April 7, 2011

Sharpie Sketches

Went out to Tubby Dog and did some quickie sketches with my new assortment of Sharpies (see previous blog entry for more info).  Today I added a few more elements from the view from the couch in my living room.  1 more pafge to go until I finish this sketchbook. Yeah!


This is definitely not my best work, but I'm still willing to put it out there. 
Not all the sketches in ones sketchbook are going to be good.

~

April 5, 2011

Keys to the VIP and new art supplies

I just got the keys to my new Studio. I was awarded a  3 month residency from the Calgary Allied Arts Foundation. I'm stoked!!! It was too snowy to move in this week-end and I injure my Achilles Tendon in Martial Arts on Wednesday. I opted to take it easy rather than force a move on myself. It is weighing heavily in the back of my mind.....STUDIO TIME!!!

Today, I went out for lunch with my mom. We had delicious Vietnamese food, followed by a trip to not one....... but two art stores.  Often when I am spending money on supplies, I get a last minute feeling of guilt, which is really strange because other than food there is nothing more important for me to be buying than art supplies.  Supplies make more art, which may eventually lead to more money, but more importantly making art leads to my happiness. So why do I  feel guilty? Maybe its a bit of shame. I get so much pleasure from spending $4o on stuff at Swinton's Art Supply. It's like being caugth masturbating. I don't feel guilty when I blow money on anything else. Anyone else have this issue?

I picked up a handful of Prismacolour, they were on sale for under $2.65 a piece. I took one of each color I didn't already have;  Scarlet Lake, Sienna Brown, Copenhagen Blue, Dark Green, Grass green and Aquamarine.  They also had colored sharpies for 50 cents a piece, I couldn't resist! I picked up; Lime, Turquoise, Peach, Aqua, Mint. I have an addiction to color, what can I say. I also picked up two gold paint pens for Katie Green to do a design on my motorcycle jacket as well as a $20 book on mastering sketching in 40 lessons. I feel that I've been needing a kick in the seat of the pants, I haven't had much time to sketch. I think the lessons in this book will help shake my laurels a bit, and give me a creative kick...... follow my blog in future posts and see.


Lovely, lovely colorful art supplies make me happy

Next stop: Inglewood Art Supply,  My favorite art store in town! Not only are they conveniently located close to my neighborhood, they have fantastic prices,  and give ACAD ALUMNI great deals. I especially like this store because of the people who work there, all the staff are courteous and friendly. (Hi Ola, sad I didn't see you there today, love the orange felt own magnet!) Inglewood Art Supply are having their annual Spring Canvas Sale. My mom paints Acrylic, she wanted to pick up a bunch of new deep profile pre-stretched canvasses. Canvas sale, hell yeah!!!! I have a new studio space, better fill it. The great thing is I can finally build and paint large canvases now that I have the space. So what can I say................

I picked up a whole roll, 50.3 yards of 15 oz. 72" wide unprimmed canvas. The roll weighed so much I had to get the owner Peter to help me carry it into the car, luckily it fit, but I had to squeeze in the back of my moms Matrix. Not only did I get 30% off, which really helps, that stuff ain't cheap you know.  There was a labeling misunderstanding and the staff felt bad and gave me a gift certificate for an additional $40 at the store. Yippee!! I will be back. In a way, it is like I got the stuff at Swinton's for free and I still get to go back and pick up some more supplies once I settle into my new studio, and realize what I need.

All I can say is today has been a great day!

More to come.....