Karin Wanderer Learns

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As of the day this article is posted, we will be 45% of the way through 2024. Now is a good time for my resolution review! My overarching goal every year is “make better choices than last year.” I have been sticking to that, albeit a bit differently than I planned. Originally my goal had been focused around making the doctors appointments I had been procrastinating, but when I lost my health insurance (woooo! USA! USA!)I needed a new plan. Instead I have been focused on eating better & exercising more- the boring resolutions.

Eat Your Greens

All 5 of my specific goals for 2024 have been focused on art. Here they are, listed in order of what I thought (in January) would be least to most challenging: Let’s See How I’m Doing!

Goal 1: New Art Challenge Approaching!

I wanted to create my own art challenge to see/share other peoples’ art, to entertain people, & to help me stay focused on a single category of painting instead of flitting from one topic to the next at random..

How Am I Doing So Far: Success! Check out #KWPrompts for more info on the current theme (as of this article’s posting, it’s #Plants!) #KWPrompts is the most laid-back art challenge on the internet. You can submit a new picture every day, work on one picture for the whole challenge, or post pictures randomly. You have plenty of time to make your art however you want. Now instead of bouncing from subject to subject without rhyme or reason, I spend 2 weeks on a single theme. I love it!

The #Cryptid prompt brought us Shrimpzilla, hallowed be Her name

Goal 2: Feature More Artists!

I should have put this goal way at the end with the harder stuff. For my featured artist articles I research the artist, reading everything I can get my hands on that they’ve written (including picture books) & viewing every piece of their art I can get in front of my eyes. (I have a fantastic library network available to me, but having to wait on hold lists makes everything move in fits & starts.) Then I write about the artist & review a few of their picture books before picking a few things from their work to paint myself & accompany the article. It is a labor of love, with a whole lot of love, but also a whole lot of labor. Originally I had thought to interview some artists directly (online), which would reduce my workload a bit. I guess I forgot how bad I am at reaching out & asking for help? I get so anxious thinking about it that I haven’t even made a list of artists I might reach out to.

How Am I Doing So Far: Bad. Trying to research Tomie dePaola – who worked on over 200 picture books – broke me entirely. My featured artists series will continue- but slowly. If there is an artist who you think should be featured, let me know on Mastodon, Ko-Fi, or BlueSky.

Do yourself a favor: read My Beijing by Nie Jun

Goal 3: Expand My Shop

This one is pretty self-explanatory, I want to expand my shop & update it more frequently. How Am I Doing So Far: Success! My Ko-Fi shop has my art available digitally. My Spring shop has useful art on mugs, notebooks, & practically indestructible vinyl stickers for you to stick on other useful things! [A portion of all sales go to help support the LA Food Bank.]

I’m even getting better at updating my shop frequently! If there is a piece you wish I sold, let me know- I will add it & send you a coupon code

Imp Cat is waiting for you

Goal 4: Tell Everyone How Awesome Animals Are

News flash: Animals are fantastically wonderfully great, folks. My goal is to get the picture book I have been writing about Marine Animals to the “dummy” (or mock-up) stage! How Am I Doing So Far: OK, but I’ve hit a surprising snag. I paint very small, because I like it & because I have no money to buy more watercolors & paper. Unfortunately, my standard 3x3 inch squares are too small for this project! I need my paintings to be as big or bigger than the picture book page, because you can size something down & have it look nice but that doesn’t work in reverse. I am trying to paint larger pieces & conserve materials at the same time, which leads to me painting lots of small pieces to test things out & then one larger piece to see if the details work on a larger scale. It is quite frustrating to work like this (why yes you can help me, thank you muchly!) I am enjoying the work though, & I’ve gotten a lot done. I am learning so much at every step, & I really love the process.

Damselflies hold their wings together, dragonflies stretch theirs out to either side.

Goal 5: Touch Grass, Seek Inspiration

I thought this was the hardest goal I’ve set. I want to spend this year experiencing a wider range of art. My plan involved going to Museums, Galleries, Art Fairs, etc., or just walking around outside taking pictures. Why was I thinking this would be the hardest? Because I have agoraphobia.

