If the Kitchen Is Too Cold, Just Bake Some Bread

On days when it’s a little too cold in the studio, I sit at my kitchen table with the nice big light just above me and I sketch, and doodle, and make collage papers, and actually sometimes even make collages. And my laptop is never far away, of course.

I’ve been spending a lot of time recently looking online at ideas for my weekly drawing lessons for an 8-year-old. In an odd way, I feel pressure to get it right, since I haven’t taught in a long time. Therefore, I tend to obsess endlessly about that one thing. But a funny thing has happened as I’ve gone through my searches. I have been inspired by some new discoveries for my own work, tons of tempting new products, and by some older ideas and approaches that still work just as well as they always have.

As I come across some of them, I tell myself I should share them with my blog readers. I’ve been out of the loop for way too long, so maybe you’re ahead of me on some of these things, but it doesn’t hurt to share what we learn.

For instance, what is the absolute best white pen? It turns out that for best coverage, flow, and whiteness, you might want a  Whiteout pen from the office supply store. Who knew? For a full demo and comparison of various white pens, you can check out this video. I love white lines on black paper as shown here in my newest collage. (I think these white marks were made with a very skippy paint pen, plus some white colored pencil.)

Subterranean – collage, 5×7 inches on 8×10 backing

 

Another “aha!” moment I have had after watching several different videos is that if you want to make precision brush strokes in your chosen color, and for brush lettering, you don’t have to buy an expensive set of brush pens. Instead, just get a water brush and use it with watercolors or inks. For my own use, I am always looking for different mark making tools. I may not do a lot of brush lettering, but having that kind of precision and control is sometimes useful. If the idea of brush lettering intrigues you, I recommend this video.

Here are some painted papers and magazine pages with doodles on top that I’ve created in recent sessions in my “kitchen studio.”

If the kitchen is too cold, that just means I need to bake some bread.