One Color a Day (and Bonus Blackwing)

 

Inspiration from A Color a Day, by Courtney Cerruti

I’ve been thinking a lot about color temperature lately, and working with primary triads has long been an interest. Even though it may not always show in my sketches (I love monochrome, too), I’m often preoccupied with color (ya think?). I don’t always have the energy or inclination, though, to make a full-on sketch just to satisfy my color craving. Sometimes all I need is a quick snack of color, and I’m happy.

That’s why I was excited to stumble upon a book called One Color a Day: A Daily Art Practice and Visual Diary, by Courtney Cerruti. It’s a mostly blank sketchbook in a weekly diary format with prompts every few weeks. Unlike most sketchbooks with prompts, however, its focus is not on drawing but on color. The book’s concept is to make a small spot of color each day and then write just a word or phrase evoked by the color. When the book or even a page spread is complete, it’s a visual delight! Go over to the Well-Appointed Desk to read my review of this unique book, which I’m looking forward to using (as soon as I fix the dang binding, which you can read about in my review).

I found the book at Wet Paint, a really terrific art supply store in St. Paul that also has an online shop. Whenever I’m visiting family in the Twin Cities, I make a point of visiting Wet Paint. Years ago I recall asking about an item that I’d been having trouble finding, and a helpful staff member climbed up on a ladder to get one down for me. It’s a lot like Seattle’s (now very sadly closing) Daniel Smith – a place where you can count on getting excellent service from knowledgeable staff, and it seems to be a strong local community center in the same way that Daniel Smith was for us. It’s St. Paul resident Roz Stendahl’s favorite shop.

OK, OK, I admit it... this is what brought me to Wet Paint's online shop.

I admit that the reason I was looking around at Wet Paint’s site was that I had heard the store had made a custom Blackwing pencil to commemorate its 45th birthday. It’s free, but the only way to get one is to buy a white Blackwing two-step sharpener. (Come on, we all need more than one Blackwing sharpener. 😉) Happy birthday and congratulations to Wet Paint for continuing to serve the Twin Cities while so many brick-and-mortar art supply shops have bitten the dust. My way of grieving Seattle’s loss of Daniel Smith is to continue supporting other indie art supply shops whenever I can.

Happy 45th birthday, Wet Paint!