How Am I Doing So Far: Pretty good, all things considered. I haven’t made it to many museums, because I'm terrible at remembering when their free admission days are, but I have been going out & walking around more. I am very lucky to live in a neighborhood where every building has at least a small yard, & most are full of lovely plants!

Whatever works, right?

There we have it- 6 month’s worth of work. Sometimes it can be frustrating, sometimes it feels like I'm making no progress at all. When it gets to be too much I imagine I am running a Couch to 5k. My first goal would not be “run 5k”, or even “run 1k”– it would probably be “stretch really well” or “walk around the block.” It is a good way to remind myself that “slow & steady wins the race.” Also I hate running, so it's always nice to remember I'm actually not training for a 5k. Everything seems easier compared to long-distance running! Perspective is important.

Overall I’ve made decent progress on my goals so far. Touching base halfway through the year is always useful to me. I wonder how much progress I’ll make over the next 6 months!

But enough about me, how are your resolutions going? Let me know on Mastodon, Ko-Fi, or BlueSky! I'll save you a search through a broken engine: the title is from “Pictures of Success” by Rilo Kiley

Buy my art on mugs, notebooks, & vinyl stickers in my Shop!

Donate to support my works & get cool perks on Ko-Fi

Join us for #KWPrompts, a biweekly art challenge!

Find me on Linktree

• All pictures posted are my own work.
• All reviews are my own unpaid & unsolicited opinions.

Every 2 weeks I post a new art challenge prompt! The new #KWPrompts is #Plants

Water Lily

Don’t want to limit yourself to already established plants? You don’t have to! Make traditional plants, or ones nobody has seen before, or ones nobody should ever see! Let’s spend the next 2 weeks playing with plants!

Ferns

You can submit a new picture every day, work on one picture for 2 weeks, or post pictures randomly. This is the most laid-back art challenge on the internet, & that means you have plenty of time to make your art however you want. Just make sure you tag me @KarinWanderer so I see it!

Ginger

Use #KWPrompts #Plants &/or tag me so I can see how you think!

Pick your social & post your art! Mastodon Bluesky Cara

All art styles & skill levels are welcome- beginner to expert, renaissance painting to rough sketch! No AI, Yes alt text, CW as needed.

I don’t know what kind of flower this is. Do you?

I'll save you a search through a broken engine: the title is from Emily Dickinson's We Should Not Mind So Small A Flower Have a fantastic day, draw something for my art challenge, see you next week!

Buy my art on mugs, notebooks, & vinyl stickers in my Shop!

Donate to support my works & get cool perks on Ko-Fi

Join us for #KWPrompts, a biweekly art challenge!

Find me on Linktree

• All pictures posted are my own work.
• All reviews are my own unpaid & unsolicited opinions.

I was going to write a whole article about how important it is to take breaks, but instead I’m going to lead by example. Please, take however long you were going to spend reading this week’s blog & take a break instead. Drink some water, breathe a little, relax your jaw.

We’ll get back to our regularly scheduled program next Tuesday. See you then!

Buy my art on mugs, notebooks, & vinyl stickers in my Shop!

Donate to support my works & get cool perks on Ko-Fi

Join us for #KWPrompts, a biweekly art challenge!

Find me on Linktree

• All pictures posted are my own work.
• All reviews are my own unpaid & unsolicited opinions.

Every 2 weeks I post a new art challenge prompt! The new #KWPrompts is #Cryptid

Lake monsters of the USA, just looking for a polling station…

What is a Cryptid?

Cryptids are animals that might exist, but no one has proven it so far. Sasquatch, Merfolk, Xenomorphs, Mothman… The list is nearly endless! Don’t want to limit yourself to already established cryptids? You don't have to! Make traditional cryptids, or ones nobody has seen before, or ones nobody should ever see! Let’s spend the next 2 weeks playing with Cryptids!

Swamp Dragon

You can submit a new picture every day, work on one picture for 2 weeks, or post pictures randomly. This is the most laid-back art challenge on the internet, & that means you have plenty of time to make your art however you want. Just make sure you tag me @KarinWanderer so I see it!

Cockatrice

Use #KWPrompts #Cryptid &/or tag me so I can see how you think!

