Every studio needs it's basic equipment for whatever it is that you're making. In my studio it is my pottery wheel,my bats, clay and assorted tools. I also have to have shelving to put items on both items in process and finished items. I have to have my easel, paints brushes and good lighting.
Beyond that there are a few things that enhance the process and just make for a better creative experience. In my case, the outside has as much to do with it as the inside. I love the happy colors that I had my daughter paint on the outside. The yellow, green and purple greet me with a feeling of perpetual spring, even when we are buried in snow.
My studio is basically a 12 x 20' Amish shed that came to us bare-bones and unfinished studs on the inside. My husband and I finished it with drywall,insulation, flooring etc. We made the ceiling Cathedral which gives the small space a feeling of having more room than it actually does.We added track lighting to shift around the room to light paintings on the wall and I ordered extra windows in the back and large rounded windows on the doors. My window boxes were an essential for me. The flowers that I add them to each spring add a homey touch and contribute to the happy feeling of the exterior.
Inside, some of my must-haves are my little portable speaker which hooks up to my iPhone and plays my music as loud or as quietly as I am in the mood for. This replaces my iHome which stopped supporting my iPhone about two generations ago.
I also have my cute little red IKEA couch for those times when I just need a break or a place to sit and gestate ideas or a home base to wrap and write up orders during open studio.
My coffee pot is essential. I guess I shouldn't called it a pot anymore now that we have Keuregs. We used to be very anti-Keureg in this family because of the waste of all the little k-cups but my husband relented last Christmas and got me a small one for my studio. I have to say that I absolutely love it and the coffee that it makes is just the best. Aside from McDonald's, I don't think there's anywhere that I get it as piping hot. I keep a small refrigerator in my studio though I'm not sure that it's an essential except for during open studio when I put cheeses and fruit in there to keep from one day to the next. I do also keep some cold beverages like seltzer and beer and soda for studio visitors.
My two other essentials, or maybe I should say three, are my window air conditioner which I absolutely cannot be without in the summer and in the winter I am kept warm with two electric space heaters.
It depends on the temperature whether I need to run both heaters or not, but this winter, given our many days of temperatures below freezing, I had to keep them both running 24/7 to prevent my clay from freezing and rendering it all unusable.
I bought a handy little thermometer which keeps me apprised of such things and therefore is an indispensable studio item. My little wooden figure which stands next to the thermometer, is sometimes helpful when painting people, but he doesn't bend too much so he just hangs around a lot to remind me that I am indeed and artist.
My little "create" sign, a gift from my daughter, serves a similar function, reminding me to get going and do what God intended for me.
Not sure it's essential, but the Frida Kahlo flower head band that I made last Halloween, is fun to have around and wear when I'm throwing or painting because it feels like I am channeling some mystical creative juice from artists like Frida who came before me. Plus, I just like to be silly sometimes.
Lastly, is what I call my "wall of validation". On it hangs ribbons and plaques that I was awarded over the years from various art shows. I keep it there to look at when I am stuck for ideas, when something isn't going right and I am convincing myself that I stink as an artist, or during those lonely times of creating in my solitary space, it reminds me that someone thinks that what I do is OK and maybe I should just keep going :0)
I'm sure I mentioned somewhere something about doing quick and loose little paintings to play around with the medium and have a little fun. I have a small space in the corner of my room which has been great for drawing, but lacks the space and storage for painting projects. Normally, it wouldn't take to much time to set up a quick little still life, scoop some paint onto my Sta-Wet palette, and get down to business. But, throw in household duties, homeschooling duties, helping Grandma run some errands, dentist appointments, soccer games...well, a 1-day activity turned into several days.
Day 1 - I managed to put together the still life before I had to run off somewhere. And, a day or so later, I quickly sketched the shapes onto my pre-primed paper (I had primed several pieces of paper weeks ago, so at least I didn't have to do that).
A couple days later, I had to come up with a solution to paint storage - I have no place in my room for the pint and quart size Nova Color containers. So, I grabbed some small Gladware (or whatever brand) containers and transferred the colors I'd be working with. I have a plant stand to set the palette on next to the table. I was able to soak the palette paper and get it set up before having to call it quits.
Finally, yesterday afternoon, I actually got to paint. I had envisioned a quick painting that would have beautiful color and contrast in relatively few strokes - HA! My reality is that I layer and layer, push and pull, building values...maybe now that I've practiced the shapes and colors, I could put something together that's looser without losing the color and contrast that I like. Perhaps I'll do that next.
Anyway, I think this is my first non-illustration project since I don't know when. I'm excited about more exploration - I just hope it doesn't take so many days to do one little painting...but, it probably will!
The latest work in the garage involved a study of the chef. After drawing and painting the original proposal, tracing/adjusting the figure on the panel, and now drawing and painting the study, I went back and looked at the chef in my sketchbook. I did this when I was just playing around and brainstorming. Drawing is more my strength and the sketch is much looser and fun.
