Paintings by Angeline Marie Martinez
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4/6/2022

Using the grid in my painting studio

How I make grids on canvas

I now begin every custom pet painting with a grid as I learned from painting dog Nakita.
​

The ruler is a quilting ruler, if you’re wondering. If you need straight lines for any project,
this type of ruler beats the school ruler hands down for ease of use!
Quilt-ruler-to-draw-pencil-grid-studio-of-Angeline-Marie-Martinez

​1. After adding my own layer of gesso, I take out my ruler and pencil in one-inch squares.

2. Using an app, I add a layer of squares onto the digital photo of the pet I’m painting.

3. Once the grid is penciled, I can draw the cats onto these canvases.

The unique part of these cat paintings are that they are going to be done in “goofy style,” not “realistically.” The lines will blur when I add the acrylic skins and papers. The grid will still help as I paint and collage in the cats. I’ll show you how I keep using grids in later blog post.

If you’d like to see some of the custom dog and cat paintings I’ve done, please visit my
webpage about them. Click on these sentences to see and get a free ebook of how to
work with me for your custom pet painting.

​
canvases-with-grids-ready-for-drawing-pet-portraits-art-studio- Angeline-Marie-Martinez
Two custom pet paintings have their grids penciled on their canvases!
my-second-quilt-ruler-not-preferred-art-studio-Angeline-Marie- Martinez
This is the 2nd quilt ruler I have because my blue one was in storage. As you can see, it doesn’t have the lines across in grid style, which makes using this particular ruler very difficult when measuring out smaller than an inch increments. It’s in my studio…but it will spend more time hanging out than being used. If you want a quilt ruler, try to find a version of my favorite one!
​Read more about why I began cheating by using a grid by clicking on this sentence. 

3/30/2022

I cheat when I paint pets

Nakita-dog-painting-custom-by-Angeline-Marie-Martinez
Nakita’s face angle was tricky to capture, but it’s true to her photo. I repainted this cute dog a number of times to get her smile right.
Nakita was the last custom dog painting I ever drew free handed. I spent extra hours repainting her doggy smile. I learned quite a lot from painting her…including that 

Cheating with a grid is ok!

  • When I was a kid, I wasn’t any good at those “duplicate the drawing on the other side of the grid” puzzles.
  • ​I thought free hand was the best authentic way of drawing. Yes, I was a drawing snob!
  • Using a grid to draw is NOT cheating! 
  • Grids are TOOLS! Tools are allowed!
  • Artists through history even made grids using string and wood in order to draw a landscape before and during a painting!!!! Google it! 
  • If MASTER artists used grids, why was I suffering by repainting and remeasuring a cute dog’s face over and over and over again? 

I now begin every custom pet painting with a grid.
If you’d like to see some of the custom dog and cat paintings I’ve done, please visit my webpage about them. Click on these sentences to see and get a free ebook of how to work with me for your custom pet painting. 

12/1/2021

Painting Art Studio at Coffee and Patio Tables

We live in a very small, cute house while we build our new home in Costa Rica. 

This means very limited art painting making happy space. 
 This is ok, as I’m sticking to studying for a class I’m enjoying. Everything is small for this class: paper swatches, painting surfaces, supplies, etc. This is good…because as I make new things there is limited storage space, too. 
The first few weeks here were spent at the coffee table and the back patio tables. 
 I’m still spending time at the coffee table for things like collaging and cutting paper. 
 I adore my new art table. 
 We decided to have local Uvita craftsman Freddy make us this table. Here’s all the reasons why we love this table:​

  • This table is light and nimble enough for me to move outside and inside our “now house.”
  • The wood is bug and humidity resistant, easy to clean, and allows air flow through and around it.  
  • This table can easily be repurposed or incorporated into our common living spaces or my art studio. 
art-painting-on-back-patio-table-art-supplies-explosion-costa-rica-rental-house
The back patio table during a painting session. My heart brother Jim says it looks
coffee-table-studio-for-collaging-papers-from-painted-swatches
My art studio at the coffee table. This space is used only to glue collages, write, and maybe some digital work.
art-painting-studio-table-handmade-uvita-costa-rica-by-Freddy-with-Angeline-artistPicture
Me with my new table by Uvita craftsman Freddy. Wheels added by Andy.

8/25/2021

Repost of Cats Meow

Originally published at the end of 2013, this is one of my most popular blog posts. Simon passed away on August 22, 2019. We really miss him. He’s survived by Ghost and Tuxie, our yard cats. Blogger doesn’t tell me why a post is popular...just that it is by the counts of eyeballs to it. I’d like to think it’s the cat gods saying Simon is happily waiting for us in heaven.

​
It’s also been a while since I blue taped off a set of cards the way I did this piece, Cats Meow. I just began a new set from a big sheet of paper by folding the paper instead of taping and cutting. I’ll cut these out as I finish each. They won’t have a border like Cats Meow. The paper I used to love is no longer manufactured and the price of similar paper multiplied by
Picture
Cats Meow, ~4 x 6 inches, mixed media on paper, copyright 2013 by Angeline Marie
Remember those little paintings all lined up in a grid row? The ones I use up extra paint instead of wasting paint?

