Surf

Daily Painting - ACEO - Surf
©2011 Amy-Elyse Neer
Daily Painting for 1-30-2011
Watercolor on Hot Press 140lb watercolor ACEO
2.5" x 3.5"

Cards and Prints Here

Santa Cruz at Sunset

Daily Painting - Santa Cruz at Sunset -
©2011 Amy-Elyse Neer
6" x 9"  Watercolor on Montval Watercolor 140lb Cold Press Block
Daily Painting for 1-29-2011

Cards and Prints Here

Things you put other things in

So, I have this dream purse. It holds everything I need to take with me, it has an adjustable strap, enough padding to protect pencils and small electronics, and it's black to go with everything, and sturdy, It also has only zippers, no velcro and none of those useless magnetic snaps. Some day, I will find this purse. I will buy it. I will buy two, a spare just in case. And when the first one dies, I will painstakingly take it apart, and turn it into a pattern so I can make them myself.
And I will NEVER buy another purse.
I am explaining that to you as a preface to warn you that I may have some sort of problem. Because what this is really about is Art supply caddies.

I have these pencil boxes They are these

I have two of them One I use with the dividers to hold pencils in one section, a selection of pitt pens in the middles section and a sandpaper block, drafting compass, 6" ruler, a vinyl eraser and metal sharpener. The two bands on the  lid I use to hold two small white envelopes One full of Vellum bristol ACEO stock, and the other to hold textured drawing ACEO stock.

The other one holds watercolor pencils, a 12 color cotman half pan set, a few brushes, a metal sharpener, an envelope full of watercolor ACEO stock and smallish roll of artists' tape.

Theory being, I can just grab one and I have everything I need for a day out of art.

Oh except, I also need to bring the 6" x 6" masonite panel I use to tape down ACEO's and that doesn't fit in there. And also I need to bring water/something to hold water. Oh and in addition I don't always know which one I will want when I get where I am going so I need to bring both with me. And they are heavy, they don't have handles or straps... so I need to bring a bag to carry them. and as long as I am bringing a bag I might as well throw in a watercolor block and a pad of drawing paper. And my big watercolor set. and a few more brushes.

Now the simple act of grabbing a kit that is self contained and easy to carry has turned into a giant heavy bag of stuff.

I had this Idea of making a cloth cover for a moleskine that had a pencil and pen loop on the spine and a pocket in front for an eraser and sharpener. And I still might make that, but honestly as I was designing the pattern I kept thinking of OTHER STUFF I should include a space for on it..

The company that makes these pencil boxes also makes a clipboard size and style box with a strap, and that would pretty much take care of the whole sheebang, but I can't imagine how annoying and heavy and weirdly shaped that would be to carry around...

Now a collapsible cup, a piece of unfinished masonite that was about 4 "x 6" and a set of cotman brushes with the short handles, are things that would probably help. as well as taking the pencils out of the watercolor box except for a few sketching greys, and then adding in a graphite pencil, eraser, and one of the superfine black pitt pens. would make a better "I don't know what I'll want " kit.
But I know I will desperately wish for something I left behind.

Also the french easel? WEIGHS A MFT (see below).  I have a strap pack for it, which is very nice, but I am short in the torso, so with it strapped to my back it goes from the top of my leg (otherwise known as the bottom of my ass) to my head, meaning when carting it anywhere if I sit down, I have to take it off, or get punched in the head with the mast of the easel. And can they make a french easel that isn't so fussy to set up? 

And seriously, their rich, long history of making them aside, when you are working with a julian out doors don't you always worry that the relatively spindly legs are gonna give out on rough terrain?

Basically a day out with the french easel means a week of shoulder pain, a possible concussion and a stressful session of work being vaguely worried that any second the whole thing is going to keel over.

And lest you think this problem of storage is only for leaving the house...

I am out of space for finished canvases. I need at least 20 more drawers in the studio for stuff. and a way to clear up about 5 more feet of floor space so I can set up the second easel in the studio. Also I can't find my 72 color tin of derwents'.

MFT=metric fuck-ton

Worn

Daily Painting - ACEO - Worn
©2011 Amy-Elyse Neer
Daily Painting for 1-25-2011
Acrylic and Collage on Strathmore acrylic cardstock ACEO
2.5" x 3.5"

Cards and Prints Here

Another little bird ACEO

Daily Painting - ACEO - Little Swan

©2011 Amy-Elyse Neer

Daily Painting for 1-24-2011

Prismacolor Pencil on Vellum Bristol ACEO

2.5" x 3.5"

Cards and Prints Here

sometimes...

