If you’ve been here for a while, you may recall the post about the Faber-Castell Brush Ink pens I’ve been using. This all started when I found two distinctly different colors with the same number, 268 Green/Gold. It seems my first guess was correct; the green looking one comes in the Landscape set, and the gold ochre colored one is the one you’ll get if you buy #268 singly. Here are two large size color charts done on some very white Aquabee paper:

Click on the thumbnails for the large size, and feel free to print them out for your own use. The HTML color swatches provided on merchant web sites don’t come close to the real thing, and it’s frustrating, to say the least. These are pretty accurate, but please note that none of the colors are an exact match to each other. Sorry if some of them look alike, but in real life, there’s a slight difference that I can’t pick up with either the scanner or the camera.

I’ve been adding some watercolor pens from Tombow to my collection trying to find something similar to #268 gold Green/Gold. Yes, I know. It’s ridiculously confusing. Faber-Castell, if you have any compassion for your customers, please change the name and number of ONE of those pens. Please?

Anyway, I’ve finished the color charts in my new “records” book, and tried to keep similar colors together. I’ve added some colors from Tombow that aren’t available in ink, mainly reds, purples, and pinks. The paper is manilla colored, and the swatches look a little different than the ones done on white paper. Paper color definitely affects the look of the pigments.

Color Charts
Faber-Castell Ink Pens and Tombow Watercolor Pens

Color Charts
Faber-Castell Ink Pens and Tombow Watercolor Pens

The manilla paper in the sketchbook is smaller than the Aquabee paper, and I used 3 pages instead of two. It’s not a complete list from either manufacturer, but I’ll update the charts if I get anything new. If you’re a user of either of these products, I hope you find these color charts useful.

Technorati Tags: art, color charts, Faber-Castell Brush Ink Pens, Tombow Watercolor Pens

©2009 The Studio News. All Rights Reserved.

I don’t know about you, but I like to keep notes about my art supplies; what I like, where I bought something unusual, etc. Currently, that information resides in several different notebooks, and I want them all in one place. I decided a new book was in order, but I didn’t want something that was going to be confused with my “art” sketchbooks.

Blick was having a close-out on a leather bound sketchbook that looked promising. I don’t usually consider leather bound blank books to be useful for drawing because they usually won’t lay flat. I wasn’t planning to use it for artwork, so the binding wasn’t an issue. I ordered it, and much to my surprise, it has stitched signatures that allow it to lay flat! I think I got the last one that Blick had, as they are no longer listed. However, it can still be purchased at The Fine Art Store for a couple dollars more than I paid for a close-out item.

The tissue paper art was done just for fun on a double page spread. I used an UHU Glue stick, which is non toxic and acid free, to glue the tissue paper. It didn’t soak through the tissue, and I’ve had no problems with my pages sticking together! The flowers are in the front of the book, but you can’t very well have decorative pages in the front of a book without having them in the back, can you?

Tissue Paper Dancers
Tissue Paper, ink & watercolor pens

For this one, I made a cardboard pattern to cut the fancy dresses. The ruffles were straight strips of paper folded and glued onto the dresses before gluing the dresses into the book. The dancer silhouettes and confetti background were drawn in after the glue job with Faber-Castell Ink pens, and a Tombow Lilac #620 watercolor pen.

Recording information isn’t much fun, but this will be a fun book to use!

Technorati Tags: art, tissue paper, UHU glue stick

©2009 The Studio News. All Rights Reserved.

When I was a little girl, I learned a silly poem that went something like this:

I never saw a purple cow and hope I never see one,
but one thing that I know for sure, I’d rather see than be one!

So, if you’ve never seen a purple cow, now you have. This one is my favorite:

Happy Cow, Ink, ACEO
Copyright © E. Bachman

They look a little blue don’t they? Ah well, scanners can only do so much. In real life, they’re actually quite purple.

Technorati Tags: art, drawing, ACEO, cows

©2009 The Studio News. All Rights Reserved.

I know, I know, long time no post. I have two rooms under construction right now, but I’ve been working on some small stuff in between.

I see so much original artwork that’s 2.5″ x 3.5″, that I had to see if it could really be done with human hands. It sounds so small, but here it is, a drawing that’s 2.5×3.5, which is the universal size of an ATC/ACEO. Cute, aren’t they?

What’s an ATC/ACEO? An ATC is an Artist’s Trading Card. The Impressionists used to trade their artwork for fun, or to study another artist’s method. ATC’s are traded between artists. An ACEO is an Art Card Edition or Original, and is the same size, but is traded for money. The only requirement is the size, which is 2.5″ x 3.5″.

Because they’re the same size as baseball trading cards, portfolios for sports memorabilia can accommodate them quite nicely. They can be framed, but some folks like to be more creative with their displays. Are you a collector? How do you display you small works?

Sorry about the blurry picture. The scanner doesn’t like ringed sketchbooks and without a tripod, the photos weren’t much better.

Okay, back to the basement… I have construction debris to clean up that needs to go to the dump. Fun. Not.

Technorati Tags: art, ATC, ACEO, chickens

©2009 The Studio News. All Rights Reserved.

Ancient Greece was known for it’s advanced society, but there was another part of Greece that didn’t quite make it into the history books. Yep, that’s right, ancient Greece also had it’s own “wild, wild, west.”

The Iota Bank was the only bank in town, but would take deposits of any size. Even the smallest deposit was treated with dignity and respect. On the other hand, their lending practices left a little to be desired. Interest rates were phenomenal, and Monday mornings as debtors shuffled back to work, they were often heard singing:

Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work I go,
Iota bank, iota bank, so off to work I go!

Next to Iota Bank was the Kappa Gun store. Kappa guns were famous for their loud, popping sounds. Even if a soldier missed his mark, intruders were often scared to death from the incredible noise. Those that didn’t experience heart failure from the frightful sound were deafened, and could no longer respond to orders from their commanders. This is why the ancient Greeks always won their battles. Greek soldiers wore ear buds under their helmets to prevent hearing loss.

And so ends another history lesson. There will be a test later. You ARE taking notes, aren’t you?

Wouldn’t want you to myth anything…

Technorati Tags: art, illustration, Greek alphabet, iota, kappa

©2009 The Studio News. All Rights Reserved.