Let's Start with Something Unusual . . .
Let's Start with Something Unusual . . .
Painting with Stabilo 88 Markers
My husband, Mark, is always wondering how on earth anyone accumulates the sheer volume of art supplies he sees around here. “Creativity makes for curiosity,” I tell him. “Curiosity killed the cat,” he tells me.
But it truly is my creativity that makes me curious about everything - wondering how to push the envelope on what a thing does. And that’s how I came to try painting with Stabilo 88 Fineliner Markers.
These markers are curious indeed, because they fall somewhere between a water soluble and water resistant definition. The “Fine” point is .4mm and they are available in 65 colors. Price per marker ranges between $1.25 for individual colors down to 90¢ depending on the set you choose.
They are thin and feel like you are holding an ordinary pencil. The ink does not dry out (I have some VERY old ones).
Because of the point size, I was only using these for writing in my sketchbook when I discovered (the hard way), that they were not waterproof. So, then I wondered if the lines would blend away like some fine water soluble markers do, But no, the line stays in place even when you work at melting it away. It does lighten up considerably, however. And that all led to this painting, made with only five Stabilo 88 Markers and some yellow watercolor . . .
I decided to use watercolor instead of water because the color mixes would be sweet for the botanical sketch I planned.
I didn’t start with pencil because this was a random spot illustration and I would not be moving things around. I just started with red #40, orange #30, and dark red #50 markers for the lines of the flowers . . .
and painted over with Sennelier Yellow Deep, which created tones that made these Poppies really pop . . .
I hatched in the little flower cups (not the scientific name for these) with a dark green #63 and blended with the yellow
And then drew stems and leaves with the same dark green.
I drew inside those lines with a lighter green #36 to lighten up the stems and leaves when I painted them - first with water to lay down a light green undercoat all over, and then with the yellow . . .
The result is pretty sloppy for me, but I was excited for the possibilities. I paletted a bit of the marker (scribbled on a palette and picked up with a wet brush) and added touches of extra color here and there.
A handful of these markers and a small watercolor palette would make a very cool minimalist sketch kit. You could mix almost anything you would need, and these do not need ink lines. I am thinking these markers would be great for texture sketches - like defining a basket weave for instance. Stabilo 88 markers can be found on Amazon, at art and craft stores, and most office supply stores.
New Registration Deadline and Payment Plan for my Heaven in the Hills Santa Fe Artist-In-Residence Retreat
Folks have been asking me if I could possibly extend the deadline for Registration or offer some kind of payment plan. January is a rough financial month after the holidays, so I have decided to help.
Although I can’t move the date very far because I have to commit to the rental of the awesome Xanadu Villa Estate, I can move it a week out, and I can offer a three part payment plan.
The Registration deadline is moved to February 7, 2023 end of day, and only one third of the cost ($610) will be due with your Registration, another third by March 7, and the final third by April 1.
Here is the link to my newsletter where the Retreat is described
And here is more detail with the Registration Form
https://santafeartcafe.com/marketplace-shops.html#!/Artists-In-Residence-Retreats/c/143426014
Please Note: This is a public newsletter and you are welcome to share it with anyone.