It's Halloween today and we wanted to wish you a very fun and happy celebration.  If you are wanting to do a fun Halloween art project, we think you'll enjoy the 5 Halloween drawing ideas that Windy Iris demonstrates how to do in her video.  She takes you through, step-by-step, how to create 5 different drawings that include cats, cobwebs, witches' cauldrons, plus more. 

Click here to watch her whole video.

Click here to buy your very own drawing kit. 

Have you ever wondered how to use watercolored pencils?  Do you ever wish they looked more like watercolors that are smooth without all the lines from the pencils? In this video by Makoccino, she shows you a very clever way to use watercolor pencils in a different way than you probably haven't ever thought.  She takes you through a whole tutorial of how to paint 3 dreamy little scenes.  You'll learn how to paint sky, water and clouds among other lovely little natural environments with watercolored pencils.

Click here to watch her whole video.

Click here to get our watercolor pencil set, including a pad of watercolor paper,  and 2 brushed for only $20.00.

We have fabulous vintage Liquitex brushes for only $1 each!   Can you believe it?  Why?  It's because they aren't made anymore.  We have the last remaining stock.

Tons more are available than listed, so let us know if you need a larger bulk quantity. We bought 50,000 of them, so this deals will be around for a little bit, haha.  They are a short handle soft synthetic hair great for watercolor or acrylic.

Buy them at this link.

If you are confused about what all the numbers and letters mean on the pencils mean, this blog post is for you.  They actually refer to the different hardness or softness of the pencil graphite.  You'll need softer graphite to make darker marks and shadows.  You'll need harder graphite for lighter marks and more lit areas of your drawing.  In this video by Dan Beardshaw, he shows you what each different pencil looks like and gives advice when to use them. 

Click here to watch the whole video.  

Click here to get a great big pencil set for only $14.99.

Graffiti artist Michael 'Mad One' Neely II uses many pop culutre and graffiti icons in his artwork.  He calls what he does mixed medium since it uses not only spray paint but also stencils and collage.  He creates installations on the streets, works on canvas, and also on spray cans and tee shirts.  It's fun and instantly recognizable, making it highly visible and like-able.  Today, he shares with us the simple lesson that got him where he is today:  persistence and perseverance.

Website:  Mad1Art
Instagram:  @onemad1

​Practice, perfect, precise moves and repeat.

If you're looking for some spooky, Halloween-y coloring pages to make this spooky season extra fun, we think you'll love the free coloring pages that Portland artist, Melissa Kojima offers on her website.  We've featured some of her free coloring pages on this site before and now, we feature some of her more spooky offerings. 

She creates gothic art that she calls, "darkly whimsical" which plays with the darkness.  Starting November 14, she'll have her first solo art show at RiverSea Gallery in Astoria, Oregon, a great gallery on the Oregon Coast.  If you like her art and want to support her, make sure to mark your calendars for this momentous art show.

Below are the links to the 2 spooky, Halloween-y coloring pages:

1. Skull Moths - Free Downloadable Coloring Page by Melissa Kojima​
2. Conjoined Spooky Twins - Free Downloadable Coloring Page by Melissa Kojima​

Should you need any coloring supplies for the coloring pages, please make an order with us at this link.

We love painter Bob Ross and his happy, little trees and happy, little accidents.  That's why we were so excited to hear that Disjecta Contemporary, a Portland, OR contemporary art center, offers a Bob Ross Art Party every Saturday night during October & November.  There is the option to do it online or do it social distancing in person.  

1. If you'd like to do the social distancing in person party, click this link to get all the details and to pay.  It includes drinks and one canvas per person.
2. If you'd like to do the online option, they ask that you email them at info@disjecta.org They can drop off (or mail) supplies for a zoom party!​

You don't get much more Halloween than pumpkins and ghosts and that's what these 2 Halloween art projects include to make your life just so much more Halloween-y.  Both have easy to follow step by step instructions to guide you.  Both are made from Grafix Art sheets.  Click on the links below to read the full instructions for each project.

1. Ghost Halloween Candy Jar:  https://www.grafixarts.com/projects/cling-boo-jars/
2. Metallic Pumpkin Halloween Greeting Card:  https://www.grafixarts.com/projects/grafix-metallic-pumpkin-card/

Should you need any art supplies for either of these art projects, make an order with us at this link.

Some places are slowly, carefully and safely opening up during COVID-19 and that includes the Oregon Society of Artists who not only have art exhibitions but they have plenty of art classes and workshops. 

Their fall line up of classes not only includes in person classes but a lot of online classes in which you can learn art via Zoom.  That means you can keep extra safe, not have to wear a mask and keep learning art from the comfort of you own home.  Their prices are quite affordable and if you need some financial help, they also offer scholarships.  Checkout their full schedule at this link.  A few of the interesting online classes include the following, but there are so many more:

1. Expressive Painting with Instructor: Joanne R. Kollman
   
2. Saturday Pastels Session I with Instructor: Susan Kuznitsky
   
3. Life Drawing with Instruction with Instructor: Joanne R. Kollman
   
4. Illustrate Your Everyday with Instructor: Nicole Poole
   
5. Color Pop with Gouache with Instructor: Nicole Poole
   

If you need any art supplies for any of their classes, make an an order with us at this link.

If you ever are looking for inspiration or ideas or just want to support local Oregon artists, we recommend you check out Oregon Art Beat.  They are part of the Oregon Public Broadcasting station and they weekly feature an Oregon artist. 