Pick your social & post your art! Mastodon Bluesky IG

All art styles & skill levels are welcome- beginner to expert, renaissance painting to rough sketch! No AI, Yes alt text, CW as needed.

Basilisk

Good news, everyone! Many of my paintings are available as useful art in my Wandering Art Shop! Get them on mugs, notebooks, & practically indestructible vinyl stickers for you to put on even more useful things!

Have a fantastic day, draw something for my art challenge, see you next week!

Buy my art on mugs, notebooks, & vinyl stickers in my Shop!

Donate to support my works & get cool perks on Ko-Fi

Join us for #KWPrompts, a biweekly art challenge!

Find me on Linktree

• All pictures posted are my own work.
• All reviews are my own unpaid & unsolicited opinions.

Long ago when we were young, the esteemed Wolfe3D visited this blog & showed us how to make delicious homemade pizza! That recipe makes 4 pizza’s worth of dough from scratch. This week I’ll be showing you 2 wonderful recipes you can make with that dough! (You could also make these recipes with store-bought pizza dough if you like.) These recipes are great if you are out of pizza toppings or not in the mood for pizza (which I have been assured happens, although I don’t quite believe it.) Each recipe uses 1 pizza’s worth of dough

Fougasse

Fougasse is kind of like French focaccia. Back in the days when wood-fired ovens were cutting-edge technology, fougasse was used as a sort of “test loaf” to make sure the oven was the right temperature for further baking. This recipe is super easy, delicious, & fast! It is also highly customizable; I tend to make it with whatever I have on hand. Even if all you have is pizza dough & olive oil this makes a delicious bread!

Baked Fougasse

Ingredients

• One pizza dough
• Olive oil
• Dried or fresh herbs, finely grated cheese, or sea salt (optional)

Unbaked Fougasse

Instructions

• Shape the pizza dough like a leaf, then use a sharp knife to make the slashes for the leaf’s veins.
• Pull the cuts further apart than I did so they stay open while baking.
• Let rest for 20 minutes
• Brush generously with olive oil
• Sprinkle on any toppings- keep it light!
• Bake 20 minutes at 425 F (220 c)
• It is common to brush on even more oil after the fougasse comes out of the oven. I tend to skip this step.
• This bread cools quickly!

Scallion Pancake Bread

This bread is everything you love about scallion pancakes, in a delicious loaf of bread. I like to say it’s healthier due to being baked instead of fried, but eating the entire loaf in one sitting probably negates that. Worth it!

Baked Scallion Pancake Bread

Ingredients

• One pizza dough
• Toasted sesame oil
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Scallions (green onions), sliced

Instructions

Unrolled Scallion Pancake Bread

• Stretch out the dough, brush with toasted sesame oil, sprinkle on sesame seeds and lots of green onions. Roll tightly into a long skinny log.

Rolled Scallion Pancake Bread

• Curl dough into a spiral
• Let rest 30 min

Ready to bake!

• Brush on more sesame oil and seeds and a little salt.
• Bake 35 min @ 400 F (205 c)
• Bake until very nicely browned; stuffed dough bakes slow!
• Give this bread a good long time to cool

Enjoy!

I hope you like these recipes. If you make them, please post pictures & tag me (@KarinWanderer on all the socials). We'll be back next week with a brand-new #KWPrompts art challenge, & the week after that I'll be back to geeking out about color in my ColorFull series.

Until then, the current #KWPrompts art challenge is ongoing! We still have another week of the #CoolCats art prompt Check out the #KWPrompts list for more information!

Help Us Fight Food Insecurity!

My digital art is available as Charity Bundles in my Ko-Fi shop! Buy a bundle & support the LA Food Bank!

Buy my art on mugs, notebooks, & vinyl stickers in my Shop!

Donate to support my works & get cool perks on Ko-Fi

Join us for #KWPrompts, a biweekly art challenge!

Find me on Linktree

• All pictures posted are my own work.
• All reviews are my own unpaid & unsolicited opinions.

Every 2 weeks I post a new art challenge prompt! The new #KWPrompts is #CoolCats

The Calm Before The Storm

Let’s spend the next 2 weeks playing with Cats! You can submit cats every day, work on one picture for 2 weeks, or post pictures randomly. This is the most laid-back art challenge on the internet, & that means you have plenty of time to make your art however you want. Just make sure you tag me @KarinWanderer so I see it!

