Art By CJ Rider: 2009

Monday, December 21, 2009

December 19 Encaustic Workshop

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Sunday, December 13, 2009

Encaustic Workshop Fun!

Had a Great Encaustic Workshop Yesterday!
Such a nice group of artists!
We were all sad to see the day end.

Schedule an Encaustic Workshop at Arizona Art Supply - Phoenix -
Email CJ at Ridercreations.com
View Workshops and Classes to select your date.
Learn new techniques and hone your skills at each workshop

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Monday, November 16, 2009

Encaustic Demonstration

Check out a few pics from my latest Encaustic Demo= we had fun!
Everyone participated in experimenting with the wax.

EncausticDemonstration

check my website for a series of Encaustic Workshop dates! There is one to fit your needs!

http://www.ridercreations.com/

Thanks!
CJ

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Sunday, October 25, 2009

Fix that Synthetic Brush!

Do you have good synthetic brushes with curled back ends?
Here is something that may help *if they are not beyond repair.

Clean the brush thoroughly to remove any mediums or paint
Get a Pyrex measuring cup, fill with about an inch and a half of water - or enough that you can dip the full length of the bristles.
WITHOUT the brush, bring the water just to a boil
Carefully remove Pyrex cup from Microwave (water can flash boil when moved)
dip the tip of the afflicted brush into the hot water for a few seconds
Squeeze out the water with a pad of paper towels over your fingers (careful, it is HOT)
Dip your warm brush into Gum Arabic - smooth and shape the warm bristles with your fingers
Allow to dry

Always thoroughly clean and reshape your brushes with a good brush soap after each use to maintain their shape.

If your brush bristles are curled or bent beyond repair - use it for a "special effects" brush!

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Sunday, September 13, 2009

Tip on acheiving VALUE balance in your art

grayscale posturized image vs full color image

Many paintings fail due to poor value balance.

If a painting is nearly all one value, it will lack life even if it is correct compositionally.

A way to see value is to:

Open image in photoshop
At the top of the screen select: Image/mode/grayscale
At the top of the screen select: Image/adjustments/posturize
set for around "5"
with experimentation of the numbers in step #3 and 4 you can see that the higher the setting the more detail shows up.
the idea is to not have the detail and only see larger shapes of value (light and dark).

As a pre-painting step - run your image through this process and then reference the resulting print-out to make sure you preserve proper values as you paint.

You can also take a photo of a completed painting and run it through this process to see if you have the needed value balance within the piece.

If you posturize a color image it can assist you in discovering subtle colors or give you coloration ideas to add to your painting!

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Saturday, August 22, 2009

HOOKED ON PENCILS - Phoenix

HOOKED ON PENCILS
a watercolor pencil workshop

Limited Seating - Sign up today!

Watercolor pencil workshop September 12

Call the store or drop in to sign up!

Workshop will be held at:
Phoenix Arizona Art Supply!
4025 N. 16th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85016
(southeast corner of Indian School Road and 16th Street)
(602) 264-9514

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