Thought Corner: Canson Watercolor Paper

Campany: Canson 

Type of paper: Watercolor
Source: Purchased

Other info: 140lb; 300g

Size: 9in X 12in

Number of sheets: 30

Walmart     Michaels     Blick Art Materials    

More information:

Ideal for watercolor, acrylic, ink, and other wet techniques. Surface sizing to control absorbency. Durable surface allows for reworking. 

Today, I have a different kind of review to share on the blog. I'm going to be talking about one of my recent purchases: Canson Watercolor Paper. The example I’m going to be using for this post are from a page of birds that I painted on August 16th, 2017. Birds are actually sort of one of my weaknesses, and usually I'll draw quick simplified ones that don't require much of anything at all. I had a lot of fun with this page; although, I feel like I could have done a little better with the Christmas Robin. But it is what it is. Luckily, I'm only using the pelican as a example. The European Robin is just the sad bird that hangs out in the corner of a couple of the pictures.

Some things to know...

• Like with any paper, you really have to test it out for yourself to see what works best for you. This post is my opinion based off of my experience.
• Price was fair for thirty individual sheets.
• I used Reeves Watercolor paint for these paintings.

Canson is a brand that came highly recommended—thanks Adri—and I was eager to try their watercolor paper for myself. Here's what it essentially looks like. Outward appearance is pretty normal for what you would expect from watercolor paper. The size is also pretty standard when compared to what I've used before.

However, that being said, I do like the interior design. When you open the cover it’s not directly attached to the paper, so you can fold it back and have it out of the way. I found that to be incredibly useful since my desk has a very limited surface space left over between my laptop and art supplies. This feature is particularly useful when I don't necessarily want to take the page off of the stack.

Now, the paper is basically the selling feature. I've used 90lb cold press, and let me tell you it's nothing like the 140lb. For one, the latter is a lot sturdier. Two, I liked the way the paint dried. Reeves already has a matte finish, but between this paper and the one I was using, Canson was noticeably smoother. Three, it handled the water well. It does warp under heavy saturation, but if you have tape around the edges it'll be fine. And four, reworking top layers of paint is easy.

The progress of the Pelican from left to right...

The progress of the pelican shows what I mean about the potential for reworking. This is the only bird I didn't work on continuously. I set it aside for a least an hour before returning and it was easy to get right back to smoothing out some of the edges—particularly in the brown and blue areas along the head, neck, and wing.

 =   
(Finished pelican was touched up with a bit of white Sakura Gelly Roll gel pen around the blue part beneath the brown of the beak.)

Overall, I‘m really happy with this paper and will be buying more from this brand in the future. One more thing: Puffins are now my favorite bird. They’re adorable. I didn't get the progress of the puffins on camera, but I wanted to post them anyway. So, here are a pair of bonus Puffins. If you look in the corner of the picture on the left, the European Robin makes another very small appearance, LOL...

Have you tried any of Canson's paper? If so, tell me about your experience in the comments down below. And if not, would this be something you would be interested in? Or what is u our favorite type of watercolor paper.

The Friday 56 (113) & Book Beginnings: The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

The beast raged; it punctured the air with its spite. But the girl was fiercer...

Tea is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy makes her a bone witch, who are feared and ostracized in the kingdom. For theirs is a powerful, elemental magic that can reach beyond the boundaries of the living—and of the human. Great power comes at a price, forcing Tea to leave her homeland to train under the guidance of an older, wiser bone witch. There, Tea puts all of her energy into becoming an asha, learning to control her elemental magic and those beasts who will submit by no other force. And Tea must be strong—stronger than she even believes possible. Because war is brewing in the eight kingdoms, war that will threaten the sovereignty of her homeland…and threaten the very survival of those she loves...

Beginnings: "Let me be clear: I never intended to raise my brother from his grave, though he may claim otherwise."

56: "Unfortunately, the oracle had something very different in mind with me."

Comments: Once again I'm late to the party. The Bone Witch has been on my radar since it came out back in March, and now that I've read it I can say that it's one of the best books I've read this year. My beginning is from chapter one since it's one of my favorite lines from the book.

