Category: MaimieriBlu

The Paints That Annoy

Having time to play with the paints, I thought I would show you the colors I hate in this set. My favorites, Alizarin Crimson and Burnt Sienna, look nothing like what I expect. To remind you, these are MamieriBlu, new to me. I’ve used Grumbacher and Windsor&Newton and never had this problem.

I don’t have any of the other brand of paints or I would show you the differences. However, I think anyone worth their salt can tell the Alizarin Crimson is not how it should be. I think I remember the sales guy saying these paints are the hues of the color. That was after I had already bought and used them. I went back to ask my questions when I figured out the colors were weird. Well, what good is it to me that they’re hues? And the Burnt Sienna? It looks almost like the Yellow Ochre, very little, if any difference.

The other colors are passable. What can I do? A commenter on the 100 Paintings Challenge said Go buy new paints and move on! I’m not quoting verbatim, just the general concept. I’m inclined to agree. This is so annoying. And she named these paints The Paints That Annoy. I love it!

With that, I used The Paints That Annoy and painted. That apple is done. Over. Kaput. I moved the items around once more and painted them without the stupid apple.

I allowed myself the twenty minutes I’ve been having success with and stopped. It’s a little smooshy, but not horrible. Getting away from the apple helped since I didn’t have to use much of the reds. The Paints That Annoy are going to have to keep company with paints I can rely on. Time to shop!

Finished for Friday

The Dark Apple Hides Shells (c)2011 Dora Sislian Themelis
8×12 Watercolor on Arches paper

A finished work for Friday is here. I am done! I can’t touch this another time. I think I will keep at this apple until all that paint is used up. I have no choice. How many times can I complain about these paints? I guess an awful lot by the looks of the posts about this apple! Have you all had it with me yet? I’ve had it with my constant whining. The next time I decide to throw caution to the wind and by paints I know nothing about, kick me please?

Besides that, I fooled around with my camera and for some reason my photos in my last post came up like a widescreen TV. I don’t know what button I pushed. I was hunting for something that would take a decent photo and not be huge when I uploaded it to the computer. There’s just alot of steps to get the photos the right size so that they upload in seconds rather than long minutes. I mean long. Looks like there are no short cuts here, or in life in general.

I will be posting this to the 100 Paintings Challenge, too. Slowly, but surely, I’m working my way to 100. Oh I’ll do it, too. No doubt. But it’s going to be slow.

A while back I purchased another book on creativity and resistance titled The Creative Habit, by Twyla Tharp. I know she’s a great dancer and choreographer, but from what I’ve heard this is a really good book for breaking through blocks to creativity. I finally started reading yesterday and I think it’s going to be interesting.

I want to read it slowly for the words to really go into my head. Most times when I read, I more or less scan and read too quickly. Oh I’ve read big books in a couple of days, but don’t ask me what I read, I couldn’t tell you. While I’m reading I am in the moment. After I’m done, forget it. Talking with a friend about a book I had just finished, which she read in college, she remembered characters and plots. Me? I could barely remember the main character and some sketchy details. Not good. I need to take time to read this, and not while I’m having lunch. No. Multi tasking is not my forte.

The first page of The Creative Habit began with this: The White Room. Just imagine a large, empty, white rehearsal room for dancers. Immediately I thought of a blank, white canvas or paper. I knew then that this was going to be a good read. I will let you know next week.

Moving On To The Next Thing

After I had my lovely beach day a little while back, right now it feels as if it was a year ago, I decided to look over some of the photos I took in my garden and elsewhere.  Some of those photos stand on their own as photographs.  Did I really need to work them up as paintings?  Some of them just didn’t feel right at that moment.  None of the landscapes were pulling me in.

Then I printed out the hydrangea photos I took in the summer when they were at the height of deep blue color.  I even flipped the photos upside down to see if a spark would come.  Well, I did feel something click and I sketched out the big petals into some kind of composition.

I lightly painted in some shadows on the petals and went in darker with the background.  I’m still using the MaimeriBlu watercolor paints and not so sure I’m that thrilled with them.  The colors are not the same as the Windsor & Newton paints I have used in the past.  So I can’t even tell you which blues I dipped my brush into.  I’m just going on instinct and mixing and applying to the paper, which I’m enjoying working with.  Thanks to my artist/blogger friends’ suggestions, the Arches paper is making a difference in my work, but I haven’t been able to get going on this piece.

Shall I rant about now?  Why not.

The new baby excitement has calmed down and all is well in that area.  OK.  The idiot light in my studio went out a while back and hasn’t turned on again since.  Has it finally decided to quit?  Just watch when I call the electrician to fix it, the thing will light.  Isn’t that how it always is?

There’s my issue with the watercolor paints, as I mentioned above.  Not that happy with them, but spent the money and now I have to use them up.  When I think about it I feel discouraged.  Move on!

Then there’s the technology thing.  On the old PC I knew how to change the size of my photos, enhance the colors, etc.  Now with this iMac things are a little different and it just takes me longer to get what I want out of the photos, and from the computer.  Cut/paste, new tabs, skipping around looking for help, more to learn.  It’s tiring.

Rant over.  Time to get on with it.