Monthly Archives: March 2010

Time for another written blog post. These are things I use when I draw that don’t actually do any drawing.

- Color pallete generator
Sometimes when I draw digitally, I have a specific palette I want to use from a picture that’s already existing. Rather than eyedrop a bunch of points into my palette library, I go to this cool little thing. Upload your inspiration pic and it’ll spit out a generalization of the colors. You can save the color pallete for use in Photoshop by clicking “Save as Photoshop swatches…” and moving the file to this folder:
Photoshop>Presets>Color Swatches.

- Paper trimmer
I thought of this post because I was at Michael’s getting replacement blades for my paper trimmer. I use it so often, and I really should have gotten replacements sooner. I cut badges, art cards business cards, flyers and all kinds of crap ALL THE TIME, so I’m constantly pulling my trimmer out.

- Masking fluid
I barely use any watercolor, but I do treat markers like watercolors in some ways. Markers will bleed under masking fluid a little if you’re heavy handed, but otherwise, it does protect paper from unwanted marker marks. If you have a big area to fill in and a small area you want to protect, masking fluid is probably the best way to keep your markers where you want them.

- Crappy brushes
I never threw away my old brushes from when I used to paint. Crappy old and frayed brushes can still serve a purpose. You don’t have to worry about ruining them if you forget to clean them after laying down masking fluid. I also use them to spread various glazes around that otherwise I’d be afraid to brush onto something. Old bristly brushes can speckle masking fluid onto a piece in a cool texture.

- Circle and elipse templates
This is one of Those Things I have that I wonder why I don’t use more often… I’m awful at drawing geometric shapes, my hands are very unsteady.

- Paper smudge stumps
I was reading another artist’s comments about blending markers, and she said she used her fingers to blend the ink. That kind of blew my mind. I thought it might be doable with smudge stumps, which worked quite well. Put down your marker, and if it’s still a little wet, you can scratch it around into the colors or paper around it.

Anywho, have some art history, contemporary art and culture. I’m sure everyone knows all the “cool” stuff to listen to already like Ninja Mountain – so here’s the stuff that makes you feel like you’re in college again, without paying for it. Whee!

National Gallery of Art London Podcast
I LOVE this podcast – Miranda Hinkley visits the art and architecture of the National Gallery London.
Slide show of photos of the art and people plays along with the audio.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Special Exhibition Podcast Podcasts
K, longest name ever. Lectures and discussions on pieces and exhibits.
No video or slides, so you’d have to look up the work on topic if you’re not familiar with it.

Whitney Focus Video Podcast
As the title says, it’s all video! This podcast views exhibitions of contemporary artists at the Whitney.
Very nicely produced, and usually has commentary from the aritists themselves.

MOCA Los Angeles
The Musem of Contemporary Art will periodically post lectures, audio tours, and video samples of their exhibitions. More videos can also be found on their Vimeo gallery. They seem to update once or twice every month or two.

So there’s lecture material. Your papers on Rauschenberg and Fuseli are due next month.