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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Wow, I love broccoli, too! Go, Rusty! 🥦

Loved this line: "So in the photo below add wet-dog smell to the odors of hot freshly brewed coffee, fresh fruit and art supplies." I LOVE the smell of art supplies - that wood-y pencil smell, watercolour paints, really inky ink that smells like ink, and my most recent art-smell fascination: white gouache! I only started using gouache at Christmas, and it smells unlike anything else I've ever come across... 🤣

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Sue Clancy's avatar

Yes!!! I love the smells of gouache paints too!! That smell helps me get into the playfulness of it all!!! I love using gouache in my sketchbook because the pages don't wrinkle as much as they do with watercolors. I love the opacity of them. How did you get started on gouache? I began about 7 years ago after two other artists and I visited an exhibit at the Portland Museum of Art - several of the paintings on display were made with gouache. My artist friends discussed gouache paints and their use in the artwork we were looking at...so afterwards I got a few gouache paints to try and got hooked!!! How did you begin??

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

I only have one single tube of the stuff, actually, in titanium white - I bought it specifically to play around with a 'bokeh' effect for the abstractish mostly-watercolour Christmas tree I painted as our Christmas card, inspired by a YT video by Ellen Crimi-Trent. Splashing it onto wet watercolour does something extraordinary! I enjoyed using it a lot, so I've used it since in some mixed media experiments.

I don't 'art' nearly as much as I'd like to, but I've been toying with the idea of adding a set of those jelly gouache paints to my Christmas list, maybe. Reviews range from the sublime to the ridiculous, so it might be a mistake! 🤣 Perhaps I ought to go for the proper stuff in tubes instead.

It's really interesting to hear that gouache causes less paper wrinkling than watercolour. I really enjoy working in mixed media (starting with gesso and acrylic paint as first layers) because a) the paper doesn't go crazy and b) I can paint over anything I don't like and start again! 🤣 Watercolour frustrates me on both of those counts....

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Sue Clancy's avatar

That's a wonderful way to start with gouache!!! I do mixed media too (as you know from my posts) and with gouache I can paint right over anything I don't like. I like acrylic and gesso for those reasons too but I've had some sketchbook pages stick together when I used acrylic on them. With gouache there's no sticking together and less paper wrinkles and I can go on top of the gouache with ink, color pencils, glue something on top etc. Fyi - when you do gouache on a board or paper to be framed (not in a bound book) spray fixing it is helpful.

You're artwork is very good and I encourage you to get a few tubes of gouache to play with. If you squeeze out a bit of color into a palette with wells and a lid and you don't use it all - just close the palette lid, let it dry and when you want to paint again just spray it lightly with water and you'll be ready to paint! Dried gouache reconstituted gives a different effect from the squeezed-from-tube use immediately method.

I like the Holbein brand their "artists gouache" series best. They cost (here in the US) around 8 dollars a tube. Holbein also has an "acryla gouache" series which is basically acrylic paints - not really a gouache.

Okay, so I've gone all art supply nerd wonky in you... 😁😘💚💚

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Ah, of course - you can work right on top of gouache! It has that very 'chalky' feel, doesn't it, so although I hadn't really thought about it before, I guess it does need fixing!

Your comments about my artwork are so kind - thank you! I'm just a dabbler, but I really enjoy arting. And this chat about gouache has reminded me that I do have some tubes of it which had been passed on by a friend who had finished with them. When I'd first tried to have a go (this was a couple of years ago) I found that the first two tubes I'd tried to open were stuck shut thanks to dried-out paint around the screw-caps. I'm going to have another try at getting into them!

I think 'art supply nerd wonky' is by far the best kind of wonky - you're a star, thank you!

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Sue Clancy's avatar

Oh good!!! Glad you have more gouache!!! Sometimes tapping the lid at an angle several times helps... sometimes I have to resort to a pair of pliars. However if the tube doesn't feel squeezable it's dry all the through... if that's the case don't worry about getting the cap off instead use a utility knife and slice lengthwise down the side of the tube and pull out the dry paint chunks into a small container with a lid. (Small tins of candy for example) Then whenever you want to play with the paint add a drop or two of water and paint!

You dabble really well and dabbling is where everything starts! I began by dabbling...😁 Please keep dabbling!!!! 💚💚💚💚💚

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Oooooh, I'm going to follow your advice on how to get into those tubes, Sue - you're a star!!!!!!!! Thank you! 🤩

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Stanley Wotring's avatar

Have you looked into doing some “scratch $ sniff” posting?

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Sue Clancy's avatar

LOL!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣💚💚💚💚💚

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Gary Spangler's avatar

A delightful tranche of photos and words! Both in service to living joyfully.

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Sue Clancy's avatar

Thank you so much!!! I hope your weekend is full of things that make you joyful!! 💚💚💚💚

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Liz Gauffreau's avatar

I love how you've added smell-o-vision to this post! Kinda like Robert Duval in "Apocolypse Now," only the pacifist version: "Ahh, I love the smell of wet dog in the morning!"

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Sue Clancy's avatar

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Yes!!!! Love that wet dog smell in the A.M.!!! 🤣🤣💚💚💚

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Kate Morgan Reade's avatar

Aw, Rusty and Hawkeye are helping with your healing. It is said that a cat's purr is in a frequency range which speeds healing, which is why they purr not only when content, but also when stressed or injured!

