I splurged and bought a Winsor & Newton compact paint box and I took it for its first test drive today in my sketchbook, trying out different mixes and seeing how colors look when they are layered over other colors. The photo below was taken with my phone, and the colors don’t appear as vivid as in real life. I’m looking forward to painting some pink roses with the lovely pink peachy colors in this set. Overall, the palette seems very suited to the natureish type of things that I love to paint.

I also had a custom stamp made for myself (1 x 2 inches) which says: “From the Studio of Carolyn A Pappas.” I felt very official with a stamp with my name on it and I’m already thinking of some things to stamp up.

Here are some links I have come across recently which interested me and may interest you as well:

• Take a peek inside the sketchbooks of J.M.W. Turner. I love the urgency in his sketches.
• Danny Gregory is looking for people to email him their stories of their encounters with their personal monkey (inner negative voice).
• I read some interviews of designers/freelancers discussing money and how they manage it which I found very interesting. Read them here and here.