You Are My Sunshine

It's true. We've been spoiled in Minnesota this winter. However, I'm still starving for sunshine. One of the blessings of being an artist is that whatever you want in your life, you can just CREATE IT....by painting it. This week, in our Tuesday class, we'll be painting sunshine, using lots of warm, sunny yellows. To me at least, using Naples, New Gamboge, Winsor or Aureolin yellow just screams "Sunshine."

My latest addiction is COPIC MARKERS. I shamelessly stole the idea from my friend and artist, Karen Knutson. (Sorry, Karen but you inspire us all.) I'm so excited to share the fun of layering with these beautful markers. I invested in a small square watercolor sketchbook and markers of every brand (except the Xylene based ones.....Ick. VERY toxic smelling). My second favorite brands (and more affordable than COPIC) are the Sharpie fine point markers. Their colors are more of the bright variety, no beautiful shades and tones like the COPIC ones. I also am liking Dick Blick's brand which does have those beautiful grayed down, muted colors.

The markers are wonderful for preliminary sketches for your larger paintings. Also, their smaller scale and easy transportability (is there such a word?) make them fantastic for travel and they even have that incredible transparency that we layerists find so intriguing, so that we can build layer upon layer of pure transparent color to create colors never before seen by mankind!

"Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy. Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry. Sunshine on the water looks so lovely. Sunshine almost always makes me high.........If I had a wish that I could wish for you, I'd make a wish for sunshine all the while."

Thanks, John Denver.