Happy Holidays from Artists' Mediums Inc.

Artists' Mediums Inc. wishes you an inspired Holiday Season.
WE WILL BE OPEN FROM 12-5 p.m. on SUNDAY DECEMBER 21st!

We're ready for the Holidays, with quality hand-selected kits to help all artists.

Come and see what we have to offer!

We hope this winter is all that you want it to be!

For more information about shows, and specials, contact us
at 802-879-1236, or 1-800-255-1290.

From all of us at Artists’ Mediums Inc., Thank you ,

and we wish you warm and wonderful holiday season.

24 Hour Comic Event Final Photos

Thanks to so many people who made our hosting of the 24 Hour Comic quite a success!

Of course it wouldn't have happened without the dedicated artists:
Robert Waldo Brunelle, Jr.

Christopher Burns

Karen Casper

Rick Evans

Mark Gonyea

Michelle Harshbarger

Benjamin Paulsen

Lauren Scheidegger

And later arrivals:

Ryan Cohen

Evan Cook

Ben Paulsen

Miriam Wells

Thanks to Store Employees: Kristin Richland and Michelle Harshbarger who worked tirelessly in the background for many months before the event, so that everything would run smoothly on the day(s). Laura Abrams, and Laura Collero helped to make the event run smoothly during the time the artists were here during normal store hours.

And of course Thank you for food from:

ROCKY’S PIZZA, VERMONT SANDWICH and water from HANNAFORD’S Supermarkets.
And ART supplies from: Canson papers, C2F Distribution, Holbien and Sanford/Prismacolor

Though many artists were exhausted and we did end up finishing early, before the 24 hours were up, FIVE of them managed to complete 24 full pages:

Robert Waldo Brunelle, Jr.

Karen Casper

Rick Evans

Lauren Scheidegger

Ryan Cohen

We certainly plan on participating again next year, and we hope you will join us when we do!

Happy Cartooning!

chelsea

24 Hour Comics Day has started!

We have BEGUN! Well, at 10 past 6 p.m. actually. Pictures will follow soon, but here again is our lovely poster, designed by Rick Evans (also a participant)







So far we have:

Robert Waldo Brunelle, Jr.
Christopher Burns
Karen Casper
Rick Evans
Mark Gonyea
Michelle Harshbarger
Benjamin Paulsen
Lauren Scheidegger

And later arrivals:

Ryan Cohen
Evan Cook
Ben Paulsen
Miriam Wells

This 24 Hour comic event is made possible by:
Pizzas generously donated by:
ROCKY’S PIZZA
Sandwich platter generously donated by:
VERMONT SANDWICH
Water, cups and napkins donated by:
HANNAFORD’S GROCERS
*******************************************************
Supplies generously donated by our vendors:
Canson papers “Fan-boy” drawing papers
C2F Distribution Pentalic and AquaBee papers, drawing markers.
Holbien Screens, Nibs, and Inks
Sanford/Prismacolor Prismacolor fine line pens
…and, your host: ARTISTS’ MEDIUMS INC.

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

Artists Challenge:
Next February, March and April
Our Show is dedicated to:
REDUCE REUSE and RECYCLE!
We are trying to give you a lot of advance notice, so that you can show us how creative you can be! The usual rules apply, but now we are adding that the art should be made of things that would end up in the garbage otherwise. Please no smelly/ rotting stuff.
Also remember that most of our display space is on the walls, so you will have a far better chance of showing your art if it is ready to hang with wire!

One of our inspirations for this show is from our previous three years of involvement with

CSWD 13thAnnual Creative Reuse Showcase
The Creative Reuse Showcase is an annual event open to all Chittenden County high school students that encourages them to turn that trash into an artistic treasure.
Students are invited to make art, fashion accessories, or practical items from used, surplus, or found materials. The basic idea is to take what most people would call “junk” and make something creative from it!
Deadline for submission is January 15 & 16, 2009

The submission forms will be available from CSWD in January.

Visit http://www.cswd.net/school_programs/gallery.shtml to see art from previous years.

What is a 24 hour Comic Book Challenge?

The 24 hour comic challenge is for a cartoonist to completely create a 24 page comics story in 24 straight hours.

A "24 hour comic" is any comics story you make while facing the challenge, even if you take more than 24 consecutively-awake hours to make the comic or if you end after 24 hours with a story that's shorter than 24 pages.

It's a celebration of creation of 24 hour comics.

The first day was held in 2004, and a second is scheduled for 2005. This is a day when people are encouraged to create 24 hour comics.

Some folks gather at the official event sites to work on comics side by side, while other folks work on their stories at home alone or in private gatherings. Many of the official event sites are open for the public to come and watch the effort.
Is this really the best way to make a great comic?Probably not (although some really cool comics have been made this way), but that's not the real goal. The goal is to have the experience of trying.

It's a creative exercise that can teach you a lot about what you're capable of.

Who came up with the concept of 24 hour comic?A cartoonist named Scott McCloud. Scott is the leading theoretician in the comics field, a position he achieved with the release of Understanding Comics, an analysis of the comics form in the comics form. Head on over to http://www.scottmccloud.com/ to learn more about Scott and his insights.
How many 24 hour comics have been done? Over 1000 people have taken the challenge so far. Who is the youngest person to have drawn a 24 hour comic? Duncan Lowell, who took the challenge at age seven during the first 24 Hour Comics Day in 2004.

