Friday Feature

Metal Pink Necklace

Erin from ItsyBeadsySpider on Etsy creates fun and charming jewelry pieces and adorable needle felted cat nip toys, which you just have to check out.

Erin created this stylish Pink Metal necklace using one of my paisley torch fired beads. She's got a great knack for combining a variety of beads to fashion delightful and flirty pieces.

If you're looking for something quirky, exotic, romantic or just love dangly earrings browse through Erin's Etsy shop: ItsyBeadsySpider

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Fill Your Watercolor Palette

Save Paint, Save Money

Squeeze the watercolor paint from the tube directly into the wells of your palette, filling the wells completely. Don't be stingy.

Use a palette knife to stir and level the paint.

Tap your palette on your table top a bunch of times to force any air bubbles to rise to the top.

Allow the fresh from the tube paint in the open palette, to air dry in a dust free place for several days to a week prior to using.

This will help save paint. It's economical too!

If you use fresh from the tube paint and dirty up your pile with another color, there is no way to clean it up. A wet brush swiped across the top of the dried paint re-wets it and cleans it up at the same time.

Friday Feature

Red Tiger Necklace

Nikki from LoveRoot on Etsy created this fabulous necklace using one of my torch fired enamel on metal beads. This edgy victorian styled necklace has a 24" long black brass chain.

The red tiger bead simply smolders in this design!

This one and a lot more unique pieces are available in Nikki's Etsy shop:

LoveRoot

Take a look!

My Nook Book Cover

I created my very own Nook book cover. I am so happy and excited with my result.

I took a pretty journal and turned it into a secret book safe for my Nook. Choosing just the right size journal, height, width and depth was key.

I had a little help from my darling husband, who used a jig saw to remove the innards of the book. The rest I did myself. Planning, gluing, painting, cutting.

I even created the abstract watercolor used through out the inside. See your watercolor painting skills can come in handy for all sorts of projects!

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Label Your Watercolor Palette

It is an excellent idea to label the side of your watercolor palette with the names of the colors you have in your palette.

Use an Ultra Thin Sharpie for handwriting the color names or use a label maker.

If you have the name there you can easily glance at it to see which yellow or which blue you are using. Or if you have used it up and have thrown away the tube, you will have the name there so you know which color you need to re-order.

Here's an extra tip: Use a damp Mr. Clean Eraser to clean off the old name before writing the new name or re-writing a faded or worn off name.

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.