Day Thirty - Art supplies

Today I'm Grateful for:-

Today I'm grateful for cool art supplies.

One of the ways I have been keeping myself motivated and happy lately is through art therapy. I say therapy, but it is really just playing with paint, lol. Years ago, after my accident, I went to art classes that consisted of an elderly couple showing other people what they had learnt over the years. It was great, although I really didn't like painting landscapes, the company was nice and the tips very helpful. I continued painting for a few years, but stopped when I went back to work.

Since having to give up work, I have taken to painting again, regaining my enthusiasm and interest in learning to better my skills and what I laughingly call my technique. Since the last time I painted, all of my paints had dried up, so I had to buy new ones, deciding to try the acrylic paints, as the smell of the oil paints upsets my stomach now and the turpentine is even worse. Not to mention the fact that the acrylic paints are quite a bit cheaper. That's if you get the 'beginners' paints, obviously the better quality paints are more expensive, but for me, as a workup to doing anything remotely resembling art, the beginners paints are just perfect.

Over the past few months, I have steadily been acquiring new paints, brushes, canvases and any other supplies necessary. I am always on the lookout for supplies that are going to be on the cheaper side and also more interesting, so today when we were in the Reject shop and found some really cool canvases with premarked pictures, it was awesome. Great prices too. Ok, so they are never going to be great art, but for what I want, to practise my brushwork, technique and shading on, they are perfect. I also found a how to book on sketching faces and animals, and a colouring book (useful for transferring to a canvas) of some of the famous artists' paintings for a really reasonable price. I was stoked!

Now I can't wait to get started on my next picture. Have to wait until after the big bash on the 19th though I think. :)

Kisses

Julie