Painting 101

Happy Monday!

So, to continue with my artsy Mondays I'd like to start posting about something I love very much: Painting! I love it so much I'm majoring in it at Temple University. One of the reasons I created this blog is because of an interest shown by the people around me. I find that lots of people are interested in painting but find it too daunting or inaccessible to try themselves. So they settle for mass produced, cliche, "wall art" at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I'm not saying you need to be the next Rembrandt, But I'm hoping to share some knowledge that will help break down the idea of painting and make it more approachable!

The first place where I find some confusion is the surface. Most people assume that the first step is a stretched canvas. But honestly, they can be very  complicated. There are so many varieties and sizes in the pre made variety, and they are exorbitedly expensive. But building a stretcher from lumber can also be a daunting task. So here's one method I've used for a cheap, accessible, and easy surface for any painting.

Plywood!

I bought a full sheet of plywood for about $10 at the home depot and asked a sales associate to cut it down for me with the panel saw. It's free! And they'll cut it to any size you like! So from that sheet of plywood I got about 20 small surfaces, that's about .50 a painting! 

 

Plywood is also much easier to transport than a stretched canvas! Just make sure to prime it.  I use a product called Gesso. You can get it at any art supply store and can use it to prime any surface. When using gesso, apply 3 layers (letting them dry in between) and sand when finished for a smooth surface. Also! be sure to apply 1 layer to the back side of the plywood to avoid warping. 

 

And now you're ready to paint whatever your heart desires on your blank canvas! 

-Jen

Getting It Together

Happy Saturday!

I don't think I'm normally planning on posting on Saturday, but this week has been pretty nuts so I might as well! Have you ever had one of those weeks where you just can't get on top of things? No matter how much you accomplish there's still something around the corner? That's me. Plus I had the flu all week. blegh. I finally caught a break this afternoon so I wanted to get a jump on some cleaning, homework, photos, and of course blogging. Tonight is going to be one for the books because all of us are going to Public House restaurant in center city Philadelphia for two of my room mates 21st birthdays! This is the kind of stuff I imagined myself doing when I moved to the city.

Pretty much Sex and the City :) 

But there will be many pictures later for that! 

Today I've been going through my photo catalogs and uploading and printing things that have been on the bottom of my priorities list (instead of homework, of course) and here are some gems I found: 

I'm a catch.

 So is Zach :)

Soldiers, friends, brothers

Hopefully everyone can have a productive weekend! I'm really excited because tomorrow is my first day back working at the Philadelphia Museum of Art! Hopefully I manage to get all my homework done... 

Jen

Phila-Frozen Tundra.

Happy Tuesday! 

Hopefully you chipped yourself out of your igloo today in this freezing cold. Actually, NO I really hope you didn't have to leave the house today like I did.

 

No amount of knit wear could have prepared me for the first day of school. 

On a better note! I'm getting really excited about my classes this semester and the work we will all be producing! 

Try your best to stay warm! Unless you live somewhere other than PA where the earth isn't hating you today... In which case, I'm sorry, but I hate you... a little. 

Just Kidding! 

Jen

Let's Make This Place Homey!

Happy Monday! (Kindof, Sorry this is late!)

Sorry for my posts being fairly few and far between lately. The last week has been crazy! I worked what felt like a million hours including training our newest waitress (a.k.a MY younger sister!) and on top of that I had to prepare for my first ever gallery show in the states (more news on that later!) as well as pack and move to Philadelphia! Can you tell I'm a recovering procrastinator?

In stead of accomplishing things I was busy running around with this lady! (My best friend, Tori)

Coincidentally, she inspired my craft/ art tutorial this week! 

Although I have not had as much time lately to blog as much as I wanted, I want to uphold my promise to post an art/craft related segment every Monday (ish). SO! This week's crafty idea comes from my BFF. This girl is the MOST organized person I know and her room looks like a pier one imports. Unfortunately, we were not all granted the gift of having it together, so I tend to follow in her foot steps in an effort to figure it out. She is now helping me uphold 2 of my new year's goals: to keep a blog and to get organized! 

Tori gave me the idea for these beautiful shelves! Which were SUPER cheap and are now acting as my DIY vanity :) 

I was really searching for inspiration for my new place in Philly. When you're in college you are constantly moving every few months so it is hard to ever really get comfortable. But I want to use this new semester to open up my creativity, organization, and patience to feel at home. These shelves are perfect because I feel like the "dorm" way of life always leaves girls doing their make up on the floor or taking up the already crowded bathroom. 

I purchased these shelves and wall mounts at the home depot for about $25 total! 

Luckily I had my handy dandy men to help put this together :)

Clearly, I was extremely helpful.