Whats one book that you've recently read and enjoyed?

Review: Women in Sports: 50 Fearless Athletes Who Played To Win by Rachel Ignotofsky

Title: Women In Sports: 50 Fearless Athletes Who Played to Win
Author: Rachel Ignotofsky
Source/Format: Blogging for Books; Hardcover
More Details: Nonfiction; Sports
Publisher/Publication Date: Ten Speed Press; July 18, 2017
Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Women in Sports highlights notable women's contributions to competitive athletics to inspire readers young and old. Keeping girls interested in sports has never been more important: research suggests that girls who play sports get better grades and have higher self-esteem--but girls are six times more likely to quit playing sports than boys and are unlikely to see female athlete role models in the media. A fascinating collection full of striking, singular art, Women in Sports features 50 profiles and illustrated portraits of women athletes from the 1800s to today including trailblazers, Olympians, and record-breakers in more than 40 different sports. The book also contains infographics about relevant topics such as muscle anatomy, a timeline of women's participation in sports, statistics about women in athletics, and influential female teams...

 Last year, I had the chance to receive a copy of Women in Science for review, and it ended up being one of my favorite reads of 2016. And now, Rachel Ignotofsky has released a new book, Women in Sports. I'm excited to talk about about this book since it's my latest nonfiction read, and it deals with sports. By the way, I don't follow sports like that. I'm more of a casual observer, but it's nice to know more about those who are considered pioneers in their respective sport—at least by name—and Women in Sports does just that.

Like Ignotofsky’s last book, Women in Sports was comprised of 50 profiles of women who excel at what they do. It included names like Serena Williams, Simone Biles, Danica Patrick, Kelly Clarke, Althea Gibson, Kristi Yamaguchi, and many others that I wasn't familiar with. The profiles are relatively short with a page of illustrations and another with a neat summary of early life and crowning/breakthrough moments. I honestly didn't mind because I went into this book expecting summaries. That being said, Women in Sports introduced me to a lot of women athletes that I'd honestly never heard of before. Another thing I want to mention was the overall design of this book. I loved it. The pages were colorful and covered in illustrations specifically tailored to the subject of each profile. I also liked the fact that there were a couple of other things added to this book like a chart on muscle anatomy and a timeline of when major accomplishments were made by various female athletes. Some of my other favorite profiles included:

• Anita Defrantz (Rower and Athletic Administrator)
• Deng Yaping (Ping Pong Player) (Professional ping pong is intense. Don't believe me? Look up some of Deng Yaping's matches on youtube). 
• Gertude Ederle (Distance Swimmer)
• Ashley Fiolek (Motorcross Rider)
• and Melissa Stockell (Paratriathhlete)

Overall, Women in Sports is a good reference book and I look forward to Ignotofsky’s future work. I’m definitely going to keep this one on my shelf.

This copy of the book was provided by Blogging for Books for this review.

About the author...

Rachel Ignotofsky grew up in New Jersey on a healthy diet of cartoons and pudding. She graduated with honors from Tyler School of Art’s graphic design program in 2011. Now she lives in beautiful Kansas City, Missouri, where she spends all day drawing and learning as much as she can. She has a passion for taking dense information and making it fun and accessible and is dedicated to creating educational works of art. Rachel is inspired by history and science and believes that illustration is a powerful tool that can make learning exciting. She uses her work to spread her message about education, scientific literacy, and powerful women. She hopes this book inspires girls and women to follow their passions and dreams...

Music Monday (30): Black Eyed Peas, Disclosure and Lion Babe

   Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: Lately, I’ve gone back and listened to a lot of favorite songs that I haven’t thought of in years. The last time I participated in Music Monday, I talked about Rock Angelz. Well, from there, I’ve gone back to Monkey Business by Black Eyed Peas, Lincoln Park, Christina Agulara, and even Gwen Stefani. Anyway, I’m here to talk about The Black Eyed Peas. Back in 2005 Monkey Business was my go-to music. No playlist, just the album. It’s hard to believe that Monkey Business has been out for twelve years already. My first pick is Disco Club. To this day, Disco club still has one of the catchiest beats I’ve ever heard. There’s something kind of groovy about this song. I love it.

