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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

A Fun New Paper to Try


'Winter Roads'            6x6           pastel         ©Karen Margulis
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Four of my Winter Impressions on Strathmore Artist Tiles each 6x6 pastel

It was awful and amazing at the same time. So said my daughter after yesterday's harrowing commute in the snow storm.  Awful for those who were stranded on the roadways. But amazing for the way that everyone came together to help one another. The stories of the good deeds continue to surface.

Despite the storm and the traffic gridlock the mail still managed to be delivered yesterday.  I'm glad because I got my order from Blick!  Perfect timing since today we are not going anywhere with the icy roads.  So today I played with some new paper I ordered. I loved it. Should have bought two packs!

My Art Haul: Strathmore Artist Tiles and some Diane Townsend pastels
 I always look at the paper selection at Blicks. I like to try anything that says 'New' so when I saw these Strathmore Artist Tiles I had to give them a try.  It is really a pad of Coal black Artagain paper. You get 30 sheets of 6x6 paper 60lb. The pads also come in white and watercolor paper.  They are meant to be used for repetitive and meditative art such as Zentangles.  I thought the black paper would be fun for pastels.

I was right!  I have used black Artagain paper with pastels before and I like it. The 6x6 pads are just convenient. I like to work in a square format once in awhile so this paper was a fun change of pace.

The paper is smooth with no tooth so you can't really get many layers of pastel.  I used my softer pastels and tried to be direct and bold with my marks....perfect practice paper for putting down and stroke and leaving it alone!  I like the way the black of the paper adds drama but next I will try some blending to see what happens.

I will definitely work on this paper again. It was a fun way to spend a cold afternoon on the studio. You can get the pads at Blick HERE



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 About today's paintings: These are from iphone photos I took yesterday and today of our Atlanta snow. They are each 6x6 on Strathmore Artist Tiles.



2 comments:

robertsloan2art said...

Oh, that is neat! I love how pastel looks on black paper, it just sings. Something about it makes everything pop. I've got some black Artagain, just not those cool new little blocks. Can see why they're so much fun though!

Anonymous said...

These are lovely! It's a great day when something good comes in the mail.