July’s Class Schedule
For July we will be closed on Sunday (the 3rd) & Monday (the 4th) to celebrate our nation’s independence. 
This closing also alters our regular monthly schedule of all classes starting on the first day of the month. The following is an update of our classes and workshops:
The Saturday sculpture class will be running on the 2nd & 9th of July for open sessions. The Juy Comic Generation Class offering will alter our normal sculpture class schedule in July. For more details click on the image below:
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A Comic Generation Class will be starting on Saturday the 16th of July. This is not a repeating class for us but the successful and charismatic illustrator has offered to work with you for four straight Saturdays in understanding how to create one-panel, multi-panel & editorial comics. Even understanding comic book scripts. Click the image below if you are interested in knowing more:
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Our Tuesday Pastel Class is being offered to start on the 5th of July. At this time the class is being offered in the afternoons only. This class is a go at this time. If 8 students sign up for this class by the 27th of June, the class will be split into two classes (AM & PM). If all attending students agree on moving this class to the AM, this will be possible after the 28th of June. For more details click on the image below:
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Our Kid’s Camp is also offered in July during the second week of July (6th to the 8th of July). For more details please click the image below:
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Our Sunday Watercolor Class is starting on the 10th of July. This is an introductory class that has been warmly received by its students for us having a class that explains how watercolors work. The medium can be a more frustrating painting method unless you know how to control it. Learn how to tame this material by taking this class.For more details click on the image below:
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Our Introductory Painting Class on Fridays normally has been moved to Mondays in July. For more details click on the image below:
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Our Basic Drawing Class will be starting on 9th of July. This is being taught by Keith Kendall (owner of the Art Store, owner of K&K Studios). For more details click on the image below:
Gamblin’s new website & Gamvar improvements!
Scott Gellatly (Gamblin’s Product Manager) has shared with us a couple announcements:
New website!
A very important part of our work at Gamblin is helping artists to discover, select and master the materials and techniques best suited to their artistic intentions. As part of this, we’ve broadened and deepened the images and information at gamblincolors.com to help you find the colors that will work best for you.
Ultramarine Blue shown in glaze, masstone, tint, tone and shade.
To give painters more visual information about each of our colors, we’ve created new expandable color swatches for our Artist’s Grade Oil Colors, 1980 Oil Colors and FastMatte Alkyd Oil Colors.
In addition, we’ve added new information on Solvent-Free Painting and a library of our video demonstrations.
Gamvar is one of our most popular synthetic varnishes that the Art Store offers. Our only complaint with this varnish is that it is not available in Satin or Matte finishes. That will change soon!
More and more painters are seeing the benefits of varnishing their paintings. Varnishing with Gamvar is the simplest and fastest way to make your oil and acrylic paintings look better. Based on feedback from artists, we are very happy to introduce Gamvar Satin™ and Gamvar Matte™.
Robert Knudson Workshop Update
At the beginning of this month, the Art Store hosted accomplished painter, Robert Knudson for a painting workshop. During this event, Mrs. Paris won a Knudson original of her choice between three finished paintings.
Mountain Stream by Robert Knudson
His workshop was well attended and many of his students have found how open he is with sharing his 55 years of painting experience.
His students have also been enjoying that Bob is also available for questions by email to really extend his offer of mentorship to others. If you have time to attend his next workshop, it is amazingly informative.
In the next couple months, the Art Store will be offering an intermediate workshop with Robert Knudson. Any past workshop attendees will be contacted a few weeks before the workshop is to be running. If you would like to add yourself to this list of possible intermediate attendees, please email us at contact@artstore.frameandi.com.
Bob enjoyed himself so much he wanted to share a funny story with all of us:
Mother of Invention!
Thinking back over the years of my landscape painting life, one of the things I was recently reminded of was this story—and I’m wondering if something like this has ever happened to you.
I drove many miles to a spot on Christopher Creek in the high country of Northern Arizona to do some plein air oil painting.
A wonderful and varied area to paint in. At the time I painted both in oils and, at times, in watercolor.
I found a likely place that looked really great to me, and got out all my painting gear. I set up my French easel, excited to get started—only to discover that I had forgotten the absolutely essential tube of white oil paint at home.
Feeling both stupid and frustrated I wondered, “So what do I do now?”
Then I remembered that I still had with me in my supplies a 9×12 block of Arches watercolor paper.
So, winging it, I decided to use the oils (minus the white!), treat them like watercolors, thin them with paint thinner, and paint on the watercolor paper. So, voila!, “oil watercolors.” The picture above is the result.
