Friday, March 8, 2013

My new "Orbital Easel" & "Easter Egg Bunny #2"

I have been checking out the "Orbital Easel" for the past two weeks and finally on Tuesday I decided to go ahead and order one for myself, the 19" x 25" easel with the table top base.  Imagine my delight when it arrived on Thursday!  So of course I had to immediately unpack it, rearrange my art area and start in on a new ACEO!

My reaction to my first use of the "Orbital Easel"? .... TOTALLY AWESOME!

And here is my initial review ... I am taking to this new easel like a duck to water! It provides a new freedom and flexibility when using watercolors, colored pencils, and ink pens. It is truly a modern miracle for today's artists! I got so lost in the piece I was working on that I didn't even realize how much I was moving it ... just feels so absolutely natural.

My arms love it! My eyes love it! It provides the perfect angles! Makes application of watercolors easy, colored pencils just love it, ink pens are captivated by it!  No more constant turning of the piece I am working on to achieve the right angle, I don't have to worry about a glass of water tipping over and ruining a piece (cuz I can't very well place a glass on an angled surface), this easel is definitely going on vacation with me this year!  The table top base works quite well for me, it is sturdy and with grip pads on the bottom it stays in place and does not move.  They also have a clamp base that I understand can be used on a heavy duty tripod as well.  The working area of the easel is laminated with light weight aluminum on both sides and is quite rigid so that if you happen to lean on your work, like I do, it does not flex or bend.

The only body part that rebelled a bit was the back ... it was so used to hunching over a flat work area that it is having a bit of a time adjusting to working in a natural upright position! LOL! I am totally IN LOVE with the "Orbital Easel"!   I would actually go so far as to call it an artists' third hand!

I started the new ACEO yesterday and was so excited to get back to my "Orbital Easel" that first thing in the morning I was back to having fun!  I like it more today than I did yesterday!  And today my back didn't rebel ... guess it only needed one night of good sleep to accept a better drawing position ... 8)

I just finished working on "Easter Egg Bunny #2", I think I worked on him longer than I expected because I didn't want to leave "Orby" (yes, I name inanimate objects that I fall in love with) but I had to get him (Easter Egg Bunny #2) scanned and posted on eBay and Etsy.  

Without further ado, here is my new ACEO and the first piece to be completed with Orby's assistance!

"Easter Egg Bunny #2"

He has just popped out of his shell and seems to be quite delighted to see the new world around him!  It is filled with beautiful bright colors and wonderful smells but he seems to be looking up with loving eyes at someone very, very special.   Could that very special someone be you?

The original of "Easter Egg Bunny #2" is now listed on eBay at:

And Open Edition ACEO Art Prints can be found at Etsy:

Hope you are all having a grand a day as I am!

Karen Anne aka Ireland Brady


12 comments:

  1. I'm so happy that your new easel is working out well! Yay for no more backaches! Beautiful bunny!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too! I just love it! Happy you like the new bunny! Have a great weekend Debbie!

      Delete
  2. I'm happy to see you're putting the new easel to good use. This little bunny is as adorable as the first one. I love the colorful eggs too. Enjoy your weekend and keep going on this series. It's a winner. Hugs

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am loving the new easel! I know I will be doing at least one more Easter Egg Bunny ... I guess 3 could be considered a series? So nice to hear you are liking these little guys!

      8)

      Delete
  3. Hi Karen Anne, Just stopping by to tell you that I've given you an award on my blog. Accept or decline whatever you decide I'll understand. Hope you're having a nice productive day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ahhhhhh, Thank You Maddy Rose! That is really special to me. 8)

      Delete
  4. That's interesting about the orbital easel. I'm not sure if something like that would help me or not. I have the backache problem too, though, but hmmm... I wish there was a way to test one out first to see!

    Love the new bunny, he's super sweet!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is probably the single most important and best piece of art equipment I have EVER invested in!

      I know, I wanted to test one first too ... then I decided to take a chance and ordered it. Best decision I ever made. The are located around Olympia, Washington ... if you live around there, you could call up and arrange for a test run ...

      I'm happy you like the latest Easter Egg Bunny! Probably the last one ... have some paper work I need to get on top of and then I want to try something else.

      Happy Day Kyra!

      Delete
  5. Karen Anne, that easel is funky! I had to watch the video! I have never used an easel? I know, weird! LOL! I just hold my paintings and paint away ;o) Your knew bunny is too cute for words! Love his little smile ;o) Take Care and Hugs ;o)
    Hey, I hope you are joining in Oma Linda's party, since you aren't gleaning! LOL!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have a couple of easels, but I only used them for canvas painting way back when I was a LOT younger. I haven't really made use of an easel in well over 20 years. The past several months I have been trying to figure out some way I could create an angled area to work on ... but on a fixed position easel you need to tape the piece to the surface so that it doesn't slip off, I didn't want to keep lifting the tape and reposition it each time I needed so I kinda back shelved it.

      The about two weeks ago, I saw a post on Facebook about the "Orbital Easel" and thought ... that is what I really need and wanted! The easel top rotates 360 degrees easily and the tilt always seems to be at the perfect pitch. Checked out everything I could learn about it on the net and finally decided to take the plunge. BEST plunge I EVER took!

      Now I don't have to hold onto the piece with one hand and work on it with the other. It's like I have been given a 3rd hand! Really eases up strain and stress. The cost is extremely fair and affordable, less than the cost of a great set of colored pencils.

      LOL! You are terrific! It just isn't going to work out for me to participate in Oma Linda's Oz Party this year .... last year I was a month ahead ... this year I am a total blank on the altered Oz party ... I know I came up with some crazy ideas but I just can't envision them, 8(, in a way to get them down on paper

      I will be visiting all of the participating blogs, but I don't think I'll put my name in for any drawings ... wouldn't be fair to all those who worked so hard to pull this off; but I still want to join in on the fun!

      I like this little guy too! He makes me smile every time I look at him.

      Big hugs my good friend!

      Delete
    2. Hey Karen Anne, if you want to put your name in for the giveaways, go for it!! I don't think you have to be in the party, to win the giveaways. Well, not on my blog! ;o)

      Delete
  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting, if you'd care to leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you!