Golden Paints-I love them! The fun stuff of Studio Life

Happy New Year artists and friends! Do you believe I am going to start the year blogging and writing about paint? Well, yes! As an artist and art instructor, my paints are especially important in my work and workshops. Since I love expressive color in my paintings, Golden paints are so easy to use . You can even tell whether the paint in each tube is opaque or transparent by the rectangle just below the cap. If transparent, you will see the color and bars will be present and if opaque, you will see just the color of the paint. Simple!

I know this may sound a bit tedious and boring even, but as a professional artist and painter, the very beginning of a painting always has to start with the very best, professional paints! Don't waste your time with lower quality paints because you will struggle with your painting and who wants to do that? Purchase Golden brand paints-I sound like a commercial-and you will be ready for any challenges. It is so much fun and the colors are so beautiful!  Try all the different types, mediums, gels, etc. Golden Principal Color Mixing System Set  and also try this brush, too. Wooster Brush Q4119-2 Golden Glo Angle Sash Paintbrush, 2-Inch  

Happy New Year and  Happy painting to all!

Deb Magelssen Studio: Winter Studio Fun/Making panels for your Art Festi...

Deb Magelssen Studio: Winter Studio Fun/Making panels for your Art Festi...: "Hi all! Here's a good art tip for your art festival booth! It is never too late to get ready for those warm, summer art festivals! I do notp..."

Winter Studio Fun/Making panels for your Art Festival Booth

Hi all!
Here's a good art tip for your art festival booth!
It is never too late to get ready for those warm, summer art festivals! I do notparticipate in art festivals in the south or other warmer parts of the world, but I do use the winter to gather, prepare and plan for my summer art festivals. One of the things I did lately is make some cool panels for my booth.

First I purchased some very cheap, wooden, screen doors at Menards and a roll of 36" wide wire fence for bunnies and small animals. The door was about $13 and the fencing appx $39. I also purchased enough felt from Joanne Fabrics to cover booth sides of the door going top to bottom not wrapping the felt from side to side. I choose a dark grey color for my felt, ( I think black is too common and shows every little piece of link, etc.).

I then stapled-use a good quality air stapler and correct staples to mount the wire on the door-the wire on the wooden part of the screen door and then proceeded to wrap the felt around the wired/door being careful to pull the felt on the sides and hide any staple marks.

When I was finished, I can use it to hang my paintings with a s hook or curtain hook.

So far, I have made 3 and will make a total of 6 for my booth. They are lightweight, look very sharp and I can hang my paintings at various places on them. I plan to wire these to the frame of my booth to stablize it and yet create a nice gallery effect.

Expressive Workshops

I've launch my "Expressive Workshops" over the summer and so far they have been successful and very popular! I am doing more workshops this fall and will have my schedule up and ready to go for winter soon. My most rewarding part of teaching is when students reflect other artist's styles and have no visual voice of their own per Se. But with my workshops, my main goal is to help students become the creative person and artist they are trying to be. It is fascinating and fun to see them "get it" and know that they have achieved another creative level in their work. It just makes me so happy to see they have stretched themselves beyond what they can imagine for themselves.
With my workshops and classes, I get students to understand the elements of art and the principle of design and to learn a few techniques, then they are free to express themselves as artistically as they want. Some get frustrated and brutally critique themselves for "not getting better" and some are too afraid of "letting go", but I remind them that they are growing and challenging themselves more and more everyday-and that is what makes creating art so much fun! I tell them that they must paint often to become a better artist. We all work very hard-but in the end, we have created art that we want to share with the rest of mankind - to inspire with intentions of whatever our emotions or intelligence wants us to share. Teaching makes me happy and I learn from my students, too. The happy, creative student never ceases to amaze me with what they come up with-and that is the most fun of all!