iOrnament for the iPad

For folks crazed about pattern there is a new app for the iPad called iOrnament.  You could go nuts here.

How fun is this!  And this is just with an hour of fooling around.  There are tons of things to do on this app.  I bought it (not the free one).  Very inexpensive.  Enjoy.

The Re-Do

One really nice thing about the iPad as a resource for photos is the ability to go back and look at a painting and use some of the original painting for the re-do. Naturally, the original is no longer in my possession. Neither is the original photo unfortunately. But with the photo...I could make a reasonable stab at the re-do.

Basically, as I noted in the previous post, white oak acorns do not have "stems" and so they had to disappear and the leaf lobes needed to be deeper. So we'll give this a try!

Meanwhile we are being drowned in Northern Wisconsin. Whew. RAIN RAIN RAIN. High of 59 today. How's that for the first day of summer! No sunshine in sight until "maybe" Saturday.

If this sounds like a little weather whining...well, so be it!!!

Our bathroom remodeling is really moving along, however, since we are not tempted outside. I may post a few photos of that. Painting is painting?

Workshop Photos on my iPad

I know that ALL of you blog readers have taken many workshops (me too) and that many of you have GIVEN workshops (me too).

But once in a while there just seems to be one that initiates that amazing kind of electricity in anticipation that you can't quite define.

So it is that I anticipate a week long workshop with John Lovett (Australian watercolorist) beginning a week from today.

If you are a reader of International Artist Magazine, he writes columns in that magazine regularly, has made many DVDs and leads international workshops all over the world. Now he is coming to Lac du Flambeau, WI????? I know. I am amazed too. 15 minutes away from my tiny little cabin practically hidden in the woods. If you google Dillman's Resort you will find out more about where this magical spot is. And if you click on workshops you can find John's class description. (You will also find a plethora of very fine artists teaching there!)

I am sorry that I have only really a week to enjoy the anticipation and get ready. As you can tell from previous blogs, part of the week is taken up with just finding where my supplies have gone to and dusting off the studio and finding the supply list...yadda yadda yadda.

Thus the first photo of the initial supplies... finding just the right watercolors, gouache, gesso, pens, inks, pastel pencils, watercolor pencils, rice papers, and acrylics along with just the right brushes (almost all flats). I tore 3 sheets of Arches 140 cold press into quarter sheets this morning. I found that for the most part...I had everything I needed. He uses some very small flats for details but I dug some up.

One problem...I couldn't find any charcoal pencils in any of my catalogs. I am sure they are somewhere, but it seemed only in sets and I am asked to bring only black and brown. Sigh. Hopefully, he'll have some for sale? If anyone knows where you can buy these separately let me know. It'll be too late for the workshop...but maybe later.

I have decided to bring my photo references to the workshop on my iPad.

I sorted those I wanted to bring on my desk top into an album.

Then I synced the two devices and downloaded the album to the iPad. Voila.

You can see what the album looks like opened up with small photos. And I enlarged one to full screen to give you the idea. It'll be much nicer than trying to print it off on my inkjet and also much easier on the pocket book in terms of printer ink. The color on the iPad is splendid.

The battery is good for 10 hours so I should be good to go.

I'll let you know how that works out!!

I may do a few sketches from the iPad this week as our weather forecast is totally gloomy for the entire week!!!

Blogging on the run?

With the arrival of my new iPad2 I began yet another learning curve! Yikes. I read my first book on it (Kindle App) and that was quite fun. I am not giving up on books, but I can see how easy it is, especially when in transit to have your books on this device!!! I am downloading a rental movie to watch as we go along.

Another thing I thought might be fun would be to be able to blog along as I travel. How hard could that be? Hmmm. Turns out it is not quite the cinch I thought. You have to have a blogging app!

I've been reviewing the blog apps and so far "Blogsy" seems to be the best choice. Although at this point in time, adding photos to the blog through this app is not a breeze.

Are there any other "Bloggers" out there that are using an iPad? It might be fun to hear about which app you are using. I think I can write on my blog without using an app but I cannot put any graphics or photos on without an app to do that.

We are leaving on Monday. We'll stop for a few days at Calloway Gardens, GA before heading toward WI. I missed the azaleas unfortunately. But hopefully I'll find other things in bloom.

Then we'll head toward the Natchez Trace and head up toward Nashville. Then to Paducah, KY and then s.e. WI for a 10 days to visit the kids and old friends.