It's summertime!  This is the perfect time to wander your neighborhood, or lean out the windows of your house and do some urban sketching---even if you live in the suburbs.  Black artist, Alphonso Dunn takes you through the essentials of urban sketching so you too can become a pro at quickly sketching buildings and people on location in the right perspective.  

Click on the photo below to be brought to the first of a 4 part series to bring you up to speed.  Make sure to click on the description and info below the video to learn the materials you'll need to do the project he is presenting.  He says that you'll learn the following things from this first video:

  • Review common materials and supplies
  • Explore fundamental drawing mechanics and techniques
  • Explore useful drawing techniques that help to remove the intimidation associated with direct ink drawing and enable us to handle the medium with   confidence
​  • Learn simple tips on color mixing and basic color theory, and creating your own basic watercolor palette

Of course, if you need any art supplies, we suggest checking out our many art sets that could get you started.  The travel sketching set is perfect for urban sketching, click here to be brought to the product page.

We have been seeing more and more folks out walking and biking now that it's finally summertime!  We thought before you go out on a biking adventure around your neighborhood, you could first have fun decorating your bike helmet.  If it's plain old black, this would be a perfect way to give it a bit more color and character.  The video below tells you how to use the paint pens to make your bike helmet extra fun.  

It also gives you an idea of what to draw on your helmet, but don't let that limit you if you have a bunch of other ideas of how to make it uniquely your own.  Maybe, just draw beautiful flowers or a bunch of crazy pattern.  Maybe, write things that make you feel good like, "Black Lives Matter".  Maybe, draw a bunch of your black friends faces to show that black is beautiful.  Whatever you do, have fun.

If you need paint pens, we have you covered.  Place an order for discount art supplies here.

If you're wanting something fun, new and surprising, look no further!  We have just the thing!  A Mystery Bag!  For only a few dollars, you can get a bag of art supplies to make....what?  To make whatever your little, creative mind can think of!  We thought this would be a cheap and absurdly fun way to spark your imagination. 

Bonus points if what you make supports the Black Lives Matter Movement!  Share your mystery bag creation with us on Instagram @ivebnframed and use the hashtag #ibfmysterybag to get featured on our account.  Have fun! Click the link above or the photo below to be brought to the product page.  We can't wait to see what you create! 

We've been seeing so many great murals and public art projects to show support of black lives and to end racism.  It has really inspired us and given us hope.  If you too have an amazing public art project idea and need money to produce it, we suggest applying for the Art Advocacy Grant. 

​The grant is open for applications now. The deadline is July 31, 2020.  Please visit the link above to read details on requirements to apply for this grant.  We wish you the best.

Of course, if you need any discount art supplies, we are doing curbside orders now.  Use this link to place your order.

There is nothing so heartwarming as a homemade card, and you can bet that that doubles, or even quadruples, during this time of social distancing.  If you want to get extra creative with your cards, we recommend watching this fun video, full of beautiful ideas to spark your imagination.  It's made with markers, pens and watercolor.

Should you need any discount art supplies when creating your cards, you know where to go to place your order.  Use this link.

Do you ever wonder what all those different mediums are for with acrylics?  Or do you want to know what are the essentials to get you started to use acrylics?  Or maybe, you just want to know how to put on a layer of varnish after your acrylic painting is done? 

Well, many of your questions can be answered by one of the top acrylic paint brands in the industry, Golden.  They offer free live demos 4 days per week!  You can learn so much about how to use their products whether you're a beginner, intermediate or a pro.  Below is their June 2020 schedule which you can view LIVE on Facebook.  

If you need any acrylic paints or painting supplies, you know we provide you with discount art supplies.  Use this link to place your order.

Are we open yet? 
It is still business as.... unusual here. 
We’ve been working very hard to reinvent the way we serve our community. As much as I want to fling the doors open and let everyone back in- we cannot do that carelessly. C19 sure has had a way of shaking everything I thought I knew about running this business. It's been a crazy, wild ride. A tough few months with challenges I can't even describe in a newsletter. Adapt, adjust, and overcome is my daily motto. I’ve spent lots of time seeking wisdom on what that looks like for us. I’ve had to entirely reinvent how we operate here. I strongly feel that doing that right will create a solid foundation for anything that lies ahead for us in the future. We will be taking it slow and steady as we navigate when to open.

We have not laid off any of our employees. I am fighting hard to keep it that way. If you know me then you know that people over profits is something I believed in before it was coined a phrase. It is what we are about- what this place was built on- and what will always be the core of our DNA. Our customers and employees truly mean- and are- the world to us! I have more employees than are allowed in one place right now. I’m offsetting schedules and creating safe ways to add more team members back daily. It is a process that I feel is vital not only to my amazing employees but to the community that we love and serve. It is not something I feel should be rushed. To be quite honest, it comes at a high cost to do things this way but I feel it is wisdom and it’s worth the cost. The temporary challenges of this virus can be overcome together and I feel that the only way through this- is together.
 
We take the health and safety of everyone very seriously. We’ve made many adjustments to our daily routine and operations to keep us all safe. We wipe down any high contact surfaces all day. We wear masks when we gather your to go orders and when we call you. Talking on the phone while wearing a mask is super challenging but we are mindful of covering our face while we talk and handle your supplies. We wash our hands constantly all day long and we quarantine any supplies that have been touched by the public. We have a plexi barrier at our new design counter for custom framing. We are always looking for how we can improve safety here.
 
