Angeline Marie MartinezEither paint or ink is on her hands...and don't mean nail polish! We went on a transAtlantic Cruise in April - May of 2024. We didn't advertise or share photos before or during our trip. We live in a place that house and pet sitters are recommended...so for our safety and those who help us, we just stay quiet on social media when we travel. I'm also pretty bad about taking photos. Since visiting Paris in 2011, sketchbooks are how I capture places I visit. Our first port was Funchal, Portugal. Andy likes to say we visited the African continent because technically, Funchal is on the tectonic plate of Africa. Ok with me! Exploring Funchal: Our First Stop We walked around with our friends Dave and Kay. They’ve been here before, so they led the way. Lucky me, a beer and pastry stop was planned…that stop being close to a pen and stationery shop…since my single fountain pen (or pen at all) ran out of ink within steps of the port. A Stroll with Friends in Funchal The painted doors in the streets of Funchal’s oldest section were AWESOME. From ugly graffiti tags to almost fine art, I would’ve loved to photograph most of them. I leave the photos to Andy. I’ll stick to postcards and sketching. Beer, Pastries, and a Pen Predicament I didn’t try to buy any fountain pen at all in Funchal. Choosing a ballpoint is quicker! I want nice, prefer a happy color barrel, and definitely retractable with blue ink. Dave and Andy had time for a pastry and a beer while Kay patiently browsed the shop with me. Discovering the Painted Doors of Funchal After wandering the streets a bit, we sampled some delicious Portuguese port wines. We all agreed the aged 10 years was the best. The Great Pen Hunt
If you care to look closely, you can see the ink and line quality changes in my sketchbook. You can tell when I stopped using my fountain pen and when I used a ballpoint. Sipping on Portuguese Port Wine Funchal turned out to be more than just a first stop; it was a delightful mix of unexpected finds, good company, and new experiences. I can’t wait to see what our next destination has in store! Sketchbook Tales: From Fountain Pen to Ballpoint All in all, our adventure in Funchal was a colorful and flavorful experience. From the charming painted doors to the delicious pastries and the rich, aged port wine, every moment added a unique touch to our travel story. And yes, even the pen switch-up had its charm – it’s all part of the fun of exploring new places with friends! Do you want to draw more?! Do you wonder what I use for sketching while traveling or just around my local area? Over the years, I've made my kit smaller and smaller. There's an ebook, free, with art sketching and drawing and coloring supplies resources here! You can get it just by sharing your email address. I promise, even our cats Mani, Niki, and dog Pirula doesn't get to know who's on my email list! Get it here! 8/13/2024 15 Monkeys Hi-Thinking of High-JinkingsAngeline Marie MartinezLover of printing, painting, stamping, stenciling and just playing with paint Oh the ways a monkey can look!
You'll have to decide if this is a troop of 15 monkeys...or just one monkey showing up 15 times with different feelings, lol! Every monkey has its own background. Most of these backgrounds were accidental by my pulling a print or cleaning my palette. They are too interesting to destroy, but too boring alone. Hey, hey, I thought of (capuchin) monkeys! Every monkey face is based on a stencil I designed and handout from a photo I took at a local restaurant. The restaurant's trees are often visited by capuchin monkeys, like the ones (or one?) featured here. Love monkeys? Then you're lucky! You can adopt these monkeys 15 Monkey Hi-Thinks Monkeys Designs by Angeline Marie Martinez or Download to paint your own monkey or Download your own monkey to color or Schedule a class to paint your monkey with me or ignore the monkeys and see what else is around my website, lol! Creative Reuse in the Art Studio Besides rocks, there are many things I reuse and repurpose in my studio. It’s not just because I can be frugal. Some materials are either difficult to find or too expensive when I do find them, so I won’t buy them. Why I Choose to Repurpose Materials I prefer to spend on the tools that are most important, like quality paint, canvases, paper, and brushes. However, I enjoy finding new ways to use things. It’s fun and another way to be creative. I get a kick out of using things that would otherwise go in the trash. The Story Behind "Hormiga Atómica" The window installers nicknamed me “Hormiga Atómica.” I had to look up this cartoon character. I took every window support foam sticker they had, along with some packaging materials. I love the nickname, lol. The Thrill of Turning Trash into Treasure Don’t tell Andy, but the other day I made an extra stop at the bridge that still had truck wreckage. There were pink sheets of stuff I had to investigate. What if it’s rubbery? What if I can use it for making stamps? It was just compacted thick Styrofoam. I can’t use it. Oh well. At least I can stop wondering! Off to the next trash discovery! Did you know I have an ebook about How to Start Drawing More? Download my free guide on budget-friendly (and expensive) art supplies! Angeline Marie Martinezdrawing and painting artist Upcycling Nightstands into Artistic Taborets in a Small Costa Rican Town In the heart of a small, picturesque town in Costa Rica, nestled between lush green hills, banana trees, rainforest, and vibrant flora, stood a new home’s guest room with large windows that welcomed streams of natural light. This is Angeline's new art studio, a sanctuary of creativity and inspiration. Angeline, a passionate painter, had transformed the clean space into a colorful haven filled with canvases, paintbrushes, and endless ideas. However, she was missing one crucial element: proper furniture to organize her supplies and provide storage for her growing collection of art materials. Discovering Treasures at the Community Yard Sale One sunny Saturday morning, the town held a rare community yard sale, an event that brought everyone together in the town square to buy, sell, and trade treasures. Angeline decided to go, hoping to find something she could use for her studio. As she wandered through the eclectic mix of items, she stumbled upon a pair of old nightstands. They were sturdy but worn, with chipped wood finish and a missing drawer. An idea sparked in her mind: she could upcycle these nightstands into the taborets she needed! Transforming Nightstands into Functional Taborets With excitement, Angeline purchased the nightstands for $15, a fraction of the cost of new taborets, and brought them back to her studio. She envisioning how to transform these humble pieces into functional and fun taborets. Angeline left the wood color alone, except for one nightstand. The top of this one she painted neutral gray to serve as her paint palette. Her husband Andy added caster wheels to the bottom of each nightstand, ensuring they could be moved around the studio with ease. To make them truly functional as taborets, she installed small recycled boxes inside the drawers as dividers, hooked plastic and metal tubs along the sides, and added a plexiglass top to the gray-painted one. Even the one with a missing drawer is being used for maximum storage space, holding rolled stencil material. As she finds stickers, she places these randomly on her easel taboret. The stickers are from refrigerator warnings, food labels, and stickers that she’s given and finds. The Final Touch: Bringing the Taborets to Life
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CategoriesAll Art In The News Art Studio Cats Classes Costa Rica Painting Painting Studio Pets Sketching Drawing, painting both analog and digital, and other artsy things while living in Costa Rica.
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