Inspired by…the re-blog

I have been given permission to re-blog!Or maybe I should call it re-post? I have to admit there is a secret side of me that wonders if anyone would ever notice if I re-blogged a post from,say 10 months ago. I know it’s a bit lazy, but sometimes my creative journey comes halting to a standstill and I am left sitting here, twiddling my thumbs, with nothing to write about.

Today though, Seth from the Altered Page has asked that I re-post one of my favorite posts for his Buried Treasure project. He is compiling a list of art blogs so that we can do a little perusing on our own to discover some new and inspiring material. I know I am in need of some creative inspiration. I would almost be happy with a rainy day so I could catch up with all my ideas.

Thank you Seth! There is definitely not enough time in the day to spend flipping through tabs. I am all about the one stop shop. So if you are looking for a little new material hop on over to Seth blog for a lovely dose of inspiration.

Without further ado I present you with a tutorial (of sorts). Check back in at the end of the week for an art journaling post!

Inspired by…playing with color

What a week! If I had have known what the past week had in store for me I may have increased my caffeine levels a bit.

Lots of very big changes are happening here around our household. All plans in the making up until now, all talk and dreaming rather than action ~ until this past weekend ~ I am not sure what lit the spark, but trust me when I say it has been ignited.  Its go time. The next 6 months will be full of lots of positive change for us as a family.

Pick up the phone and start dialing…

I wont share too many details right now, but they include lots of moving parts. Moving homes, moving lives, moving ~ a 5 year plan is in place. Lots of balls in the air, now just a matter of timing and making sure they all fall in the right places.

Ah.. the ball in the air metaphor. A favorite around this household..

My husband thrives with all his balls in the air. I like mine lined up in a row, preferably color coded and all the same size. The only similarities between us being that we both like momentum and lots of it.

Today, in my world, my issue is with color. This is not a new issue, but one that I am slowly discovering needs to be addressed. I have the books, the links and all the information I need to be a master colorist. Now is the time to actually absorb all that I have read and instead of haphazardly throwing color around, placing it where it is supposed to be so that my paintings start to SING. Oh goodness, not so sure that is going to be happening around here…

Somehow it just seems easier to go out and buy the perfect shade!

But, no,I have been told, many times, I only need 12 colors ~ with a bit of black and white mixed in.

Taking that in mind I set out on an exercise to understand just how many colors can be mixed with 12 colors, a bit of titanium white, titan buff and black. This lesson was a little something I picked up from Julie Pritchard. Check out her site for some great online art courses!

All you need here is some white paper, a few transparencies, paintbrush and paint.

On the top of your white paper and transparencies write out your colors and a dark line

Along the side of your transparency and white paper write the following ~

pure, white, white++, titan buff, titan buff ++, black, white +, titan buff+

Grab your paints, paintbrush and palette.I used 24 colors because I am not very good at following directions. I laid out my paints according to the color wheel, starting with my yellows and working clockwise to green, blues..and so forth.

Using the example above with Quin Magenta

First square = paint a square of pure color.

Square below= add quin magenta with a bit of white mixed in.

Square below = added the quin magenta+ white + a bit more white. ( ++ white)

Square below = add quin magenta+ titan buff

Square below = add quin magenta + white + a bit more white ( ++titan buff)

Square below = add quin magenta + black

Square below = add quin magenta + black + white

Final square = add quin magenta+ black + titan buff

Proceed on..complete above exercise with all colors. It takes time, but you will be very happy with the results!

1 color + white, titan buff + black = 8 colors

I completed this exercise using 24 colors I had on hand which  = 192 colors.

THIS is before I even began to mix colors…which I wont be doing, but will definitely take into consideration the next time I dive deep into my pocket to buy yet another tube of the perfect shade of green!

Imagine the possibilities!

Why the transparency you ask?

Ever feeling a little lost wondering what color to add to your painting, maybe a little stuck wondering what color to use for glazing, or simply wondering how transparent/opaque your color really is??

The transparent color chart is your friend!

Well friends, that’s all I have to share today. Come back soon for more color info over the next few weeks. Don’t hesitate to comment if you need further explanation!

Off to hit “publish” and wait for the phone to start ringing:)