Topic: The Why

[Tatumhart]

Hi All,

I'm wondering how your personal life or demeanor affects the materials you use to make your art.

For example, I'm not good with watercolors because I'm not very patient.  And I like to draw while my kids play in the same room as me, so colored pencils are a good fit because I can use them on the couch.

Anyone else have a non-artsy reason for using a particular medium?

[TanjaW]

Non-artsy reason for using a particular medium....

- I use plain printer paper for most of my initial sketching because it's cheaper than the quality drawing/sketching paper I get from the art supply stores, and it crumples up nicely and noisily when I don't like the sketch...something I picked up from working as an in-house artist for a toy/novelty company.
- I sometimes use ballpoint pens for sketching instead of pencils....forces me not to be able to erase and doesn't need sharpening, but still gives me thick/thin lines, sort of; and usually I have one on me wherever I am.
- Every once in awhile I like to sketch with crayons because I love the smell and I flash back to good times in elementary school. LOL

That's about it, I think...pretty much anything I can touch, see or that can leave a mark is a potential artist's medium for me at this point. 

- t

[Tatumhart]

I love the paper crunching sound when a piece is beyond help. That's a great reason to use printer paper.

[Cynthia Kremsner]

Tatum, I was with you on the colored pencils with the ability to walk away should something need my attention with my children. But, there is a spanky artist here on the boards and another who is a rock star of sorts. Both encouraged me to try watercolors. It was also explained that you can walk away from your palette w/watercolors and just add water to get going again. Voila! I was so afraid of them.

 I loved my acrylics but found them a challenge with children. Watercolors give me the freedom I have with pencils. It took me awhile to get as comfortable with them as I was acrylics. Now I love 'em more.  I still use my colored pencils . . . but minimally in my works.

[evilrobot]

For me I'm all digital, the reason.....I'm a clumsy person. When I worked in pencil I'd get the drawing almost fully rendered and then when I was putting the finishing touches on I'd always smear my little finger across it and mess the whole thing up. My light table got a lot of use because of it. Also when I worked in water colors I'd dump the water every time all over everything....I worked in colored inks but my carpet ended up looking like a rainbow....same with ink I spilled so many bottles of Higgins....so when digital arrived and I could afford it I never went back. Now I only spill ice tea on my keyboard every other month.....