case for making

case for making

Alexis Joseph and Lana Porcello, the duo behind the much beloved watercolor pigments and art supply store in San Francisco, Case for Making, are constantly inspiring even the least creative of us to look at the world with an artistic eye.  
Started in 2014, after taking a pigment class in New York City, Alexis was inspired to start her own handmade watercolor pigments line, ranging from naturally sourced colors to synthetic fluorescents. Using the highest quality materials available, the watercolors produce beautiful robust colors and dry down to a soft matte finish. 
 
 Seeing the colors stacked in their signature black and white tin encourages everyone to sit down and create, artist or not. Mabo customers have carefully chosen and built their own palettes, leaving us dreaming up the projects their colors will touch. We are excited to be stocking some of their new color offerings in our shop! 

 


IF YOU HAD TO PICK ONE OF YOUR WATERCOLORS TO DEFINE YOUR MOOD AT THIS MOMENT RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?  
 
It would be Venetian Red in a very light tint. I’m a person who shies away from wearing a lot of color and my wardrobe consists of black, grey, and navy! Secretly I just want everything to be a soft pink with accents in mini floral patterns! I’ll let you read into what that means about my mood, or personality!  


 
COULD YOU SHARE WITH US IN WHAT WAYS YOU TRY TO BRING ART AND CREATIVITY INTO YOUR EVERYDAY LIVING? 
 
This is such a great question as I started Case for Making precisely so that I could be around all the creative supplies I love while I was working full time to help run other small businesses. I thought that if I started a creative business I would be forced to actually build a creative practice for myself! It’s a constant drive of mine to try and free up more time to sit and paint but it’s also the hardest thing for me to do. Luckily, since Case for Making is a business that creates and sells art supplies I get to make quick pieces here and there to help with marketing and promotional material - so any chance I get I try to paint something to use for these purposes! I’ll take anything I can get!  

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE THAT HAS NEVER ATTEMPTED WATERCOLOR BEFORE, AND IS SOMEWHAT AFRAID TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP? 
 
 I’d say buy some affordable watercolor paper, a size 8 brush and one color that you love very much and just try to exhaust every option that you can think of using those things and some water. There’s sooooo much you can do!