Usually, when we think of high quality fine art supply manufacturers we think of brands that are European and abroad such as Arches Paper, Holbien, and Sennelier.  We forget that we have a leading oil painting brand right here in Portland, Oregon.  Gamblin creates oil paints and all the oil mediums you could desire.  Many oil painting artists have Linquin and/or Gamvar as staples in their painting supplies which are Gamblin brand oil mediums.

We love that they're a small company, committed to being kind and making the best colors and products so they don't waste any artist's precious time.  We also love that they have many tips and techniques available on their website to help oil painting artists. Some of the topics include: cold wax medium, finding your happy medium, traveling with art materials, how to get paint out of brushes, how to store oil paintings, plus so much more.  See all the topics at this link.

We have many oil painting art supplies at our discount art supply store.  Make a no-contact, curbside pick-up order with us at this link.

We've been reading how much people miss going to museums to see art.  We miss it too.  Perhaps, this book will help during the time of COVID-19 because it's like having your favorite artist take you on a one-on-one, special, museum tour to their favorite works of art. 

This book is called, "It Speaks to Me:  Art That Inspires Artists".   In it, 50 contemporary artists discuss artworks that inspire them from museums around the world.  It includes: David Hockney on Edgar Degas, Shirin Neshat on Alice Neel, Marina Abramovic on Umberto Boccioni, Ai Weiwei on a Shang Dynasty jade, Nick Cave on Jasper Johns, Judy Chicago on Agnes Pelton, Luc Tuymans on van Eyck, and Gillian Wearing on Rembrandt to name a few.  

After perusing it and filling your head and heart with so many creative ideas and possibilities, let us know if you need any art supplies.  You can place a no-contact, curbside order at this link.

We love pencils here at the old "I've Been Framed" art supply store.  There are so many to love; colored pencils, watercolor pencils, graphite pencils, charcoal pencils, conte pencils, Blackwing pencils, Dixon Ticondergoa yellow pencils and on and on.  When we heard there is a book for pencil nerds like us, we thought we had to share it with all those artists out there who also share in our pencil fetish.  

The book is called, "Pencils You Should Know". It's a tall narrow book to imitate a box of pencils and it shares the history of pencils such as why the first pencils were yellow.  It's has great photos and fun anecdotes to feed that pencil nerd in all of us.  You'll end up knowing more than you thought possible by the end of it.  

If you need to fill your desire for pencils, look no further, we have plenty of pencil sets at this link.

Guess what?  That this is the 4th post in our "Oregon Artists Sharing Tips & Technique" series.  We're happy to introduce to you artist, "Benz & Chang" who lives and works in South East Portland, Oregon and who uses monochromatic watercolors to create magical, vintage-looking paintings.  He has had many experiences of spirits and hauntings since an early age which inspire the art he creates now days.  His large collection of haunting and strange vintage photos also inspire his artwork.  Today, he'll show us how he uses frisket and monochromatic colors to create a magical vintage-looking painting.

Watch his step-by-step video on using frisket and monochromatic watercolors at this link.  Make sure you turn on the volume so you can hear his comments on how he uses watercolor and frisket, plus his subtle humor.  

Make sure you check out more of "Benz & Chang's" artwork on his website and follow him on Instagram.  Thank you for sharing your magical art with our artist community.

Faber-Castell has created 3 fun art projects that mix different drawing mediums to create different, fun effects.  Although these mixing techniques are suggested for kids, we think adults would enjoy them too.  They show step-by-step:

1. their watercolor and salt technique
2. their wax cover technique
3. their contour line technique

The steps are super simple and should give you a starting point and inspiration to fashion your own fun art projects.  You can learn all the techniques at this link.  

If you don't have any of the supplies, you can make a curbside order with us, by clicking here.  We have plenty of paper, brushes, water soluble and regular pencils and crayons.  Have fun drawing your hearts out while experimenting with mixing different mediums.

Strathmore Center in Atlanta has a new virtual art exhibitions every 2 months.  The current exhibition caught our eye with the lovely, inky drawings by artist, Mandi Moerland.  In them, dancers bend, jump and balance on tip toes.  Moerland's inks flow just like the dancers whose movement she elegantly captures on paper. 

