Done With Classes (til April) & Lots of WIP- Patreon Newsletter Sunday, March 20th (Patreon)

Hey Artnerds!

The past couple weeks have been busy!   I'm FINALLY feeling better- seasonal allergies after a major hurricane always kick my butt hard. But I've been working on more Unbox and Swatches and doing voiceovers on some of the backlog, so I'll have more Early Access for yall soon!  I also have a break in classes- I don't have anything scheduled until April 2nd, giving me a chance for some mental R&R.

My birthday was yesterday!  We didn't really get to celebrate it like we wanted, since we had a wedding to attend early in the day, but I did get to go art supply shopping, pick up some pastries from a bakery, and have sashimi for dinner.  Generally, I try to make a big deal out of birthdays and milestones, since I think it's important for adults to celebrate and have fun too.

A little taste of what I've been working on:

Upcoming Unbox and Swatches and reviews- 

Paul Rubens Shi Yun and Shi Yun Neo 2.0

More supergranulating colors, because I honestly can't resist.  There are two sets, each with 6 colors.  The first set is very similar to the Van Gogh Dusk colors- a color plus black.

The second set has more exciting color splits, although very little we haven't seen before.  161 looks like Imperial Purple and 121 looks like Undersea Green.

The swatches are done, but I'm slowly working my way drawing and inking the mini fieldtests that will make up the other half of the review.  I'm about halfway through those, so cheer me on to power through! 

Paul Rubens 24 Half Pan and Pocket Palette

The Paul Rubens half pans get a taste of art supply redemption as I review a new set, and I checked out one of the adorable Paul Rubens pocket palettes.  The half pan set, ordered through Amazon, came with a mop (second image), and I was very pleasantly surprised, although the reviews for their brushes aren't favorable.

Schmincke Samples

No art supply stores carry Schmincke down here, and the super granulating sets, while super tempting, are also super expensive.  Kabocha suggested I turn to Etsy for relief, and we found some dot cards and samples.  This allows me to figure out which colors from which sets are worth ordering on DickBlick.  I like what I saw, so I've ordered Forest, Haze, and Tundra samples, and am waiting for those to come in.  I'll probably fieldtest the picks of the litter the same way I fieldtest other supergranulating colors, so while this is an In Progress project, it'll probably take awhile to complete.

Aowen Palette

While I hope you'll watch the review when it comes out, I'll save yall some time and say that I think thiis palette was rebranded as the Meiliang Pigments palette.  Yall know I'm a big fan of that palette as a student grade option, and while this palette has some pros in it's favor, it's more challenging to find.

SeamiArt Candy and Skin Tones Palettes

They couldn't all be winners, and there's no redemption for SeamiArt in this review.  I'd hoped that these small themed sets might be higher quality, but they're not.  Can't win em all!  

Supervision Rock + Mica Samples

Strangely, I don't have any photos for this one, but I'm wrapping up (exporting it as I type, so yall should see it soon) a not really review of three parcelled out samples purchased off a third party vendor on AliExpress, so I'm taking everything with a pinch of salt.  These SEEM like the real deal, compared to my Ocean Paradise set (which is the real deal), but I'm kinda suspect about these sorts of 'sample' sets.

All of these reviews are only possible thanks to the support you guys give me here on Patreon!  

For Basil fans, he's been doing well, and I'm working on slowly acclimating him to his adult cage- a three-tier rat cage with plenty of room to run and climb, in a room that Bowie is generally not allowed into anyway.  He's kinda nervous about it, so it's a work in progress, but what in life isn't?

How to Draw Anything Class 3:

Video: https://www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-draw-3-63970195

Presentation: https://www.patreon.com/posts/backer-exclusive-63841168

Sketches: https://www.patreon.com/posts/backer-exclusive-63841251

Printables: https://www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-draw-3-63840720

Backer Exclusive and Early Access: 

Backer Exclusive Celtic Mythology Papercraft Printables

And don't forget, the NATTO Scholarship for 2022 is now live!  https://www.patreon.com/posts/natto-63756469

New to the Public:

Tuesday, March 8th: Zebra Airfit LT- Artist Reviews Mechanical Pencils: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNB0BW2Wmgk (mechanical pencils, stationery)

Saturday, March 12th: Monte Marte Watercolor Palette Unbox & Swatch- Student Grade Showdown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5518V4K3v7U (student grade showdown, watercolor, watercolor review)

Tuesday, March 15th: Pen and Gear No 2- Artist Reviews Mechanical Pencils: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psm6r7Puyhc&t=17s (mechanical pencils, stationery)

Saturday, March 19th: Phoenix Watercolor Unbox & Swatch- Student Grade Showdown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGAAP_wmUP0 (student grade showdown, watercolor, watercolor review)