Cats Meow has paint, ink, and stencil experimentation. Simon, my studio sentinel, is often in my studio. Well, Simon insisted on appearing in this little card. Just like Simon insists I stop painting, sit on the floor, and give him love. Spoiled little cat...but I love him.

If you are wondering about the missing white border on the left side...yep. Lesson learned from sheet one was to make sure I have blue tape along all sides of the paper before adding blue tape to the center. It will still frame out quite nicely. It's my attempt to include a mat with the little painting.

If you love Cats Meow, it is available for $28 unframed and $48 mounted on canvas. Shipping is included in both prices. There is only one of Cats Meow because there are too many textures in it to look good in reproductions of any kind. It is currently unavailable on my website, but you may email me at  angeline@ angelinemarie.net for it.

7/21/2021

Mr Roboto and Disney and Mannequin

Picture
He Brought Her Flowers, 6 by 4 inches, acrylics on paper, $28 by Angeline MarieMartinez. You can add it to your home by emailing me angeline @ angelinemarie.net

This is a super freaky cool video about Disney animatronics!!
https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2020/11/02/disney-lifelike-robot-no-skin-orig.cnn-business

Disney, Disney, Disney.
When I think of design, logistics, story, I think Disney.

I totally love love love Disney. I could be one of those Disney super fans...but I do my best to let go of stuff instead of collecting more, lol.

Most rides at Disney have what Walter Disney called “animatronics.” These are robots that are used as actors throughout the parks. A great example of these animatronics are the presidents and the pirates. These animatronics have been used for decades...wonder what will happen with these besides updating and making more exhibits and shows?

The painting here is the closest to an animatronic as I can get in my painting collections, lol. I actually have the wooden mannequin as well as a plaster lady’s face and the flowers. 

What’s your guess of how animatronics may be used in the future?

7/21/2021

I Paint, Don’t Sew

Picture
 Turtles, stenciled on Tommy Copper face mask, acrylic paints, NFS by Angeline Marie Martinez, July, 2020. If you really want some stenciled face masks, please contact me at angeline @ angelinemarie.net and we can do some! 

https://www.cnet.com/news/rare-yellow-turtle-spotted-for-only-second-time-looks-like-melted-cheese/

When I added the turtles to my mask, I thought “huh, wonder if gold and yellow is alright for turtles? I’m overthinking this because I love turtles, gold and yellow looks cool, and this project is Not worth more time as it looks fun already.” 

Then this article came out about a rare yellow turtle found, of course, in 2020. 

Whenever I wear this mask now, I giggle. I “day job” with very non-design, not-artist folks who probably look at my mask and overthink it like I did. But here I am overthinking again, because no one at my job even cares, lol! 

What’s your favorite animal and colors? If you had your favorite animal in your favorite colors, would your animal be considered real or imaginary? 

Hey, it’s for a face mask, so we can do whatever we want! Let me know if you’d like to send me some masks to stencil for you!






​

7/7/2021

Repost of Hot Summer Palm Trees

2021 Update:

This was originally published 2013.

Since then, most painting manufacturing companies are producing paints without cadmium. Cadmium can be poisonous when ingested or absorbed by skin...and this can be a very slow, long time. Now, I don’t stick paintbrushes in my mouth. I don’t fingerpaint very often. It really makes me wonder if people eat paint that the manufacturers have to remake a paint formula that’s worked for hundreds of years. The next question about the new paints is how archival are they? Until my tubes are used up, I’ll use up the few cadmium paints in my studio. I’m not going to eat them!

As for the price of a tube now, I don’t know. I can tell from the color name that this particular red has “hue”...which means it’s not an “original” formula and is considered less expensive than cadmium (at least in 2014!).
Picture
Hot Summer Palm Trees, 8x8 inches, acrylics on canvas board ©2013 Angeline Marie

​It is hot. It's humid. The palm trees are dripping with rain drops. The sun comes out and sizzles the water off the fronds. It is hot. Hot orange, hot blues, some greens is how it feels in Florida most of the time.
​
 
Hot Summer Palm Trees began as a palette. A tube of cadmium orange hue paint costs about $26...so most of my leftover paint is incorporated into the backgrounds of new paintings. That is how most of the layers of paint evolved to this design.

6/1/2021

Cats and a Break

Picture

​I am walking to my painting studio daily to get relief. My painting studio is gratefully at home. It is a space where only music and painting thoughts are allowed. Serious conversations are ushered to a different area of our home. 

To help you have some relief, allow me to remind you that June is Adopt a Shelter Cat Month. I've many fun quirky cat paintings to adopt. I love to joke that my cat paintings NEVER need kitty litter changes, shopping trips for food, or vet visits. My cat paintings only want you to enjoy them. So here are the latest kitties in my shop!

Most of my cat paintings are 6 by 6 inches, acrylic paintings. Some are ready to hang, some are only on paper. 
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