Please tell us about your medium and lets start getting of appreciate each others art.

[Former_Member]

Please tell us about your medium and lets start getting of appreciate each others art.

I'm Donnarose and I live with my husband in a smaller town in Montana. Have 2 great daughters and 4 grandchildren...where did the years go. Painting helps me keep myself somewhat sane.
I paint with oil, watercolor and acrylic. Been painting for years. and have taught but not for a while. Acrylic is a newer medium for me. Sometimes I love and sometimes I hate it.
Mostly love oils and watercolor and decided to paint more with oils for now.....

[SallyTCrispCreations]

Hi Everyone! Looking forward to getting to know other artists on the team. I am primarily a watercolorist, and in the last year or so have discovered the joy of doing house portraits. It delights me to see people's eye's light up when I give them their house custom portrait. Many of the paintings have been done as special gifts for friends and family members and it is my pleasure to share my talent with them.
I live with my husband and adult daughter in Maryland. I have a son who is married and I just recently became a grandmother of a little Korean boy that they have adopted. I just met my grandson, Anthony tonight for the very first time, and I am madly in love!
I hope that as a member of this new team that I can share some of the knowledge I have gleaned over the years, and in turn learn from others.
Looking forward to being a part of this new group!

[Former_Member]

Hello Everyone !
Thank you Donnarose for starting what looks to be a great team of painters where we can exchange ideas and ask questions about art and painting. I love to talk about different techniques and love to learn about new ways of painting and see the way other artists paint. Lately I have been trying to experiment in different styles and mediums ... I usually paint with acrylics and once in a while water colors ...some day I want to experiment with oil paints also. I look forward to meeting all of you!
Donna :)

[Former_Member]

Nice to meet you, Sally and Donna - you both do lovely work! And thanks for starting this team, Donnarose, I think it's a wonderful idea.

I paint in watercolor, gouache and acrylics. All of my work is inspired by nature, and includes natural history illustrations, botanicals and landscapes.

I opened my shop last fall, when I left my day job to become a stay-at-home mom. My baby turns 1 the day after tomorrow - well, tomorrow now, since it's midnight. The year has flown by!

I'm excited to get to know everyone here and have some great discussions!

[Former_Member]

Hi Anna... i have often wondered about using gouache and some day would love to try it ... I have read that it is not permanent or that if you re-wet it after it is dry you can rework it .. do you do a special coating to the paintings to make them more water proof when they are done ?

[Former_Member]

Hi Everyone, I'm excited to be on the ground floor of this group and will enjoy browsing your shops and hearing your advice. I started painting in earnest this year as a way to let my daughters go to college (ha! but sort of true too.)
I made a new years resolution to paint 100 paintings by the end of 2012 as a way to grow and also to get over my fear of people "judging" my work. It's been fun. My blog has my progress if you are interested. www.maureenpaints.blogspot.com. Best regards.

[Former_Member]

Donna - gouache is a lot like watercolor, just more opaque. It's water soluble, so it's impermanent in the way watercolor is. I use a spray fixative on my finished work to protect it, but I've read that some people use spray varnish for an even more durable finish (Krylon Kamar was the one that was recommended to me, and I'm planning to try that soon).

You can rework gouache with water to the extent that whatever you're painting on will allow it. I paint on watercolor paper, which isn't very forgiving of re-working, so I don't get a lot of re-dos. I do think gouache is a little more forgiving than watercolor, though.

[TheExpressivePalette]

Hi! thank you for inviting me Donna, because this team is what i need!

I've been painting just over a year after a 20 yr absence. When i started last year i decided to try acrylics and hated them! so i went back to soft pastels and watercolors. I am trying to find my medium and style by experimenting. It's funny but i found myself easing back into acrylics as i began working in mixed media. i THINK collage painting and acrylics are my medium, when it works it's wonderful! And I totally relate with you Donna i either love acrylics or hate them!

i am having trouble dealing with the changes in color from wet to dry with acrylics though. i read (from the paint descriptions on-line) that some brands have little or no change, so i bought a few tubes of Winsor Newton and Daler Rowney CRYLA to try. i already have golden and Liquitex but it seems like Liquitex is more stable?? anyway i'm hoping one these brands will work.

So glad you made the group so we can learn and share!

[Former_Member]

Hello!

