Category: Artwork

POSCA acrylic paint markers: Review + new art!

I have been absolutely loving my new drawing materials… something I have never tired before: paint markers!

All the fun of painting without all the hassle! I’ve only been using them for a few weeks, but I wanted to share a review and some of my new art!

POSCA marker drawing. Photo inspiration @iddavanmunster (IG)

I am using a set of 15 colors with a medium size (5m) nib.

😍 PRO’s

  1. You get the opaque look of acrylic or gouache paint, without the hassle of getting all my painting supplies out, arranging them, finding and mixing the right colors. This is a big deal when you just want to relax and have fun without the pressure of using “real” paint.
  2. I have a set with only 15 colors, and that the “limited palette” is so freeing! I make do with only the colors I have, without over-thinking my color choices.
  3. You can mix and blend colors while wet! You have a few seconds before the paint dries on the paper, so if you grab a brush with a bit of water, you can blend the color or create a gradient. It’s perfect for adding softer shadows or mixing two colors together.
  4. They layer beautifully with colored pencil on top, for a more textured and detailed look.
Posca marker underpainting, with Prismacolor pencils on top. Copy of a painting by Abbott Thayer

👀 CON’s

  1. These markers are rough on paper… they tear up my watercolor paper very quickly. Bristol paper works better, as does a coated cardstock (I’ve been using the back of overstock art prints that I no longer sell). But I have yet to find the perfect paper for these markers.
  2. The limited number of colors may be an issue for some people, but you can always buy a larger set. I don’t actually see it as a problem… I like the challenge!
  3. I’ve been using the medium size nib, which can be a bit cumbersome, but I also bought a set with smaller nibs for finer details. So that’s not really a con for me either!

Here are some more small experimental drawings, getting the feel of these markers. I’ve been having so much fun with them!!

🔼 I feel like these 2 drawings should be part of a series called “Make Cat Ladies Great Again.” We need to reinvent our image! 🤣

POSCA maker drawing. Photo inspiration @aclotheshorse (IG)

Size: All drawings on this page are under 6 inches/15 cm, so they’re pretty small.

Have you tried any kind of paint markers before? Have you found a good paper for them? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

In loving memory

I am notorious in my family for making Grandma visit the Cat House.

The Cat House (as we called it… it’s real name is Pet Pride Cat Shelter) was literally a house full of rescued cats. I wasn’t allowed to have a pet growing up and I loved cats, so the Cat  House was one of my happy places. (Yes, maybe I was a strange child.)

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Twice a year my grandparents flew from the East Coast to visit us in Los Angeles, and my siblings and I each got a Day Off from school to spend one-on-one time with them. It was a highlight of my childhood. We would go on an outing of my choice, have lunch at Nagilla Pizza, rent a movie (from an actual movie rental store, that’s how old I am) and watch it in their hotel room. Just being in a hotel room was super fancy when I was a kid!

Sometimes Grandma got lucky, and I requested a trip to the Miniature Museum or Children’s Book World. But other times I asked to visit the Cat House. My aunts affirm that taking me to the Cat House was Grandma’s ultimate show of love because she hated cats. They gave her the creeps.

But I didn’t know that. She didn’t say a word, and neither did anyone else. She so much wanted me to enjoy my Day Off that she took me to the Cat House and, with a stiff upper lip and a smile that never faltered, walked around with me as I petted and fussed over all the pretty kitties.

Isn’t that an amazing Grandma??

Grandma was the epitome of graciousness. Classy, stylish, serene. Grandma never had a bad word to say about anyone. She showered her 3 daughters, 9 grandchildren, all their spouses, and numerous great-grandchildren with unlimited and unconditional love.

Grandma was married at age 19 to the love of her life, a love that grew stronger over the years. When my mom was growing up, Grandpa used to look at her with adoring eyes and say, “Isn’t she regal?” When we were growing up he would look at her with the same adoring eyes and say, “My bride.”

Grams and Grandpa were two of my greatest fans. Besides for thinking I was wonderful in every way, they were enthusiastic and encouraging about my artistic development. If they admired a drawing or painting I’d done I would give it to them. Not content to file it away in a drawer somewhere, they would get it framed and hang it on their wall. Even as a kid, I realized that having my art hanging in Grandma’s cool, elegant, just-so home was a great honor.

(Grandpa dubbed the drawing on top “The Mother-in-Law” and got a real kick out it. It had place of honor in their bedroom!)

When I would call to speak to them on the phone, Grandma would answer the phone like this: “Oh, hello Dena! Lou! Pick up the phone, it’s Dena!!” as if she’d been waiting to hear from me all day. No one made you feel more wanted and cherished than Grandma (unless it was Grandpa, of course, who was just as happy to hear my voice, which I know because he would say, “Dena! What a pleasure to hear your melodious voice!”)