 My second pick is Don’t Lie. After all these years, Don't Lie is still one of my favorite songs from the Monkey Business Album.

Adri:I have a small confession. There are moments in time that I don’t listen to music, at least not like that. When start listening to music again, the first thing I put in the search bar is my pick for Music Mondays: Hourglass by Disclosure featuring Lion Babe. Not only do I love this song but when I found it, I also found a new artist.

What are you listening to this week?

Album Review: Dark Matter by Les Friction

Title: Dark Matter

Band/Artist(s): Les Friction (Even Frankfort, Helmet Vonlichten, Paint), also Featuring Emily Valentine and Laura Fabian

Source/Format: Les Friction; CD

Label/ Release date: Moriposa Lane Music, INC/ Would Work Sound LLC; August 25, 2017

OfficialSite Bandcamp     Itunes     Spotify       Amazon      CDbaby

I first heard of Les Friction in an epic music compilation. This was a few years ago when I first began listening to this genre of music. Like any music junkie, I’ve checked to see if new music was on the horizon. My day lit up when I saw the tweet announcing Dark Matter was coming out.

Not only did this album meet my expectations, it exceeded them. Every millisecond is perfect, starting with Your World Will Fail. This song starts calm and then changes about midway. At this point it morphs into something more, resulting in a pleasant mix of instrumentals and vocals. Other songs including Who Will Save You Now, Dark Matter, and Firewall seems to follow this pattern somewhat too. Obviously, like any album, Dark Matter has calm moments too. I Remember and You Always Knew add a touch of sincere tranquility. These two duets with Emily Valentine and Laura Fabian, respectively, occasionally misted my eyes. The album ended with Kashmir (which is a cover of a song by Led Zeppelin); the only thing I can say is that it is the perfect way to end an album.

Due to the fact that each track was diverse in sound and lyric, the whole album maintained a certain aesthetic. Not one felt out of place. Actually, a host of emotions were elicited as I listened to each song. I’m not even sure they are nameble. To put it simply, it’s like finding that perfectly tailored dress. I love it!

I recieved this CD from Les Fricition for this review.

The Friday 56 (112) & Book Beginnings: Women in Sports: 50 Fearless Athletes Who Played To Win by Rachel Ignotofsky

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Women in Sports highlights notable women's contributions to competitive athletics to inspire readers young and old. Keeping girls interested in sports has never been more important: research suggests that girls who play sports get better grades and have higher self-esteem--but girls are six times more likely to quit playing sports than boys and are unlikely to see female athlete role models in the media. A fascinating collection full of striking, singular art, Women in Sports features 50 profiles and illustrated portraits of women athletes from the 1800s to today including trailblazers, Olympians, and record-breakers in more than 40 different sports. The book also contains infographics about relevant topics such as muscle anatomy, a timeline of women's participation in sports, statistics about women in athletics, and influential female teams...

Beginnings: "Florence Madeline "Madge" Cave was born in 1881 and grew up in England. During the winter, men and women enjoyed skating, but women were not allowed to participate in any of the competitions." 

56: "First gymnast in history to be awarded a score of a perfect 10.0"

Comments: I read Rachel Ignotofsky's other book, Women in Science, and really enjoyed it. So, I was excited for Women in Sports. I liked this book a lot, mainly because it introduced me to a number of female athletes that I've never heard of before. My beginning comes from page 11 and the 56 is talking about the gynmnast Nadia Comăneci. 

Have you recently read any nonfiction? Or what are you reading this week?