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| Original sketchbook "brainstorm" for the chef |
The biggest difficulty and motivation behind the study was to figure out the right hand gesture. But, since the study is small, I can only work out so much. I kind of wish I'd gone back and looked at the sketchbook designs before I started painting - I might have taken the figures in a slightly different direction. But, I also know that I'll always find something to second guess myself and I'm better off letting go of some things and letting the painting develop as it will (for sanity reasons). The truth is that I'm learning a lot every day that I'm out there painting. And, it's far from done - much more detail and "whimsy" will follow.
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| Photocopy of chef panel used in the projector and recent color study |
My biggest lesson on this panel is the realization that the yellow that I purchased (which I chose because it was the most lightfast and permanent version of the yellow I needed) is probably the most transparent paint I picked up. That explains why I've gone through more of it than any of the other paint colors. It takes a lot more of it to cover anything and to create the mixtures that I've used for the various foliage.
In the past, I've had frustration with acrylic paint in general - mainly, the short drying time making which meant I had to remix colors frequently and the fact that it dries a slightly different color than it goes on. But, with the Nova Color paints, the Sta-Wet Palette, and all the time spent working on this project, I can safely say that acrylics and I have made peace. In fact, I plan to work with acrylic paint for more of my future illustration projects.
Yes, that's right. Today, the barrel table and stray grape were the focus of my attention.
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If you looking close, there's one of those annoying crane flies sitting
on the table near the man's sleeve - the joys of painting in a garage at night. |
There's so much to do in this panel and a lot of it required some changes - I knew that going in. I'm down to the figures and I fully expect to get thoroughly wrapped up in those details for a while. I did adjust the woman's arm this evening (which I noticed was freakishly long).
99 clusters of grapes,
You take one down, pass it around...
Guess I'll be painting more grapes on the wall!
(oh the things you think of when doing repetitious work)
The red and purple grapes are more developed at the moment, but the green grape clusters and the grape leaves have to be addressed still.
I've actually been taking some time to work out more detail at the moment and, honestly, my jury is still out on Dionysus - I go back and forth between liking him and not liking him. I actually had something a bit different envisioned originally - something more sculpture-like and not "fleshy." But this is what came forward in the study and I liked it. I'll have to get more of the panel done and see it as a whole - guess that's why I've been compelled to do a bit more detail beyond just the underpainting. Plus, there's just a lot of little things in this panel and I want to make a good dent in it.
I guess there's an alternate universe in my garage. It's full of giant strawberries and grapes, and in this place, there is no time. I step out here to do a little painting and the next thing I know, it's midnight! For a little while, I was joined by husband, Smitty, and the youngest kidlet (who are now asleep).
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| That's Smitty on bass and Lindy (the pirate) on tennis racket. |
I'm glad the weekend is here because the 4th panel will require some time - lots of grape leaves and clusters of grapes and figures for which I have not mixed any paint colors yet. I knew the people would slow me down - as an illustrator, I've always been able to take liberties with the way I depict subjects like people. But, I don't want to go too cartoony for the mural - the composition is already rooted in fantasy, and I'd like it to have a foot in reality.
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| Study - some adjustments to be made still, but you get the idea |
Soooooo, I've been working on some small studies beforeI tackle the certain characters or scenarios. This evening, I spent time on the Dionysus character - the Greek god of wine and winemaking (or Bacchus, if you happen to be Roman). He's the guy up in the trellis among the grapes (in case you were wondering). I haven't done a lot of figurative painting in a looooong time and I need to brush-up on my color mixing when it comes to flesh tones, highlights, and shadows.
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Thanks to the person who invented this - I have now made peace
with acrylic paints. |
I also wanted to try my
Masterson Sta-Wet palette that I got for when I'm working on detail work and don't need to mix containerfuls of paint. One of the things that has always driven me nuts about acrylic paint is how quickly it dries and how I constantly seem to be remixing paint (I used oils in college - they stay wet forever). Well, so far the verdict is AWESOME. I never once had to remix a color because it had dried to uselessness in the (apparently) many hours I worked on this.
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By:
DIANE SMITH,
on 4/18/2012
Blog:
DIANE SMITH: Illo Talk
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I'm REALLY glad that the mural is being painted on panels which allows me to work in the garage around my schedule during odd hours! I don't feel rushed, yet I feel like I'm still getting things accomplished (even with daytime demands).
This evening, I played around with the grape colors, bringing them closer to what I want. I still need to build up layers and values.
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| Before |
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| After |
I also worked out a couple of issues with the figures - particularly the man. I dealt with the NCS, or Narrow Chin Syndrome, as well as the Big-Footitis that he suffered from. He really had too much heel - the heel was more profile while the front of the foot was more 3/4 view. Anyway, he's been healed - Hallelujah! (And "heeled," I guess).
