It's Christmas time-ish and that means we look forward to finding that something special for that someone special, right?
Is your someone special an artist? Or a wanna be artist?
OR -- did you draw the name of an artist this year? Was it mine? :)
Here are some brainstorming ideas from
$ to
$$$:
(If you are an Ebates user, dont forget to click through from that site!)
$ Value Finder Not to be confused with View finder- put this next to your palette. Dont underestimate the value of values. :)
$ Color wheels are inexpensive and there are a
blue billion of them out there. Options are endless.
$ I just saw this
mug warmer on a blog. I could have used this when I first set up my studio.
$ View Catcher I use this ALL the time. Wish I had had it years ago.
$$ This is called a
View Finder and it seems over priced but I guess that's the way it is with specialized items. I dont have one but I've often wished I did. It basically breaks the view down into a value structure by weeding out the indiscriminate values. Trust me on this.
$$ I LOVE my subscription to
Southwest Art Magazine. And it's not limited to just barns, deserts and cactus as you might imagine. There are plenty of still life, portrait and figure paintings as well. It covers events, artist bios and competitions. Pretty inspiring. I dont know what I would do if I let my subscription run out.
$$ Artist Magazine and it's sisters
Pastel Journal and
Watercolor Artist. There's also
Acrylic Artist
Drawing, Beadwork, Lapidary Journal, Cloth, Paper, Scissors, and so many more. Magazine subscriptions are the gift that keeps on giving, right?
$$ More ideas? Is your artist on the road a lot or EVER? How about a
wet panel carrier? Or the more elaborate
Wet Canvas Carrier. I'm a canvas painter but when I'm on a plein air excursion I use panels exclusively for reasons I wont go into at this time.
$$$ If you have a really deep pocket maybe a
pochade box (this is mine) or the many, many accessories that make painting outdoors fun. Keep in mind the box is only as sturdy as it's tripod so that is an added expense...
$$-$$$ I have a detached studio with a corner for my
Keurig and
mini fridge - so many options here but I wish my fridge didnt have the freezer. I have never had a use for that in my studio. However, I do put my florals in the fridge in between paintings. They last so much longer that way.
Books, Books, Books!
My must have list is:
Alla Prima by Richard Schmid ( I dont know what Alla Prima II is. I've only read the original)
An Artist Teaches by David Leffel
Of course there are many more but I will save that for another post. I really want to get out to my studio and finish my painting.
Have fun shopping! And dont forget to use
Ebates to get your cash back! :)