The full walk-through of the installed art on the walls is shown on Strathmore Center's website.   They also have a virtual artist talk with Moerland.  We like how Moerland's inky drawings were compared to the x-ray insides of Degas' bronze sculptures of ballerinas which very much look like a line sketches.   Enjoy the virtual exhibition here.  It will be up until September 2020.  

Should you feel inspired to do you own inky drawings, please don't hesitate to make a no-contact, curbside order with us at this link.  We have plenty of ink, brushes and paper to satisfy your itch. 

If you haven't seen Kara Walker's large scale silhouette art, you are in for a treat.  They tell gruesome stories and take up whole gallery walls that envelope the viewer.  In this short video interview with her, she discusses how she had early, art success and offers advice for the next generation of artists.  We also see her install her art for a show at Sikkema Jenkins & Co.  Her powerful art explores the intersection race, gender and sexuality.

Should you be inspired by what you see, and decide to make your own large or small scale silhouette art, we have plenty of glorious black paper to get you going on your masterpieces.  Place a curbside order for paper at this link.

Who is this kooky, French man who interviews artists on Instagram for Savoir-Faire?  Well, he's Pierre Yann, the laid-back and fun-loving CEO of Savoir Faire Art.  If you follow him on Instagram, you'll see him in all his charm and glory, laughing and playing with amazing artists who share their techniques and tricks in oil paints, pastels, and charcoal, among other fine art mediums.  

Right now, since it's summertime, they are emphasizing plein air art.  They even had a virtual conference dedicated to it last week.  Follow him for all kinds of art fun by using the link above.  You won't miss the amazing artist interviews, studio visits or virtual art conferences.

Should you need an art set to do some plein air art, you can order them online here.

We love all our forests and waterways here in Oregon, so we're happy to hear that Johnson Creek Watershed Council has an annual clean-up day.  If you volunteer to clean-up, you'll get a tee-shirt for your help.  Is it a cool shirt design?  Will you be proud to wear it?  We hope so, but we don't know because it hasn't been designed yet. 

They are asking for artists to design the 2020 shirt.  Not only will you be helping support this environmental endeavor with your design, not only will over 100 volunteers and staff wear your design, but you'll also win $200 for it!  That sounds good to us, so we wanted to tell you about it.  Click on this link to learn more about it.  Deadline is July 26 at midnight.  All art submissions must be black and white only.  See examples of past winners below.

Should you need any art supplies to complete your tee-shirt design, you can make a no-contact curbside pick-up order at this link.

Above are examples of t-shirt art winners for past years.  All art must be black and white only.

It's true camp for teens and kids is different during the pandemic, but there still are art camps for them during the summer.  They're just virtual this time around.  They still can get guidance and have lots of fun making art and learning new things.   

Strathmore had 3 sessions of art camps coming up this year.  The first camp they offer is for teens and it starts July 27.  The other sessions are for kids and they start August 3rd.  Get signed up and see all the details for both these camps at this link. 

If you need art supplies for your camps, please don't hesitate to put in a no-contact, curbside order with us.  Click on this link to place your order.

In this video with artist Melanie Matthews, you'll see her step-by-step method to using impasto acrylic paints that make a luscious abstract landscape.  She's easy to follow and fun to watch, but we're sure it's much more fun to actually make it yourself.  With the many layers of paint, we love how she cuts back into it to reveal the contrasting color beneath it.  We're sure this method will give you inspiration to create your own spin on it and make it your own.  Click on the link above to watch the complete video. 

If you need wood panel or any acrylic paint or mediums, we got you covered with our discount art supplies.  Make a curbside order for all that you need by clicking this link.   

Yesterday, we published a post about artist Lina Victor who believes you don't have to be a starving artist and that it is very possible to have a thriving art career.  In fact, we believe she said it much more boldly than we are stating it here. 

But all artists experience different things during their artist-hood.  For some, it's easy to get started.  For others, it takes a lot of trial and error.  There's no set way.  There's no set path.  However, there are some things that can help anyone who is striving for an art career, to find recognition and to gain an audience of adoring fans.  

In this article on Winsor Newton's website, they give some good steps and ideas for developing your art career.  One of the best pieces of advice that we read was preparing for the long haul, plus not doing it alone.  Take what is relevant to you and let go of the rest.  We wish you the best with much prosperity and an abundance of art collectors.   Click on the link above to read the complete article.

Pair that with some discount art supplies to keep you going for the long haul.  You can make an order with us by clicking on this link.

