SYLVIA MEGERDICHIAN
ART BOX STUDIO; 1302 N. MONTE VISTA, #9; UPLAND, CA 91786-8221
STUDIO: (909) 981-4508
Email Sylvia at the Art Box
artboxsylvia@netzero.net
MONDAY OPEN
STUDIO
Come Paint with Sylvia
at the Art Box Studio!
A Place for Friends to
Gather, Be Inspired, and Create Art.
During Monday Open Studio sessions, Sylvia Megerdichian encourages each Art Box artist to follow his or her calling. Beginning artists are nurtured to experiment, study, and paint in the watermedia of their choice. Don't expect a step by step demonstration of a rock, but do expect to observe, to interpret, and to paint, paint, paint. The work is there. Intermediate and advanced artists often work in a series of works or simply find the courage to do the impossible at the Art Box with Sylvia. Art created by doing, growing, learning, sharing, and being inspired creates a variety of styles and venues. Realism, abstraction, expressionism---the work produced is as wide-ranging as the artists who attend.
After lunch, a lively and thoughtful critique marks each Monday with an introspective time of how one's work is perceived by others. Kudos, advice, encouragement all mark the session. Having your work critiqued by you, as well as others, gives one insight and sensitivity beyond the predictable. After critique, the painters return to their art full of ideas. Having artists of all levels broaden their art is a key element in Art Box Monday Open Studio. Sylvia values her painters and their growth, their successes, and their dedication. Sylvia coaches. Sylvia encourages. You learn! You laugh! You grow!
The Art Box Studio is truly a place for friends to gather, be inspired, and create art!
What does WATERMEDIA mean?
In art, watermedia is the general term for
media
that are used by diluting them with water, as opposed to oil or other media.
Examples are: Watercolor, Gouache, Caran D'ache, watercolor
pencils, watercolor crayons, acrylics.
No oils of any kind, oil based materials, or solvents, please.
What kind of supplies
do you need?
Watermedia: Watercolors of a good quality
are recommended.
Professional quality is best due to high pigment and strong, intense colors.
The Colors: Basically, you need red, yellow, blue, and whatever
else you want.
There are warms and cools of each color, so beginning with a limited
palette is interesting. A limited palette is only a few colors.
Primary Palettes: (1) Cadmium Yellow Medium, Cadmium Red
Medium, Cobalt Blue;
(2) Hansa or Lemon Yellow, Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue
Others:
Burnt Sienna, Hooker's Green Dark, Sap Green, Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Violet
Deep...
Reference:
Color Wheel
Brands:
American Journey, Winsor & Newton, Da Vinci, Daniel Smith, Holbein,
Grumbacher.
Standard watercolor paint tube size is 15 ml, but some brands such as
American Journey Professional watercolors (Cheap Joe's) and DaVinci make a 37 ml
value size.
Best deal is to buy large tube paints or sets on sale!
Paper: 140 pound professional
watercolor paper, such as Arches, is recommended.
Watercolor paper comes in rough, cold press, and hot press surfaces.
Cold press is recommended for beginning artists.
The standard size of a sheet of watercolor paper is 22" x 30."
A sheet may be divided into halves or fourths.
A watercolor block or a watercolor pad is also a good way to begin. Minimum
apx. size: 11" x 14"
Watercolor blocks are handy to take on location or use casually since they
have a rigid board under the sheets
of watercolor paper.
Brushes: Synthetic, synthetic-sable blend,
squirrel, or sable are all good choices.
Sizes recommended to begin are: #8 round, #12 or #14 round, 1/2" flat and/or
1" flat,
plus any other sizes you wish. Brushes can be expensive, so try
the fewer brushes first.
Board: Though you may purchase a
painting board, a piece of foam core board works to get started.
Best choices are tempered masonite, wood, gatorboard, or plastic
professional painting board,
such as Champion watercolor backing board (usually around $12 for a 15" x
22" white plastic board).
Palette: Any palette with deep wells
and a lid is suitable.
Though not as neat, even plastic ice trays and aluminum foil for lid may be
used to get started.
Odds and Ends: Paper towels, tissue to blot
(facial or toilet varieties),
water container, sponges.
Luxuries: An easel, the Winsor & Newton Arun box
table easel, watercolor easel, 300# paper,
sable brushes...
Where can you
purchase art supplies?
The answer to this question depends on where you live.
Most Californians have either a nearby
Michael's-the arts & crafts store or an
Aaron Bros. Art &
Framing store.
(FYI: They're owned by the same company.)
Some towns have local art marts such as Rhino, Pace Arts, Dick Blick,
or others.
Check your local phone books under "art."
Look for specials in local newspapers!
And then, there's the internet!
Though there are many great vendors, our first choice internet
recommendations are as follows:
Cheap Joe's Art Stuff
Daniel Smith's Art
Materials
Dick Blick Art Materials
ALL VENDOR INTERNET LINKS are
NEW WINDOWS.
Also, check Sylvia's links page for more vender
websites!
MONDAY
OPEN STUDIO
at Sylvia Megerdichian's Art Box Studio
WATERMEDIA INSTRUCTION
9:30 am through 2:00 pm
Fee: $28 per Monday
Every Monday...Except when Art Box has workshops
scheduled.
Check the internet schedule for WORKSHOPS or call 1-909-981-4508.
Bring your lunch or stop by our many local choices.