Art tip #94!
Hi all--I usually try to remember to post my announcement newsletter here, as well as to my mailing list--if you've already gotten it, just glaze over this. :-) I've got lots of great links this time, though, and I think you'll enjoy exploring them as much as I did finding them for you...
Creating Nature in Watercolor: An Artist's Guide
Just a heads up, here, too--if you've been wanting this book, you might want to order it now, either Creating Nature in Watercolor: An Artist's Guide
">online or from my own website catalog--they're running low on this printing of it! It's gotten terrific reviews and I've really been pleased with the reception.
-------------------------
I'm running a bit late again! My terrific webmistress, Sonya, got this
tip up a week or so ago, and I haven't had time to get out the announcement
letter! (You may have already found the tip on the website...sorry!
Sonya's more efficient than I am...)
I'm excited about the possibility of a new book upcoming (the acquisitions
editor was excited, too--keep fingers crossed for me), and considering
teaching an online class on journal keeping--stay tuned! You'll hear it here
first...
Just looking over the designed PDFs for Watercolor Tricks &
Techniques...it's always so exciting to see how a book will actually LOOK.
I love the new technology that allows me to see the PDFs--if I just had a
color printer, I could print out a copy that would look much like the
finished product! It's due out in February...
So work is keeping me very busy, as is the family! Hey, at least I don't
get bored...
-------------
Tip #94 shares some of my favorite art/watercolor books, with a brief review
of each. This will be a recurring theme since there are so MANY.
As usual, you'll find the latest tip on my website, at
http://cathyjohnson.info --look at the upper left, under Art Tips! It's
available as a PDF, so feel free to print it out, share it with friends,
whatever--that's what it's for!
I don't own too many of the newer books--I tend to gravitate to the classics
or those by artists I really love and have found inspiring again and again.
Often I prefer those books with sketches included, or where the art itself
looks sketchy.
In this tip, I had to start with Charles Reid, whose work has inspired me
for 20+ years! I don't want to paint *like* Charles, and I don't really
want to see others' work that you can't tell from his, but it's such a joy
to see his thinking and creative process--an education in itself! (I just
watched one of his early videos, the one on portraits, and it was SO much
fun...)
There are two other favorite books featured this time, neither of them
new--check 'em out!
You can find these and lots of other books I enjoy--on watercolor,
sketching, travel journals, nature, cooking, and more, in my Amazon store,
"Cathy Johnson's Books & More," each with a brief review, here:
http://astore.amazon.com/httpcathyjohi-20
---------------
MY AMAZON LINK
By the way, did you know that if you go to Amazon through my link, above, I
earn a wee commission on anything that you might buy--even if it's totally
unrelated and doesn't appear in my store? You could buy a new camera or
computer, and I'd still get a 6% commission.
Believe me it HELPS in these tough economic times, and it comes out of
Amazon's profits, not your cost. So thank you, if you bookmark my Books &
More site, and use it whenever you shop Amazon!
------------
NEW MEMBERS
We've got quite a few new members since our last announcement
letter--welcome, all, I hope you enjoy what I offer here! I'm still trying
to make a changeover to a mailing list service, and don't want to mislay
anyone along the way, so I'm going with my normal newsletter again this
month.
--------------
PAINTING PLEIN AIR
Our plein air Flickr group has over 500 members now! If you enjoy working
on the spot or just seeing the work of artists who do, join us at
http://www.flickr.com/groups/plein_aire/. (Our Facebook group of the same
name is here:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo#/group.php?gid=59207016873)
-------------
YOUTUBE VIDEOS and CAFE PRESS
I've been playing with my new FlipVideo camcorder, trying to upgrade my
offerings there (and on my CDs for artists), and you can see the latest on
YouTube, here: http://astore.amazon.com/httpcathyjohi-20 Feel free to watch
any and all, even the older slide shows, rate them, leave a comment, and let
me know what you think!
I don't have any of the new videos up in my CafePress store yet, still
tweaking and learning how to use the camera, but there are LOTS of how-to
slideshows and PDF lessons there, as well as a number of copyright-free
photo-CDs for artists to work from. There's even a virtual
sketchcrawl--come join us!
You can find those here: http://www.cafepress.com/cathy_johnson or on my
website, in the catalog section.
