Checking In…

Just for my benefit let’s pretend that there is a picture of a piece of art or at least  W.I.P. LOL

I don’t know if you would classify my life as of  late blog worthy, or exciting but it’s all I got and I don’t like being M.I.A. for long periods of time. So I thought I would check in and say HI! and fill you in on recent events.

❤ In September, I was the make up artist at the wedding of my  youngest niece.  I had a lot of fun and was extremely honored to be a part of such a special day.  For a bride to trust her face with you on one of the most important days of her life? I was touched.  The day was beautiful and made even more beautiful when I was able to spend some time with my sweetie, Alana.

My goodness, I miss my girl so much and I feel like I have this huge chunk cut out of me.   As a parent, I guess this is the sort of thing that we sign up for but man, it’s hard.  On the other hand, she is having such a good time coming in to her own and who doesn’t want that for their child.  I am trying to suck it up and I am certainly not going to lay in the middle of the road, but it’s a sad adjustment.

“Thank You God for Skype!”

❤  I have few short-term goals and personal situations that have me pretty stymied.

#1.) …..

#2.)  I’m in serious need of time management.  Yes, I am one of those girls who writes it down old school.  Now, I don’t write down,

12:00 /  Take Break

12:15 /  Pee

but  I have so many things in my life that I love doing.   I refuse to give anything up for the sake of anything else.  I just need to figure out how to have it all.

#3.)  Yep, saved the best for last.  Finally!  I have come up with 2 sets of series paintings that I want to do.  One is still an idea, but the other is ready to go, if I can figure out the scale.  Do I want to paint it on large canvas or smaller for prints?  Or two versions of the same painting?  Unless I do both sizes I will be limited either way, huh.  I have no idea if these pieces will be for competition, sale, show or print.  See what I mean?  I still have way  too many unanswered questions… (which is why you get to look at a sentence instead of art at the beginning of my post) but I guess this is a good problem to have.

I know this post, like most of my posts kept you on the edge of your seat.    If you stuck it out to the end then you are truly my BFF4L 🙂

Be Well and Happy

My <3 Belongs to Brody…

Brody 2014

Brody

Graphite on Bristol Smooth

Yes, I’m in love…Sorry David, but I am…

     Over the weekend we took the opportunity to deliver this housewarming portrait to our nephew and his girlfriend.  And this sweet four-legged fur baby met us the door.  Brody licked my face, laid his head in my lap and just let me rub and love on him as long as I wanted.  He is just precious as could be and (sorry guys) but if I could have slipped him out with no one noticing I would have dog napped him.

We also got to hang out awhile and have dinner together. We had a very good time.   On the way home we could get over the fact that they remind us a lot of ourselves back in the day.  Well except for they are smarter, prettier and more successful, but I can see many great things in stored for  them.  Anyhoo, They seemed to like the portrait, so that’s a good thing too 🙂

Well, since I didn’t post anything Friday, here is my sketch.  I love my erasers and I spend as much time drawing with an eraser as I do a pencil.  This was a quick sketch so it isn’t very detailed, but I suppose it is much better than a staple, lol

eraser

Be Well and Happy!

Friday Sketch…

staple

Draw the office supply that you find  you can’t live without?

     This is a staple.  It may seem like a cheat, but this little guy has saved my butt on so many occasions at home and on the job. And the lack of using a staple has also on occasion made me scream, “Why! Oh Why! didn’t I take the time to staple my pages together”! lol   I was going to draw a staple gun, but the gun is just a vessel, and during the times I had to search for 3 out of 10 pages, it was mostly due to the stapler being empty and I was too lazy to fill it back up.

     On the home front, this is the last week Alana will be home for a few months as her new adventure begins in college.  Luckily, it has been too hectic for self-analysis, but as I type this, I really don’t know how I feel.   On the one hand, I’m so proud and excited for her that I could burst.  But on the other….she’s my baby and when I’m 80 she will still be my baby.

     Lots of changes…Lots of uncertainties and lots of praying and that is my only certainty. Okay, this is too much reality for me, so I am going to end my post here. Have a great weekend!

 Drawing Prompt

Draw the art supply that you find you can’t live without.

Be Well and Happy!

Friday Sketch….

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#1 Draw a doorknob

What in the world was I thinking.  Well, I will tell you. Probably what I was thinking was that this was going to easy peasey…Pffft…..I started over so many times that I almost put a hole in the paper.  So after that, I held the knob in my hand choose the easiest angle.  It still doesn’t look all that great, But hey!  Pencil was put on paper this week AND I know that I need to work on the ellipse shape and my circles are all that hot either.

Drawing Prompt

Draw the office supply that you find  you can’t live without?

Well, that’s about it for me and I hope you have a great weekend!

Be Well and Happy!

