A Beginner's Manual to Oil Pastels

Hey guys!  So I really love art, and I think that I will be starting to post a lot more art projects and stuff like that.  So to kick that off, this is a little beginner's post on oil pastels.  Now I don't know about y'all, but I love pastels.  They are so easy to use and if  you mess up, just smudge it and you can make your mistake look pretty cool.  Plus they're colorful!!!  

So for pastels I usually get mine from the thrift store or from yard sales.  Oil pastels are the one thing that I use a lot of, and I actually really like just getting used sets because they're cheaper.  So these two sets of oil pastels are ones that I've gotten from the thrift store, and they're both pretty good.  If you don't feel comfortable getting pastels from the thrift store, then I recommend both of these sets of oil pastels.

I don't know if y'all can see this, but these are
Guitar Oil Pastels.  If I could recommend one type
of oil pastels, above all, to recommend to you
guys, this would be it.  They come in very vibrant
colors although I guess that you can't see that very
well in the picture.  The only thing is that there is
not as many colors in the set as the other oil pastel
sets I have.  But if you don't mind that, then these
oil pastels are for you!  I don't think that you can
buy these at a craft store, like Michael's, because
they are from Japan, but people are selling them all
over Ebay.

Okay, now I also really love this set of oil pastels.  They smudge very easily, but they do not have paper wrapping around them, so they will get your hands all nice and colorful.  Also, these oil pastels break very easily, which is why all of my oil pastels are split in half.  And yet I even have the Prismacolor hard pastels...  I actually think that they break more easily than the rest of my pastels.  But if you don't really care about that, but you do like an oil pastel that can smudge easily, like me, then this set of oil pastels is for you!  You can by these oil pastels here: 

https://www.google.com/search?q=Prismacolor+Premier+Nupastel+Hard+Pastels&tbm=shop

 Now for paper...  I really like this paper fort oil pastels, but it is actually just a regular drawing pad.  

It is the Cà Grain Dessin Papier by Canson.  It is a French product, so you'll have to buy it online.  You can buy it here:

http://www.boesner.fr/papiers-dessin-esquisse/papier-a-dessin-c-a-grain

Now these are some new products for pastels that I have not yet been able to try out.  But they are from my Aunt who is an art major, so they must be really good oil pastels.  They are the Pro Art Jumbo Oil Pastels and the Strathmore Pastel paper.  You can buy them both off of amazon.com

Now lastly I have a hairspray.  When you use oil pastels, you need something to spray on your work of art to make sure that it doesn't smudge.  You can buy this really expensive setting spray, but hairspray works just as well, and it's a lot cheaper!  I just got the Suave Professionals Touchable Finish Hairspray.  

I hope that this helps, and that y'all have fun with your oil pastels!  Please send me a picture of what you make!  Bye!

High School Drama

Hey guys!  So currently everyone is just freaking out, because everything that happens this year will affect next year and our freshman experience.  Since I live in Montgomery County (the number one county in the U.S!), we have tons of high schools near us.  I had the option of seven high schools.  And apparently that's great, more options, you can find the best high school for you.  But I think that it's just stressful...  I applied to an IB (International Baccalaureate) program, and a Communication Arts Program.  And I didn't get into either of them.  So once I found out I basically rolled up into a ball and cried my heart out.  And I was so depressed that the schools said that I wasn't smart enough to go there, when other kids where told that they were smart enough to get in.  I kept thinking that they sent me the wrong letter, I mean how could they not want me, I'm amazing!  But either way, I guess that I won't be going to those schools.  So I have to go to the little school that has no specialty programs.  So since I'm trying to look on the bright side of all of this, this high school has the best music program, by far and maybe my amazing alto sax skills can land me a spot in their award winning bands.  So I was going to the audition and the band director said that I could be in their symphonic band and their jazz band, without even auditioning! Apparently he has a lot of faith in my musical skills. I will be in two of the best bands in the county next year. So the worst isn't looking so bad right now. So just remember that the worst isn't going to end up that bad in the end. And wish me luck because while everything's working out great right now, I will be starting next year as a band geek. Hopefully that will work out... See y'all later!

Book Review: Divergent!

I can not tell you guys how much I loved this book. If you like Twilight or The Hunger Games, you will definitely love this book. This book takes place in a dystopian world. The main character, Beatrice or Tris, is 16 years old and it's time for her to find out where she belongs. Since she's just 16, of course there's a ton of romance, which is my favorite part... I mean, I am seriously in love with the guy that she falls for. He's fearless, he's strong, he must be hot, and everything that he says throughout the book just makes my heart melt. I really recommend this book, especially if you liked the Hunger Games, because Divergent has the same theme.

A Cute Cloud

I don't know about y'all, but I have become totally obsessed with Etsy.  I have spent hours looking at all that amazing handmade... stuff.  So I was extremely tempted to buy, well everything.  But because I'm kind of... broke, I decided that I'll just find a way to make just about everything that I wanted, and that I could make.  So I saw this extremely cute cloud pendant, that was put on earrings, a brooch, and/or a necklace.  And it is sooo cute!  The link to these amazing cloud products is right here
--> http://www.etsy.com/listing/104812237/drizzle-studs-handmade-clay-raincloud

But then again, I'm not going to buy it, even though those little clouds are just about the cutest things that I've ever seen.  So after doodling for an hour in math class (geometry is seriously boring!), I finally came up with an improvement on those cute little clouds.  So just tell me what y'all think!

I was thinking of using some chain to attach the raindrops to the cloud, and I'm going to use polymer clay to make the cloud and the raindrops.  If y'all like it, I'll make a post showing how to make it.  So tell me what y'all think!