Cheerful and Colorful Paintings

Cheerful and Colorful Paintings in Oil, Acrylic, Mixed Media and Collage
nancystandlee@sbcglobal.net

Monday, August 18, 2008

Tropical Fish ~ Mudd Girl ~ Sketch Book

10" Square Acrylic on Canvas Tropical Fish Project for Canvas by Canvas I painted with the Canvas by Canvas collaborative group today working on paintings for our Petroleum Club show in October and the Fort Worth Community Art Center Show in September. Soon the squares will be on a sneak peek on our web site...maybe this week. The tropical fish project was designed by Maryann S and Cindy C.
Mudd Girl:
After checking on purses for my age group at the mall, I ended up with a Mudd backpack from J.C. Penney. I asked about the age group it was geared toward..Teens? She said, "Oh, even elementary and Jr. High girls." Now I know I made the right choice as I really prefer backpacks to haul around pens, pencils, journals, and cameras. I sketched the hang tag and checked out their web site. http://mymudworld.com and you can enter for a Greece trip so sign up - I did and you can take a friend..Take me, Take me. Since my friends and I saw the movie, "Traveling Pants 2" last week we've talked a lot about Greece. Now comes the "Share Your Story" idea. If you click on this menu item you'll see lots of very young pretty girls who are moving the world but since Mudd is for girls who like to express themselves I entered our Canvas by Canvas story and how we are moving the world. So now our CBC members are "Mudd girls". Girls of all ages UNITE.
The Mudd bag that started it all:


Pocket Sketching:
Kath Macaulay has a Pocket Sketching website and she writes and teaches about how she uses a small format for fast sketching. Look at her site on the materials tab to learn more about her process. She likes a sketch pad, Strathmore Drawing, 4" x 6" for her work. Naturally I had to run out and buy one to try it out. I collaged the front of mine and on a page I've drawn the Mudd hang tag and used the new Aquaflo brushes that hold water (from Jerry's Artarama).
Nice to have if you are out without a good water supply and but have a few colors in a small watercolor set then you're ready to paint anywhere. The small sketchbook is not like painting on Arches 140 lb. cold press but you can certainly get down your idea.
I ordered some of the brushes for the Canvas by Canvas crew as we will have a paint out at a lake house in October and we like to bring surprise gifts for each other. Since Cindy Y had expressed a desire for one of these for journaling, I decided to order each of them a medium and a large but I can't keep a secret nor am I good at waiting for presents so the group got early surprises at our Sunday painting afternoon.

My Strathmore collaged cover and below the Mudd hang tag design.Now after reading the post, go sign up for a possible free trip to Greece and bring a pocket sketchbook.



3 comments:

Margie Whittington said...

Nice blog Nancy.
mw

Cecelia said...

Nancy, I got a small watercolor sketchbook at Hobby Lobby last week. It was $2.99, has 140#Strathmore wc paper, and is 5.5 " x 8.5". It just slips into a side pocket of my purse, along with a Winsor Newton travel set of watercolors. I use an empty film container or medicine bottle for water.
I also bought my sister a larger hardback sketchbook at HL that has one sheet of 140# wc paper alternating with a 60# sketching paper throughout the book.
I have a plastic tote bag that I have been carrying, with a clipboard with typing paper, pencils, pens, etc., and a drawing sketchbook, a watercolor pad, a few paper towels and a bottle of water. But I feel a need to carry around less weight, so I'm going to try using what I have in my purse, with the small sketchbook.
I wanted to let you know, too, that the 20th World Wide Sketch Crawl has been announced. It will be Oct. 25. Spread the word, and I hope that you and your group will join in. The website is www.sketchcrawl.com .

Nancy Standlee said...

Thanks, Margie. I've enjoyed seeing and painting with you since your Co. return.

Cecelia, Hello...and thanks for the hints on the sketchbook but I tend to like spiral bound and keep more as a journal. I'm trying to cut down on supplies also and thanks for the reminder about the sketch crawl in Oct. ns