--------------
IF YOU PAINT WITH OILS...
... I don't, because of allergy problems, you may be interested in this
post, exploring what happens with the various whites tested. Some yellow
quite a lot!
http://luiscolan.blogspot.com/2009/07/white-test.html
--------------
AND IF YOU LOVE WINSLOW HOMER, as I do...
...you'll enjoy this article from the NY Times! His studio was recently
sold to the Portland, ME, art museum and is being restored; small groups
will be allowed to tour the private, beautiful place.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/travel/06culture.html
Don't miss the interactive map that shows the site of many of Homer's
paintings, along with
a photo of the current view from the same spots along the coast...you'll
find it here:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/09/06/travel/20090906-homer-interactive.html
(Thank you, Duane Keiser, for sharing this link! Duane's famous "Painting a
Day" blog is here: http://duanekeiser.blogspot.com/ though he puts up images
a bit less frequently now.)
-------------
SKETCHING FOR REAL--Katherine Tyrrell
It's always a treat to find a great site to help us hone our skills.
Katherine Tyrrell keeps us on our toes with her frequent blog updates at
http://www.makingamark.co.uk/ , which I receive as a feed so I don't miss
anything! Recently, digging around on the site I found her free sketching
tutorial...it's terrific!
You'll find it here: http://www.makingamark.co.uk/sketching-for-real.html
------------
FAMILY ART TREASURES
I come from a family of artists, but unfortunately don't have anything to
show for it but memories, for the most part. My dad did wonderful humorous
cartoons, and I don't have a single one left. Mom was a watercolorist, and
my sis dabbled, too--I think I have one of hers, but no artifacts, photos,
or other family treasures.
Andrew Henwood, one of our correspondents on the group blog "Sketching in
Nature" at http://naturesketchers.blogspot.com/, is more fortunate. Don't
miss "Grandfather's Paintbox" on his blog at
http://andrewsnotes.blogspot.com/ or his Flickr set of his grandfather's art
tools.
What a joy...http://www.flickr.com/photos/a_henwood/sets/72157610468871451/
-------------
I hope you've enjoyed this art tip newsletter--as usual, I've tried to
include plenty of links for you to explore! I had fun with them, and hope
you do, too.
--------------
Creating Nature in Watercolor: An Artist's Guide
Just a heads up, here, too--if you've been wanting this book, you might want to order it now, either Creating Nature in Watercolor: An Artist's Guide
">online or from my own website catalog--they're running low on this printing of it! It's gotten terrific reviews and I've really been pleased with the reception.
-------------------------
I'm running a bit late again! My terrific webmistress, Sonya, got this
tip up a week or so ago, and I haven't had time to get out the announcement
letter! (You may have already found the tip on the website...sorry!
Sonya's more efficient than I am...)
I'm excited about the possibility of a new book upcoming (the acquisitions
editor was excited, too--keep fingers crossed for me), and considering
teaching an online class on journal keeping--stay tuned! You'll hear it here
first...
Just looking over the designed PDFs for Watercolor Tricks &
Techniques...it's always so exciting to see how a book will actually LOOK.
I love the new technology that allows me to see the PDFs--if I just had a
color printer, I could print out a copy that would look much like the
finished product! It's due out in February...
So work is keeping me very busy, as is the family! Hey, at least I don't
get bored...
-------------
Tip #94 shares some of my favorite art/watercolor books, with a brief review
of each. This will be a recurring theme since there are so MANY.
As usual, you'll find the latest tip on my website, at
http://cathyjohnson.info --look at the upper left, under Art Tips! It's
available as a PDF, so feel free to print it out, share it with friends,
whatever--that's what it's for!
I don't own too many of the newer books--I tend to gravitate to the classics
or those by artists I really love and have found inspiring again and again.
Often I prefer those books with sketches included, or where the art itself
looks sketchy.
In this tip, I had to start with Charles Reid, whose work has inspired me
for 20+ years! I don't want to paint *like* Charles, and I don't really
want to see others' work that you can't tell from his, but it's such a joy
to see his thinking and creative process--an education in itself! (I just
watched one of his early videos, the one on portraits, and it was SO much
fun...)
There are two other favorite books featured this time, neither of them
new--check 'em out!