How is Artists Mediums involved?Artists’ Mediums is only one of the many locations around the world where people are getting together to draw a 24-page comic in 24 hours. Many people choose to work on them at home, but more prefer to work alongside other artists. We start at 6pm Friday the 17th, and finish at 6pm Saturday the 18th. The store will be open to the public the entire 24 hours. Participants will be sharing several tables set up throughout the store, and there will also be a small station for customers/observers to try doing their own (shorter) versions.
Our only real caveat for the event is that you MUST have someone who can give you a ride home after the event. Please provide us with their name & contact information either before the event or the day of. This is one of those liability issues that we are holding firm on.

Artists' Mediums will provide:
1) Table space for each participant (these are the large flat tables used for our demos)
2) Metal folding chair for each (keeping in mind the duration you'll be seated, you may want to bring your own chair (please no armchairs!) or at least a cushion.
3.) A small nap area with an air mattresses.
4.)The store bathroom will also be available to participants.
5.) We will have coffee brewing throughout the night, as well as some other caffeinated and non-caffeinated beverages.
6.) Extra paper will be available if needed.

Each participant should bring:
1.) Your preferred drawing/painting materials. (Pretty much any 2D medium is acceptable.)
2.) Your own paper (we will have extra on hand if needed.) Paper that you work on should not exceed 8.5 x 11" or it will not fit on our photocopier. Smaller pages are easier to work on anyhow! If you do your comics on a portable computer, let us know and we will have power strips available.
3.) Any reference material that you may want to access (books, magazines, etc.)
4.) Headphones if you are listening to your own music. We may have the store radio going, but it will be in the background.
5.) A cushion for your chair, if desired.
6.) Feel free to bring whatever extra snacks/ drinks (obviously no alcohol) you specifically desire for your own consumption.

For more information please go to the official website:
http://www.24hourcomicsday.com/
Contact  Kristin at Artists’ Mediums for details on the hosted event.
(802) 879-1236
(800) 255-1290

Copyright law changes?

Orphan Works Copyright LawIf you are not already aware of it, there is a bill in our government right now, called the Orphan works act of 2008. (S.2913) If this bill passes, you might lose the copyright you hold on your own creations. There are many arts organizations fighting this bill. There are many opinions...I suggest that you form your own.
If you are interested in reading the bill, writing your representatives, or just finding out more, here are some helpful sites.

For definitions, go to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orphan_work
For more information, and sample letters to send to your representatives: http://www.sellyourtvconceptnow.com/orphan.html
http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/home/
An interesting discussion about this can be heard at:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=CqBZd0cP5Yc

Art is cheap therapy

Finally, the Economy …Times are tight for all of us, and I don’t mean to belittle anyone’s struggles to survive this economic slow-down. After all, I myself am trying to survive on a retail income. But, I did want to try to shine a ray of hope on the situation.

I’ve lost count of the times I have been told that the economy was crashing, or the world was coming to another end, and that we can’t make it financially. If I closed the store every time someone said we wouldn’t survive, this year would be approximately our 8th closing. Somehow we always pull through just fine. Sometimes are rougher than others, but it always works out, I don’t know how, it’s a mystery.Some people say that the ‘Arts’ are not needed. That, in times of economic downturn, people need food, not art, and that what we do is simply a luxury.

I know that during 9-11 we had customers coming in, grateful that we were open, so they could get the supplies they needed to express themselves during the tragedy.

Stress related illnesses have increased over 500% in the last 10 years, this was one statistic I have recently heard, and I believe it. We are all moving at top speed, working as hard as we can, and running ourselves ragged.

Art, in my opinion is cheap therapy. You can get a lot of pencils and paper for the price of only one visit to the Psychotherapists office. As a matter of fact, you could probably set yourself up quite nicely to paint professionally in Watercolors for the price of one visit. (No offense intended to the many friends I have in the various healing arts.)

As I reminded my mailing list customers during the end of the year last year: My wish for you, is that you find the time to tend your own creative fire.

I hope that you can do something for yourself creatively. Whether you decide to doodle with your kids, splash some paint around, make a lovely greeting card for someone you care about, or get your hands dirty with some nice earthy clay, I only suggest that you give yourself permission to have some fun.

To twist a phrase: Sometimes you really DO have to stop and DRAW the roses.

Thank you all for helping us “always make it somehow.”
Chelsea Lindner
Manager;

Artist’s Mediums Inc.

New look, new stuff

A bit of news
Greetings, to all our creative, customers and friends.
This is my first attempt at a blog, so hopefully you will forgive my awkwardness.
There are a lot of interesting things going on that we'd like for you to know about.

Also if you have not been to Artists’ Mediums lately, we have completely reorganized, and re-arranged our store, to make room for new products. We have already brought in 3 new lines of brushes, and 40 new Duo Water-soluble Oil colors from Holbien, as well as more exciting new products expected in soon.We think it looks nice, and we’d love to hear what you think. Come in and see our new look. Also we are expecting the new Golden OPEN acrylics (a slow drying acrylic) coming at the end of July.

For those who found this blog by accident: Artists Mediums Inc. in Vermont sells fine art supplies and custom picture framing services. Our customer service is focused on problem solving and helping our customers express themselves creatively.
Our website is: http://www.artistsmediums.com/
If you have specific questions we are more likely to answer them promptly if you contact us through info@artistsmediums.com, or call us at 1-800-255-1290.
Thank you
Chelsea