Bad photos of art

If you've seen any post I've made you might have noticed how terrible my photos of my artwork are.  There's a reason for this: I take them with my phone in bad lighting.

Presenting my work in a professional looking way that shows it well seems insurmountable.  Obviously its not and I'm just being defeatist.  I have a scanner that is smaller than any paper I ever use and it creates shadows (and sometimes creases) in a painting if I try to do multiple scans and piece them together.  I was looking up larger scanners online but the prevailing advice seems to be to take good photos.

While its a relief that I don't need to buy an expensive scanner, its going to be quite a project to set up a space with perfect lighting.  Lucky for me I have a friend with a dslr camera that I'm sure I can borrow.

Sketchbook : categorized

Sketchbook with tabs

I never had much success with sketchbooks until I added tabs to mine.  Then all of a sudden I wanted it with me all the time and enjoy using it much more.

It isn't obvious from the photo so I'll list my current tabs:

1. January -  a 3 month calendar with notes
2. Sketch - everyday thoughts
3. Project -  top secrete
4. Wish List - I like, I want, I find inspiring
5. Maybe Someday - a forever to do list 
6. Blog
7. Website
8. Book list
9. Documentation
10. Index

At the moment it doesn't have many drawing specific sections, but it has help with other ideas.

What's On My (Art) Desk

I sort of cleaned this week so I figured I'd share my current workspace and my favorite tools.  I linked up some of the items so you can see what they are exactly.



Most things I either got as gifts or purchased from Blick Art Stores (you know - the place that sends out 40% off coupons every couple of months).  Actually I found the desk on clearance at Blick too, I'm kinda shocked by the prices I see for it on the internet now.  Happily after more than a year of existing as a clutter collector its finally being used for its life's purpose, artwork.

1. Polytip Bristle Brushes are nice because I work with oil and water based paint, and I hate using animal hair.

2. Koi Water Brush is a perfect watercolor brush.  You put water in the handle of the brush and squeeze it out as you go, I am all about convenience.

3. Watercolor Field Sketch Box was actually a gift from Chrissy, and I gave my mom one for Xmas this year.  Like the water brush its convenient and good for travel or just moving from one side of the room to another without making a major production out of shifting all your supplies.

4. Water Mixable Oil Colors are one of my most triumphant discoveries in life.  Its oil paint, but you can use water with it instead of flax oil.  Painting in oils is such a hassle usually, and this cuts down somewhat on the toxic smell and the drying time.

5. Moonflower and Neroli Container Candle smells good and helps create a nice atmosphere that helps me concentrate.

Thank you to The Art of Doing Stuff for the amazing tutorial on how to make an image map using Mobilefish.