University Art - Newsletter

The Community Artist

University Art Newsletter Vol. 3 Issue 1, January 2004

ART ORGANIZATIONS SPOTLIGHT

We kick off the New Year with a quick trip up the Peninsula to the Sunnyvale Art Club. This club is co-sponsored by the City of Sunnyvale's Park and Recreation Department and has about 50 members. Their monthly meetings are held on the third Thursday of every month in the arboretum of the Sunnyvale Community Center. The center is located at Remington Avenue just off El Camino in Sunnyvale.

For more information on meetings, demonstrator and other probrams contact Lucy Marcoux at (408) 605-9579 or (408) 733-8665

COMING SOON

San Jose Museum of Art Classes
Classes start on 1/6/04 and 1/7/04
Registration & payment by phone only, call (408) 291-5393
Classes will be held at University Art - San Jose
456 Meridian Avenue
San Jose, CA

Bob Gerbracht Portrait Workshop
2/9/04 - 2/13/04
University Art - San Jose
456 Meridian Avenue
San Jose, CA
The Fee is $450.00. A $100.00 deposit will secure your spot; the balance is due the first day of the workshop.
For more details call (408) 629-7883

If you have exhibit info that you want to have posted please e-mail at snjbram@aol.com

TRIVIA AND STUFF JUST FOR FUN

This month's trivia comes to us from the Gamblin Oils Company.

Did you know that miners, who commonly saw Cobalt ore glittering from their lights on the tunnel walls, named the ore Kobold (Goblin)? Many blue pigments were originally made from semi-precious stones like lapis lazuli and azurite, which were relatively scarce and therefore expensive. Ultramarine blue was first made in 1824 from calcinate sulfur and minerals replacing lapis as the main source for this color.

ASK BRAMSCHANDOZ

Q: I need to get a 6B drawing pencil, how is that different from a regular #2 pencil?

A: Drawing pencils are arranged on a H/B scale. The higher the number in front of the letter 'B', the softer and darker the pencil will be. The higher the number in fron of the letter 'H', the harder and lighter the pencil will be. The darker/softer pencils have more clay in them, while the harder/lighter pencils have more graphite in them. The standard #2 pencil you mentioned has a more or less equal blend of both graphite and clay and is known as an 'HB' pencil. Such pencils fall in the middle of the above scale. So while it may be slightly harder than a 6B, the traditional #2 pencils is also a drawing pencil, just under another name: 'HB'.

JEFF'S TIPS

The New Year is upon us and for many of us that means New Year's Resolutions concerning our artwork. Set a simple, attainable, creative goal like starting a sketchbook or completing a painting the first month. Keep it simple. Resolve to attend a demonstration the second month or to read an art related book. Take a photo of your work (maybe the first?) and start an album. The point is these simple actions provide visible results that can keep you motivated. Remember a body in motion tends to stay in motion! Good luck and Happy New Year!

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