Imp Cat wants to play

Use #KWPrompts #CoolCats &/or tag me so I can see how you think!

Pick your social & post your art! Mastodon Bluesky

All art styles & skill levels are welcome- beginner to expert, renaissance painting to rough sketch! No AI, Yes alt text, CW as needed.

If I Fits…

Good news, everyone! All of the paintings seen here are available as useful art in my Wandering Art Shop! You can buy my art on mugs, notebooks, & practically indestructible vinyl stickers for you to put on even more useful things!

Have a fantastic day, draw something for my art challenge, see you next week!

Buy my art on mugs, notebooks, & vinyl stickers in my Shop!

Donate to support my works & get cool perks on Ko-Fi

Join us for #KWPrompts, a biweekly art challenge!

Find me on Linktree

• All pictures posted are my own work.
• All reviews are my own unpaid & unsolicited opinions.

Welcome to #ColorFull part 3!

Logos are a bit of visual shorthand; a symbol used as an identifier for an organization in place of (or supplementary to) their name. They have been around a long time, in one form or another. Nobility had seals, signets, & coats of arms. Expert crafters, such as jewelers or blacksmiths, often stamped their works with their ‘maker's mark.’ Today, logos are a pervasive part of our culture. Even science gets logos: NASA’s logo is just as recognizable as their stellar photography

Take a moment to look around you. The odds are good that, wherever you are, you are surrounded by logos right now. There may even be one on the screen you’re using to read this very article!

This picture has a notable lack of branding on the electronics & food.

A lot goes into designing logos. There is so much variety! Anyone trying to come up with a new logo is truly spoiled for choice. Is your logo going to use symbols? Letters? A mix of both? Will it be colorful or monochromatic? Is it intended to be used alongside a slogan, or to stand on its own? Will there be different versions for different uses, or are you looking for a one-size-fits-all type of logo? The questions go on & on. Lucky for me- this is a #ColorFull series, so I don’t have to go on & on.

Color is Crucial

Color is an absolutely essential aspect to consider when designing a logo. To understand why, look no further than classic rivals Pepsi & Coca-Cola. I didn’t link to their logos there, but did I need to? When you read their names you were probably able to picture each soda’s distinctive logo. Just in case you can’t: Coca-Cola has a red can with white script reading ‘Coca-Cola’. Pepsi has a blue can with the Pepsi Globe on it- a circle with red, white, & blue lines swooshing across it with black or dark blue print reading ‘Pepsi’. These competing brands have such incredibly different logos that you could never mistake one for the other.

Color plays an enormous part in making sure you can discern which brand is which, even at a distance. Way back when Pepsi was still Pepsi-Cola its label looked quite different: red script on a white background. If I walked into a supermarket aisle these days & saw red cans with white script & white cans with red script, I might just think all of it was regular & diet Coca-Cola. Pepsi-Cola must have had the same thought, because as competition between themselves & Coca-Cola ramped up they dropped the “-Cola” from their name & changed their logo to the now-famous Pepsi Globe. The logo has been presented with more & more blue, until the most recent version is the Pepsi Globe on a can that is not only blue, but electric blue. Coca-Cola has responded by leaning heavily on the red/white logos. Recently when Disney Parks opened Star War attractions their Coca-Cola sodas had labels in Aubresh, but they are still perfectly recognizable.

Color is so powerful it can sometimes represent the company even better than the logo. Google’s capital G logo is just an unremarkable letter- until you add the rainbow coloring, at which point it is recognizably the Google logo. Do you know offhand what the UPS logo looks like? I don’t. I had to look it up. But I could tell you without looking that UPS colors are brown & yellow. If I see a person in a brown uniform getting out of a brown & yellow truck I will immediately assume they are delivering something. Once in Italy I saw a person in a brown uniform getting out of a brown & yellow truck & I was genuinely surprised to find out it was a moving company!

