Category: Uncategorized

New Series!

I’m starting a new series Monday!

Getting started in Colored Pencil

So, if you would like to follow along you will need:

1.)  Colored pencils –  Most popular -Sanford’s Prismacolor

Or just use what ever you have…. If it’s student grade: The lead is much harder  and the color won’t be as vibrant as Prismacolor,  but all summer I painted in  my Zentangle and card making pencils,  which is a mix of 50 count Crayola, Michael’s Artist Loft, and Joann’s Fabric’s Simply Art.  Just get as many different colors as you can get your hands on!

Don’t think you can’t make beautiful art with student grade supplies…Because you can!

2.)  Kneaded Eraser or Poster Putty

3.)  Color Wheel

4.)  Pen and Pencil

5.)  Click Eraser

6.)  Drawing Paper or Vellum 90 lb. or above

7.)  Sharpener

8.)  Hole Punch

9.) Printer paper

10.) Rubber bands

11.) Scotch Removable Tape

12.) Blending stumps and/or Q-tips

Optional:

13.) Battery operated eraser – I LOVE LOVE LOVE MINE!  It’s only about $6.00 at Michael’s and with their weekly 40% coupon?  Buy one if you can!

14.) A circular template of some kind.

15.)  Small black card and a small white card with a hole punched in the center

Hope to see you there!

Be Well and Happy!

You’re Beautiful!

Pink 1

Pink – Fan Art

Prisma Color on 9 x 12  98 lb.  XL Canson Mixed Media

 I know, I know…Pink didn’t sing You’re Beautiful, I am just stating a fact. 

When you draw or paint someone, the whole face is broken down into minute details.  I never realized just how beautiful people are until I started studying them.  And it isn’t just hypnotic eyes, a great set of perfectly arched brows or that square jaw that makes a person attractive.  It’s what we see as flaws that makes us beautiful and unique.  I’m not saying that you shouldn’t turn that one brow in to two…cause if ya can (male or female)  you should. And I’m definitely doing all I can to slow that clock down.  But some things should be left alone.  Take Pink for example:  What I find is her most attractive feature is her front teeth.  The left tooth is a bit crooked and sticks out the tiniest bit.  Excuse the language, but she’s such a badass (there is no other word to describe a woman who can hang from a ceiling wrapped in a rope) that to me it gives her a little bit of vulnerability.  And makes her absolutely gorgeous in my book!

On with the portrait:  Pink is my first portrait painting and she wasn’t easy, but a joy to paint. The plaid shirt is what gave me a fit.  But when things got too difficult, I would just stop, take a breather and paint a little more.  I should have timed myself, but I  definitely have a lot of days and nights invested in this head study.

This portrait ends my summer on a good note because I did what I set to do.  And that was to complete art in colored pencil.

I hope this post finds you all having a beautiful and creative weekend.  And remember, you are beautiful.  And if you don’t see it then you aren’t looking in the right places 😉

Be Well and Happy!

Tada!

colored pencil dog

Beagle

5 x 7 Colored Pencil on Canson XL Mixed Media

Well, I said I wouldn’t post any art unless it was colored pencil and here it is.  I am so pleased with how this turned out. My favorite part is the eyes.  Man, I love drawing them eyeballs, LOL…

I am learning so much and I am getting more comfortable with colored pencil, it’s still a struggle but it is more controlled (which is a good thing).  And I am very excited to start something else, as soon as I figure out what that something is 😉

You guys have a great weekend!

P.S. Colored pencil Lovers: If you are looking for a paper give the Canson XL mixed media a try.  This paper has a lot of tooth and at 7.98 a pad from Jerry’s Artarama, it’s a real bargain.

Be Well and Happy!

Family Vacation 2013: Biltmore Estate-Part 1

Sorry for my absence.  But art wise up until a couple of days ago, I’ve been doing technical boring stuff in trying to get acquainted with my colored pencils.  I do have a piece started, that I’m fairly excited about, but so far I have only the background completed.

This year we were able to take a family vacation for the first time in years.  I can’t say it was relaxing and we were always on the go, but it was jam-packed with site seeing….I love trips like that.  It was extra special because the three of us got to spend time with each other without worrying about work or talking about school, or household chores 🙂

The first couple of days we went to Asheville so we could tour Biltmore Estate. This mansion was built by George Washington Vanderbilt and is the largest private residence in the nation.   The mansion is  178,926 square feet featuring 250 rooms representing the Gilded Age.  Today, it is still owned by the Vanderbilt descendants.  I think they or at least some of the family live on the property.

You talk about stupid money!… I love that place and this is was our third time visiting, but this was Alana’s first visit.

DSC03386 alana

And she actually enjoyed it too.  She’s a photography buff, so there was no shortage of interesting things to capture on camera.   If you live in the area and planning a wedding, this is the perfect place.  It has such a romantic setting.  Maybe one day I can talk Alana into getting married here…One day, a long way away, in the very,  very distant future, lol…

After touring the house we toured the gardens.  They were beautiful, but it was a tad bit too hot to go traipsing around, but we sucked it up.

The  coy fish in the picture below loved Alana.  It was the strangest thing.  The white coy would follow her around the pond, it would face her and also jump out of the water toward her.  I don’t know if it was her clothes or her camera but something drew this fish to her like a moth to a flame.

GEDSC DIGITAL CAMERA

After touring the house and the gardens we toured the winery.  It was pretty interesting.  I’m not a wine enthusiast and not one to be able to appreciate a dry red wine so I found the taste pretty bitter. I did like the white sweeter wines though.  Poor Alana was bored to tears watching us drink, but she was a good sport about it.

Well, That’s it for Part 1 of our vacation.  Stayed tuned for Part 2:  ” The Ottaway’s Go To Washington.” hahaha

Be Well and Happy!

