Friday Fun Fact - Painting Safety

A Material Safety Data Sheet, or MSDS as it is commonly known, is a document that contains information intended to describe product hazards, how to use our products safely, what to do if accidents should occur, how to recognize symptoms of overexposure, and what to do if such incidents occur.

I work with acrylic paints, and even though they are water-based products and most are non-toxic, it is still a good idea to find the MSDS sheet for your brand(s) of paint and have a look....it would be more important to know this information with oil paints and solvents.

I also like to have an eye-wash station nearby as you can occasionally get paint in your eye....it won't hurt but it is best to wash it out as quickly as possible. I have had to stick my head under the kitchen sink and wash my eye out....the eye-wash station is definitely easier...

Safety should be first in all aspects of our lives....including painting!

Keeping Watch - Puffin

You only have one week left to purchase the original Keeping Watch (Puffin) painting....

It ON SALE for 66% OFF Regular Price selling for ONLY $50.00!!!!!

It is painted on a 12" x 12" Gallery Canvas (you don't have to frame it).

I am also only charging $15.00 shipping anywhere! Of course, if you live in the St. John's NL area, delivery is free! Free shipping may also be available for Central NL as well....

This is a great way to get a piece of original artwork for a fraction of the cost.....

Get it before it is gone!

Friday Fun Facts - Straight Lines

You can use painter's tape to create a straight line. Sometimes the paint will bleed underneath the edge of the tape, so have damp q-tip ready for touch ups and to remove the excess paint while it is still wet.

Middle Cove - Part 3 - Finished!

I have completed the Middle Cove painting....now to name it! Suggestions are welcome.

I'll be dropping it off for framing and printing in the next day or so....Giclee prints will be available in approximately 2 weeks!!! I'm not sure what sizes I'm going to print this one in, so prices can't be determined until I figure out sizes.....

If you may remember, last year I had a contest of sorts for people to submit their photos and an independent judge (Don Short) picked the winning photo! Now, I had picked my top 3 in order and they matched his exactly (I told him this after he picked). Great minds think alike! Or perhaps truth be told, I have learnt a lot from Don over the years and this is the reason we picked the same photo. I may paint numbers 2 and 3 as well sometime in the future..stay tuned....

So here it is, Middle Cove finished and yet unnamed....Suggestions are welcome.

Middle Cove - Part 2

Rocks....beach rocks....lots and lots of beach rocks.....tedious yet so rewarding when completed.

I enjoyed painting these more than I thought I would. So I was pleasantly surprised. Not sure I'd want to tackle another similar painting in the next few weeks, but I am looking forward to my next beach rock painting - whenever that might be.

I completed the drawing of the young boy waiting for the capelin to arrive before I painted the rocks, but you can see some "cheating" behind where the boy will eventually sit in the painting. I spent some time doing the "squiggles" before I started painting the beach rocks. (Shout out to Don Short for the tip!!!) This made placing the rocks much easier as you could make rocks out of the squiggles. You don't have to exactly follow the squiggles, but I think it went alot faster than if I was free-handing them one at a time. I used 6 tones/shades plus white and payne's grey to paint the rocks.

So obviously I have to paint the young boy, some capelin fishing accessories, and the waves breaking.....that should be Part 3 I would suspect. Hopefully you will have Part 3 as the final chapter on this painting in the next few days....

Friday Fun Facts - Blending

Because acrylics dry fast, you will need to work fast to blend colours. Using a bit more water in your brush than usual will assist in creating a more natural blend of your colours.

Middle Cove - Part 1

I manged to fit in some painting on the Middle Cove pix that is WAY overdue....A good start has been gotten...I actually have a little bit more done now than what this photo shows, but so far I am pleased.....the beach rocks are next. These may be a challenge for me...not because they are hard, but the obsessive part of me will have a hard time with so much detail. I love detail but I have to be careful not to get too carried away in the painting. I have to remember to step back often and view the entire painting in perspective. That is always a good practice and I have to remind myself sometimes to do that.

Here is the first stage.....sky and ocean complete....the lighting wasn't very good, so you can't quite get the yellows and pinks in the sky. Maybe next photo will have more natural lighting.

Website Updates - February

I have new prints available....check out the website for more details!

Don't forget the special pricing on the original painting of Puffin for the month of February at more than 50% savings!!!

http://www.brendarowe.ca/

Friday Fun Facts - Murphy's Oil Soap

Sorry, I know I'm a day late.....a lot going on yesterday.....here's this week's tip.

Use Murphy's Oil Soap (make sure it is the soap version) to clean your brushes. Rub some MOS into your brush on the palm of your hand to release the paint from the brush. Rinse in warm water and repeat until you do not see traces of paint colour coming out of the brush.

Then, rub some more MOS into the brush and then grab the end of the bristles between your thumb and forefinger and gently move the bristles from side to side. Rinse and repeat as necessary. This process releases the paint that accumulates near the ferrule (metal casing that attaches the bristles to the handle) which is more difficult to remove.

If you are patient enough, you can restore an older brush with a build up of paint to a somewhat new-like condition. Cleaning your brushes after each painting session when the paint is still wet will extend the life of your brushes.

Holiday Photo Winner

And the lucky winner is Carol!!!!

Carol will receive a 5" x 7" of her fav photo the Red Poinsettia!

Congrats Carol!

Thanks again to all who voted.

Stay tuned for another contest coming soon.....

Holiday Photo Choice

So the voting is over. Thanks to all who took the time to vote for your favourite holiday photo.

And the winner is..........RED POINSETTIA..........by just one vote!

Carollers and Lighting the Way tied for second place.

Now, this was an interesting study for me....my fav was White Poinsettia which only got one other vote besides me. It is great to see other people's point of view........

I have an judge picking a random number to determine the winner of the print of this photo...stay tuned!

PS - The judge liked the White Poinsettia too! LOL