Review: The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis

Title:The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart
Author: Stephanie Burgis
Source/Format: Borrowed from the Library; Hardcover
More Details: Middle Grade; Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Bloomsbury US; May 30, 2017

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Aventurine is the fiercest, bravest dragon there is. And she's ready to prove it to her family by leaving the safety of their mountain cave and capturing the most dangerous prey of all: a human. But when the human she finds tricks her into drinking enchanted hot chocolate, Aventurine is transformed into a puny human girl with tiny blunt teeth, no fire, and not one single claw. But she's still the fiercest creature in the mountains -- and now she's found her true passion: chocolate! All she has to do is get herself an apprenticeship (whatever that is) in a chocolate house (which sounds delicious), and she'll be conquering new territory in no time...won't she?

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart is one book I’ve been waiting for since I first heard about it sometime last year—I can’t remember the exact date now, I just know that it was a long time ago. This isn’t the first book I’ve read by Stephanie Burgis, but it’s certainly one of my favorites. I sped through this book. I read it in almost one sitting and can say that The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart was such a cute story filled with magic, chocolate, and of course dragons.

I have to admit that I was looking forward to this book because of who Burgis choose to be the narrator of the story. I think it was a great decision because Aventurine was such an interesting character. She was a dragon who thought she knew everything there was to know, and set out to prove just that. However, it becomes quickly apparent that Aventurine still had a lot to learn about herself and the world outside her cavern home. The other dragons were a point of interest too. I loved all the scenes with Aventurine’s family, and it was interesting to see Burgis’ portrayal with what life was like for younger dragons—like, for example, what was expected of them, what they were supposed to learn, etc..

Chocolate—you can’t go wrong with something like that. I loved how chocolate was used in the story. It was my second-most favorite part of The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart, because it wasn’t just there. Instead, Burgis explored how chocolate—and other chocolaty desserts and drinks—were made, and I thought that was a pretty neat thing to include.

Yeah, The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. And, now that I looked at the Goodreads page again, I noticed that there appears to be another book in the series. So, in light of that, I look forward to reading more of Stephanie Burgis’ books.

Favorite Recipe: The Best Brownies

Oh yes, it’s time for another Favorite Recipe. This time, it’s brownies. Yes, rich, chocolatey brownies. Just a quick note: the pictures for this post were collected over time thus the plates don't match. I’ve made brownies all sorts of ways including from the box. I've also made them from scratch using a different recipe than the one I’m going to talk about today. I’ve had all kinds of results, including one unfortunate batch that was too much like particularly dry chocolate cake, i.e. not like a brownie at all. So, I have been on that quest to find the perfect brownie recipe, and to date I think this one is the best I’ve tried. The recipe I’m talking about is this one: Mmm-Mmm Better Brownies. (Pictured to the right is a double batch in a 9x13 inch pan before baking.)

When I say I love this recipe, I’m not kidding. It’s a huge hit in my house. There is nothing cakey about these brownies. They’re perfectly moist and fudgy, and the top and edges form this crispy layer. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t the kind of dreaded crispiness you get from burning the brownies. No, this is the kind of crispy layer that you actually want on your brownie—hence, why I always go for one of the corner pieces. But it’s not just the texture that I’m a fan of, the flavor is just as good. It’s really chocolatey! The flavor reminds me more of dark chocolate—so, sweet, but with just a hint of bitterness. That’s what I like about dark chocolate anyway, so the flavor is right up my alley. (Pictured to the left is the double batch in the 9x13 inch pan after baking.)

Speaking of flavor, I can’t forget to talk about the extra things I’ve added into the batter. Per the recipe, walnuts are optional, but I actually prefer these brownies with them. However, leave them out if you have a nut allergy. Pictured below is the result I got when adding chopped walnuts and white chocolate chips to the batter before baking. I prefer to mix the extra ingredients into the batter rather than sprinkling them on top, because I feel like it’s evenly distributed throughout the entire batch of brownies. Of course, you could really add anything you want into it, like M&Ms, things like that.

My only other recommendation is: double the recipe (which makes enough for a 9x13 inch pan instead of just a 9x9 inch pan), especially if you’re making these brownies for more than just yourself. (Pictured to the left is a closeup of a piece of walnut and white chocolate chip brownie.)



What about you? What’s your go-to brownie recipe?

The Friday 56 (111) & Book Beginnings: Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

She’s a soldier.