After a wonderful Easter Vacation where I was able to spend big chunks of the day working on the mural, an unexpectedly extended trip out of town and the start of schoolwork again makes it feel like I've been away from the mural for a long time. We found out as we drove into Lancaster (after 4 hours in the Friday downpour) that all the State Cup games had been moved from Saturday to Sunday - soooooo, since we were already there, we ended up staying longer than planned.
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Not quite there...but closer. Photos can help you see
flaws that you didn't notice when you were working on it |
Today, I had a full day of CoOp, art classes, mom-taxi, and dinner-making, but I was determined to get out to the garage and at least make some adjustments. In my last post, I explained how the scale of the toasting figures was a bit on the wimpy side. So, this evening I figured I'd start reworking the proportions. Not only did the figures have to change, but so did the barrel. To understand the changes made, if you look at the male figure, the top point of the hair of the original guy fell just below the jawline of the current guy. In other words, he gained a whole head in height.
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| Cheers - his chin's a bit skinny, but I'll fix that... |
It's very "cartoon-ish", but I'm just trying to get the shapes the way I want them. It's not quite there, but it's closer than it was. And, having to draw this out REALLY made me appreciate the projector I had at the beginning. I was constantly stepping back to see how it actually looked and it made me wonder how Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling - it's not like he could easily take a step back every few minutes to see if the proportions were right.
Well, we're back from Escondido and the first round of State Cup (the girls placed 2nd and move on to the next round - Go Crusaders).
Once I recovered from the loooooooong car ride, I began mixing some paint colors - I like to have a dark, a light, and a mid-tone on hand when I work. I'm starting with the sky and mountains.
The paint is going on nicely - can't wait to see how it all comes together.
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| What to do with a plain, white wall...click below to see |
I shared some glimpses into the mural project that I was working on a few posts back. Well, the project is complete and you can see the end result at my art business blog
Doodlebird Studio. Lots of fun to do and I'd love to paint some more murals. Maybe I'll start in my house...with all of this "free time" I have.
I have to or should I say, I 'get' to illustrate a book I wrote about my dog Arlo. I have made pencil sketches, but I always hit this point when it's show time. Water color, acrylic, computer, colored pencil, all of the above? This time, my wonderful editor made a request for this book to have the 'feel' of my book Beautiful Oops. We had done that book together, and this is the next book we are working on. I tried a 'traditional' acrylic picture yesterday but found it was much harder to paint a character on top of all the sloshy paint strokes I used for Oops.
Solution? Cut the characters out and drop them on top of the picture. They pop! It works. It's actually kind of fun to cut everyone out once I've drawn them. I think this book, with the loose feel, should be something I can produce rather quickly, given that these images will not be labored over. Again, it hits me that after all these years of illustrating so many books, I can loosen up. It's very freeing! You know all of those people who say, "I can't draw a straight line..." Well, here's proof that curvy lines are just fine!
Adios.
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| He thought he was so sneaky, but nothing gets by Mom! |
Sorry if you recognize this from a couple years ago, but it just seem to fits the theme this week perfectly! If you missed it before, I hope you enjoy it now.
I work in pencil so much, I'm longing to do some color work. Just don't have the time to set up for painting at the moment. Maybe during the Christmas break...
I finished the painting for the book cover for Soundprints today, and it is now making its way safely to Connecticut. I photographed it first, and emailed the photo to the editor. She was ecstatic! I could practically hear her jumping up and down through the phone! I am so excited. The painting took 3 weeks. But the cover sells the book, so it was time well spent. Here is another little sneak preview of the painting I have decided to post for you (this section is maybe 3" wide, and the painting is over 25" wide altogether). I should be able to post the entire layout with the title in place as soon as it is approved and goes to catalog.....in a week or so. I will also post my preliminary sketches and maybe some earlier pics of the painting as I was working on it. Soundprints has been great to work with, and I look forward to continuing on with this project and completing the book.
My studio is basically a 12 x 20' Amish shed that came to us bare-bones and unfinished studs on the inside. My husband and I finished it with drywall,insulation, flooring etc. We made the ceiling Cathedral which gives the small space a feeling of having more room than it actually does.We added track lighting to shift around the room to light paintings on the wall and I ordered extra windows in the back and large rounded windows on the doors. My window boxes were an essential for me. The flowers that I add them to each spring add a homey touch and contribute to the happy feeling of the exterior.
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Mmmmmm coookies..... Great fun. Is that me I see in the doorway (I've certainly caught my son in this very act a few times!!)
Cool shading and atmosphere- you found the Cookie Crook! (Do they make Cookie Crisp anymore?)
Thanks for stopping by. Yes, they do still make Cookie Crisp - my kids always ask to get it, but mean mom considers it a dessert NOT a good breakfast :)