a coil of clay to border the pendant, and I want to use some of the cane in it…so I cut a couple of thin slices
I take a deep rust color clay(one of the ones I’ve used in the cane)and roll out a thing coil
Laying two of the thin slices on the coil, I roll some more to make the coil thinner and by doing that it also incorporates the cane slices into the coil
I arrange this around the pendant and press it into place
I add another sliced cane piece at the top, and start to add some small balls of the blue clay…here I’m using a brush to apply some liquid polymer clay, which will act as a glue to adhere the delicate pieces in place.
Here I am taking a ball of green clay and pressing it into a silicone rubber mold I have made
I press it into place at the bottom…
I step back and look at what I’ve done so far and decide that this is the time for my “gem”
Using a commercial cabochon mold I have, I press a piece of Premo Pearl into a round one of the right size
Then I prepare the covering, the super duper shiney thing we all love!
I lay a piece of silver leaf(aluminum) on top of a piece of pearl clay…rub it down
Using alcohol based inks, I paint some on top of the silver leaf until I like the look
Then I take some Premo translucent clay and put it through the pasta machine, making it thinner each time I put it through until it is at the thinnest setting possible….
Sorry it’s kind of hard to see but in this photo I am putting the sandwhiched clay, leaf, inks and translucent top through the pasta machine…just once or twice, depending on how much crackle you want.
Cover the piece you made with the cabochon mold with this sheet of clay…trim the excess and stretch it carefully over it and underneath a bit too.
For this one I want a bit of a base that’s a little larger than the “gem”..so I use an appropriately sized circle cutter as shown
Using a bit of liquid clay for glue, I put them together
I smush down a piece of green clay to support the “gem” and paint it with liquid clay
I press the “gem” in place
I start adding different little pieces to complete it
Into the oven it goes…at 275 for about thirty minutes. Some people like to use a dedicated toaster oven for their polymer clay. I will get around to that eventually lol..
After the piece has cooled, I coat the top of the “gem” with Futura floor covering…it gives it a great shine
66
I make a drop using the same clay and cane and add some annodized jump rings for findings
Once that is done and fired again, I add a multistrand steel necklace and voila, my split pendant!
Just wanted to show you a few different pieces so you could see what the “gems” can look like with different colored inks…
hosted by EBSQ Self-Representing Artists and Kari Tirrell
Monday, July 13th at 9pm Eastern (6pm Pacific) EBSQ Chat Room
Buzz and Baby - Kari Tirrell
Soft pastels are the purest form of painting material available. They are made from pure pigment, with just enough binder to form the pigment into a usable stick. I love their brilliance and intensity of color, but it is the immediacy of soft pastels that has made them my favorite medium. During my LIVE presentation, I will demonstrate my process of painting, step-by-step from start to finish.
About the presenter:
Kari Tirrell is a self-taught artist living in Gig Harbor, Washington.
Like what you see here? We hope you’ll consider leaving a comment or subscribing to one of our feeds. Never miss another cool post from EBSQ. Subscribe to EBSQ: Art Meets Blog v2.0 by Email today!
Art & News from EBSQ 