Another day in the life of an artist!
A funny story indeed of how the the challenges of plein aire techniques can be truly a mother of invention. Finding quality art supplies can sometimes be difficult so don’t forget to plan ahead. Just so all you know, painting on archival quality Arches watercolor paper is possible but please do not forget to PVA size (on the back) & varnish your paintings upon completion. Oxidation of the surface paint (darkening of the pigment) is possible when a porous substrate is used. Gamblin sells both a PVA size as well as varnishes that are suitable for such protection. Arches also makes properly sized oil paper to experiment on. – Keith K.
An 18-Year-Old’s Painting Is Now In The Met, Because Dreams Do Come True
Cliffannie Forrester is a wunderkind
At 18 years old, the senior at the High School of Art and Design already has a piece of her artwork in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, New York.
The oil-painted piece is titled, “Uganda,” and entered into the world-renowned museum after it was selected as a winning piece in the scholarship competition P.S. Art 2016: Celebrating the Creative Spirit of NYC Kids. It is on view now at the Met until October 23, 2016, and will also be featured on a Times Square billboard from June 22 to June 26.
Chameleon Pens now available from the Art Store
Coloring is all the rage! Chameleon pens add some pizazz to your designs.
- Innovative marker system that lets you change the color tone of your pen
- 20 Color Tones markers – detail pen – blender pen – workstation – storage case
- Mutiple color tones can create 3D – highlighting – shading – gradations
- Double-ended with both Japanese brush nib and bullet nib
- Professional-quality ink and compatible with other alcohol-based markers
The Art Store webstore now offers single pens, sets and accessories of these innovative pens that can help any beginning artist shade effortlessly. Chameleon sets are available from our sales floor or special orders.
The World’s Ugliest Color Has Been Identified
Science
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There exists a color so ugly, so repulsive, it’s been described as “death,” “dirty,” and “tar.”The color was identified by Australian researchers back in 2012, who were hired by the government to find the world’s most unappealing color to put on tobacco products to discourage people from smoking.The color is the Pantone hue 448C, or opaque couché, and it is truly disgusting.View at your own risk.
Even though it may be ugly, the brownish-green color has an important mission. Research agency GfK was tasked with identifying the color, which they admitted was a starkly different task than most of their work. They were used to making products more appealing, not unappealing.The research took three months, seven studies, and surveyed over 1,000 smokers, but eventually they found a color no one had anything nice to say about.The demand for the ugliest color came with Australia’s law that cigarettes could only be sold in plain packaging – meaning no brand logos or promotional text. Brand names have to be small and graphic images of tobacco’s effect on health and warnings are prominent.And it worked. Data revealed that smoking rates dropped by .55 percent from December 2012 to September 2015.Now, other governments are adopting the plain packaging method and Pantone 448C, as well.The U.K., Ireland, and France have adopted similar plain packaging laws and the “drab dark brown” color, too.
Back in stock at the Art Store
Carandache Pablo Sets & Carandache Neo-color II Sets
Pepin Coloring Books
Accurasee Accuclips
Accurasee Proportional Dividers
Accurasee Sketchcaddies
And just in time for summer kid’s activities
Where do you find art in your life?
I mean will you look at this guy!! Painted with Mark Hemleben IN the creek.
Recently one of our local painters wanted to practice their plein aire skills. However this heat wave made it a little uncomfortable in Oak Creek. The good artists get creative to cool down and still practice their craft.
Do you need some help finding something?
We at the Art Store take customer service seriously and have found that some of our customers do need help finding their art materials sometimes. Recently, this has been true for most of our clientele. We decided to reorganize the sales floor to present the thousands of materials that are on the sales floor in a more creative way. We had found that most of our customers did not know we offered some of our poorly presented materials. Our goal was to spread out the materials to allow all of us to find the items faster and make them more visible. So when we ask if you may need help, it is for your benefit in finding your needed materials. The new organization is logical by art material use and inspirational to the many techniques. We hope you like it when you come in! – Keith K.
Color Me Happy!
Faber Castell’s Colored Pencils are Outstanding! A pencil that resists breakage, is lightfast and has a high quality standard. To celebrate the coloring book therapy, they released some designs of their own for your coloring . Click the image above to view their PDFs for free downloading.
