You Know What I Love- Listening

It's medicine for the soul.

Stop, close your eyes and take 30 seconds to listen. Try it :)

Relaxing, eh? Thought disrupting, yeah? I love this. I don't know about you, but my throughts are like a radio, constantly on and way louder than necessary. It's really nice to turn it down and listen to the real world once in a while.

Here's an audio clip I made several months ago, when I was on a walk in the neighborhood. You can hear windchimes, some distant cars, my footsteps, and the wind. It was a "listening walk", which I try to take as often as I can.

Now I live in a new neighborhood. My door is decorated for Fall with a wreath I made from strangely expensive Michaels craft materials. If I tried to sell this wreath based on materials cost, no one would buy it. It’s nothing special, and not worth what I paid to make it myself. But I LIKE this about the wreath. I like having to invest in an experience. Just like investing in listening means you have to stop everything else and essentially waste time.

That wasted time is like a portal to truth. I’m trying to go there more and more these days, though I recall accessing it a lot more in high school, even in college. My life jar is filled with responsibilities, worries, obligations, but also accomplishments, friends, things I care a lot about. So, I must be strategic with wasting valuable time!

Here’s my strategy:

Everyday I have an affair with wasted time. I’ll take a break from work and go for a secret listening walk, or I’ll clear off my desk and draw in my sketch book for 20 minutes. I pretend like no one needs me, and I can do anything with my wasted time. I can make love to my wasted time by drawing and singing, or I can seek refuge by listening. It’s magical. After 20 minutes, I go back to my work wife and resume tasks.

Here’s one of my recent affairs:

It’s not fancy. It’s a quick sketch. Kinda boring to look at, but accessing that portal taught me something. I drew those cards for a reason. Wasted Time showed me that I have a staircase to my creativity, and balance and discernment will give me time and space to get there. Thanks for the message, Wasted Time!

Really, WT just wants to spend more time with me.

Now, I’m not into affairs IRL. In fact, any movies that glorify them gross me out, but I will ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS cheat on my work wife. I guess I’m more of a player than I thought.

-Annie

Watercolor Paper and What To Look For

What Kind of Paper do You Need?

Well, it depends on what you’re using it for. Do you want to use it for explorations? A fine art piece? Or just scrap paper?

For doodles and studies, using a brand like Canson or better yet, Strathmore is great. You don't need anything expensive, but you do get what you pay for. Go for something that's reasonable, but not the cheapest option. The reason being that the color won't do anything you want it to if the paper quality is too poor.

For Fine Art Pieces or illustration, where you'll be doing lots of layers, I suggest going up a couple tiers to Fabriano. This is my favorite, although Arches is also in the competition. Fabriano has a nice bright white quality, holds paint very well, and doesn't distress with additional layers. Sometimes paper will pile after several layers of paint, but this paper is wonderful and holds up very well. Arches does the same, but has a different quality. It absorbs more and therefore requires a slightly different approach to painting- mainly more water and paint to get the results you want. This is neither bad nor good!

These higher end brands often come in watercolor blocks, which are pieces of watercolor paper, glued together along the edges. You remove them from the block by lifting it off with a palette knife. It's a simple process, and allows for the artist to work on the "block" which will keep the paper flat while painting. Pads of paper great, too, but you'll want to adhere the paper to a board or your table so you can paint easily as it warps.

You Know It's All About That Brush, 'Bout That Brush...

Actually you can relax about the brush. Student grade brushes are fiiiiine. Here's a set that would be great to start with. I'd add a flat brush for washes (for skies or large swaths of color).

Just stay away from Crayola brushes that come in their pallets, but incidentally, the watercolors in those palettes are great. Albeit bright, they work well and I've used them for fine art pieces many times.

Cool Tips!

#1 Watercolor paper will warp, and it's normal. Just paint a layer of water on the back of the paper and it'll relax back to its original state.🙂

#2 If you want to save money on paper and only need a few sheets, you can buy a large sheet of Arches paper and cut it down to custom sizes. A piece that measures 22" x 30" is roughly $10 at art supply stores and Michael's.

#3 Start light to dark. Paint all the light colors first, using more water to paint, THEN add darker colors and detail over time. Here's a time lapse video I made that roughly shows the process. Enjoy!

Good luck on your journey!

Notice I didn't talk about actual paints? Because I encourage you try different kinds! And honestly, although the colors dance differently, the paper is like a stage. You want a solid foundation so that you don't have to think about it when you do your pirouettes. Now, have fun out there and hope this info gives you some peace of mind in the art store!

-Annie

Ladies Who Launch...Again!

It's been a year since Carrie and I launched a kickstarter for The Spacious Tarot deck, and we just released a presale of a second run. This project has blown our minds as to how much people love it, want it, and so kindly support our work. It's really a dream project come true.

Carrie has recently posted a great article about using the Celtic Cross, which is great way to clear your mind and reflect on a current situation. It can be intimidating, but the cross gives you multiple points to ponder, and it's a classic spread as well so...gotta try it!

Carrie writes, "For better or worse, this was the first spread I learned when I began studying tarot. Mostly for worse, because this spread truly is a beast. Ten cards is a lot to grapple with when you’re a beginner! It was a bit like diving into the deep end before I’d learned to dog paddle. Due to memories of my own overwhelm when I was a beginner, when I’m teaching tarot I advise starting with smaller, three card spreads. But when you’re ready for it, the Celtic Cross can be a great source of insights and illumination!"

You can read more about how to use it on her website.

I've been getting back to some writing, especially poems. For a while there I didn't do much creative work beyond drawing for a couple clients. Personal creative time is NECESSARY and I know something's wrong when I don't make time for it. I'm glad to say I've moved through the anxiety to this new place of acceptance. I will say Tarot has helped. Friends and family have helped. Feeling all the feels has helped the most.

Here's to allowing and moving through!

-Annie

Potagers and Poets

Last week was the week for gardens and Marianne Moore. I've about finished her Biography by Linda Leavell (excellent read). I'm finding that reading poetry everyday enhances life as much as having a kitchen garden does. The flavor of words and fresh herbs are both kind to the tongue.

A kitchen garden, or "portager" in french, is a small collection of vegetables and herbs in your backyard or patio. You can also grow herbs in a windowsill. The idea is that the freshest and most affordable way to have vibrant flavor in your meals is to grow your own food.

I'm moving soon, and have already started planting my potager there. It's tiny and humble, but little green things show themselves none the less.

Happy planting everyone!

-Annie