A fun little discovery

Today I went to my art class and, partly because I didn't have what I needed, I spent the time learning a little about the internet art world.  And, then I spent the rest of the afternoon online, having a great time!  (oops, so much for getting anything done) Anna introduced me to Flickr. I thought it was just a place where you can put your photos online and then email your family to have them look at it (like photobucket or shutterfly).  Well, you can do that, but then there are also groups you can join. And, there are a bunch of artists groups.   For example, I joined a group that is called "Artists - show us your pastels" and a bunch of people have posted their pastel paintings (I learned today that people generally call them paintings, even though they are not done with a brush - it is because you are mixing pigments on a surface - who knew?).  I posted some of mine, and I even got a comment on one (It is funny the things that can get a person excited).  I was able to find several groups I like and to see artists whose style I like. And, it can help me with ideas and trying new styles and techniques. Some of the groups have forums where you can ask questions and get ideas and tips. 

In addition to Flickr, one of the groups had a link to a wonderful website called wetcanvas.com.  I have just barely scratched the surface of it, but it is this huge site where you can get information about any kind of art that you want - any style, medium, etc.  They have places where you can post your work and get people to critique it and you can view other work. In just the short time I skimmed, I learned about various types of pastel paper, how to improve how photos of pencil drawings look when posting, and a good fixative to use for my art that won't darken the color. SO cool!  I need more time to explore and figure out how the site works. It has so much on it I felt my brain expanding as I looked at it (hee hee).

I am really excited to find these sites, and hopefully it can open up my art world a little.  Fun stuff!