At Grandma’s funeral last week, my brother said that she had mastered the art of living well. It’s such a simple phrase and yet it seems to sum up Grandma’s life. She lived well and did her best to make sure we lived well, too.  In her quiet, gracious way she was always giving, and made our lives so much richer.

I love you and miss you, Grams.

Inktober 2023

Inktober is a worldwide art challenge where artists draw one ink drawing per day. There’s an “official” Inktober prompt list and many other offshoots, but what I love about it is the ability to simply draw for the joy of drawing with no other consideration other than to experiment and have fun.

At the start of the month, I decided that I’d like to use great artwork as the basis for my Inktober drawings.

The first Inktober prompt is DREAM and this drawing is based on the painting “Flaming June” by Fredric Leighton. I used brown India ink, and also tried out a new pen nib today! Not sure yet how I like it, but I am enjoying the change.

       

The prompt for day 3 is “Path,” and I thought I’d do something colored this time. Not crazy about the finished results (too rushed), but here is my copy of “Reading on the Garden Path” by Albert Aublet. Ink & watercolor.

Day 4’s prompt was “Dodge.” I really enjoyed drawing this cupid! Copy of the beautiful “Eros” by Jacques Clement Wagrez.

I had big plans for the rest of my Inktober, but on October 7, war broke out and devastated our beautiful country. The savagery of the terror attacks and the staggering losses have broken our hearts, but the tales of heroism and the strength of the people uniting against evil have been inspiring.

The only other Inktober I have done this month is this copy of “Jael and Sisera” by Artemisia Gentileschi. I want to recall the biblical heroine Yael, and all the great defenders of Israel. Let us remember God’s command to wipe out evil.

There is a time for peace, and there is a time for war.

“Those who show mercy to the cruel end up being cruel to those deserving mercy.”

With prayers for the eradication of evil, and for peace and healing for all. God bless 💙

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To purchase one of the original drawings, email me at DenaArt@gmail.com

To purchase an art print, visit my online art store.

The official Inktober 2023 prompt list:

Podcast: Art as a Labor of Love

I’m not a big talker, but get me on the subject of art and you can’t shut me up!

In honor of February, the month of love, I joined Aoifinn Devit on the 50 Faces podcast “Love Series” to discuss everything from my first commissioned painting, Michelangelo, how to price artwork, and why AI will never completely replace artists.
Pictured above are two watercolor portraits I painted for Aoifinn, the first one of her lovely, elegant mother and the second one of her beautiful daughter on the cello.

EPISODE DESCRIPTION:

Dena Ackerman is a fine artist, illustrator, art instructor and writer now based in Israel, but originally from Los Angeles. She is a frequent presence on LinkedIn, and has a passionate following because of her relatable, personal posts, as well as her vulnerability around the challenges of making a living as an artist. I came across her through a contact on our inspiring Israeli women in tech series Fran Jakubowicz and have had the pleasure of having her capture some family members in her exquisite portraits.

Our conversation starts with Dena’s childhood and a house filled with learning, laughter and community and the first signs of her talent as an artist that were nurtured early on through art lessons. We hear about her first sale of a piece of art work and how she decided to pursue it as a career.  Dena shares the ups and downs of choosing art as a career, how she worked with mentors and a business coach in order to determine how to charge appropriately for her work and the power of an online community, most notably now, Linked In to provide support and fellowship.

We cycle then into other issues facing artists today – such as the advance of AI and replication of original images, and whether the NFT boom will present a challenge to art as we know it.  Finally, Dena shares her love of books and we hear about the artists and the biographies of artists who have inspired her.

Click here to listen!

Clean for Passover Coloring Page

I’m dead from spring/Passover cleaning, but I’m taking a break to share this coloring page I made this morning.

Last night, I was searching online for a “Clean for Pesach” sign that my kids could color and hang on their doors. I didn’t find anything great, so… yeah, I made one. Like I don’t have enough to do! 🤦‍♀️

Feel free to download, color, and hang it up!

PDF version: Clean for Pesach

JPEG version below!

I’ve also got some Passover character color pages. Hopefully we’ll add more of them next year!

Click here to print the Pesach characters coloring pages 

Happy cleaning, and Happy Passover!

😊 חג כשר ושמח 😊

Inktober Drawing Challenge! Day 2 & 3

Every October, artists all over the world take on the Inktober drawing challenge by doing one ink drawing a day the entire month. It was created by artist Jake  Parker as a way to “improve my inking skills and develop positive drawing habits.”

Each day has an official prompt. I missed day 1, but here are my drawings for day 2 &3!

Day 2: Tranquil

Day 2 Tranquil

Day 3: Roasting

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