SUPPLIES:

• Stud finder
• tape measurer
• drill
• level 
• all screws and attachment came with wall mounts

I mean really, it was simple, they just had to measure and drill them into the wall. But they were so quick, easy, and effective! 

Tada! 

...if only unpacking were so easy

Zach was thrilled to help though!

I hope everyone has a happy and productive Tuesday! And I'll get myself into my new schedule in Philly so I can hopefully post everyday! 

-Jen

Midtown Scholar Book Store

Happy Monday!

I like to commit my Monday's to artistic tutorials and ideas. So this one channels my nerdy obsession with art history books! My dear friend Amanda has been talking about taking a trip to Harrisburg to peruse some amazing books and drink some coffee. Sounds like a lovely afternoon to me! Today we both finally had a free afternoon to make it!

Amanda! 

This magical coffee shop/gallery/ creative book shop is called the Midtown Scholar Bookstore (http://www.midtownscholar.com/) and it is definitely worth a few afternoons! Now that this place has entered my life I plan on going back as often as I can! 

I love local art! 

And I even found this! 

 

The reason Amanda wanted to bring me here was because they have a marvelous art history section that spanned shelves and shelves and will probably take me years to pick through, but I don't mind. I got myself a large cup of jasmine green tea, in an adorable ceramic mug made by a local artist, and filled my arms with books on Turner, Kahlo, Klimt, and Cy Twombly. Amanda met me back at our table with her handful and we spent hours comparing methods, paintings, and lives. 

I love figure drawing! I found this in a book on Gustav Klimt

I even found this incredible family photo album from 1901! 

Basically, this place contains many of my favorite things: Tea, coffee, books, art, and even a few dogs :) 

Can't wait to make another trip back! 

I hope everyone has a happy Monday! 

Jen

How do I work this thing?

Happy Wednesday! 

I'm currently back at Temple University for the day to work on moving my life back to Philadelphia! 

Oh my I love this city!

So nothing much on the blog front today but I do have a question for anyone who is reading this. A good friend of mine stopped by the blog and asked how I could add a "Follow" or "Subscribe" button to my page so others could follow my activity. The truth is, I really don't know! So if anyone could give me a clue that would be greatly appreciated! 

Thanks!

-Jen

Z + J

Happy Tuesday!

Today is a very special day. Not necesarily a National holiday but I'm very excited!

Today is Zach and My First Anniversary!

On top of the Eiffel Tower :)

This has been the happiest year of my life for many reasons. Zach being number 1! I love you! 

I'll have more details to follow on our festivities but being that today is a Tuesday and Zach and I both worked today we aren't doing much. 

Here's to year number 2 being even better than the first! 

-Jen

I Don't Know Anything About Motherhood... But I Can Paint?

Happy Monday!

I've decided to use Mondays here on the Freckled Artist for lots of Artistic ideas and tutorials! This way I can use all of the inspiration (and time) from the weekend to post the best photos and descriptions as possible. This weeks inspiration derives from a few places, I've made these pieces before for many occasions like Wedding presents, Dorm presents, house warming gifts, etc. They're cheap, versatile, heartfelt, and meaningful.

As always, my sister was thrilled to help.

This particular project came about because my dear friend/ co-worker is VERY pregnant and due very soon. We had our annual company Christmas party and surprised her with a baby shower! In true Jen fashion, my present was late but better late than never right!? My punctuality is another one of my new years goals I'd like to work on, but I digress.

This is the decoration I painted for my dear friend's new nursery! 

It's a monogram of the new baby's initials! 

And It's very simple to make :) 

I'll show you how! 

Now, I'm not a mother yet. I don't know anything about birthing or raising a child, although I love children. So I didn't want to give her something that I didn't know about. Of course I gave her a few practical things like chocolate and some wine for after the delivery, but I wanted to make her something heartfelt. This is where being a painting major is useful! But you CERTAINLY don't need to be a painting major to make this, it's super easy. 

1. Gather Your Materials 

I purchased this un-primed, wooden plaque at Michael's for about $13. But there were many other selections that were as cheap as $2! This is the perfect blank canvas! 

 

I purchased this wood stain at Home Depot for about $7, a small can will seriously last you FOREVER.

You will also need ACRYLIC paint in whatever colors yous desire, and a few small paint brushes. 

I want to mention that you really only need red, blue, yellow, black, and white paint because from those 5 you can mix ANY other color. Buying pre-mixed paint colors can be a BIG waste of money.

2. Stain Your Surface

I put down a garbage bag to protect the carpet! 

You could also paint the plaque a flat color or design. For this particular project I wanted to use the wood grain. 

3. Sketch your Design

Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to think and explore your options!

Clearly I had fun with this :) 

I went with this one!

If you're seeking inspiration, google! It's a valid tool!

