A critical source for any artist, might be their references, galleries, photo albums and other instructional materials and sources for ideas that one might use in one own art.
I have books and videos going back decades on this subject. Of course, as. one gets older, it is best to think about minimizing the amount of references or material one must store or have on hand. That said, I have not been able to give or throw away, well loved books and videos.
Let me start with my newest reference tools.
Color
The volumes on color palettes from Sarah Renae Clark. I possess digital references of Volume 1 and 2 of her color catalogs and I have played with several now, and hope to do a video or two on how I use these references to enhance my own art. Other resources I can recommend include:
- Stitch Palettes
- Name That Color
- Coolors
Image Generation
Part of my hobby is simply image generation. It’s a habit, or maybe even an addiction. Image generation stimulates an area in my brain that brings immediate relief, while stimulating the need to explore further or dig deeper into the depths of my imagination. I know that might sound fanciful, but I really enjoy this hobby and I can do this almost anywhere, with just my iphone, ipad or computer. I can be cooking dinner, standing in the line of the grocery store, at the laundry mat, or waiting in the doctor’s office.
Organization
In this area, I have to say that the tool I use the most is Adobe’s Bridge application. At the moment, this tool is free although I have a license for Adobe software. It’s also something I’m not sure I could do without.
Training
Another essential tool are Youtube videos from other artists. I have my very favorites and I will post a page on the artists that I subscribe too.
- My Favorite Artists Play List