Noemi Vidal is seventeen years old and sworn to protect her planet, Genesis. She’s willing to risk anything—including her own life. To their enemies on Earth, she’s a rebel.

He’s a machine.

Abandoned in space for years, utterly alone, Abel has advanced programming that’s begun to evolve. He wants only to protect his creator, and to be free. To the people of Genesis, he’s an abomination.

Noemi and Abel are enemies in an interstellar war, forced by chance to work together as they embark on a daring journey through the stars. Their efforts would end the fighting for good, but they’re not without sacrifice. The stakes are even higher than either of them first realized, and the more time they spend together, the more they’re forced to question everything they’d been taught was true...

Beginnings: "In three weeks, Noemi Vidal will die--here, in this very place."

56: "Noemi imagines the Gastons standing before her, tall and pale, their expressions disapproving. How could you let this happen? they might say." 

Comments: I haven't read a book by Claudia Gray since back before I started blogging. Defy the Star's is one of her newer novels. I wasn't too sure about it but ended up really loving the story. For the sake of avoiding spoilers for parts of the store, ,y 56 comes from page 52 instead. 

What are you reading this week?

Thought Corner: Power Rangers (2017)

Title: Power Rangers (2017)

Produced by: Haim Saban; Brian Casentini; Marty Bowen; Wyck Godfrey

Directed by: Dean Israelite

Story by: Matt Sazama; Burk Sharpless; Michele Mulroney; Kieran Mulroney 

US Release Date: March 24, 2017

Viewing Format: Redbox DVD Rental

Website

Going into Power Rangers (2017), I honestly didn’t know what to expect. All I remember of it was the old series I used to watch when I was a kid during—or was it after? Before?—the Saturday morning cartoon block. Still, I’ve heard nothing but good things about the film and was excited to watch it. And you know what? Power Rangers was actually really good. I was surprised by how much I liked the film.

I was prepared for a certain level of cheesiness. Instead, what I got was a well-thought out movie with aliens, superpowers, and Zords (cause you can’t forget about the Zords). But that wasn’t all. This movie also explored the complicated and often messy side of life from the perspectives of characters from different and diverse backgrounds. I liked how this film was made, and the action sequences and training scenes were interesting to watch. The characters are worth making mention of because they were my favorite part of the movie. They weren’t perfect, squeaky clean hero characters who never did or got anything wrong. No, they were allowed to make mistakes and grow from them, all the while learning how to be Power Rangers. The individual and collective character development was spot on. They were great individually, but I liked when they worked together as a team.

I didn’t think I’d say it, but this movie was pretty awesome. I’ve come to one conclusion: I need a sequel. I don’t know if there will be one, but hey, you never know.

What about you? Have you seen Power Rangers? If so, tell me what you thought about the movie in the comments down below.

Music Monday (29) Throwback To Way Back When

   Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: It has been a couple of weeks since we last participated in Music Monday. However, today is a bit of a throwback to the early 2000s, since my picks this week actually come from an album I haven’t listened to in more than five years: Bratz Rock Angelz. Does anyone else remember Bratz? I used to have a lot of the dolls and still have the Rock Angelz game for the Gameboy Advance SP. Anyway, over the weekend I remembered that I once had a CD, but I’ve moved several times and can’t recall where it is. Anyway, listening to this album again takes me right back to my childhood. Seriously, it really does. I used to listen to Rock Angelz all the time. I kind of wish that I never lost the CD, but it is what it is. The most surprising thing is how much I still like the entire album. It’s on iTunes and I’ve seriously considered buying it again.

My first pick is It Could Be Yours. Oh man, after all theses years I still love this song.

And my second pick is Who I Am. I can’t even begin to count how many times I've listened to this song. I used to listen to it on repeat because its one of my favorites from the album. Even though its been so long, Who I Am hasn't lost its charm. 

Adri: I love this album too. I had a different one than Breana. Sadly, I won't mention what happened to the one I had, but just know that it's gooonnnneee. I don't have much to say about these tracks, but when I heard Breana listening to them again I had a mega flashback too.

What are you listening to this week?