In this short video, artist, Lina Viktor, talks about breaking boundaries and dismissing the advice of art school to make her paintings with black & real gold leaf.   She is s strong, vivacious artist with a ton of confidence.  She doesn't believe in the starving artist and gives advice to artists who want to make it big like her.  It's beautiful to see her work and to hear about some of her inspiration for creating what she does.

Pair this video with some black and gold art supplies to make your own masterpieces like with Fine Tec Metallic Watercolor on black watercolor paper.  Get the watercolor sets online, by clicking here.  Order the black watercolor paper by placing a curbside order here.  

This is our 2nd post in our "Oregon Artists Sharing Tips & Technique" series.   Marybel Martin, a women empowering artist of color, lives and works in Beaverton Oregon.  She has done many different exciting art projects including shoe tags for Nike and a mural for Alt-Summit at the Ace Hotel.  Not only does she create beautiful art and illustrations, but she does art and wellness coaching.  Since the pandemic she has been hosting a weekly Zoom "Drink & Draw Party" with other artists from around the world and across the country.   She has been kind enough to share one of her unique techniques with us which combines traditional and digital art. 

Make sure you check out more of Marybel's work on Instagram. She shares artist tips on her feed as well as when she has her Zoom "Drink & Draw Parties".  Thank you for sharing your beautiful art with our artist community.

Update on ordering Art Supplies for Curbside Pickup at the Foster Location- 
Starting July 13th we will be extending our hours for pickups as we inch back closer to our "normal" business hours. Starting 7/18 we will be here on Saturdays for curbside pickups too- Woohoo! We know it's been a long few months with limited hours here for pickup and we really appreciate your patience with us during this time. Your orders have kept us going and fueled our creative ideas to adjust our shops to better serve you during this pandemic.
We've really dialed in our no-contact grab-n-go art supplies to be a pretty solid system. If you haven't tried it, we hope you give us a chance to show you how easy and fun it can be. We love doing the shopping for you! We appreciate all of the sacrifices you've made to shop local with us, the time you've taken to follow our new systems, and the grace you've had for us while we create them. Thank you for all of your amazing love & support through all of this. We are super excited to extend our pickup hours and be more available moving forward. I know it's not quite as cool as being open for walk-ins but it is one step closer to that. We do hope to be open again in the near future but we do not have a set date. For now, we will continue expanding hours and growing our curbside pickups and deliveries to be closer to our regular hours. 

The Annex location is still open during the week for custom framing- by appointment only. It's easy to book online and simple to change if something comes up. If you want to just shop ready-mades or framing supplies you can put those requests on a curbside pickup at Foster or book an appointment with a framer at the Annex if you want to see and try different choices. We hope to expand the Annex to weekends again soon but do not have a set date for that at this time. We will work with you on meeting your needs and always welcome any feedback you have during these times of reinventing our shops. Don't hesitate to reach out at any time and let us know any feedback that you have.

Every single day, I am filled with gratitude for all of your support during these challenging times- Thank You!!
Stay strong, stay healthy, keep your head up, and keep making lots of art!
Sincerely,
​Prairie

There are so many ways to make creative, imaginative abstract paintings that take your breath away.  In the video below, artist Patti Brady, shows you how layering several different acrylic mediums can make a gorgeously texture abstract painting.  She takes you through the whole process and shows you which layers need to be put down first.  You can watch the full step-by-step video by clicking on the image below.

We have many acrylic medium art supplies at a discount at our store.  Should you need any, please make a no-contact curbside order at this link.

It seems almost unintuitive to say letting your mind wander will improve your drawing skills, but professional artist Tim Gula's automatic drawing technique can do just that.  In the video below, he shows you how to apply meditation to art with it and explains the benefits of including it in your routine.  Watching him draw is meditative and relaxing in and of itself.

Should you need any drawing supplies to do this technique, we got you covered.  Check out our drawing supplies in our online shop here.

Black artists, Harmonia Rosales and Aldis Hodge collaborated on a series of large scale paintings to expose our cultural beliefs, both good and bad.  They called their collection, "Through the Looking Glass".  In the short video below, they talk about what the series means, why they decided to collaborate and what they hope it will accomplish.

Should this amazing collection inspire you to create your own collaboration or your own meditation on culture, we have discount art supplies for you.  Make a no-contact curbside order at this link.

