Friday Feature

Fresh Water Pearl & Enamel Bead Hand-Knitted Necklace

Michaela from JewelryByMondaen on Etsy created this wonderful hand-knitted necklace. The silvery gray nylon yarn is beautifully knitted with shimmering silvery freshwater pearls throughout the entire piece and it incorporates two of my glass enameled metal beads as accent pieces. The craftsmanship and design is fabulous on this double strand 23 inch necklace. It gracefully comes together with a classy sterling silver hook and eye clasp.

It is reminiscent of a mystical fairy tale!

This stunning and elegant piece along with many of her other one of a kind amazing pieces can be found in Michaela's Etsy shop: Jewelry by Mondaen

It's worth a closer look!

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Add a Touch of Gold

Every now and then you want a bit of sparkle a bit of pizzaz in your watercolor paintings. Why not add a little bit of gold?

St. Patrick's Day is coming up, this could be your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

I like Schmincke Pale Gold Dry Gouache. It is a powder. I place a small amount in a little dish and spritz in some water with a spray bottle. Use a brush to stir it around and it magically turns into a shiny gold opaque watercolor paint.

I recently used it to splatter a touch of gold onto an abstract watercolor.

Twitter Art Exhibit 2012

Mystical Dew Drops

by Artist Rita A. Squier

Original Watercolor Painting

Size: 4" x 6"

This is my entry to the charity Twitter Art Exhibit in Moss, Norway.

The sale of the postcard sized paintings on exhibit at the Moss Library beginning April 13, 2012 will benefit The Women's Crisis Center in Moss, Norway.

The Women's Crisis Center in Moss, Norway is where abused women and children can get help.

Click here to read more about: The 2nd Twitter Art Exhibit and the charity it benefits.

Search Twitter #twitterartexhibit to learn more and find more of the artist who are participating.

Graphic Design

I have been busy working away at creating the 2012 Squier Design Catalog and website. It's 98% there.

In need of racing graphics? Vinyl lettering for vehicles, company trucks, windows, etc? Banners?

Squier Design does more than just racing graphics!

Take a look:

http://squierdesign.com

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Splatter for Texture

Add some texture and fun to your watercolor paintings with a bit of splatter. I like to use an old watercolor brush and a wooden ruler.

• Load the brush with thick soupy paint.

• Tap the handle of the brush against a ruler, another paint brush handle.

• Allow the paint to splatter onto your watercolor paper.

• Hold your hands at different angles and levels to vary the pattern.

Practice on a test piece of paper or the mixing tray of your palette. When you get the hang of it add splatter to your watercolor paintings to give it some texture.

If you want to keep splatter off of certain areas of your painting, like the sky, shield it with another piece of paper. This way you can add texture to the ground without having a whole bunch of dots in the sky.

Sunday Baking

Sunday was a wonderful lazy day. Although it wasn't as lazy as it could have been, I was pretty busy all day. But filled with doing the things I enjoy. Like baking.

I baked a swedish braid.

A perfect compliment to a cup of coffee.

:)

Show Opens Today

Inaugural UB Alumni Art Show
March 1 - 23, 2012

Opening Wine & Cheese Reception
Today, March 1st at 5:30 pm in the Gallery

Arnold Bernhard Arts Center
University of Bridgeport

Bridgeport, CT

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I have 5 paintings on exhibit in this show!

If you're in the area, check it out.

Studio Cat

Meow.

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Creating the Color of Sand

Many people do not believe me when I first tell them the two perfect colors in watercolor to mix to create a lovely shade of sand. Beach sand.

Purple + Yellow = Sand

I use MaimeriBlu's Permanent Violet Bluish and Indian Yellow. Just a tiny bit of each and a whole lot of water.

Purple and yellow are on opposite sides of the color wheel. When mixed together you get a neutral, in this case a tan.

You can try different shades of yellow mixed with your purple to see how it goes. A touch more yellow to warm it up and touch more purple to cool it off. The major component is the water, lots of it.

Valentine

Me and My Valentine made Whoopie Pies on Valentine's Day!

I've been meaning to share the pictures and finally got a chance to do so.

A heart shaped whoopie pie ... so romantic!

Everything is better with sprinkles.

Just ask the puppy, he stole one of the giant whoopie pies right off the kitchen counter and was about to help himself to a second one. We caught him just in time. I was only out of the room for 2 minutes tops. I'm sure he would have eaten them all if he had more time.

Tuesday's Tips & Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Don't Rush It!

Sometimes you just have to let the watercolor paint and paper dry at its own pace. If you rush it, you will ruin it!

Magical things can happen when you allow the paint to dry and leave it alone.

Resist the urge to rush back in and touch things up. Change things around. Fix this, fix that. Especially while the paint and paper is at that stage between wet and dry. That damp stage, no matter what you do, you will ruin it. You'll make it worse.

Leave it alone, let it dry and it will be better than you imagined.

Patience.

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

My Color Picks

I use Maimeri Blu watercolor paints in my painting classes. I recommend to my students a set of ten colors. A warm and cool red, a warm and cool yellow, a warm and cool blue, two neutrals plus a green and a purple. With this combination you can mix tons of colors.

The colors I recommend are:

Payne's Grey

Burnt Sienna

Crimson Lake

Primary Red Magenta

Indian Yellow

Lemon Yellow

Sap Green (if available)

Primary Blue Cyan

Ultramarine Blue

Permanent Violet Bluish

I have these laid out in my palette with the neutrals on the left. Starting with Payne's Grey on the lower left (then I have one extra neutral Sepia, rarely used) and Burnt Sienna. Across the top is Primary Red Magenta, Crimson Lake, Indian Yellow, Lemon Yellow. Down the right side starting at the top is a little bit of Permanent Green Deep (an optional green if Sap is not available), Sap Green, Primary Blue Cyan, an extra color Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Permanent Violet Bluish.