...I will just pick random things around the house to use as fodder. Today I was thinking of these glasses we have. One thing about glass and metallic items that appeal to me, is working thru the breaking down of light and shadow. The fascination of how all the shapes fit together to make a finished thing. While I am drawing or painting something I often think about what went into the original manufacture of the item.


Like was this glass molded or blown? Who made it? Were they just mindlessly making glasses or were they hoping this was the best glass they had ever made? Were they satisfied with the color? Did they wonder about where the glass would go and who would use it? Did they know I'd use it to wet the fork when I was making the criss crosses on peanut butter cookies? Did they wonder if someone would think it was beautiful enough to catch an artists' eye? Will they see this and think "That looks like those glasses I made 20 years ago!"

Also I think, about where it will end up going forward, not the glass itself, I'm such a klutz and I only have two of the six I bought left, plus The Georgie Cat is also a klutz. One day Tony will be cleaning up what is left of this glass after one or both of us knock it over.

But about the drawing itself, will someone hang it on the wall, and if so which wall? Will it end up in a yard sale for a dollar or fought over by someones heirs?

Who would have thought so much goes into and comes out of the simple act of choosing an old glass from the cupboard?

Daily Painting - The Logic Of A Glass -

©2011 Amy-Elyse Neer
6" x 9"  Washed Graphite on Montval Watercolor 140lb Cold Press Block
Daily Painting for 1-23-2011

Cards and Prints And Yard Sale Bargains Available here

A little something for the kinder

Daily Painting - ACEO - Little Chicken
©2011 Amy-Elyse Neer
Daily Painting for 1-22-2011
Watercolor on 140lb Cold Press ACEO
2.5" x 3.5"

Cards And Prints Here

I was feeling a little whimsey-ish today, so here is a serious portrait of a silly chicken.

Also as a sheet of tiny stickers

Well, another watercolor challenge piece

I was only going to do that first one, but I absolutely had to take a crack at painting the next one they posted, it's just a spectacular photo... I'll post the actual challenge page for voting when voting starts but for now it's today's daily

Daily Painting - Dawn Watch Kieran O'Connor for challenge -
©2011 Amy-Elyse Neer
5.5" x 10.5" Watercolor on Strathmore Watercolor 140lb Cold Press paper
Daily Painting for 1-21-2011

Cards and Prints Here

Tee Shirt for Daily

Today's is a tee shirt based off a button design I did and still have on café press.

Tee For Sale Here

mmmmm cinnamon candy

Daily Painting - Red Hots on Plate -
©2011 Amy-Elyse Neer
6" x 6"  Watercolor on Strathmore Watercolor 140lb Cold Press paper
Daily Painting for 1-19-2011

Cards And Prints Here

And this is yesterday's

Daily Painting - Waterfall -
©2011 Amy-Elyse Neer
6" x 9"  Watercolor on Montval Watercolor 140lb Cold Press Block
Daily Painting for 1-17-2011

Prints and Cards Available Here

today is a tee

Grown Up Sizes Tees And Hoodies, Children's Sizes and Stickers Available here

Size Charts are below the art... scroll down for measurements.

Keeping the tigers away

Daily Painting - ACEO - Banana
©2011 Amy-Elyse Neer
Daily Painting for 1-15-2011
Watercolor on 140lb Cold Press ACEO
2.5" x 3.5"

Prints and Cards here

some glass and light for today

Daily Painting - Green Glass Bottle -
©2011 Amy-Elyse Neer
6" x 9"  Watercolor on Montval Watercolor 140lb Cold Press Block
Daily Painting for 1-14-2011

Cards and Prints Here

And here's todays'

Daily Painting - Crumpled II -
©2011 Amy-Elyse Neer
6" x 9"  Watercolor on Montval Watercolor 140lb Cold Press Block
Daily Painting for 1-13-2011

Cards and Prints Here

I lied... there was one yesterday

There was a blog post on redbubble about the online drawing tool called scribbler so I went and played with it, it's pretty cool and very engaging, but I ended up with one I really liked, so it became yesterday's daily

"Phoenix" Digital in Scribbler, Ps CS3, ©2011 Amy-Elyse Neer, Daily for 1-12-2011

Cards and Prints Here

Starting another series

These are going to fall firmly under the category of "That problem with my brain"

There's gonna be four of them, crumpled paper still lifes. The shadows and twists have attacked the obsession part of the brain and need working out.

so here's the first

Daily Painting - Crumpled I -
©2011 Amy-Elyse Neer
6" x 9"  Watercolor on Montval Watercolor 140lb Cold Press Block
Daily Painting for 1-11-2011

Cards and Prints Here

Challenges to vote in

Each of these are in a challenge open for voting right now on redbubble Click Below to vote

"More Incensed" Click Here to vote

"Big Fat Pancake" Click Here to Vote

"Canvas Shy" Click Here To Vote

Voting Instructions are on the right side of this blog.