Estimating Square Foot Coverage for Products
When it is important to know how much paint will be needed to complete a painting, as in the case of a mural or large painting, or simply priming a large surface, there are a few ways to estimate how much your tube, bottle or jar of paint will cover or how much you will need to buy to complete the project. Generally, we estimate paints and mediums to average about 250-400 square feet per gallon if applied thinly in a single coat. This will of course lower if applying thickly or to a very absorbent or textured surface. Described below are some methods of estimating the square footage coverage for a specific product, substrate or application technique using varying tools.
Define a specific area one foot by one foot (one square foot) on a substrate as similar as possible to the one you will be painting, then weigh all your product and tools needed for the application to establish a baseline, then apply material and immediately reweigh all product and tools. Subtract the current weight of product and tools from the initial weight and the difference is what was actually applied to the test area. The density of the painting material will affect the actual coverage rate, but this is a good way of giving an estimate of how much product will be needed for a particular sized space. Always remember to calculate for two or more coats if needed.
If there is no access to a gram scale, it may be possible to measure by marking off the container full of product before and after application. It may be helpful to mark in measurements relevant to the container. For example, if using an eight ounce jar, mark the jar in sections of eight equal parts (approximately one ounce each) when the jar is full. Use the product on the square foot substrate, then try to get the rest of the product on the tools back into the jar and note how much is missing. This method may not be as accurate, but it may be more practical for the home studio.
It is also important to note that each subsequent layer of product applied will most likely have different square footage coverage. This occurs because the absorbency of each layer will change. An example of this is in the application of a first coat of Gesso on raw canvas vs. a second coat of Gesso. The first coat is going to absorb into the canvas and will take a lot more product than the second coat, where the absorbency is lessened. In our testing, it took approximately 2/3 of a fluid ounce of Gesso to cover one square foot of raw #10 cotton duck canvas for the first coat, which is approximately 200 square feet per gallon. It took a little less than half that amount for the second coat, which is approximately 425 square feet per gallon. This information would be important when calculating how much product would be needed for multiple coats.
Some articles on our website that may be helpful include:
Preparing A Painting Support http://www.goldenpaints.com/technicalinfo_prepsupp
Guide To Film Thickness http://www.goldenpaints.com/technicalinfo_filmthickness
Need to more about Golden Acrylics and their many uses and techniques? Try viewing their many videos available on their website. Just clik the image below:
Celebrate Our Independence from Others
The Art Store’s Independence Promotion is running until July 9th. Bring in a printed image of the flyer with our coupon (look for the large US flag) and you can take 25% off the MSRP of a Made in the USA art material.
Even If You’re Bad at It, Making Art Can Reduce Stress
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by on June 17, 2016
A piece made with markers and modeling clay by a participant in study “Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants’ Responses Following Art Making” (2016) (Image via DrexelNOW)
For wannabe Michelangelos, Sunday painters, and art class dunces alike, making art can help reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol, a new study suggests.
Authored by researchers at Drexel’s College of Nursing and Health Professions, the study adds to a growing body of research that backs up with data the tenets of art therapy. The study, “Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants’ Responses Following Art Making,” was recently published in Art Therapy by co-authors Girija Kaimal, assistant professor of creative arts therapies, Kendra Ray, a doctoral student under Kaimal, and Juan Muniz, an assistant teaching professor at Drexel.
Researchers went into the study assuming that experienced artists would benefit more greatly from the stress-relieving effects of art-making, but there was no correlation between participants’ artistic experience and levels of stress hormone. “It was surprising and it also wasn’t,” Kaimal told DrexelNOW. “It wasn’t surprising because that’s the core idea in art therapy: Everyone is creative and can be expressive in the visual arts when working in a supportive setting. That said, I did expect that perhaps the effects would be stronger for those with prior experience.”
The researchers’ methodology was simple: 39 adults, ranging from 18 to 59 years old, spent 45 minutes making art. Just under half of the participants reported having little experience making art. An art therapist was present to answer any questions, but there were no specific instructions about what to create. Participants were given free reign to make whatever they wanted with markers and paper, modeling clay and collage materials.
Using saliva samples, researchers measured the participants’ cortisol levels before and after the art-making period. Cortisol is an adrenal hormone colloquially known as the “stress hormone” — the higher your cortisol levels, the more stressed you’re likely to feel.
The results? 75 percent of the participants’ cortisol levels decreased during the 45 minutes spent drawing, coloring, collaging, and sculpting. The amount of cortisol decrease varied somewhat, but there was no correlation between past art-making experiences and lower levels of the stress hormone. There was also no correlation between the medium used (i.e., collage versus clay) and changes in cortisol.
