Monthly Archives: July 2014

Longma Golden Dragon Horse

Acrylic painting of Longma, golden dragon horse, by Leah Palmer PreissThis isn’t a new painting, but new to this site, & the process gif below is also new. It shows my technique with acrylic on paper fairly clearly– glazes, scumbles, details & highlights over archivally printed text. I painted this one entirely on the paper before mounting it to canvas, which is not my usual process, & usually the background doesn’t disappear quite this thoroughly, but otherwise this is pretty much how I do most of my paintings.

The subject is Longma, the Chinese Dragon-Horse. It’s still the Year of the Horse, right?

Acrylic on text scanned from Young People’s Natural History, 1901. Prints of this image are available in my Etsy Shop.

Acrylic painting process- golden dragon horse by Leah Palmer Preiss

 

Tinctures Sepia-tinted prints

Sepia print of bird from acrylic painting by Leah Palmer PreissI’ve recently added a new section to my Etsy shop, called Tinctures, where I offer digitally recolored versions of some of my most popular prints. I know not everyone shares my rabid enthusiasm for highly saturated colors, & to be honest, sometimes I’m in the mood for something a little more subtle myself! I do the recoloring in Photoshop, & I try to create a pleasantly muted effect without completely losing the color variations of the original– keeping just a breath of the original hues.

My word-loving friends may be curious why I call this series “Tinctures.” Though most commonly used today to describe a medicinal alcohol extract, “tincture” can also mean a tint or color. In fact it originated in Middle English, from Latin tinctura act of dyeing, from tinctus, past participle of tingere to tinge.

I like to think of these as coffee-flavored versions of my work! (Yes, I’m a java junkie.) What does that make the originals, I wonder? Fruit salad, perhaps?

 

“The Fulfillment Department” Etsy shop packaging

Studio scene, Etsy packaging area, Leah Palmer Preiss

My husband always teases me when I’m packaging up art for my Etsy shop by calling me “The Fulfillment Department.” I have to admit, I spend a lot of time on packaging. It’s partly an offshoot of my lifelong fondness for gift wrapping, but it’s also very important to me that your art arrives in perfect condition. It’s heartwarming to see how many of my Etsy reviews mention the quality of the packaging!

Moth Collection Random acts of entomology

etsy-treasury-moth-collectionYes, it’s been an insanely long time since I last posted, & I do apologize!

I’ll be posting more of my own work in the near future, but in the meantime here’s a little treat for my insect-loving friends. (I know you’re out there!)

Did you know that tomorrow (19 July) marks the beginning of National Moth Week? Well, now you know! Time to give those fuzzy, fluttery nocturnal visitors a little respect. So I created an Etsy treasury in honor of the light-seeking beasties. One of my favorite things about having an Etsy shop is seeing all the other Etsians’ inspiring creations. Aren’t these mothworks amazing?