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Welcome to your Studio Insiders' newsletter
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Hi Insiders!
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This has been a busy week for me as, apart from sharing a special #lightoutofdarkness video each day to Members of our YouTube channel and our Patrons, and making the regular three videos for all followers on YouTube, we have had groundsmen in the property taking down dangerous trees - and you all know how disrupting that is to the normal workflow in any family!
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How many cups of coffee does a French workman need in one day? Answers on a postcard please!
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Nevertheless I have found time to paint and share the results...
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I decided to experiment with my Diane Antone x VHAquarell box of tricks - twelve, honey based highly pigmented and handmade colours selected by me and presented for sale by Victoria Hilbrecht from Germany.
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These paints are a delight to work with and if you look on YouTube you’ll see several paintings I’ve done using them, most recently this colorful semi-abstract.
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I chose the twelve colours with florals in mind, but they are equally suitable for landscapes and abstracts, and all complement and coordinate with each other nicely.
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Here’s a link to Victoria’s website which goes direct to my set of paints. She also has many other colours and sets available and carries a large range of sparkly paints too! She’s a very diligent young woman from China originally but now settled in Germany and it’s great to offer her a little bit of support in her endeavours.
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The other thing I’ve done this week is add a few products to our Etsy shop
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The small paintings we have for sale are a very affordable way to have an original painting by me if you enjoy looking at what I do, and we also have a range of bookmarks for those who love to read! Plus there are our coloring books on there for you to download, and several mugs and other sublimated products - our range is growing, slowly but surely so be certain to check back often to see what’s new!
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I hope you’ve been enjoying the daily challenge of #lightoutofdarkness this month
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I have worked particularly hard to produce a video almost every day for the prompt, which I have found inspirational myself and have learnt a lot about how to reserve light in a painting effectively. I hope you have too.
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Next month is almost upon us and we’ll have a new challenge.
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I’ll release next month's challenge on February 1st as a prompt sheet like January’s but I won’t be doing daily videos for February. I think everyone, including me, could use a little rest, so I’m going to make the prompts quick and easy fun!
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Products of the Week
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Our products of the week are two of Meeden’s great offerings which will add so much pleasure to your painting sessions!
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First, we have the rectangular white ceramic mixing palette. This is a simple, white china plate, with a raised edge to keep the water in! It is easy to clean, doesn’t stain, and most importantly doesn’t bead when you try to mix on it. If you are a fan of painting with watercolour pans you will enjoy having a nice large space in which to prepare your mixes. This palette is ideal for all styles of painting, and most of us could easily make room in our life for a couple or three!
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The second Meeden product I love is their duo water container. It’s meant for water, but honestly I love using it for holding my Poetique watercolor pens too. I can get a good 50 of them in there and see what I have so I can grab them when I want them! It’s good for water too. But for that I’m sticking to my mason jars for now, just because I can empty them one at a time while the meeden water container is rather heavy when full!
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Remember to use the coupon code DIANE10 for 10% off EVERY order you place with MEEDEN Art!
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To Inspire You...
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This morning was without a breath of wind, and it was still dark when I headed to the studio to start the day’s work. The sky was pitch black except where it was pierced by stars, as our little patch of Breton countryside here in France is fortunate to be unpolluted by artificial light. In the east the sun was beginning to show a pink glow, and directly opposite to the west the full moon was slowly approaching the horizon. I could hear our neighbourhood owl hooting across the empty fields, our rooster Gabriel was crowing to be let out, and the English robin was singing his heart out loudly from our old holly tree. Moments later the host of sparrows and bluetits were busy around the bird feeder outside the studio. Quite a special moment I am happy to share with you. Perhaps, like me, you’ll find this word picture inspiring for a painting this weekend.
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Thanks for reading, and we hope you enjoyed this edition of the Insiders' Newsletter.
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