Carrie's Favorite Things

Hi Everyone,

Since I'm slow on the painting front at the moment I thought I would share my favorite things list:)  I would love to hear (read) some of yours in the comment section.

I'll start with the most life changing tool I use for my art.  My Ipad, full sized, please!  It has truly transformed how I paint.  I use it for taking reference photos, and I paint from my I pad.  The image is amazing way better than any printed off photograph.  If you haven't tried it you need too!!!

My favorite paints are Daniel Smith watercolors.  Their Quinacridones are the best.  They are limited and will run out in the next few years so stock up now.

My favorite brushes are Richeson brushes.  Daniel Smith sells a set that I've been using.  It's the Laurin McCracken set and it has a size 2, 4 and 6 kolinsky sable.  But I've been hearing so much about
Rosemary brushes that I'm going to have to try those as well.

My favorite pencils for drawing are mechanical pencils.  You can get the tiny details without having to sharpen your pencil all the time.  I'm cranky if I can't find a mechanical pencil in the house:)

My favorite paper is Arches 260lb.  Because 140 is too thin and buckles and 300lb is too thick and soft.  260lb is just right:))  Thanks to Paul Jackson for turning me onto this paper.  I did hear that Canson bought Arches so I'll probably be purchasing quite a bit of this before Canson starts making it.

My favorite thing to watch while I'm painting are movies.  I love streaming movies and shows through Netflix and Amazon video which comes free if you sign up for Amazon Prime.

My favorite movie at the moment to watch while I'm painting is "It's Complicated" starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.  Love, love, love this movie and have watched it a thousand times.

Another favorite movie I watch is "Something's Gotta Give".  I know you're probably wondering how can you watch a movie and paint? Well, I'm not a music person.  It gets on my nerves when I'm painting.  So I love having movies or shows on.  I mostly listen but am able to watch too, I'm a multi-tasker.  Talking to other people that have trouble listening to music while creating I think that I have to have by brain engaged, listening to talk, or pod-casts, or talk radio.   Music makes me think to much and I need to be able to zone out to paint.

Not only do I love Something's Gotta Give for the movie but who wouldn't want to create here

Or live here.  I just love the interiors in this movie and would love to have a house that looked just like this!!

And because I love her desk so much in Something's Gotta Give I had to buy this one when I found it at an antique store.  It's my painting desk.  It was in a legal office in New Orleans and is solid wood and really old.  I love it!  I put the glass top on it, it doesn't quite fit so I'll have to order one.

If you haven't listened to this podcast you have too!!!  Artists Helping Artists is the best blog radio show out there.  Tons of free marketing information and interviews with amazing artists.  There is something for every artist.  You can find it on itunes for free or you can listen right on the website.  You must tune in.  A new show airs every Thursday and I've co-hosted often.

And this is what I use every day.  I love EOS sweet mint.  It's an organic product.  It's amazing and addicting.  Love it!!  I also love Burt's Bees, I'm for anything that is all natural and not tested on animals and that is an amazing product.  I wear the color rhubarb and raisin in lieu of lipstick because it does just as good a job.

I hope to do a favorites things list more often because it's just fun:))  Tell me some of your favorites:)

Carrie

Going Green original watercolor 18" x 30"

"Going Green"18" x 30" original watercolor on 260lb Arches by Carrie Waller

Hi Everyone,

I can finally share my completed painting:)  I had so much fun with these glorious greens.  I just love incorporating dramatic natural light in my compositions and this painting was a great vehicle to do just that.  The inspiration for this painting came when we were trying to find a bottle of red in our collection that didn't go bad during our move this summer in 116 degree temperatures.  So even if the wine was a loss at least the bottles were put to good use. 

Getting wine labels off bottles is no easy feat.  After a warm bubble bath they were still stubborn so I had to bust out the goo gone.  It worked like a charm.  Among the wine bottles there are also some small Perrier bottles and a Tabasco bottle as a nod to my Louisiana crew.

This painting is the beginning of a new series I am going to be doing.  I really want a cohesive body of work with some continuity in my subject matter, so expect some more glass bottle paintings.  I've already been scoping out the flea markets for bottles.  I hit the jackpot on amber glass the other day, and my in-laws are looking for cobalt bottles:)  My father-in-law found several cobalt bottles of Riesling and Vodka,

I do have a few commissions coming down the pike and a couple smaller projects intermixed. 

Come back Wednesday for the work in progress pictures of "Going Green".

Sam graciously offered to be my model.  Thought you could get a better sense of the scale.

Carrie

Lumos

"Lumos" original watercolor by Carrie Waller 6" x 8" on 260lb Arches SOLD

Hi Everyone,

Did anyone else get swept away in magical wizarding world of Harry Potter?  I certainly did.  When the first book came out my hubby and I were living in Germany and couldn't wait to get our hands on an English copy, this was before Kindles.  They were sold out on base and I borrowed the book from our 13 year old neighbor.  She stayed up all night long reading the book after it's midnight release.  I stayed up the next night reading the book cover to cover and then passed it along to my husband who, in turn, did the same thing.  It was and still is a phenomenon.  So after I painted my first version of this painting for the fabulous Carol Carter, I was thrilled and flattered that Crystal Cook said she wanted me to paint her a version.  Crystal's son a fellow Potter fan said that the painting was cool and that it looked like something out of Harry Potter.  So in honor of the Cook's I am titling this painting "Lumos".  And because I just can't get enough of these ball jars I am painting an 18 x 24 version.

My 6" x8" painting sitting on my 18" x 24" work in progress

I did find it ironic that when I was saving the photo of this painting on my computer I titled it ball jars for CC, then realized that both owners of this painting have the initial CC (Carol Carter and Crystal Cook)  How cool is that:)

See you Wednesday for some more work in progress photos.

Carrie