Of course, not all logos depend so heavily on color. The logo on your iPhone can be just about any color, but it is still the same recognizable apple. The same goes for Android’s logo; although the Robot is usually green, that is not a hard & fast rule. Do you even know what the “official” color of the Nike Swoosh or the Disney Castle are? Such ‘color-flexible’ logos can shift & change with the times or situation, but the color is still an important element that is carefully considered before such changes are made. You’re probably not going to see a pukey brown Nike Swoosh, unless that color somehow becomes trendy. It has happened before.

Now that you’ve read this, spend some more time paying attention to the logos that surround you day after day. Are the logos reliant on color, or are they color flexible? What colors did the organization choose? How does the color choice make you feel? What message is the organization trying to convey with their color choice? What if the colors were wildly different, e.g. a blue logo was orange, or a dark logo was neon? Would that change what you feel when you see the logo? How? Color psychology is its own whole can of worms, & so we will have to give it its own article in the future!

I don’t have a logo, but I do have an avatar. Do you think that counts? Last time in the #ColorFull series, we talked about how different people see color. Did you figure out your CPT? How do you think that affects the way you feel about different logos? Let me know! Mastodon BlueSky

Tune in on future Tuesdays to learn more about color!

We’ll be talking about how our ancestors made pigments & what they used them for. We’ll be talking about how we currently make pigments & what we use them for. We’ll be talking about how we physically see color, how we categorize it, & how we organize it. Additionally, we’ll be getting down to brass tacks & talking about specific colors! It’s going to be a wild ride.

My 2-week #KWPrompts art challenge is ongoing!

We still have another week of the #Animals prompt Check out the #KWPrompts list for more information!

Buy my art on mugs, notebooks, & vinyl stickers in my Shop!

Donate to support my works & get cool perks on Ko-Fi

Join us for #KWPrompts, a biweekly art challenge!

Find me on Linktree

• All pictures posted are my own work.
• All reviews are my own unpaid & unsolicited opinions.

Every 2 weeks I post a new art challenge prompt! The new #KWPrompts is #Animals

Let’s spend the next 2 weeks playing with #Animals! You can submit pictures every day, work on one picture for 2 weeks, or post pictures randomly. This is the most laid-back art challenge on the internet, & that means you have plenty of time to make your art however you want. Just make sure you tag me @KarinWanderer so I see it!

Use #KWPrompts #Animals &/or tag me so I can see how you think!

Pick your social & post your art! Mastodon Bluesky

All art styles & skill levels are welcome- beginner to expert, renaissance painting to rough sketch! No AI, Yes alt text, CW as needed.

Good news, everyone! All of the animal paintings seen here are available as useful art in my Wandering Art Shop! Get these wonderful animals on mugs, notebooks, & practically indestructible vinyl stickers for you to stick on even more useful things!

Have a fantastic day, draw something for my art challenge, see you next week!

Buy my art on mugs, notebooks, & vinyl stickers in my Shop!

Donate to support my works & get cool perks on Ko-Fi

Join us for #KWPrompts, a biweekly art challenge!

Find me on Linktree

• All pictures posted are my own work.
• All reviews are my own unpaid & unsolicited opinions.

Welcome to #ColorFull part 2!

What is Your Personality Type?

Forget Myers-Briggs, HEXACO, & whatever else is trending right now- the only personality type that matters is your Color Personality Type! I found this breakdown in “Color Theory For Dummies” by Eric Hibit, & I absolutely love it. I think this is something he came up with for the book, but I genuinely could not tell you if it exists in other places as well. This is because “color-based personality tests” are so popular on the internet that it is impossible to find a specific one! All of them want to know if you are a “red” personality type, or a “blue-orange” one, but Hibit’s test is different. These CPTs are much more revelatory; people are categorized according to how they view color & think it should be used. Doesn’t that make more sense?

What Are the Different Color Personality Types?

Color Conformists

Color conformists – you guessed it! – comply with the color stereotypes associated with the time, place, & culture they live in. They may, for example, have specific ideas about which babies should wear which colors or when to stop wearing white clothing. If society’s opinion of a color shifts, then a color conformist may begin to follow the new standard (e.g- the “white after Labor Day” rule is pretty outdated) but they will never be an early adopter.

Red cardinal, brown branch; all is right in the Color Conformists’ world.

