Addicted to Art Supplies!

Why does the sight of tightly stuffed, slightly mussed up shelves of art supplies makes my heart beat faster? It could be beautiful  specialty or scrapbooking papers, a display of pens, or walls of paint tubes and pallets. It might even be the clean new brushes, or an easel...or perhaps stationary, quilting fabrics and threads. I just love wandering up and down aisles of art tools and supplies. I guess it is like getting a new box of crayons. Do you remember the feeling of infinite possibilities as you gazed at the array of pointed cylinders staring back at you when you opened that box? I love that feeling.

Other than craft projects done in elementary school, the only real art class I have ever taken was a drawing class in college. But the idea of creativity has always appealed to me. I would not say I am the most artistic or creative person I know - that title would go to my mom, Ellen, and my Aunt Susan. But I have fun playing with new ideas and mediums.

Yesterday, I decided to break out some watercolor paints I had purchased. Instead of the hard pan type paints this time I opted for some tubes of paint. I pulled up a small table, my supplies and sat in my big, comfy chair. Of course Stitch, the cat, had to join in as the smell of something new was just too much for him. I did manage to keep him off the work space but as you can see, he REALLY wanted to know what I was doing.

Since I was just messing around and trying to get a feel for the brushes and paint, I figured I would paint what was right in front of me. Or in this case right beside me.

I did not really want to do all of the cat as I was working on small pieces of paper (4.5" square) and thought that trying to get the featheriness of his fur would be a good way to play with my brushes. He always seems to have one black whisker, so I had to put that in.

Then I played with another technique I have picked up over the past several years, Zentangle. I used a sepia pen and then washed the whole tangle in color, just for fun.

Well it is off to work on report cards and play with my paints a bit more. Hope you have a great weekend. Don't forget to do something creative.