We know more people are taking chances out there, wanting so much to reach out and be with other people.  When we do this, we know that to keep yourself and others safe we must wear our face masks. 

There are a lot of place to buy face masks, but we haven't seen a lot of people who are ordering white masks and customizing them with fabric markers.  Below is a tutorial and and inspirational video for you to make the best custom face masks!  Drawing funny and cool things on them shows your personality and your style.  Plus, it keep everyone safe!  

We have fabric markers if you don't have any at home.  Make a no-contact curbside order at this link.  Stay safe and have fun!  We miss you!

We are happy to bring you another fun edition of "Arts with Gabriel", the expert kid artist and his brother who knows a lot of fun art projects to do.  In this video you see how to make shrinky dink art on colorful paper. Click on this link to watch the full video with step-by-step instructions.  

​If you need any art supplies to do this fun project, we got you covered.  Make a no-contact, curbside order at this link.

This is the first post in our "Oregon Artists Sharing Tips & Technique" series.  We are so exited for you to meet Neil Cochrane, a queer trans artist who lives in Portland.  He tells us about how his method of doing art, "nudging", opened up new ideas for him.  Without further ado, here is what he told us.  

​I focus on queer portraits and bringing a queer sensibility to classical themes and images.

​Oil and watercolor

Make sure you check out more of his work at his Instagram page too.  We definitely felt inspired after watching his video and seeing his beautiful art.  We hope you'll feel the that too.

We still need a lot more submissions for our "Oregon Artists Share Tips & Techniques" series.  Please submit your work at the button below.

We are looking to amp up our art community involvement, so we decided to see if there are Oregon artists out there who follow us, buy art or framing supplies from us and support us who would like to share their fine art tips and techniques with us. 

We especially would like to hear from under-represented artists, meaning those who are women, differently-abled, BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color), LGBTQIA, mixed race, a combination of any of the above or something else that we just have forgotten to write here (So sorry).  If you'd like to share with our Oregon art community, please click on the button below and fill in the form. 

If we have enough participation, we'd like to post these Fine Art Tips & Techniques once or twice per week on our blog.  Thank you so much for all you do. We love you and hope to hear from many, many of you.  

You're qualified, if you:

1. live in Oregon
2. do fine art/illustration/traditional visual art (it doesn't matter your level of experience or which medium)
3. have tips or techniques to share about your process and main medium (could be mixed medium too)
4. have images/videos showing your art and specifically the technique you want to share
5. have a website or online place where we can see your art and we can share on our blog

Here are examples of techniques or tips you could share with us (just ideas to get your started, but not limited to only these or any of these):

1. A unique way you use your medium that you came up with on your own that helps you create your art
2. Something you discovered after you got out of art school or after you took an art class
3. A tip that saved you time, money or made it easier for you to create art
4. How you made the most progress on what you create
5. The thing you know the best that you could teach to people (do you teach art?)
6. How you keep up a daily art practice
7. How you create public art without it being commissioned (maybe, even guerrilla style)
8. The most important art lesson you learned and what you think everyone interested in art should know
9. Your favorite art brands and why you chose them above other brands
10. Making art on a budget
11. How to keep your art fresh
12. How to gain art followers or any art career tips

We love the unusual and quirky as you may know from our in store art collection that we display on all the walls and from being a long time customer of ours.  So of course, we had to send you some quirky Independence Day Wishes with these unusual and artsy animated gifs.  Some of them even give you some ideas of quirky art and craft ideas to do.  In any case, we hope you have a fun 4th of July.  You mean so much to us!  Thank you for being loyal customers and being a part of our artist community!  Fireworks and red, white and blue fun below!  

Let's not forget that so much of our American history includes our black Americans.  They have forged our country and deserve celebration during our Independence Day festivities.  We believe it's a great way to show our love of this country and all its people. 

Black artist, Kadir Nelson has been creating beautiful art to show us that blacks are full of strength and dignity and they are true patriots.  We can especially see that in his book, "The Undefeated" which he talks about in this short, video interview.  Click on the image below to watch it. 

When you're done, watch the video reading of the full book, "The Undefeated".  You can watch it by clicking the image below with the book's title.

Should these videos make you feel artistically inspired and you need some art supplies, you can always put in a curbside order at this link.