Charmed by a Vintage Tea Kettle

A recent thrifting adventure turned up this adorable aluminum tea kettle.  I bought it to use in my drawing classes for still life setups, and was so charmed by it, I made a watercolor study of it myself.

I started with a simple pen and ink sketch using my Lamy fountain pen and waterproof ink.

After the ink was dry, I laid in washes of ultramarine blue mixed with burnt sienna to make a steely grey. The wet-in-wet approach worked well to merge contrasting areas and soften the edges. 

I began laying in burnt sienna and yellow ochre to make the brown craft paper and wooden box in the background.

I got excited about creating the wood grain by laying in stripes of burnt umber mixed with burnt sienna to lighten it or ultramarine to darken it.

I found that my first attempt at the wood grain was too detailed and drew the eye away from the tea kettle, so I softened the wood grain with light washes.  

I like the final level of detail in the background.

If you are captured by this little vintage tea kettle, I hope you'll make a painting or drawing from the photo at the top of this post.

Happy Creating!

Organizing Your Art Supplies

I like to think of my art studio as organized chaos.  

Art supplies are gathered with similar materials, stuffed in baskets, drawers & boxes. Sometimes, the papers and brushes spill over their containers, but mostly, I have space to store items and space to work, and I can lay my hands on what I need.

I love this way of working -- letting things spill over a bit, but mostly having room to create.  My trick is to gather collage papers in one basket, watercolor brushes in a mug or two.  I gather similar things together, and find inexpensive storage supplies to hold them.

David built me this wooden bookshelf from lumber we picked up at the side of the road.  I love the old, funky nature of the wood and the memory of scoring it on a morning walk.

I bought an Ikea drawer set and decorated it with some old scrap wood I had.  You can read the post about that transformation here: https://betsyblissart.blogspot.com/2024/06/an-upcycled-drawer-refresh.html

I like to keep certain often-used supplies near at hand. All sorts of useful things --from inspiring quotes to treats for the kitties -- live in these drawers.

I found this small metal drawer unit at a thrift store and labeled each drawer with white chalk.

Pens, erasers and pencil sharpeners are tucked into the drawers.

You may have seen the pegboard paint tube storage idea online. I got the idea of hanging up my acrylic paints from The Unexpected Gypsy.  It makes finding the right color easy!  And I love seeing my paints ready to help me create.

This old, wooden chest was $20 at Goodwill Industries.  I filled it with my watercolor tube paints and pastels (some of which were bought secondhand at the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse (PCCR), a wonderful thrift store for art supplies.

I made the drawer organizer from cardboard boxes and hot glue.

Sketchbooks, class files and a wealth of papers end up in this Ikea cabinet:

Labels remind me what's stuffed in each basket and box.

We used to grow produce and haul it to farmer's markets to sell.  When we retired from farming, I turned our wooden bushel boxes, like the one below, into storage.

I bought the various boxes inside this bushel at PCCR secondhand.

A dear friend found this old wooden tool box at an auction and bought it for me.  It stores my colored pencils, ink dip pens and a variety of brushes, organized by medium.  Displaying your brushes & pencils  alongside nature's feathers, crystals & twigs turns your art supplies into a funky still life.

Though I have bought a few things from Ikea, most of my art studio organization comes from secondhand sources -- thrift shops, the side of the road, etc.  I go through my art supplies every few months to pull out items I no longer use so I can donate them at the PCCR.  

I consider cleaning up my space to be great self care.  I always feel more relaxed and inspired to create when I'm done cleaning up!

What can you find around your home to artfully hold your creative supplies?  Which of your art supplies would you like to put on display?

Setting up a beautiful, organized space to draw and paint in is a form of creativity.

Happy Creating! 

Book Report: John Lidzey's Watercolour Painting Workshop

A gem from 1995, John Lidzey's Watercolour Workshop has been a great discovery for my watercolor education.

Lidzey walks the reader through basic watercolor instruction and step-by-step projects,

so you learn as you go.

The book is chock-full of inspiration in the form of luscious paintings of simple, everyday scenes.

Lidzey treats everyday places and vignettes with reverence. His romantic paintings make me rethink my habit of painting only nature and landscapes. 

If you're curious about what's included in the workshop, here's the list of contents:

John Lidzey in his home studio.

Though it's been out of print for some time, I found this book online on a used book site for less than $15.  That's an inexpensive workshop! You might look for it in your local library.

I find that books like this one let me dive more deeply into watercolor studies than a quick video would. And there's something peaceful about flipping through pages rather than gazing at a screen. I can take it at my own pace.

I hope you'll find a new-to-you art book to inspire you and help you grow!

Vintage Art Supplies

What is it about vintage art supplies that thrills me?  I get swept away into idealism and nostalgia for the materials I remember from my childhood, when I spent endless happy hours drawing, painting, and creating in a messy state of wonder. 

The price is usually cheaper than modern materials, and the quality is often much better.  And, I like to think that forgotten art materials feel pride and delight in being used for their intended purpose rather than being left to gather dust, or worse,  dumped in the landfill.  

They want to be found by someone who will love them and make art with them!

 

A week ago, I found a box of 72 Koh-I-Noor graphite leads at the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse.  A half gross of professional grade 4B leads, just waiting to create amazing drawings! All for $12. A bargain!

At 3mm thick, the graphite leads wouldn't fit into any mechanical pencil I had.  An internet search led me to a vintage mechanical pencil on ebay, for $12. 

It arrived on Black Friday, and I excitedly ripped into the package, and loaded it up with a lead.  There's a magic to new art supplies.  With the winds of excitement blowing you along, you freely explore all the different types of marks your new tool can make. There is no right or wrong, just discovery and play.

And this is the best approach for art making with any supply -- no expectations, only explorations and experiments.

I began making sketches, and discovered that the thick lead created wonderful masses of tone when I turned it on its side (above).

I could sharpen the tip with a sandpaper sharpener or even a regular pencil sharpener, and get fine lines. 

The 4B graphite created dark tones, but also seemed quite strong and stiff, able to take a fair bit of pressure from the side.

I set out with my pencil and sketchbook, and found barnwood, winter weeds, and songbirds outdoors to sketch.

And at the end of the explorations, I had a journal filling with sketches, and a pencil that seemed happy to be back to work.  

I hope you get a chance to test out some art supplies -- vintage or modern -- soon!