Also, this happened

I won the Great Showcase Painting New Years' Challenge

This is the second Challenge that "Wooden Spools I" has won. and as you can see the competition was stiff so I feel very happy about winning.

Today's is part of a challenge

The watercolor group on redbubble asks for photos for challenges, so there's a photo that wins a challenge and that photo is then a challenge for the watercolorists to paint from. Basically a collective art project.

The painters vote for the photo reference they want to use, and the winning photographer gets the ego boo of the painters drooling over their work and the painters get a work challenge of translating it to their style.

It's not the most creative endeavour as you are working off someone else's photo, but the meta-moebius appeals to my geek bone so I participated in this one.

The challenge is not open for voting for three weeks, but when it is I will post a link to the voting page.

Here is my entry

Daily Painting - Bluerabbit Canyon Path for Challenge -
©2011 Amy-Elyse Neer
6" x 9" Watercolor on Montval Watercolor 140lb Cold Press Block
Daily Painting for 1-10-2011

Cards and Prints of this Watercolor Painting are here

The Original Photo used for the challenge is here

The photo is by bluerabbit

The last three day's worth of dailies

it's a set so I waited to upload them till today

Daily Painting - ACEO - Matryoshka I
©2011 Amy-Elyse Neer
Daily Painting for 1-7-2011
Acrylic on Acrylic Paper ACEO
2.5" x 3.5"

Card and Prints Here

Daily Painting - ACEO - Matryoshka II
©2011 Amy-Elyse Neer
Daily Painting for 1-8-2011
Color Pencil on Smooth Bristol ACEO
2.5" x 3.5"

Card and Prints Here

Daily Painting - ACEO - Matryoshka III
©2011 Amy-Elyse Neer
Daily Painting for 1-9-2011
Watercolor on 140lb Cold Press ACEO
2.5" x 3.5"

Card and Prints Here

This is an Onion

Daily Painting - Onion -
©2011 Amy-Elyse Neer
6" x 6" Watercolor on Strathmore Watercolor 140lb Cold Press paper
Daily Painting for 1-6-2011

Prints and cards here

A sweet yellow onion in enamelware colander.

The Guitar Lesson

Daily Painting - The Guitar Lesson -
©2011 Amy-Elyse Neer
6" x 9" Watercolor on Montval Watercolor 140lb Cold Press Block
Daily Painting for 1-5-2011

Prints At This Link

My Dad plays bluegrass guitar. When I was young he tried to teach me several times how to play, and I could learn a song just copying him and then I would promptly forget how and he'd try again. I think the fail for me was the same reason I can't do math... that part of my brain just doesn't work right. I was always happier singing anyway.

Now that he has two grandsons he gets another chance to pass on his music. This is a painting (done from a photo reference) of him teaching my youngest nephew to play. I am assuming he is teaching him "Under the Double Eagle" or "The Dill Pickle Rag" since those are the two I remember him trying to teach me the most often.

( those links go to youtubes of Chet Atkins playing the songs if you are curious, I'd upload my dad playing them but I can't think of anything that would take longer or annoy my dad more than explaining to him over the phone how to use the computer to do that)

Not posting yesterday's

not here anyway, it's up on the facebook and redbubble

but here's today's

Daily Painting - Dragonfly on Bloom -
©2011 Amy-Elyse Neer
6" x 9" Watercolor on Montval Watercolor 140lb Cold Press Block
Daily Painting for 1-4-2011

Prints and Cards Here

Back in the saddle again....

Okay the week and a few days off to work on the book went really well, I finished the whole book and have even sent off the first query for it. So now it's back to the Dailies.

Here's Yesterday's

"Butterfly" ACEO Pearlescent watercolor

Cards here

and today's

"Another Road"

6" x 9 " Watercolor on Montval 140 lb Cold Press

Prints and Such Here

and as an added bonus I remembered it was 2011 when I dated them....woo-hoo!