No, I haven’t taken up smoking…
…but I’ve been collecting retro melamine ashtrays that make great brush/water holders for painting. And they come in great colors (I have bigger yellow and green ones at my studio.) This is a small one, which is good for travel, especially on a boat where your brushes might roll overboard. The watercolor pencils roll also, but at least they float when they hit the water, so you have...
Read MoreAcrylic Ink Sketches
Doing some sketches for new ideas. I love using these acrylic inks by Daler-Rowney, especially the pearlescent ones. And who could resist with great names for colors like Waterfall Green, Galactic Blue, or Hot Mama...
Read MoreMonoprinting and Dye Painting
Maybe everything happens for a reason. That week that I laid in bed and read dye painting books really soaked in (my brain, not the bed). So I got out the dye powders I had ordered last year, and weird tools I don’t remember ordering, and started to fool around. This was done with a sponge brush and syringe. I have an old chipped glass table top that I got cheap at some auction, and it...
Read MoreIllustration Friday: Zoo School for Big Cats
The Illustration Friday theme this week is Zoo, but I kept thinking about the new Leopard operating system on my Mac. Then I remembered that all the previous Mac OS X operating systems were named for big cats, and I thought the big cats might have to go to school to learn the difference between a mouse and mouse. So this is my Zoo School for Big Cats. (click on it for a bigger version).The big...
Read MoreThe Design Ramblings of Pam RuBert
Haven’t done much creative work in the last couple of weeks other than draw my brain with my sewing machine. Then I drew/painted it with my new Caran D’ache watercolor crayons as recommended by Joanie (actually she recommended the crayons, not drawing my brain.) I was thinking of calling this “Radioactive Brain” or maybe “Thinking of You.” So since there...
Read MoreYellow
Isn’t it great fun, going to the store and looking through about 70 color chips to find just the right one? Except I never seem to pick just the right one. Maybe I’m swayed too much by the names, but when it comes down to it… what would you rather have on your walls? “Grasshopper” or “Gecko”? And here’s the resident Mixologist at work. I think the...
Read MoreFaux Painting
Changing gears again! I haven’t mentioned for a while that we’re still in the process of remodeling due to the disaster at our studio last January. After getting a new roof, new ceilings and lighting, we’re finally getting to the point where I can lend a hand — repainting the walls that were damaged by water. The room where the sprinkler system exploded used to be bright...
Read MoreWorking for Inspiration
Jane posted a great quote by Henri Matisse after one of my recent posts: “Don’t wait for inspiration, it comes while working.†I should have that tattooed on my forehead so I’d see it every morning when I look in the mirror. This is a mixed media collage on vintage columnar paper. I started this because I’ve been thinking about using Lisa’s technique of...
Read MoreA Small Painting
Here’s the finished acrylic painting, and it’s small — only 8″ by 10″. For some reason right now I have the urge to make some small, intimate pieces. And the way I’m currently constructing my quilts, I can’t make something this small with detail. Maybe later I’ll play with painting on fabric, but for now I like using a small edge-wrapped...
Read MoreLesson from a Writer
Where have you been? you’re probably asking… I don’t know really, just bouncing off the ceiling like a silly thing. Seems lately I’ve either had the opportunity to meet creative people or just take a big bath in the wash of their creations. In the studio, it’s been hot hot HOT, so I have had little inclination to fire up an iron or turn on a sewing machine. In the...
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