I love that hippo! These days, joy needs LOTS of feeding!

OH! I listened to a pod the other day that I want to share with you! It is a fascinating history of the paisley, and I see a lot of that stylistically in your artwork, especially the dots outlining shapes and such. So here it is: //podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/articles-of-interest/id1455169228?i=1000624620281

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Sue Clancy's avatar

Ooooh!!! Thank you for the paisley history!!! That was FUN!!! Thanks for feeding my joy!!!! Thank you too for your kind words!! 💚💚💚💚

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Kate Morgan Reade's avatar

You are most welcome, and thank you for telling me about hopepunk, which perfectly describes a philosophy I really resonate with! Your posts remind me to be generous with joy! 💚🌞🐕🐈🤗

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Sue Clancy's avatar

Yes!! Especially right now being generous with joy is a necessary soul-filling spirit lifter!!! I'm glad you liked hopepunk too - let's revel in it, enjoy it and contribute to the genre as we can!!!! I've recently discovered two authors that I think fit into the hopepunk genre: Kate DiCammillo and Kelly Barnhill -

"The Beatrice Prophecy", and "The Ogress and the Orphans" are two titles, one title by each author, that I loved. 💚💚💚💚

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Kate Morgan Reade's avatar

Oh thank you for the recs! I am always looking for good reads and am putting those on my list! Extra stars because you recommended them! ☘️☘️🌞

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Sue Clancy's avatar

Awwww thank you!! Hugs!!!! 💚💚💚

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Diane’s Blue Forum 👩‍💻's avatar

💚💙💚💙💚💕

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Marie Moneysmith's avatar

Your critters are so adorable! Love love love all of this, your words and pictures and ideas! Inspiring! Thanks so much!

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Sue Clancy's avatar

Awww Thank you so much for your kind comment!!! I appreciate you!!! I'll do my best to keep going!! 💚💚

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Amie McGraham's avatar

Thanks for the sensory (scents-ory?) overload!

Remind us: when do you get that dang thing off your foot?

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Alicia's avatar

Thank you for reminding me of the aroma of crayons from childhood. I never realized how much I missed my tub of crayons until now.

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Sue Clancy's avatar

Yes!!! In pre-pandemic times I used to give out small boxes of crayons as Halloween treats ... I still love the smell of crayons. And a big bowl of crayon "treats" is a treat itself!! 🤣😘💚💚💚💚💚

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Mary Hutto Fruchter's avatar

I love the phrase feed your joy, it is probably hungry. Wishing you healing!

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Sue Clancy's avatar

Thank you!!!! And I wish your joy to be so well fed that it needs a size larger pants. 💚💚💚💚

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Beth T (BethOfAus)'s avatar

Slowly but surely. Not long now and you’ll be up and about. I always love your orange fluffy pets. I love the thought of your dog near a broccoli treat!! Absolute joy. 😃🥹💕 And beautiful arting. As always. Happy sigh. Thanks so much.

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Sue Clancy's avatar

Oh I do hope to be up and about soon!!!! 🤞🤞😘💚💚 And I'm so glad you liked my newsletter today!!! Thank you!!! Rusty was shamelessly begging broccoli as I typed!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

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Morgan OCailleigh's avatar

Dancing hippos and wet dog ... love it!

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Sue Clancy's avatar

I'm delighted you liked it!! Thank you!!! 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

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Sheila's avatar

“… which reminds me to feed my joy even in the midst of all this darned ankle cr*p I mean therapy.”

This made me chuckle 🤭 I think my joy cup needs feeling with this darned knee cr*p 😆

Did you recommend me the murder mysteries by Louise Penny? I’ve read 1 and 3 and now reading book 2 (haha I didn’t know the order when I started reading so going around the houses).

I’ve also been watching films, I watched Call Me By Your Name (the dad chat scene got me crying 😭) and the new Wonker film! It was fun.

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Sue Clancy's avatar

Yes!! I recommended Louise Penny!! I'm delighted you're enjoying!! I too read them out of order - thank goodness it's not strictly sequential!! I've loved them all!!! And I wish you the best with your knee cr*p I mean therapy too!!! 😘💚💚💚

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Sheila's avatar

Thank goodness as I’m all over the shop.

Haha I wish you the best too! Little by little. 💚💚

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Morgan OCailleigh's avatar

Penny's books are excellent!!

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Sheila's avatar

I’m three books in after less than two weeks which must mean I agree 😆

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Sue Clancy's avatar

🤣😘🤗🥰😊💚💚💚💚💚

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Sue Clancy's avatar

They really are!!!!

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Jennifer Em's avatar

I just love your sharings!

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Sue Clancy's avatar

I'm glad you do!! Thanks for telling me!!! 💚💚💚💚

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Sue Clancy's avatar

Lol!!! You're welcome to the sensory world at our breakfast table !! 🤣🤣

I just got out of my cast March 5 and into a new black boot. I've had 2 physical therapy sessions out of a probable 8 or more. At this point I'm not certain how long I'll be in this big boot... I've already been given (because of the hope in it?) the next brace I'm supposed to "graduate" to and I've also been told I'm not ready for that next brace yet because I did really horrible things to my ankle when I slipped on that ice.

The moral to this tale is don't assume your feet know what they're doing down there during icy weather!!

Thank you for your kindness!! Please appreciate your working ankles for me!! 💚💚💚💚

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