It is my feeling that this new curbside pickup system is key to our survival in being able to serve you for the foreseeable future. If there is another shelter in place this fall or winter then having this new system firmly in place will mean that we will not have as much of a disruption in service. We will have things dialed in to switch to curbside pickups and deliveries with little notice. We are getting lots of positive feedback from everyone using our curbside pickup service. That means so much to us!
 
Curbside pickups are going so well that we will continue to offer it when we do open again. Many people like to shop in the late night hours and pick supplies up when it’s convenient. I’ve always joked that the world needs a 24 hour art supply store and maybe this is a way that we can get close to offering that. We shop for you as we would want someone to shop for us.
Here is a recent review we received:
“My first time using the online ordering and it was so easy!!! I also loved how I got a call to confirm my order and got to catch up with one of the framers. Feels so great to know that everyone is safe and happy and I’m so amazed (but not surprised) at how Portland’s best art supply store is still giving great customer service despite a global pandemic!”
Feedback like this makes our hard work these last few months feel so worth it! If you need supplies and haven’t already taken advantage of our curbside ordering- please give us a chance and see how we can shop for you. We highly value and depend on your support as we navigate this time. Thank you to all of you that have been ordering curbside! You have been such a huge help and encouragement in our adventure creating this service.
 
I understand that everyone is restless and ready to go back to “normal.” But we are faced with a new world and a long journey ahead as we all learn to navigate it. While it may be frustrating to many of you that we are not open yet, we appreciate your patience with us. Please know that we are working hard to make that happen. Those of you that do not understand our slow opening, or believe various things about this pandemic, please understand that I hear you. I understand your frustration and I am listening. Regardless of anyone’s beliefs on the virus- this has changed laws and regulations for businesses to follow. There’s a lot to digest that has shifted lately during C19 for businesses. Simply put, there are more things for us to consider than it may seem. Thank you for your patience. We closed our stores a week before it was mandated because we felt it wise. We will open them again as soon as we think it is wise to do so.
 
Thank you for being patient with us... Hang in there with us….. we have many things up our sleeves that we haven’t rolled out. Monthly subscription boxes for trying new things, mystery grab bags of treasures found here, deliveries by bicycle or electric car, and all kinds of creative things that my staff is dreaming up. Soon we hope to have walk up “window” hours and extend our limited C19 pickup hours to stretch closer to our regular business hours. We will inch our way cautiously, ever full of hope, as we move forward. We are mindfully considering how we follow everything required of us to do in order to keep everyone safe.
 
We have served artists for over 65 years and we look forward to getting through this pandemic and serving artists for many more years to come. Your encouragement and support give us fuel every day to keep going and keep growing through these challenges. I strongly feel that wisdom and caution are necessary during these times. I value your feedback as we go, I am always available to address any of your concerns. Stay strong, stay healthy, and keep making lots of art! The world needs it now more than ever before in my lifetime.
Sincerely,
Prairie Clark
General Manager
 
Need art supplies? Fill out the Curbside Pickup Order Form HERE
Need custom framing? Book Custom Framing HERE

That moment we have all been waiting for...... It's FINALLY HERE!
We are so thrilled to get through our waiting list and post a live link now that you can visit 24/7 to schedule an appointment at our design counter for custom framing. Thank you for your patience with us! It is hard work reinventing things but we think you will like what we have done to make our custom framing design counter safe and easy to schedule. 
​
Please read our new guidelines and info on booking custom framing HERE. You will need to note the location is at our Annex for these appointments as we will not be doing custom framing at our Foster location right now. You can read all of our safety guidelines and then use the button link at the bottom of the page to schedule an appointment at our new design counter. 

We will still be offering Curbside Pickup for DIY ready made frame kits and picture framing materials at our Foster store. This includes simple pre-made frames, pre-cut mats, glass, foam core, hardware, clear bags, and anything else that is easily done to go curbside. Anything custom will need to schedule an appointment for framing but all supplies and simple ready made things can still be picked up at our Foster store in our no-contact grab-n-go service there. Order DIY frame kits & framing supplies for curbside pickup HERE. 

Thank you for your immense patience with us during this crazy transition. It has been a lot of hard work to shift all framing to the Annex location but we are excited to roll this out finally. We really appreciate you all hanging in there so patiently for so long while we make it happen. We would not be here without all of you and your amazing support of our shop. We look forward to serving you in new ways as we continue moving forward together in this new world. 

See you soon at the design counter!

As a community art store which has always done things differently, we are committed to celebrating diversity and inclusivity in race, gender, sexuality and religion.  That's why we're happy to help honor black, gay artists and kick off June, gay pride month, with a bit of pizazz and fun.  Below are 3 links to help you find some great black, gay artists, including, dancers and writers.  

1- Mickalene Thomas is a black lesbian artist who started out by creating giant rhinestone portraits of her mother.  https://www.mickalenethomas.com/works/filter/paintings

2- Kehinde Wiley is a black gay artist who has painted giant portraits of men, including Obama and Micheal Jackson.  https://kehindewiley.com/

3- African Americans in the LGBT Community:  https://oxfordaasc.com/page/focus-on-african-americans-in-the-lgbtq-community/african-americans-in-the-lgbtq-community

There are not enough people of color portrayed in art, so as a way to correct that we offer you a list of tutorials that teach you how to paint black or dark skin tones and black people.  Black lives matter to us, so we want them to be represented and seen in artwork.