Announcing My New YouTube Channel

MicheleCooperCraft  is my new shop on Etsy

I've been sketching, drawing and painting watercolors on location for decades. Many of these  adventures are on my YouTube channel, MichelesNWStudio, featuring fine art tutorials and demonstrations. Now and then I have shared a few projects from the craft side of my studio as well.

I know that many of my subscribers on the original channel are interested in anything and everything having to do with hand drawn, hand made creative projects. If you're like me, sometimes you're in the mood to do something crafty and handmade. Other times, you're in the fine art zone. Rather than sift through all my tutorials and demonstrations to suit your mood of the moment, I thought I might divide my videos into two channels: one for crafts (like junk journals, handmade sketchbooks, handmade crafts, etc.) and the other continuing to feature fine arts like watercolor painting, sketching, plein air, urban sketching, etc.)

If you have a favorite tutorial on my handcrafted pocket sketchbooks and it's already on my MichelesNWStudio channel, I will leave it there. Going forward, however, I will limit that channel to fine arts demonstrations, tutorials and sketchbooks done on location. The Iris Field tutorial is one of the most popular watercolor videos.

Here's one of the new pocket sketchbooks on my MicheleCooperCrafts channel.

Pop on over to my new MicheleCooperCrafts channel and subscribe so that you won't miss out on all the new videos I'll be posting in the next few days and weeks. Psst! I'm participating in a global junk journal challenge and I can't wait to show you what I made!

Yes, yes, I know. I haven't posted the rest of my Inktober sketches yet and this is the last day! Don't worry. It's coming!

Annual Studio Open House Nov. 3

"Snow Bird" Art Lesson on DVD

Our 24th Annual Studio Open House takes place on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018. Hours: 10am-12:00 and 3:00-7pm

5-7pm: Wine, Cheese, Nibbles and a drawing for $100 worth of Art from Michele's NW Studio

We are excited to show new works and to welcome artists, students and friends. Enjoy some nibbles, conversation and perhaps take home a painting, DVD or just the experience of visiting a real working art studio.

Save a spot on your calendar and come on over! Please note the change in open hours this year: the studio will be closed between 12:00 noon and 3:00pm.
Hours: 10am-12:00 Noon and 3:00-7pm
Contact me for map and directions. Send email to michelec12 at gmail dot com

Your friends and family are welcome.

Try Prompts from Another October Challenge

This Doodlewash art challenge is open to anyone who wants to participate with watercolor painting and/or simply pencil or pen and ink drawings as well!*

*Participating in Inktober 2018? Awesome! Then simply add the tag #doodlewashOctober2018 as well when you post and share what you make with us!

Oh, the temptation! It was so hard to do this in black and white instead of the fall colors that I wanted to use! I saw these autumn leaves floating in our pond and it seemed so tranquil.......until they started sinking while I was sketching them!

See my IG for process and color photo.

It’s Inktober-Are you In?

Every year, people from around the world make a promise to themselves that they will work to improve their daily drawing practice during the month of October. They make an ink drawing each day and then they share the results on social media with the tag #inktober and #inktober2018.

I'll usually be posting my daily ink drawings on Flickr and Instagram. Go to https://linktr.ee/michelecooperart and select the link you want.


How about it? Are you in? Here’s where to get more information if you’ve never done this before.

For those who want the official daily prompts, here’s this year’s list.

In honor of the first day of Inktober 2018, I sat down at my drafting table in the studio this morning and drew a collection of my watercolor tubes, pans and pencils. All those in this photo are considered toxic, which fits the prompt for the day, "Poisonous".

Oct 1, 2018--Prompt is "Poisonous"

The pigments used in all media, watercolor, colored pencil, oil, acrylic, etc. may contain toxic materials. Most, but not all, of the toxicity issues are associated with heavy, or toxic, metals such as copper, cobalt, cadmium, lead. Caroline Roberts has written a comprehensive article about toxicity in artists' pigments here.

These are some of Caroline's suggestions on how to handle your materials safely:
 How to handle toxic paints safely

1. Do not use the same containers for paints that you do for food or drink. Well, duh, but thought I'd put it in anyway.
2. Do not put paint brushes in your mouth! Use a brush holder or a piece of kitchen towel.
3. Wash hands thoroughly after each painting session.
4. Even better, wear latex gloves whilst painting, or at least whilst using the toxic pigments. I hate wearing gloves but after researching this topic I will be wearing them. Simple as that.
5. Wear a dust mask if you handle pigment powders. Make sure it's the right one and keep it clean!
6. Do not have food in your studio and use covered drinks containers.
7. Since we don't want heavy metals in our rivers either, wipe up paints with kitchen towel and dispose of in the trash, not down the drain.
8. If you sand your paints at all (as an acrylic painter, yes I do) then wear a respiratory mask. Keeping the paint surface damp as you sand also keeps the dust down.

Author: Caroline Roberts