Thanks for this team, it's a great idea. I've been painting on and off through the years, and while my practice focuses on drawing (beatiefox.blogspot.com) I still find painting to be a constant challenging learning process, and I still have far to go! I mainly paint in acrylics to appease my impatience (I find Liquitex to be great too, for its consistency and luminosity - but still annoying as it inevitably dries a shade or two darker, like all polymer based paint brands)

i hadn't heard that some brands have little or no change in tone from wet to dry though, that is interesting and something i'll look into!

because of this issue of colour matching, I've recently started using egg tempera - which is a fascinating process to learn - and retains the pigment colour exactly, reflecting light really well too (it's basically pigment and water ground together with some egg yolk added). Technically tricky though, be interesting to hear from anyone else working in this method, as it seems like it'd be really rewarding once you crack it (so to speak).

i've also started to enjoy oil painting recently which has proved a really fun way to make a long-term portrait.. I started one in February and it's still going! So, again a great learning process and sort of opposite to the process of drawing.

So this is where i'm at .. right at the beginning in a sense!

Lovely to see all your work, and Maureen - that 100 paintings blog is a brilliant idea, and best of luck with the rest, they are beautiful paintings.

[smallimpressions]

It is delightful to read everyone's postings. Mostly I paint in oils, though I have used gouache, watercolors, and acrylics. Every session is a learning opportunity and I cherish all of them. Color mixing and composition are a couple of areas I've been focusing on recently--always room for improvement. I'm looking forward to chatting with everyone. : )

[Former_Member]

maureen love the 100 painting idea
this is a great read
enjoyed reading each and everyone

[MidwestGypsy]

Hello All,

I paint watercolors and, until this year, had not been painting much. Now, I feel like I need to learn everything over. I usually paint realism and now am having trouble with laying the background in the way I want it. I took some classes and have tons of books, but want to just rush in there and get it done rather than do the studies. I am trying to build a full body of work and have a goal by next summer of having that done.

[Former_Member]

Your watercolors are beautiful Nancy

actually painted today.....did an up close of part of a Hound's (Beagle) face.
it was fun and only took about 2 1/2 hours
small, only 8x10
love it when a painting works and I go crazy when I struggle
so today was a good painting day
now I want to paint a Basset Hound

[Former_Member]

Hello everyone,

I have always painted in oil. If you make a mistake you can rub it out and you get a longer working time than acrylics. There is a lovely finish with oils and I think it encourages patience in a painter.

[BingArt]

Hi All!

Like Steven, I use oil paints! My reason being only that it's what I know and am confortable with. Perhaps someday I'll be brave enough to branch out a bit, but for now, I'm happy with oils :) I started painting when I was 7 or 8 on my grandpa's farm in Little Rock, AR. I didn't take it too far until recently after the birth of my second child.

Now I live in Pasadena, MD (my husband refers to it as the armpit of DC and Baltimore) and try to paint several pieces a week. Painting is a wonderful way to escape all the traffic and madness around here these days! I have two lovely children. One is entering 3rd grade and one is 10 months old.

Looking forward to

[JBeaudetStudios]

Hi Everyone,

I mostly use oil paints now, sometimes watercolors. I've been painting for over 25 years now, but started seriously using oils about 3 ago. I love the richness in colors and the texture I get with oils. I don't like the fumes and the drying time though, so I've slowly been adding water soluble oils to my palette. They mix nicely with regular oils but they're a little more expensive.

I live in the mountains in Northern California but grew up at the beach which is why a lot of my work is about the beach. I also love flowers and paint them a lot as well.

I'm looking forward to great discussions and meeting other artists in this group!

[PascualProductions]

Hello! I am Geoff Pascual and I am a painter. I am located in southern California and I am 18. I have tried many different mediums including watercolor, oil, and acrylic, none of which have let me down. I have a lot of watercolor in my etsy shop and I have recently gotten into oil painting so eventually my shop will have more oil paintings.

I love to talk about any kind of art so please feel free to convo me with painting questions/discussions and I would love to find out some painting techniques/tips you guys have to offer! :D

[dalystudios]

I just joined and I appreciate Donnarose's effort to form a team that focuses more on painting than self promotion. It's infinitely more interesting :-)

I paint in both watercolor and oils, but never at the same time. If my studio is set up for one medium, I stick with it for a while.

I have more experience in watercolor and I do love the elusive quality of the medium. It has a mind of its own and invites collaboration rather than dominance. But sometimes I just want to be more forceful and I drag out the heavy, greasy stuff. If I'm looking for deep rich color I go with oils.

