Painting Bliss

Wonderful Photo Assistants & How to Make Your Own Make Shift Photo Stage

 

It's always fun to have a photo shoot with my creations. As you all know if you are a regular or even if your not,  I have battled with being a multi-potentialite. Or in other words, someone who can do lots of things, likes to do them all, and gets upset when they can't. I have always convinced myself that my shop needed to be JUST this, or JUST that... well I'm throwing that notion out the window and embracing my multi-potentialness. The past few days have been filled with lovely and willing photo assistants who love what I do and want to help me be great with it.

 

 

The day before yesterday a dear friend posed wearing lots of earrings and other yummies I have made. It was so much fun and I really appreciate the ears she provided :) and smiles, laughter, and great conversation of course.

Then yesterday I set up a make shift photo shoot area and down on knee took shot after beautiful shot. And you know what? I couldn't have done it without my wonderful 7 year old assistant. All I had to do was bribe him with a dollar (don't worry I'll give him more), and he was willing to help me with everything I needed. Handing me things, fetching things... GREATLY appreciated.

 

 

So, if your looking for those crisp white backgrounds for your etsy listings what do you do? My husband is building me a light box, but until that is finished this is what I did and you can too for pretty cheap. Purchase a large roll of white paper from your craft store, you know, the kind the kids love. Unroll it from the ground up, pulling it up onto the seat portion of a chair, lay something heavy across the paper to hold it in place and voila! make sure it's a nice day, you are NOT in direct sunlight and you do NOT use your flash :) You can see my set up in the top picture of my son. It's not perfect but it will do pretty well, it also helps if you have photo-shop so you can run an auto tone and/or auto contrast on the finished pieces.

So great thanks to my helpers big and small :) If you try out my photo stage, have fun and good luck! oh and if you can find an assistant who works for a dollar.

Let's Talk Black Pens - Every Artists Must Have

 

An artists most beloved supply is the black tipped pen. A must and have, and must work well - never fail the black tipped pen is every artists most used tool. There are so many out there, each claiming to be the best... and one can get truly overwhelmed in an isle of 100 or so...

But really, in my book (in my book anyways)... there are only 4 kinds of black tipped pens one needs to create great art and here is how they go...

 

• Sharpie Pen - The Sharpie pen is relatively new and supreme in the world of black nibbed pens. It doesn't bleed... and it really doesn't. Some say they don't then they do and you end up frustrated.  Draw on a piece of paper and look on the other side and it will NOT have soaked through. This pen has a smooth feel and takes a good long while to run/dry out as long as you cap it between uses. Highly recommend is this pen!  I even like the weight of this pen in my hand, very comfortable... and I'm picky ;) I use the Sharpie Pen for outlining. This pen is a new find for me and I was really excited about it and still am. Up until now I was using the Sharpie fine tipped marker which bleed a bit and ran out quickly.

 

 

• Micron Pens- Never fail, always reliable, acid free, and my I can't live without is the Micron Pen. Found in the marker, pen, pencil isle of the art department you can find these sold separately by nib size or in sets that create an array of what you need. I personally, only use one micron pen size and it's my secret ;) I use microns for detail and outlining.

 

 

• Sharpie Marker - One can't argue with tried and true. The marker that's been around forever, Sharpie is the king of all permanent markers. Yes this one bleeds, but if your not drawing in a sketchbook, then there's no worry. Always in the studio,  it's used for everything from Artwork, jotting down quick notes - to addressing packages. It's a must need and must stock up on. A few extras awaiting you is never a bad idea when it comes to items you use ALL the time. I always have at least 2 of what I use most frequently in stock. My only qaum with the sharpie is that over time, and quite quickly; the once sharp and hard point becomes a rounded squished nub. I use a Sharpie Marker for packages, blocking out big areas, and well that's about it.

 

 

 

• Black Copic - Yeah, ok... it's a pricey marker. But it's refillable and it writes sooooo smooooooth. I love the black Copic for it's two sides. One being a brush tip and the other being a chiseled edge. I discovered Copics during my online course with the amazing Joanne Sharpe called Whimspirations. I use the Copic for a lot of my large lettering and alphabet work.

 

 
 

Don't bother with a black Prismacolor by the way (Sorry Prismacolor! I love you!)... it's streaky. I don't enjoy a marker I have to apply 2nd or 3rd coats to. A one coat marker is a must for me, as getting rid of every little streak can be quite agitating... Oh! and be not afraid of pricey items, that's what coupons are for! bring a friend, an extra coupon, and have them purchase and item for ya!

Now that I have taken all the work out of picking out the best black pens for artwork, go ahead and hop over to your nearest art supply store. Jot down my recommendations and then come home and try them all out.  Search no further, waste no more money trying to find the best... cause I just let ya all in on what you'll need and never go without again!