Appreciating Nature- May 6th (Patreon)

Hey Artnerds!

I am truly popular as I was invited to not one but THREE crawfish boils last weekend. We were able to make two, which should theoretically make me a Premium Louisiana Girl, for being able to prioritize mudbugs (and friends & family) over lesser concerns such as sleep.

Jokes aside, though, I had a blast, and spending time with people I care about is always lovely.

Swamp Tour

I really wanted to go on a swamp tour for my 39th birthday- way back in March, but we were waiting for the Louisiana irises to bloom so I could get photos.

We'd hoped to see the Louisiana Irises blooming, but unfortunately missed it, as the tour companies that had promised to get back to us when they started forgot to get in contact with us, and we ended up spending a couple weeks playing phone tag just to book a tour. I apologize that the photos are kinda blurry- our guide seemed like he was in a hurry, and we didn't really linger long enough for me to get good photos. We're hoping to go out again in August to catch the lotus blooming. Still, it was a lot of fun, and I really hope to get some great photos next time!

ArtLab- Art Supply Buffet:

May's ArtLab is a buffet of art supplies. I'm bringing a selection to allow people a chance to get handsy with new art tools.

Louisiana Bullfrog Illustration

While I love this illustration, I'm not happy with the color correction I did, and will probably continue to pick at this until I'm satisfied.

Rayne Frog Festival

Because I can't get enough of spending all day in the car, Joseph and I are hoping to drive over to Rayne, Louisiana, for their Frog Festival. Seriously though, how could I resist a festival about frogs? We've been talking about going for years, so Sjogren's aside, this may be the year.

In Progress Reviews:

Paper Tests:

I've wanted to offer NICE watercolor coloring pages for a long time, and have finally gotten around to experimenting. Right now, manufacturing AND fulfillment are out of my ability, but I wanted to see if Catprint's Cotton (left) or Linen (right) papers might be a good fit. These were tested with Meiliang Pigments watercolors, as I felt like a student grade paint might be what people would be most likely to use.

Grumbacher:

Unboxed, swatched, and potted, waiting for the paints to dry out so I can reswatch, color mix, and fieldtest.

Essee:

I first showed these off in one of my Handmade Haul videos back in December, and now it's time to test them out! I still have the fieldtest left to paint before I can give yall a verdict.

Prang:

From time to time, I like to revisit products I've reviewed previously, or check out new versions. It was high time I gave Prang watercolors another try!

Blick Vs Utrecht:

Since Blick is discontinuing their watercolor line, I finally got the lead out and started swatching and potting Blick and Utrecht watercolors. Hopefully I can get my review out in time to help people...