Color Outliers

Color outliers recognize the color stereotypes that exist in the time, place, & culture they live in. Unlike color conformists, they enjoy defying those stereotypes. Think Pierce Brosnan & Dwayne Johnson wearing pink to their movie premier, or all the lovely games people play with bridal gowns these days. This basilisk is a terrifying monster in a friendly color palette.

Color Iconoclasts

Color iconoclasts are the exact opposite of color conformists. Color iconoclasts recognize the color stereotypes that exist in the time, place, & culture they live in, & they want to burn it all down! They are radical in the truest sense of the word- they want to challenge color traditions at the root. They defy traditions that insist they must wear a particular color for a vaguely cultural reason. Child Me was certainly a color iconoclast; frequently being forced to wear pink made me question the veracity of any & all color traditions from a very early age!

Color Expressives

Color expressives use color to proclaim something about themselves. Such a person may wear their favorite color all the time, or red when they need to be assertive, or funeral colors to weddings. They may dye their hair a color that they feel suits them better. They may be very specific about how they paint/decorate their homes- relaxing colors in the bedroom, fun ones in the den, somber ones in a workroom… For color expressives, colors are never just a nice thing to look at, but a conscious choice made after deliberate thought.

I want a turtle in my favorite colors & I will not let reality get in my way!

Color Fluid

Color fluid people are neither one thing nor the other—neither fish nor fowl nor good red herring! They combine any/all of the color personality types described above. They also are very flexible; they are more likely to shift & change which aspects of what Color Personality Types they ascribe to over time than anyone who identifies with one single type.

What Is Your Color Personality Type

So, what do you think? Are you an Outlier? An Iconoclast? A more Fluid combination? Have you always felt that way, or has your type shifted over time? I’ve been reading a lot about color theory over the last few months, & I have to say this style of categorization really appeals to me. I’m mostly a Color Expressive, but occasionally a knee jerk Iconoclast. I guess that makes me Color Fluid! What are you?

Let me know! [Mastodon]() [BlueSky]() [IG]()

Tune in on future Tuesdays to learn more about color!

We’ll be talking about how our ancestors made pigments & what they used them for. We’ll be talking about how we currently make pigments & what we use them for. We’ll be talking about how we physically see color, how we categorize it, & how we organize it. Finally, we’ll be getting down to brass tacks & talking about specific colors! It’s going to be a wild ride.

My 2-week #KWPrompts art challenge is ongoing!

We still have another week of the #IdleHues prompt Check out the #KWPrompts list for more information!

Buy my art on mugs, notebooks, & vinyl stickers in my Shop!

Donate to support my works & get cool perks on Ko-Fi

Join us for #KWPrompts, a biweekly art challenge!

Find me on Linktree

• All pictures posted are my own work.
• All reviews are my own unpaid & unsolicited opinions.

Every 2 weeks I post a new art challenge prompt! The new #KWPrompts is #IdleHues

I’ve been reading & writing a lot about color lately. This has been making me examine my old art with a new eye, & I’ve realized something: I hardly ever use the color red!

How is this possible? How can I paint so much without using red, a primary color? Simple: I like to paint with a palette that uses cyan-magenta-yellow, not blue-red-yellow.

These are all my colors, the wheel is my 3 favorite CMY primaries

I practically never use red. I very rarely use orange. I don’t even see a lot of reddish browns in my older paintings! So, Red Hues are my #IdleHues. I will spend the next 2 weeks focusing on using more reds!

Take a little time & look at your old art. What color(s) are missing? What are your #IdleHues?

Let’s spend the next 2 weeks using colors we usually leave alone!

90% of my red paintings are foxes.

Use #KWPrompts #IdleHues &/or tag me @KarinWanderer so I can see how you think!

Pick your social & post your art! Mastodon Bluesky IG

10% of my red paintings are fan art

All art styles & skill levels are welcome- beginner to expert, renaissance painting to rough sketch! No AI, Yes alt text, CW as needed. Have a fantastic day, draw something for my art challenge, see you next week!

Buy my art on mugs, notebooks, & vinyl stickers in my Shop!

Donate to support my works & get cool perks on Ko-Fi

Join us for #KWPrompts, a biweekly art challenge!

Find me on Linktree

• All pictures posted are my own work.
• All reviews are my own unpaid & unsolicited opinions.