7th June 2009 - Who's made a mark this week?

What my East End looks like this week
photos copyright Katherine Tyrrell

My general view is that I'm not going to do anything new on the Internet unless it's really simple, very fast and adds value! Anything that makes my life any more complicated than it is doesn't get a look in. However this week I finally succumbed to Twitter - makingamark2 is me - plus there's a new module in the right hand column where you can see me twittering away even more than usual.

I think like a lot of people I was afraid that it could be another huge time waster. I was converted when I realised that you could maybe get this post in the "drip drip version" and it also meant that I didn't lose a good link because I forgot to transfer it to my weekly draft. (You do know I don't write this all on Sunday don't you?)

On the whole I'm finding that if you're think carefully about who you follow (content still rules supreme for me!) then the stream of tweets can actually be very useful in terms of hearing about stuff and finding things out. I really am not trying to create a big list of people I follow - rather I want to see good content coming through on a regular basis - interspersed with odd bits about life. Menus are good! ;) I expect it might all look very different in a month's time! I'm also not at all keen on a lot of the moneygrubbers who wanted to follow me and they are being ruthlessly banned from my feed!

I've discovered that the Guardian has a whole module devoted to Twitter and also that Paul Carr had an article which I'll be paying attention to until I get the hang of this (you have to scroll through a long story about something that went viral before you get to the 10 commandments for Twitter followers!)

Do feel free to suggest all your best tips for Twittering!

Art Blogs

Plein air

There's a little bit of a plein air theme this week - which I'll be following up this week when I introduce Sketchercise. In the meantime here are some sites and post which may interest you:

• This month's poll considers Which is your preferred media for painting plein air? It's had 50 responses to date and it looks like watercolours and traditional oils are the favoured media so far.
• On Tuesday I posted Plein air art - 10 tips for working with sunshine and shade which a number of people seem to have found very helpful
• Donald Maier contacted me this week to highlight his NEW ning community for plein air artists which he started last month. It's gained very nearly 400 members in its first month - including me - and it looks like it has the potential to be a great forum for plein air painters. The debate about what is plein air painting has, of course, already started!

I have been painting on location for over 40 years, but I am new at making a website. I want to make this the online meeting place. A real down to earth kind of site to publicize events, exchange ideas, express yourself, and of course, make new friends.There is no fee, no jury and world-wide. It is open to everyone who paints outdoors on location. So beginners can learn and be inspired by the masters. There is also a good market here to advertise your workshops.
Donald Maier

• I've been averse to sketching stools ever since my mobility problems when the weight started to pile one and my knees started to creak. However I've now found one which makes carrying and using a sketching stool a pleasure again - which makes options for sketching much easier. If you've been thinking of sketching plein air and want a suitable stool try reading my Product Review: Blacks Compact Stool (for sketching)
• Vivien Blackburn (Painting, Prints and Stuff) has a post about what to take when sketching plein air (1 ) oils
• Brilliant blog post by Ronell Van Wyk (Ronell van Wyk - African Tapestry) about factors influencing outcomes in plein air painting in Water corners on Watermarks

You don't have the luxury to put away the brush and come back to it later.
The changing light doesn't leave you any options either.
And knowing you've gone through all this effort to walk down here(it is hard work to do plein air painting!) adds to the adrenaline of getting the job done.
Ronell van Wyk

• I came across two blogs which seem to be linked to the National Academy of Professional Plein Air Artists - but they are badly set up, lack content and don't appear to have any community orientation - hence I'm not highlighting the links here!
• Plein Air Magazine is considering making a return - and would like you to complete a survey. Just click the link to find out what it wants to know.
  

Drawing and sketching

• Enrique Flores displays his Monfragüe/Mérida sketchbook. May 2009
• Yesterday was Drawing Day - did you take part?
  
• I began to see the sense of Twitter when I found that my sketchbook blog was one of Inspiration: Ten Travel Sketchbooks - found via Gaby on Twitter. Why not take a look at the others?
• I sketched birds on Thursday morning Herons, coots and goslings - grooming, housekeeping and babysitting; elaborated on the wonderful lunch last Friday - with pics in Formans and Fish island and explained the background to Old Ford Lock - and some ancient tales. It took some doing but I did manage to get Deep Purple, King Alfred, the Romans and the Olympics all into the same blog post! ;)

Bert takes personal grooming very seriously
pencil in sketchbook
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

Coloured pencils and pastels

• UKCPS members have been getting their work into exhibitions this week.
  
  • Keswick - exhibition opens and awards announced - many congratulations to Sue Clinker who won the Derwent Award for Best in Show
  • World of Coloured Pencils 2009 - Other Award Winners
  • World of Coloured Pencils 2009 - The Artists

  Plus you can see Gayle Mason and Jonathan Newey
  
  • UKCPS members and their art at Wildlife Artist of the Year 2009

Gayle Mason with Hot Spot
8" x 20", coloured pencils with acrylic glazes on Arches HP

Painters

• Marc Hanson (Painting My Way Through Life) Letting go! Twice.... - emphatically NOT his usual style - but an interesting exercise
  
• Check out Nathan Fowkes (Land Sketch) Untitled demostration in gouache
  
• Peter Blake: the Peter Pan of Pop Art - The pioneer of Pop Art talks about his illustrious career and why he prefers hugs to drugs in the Daily Telegraph

Art Group Blogs

• Danny Gregory write about The greatest artistic crisis since the Dark Ages
• The Virtual Paint Out Blog is in Florence for June - and it looks like it's going to trigger some interesting work
  
