Menu
We’re kicking off the New Year with a fresh, new featured artist - meet Lindsay Weirich! Many of you may know her as The Frugal Crafter - from her YouTube channel as well as her blog. We’ve been working with Lindsay for a few years now. She provides artwork and instruction for our Art Instructor™ line of products. We are never disappointed with her artwork, her bubbly camera presence and her extremely valuable tips and techniques! She truly takes arts and crafts to a whole new level! See for yourself by visiting the links below. And do yourself a favor and follow her on Facebook and Instagram!
Blog: https://thefrugalcrafter.wordpress.com YouTube: (over 2,000 free tutorials!) https://www.youtube.com/user/thefrugalcrafter Online Art School: https://lindsayweirich.teachable.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindsayweirich/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefrugalcrafter/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lindsayweirich
From Lindsay: "I am a longtime fan of Royal & Langnickel, in particular of their brushes. I took a tole painting workshop in Orlando with my mother and one of the teachers gave us two Aqualon brushes to use and keep. They were so responsive with acrylic paint but they really were fantastic with my watercolors! I loved them so much I ordered a large set through an advertisement in a painting magazine and then I saw the Majestic sets and fell in love with those too! I think any time they ran a special offer in the artist magazines I subscribed too I ordered it! The quality for the price of the brushes are fantastic! I want to try them all!"
A: Like most people I drew and painted all through childhood and when I was in high school I started selling paintings and painted stuff like birdhouses, furniture and jewelry. After college (I have a degree in Communications and worked as a radio DJ) I taught art classes on the side and finally opened my own art studio where I taught full time and even had some other instructors teaching as well. As a child I was lucky to have lessons with a wonderful watercolor painter, I enjoyed watercolor but yearned for more robust paints and surfaces. After lots of experimentation I returned to watercolors, painting my way and it is my favorite medium.
A: This is such a tough question because I like so many different types of art. I often find I am inspired by artists who have a completely different style because it is unusual and exciting to me! Salvador Dali is a favorite of mine for his masterful handling of paint and his wild imagination. I also love the tender realism of the Pre-Raphaelites. I love the colorful and whimsical pies and sweets painted by Wayne Thiebaud as well as the somber slice of life paintings of Andrew Wyeth. My father’s favorite painter was Norman Rockwell and I also find that work charming. I don’t think there is bad art if it moves you. Currently I am drawn to illustration and some of the botanical artwork being created by contemporary artists in a old English style. Inspiration is everywhere!
A: Another tough question! I would love to illustrate a cookbook, especially if it was about desserts!
A: Watercolor
A: I typically start sketching on newsprint that is cut the size of the paper I plan on using. I like to get my drawing done on “scrap” paper so I can erase and rework it so I don’t have to worry about marring the surface of my good watercolor paper. Then I transfer my drawing to my watercolor paper with a pencil and a light box or graphite paper and start painting. I like to listen to podcasts or audio books while I work. If I get stuck in a rut and don’t know what to paint I start cleaning my studio and usually I uncover a supply that sparks my imagination and then I start creating with it. Although watercolor is my favorite I also enjoy mixed media so I have a slew of supplies on hand!
A: I have, however my parents were not keen on me going to college for such a chancy career so I studied communications and focused in radio broadcasting. I really enjoyed my career as a disk jockey but it was a very low paying profession. One morning while I was on air I was flipping through the newspaper and saw a classified ad that said “Artists Wanted” and I called the number. I figured if I wasn’t going to make much money I might as well be an artist! The person who placed the ad was a woman who had a studio who was looking for a teacher for a preschool art class and I got the job. I asked her if I could also teach my own classes and she said sure so I started advertising and bringing in my own students. While teaching there I applied for a job as an art director at a non profit company that owned a senior center and a summer camp for inner city kids. It was a great job and it gave me the experience to finally run my own teaching studio. The broadcasting skills have really come in handy though with my current business teaching online classes and YouTube videos. So the moral of the story is to learn at every opportunity you can because it will come in useful someday!
A: Don’t be afraid to “waste” supplies, don’t let them be too “precious.” If your supplies feel too precious to use get some cheaper ones that you aren’t afraid to waste because you won’t improve unless you create. I read a great quote that said “paint is only wasted if it stays in the tube.” and that is so true! My other piece of advise is to work through the hot mess stage. Every painting hits a point where you think you have ruined it and that is where the freedom comes in. If you think you have messed it up beyond repair that’s great because you have nothing to lose so you might as well experiment. Don’t be afraid! Color pencils help me understand blending on a different level. Don’t be afraid to broaden your horizon with different materials!
A: Currently the Menta brushes. As a vegan (someone who doesn’t eat meat, dairy, eggs or animal by-products) I appreciate the soft and absorbent watercolor brushes as well as the synthetic hog brushes for when I dabble in oils and acrylics. I am also forgetful and often leave my brushes in my rinse water and the acrylic handles won’t swell and crack like wooden handles will. Majestic is another favorite of mine as well as the tried and true Aqualon which originally introduced me to the line.
Royal & Langnickel - Art & Craft
