Greetings Subscribers!
Very excited to share that the first series I taught through my friends at Wet Paint, "The Joy Of Filed Sketching", was so popular that they are running the series again this autumn and possibly over the winter. This course is LIVE via zoom so anyone, anywhere can join the class. Some of the things I'm teaching students are how to apply values, light and shadow for improved sketches. How to get better compositions and find great subjects out in the wild. PLUS I cover graphite, watercolor pencils, ink washes, watercolor and gouache in this comprehensive series.
Click on the link below to learn more:
info.wetpaintart.com/event/the-joy-of-field-sketch…
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Recently I was teaching a field sketching workshop and was explaining my process to students. I thought I'd share with you channel folks;
1. I almost always start with thumbnail sketches. These help me understand and adjust my composition choices. I also get a chance to experiment with color a bit.
2. I use water soluble graphite and/or watercolor pencils. I will often do an ink wash sketch.
3. I start out by blocking in larger shapes, saving the detail for the end.
4. Perspective and distance can be achieved by using lights and darks, often using a diluted Payne's gray and blues for distant objects like trees.
5. I add detail and refine at the very end. It's easier to make small corrections at that point.
A good thing to remember when sketching and painting is that all things are ephemeral. These are temporary impressions, not photographs, not museum pieces. These are a spontaneous impression of the view and objects in your composition.
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I was saddened to see that Cheap Joes is closing their doors. I was also sad when Joe passed away. We never met in person, but I had the pleasure of getting to know Joe on the phone during several great conversations over the past 17 years.
Joe was always generous to me and truly a kind man. He loved Art and the business of supplying Artists with good solid supplies. American Journey watercolors often surprised me with excellent and affordable quality and so did some of Joe’s other in house art supplies. Like any business the margins were thin and there were tough times for all Art suppliers.
I think with Cheap Joe’s closing we have an opportunity to consider how we buy our Art supplies and how that reverberates in our communities.
You can always find inexpensive options on Temu or Amazon or other places, but is saving a couple dollars really worth seeing places like Cheap Joes or other local art stores closing?
I don’t think so.
Often times it’s a myth that things are cheaper at a BIG online outlet. I often find better deals at Wet Paint, especially during their sales.
Places like Wet Paint and other independent art stores in the country are still struggling to compete with BIG online retailers for many reasons, but most evident to me if the costs of labor and benefits. If you want to pay people a wage they can live on, it just costs more.
In no way is your independent community art store getting rich by charging an extra .08 cents on a pen or pencil or .50 cents on a pad of sketch paper. They are paying knowledgeable and great people to help US out. This reverberates in our communities and makes them better places to live in my opinion.
I think sometimes we forget that these local small businesses depend on us and we on them.
Our support matters to them, it matters to our communities and it matters to our society.
Art is a shining bright light in the darkness. Help keep the light burning. Support a local art store. Be the difference.
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Members can access exclusive content and always get the first look at new videos I post. New content uploaded weekly. Special perks for supporters. youtube.com/@owingsart/membership watch video on watch page
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I received an early copy of, "The Artists Guide To Sketching", from my friend James Gurney and I'll be releasing the video of my review and conversation with him very soon. The new book is available for order today and if you do order a copy, please use this link so the proceeds go to the Author and tell him I sent you: jamesgurney.com/products/the-artists-guide-to-sket…
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Greetings! This course starts on Saturday. I'll be covering key concepts and skills designed to get students confidently sketching, drawing and painting. Lots and lots of hands-on. Here's a sampling of the topics - Sign up today before the class fills up.
The fundamentals of pencil and paper.
Sketching versus drawing and painting.
Shapes exercises.
Basic Perspective exercises.
Learning graphite/ink, watercolor, gouache and casein.
Value scales.
Light and shadow exercise
Landscapes, Still life and Portraiture.
sign up here: info.wetpaintart.com/event/the-joy-of-field-sketch…
watch video on watch page
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It's holiday card season and my Edwardian/Victorian era Copperplate calligraphy is pretty rusty so I practiced my lettering on a few of these blank hot press 140lb sheets. Once I regained some confidence I could begin letter writing. I sent out about 80 cards this year to family and friends. Sometimes I draw or paint small scenes onto the cards or on separate cards that I include in the envelopes.
I begin making cards about a month in advance, which means late October and November. This year I mailed out cards to places as close as a mile away from my house and as far away as Dusseldorf, Germany.
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I learned with great sadness today that our friend Cinnamon Cooney has passed away. Like many of you, I have enjoyed her content and general awesome vibe for more than a decade. She was a kind human who never had a bad word to say about anyone.
She sent me some brushes once and included a very kind and encouraging note. She went out of her way to help others and teach them art in a way that has touched so many. Our community has suffered a great and profound loss with Cinnamon’s passing.
I will never forget doing the collaboration video with her, Steve Mitchell, Lindsay Weirich and Lisa from Lachri Fine Arts. She was such a great presence and kind person.
We are blessed to have so many of her videos on YouTube at her Art Sherpa channel and in this way, and in the countless lives she touched, she lives on.
My heart goes out to John her husband, her children and her extended family and our entire YouTube art community.
Here is a statement from her Facebook page and her family is asking for space to grieve.
“It is with deep sorrow that we share the heartbreaking news that Cinnamon Cooney, our beloved Art Sherpa, has passed away. We don’t have all the details yet, but it appears she suffered a heart attack. Despite the efforts of John and the paramedics, they were unable to resuscitate her, and she went to her final rest early Tuesday morning, Dec 10th, at home, with John by her side.”
“We want to express our heartfelt gratitude for all the love and support you've given us. Your kindness has meant the world to Cinnamon and John and they deeply cherished each and every one of you. She was passionate about teaching the world to paint, and it was because of your passion and encouragement that she found such joy in her work.”
“We will soon be looking for ways to make sure her legacy lives on, and maintaining the loving and supportive community/family she created on Facebook and YouTube.”
“John and the children are of course grieving and need some time to process. We ask that you respect their privacy during this time and don’t try to reach out to them personally. If you would like to leave a message of condolence, please do it here in groups.You can also write support@theartsherpa.com and leave a message, share a favorite memory of Cinnamon, how she made a difference in your life, what your favorite painting was, etc and we will pass those messages on to John and make a document/little book for him and the children to cherish down the road. Please try to keep it relatively short and simple.
We started a Go Fund Me gofund.me/ffaba8b2 to help with Cinnamons final expenses and what they will need to sustain them through this incredibly difficult time.”
If you have a store account you can make a donation/gratuity there: store.theartsherpa.com/choose-your-amount-gratuity….
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Sketching a few water towers lately. There is a water tower in the shape of a tea cup in a town not far from me in Lindstrom, Minnesota. It's pretty cool and unique. There's also a tower shaped like a fishing bobber and another that is made to look like Frankenstein during the Halloween season. I included a couple from my sketchbook as well. Always fun to sketch these, especially the old ones. Hope you enjoy them.
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I draw. I paint. I create. Mostly a field sketcher and illustrator. Teacher of art. Part-time adventurer. Full-time dreamer.
My name is Marty Owings. I create art and art gear reviews, art tips and tricks. I also love helping people improve their artistic skills. Thank you for checking out the channel ad please consider becoming a member.