Art Supply

Thank you for waiting! New projects have come. I have been in a dead hurry to finish it up, whilst working on other projects. Busy. Sorry for the slow blogging. Do you have your favourite art supply? An art supply is a heaven and a great playground for artists. This Parkers Sydney Fine Art Supplies is in National Art School where Sydney Sketch Club visited. The kind staff allowed my sketching. Timothy Perkins was an artist who had graduated from NAS. He showed me his lovely landscape paintings in gouache. We enjoyed a chat. His rich knowledge of products and art was amazing. I'm a starter forever. 

Btw, what is your most memorable experience of materials at or from an art supply? = products designed for professionals. The first use of Arche paper 300 gsm was my most sensational and astonishing experience in the past. I could not believe how much that paper would suck up paints. I felt that its capacity to absorb water/paints was limitless! The paper stood any tortures such as scratching, cutting etc, etc. Ever since, I've become a big fan and royal customer of Arche. Sometimes, I meet people try to use cheaper and thin papers in order to save money. I recommend "thick papers." Thin papers won't hold either paints or water and will often end up disasters and the waste of time and money. 

My favourite shop, Art Scene supports artists well. When a new product comes up, staff gives me a try and its information. Regarding paints, Daniel Smith was my most fascinating experience. They organised the sample watercolour palettes of famous water colour painters. Did you try them? I tried them all. It was fun to experience different watercolour artists's colour options. Very interestingly, I've found the similarity between the famous artists and me! Watercolour artists who use similar cololours to me tend to create similar styles and work on my favourite subjects. After the trials, I chose some colours for my own use from Daniel Smith. "Have your own colours," is my favourite say that I encountered in psychology before getting into art industry. Have you ever thought of your own colour option in medium? What's my colour? Or who am I? I've been exploring it. 

The portrait of a Sydney Sketch Club member at National Art School. 
The sketch club member invited me for mutual sketching.

I access new products though, I keep my studio simple, basic and comfortable. To handling new products and knowing them consumes a certain time. It could be stressful which brings me down whilst working on projects. Although I update myself with new knowledge, I surely maintain the familiar products at hand like a Linus's blanket! If you have interesting experiences in art materials and can share them, please leave comments.   
Now, "My Dog Socks" is at the final stage of colour! I'll enjoy it. Thank you for your cheers and for your great patience! 
Friends, Happy Painting!  

Art Supply

Talent Can Be Learned

A talent could be "learned." Apart from a talent, this is true that an individual's drawing skills are in parallel to her/his painting skills, I've read in an established portraitist's say. I'm not confident in painting skills. So, I draw lots, when I wonder how to paint a subject. Further, in my experience, this is also true that drawing skills are equal to an individual's ability to observe a subject. Very the basic artistic skills are the ability of looking at a subject. If so, a talent can be "learned." If observing is the starting point of an artistic talent, it's not difficult. Drawing skills could be a painstaking process to learn, which takes years. But if we love it, we do not mind keeping it up for ages, don't we? Let's enjoy it.  

Did Michealangelo create a Sistine chapel painting in a day? Could Beethoven compose all nine symphonies at once with ease? No. They studied incessantly, researched amazingly, practised well like suffering. Then, they created great work with pain. Their great efforts comfort me and I feel they are same humans. I want to observe a subject well and draw lots, at least! I sketch anything that interests me. 

On the way to a beach I met a horse. "Judy" was nearly 20 yrs old = She was 90 yrs old in a human age. A girl looked after the horse and enjoyed riding. Calmly standing Judy came near to me and sniffed around watercolour paints and papers. Friendly! I scratched her back and face. Judy quietly closed eyes and looked sleepy. Her peaceful eyes and modest mood captured my heart. Then, I got on a job! I always do not want to miss out an opportunity. The girl delightedly allowed my sketch of the horse. Their family and I shared a joy. 

A photographer asked me about a sketch, what for. A "reference" I explained will be used for my studio work. A reference is a good study of an object. My eyes and hands remember it in 3D. I can reorganise its image easily from memory.   

One more really important thing is to have wonderful supporters or genuine friends in art like you and my mentors. 
Mentor Ann James says,
"You have amazing strength, positivity and courage Sadami - and BRILLIANT talent with capturing people and animals inside and out!! The true portraitist!!" 
Her say is too much of me. I do not know if I have a talent, but I love drawing and painting. I love looking at a subject with curiosity and care. I want to be an artist who deserves the encouragement above.  

The picture book project, "My Dog Socks" is at the final stage of illustration, colour on a real size paper. It was challenging for me to work on a dog. But since childhood, I've always dreamed to create a picture book on animals, especially, a doggy! Once our team has got on the project, my drawings get approvals well! After an Easter Holiday, we get back to work. I hope you had a wonderful short vacation and get energised. Thank you very much for your patience. You kindly waited for my blog post.
Friends, Happy Painting and Happy Observing!   

Talent Can Be Learned

Explore. Dream. Discover.

Brave Sydney Sketch Club enjoyed the mad panic, when it poured in Neutral Bay. In all, I've got three or four bruises = I fell in the hole and slept away twice on a wet rotten wooden structure step --  a risk of life! We got drenched yet we had fun in the fiasco like a party. The bruises were painful. Because of poor balancing, I could not make a hurry. The members offered me a great help. All participants talked to me, "Ok?" in the rain. One was kind enough to protect my watercolour with her work in the downpour. Another took me to her unit near the bay and dried my hair and clothes. With their friendship, I could make this work.  

A local member kindly suggested an interesting subject, a wrecked fishing ship that had Chinese characters. We chatted over it. A rumour was that boat could be a drug smuggling boat. Or it was used for smuggling people. Was an illegal boat scattered there? Who knows? "A gossip makes tea tasty," also it is said! 


I love looking at rusted and old ships. When I was in a teenage, I met this quote, like it and to the present. Today, I found this author's poem on internet (*what a handy research methods!). 

"On life's vast ocean diversely we sail. Reasons the card, but passion is the gale. --- Alexander Pope"

I still have passion and want to challenge many things. The silly new question came up, is how much time is left for me. I felt Mark Twain's wise say has answer below. 

A kind member who helped us.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ---Mark Twain. 

In short, "Just do it without any question!" 

Lastly, I'd dedicate this quote for all of you, Friends!!  
"My youngest son has a very clear idea of what he wants to be when he grows up: he wants to be Indiana Jones, Batman and Jack Sparrow. Yes, all three at the same time. So he basically wants to be an archaeologist who wears tights and fights crimes on pirate ships. That's pretty cool, huh?" Rhys Darby Read (actor). 
Yeah, me, too, dreamed to be an archaeologist, when I was young like his son and ended up a watercolourist. So happy with it. Why? I can be anything and everything in drawing and painting. Imagination and creativity are the wings of an artist. 

The publisher's feedback on my submitted colour spreads is very positive. I'm very happy. 

You, too, throw off the bowlines. Sail away. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Friends, Happy Painting!

Explore. Dream. Discover.