Welcome to my mess…

photo

I’m a girl on a mission!  I have made a commitment to myself to learn how to mix color using colored pencils AND produce some artwork by the end of summer!  That means no Zentangling, no drawing and no sketching.  I love to draw but it was  my intention to learn to draw as a means of kick starting color work.  Instead  it’s all I do, because to me it’s easy and easy means safe.  So I’ve put my pencils away (for now) and my desk is littered with colored pencils.  Annnd of course my double cup a coffee!

Yes, once again my poor blog is suffering (as usual) but I’ve been so blessed to have the supplies, the space and the time to learn how to use colored pencils, and it’s a real shame that these lovely things are gathering dust.

I have been taking a video workshop and I have learned more in the first 15 minutes than I have  gleaned from the colored pencil books that line my shelves, that’s for sure.  I have always thought in books when artists convey techniques they either over simplify information or over complicate the information leaving a lot of stuff out.  Either way it’s confusing. But I guess I should factor in the fact that I never grade well in following directions in school, lol.

Now,  I am using my own technique in mixing colors and my own way of getting to know my pencils, but it’s working and I am feeling a little more confident in mixing.  So far their hasn’t been one color that I haven’t been able to match, so yay me!  This is a huge hurdle and I’m absolutely ticked to pieces.

 

Be Well and Happy!

Zenday!

Zendala 58

Zendala Challenge  # 58

Zendala 59

Zendala Challenge #59

Micron and Graphite on Bond

Created by Erin at the Bright Owl

     Hello!  As you can see,  I’m doing a little catch up since I haven’t been posting lately.  Everything is going good, but I reckon my muse went on hiatus. I can’t  find anything that I want to draw.  I have been doing a little colored pencil practice, but it isn’t really a show and tell type of thing.  It’s been fun though.

   I have been reading a lot and enjoying quite a few happily ever afters on our new Kindle e-reader.   It’s a nifty little device that’s for sure.  I ordered it so Alana could read library books and not tie up our devices.  But come to find out she reads only when she is out of options in finding something enjoyable to do.  I guess I learn something new everyday, LOL ….that’s okay, more fun toys for meeeeeeee…..

Be Well and Happy!

Zenday!

zendala 56

Zendala Challenge #56

Micron on white created by Erin from The Bright Owl

The center pattern is called Cockles ‘N Mussels.  This is one of my all time favorite patterns.  And you would think because it is one of my favorites, I would be using it all the time.  I don’t though, and I wonder why?  Either I don’t want to get sick of it or there is so many patterns and so little time 🙂

Be Well and Happy!

Diary of an Iphone…

With a few days of scattered showers, I can now tell that our cars aren’t yellow and I can breathe at least half the time 🙂  I still got a few things accomplished and some things started and my week went a little something like this:

 A discovery that I liked this book.  bookWhew!  I finally got through this book.  Usually, I can get through a book this size in a couple of sittings (if it grabs my attention and nothing is on TV, LOL) But this book took 10 times longer to get through.  What’s to blame?

The first couple of hundred pages was chock full of medical, scientific and historical fact and jargon.  If you are the professorial type  I see you loving it. But I’m not and I don’t.  I kind of  liken the beginning of the book  to The Big Bang Theory that has been stripped of humor and quirkiness.  And then you have to take in account that the author is a History Professor.  I gave me a melatonin effect. Zzzzzzzz…..

But when I reached chapter 22 (I think) the book became so fast paced and exciting.  And I think that the reason the beginning was so dry, is because the plot is so extremely complicated. And I am certain that if I skipped over the first part that I would not have understood a thing.  I thought about tossing the book aside and giving up, but I’m glad I didn’t and ended up loving the rest of the book!

This book contains just about all things paranormal with a little time travel thrown in at the end.  I am now looking forward to Book #2, can you believe it?  Here is an overview of the book.

Deborah Harkness, wherever you are, I so owe you an apology because even though the beginning was rocky, this was a great read 🙂Cinderella

  I wanted to read something not quite as heavy so I checked this book out from the library.  And I’m really hoping that this book is funny.  Going by the jacket it is promising. The name of the book is The Cinderella Pact and it is written by Sarah Strohmeyer.  Here is an overview of the book.

Oils

I also practiced a little witchdoctor’n or am I a medicine woman?

 

 

 

CactusSpring

 

I wanted centerpieces for the kitchen and the living room.  And after a little research, I decided on terrariums.  I thought they would not only be pretty, but if I managed not to kill them I can repot them in bigger pots.  I was really excited to make these. But what was strange was David was excited too. Then I found out the reason he was so excited.  He thought, It would have some kind of themed village inside, like the Hobbit or trolls….uhhhh……I have one disappointed guy on my hands.

a pepper  There was a little art going on, but not much as I have had a headache off and on.   This is the red pepper and I have a yellow and green to go.  I also started a drawing of a dog.  Man, the reference is so ugly that it’s cute.  But as I get into the drawing, it’s starting to look kind of creepy.  So, I don’t know…I don’t have much time invested in it yet.  And it may just be too creepy to invest more time.

And last but not least, I am very glad that I come up with a new title for the posts…Diary of an Iphone..SWEET!

 

I hope you guys have a great weekend with big smiles and sunny skies 🙂

Be Well and Happy!

Zenday!

zendare 55Zendare #55 by Erin from The Bright Owl

Micron on Bond

 I don’t know about you, but I am really hoping this rain will wash away all of this pollen.  It’s been intense around here.  I feel like have sand paper in my eyes and my throat and nose are killing me.  Ohhhh joy!  I’m feeling  crummy, I’m going to make this short and sweet.

Be Well and Happy!