Job Opportunity for Muralist

If you are an artist with experience painting murals, this might be for you. Boardwalk Billy's, a restaurant located at 1636 Sardis Road North in Charlotte, North Carolina is looking for a mural artist to re-do a mural they have. For details, contact the restaurant at 704-841-8688

Source: Charlotte Observer

Blick Art Supply Sale

Blick Art Supplies is having a nice sale right now on several products. You can also take advantage of free shipping on orders totaling $200 or more.


Here are some that caught my eye that I thought you might like too:

Chartpak Ad Marker Sets
55% off list price

Prismacolor NuPastel Color Sticks
Save 33%-48% off list price

Blick Studio Artists' Colored Pencils
21%-43% off list prices

Blick French Easel by Jullian
Save 64% off list price


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FREE SHIPPING on orders totaling $200 or more

Drawing Animal Whiskers

A really good question about how to draw animal whiskers:

"Can you please let me know how to lift out whiskers on blended pencil drawings on animals? I asked at art shop and they were not really much help. I cannot get my kneaded putty eraser to lift out really fine whiskers on my animal drawings. They always end up really thick and chunky. The art shop said I just need to practise. But i have practised and practised to no avail.Could you suggest any helpful tips to help with this? I would really appreciate any advice. Thank you so much."

That's a very good question! I would use a Click Eraser (the kind of white tubular eraser), and either snip off a little from the end of it with scissors or cut off with a craft knife so that it will have an edge you can use. I can get really fine erased lines this way.

There is a link to this type of eraser on this page of my blog: Essential Pencil Portrait Supply List

See the Pentel Click Eraser...it's a wider eraser than the Sanford Eraser, so I think you would get a more usable edge. When you buy these (and they are refillable by the way), they have an edge, but as they are used, they lose the edge and it gets rounded over. So if you see the edge when you first get the eraser, I think it will become clear to you what I mean. As the edge of the eraser gets rounded, you can cut off a tiny bit to get the new edge again. You can use an X-Acto craft knife, scissors, or even just slice a bit of the eraser end off with your fingernail.

Another idea would be to use a kneaded rubber that has gotten sort of old and hard...that's the only way a kneaded rubber eraser would have the strength to keep its shape as it is run across the paper....

JD Hillberry of www.jdhillberry.com places tracing paper over the area where he wants to draw lines, like for stitching on a purse, or I suppose even for whiskers. What he does is use a hard lead pencil and press hard with the tracing paper in between the art paper and the pencil...basically to create a depression in the art paper. When you dig into the paper's surface, the graphite pencil has a hard time getting into the crevice.

He does that...but I would be nervous about trying that until you do it on some test papers first...so you don't mess up what you have created so far. He has a book called How to Create Realistic Textures in Pencil, and it is great. Not great for a super-beginner, but I'm not sure what stage of drawing you are in...his site is great, and he taught himself everything, just by playing around!

The other thought I had was a paint that is laid over an area you want to keep very white. It works like masquing tape, but it is painted on. DickBlick.com has Shiva Liquid Masque. You apply it to areas you want to stay white, and after it is dry you can remove it by carefully peeling or rubbing it off.

Most of the time, I've drawn (darker) whiskers just carefully using a mechanical pencil. It's important to have a relaxed hand, so what I do is to practice the movement a couple times before I actually touch the paper with the pencil tip, so I will have a confident movement and a line that goes right where I want it.

Emma Robinson, Artist

You definitely want to read the story about Emma Robinson, a UK artist who was born without a pelvis and endured 33 operations, starting at the age of 5, to be able to eventually walk. Her work is going on show at the McLellan Galleries in Glasgow Scotland. This is an inspiring article...I just wish they had included some photos of her artwork. LINK

This is a great article!

He enjoys ‘painting the town’
from: Discover Mid-America - Kansas City,MO,USA
Artist: Kelly William Poling

Mural painting was one idea, and after researching the concept of converting barren walls to historical streetscapes, they started looking for an artist. ...

Interview in YourOnlineBizStory.com

Darla Dixon: Pencil Portraits
By Leann McKinley
Baby Portrait by Darla Dixon How many potential artists out there are dreaming of being able to support themselves with their art? Probably more than I can count. Having a career that is fulfilling to a creative spirit is tough to find, ...
Real people, really working from... - http://youronlinebizstory.com

Light Impressions Discount Offer

Light Impressions is a company that sells archival grade supplies - great gifts for photographers or artists! They also have a large variety of picture frames, matting, picture hanging materials, clear photo/art sleeves, presentation folders, scrapbooking supplies, adhesives, ph and humidity control, etc. I like their "Crystal Clear" art sleeves for my art. I find that they are quite expensive, but their products are good.

Light Impressions choice of discounts:

15% discount off orders of $129 or more*
10% discount off orders of $99 or more*

*offer details: 10% off with minimum $99 order or 15% off with minimum $129 order discount applies to merchandise orders only and does not include shipping or handling or applicable taxes. Valid online only, at www.lightimpressionsdirect.com. Not valid on prior orders.

Please enter keycode LF08 at checkout for discount to apply. Keycode offers cannot be combined.

Offer expires Thursday June 12, 2008

10 Things I Like and 10 Things I Don't Like

Nothing artsy to write about today, and I haven't posted anything here since May 28th, so the blog guilt was setting in. Had to rely on the old standby of 10 Things I Like and Don't Like...so here they are, in no particular order:

10 Things I like:

1. Anything chocolate. My current favorite is Pocky
2. Reading books to my kids
3. Drawing (duh!)
4. Making Squidoo pages
5. Playing Sequence whenever I can talk someone into it.
6. Boston Terriers - I collect Boston Terrier stuff!
7. Saving money (hey who doesn't)
8. A perfect 68 degree low humidity day (today: 92 and humid)
9. Getting only green street lights on my way somewhere
10. Kisses from my little boys
    

10 Things I don't like:

1. The sound of my kids bickering
2. Stepping in something wet when I have socks on
3. When people don't know it's their turn at a 4-way stop
4. When people cut in line and any other anti-social way they demonstrate that they think they are more important than other people.
   
5. When people let their dogs run wild and dig in trash, rather than walk dogs or feed dogs
   
6. Needlessly worrying that I have Alzheimer's when I forget something minor
7. Racism in "FWD" type e-mails (and anywhere else) & Spam
   
8. The smell of burned popcorn
9. Credit card companies
10. Pinching my fingers in a 3 ring binder