Many of the papers in our line work beautifully for shaping, molding, and creating 3D pieces of art. Recently a bride asked us about how to make a paper flower bouquet for her wedding, and we thought it sounded like a great idea! Many of our papers provide interesting textures and colors along with the appropriate weights that are needed to hold up to molding and shaping the paper. Also, using acid free, high quality paper is important to make sure the paper will last over time and won’t fade or deteriorate.
The selection of paper for shading techniques is influenced by the type of pencil used, the degree of darkness desired, the shading technique used, and the expression of the shading technique desired.
The key is to select a paper surface (medium or smooth) based upon the effects you’re looking to achieve. As a general rule, a medium or textured surface will be able to produce a more even, luminescent shade than a smooth surface.
This week we ventured into our local streets of Appleton, Wisconsin and gave away bags of free art materials! Each person got 1 bag that included a random Strathmore pad and a couple complementary tools like graphite, erasers, and a sharpener.
Our Black Artist Tiles work with a wide range of mediums that let artists create unique and fun pieces. The black paper extremely versatile and works great with gel pens, white charcoal, colored pencil, crayons, oil pastels, chalk pastels, metallic inks, and other light media.
Enter for a chance to win our ULTIMATE PRINTMAKING GIVEAWAY that is loaded with all the goodies you need to get your creative mark-making on! A special thank you to Golden Artist Colors, Gelli Arts, and The Crafter's Workshop who generously donated products so we could put together this drool-worthy prize package that includes everything you need to get started: paper, cards, buttery paints, 2 round gel printing plates, 5 stencils, and a 4” rubber brayer.
We recently introduced a full line of Printmaking papers that covers the range of needs from beginners to professionals. We have some very helpful downloadable PDF's available that explain printmaking terminology, different printmaking techniques, and methods for creating monotypes.
One of the fun things about working with a brand that has a long history is looking back at the advertising of the past. Strathmore Artist Papers was founded in 1892, so looking through our archives is like a history class in American papermaking and advertising! A favorite campaign of ours is the “Prominent Artist Users of Strathmore” series of ads that ran in the 1950s and 1960s. Each ad featured a photo and information on a renowned professional artist and the reasons they trusted Strathmore for their work. Artists included fine artist Andrew Wyeth, graphic designer Saul Bass, and illustrators Albert Staehl and Norman Rockwell among others.
What does it mean to stretch watercolor paper? Why & how should it be done?
Many artists soak or stretch their watercolor paper prior to painting. This is typically done on lighter-weight watercolor sheets to stop the paper from buckling when wet media is applied to the surface.
Jake Weidmann is 1 of 11 Master Penman in the world. We were fortunate enough to have Jake demoing in our booth at the 2015 Art Materials World Show where he worked on our new line of Strathmore Writing papers.