4. Sketch First in Pencil Then Start Painting!

 Make sure to take your time and be patient! 

5. Tada!

You have a beautiful, DIY, heartfelt gift! 

I added the branch and leaves to accentuate the wood grain and give the monogram a natural, woodsy feel. You can detail your own however you'd like! 

I hope this inspired you to skip the line at Bath & Body Works and consider some DIY presents for your loved ones! 

-Jen

 

Day Off! Must Do All The Things.

Happy Thursday!

I was fortunate enough to have a day off from waitressing to actually accomplish some "me" time. When I'm not at School in Philadelphia I'm at home waitressing almost everyday. I love my job but sometimes you just need a break! I used my day to run some errands, visit to the doctor, and grab coffee with two of my best friends! Coincidentally, they were two of the biggest fans of my old blog! So I made sure to bring along the Christmas present my mom had made up for me. She had a local graphic designer compile all of my blogs and pictures into one beautiful book!

I'm so happy with the result! And I'm so thankful to always have these memories in one, well organized place. My mom had copies printed for me, my parents, and my grandparents and everyone was really is really impressed with the quailty.

If you have any need for large print photos, posters, books, or really anything I'd highly recommend Nefra of York, PA!

http://www.nefra.com/ - Ask for Blaize! He went above and beyond on my project. 

Anyway, that's my recommendation! This coffee was very special to me because the girls and I are essentially travel buddies although we've never extensively traveled together.

(She's going to hate me for this picture) My BEAUTIFUL friend Amanda visited Italy in 2010, and gave me tons of advice before I left! Then, of course, I just got back from studying abroad. And my friend Cecilia is leaving for a semester in Spain on Saturday! So it was our turn to attempt to impart wisdom on her. Of course, there's only so much we can tell her, nothing prepares you for an experience like that!

She even got herself a shiny new camera for her trip!

Meanwhile, Cecilia's lovely boyfriend Justin is in town to see her off! He had lots of work to do so we tried to give him some quiet time. 

I spent the rest of my afternoon editing photos from Christmas! 

Myself and my goober of a boyfriend, Zach.

My younger sister Chrissy and her boyfriend (also Zach's BFF) Nick

Aren't they cute!?

I like to introduce the people involved in my life because I use my blog to tell stories about the characters I surround myself with! I should also tell you I'm an amateur photographer and I'm planning on sharing lots of camera and editing tips! I was thinking about using one specific day a week to share an art- related tutorial? Sound like a good idea? 

-Jen

Allow Me To Introduce Myself

Hello! 

My name is Jen.

 Today is January 2nd, 2013 and one of my goals for this bright and shiny new year is to create this blog! I just finished spending 4 months months abroad, primarily in Rome, Italy, but I also spent time in Spain, France, and Greece. Throughout my travels Temple University sponsored me to write a blog about our adventures. I was not sure how blogging would go for me but it turned out to be a huge hit! I had "fans", as my mother would call them, following my posts religiously! And, at the end of our trip, as we exited the plane I had parent's of my class mates thanking me for journaling our experiences. Because of the positive experience from my previous blog, I decided to continue blogging back in the states. Hopefully it's as interesting as my European adventures!

 Rome, Italy

 Barcelona, Spain

 Athens, Greece

 Paris, France

One of the main reasons I enjoyed blogging was because it made me feel like I had my life together. And, let's be honest, everyone needs something like that in their life. Something for a break from the daily chaos. I use writing as a way to organize my thoughts, experiences, and photos into a cohesive diary of memories. I tend to be an extremely overloaded and under- rested person (but I mean who isn't?) So blogging gives me an outlet to sit down, relax, and speak.

Here's a relaxing picture for those of you who might need it! 

Poros, Greece 

For the sake of introductions, I should probably give you an idea of who I am. As I mentioned, I love traveling! But that's not really what this blog is going to be about, my most recent endeavours have left me pretty broke and therefore, grounded until further notice. But while I'm dreaming about my future destinations I keep myself busy. I'm 21 years old and I'm currently studying painting, ceramics, and education at the Tyler School of Art of Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. I'm also a dancer on Temple's InMotion Dance Ensemble. So I'd like to open this blog as an avenue for readers  to explore their artistic horizons. I plan on sharing my knowledge of artistic processes such as preparing canvases and picking out paint as well as sharing what's going on with the dance team! I'd also like to use this as a space to share my ideas on faith, style, and food whenever they seem pertinent or relevant.

"Ponte Milizie"

My most recent oil painting in Rome.

I'm a little nervous going into this project but I have faith that this will help me maintain a sense of productivity and creativity. But more importantly I would like to help others whether it be through art tutorials or just any daily wisdoms I come across. Please share with me any feedback! I appreciate everything!

Artfully,
Jen