You can find these and lots of other books I enjoy--on watercolor,
sketching, travel journals, nature, cooking, and more, in my Amazon store,
"Cathy Johnson's Books & More," each with a brief review, here:
http://astore.amazon.com/httpcathyjohi-20
---------------
MY AMAZON LINK
By the way, did you know that if you go to Amazon through my link, above, I
earn a wee commission on anything that you might buy--even if it's totally
unrelated and doesn't appear in my store? You could buy a new camera or
computer, and I'd still get a 6% commission.
Believe me it HELPS in these tough economic times, and it comes out of
Amazon's profits, not your cost. So thank you, if you bookmark my Books &
More site, and use it whenever you shop Amazon!
------------
NEW MEMBERS
We've got quite a few new members since our last announcement
letter--welcome, all, I hope you enjoy what I offer here! I'm still trying
to make a changeover to a mailing list service, and don't want to mislay
anyone along the way, so I'm going with my normal newsletter again this
month.
--------------
PAINTING PLEIN AIR
Our plein air Flickr group has over 500 members now! If you enjoy working
on the spot or just seeing the work of artists who do, join us at
http://www.flickr.com/groups/plein_aire/. (Our Facebook group of the same
name is here:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo#/group.php?gid=59207016873)
-------------
YOUTUBE VIDEOS and CAFE PRESS
I've been playing with my new FlipVideo camcorder, trying to upgrade my
offerings there (and on my CDs for artists), and you can see the latest on
YouTube, here: http://astore.amazon.com/httpcathyjohi-20 Feel free to watch
any and all, even the older slide shows, rate them, leave a comment, and let
me know what you think!
I don't have any of the new videos up in my CafePress store yet, still
tweaking and learning how to use the camera, but there are LOTS of how-to
slideshows and PDF lessons there, as well as a number of copyright-free
photo-CDs for artists to work from. There's even a virtual
sketchcrawl--come join us!
You can find those here: http://www.cafepress.com/cathy_johnson or on my
website, in the catalog section.
--------------
IF YOU PAINT WITH OILS...
... I don't, because of allergy problems, you may be interested in this
post, exploring what happens with the various whites tested. Some yellow
quite a lot!
http://luiscolan.blogspot.com/2009/07/white-test.html
--------------
AND IF YOU LOVE WINSLOW HOMER, as I do...
...you'll enjoy this article from the NY Times! His studio was recently
sold to the Portland, ME, art museum and is being restored; small groups
will be allowed to tour the private, beautiful place.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/travel/06culture.html
Don't miss the interactive map that shows the site of many of Homer's
paintings, along with
a photo of the current view from the same spots along the coast...you'll
find it here:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/09/06/travel/20090906-homer-interactive.html
(Thank you, Duane Keiser, for sharing this link! Duane's famous "Painting a
Day" blog is here: http://duanekeiser.blogspot.com/ though he puts up images
a bit less frequently now.)
-------------
SKETCHING FOR REAL--Katherine Tyrrell
It's always a treat to find a great site to help us hone our skills.
Katherine Tyrrell keeps us on our toes with her frequent blog updates at
http://www.makingamark.co.uk/ , which I receive as a feed so I don't miss
anything! Recently, digging around on the site I found her free sketching
tutorial...it's terrific!
You'll find it here: http://www.makingamark.co.uk/sketching-for-real.html
------------
FAMILY ART TREASURES
I come from a family of artists, but unfortunately don't have anything to
show for it but memories, for the most part. My dad did wonderful humorous
cartoons, and I don't have a single one left. Mom was a watercolorist, and
my sis dabbled, too--I think I have one of hers, but no artifacts, photos,
or other family treasures.
Andrew Henwood, one of our correspondents on the group blog "Sketching in
Nature" at http://naturesketchers.blogspot.com/, is more fortunate. Don't
miss "Grandfather's Paintbox" on his blog at
http://andrewsnotes.blogspot.com/ or his Flickr set of his grandfather's art
tools.
What a joy...http://www.flickr.com/photos/a_henwood/sets/72157610468871451/
-------------
I hope you've enjoyed this art tip newsletter--as usual, I've tried to
include plenty of links for you to explore! I had fun with them, and hope
you do, too.
--------------