Participants wrote reflections on their experiences during the exercise. “It was very relaxing,” one wrote. “After about five minutes, I felt less anxious. I was able to obsess less about things that I had not done or need[ed] to get done. Doing art allowed me to put things into perspective.”
“Participants’ written responses indicated that they found the art-making session to be relaxing, enjoyable, helpful for learning about new aspects of self, freeing from constraints, an evolving process of initial struggle to later resolution, and about flow/losing themselves in the work,” the study’s authors wrote. “They also reflected that the session evoked a desire to make art in the future.”
For the other 25% of participants, cortisol levels rose while making art. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they panicked at the sight of markers and clay. Researchers say higher cortisol levels could indicate participants were stimulated or energized by the exercise, not stressed.
“Some amount of cortisol is essential for functioning,” Kaimal said. “For example, our cortisol levels vary throughout the day — levels are highest in the morning because that gives us an energy boost to us going at the start of the day. It could’ve been that the art-making resulted in a state of arousal and/or engagement in the study’s participants.”
h/t Science Daily
NEW on the Art Store sales floor!
BEST Stretcher Bars & Accessories
Are you tired of stretcher bars joins that don’t form a perfect 90° angle? Do the poorly cut edges of your stretcher bars give you splinters? Do you notice the wood bowing along the “straight” edges of your canvas? How do you feel about ghost lines in your painting from your canvas pressing against the stretcher bar?
Your art deserves more and so do your customers. Whether you are a beginner, a college student, a professional artist, or a retailer of art products, you deserve the BEST.
BEST stretcher bars are made by Jack Richeson & Co., Inc. in Kimberly, Wisconsin. Jack Richeson & Co., Inc. was founded by Jack Richeson, art collector and enthusiast.
Quality stretcher bars are not just another piece of wood. For BEST Artist Products, every bar is selected from the finest raw material. The bars must be free of knots and completely straight. BEST offers a world of museum-quality stretcher bars: Aluminum Gallery Wrap Bars, Aluminum Pro-Bars, Heavy-Duty Pine Super Bars, Medium-Duty Bars, Light-Duty Bars, as well as Cross Braces, BEST Keys, and Hardboard Corners. All the bars are designed so that the canvas is always a full ½″ from the stretcher bar to ensure that there will be no “ghost” impressions on the canvas. The rounded back edge reduces surface friction and allows for a smoother, tighter draw of the fabric for a snug, more even painting surface. BEST stretcher bars are designed by artists and crafted from kiln-dried pine. They are the finest made today.
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For many years the Art Store only offered light duty stretcher bars from Fredrix and Richeson’s Heavy Duty only. This has changed recently and our customers have let us know how pleased they are in this change. Richeson offers medium density bar designs that do not change in shape and offer many accessories for the starting artist or long-time professional. There is a HUGE difference between manufaturers. To view their entire line of products feel free to click the images of their light duty and medium duty bars below:
What I like the most about this line of stretcher bars is you have the option to not have to saw a brace to fit your desired canvas size. You also have the best chance of not having your painting change due to stretcher bar failure. After many problems with other stretcher bars made from lesser quality manufacturers, our new line of Art Store pre-stretched canvas is now using light duty, medium duty (regular gallerywrap) and heavy duty Richeson bars stretched with Fredrix canvas to meet our artist’s needs. These bars will not disappoint! – Keith K.
DRAW! Magazine back issues available at the Art Store now!
Draw!, the “How-To” magazine on comics and cartooning! Presented here are a wealth of tutorials by, and interviews with, the top professionals in the industry! Each artist presents their work step-by-step, so you can see it progress to finished form, learning valuable tips and tricks along the way.
An example of just some of what is available from this highly respected magazine.
Cover #19 Inked
Cover #19 penciled
Oh what a treat, here is the rough and the pencils by Doug Braithwaite for Issue 19 of DRAW!–the classic Thing vs. Hulk battle. That issue will feature an interview with Doug covering his work and process.
Cover #19 rough
It’s Time to Blow our own Horn
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Party in the Pines
If you attended the Party in the Pines, you might have noticed that the Frame & I was one of the sponsors of this event. It was a great celebration of food, drink and music all for our local schools.
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A Colorful Thank You!
After sponsoring the Smoki Museum painting event last month, the Smoki Museum sent us an awesome bouquet of flowers as a thank you. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Birdies for Babies
House of Ruth was thankful for the Frame & I and The Art Store donating to their silent auction at the Birdies for Babies Event. We know that the community needs services like these. May you better another life!
