4 - Line Drawing (by the lake)

I am currently writing this post to you from the comfort of my balcony chair, overlooking a lake. I hear the birds chirping near-by and the leaves rustling in the trees (this is so calming!) and the occasional motorboat. I’ll be here for the next two weeks as I wait out my Canadian two-week quarantine. I returned late last week from Florida, where I celebrated the wedding of my sister and brother-in-law (the reason for the quarantine). I could dedicate an entire post to this, but for now, I’ll just say that I am so happy for the lovely couple! What a beautiful couple and an amazing event.

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I’ve been thinking about my artistic practice a lot over the past couple weeks. The last year and a half I have delved deep into my pencil crayons, gouache and watercolour paints, crayons, markers and more. I love all these mediums and want to keep working, exploring and refining my skill with them. But in my desire to work with all these materials, I seem to have neglected my trusty black marker pen, which has been with me consistently throughout the years. I love this tool as well, but it seems to have taken a bit of a backseat. When making a set of my cards, or working on personal commissions, my black marker pen is my trusted side-kick and what I return to. When I experiment and sketch, however, I don’t often pick it up. I’m hoping to change this by including it, and line drawings in general, more into my practice, which may, in time, even be a bridge to my colour sketches down the road. Who knows?!

It is with all this in mind that I will soon be launching three art prints on my website. These have been in the works for a while but comes at a good time as I think about all things pen / line drawing! I call these my “one-liners” as each are made from one continuous line. I made these while living in New York City and drawing the scenes around me. I always wanted to do something more with these. I made a couple into limited screen printed cards a while back, but decided now to work with a local specialized print shop (Shoebox Studio) to create high-quality, archival prints which will soon be for sale in my shop. I have to say they look pretty amazing. I worked hard to choose the right paper and ink combination that will stand the test of time. Archival paper means it won’t yellow, and the pigment-based ink used to make the print means it won’t fade over time - both two very important things!

I’m currently working on acquiring the packaging, and will be photographing them shortly as well. I’m really excited to share these with you. I think you’re really going to love them. If you want to be first “in the know” to all things Amanda Shore Studio, be sure to sign up for my forthcoming newsletter when you get to my website, or at the bottom of the contact page. I won’t spam you, and will only send you occasional updates on what’s happening in the Studio. In the meantime, keep checking out my Instagram account for when the prints will be available. 

Sending all my best for a happy, safe summer, and be sure to drop a line and say hi either by email or on my Instagram account (@amandashore_studio)! 

Don’t forget your sunscreen!

xox Amanda 

PS - the image above is a sneak peak of one of the three art prints to expect!