After doing this for many years, with 22 seasons available to watch, they have compiled a huge catalog of some of the best Oregon artists who are doing some of the most interesting and fun things happening in the Oregon art world.  Sculptors, draftsmen, abstract and figurative painters, textile artists, collage artists and whimsical artists, plus so many more are all included. 

Recent features have included artists:

1. taking on Donald Trump
2. trying to find peace during COVID-19
3. keeping Zapotec weaving tradition alive

Should any of these artists inspire you to create your own masterpieces to address our difficult times, and you need art supplies, make an art order with us at this link.

If you don't know it already, we loudly and proudly boast that we make the best custom art kits this side of the Mississippi River.  And if that is an exaggeration, we at least know you won't be able to find these unique kits anywhere but at our art supply store. 

Below are the Halloween, spooky, fun, art kits we have available right now.  Click on an image and be brought to the item in our online shop.  Skulls, cats, owls, and Halloween monsters are some of the cool art kits you'll find with us. 

​ Find all the art kits we have made-----not just the Halloween kits-----right now, right here at this link.

In honor of the spooky season and because we thought you'd enjoy it, we are introducing you to Portland Artist, Nanette Wallace.  She creates ethereal and spooky monotype prints in black and white that seem like ghosts from the past that might haunt you on a chilly, stormy night.  She grew up in romping and playing in the fields and forests of Oregon which she says inspires a lot of her artwork.  We can tell she is also inspired by vintage photos and times long gone.

Follow her on Instagram to see her cats laying on her artwork, her printing presses that allow her to make this wonderfully, spooky art and to also see her oil painting. 

​She teaches monotype workshops too that you can learn more about on her website at this link.

​Should you need any art supplies for print making, click here to place an order with us.

We love the spooky season and know it's a great time to make some fun Halloween decor.  We've found a step-by-step guide for you to make Halloween decor from Grafix Cling Films that you can stick to any non-porous surface. 

That means you can create your own spooky surprises to go on doors, windows, the cookie jar, your soap dispenser, or wherever your spooky, little imagination thinks it is best.  Click on the link above to read the full instructions and to see what kind of Grafix films and art supplies you'll need.

If you don't already have what you need for this Halloween project, get all the art supplies from us at this link.

Artist Melissa Vance Goodman who lives and works in Portland, Oregon, creates beautiful still life paintings of fruit, books and tea kettles that also include dragons.  This makes her paintings both whimsical and spooky at the same time.  They invite you to come in, have a seat, have a cup of tea and pet these mythological creatures.  

Artist Melissa Alford lives and creates spooky artwork in Portland, Oregon. She's inspired by childhood ghost stories and is trained as a comic book artist. In her art, she explores the reality of devastation, despair, heartbreak, loneliness and all the darkest parts of life.  To produce her darkly enchanting art, she uses pen, ink and marker.  We love that she so adeptly uses black and white to create shadowy worlds that evoke mystery and fun.  Make sure to check out more of her art on her Instagram account by clicking here.

​Should you need any black and white art supplies to create your own shadowy and spooky artwork, click here.

Here's another fun and spooky Halloween art project that we found.  This time it's made with alcohol inks on opaque Grafix white film sheets to make a spooky tree and pumpkin.  The whole step by step directions are easy to follow and have photos to guide you.  It even lets you know how to protect it when you're done.  Follow the link above to read all the directions.  

Should you need any alchohol inks or Grafix art supplies, click here.

We're all about the spooky art since it's October and the spooky season.  We have found a few spooky art and craft projects for you during this time of year.  Below is a project that you can learn to make by watching the full video at this link.  It requires several Grafix art supplies to create it.  Here's what you'll learn in the video:

Create a spooky shadow box this Halloween, designed by Cat Kerr, using :

1. Grafix Computer
2. Grafix Adhesive-Backed Film,
3. Metallic Foil Board and
4. Funky Film.

Should you need any Grafix art supplies, please make an order with us at this link.

Tania Ahmed takes you on wonderful journeys to create wonderful art and crafts made with Grafix Art Supplies.  On her Instagram account, you'll find a multitude of demos that you can follow along with to make your own creations.  Grafix has plastic papers in a range of colors as well as stencils and other amazing products.  You won't be overwhelmed when you follow Tania Ahmed.  

Guardino Gallery has been part of Portland's NE Alberta Street art scene since 1997 and has been having an annual Day of the Dead art show for 14 years.  This 14th year has a wonderful collection of spooky selections that feature lots of skeletons and other spooky subjects.  Some are very much in the style of the Mexican festival and others are quite new and different.  Take a look at the whole show online at this link.

Here's what they say about the exhibition:

The 14th annual Day of the Dead Show is a loving celebration about taking away the mystique of death with art raging from lighthearted to deeply profound. This year 43 artists were challenged to interpret this Latino tradition and make it their own. This show features paintings, ceramics, fabric, wood, embroidery, prints and more. 

Opens September 24. See the art and pay your respects with two public altars. Mask and social distancing are required to see the show in person.
​
Lot’s of wonderful Day of the Dead art to look at. Just keep scrolling and check all 7 pages

Encaustic painting is a way to paint with heated beeswax.  But if you don't want to invest in some of the costly equipment such as the wax melting heaters and the heat guns, you can imitate the look with acrylic mediums. 

In this video, they talk about all the little secrets to making acrylics have a very similar look.  They are clever tips and techniques that gives the mediums that lovely waxy translucent looking surface that encaustic paintings all have.

Watch the full video at this link.

Get all the faux encaustic acrylic medium supplies you need at I've Been Framed.