• Some of Marc Hanson's students decided to set up a blog for a Black & White Painting Challenge 5.26.2009 - the plein air classmates are challenged to produce a black and white painting a day for seven days. This is Marc's post which explains the exercise he originally set them and how that has influenced what they've done.
• One of my themes in the last year has been about small groups otherwise known as communities of interest. Second Tuesday Art Guild is a new website for a group of artists in Georgia

Art Business and Marketing

• Tony Moffit (Tony Moffitt) has a post about How To Write A Defining Sentence
• While over on Design Sponge Online focuses on how to tell your business story in biz ladies 09: telling your business’ story
• Seen on Etsy's The Storque
  
• Seller Workshop Recap: Tags, Titles, Descriptions and Most Relevant Search
• The Etsy Seller Handbook: All Our How-Tos about Selling
• Seller How-To: Optimizing Your Etsy Shop for Search Engines

• EmptyEasel.com has
  

• Rose Welty's last article in her “how to get an art education for free” series - Art Business Links and Other Career Resources for Artists
• My Review of “The Unconventional Guide to Art & Money” Ebook
• For anybody planning to publish a book independently, Book Design Primer by Foreword magazine looks like an excellent source of good advice.
  
• Stephen Doherty (Steve Doherty's Blog) of American Artist highlights 8 Ideas to Help Sell Paintings if they are realist. I recommend a read to check out the reasons behind each item. I think it's an interesting list and I wonder whether you agree.

1. Minimum negative space.
   
2. Shiny objects.
   
3. Detail.
   
4. Happy subjects.
5. Leave peripheral areas incomplete.
   
6. Listen to comments from viewers.
   
7. Maintain logical, consistent pricing that collectors can understand.
   
8. Keep people engaged in your career.

Art and the economy

• The context for degree shows this year is very different - this article explains why Art Sales: degree shows
• Another bonus culture bomb coupled with art fraud this time? Back in April, the BBC (and others) reportedthat a head teacher and other senior staff at the Copland School has been awarding themselves huge annual bonuses (£50k+). They were subsequently suspended pending an investigation. The Guardian has now published a rather a disturbing article which suggests that various works by Mary Fedden RA which had been given to the school had been sold at Sotheby's. Apparently Fedden donated the work with the intention that it would be seen by the children - not used to pay senior staff huge bonuses. I wonder what the School Governors have to say?

Art Education / Tips and techniques

I've found an awful lot of tips and demos and useful information in the art education department this week

• I always think of Lisa Call (Lisa Call - Contemporary textile Art ) as being very focused. Learn from her in her posts about:
  
• How to Get Stuff Done
• how she turned her life and her home and her studio around - which is really inspiring
  
• For those who love planning, being focused and 'to do' lists try Anna's (See. Be. Draw.) An experiment in being
• Read more on the creative routine by Michael Nobbs (The Blog) - Still learning (more on my quest for a creative routine)
• Jana Bouc (Jana’s Journal and Sketch Blog) has a very useful article about How Maira Kalman (and I) Create Gouache Paintings with Ink Lettering. I read the research done for this one in different places - well done Jana!
• Nicole Caulfield (Nicole Caulfield Art Journal) has an inteersting post in How to drop 5-10 years when doing a portrait.
  
• Digital Artists Handbook The handbook indicates it is a reliable and accessible source of information that introduces artists to different tools, resources and ways of working related to digital art. It's supported by the Arts Council and looks good to me.
  
• On Tuesday, The Daily Telegraph had an article titled Art courses: still life, but not as we know it - about Art courses becoming the holiday of choice for creative minds and exploring what they have to offer. It contains links and summaries relating to a variety of opportunities in the UK.

Finally some dates for your diary if you live in the UK:

• Life Class is being broadcast on Channel 4 from 6-10 July, at 12:30pm each day. (Yes folks that's nude life models on daytime television!) For more information visit the Artangel project website. This is who/what Artangel is
• In addition, Free drop-in classes will be taking place across the UK from June 22 to July 4 at various venues - see this post for more details

Art Exhibitions

The country is awash with graduation shows and open studios at the moment - as well as a number of exhibitions which opened this week or next. I'm never quite sure why dates are chosen which would appear to compete for collectors' time. Or maybe the notion is that collectors will all come to London at the same time and get round to all the shows?

• Here are some Open Studios
• Surrey Artists Open Studios - 6 - 21st June
  
• South East Open Studios - 5th - 21st June
  
• Greenwich Open Studios - this weekend and next. You can visit Tina Mammoser (The Cycling Artist) Open studios today! (and next weekend)
• Meanwhile 200 artists in Cambridgeshire open their doors for 4 weekends in July - and they have a website - but you have send for the listing by snail mail!!! Surely out of 200 artists there would be at least one who could get a web page together?
• If you've got an open studios drop me a line with a link to a WEBSITE which explains what's on offer and where to go.
  
• I've been doing a lot of exhibition reviews this week - with links for those who can't get to the see them.
• Exhibition review: Wildlife Artist of the Year 2009
• Exhibition review: Contemporary Australasian Botanical Artists
• Exhibition Review - In Search of Gingers
• Exhibition review: "The Power of Plants" at Kew Gardens

Websites and Blogging

• Techcrunch are not impressed! - Bing Is Now Your Default Search Engine On IE6, Whether You Like It Or Not
• According to the FT, apparently there's a copyright issue with Bing
• You can now report a broadband notspot or slow-spot in the UK. This is an article about Living in a broadband notspot

and finally........

For those of you wondered what happened to Maggie Stiefvater (Words on Words) after she stopped being a successful professional artist and started producing best selling novels instead and became a full time author - this is what happened when she took the trip to New York for Book Expo America (click the link to see it all) and this is what the BEA is!