Paint

God's paint job: sunset at St. Joseph Peninsula
(That's sand, not snow!)

Beach Walk: oil paint stick and acrylic paint

I thought I'd never paint anything but furniture and walls. Then I painted quilts. I love the strong oily smell of Paintstiks. I love to get my hands dirty with paint. I love paint color too. But the refinements of using paint -- of being a painter -- scare me. April, my media teacher at LeMoyne, made it slightly less so. Here's what I learned:

Acrylic. "When it dries it's plastic. It blocks water." April loves Golden brand. Then Utrecht, Winsdor-Newton, and finally Liquitex. Not always in that order, just kind of. Liquitex is least expensive, thinnest in color. "You might want that effect," April said. If so, buy Liquitex.

Gesso is white liquid that you lay down to prepare your painting surface. April uses it like white paint. She never buys white paint. Gesso, however, does not like permanent marker, April said.

The water-activated paints are tempera (dries chalky), gouache (you need just a dab; call it gwash), and, of course, watercolor. To indicate transparency, there are three slanted lines on the tube. If the paint is very transparent, you'll be able to see the lines clearly. For less transparent paint, the lines will be more covered up. Somehow, hue on the label means it will be more watery and permanence means high intensity.

I've got to play with all these paints, blending colors and layering until I understand them. I am going to work with the Lumiere textile acrylic and Shiva Paintstiks, leaving the water-based paints for postcards and notebook.