- Finger Drawing with an iPad 2 -

I got an iPad 2 (32 gigs). Yay....I've been wanting an iPad ever since they first came out. I received mine in the mail three days ago. I immediately downloaded several art apps to try out. I'll be posting some drawings (or paintings) done on these different apps. Although I've been drawing on the computer since the 80's, drawing on the iPad is the best way that I've found so far, mainly because your finger or stylus is directly in contact with your drawing on the screen, as opposed to using a separate tablet, like a Wacom.


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- A PORTRAIT SKETCH, USING A NEW TOOL -

I tried a quick sketch of a good friend and artist Richard LaForti using a new tool: the Micron Pigma Brush Pen. It was challenging and a little harder than using the standard Micron 005 pen that I'm used to. The ink is archival and waterproof when it's completely dry. I did the drawing on a sheet of Strathmore Smooth Bristol paper. (100 lb.) It's a nice smooth surface to work on.


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- A SURREAL IMPROVISATION WITH PEN AND INK -

Some call this doodling, but I take it pretty seriously and have done scores of these little pen and ink drawings. I like to put a small drawing in the middle of a large piece of paper to give it a little more drama, I guess :). This one is available on eBay right now at a very affordable price. If you want to take a look click here.


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- Finally, a New Website -

I've been working on putting up a new art website, something that is simple, easy to navigate and viewer friendly. I decided to go with a service called FASO (Fine Art Studios Online). They handle some of the best artists around and have a wonderful reputation. Click here to check them out.
I can't say enough about their service as I've used it three times already (twice online and once on the phone). I talked to a live technical person within seconds of dialing and they were quick and courteous. Also the head of FASO, Clint Watson, is a charming man whose welcome letter really makes you happy that you joined their family. Here's a jpeg of my site and if you want to see it up close Click Here.

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- DEALING WITH ART SCAMMERS -

When somebody approaches you to buy your art on line, do you cringe? I'm starting to. I got approached this week by a man named "Harry Westhood" who was interested in a watercolor abstract that I had on my art website. We had a series of email exchanges and after the third one I was sure that it was a scam. He wanted to know the price of the work, and if he could pay by check (I told him that I preferred PayPal) and that he had a shipping agent that would contact me (a tip off). I told him that it would take 2 to 3 weeks to clear the check before I would ship the painting. Then I asked him for his complete contact info in order to proceed. He ignored my request and answered with a long list of information that he wanted from me: address, phone, cel phone, etc.

I decided to google "Harry Westhood" and the first thing that came up was "Harry Westhood, Art Scam", a posting by another artist who had been scammed by him. That was lucky and my gut level was right. I emailed him back and told him what I saw on Google and that I could not proceed with the transaction. What a waste of time - this has happened three times in the last year. Things to look for: (1) A sense of urgency. (2) Poor grammatical use in the email. (3) Wanting to pay by Cashiers check (sometimes a greater amount than you are asking) (4) They want to use their own shipping agent.


A couple of hours after I sent him the final email, he approached me on my alternate email with the same pitch all over again....only this time his name was "Harry Westwood".