I am not as facile with oils, and I tend to over-render my images. I want my paint to look more painterly, so I'm still a work in progress.

[ArtFromTheCabin]

When I was in high school (30+ years ago) I painted some with oil, and acrylic, NEVER watercolors! I could never master it, so I just pushed it aside. Interesting how all of that changed, because now all I paint with is Watercolors. About 5 years ago, I attended a summer art program with my youngest son, and since the camp was funded by a local watercolor group, the instructor introduced the children (and me) to watercolors; plus other art activities. I because inspired with Watercolors from that camp, and I've been painting with Watercolors since. I have original watercolor paintings, and cards in my shop.

I am married, and have 2 teenage boys. We all live in a log home in the mountains of Virginia.

[Former_Member]

Hello everyone, I am Charles Dowdrick. I have been painting for seven to eight years now. I work with oils, some acrylic, pastels oil, and chalk, and water color paints. Till this past two years I have never in my entire life thought of following the dream I have always held onto of doing art for a profession. I realize now how foolish I was not to chase after my dreams. Now I am on etsy reach to the stars for my dream. I was born in detriot, MI . Raised in a small town in PA. Now living in Ohio in the city. I live with my girlfriend, and a high possibility of having a baby on the way.

I look forward to meet all of you in this team.

[Former_Member]

Hello,
I'm a Finnish artist and I'm completely new on Etsy.
I love to paint with watercolour and I've added watercolour pencils in the mix just to add to the tension over final results. ;)

This seems like just the right place for a newbie like me to get to know some other painters on Etsy and to engage in some interesting chats!

[artbyglorianna]

Hi everyone :) I just recently started selling on Etsy and no sales yet but i'm hopeful. I paint with oils and that has been pretty much my medium for the past 30 years. I also paint pet portraits but do not plan on selling those on here. I work a full time day job which i am hoping to phase out so that I can devote more time to painting. However, since i have only myself to depend on for income it won't be an easy task. I also have my 90 year old father living with me and a 10 year old cocker spaniel, named Jude. I'm bursting at the seams with questions for this team but not sure if i'm allowed to begin new threads or if i am to leave that up to the moderator. I started one but then read something that makes be think i shouldn't have done that. Oh well, i'll find out soon enough. Hope you all have a great Tuesday !

[Former_Member]

Hello! I'm also new to Etsy (as a seller not a buyer) and like Gloriana would like to phase out work and phase in painting! I have more time now that my older two sons have gone to university.
I have only put a few simple little pictures (acrylic inks) on here to start off with, because I'm testing the water - I will be doing my first craft fair in November - eek!
I have been painting for 25 years, mostly acrylic portraits and pastel drawings of pets. I am nervous of posting pastel pictures because they are so delicate and damageable, does anyone have any experience of posting pastels?
I would like start oil painting again, it's something I did when I was younger but have found it difficult with small children around and a lack of time. I am also a very impatient painter but feel I should improve on this!
Happy painting everyone, I am going to try some acrylics to add I think, if I can drag myself away from anxiously watching my (very low) shop stats!

[Former_Member]

Hi All:
I'm so happy to join your group. I am an educated artist, studied many mediums in College, but discovered I loved Watercolor. I do realistic paintings of animals, but most of all I love doing portraits.
I combined my love of art with my love of books, and like most artist might fill sketch book journals with loads of thumb nail sketches, etc, I filled so many that I determined to make my own. That's how I got into selling sketch book and writers journals. I repurpose old books, who doesn't love old books?
I taught myself how to restore them and make them as close to perfection as I can, not always possible, but I try. This is the fun of carrying something so unique and special, a one of a kind type of old journal, that people often ask where I got it and I can tell them I made it.
Until I learn how to post my paintings safely, I only have a few images or art reproduction pieces up for sale.
I am excited about join your group and I look forward to meeting some of you.

this is from Judi Ann from http://www.etsy.com/shop/SleepyMouseDesign
for some reason she could not get the welcoming link to work.

[SKColeArt]

Hi everyone, I have to say, I have worked with nearly everything: guache, watercolor, acrylic, oils, water-based oils, colored pencil, pen and ink, chalk pastel, oil pastel, watercolor dyes, airbrush (old school, not the digital kind.)

Currently I work primarily in oil pastel mixed with medium, water-based olis, and watercolor/colored pencil combined.

I love to discuss techniques and materials, and I am a huge sucker for the Dick Blick catalogue. Folks, if I ever inheritated big money, Dick Blick would be where it would be spent!