It's great to have the basic ten and then add in a few of your own favorites.

If you want to go with a more limited palette, I would recommend:

Paynes Grey, Burnt Siena, Crimson Lake, Indian Yellow, Sap Green and Ultramarine Blue.

Recently Read

The Cat Who Went Bananas

by Lilian Jackson Braun

I got a Nook for my birthday last month. Just a couple weeks ago, I went to the library and learned how to borrow books using my new Nook. It's awesome! This was my first ebook I borrowed and I read it in just a weekend. It was a quick and easy fun read. In 7 days, it simply disappears from my Nook! Poof.

I've always said, I love real books. I would never want an electronic book reader. My very large, seemingly heavy duty bookshelf began to lean to one side. I removed all the books from my bookshelf, piled them all neatly in the hallway. Until my bookshelf could be repaired. The bookshelf disappeared from my office. The books are still in the hall. I have A LOT of books!

Instead of the bookshelf returning to my office, I received a Nook for my birthday. Which is fantastic.

I won't give up going to charity book sales. It's hard to pass up a $1 book and the charity can use the dollars.

But where do I put all my treasured books?

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Paint Your Own Cards

February is a month where I could go broke buying birthday cards. Whether you're an artist or just someone who dabbles in watercolor from time to time, you too can paint your own greeting cards.

You can buy a box of blank greeting cards, I've been using the Strathmore Cards. They come in boxes of 10, 20 and 100 and include an envelope with a pretty deckled edge.

I purchased a box of 100 cards with envelopes from Cheap Joe's Art Stuff online. That way I always have them handy, ready whenever I need one.

Sometimes I paint a bunch of cards ahead of time, leaving the inside blank so it can be used for any occasion as I need it. Or if I realize I need to drop a card in the mail that day, I can quickly paint one up and send it off.

Recently Read

The Rescue Artist

by Edward Dolnick

An excellent book my husband and I read out loud to each other. We both enjoyed this book.

Perhaps it's not a too recently read, I think we read it over the summer. But it is definitely worth mentioning here!

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Paint Fresh from the Tube

Sometimes you gotta work out of the box. Take a break from what you normally do. I prefer to squeeze my watercolor paints into a nicely arranged palette allow them to dry and set up before using. Do you do the same? Then today's tip is just for you!

Squeeze a little fresh watercolor paint out onto your palette.

Create a painting using fresh from the tube watercolor paint!

What do you notice that is different?

Perhaps, you'll find it easier to get certain colors to go dark.

Are you someone who's watercolors are normally rather pale?

Splurge a little today, test out what it's like to paint with watercolor paint fresh from the tube.

Enjoy and have fun with it.

Trophy Puppy and Siblings

Trophy Puppy (on the left) visits his sister (in the middle) and his big brother (on the right). Although he was the smallest and last to be born in the litter, he has now grown bigger than his sister. His big brother is still the biggest.

I love the floppy ear! I think if he keeps it floppy, he can get away with doing silly puppy things a lot longer. Once that ear stays up, he's gonna have to start acting like a big dog.

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Stuck Watercolor Paint Tube Caps

Haven't painted in a while?

Haven't opened that tube of paint to fill up your palette?

Finding you've got yourself a well stuck cap?

I lay the tube of paint on my table top and squeeze all the paint towards the cap with my fingers. If you have one of those fancy little paint tube gadgets you can use that too. With all the paint towards the top of the tube, you have a sturdier tube of paint to grasp and you won't be twisting the tube into a pretzel. Try now to twist off the cap.

If that does not help. Soak the top of the watercolor tube of paint in a little dish of warm water. This may loosen up and soften some of the dried up paint that is keeping the cap in place. Using a painting rag to dry and hold the tube, again try to twist off the cap.

I rarely get a stuck cap, but these methods have always helped me.

Some people have had to use a small plier to twist off the cap after soaking. Just remember to squeeze all the paint close to the cap so you have a greater mass to hold onto.

Recently Read

Remember Me?

by Sophie Kinsella

I love her shopaholic series! And I love this book too. It's light and funny. I enjoy her style of writing and humor.

Tuesdays Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Tuesday's Tips & Techniques for watercolor painting is back!

The Brushes are Ready & Waiting!

First tip of the new year ... just paint!

It's about time you start painting again or perhaps it's time to start painting period. Winter is a great time to paint.

Get out your brushes, paper, watercolor paint, a bowl of water. Find a comfy place to sit and spread out your supplies. Dip those brushes in water, then load the brushes up with paint and swash it all across your paper.

Paint with no abandon!

A New Year

Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday to Me!

A new year, another birthday, a new beginning ...

My birthday was last wednesday.

Today our puppy turns 8 months old.

I baked a batch of cupcakes this afternoon and tried to take a photo of him with one cupcake and of course ... he bit it!

I've got new plans for my blog this year.

I want to add posts of jewelry people have created using my torch fired enameled beads. I want to bring back the Tuesday's Tips & Techniques for Watercolor Painting. Keep it going regularly again. I've done a few posts on recently read books, I want to do more of that as well.

Other new plans for the new year ... I'd like to create step by step tutorials for watercolor painting and have them available for sale.

Before the bite.

If I shake your hand, can I have another bite? Please?