Something New, Shoes, A WIP, A Haul and a Prompt…

Something New

I have added  two tabs to my bar (above).  The Portfolio tab has some of my previous artwork and Zentangles in 2 slide shows. The Tutorials Tab  include links to my previous tutorials and patterns, all for easy access 😉

 Shoes

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I thought I would post the shoes that gave me the shakes Zentangling.  I think they turned out really nice and I hope my m.i.l. likes them.  My sister wants me to Zentangle her golf shoes….her Foot Joy golf shoes!  My goodness, I don’t how I am going to manage that one.  I did tell her, if I mess up and/or you don’t like them? It is on you and she still handed them over to me.  So we will see, so far I don’t even have the guts to pull them out of the bag.

 WIP

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This is a WIP of a pet portrait that I have been working on for my nephew and his girl friend as a housewarming present.  I have been having trouble with this little guy, and so far there are a lot of redos.  I haven’t picked up a pencil in a while and I’m rusty, but I hope that I can give them something special.

 Haul

booksAlso, we went Dorm shopping with mini me last weekend.  And I found these awesome hard covered spiral bound sketch pads.  What’s so great about these pads, for me at least,  is that the paper is smooth. If you have a Ross, TJ Maxx or Burlington Outlet near you?  You’d better scoop these puppies up!

Prompt

This week, I am going to commit to a sketch in one of these little beauties and we will call this Sketch Crawl Out Of Bed, LOL

But what will I sketch? Hummmmm……. What. will.  I.  sketch?…I think I shall sketch a door knob.  Exciting choice huh?  (Yesterday,  I took the knob off the door to paint and as I type this, it is glaring at me from the console.)

Would you care to join me?

  If you do, please comment in the post next week with a link to your sketch.  I would love to see it!

If you read my blog and don’t know how to draw, but always wanted to here is your chance.  You can only learn by doing.  I did not know how to draw until I started small sketching exercises.  So grab a some paper, a pencil and give it a go.

We will meet back here on Friday!

Be Well and Happy!

 

Checking in…

Hello!  It’s been quite a while since I last posted.  Life has a way of  getting away from you if you aren’t careful and I suppose that is what has been happening to me.  Although I don’t have any art to share, I wanted to touch base with you guys so I will call this post the Art of  Life.

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Well, I guess I will start off by sharing the exciting news of the smallest Ottaway, Alana.    In June, after many years of hard work she graduated from high school with honors and accolated with an advanced diploma and an aviation seal in the magnet program.  Her dad and I couldn’t be any prouder of her.  The weekend was full of family  and we all had a great time.  I could tell that the family  was betting to see how long David and I  would last before the tears fell but  I am happy to report that although her dad and I teared up, none were shed.  And I am very proud that I didn’t run down to where she was standing grabbing at her legs, screaming, ” I wanna do over!”

In the fall, she will be headed off to college.  I am so excited for her and I’m more than a little terrified.  So, when I feel a panic setting in, I remind myself that I am not the first parent to send their child off to school and I certainly won’t be the last.  Which doesn’t help much, lol but I guess it will have to do.

For the next Ottaway, my beloved David.  After years of dedication and hard work,  got another degree.  His job is demanding and he travels a lot often times working at night.  So his dedication to school and the completion of his degree (on the President’s List) is no small feat.   I am so proud of him!  And I am certainly grateful that I don’t have to share him for a bit.

And then there is me, lol and I’m still plugging a long… My nest will soon be empty, so there is no telling what kind of mess I will get into!

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copyright 2014 Alana Ottaway (used with permission)

My sister and brother in-law hosted a week-long stay in Hatteras celebrating my mother-in-law’s birthday.  Oh my goodness, we had so much fun! The house was so beautiful and had a pool.  So when we got tired of the beach we could lay out by the pool.  We ate fresh fish caught by the fisherman of the house that were so tasty  and laughed until our sides hurt.  It was especially nice catching up with everyone and just enjoying each other’s company.  Thank you Vicki and Chris for a wonderful time!!!!

My sister-in-law and I zentangled shoes.  She was good and finished hers, I just got too nervous.  The shoes I was working on were  leather  so I waited until I got home to finish so I could use a soft pencil to make the design first.  Vicki’s shoes are so cool and she’s a pro at zentangling!!!!

****If you are a Zentangle artist you may want to read her post.  CLICK HERE. 

And also, check out the beautiful quilt she made Alana for graduation. CLICK HERE.

I guess that’s about it for now.  I will be posting my Zentangle project very soon.  I am working on an art project that will be house warming gift  for my nephew and his girlfriend that I will be able to post after delivery. So, until then…

Be Well and Happy!

Have my Supplies, Now What…

question mark

You’d be surprised how fast your mind draws a blank when you are searching things to sketch.  Nothing seems to be appealing for some reason, so you spend a good chunk of time looking for that perfect item that you never find. Don’t be so critical of your objects.  You’d be surprised how nothing becomes something quite spectacular.

I remember sitting on the couch and there was a Mountain Dew can sitting on the coffee table. I had my sketching supplies out and being too lazy discard the can, I decided I would draw it.  To this day it is still one of my favorite sketches.

Below, I am going to give you a few ideas to get those sketching fingers a movin’:

1.)  Sit in a room and just draw random items that you see.  Everyone has at least a couple of chatskis that could be rendered.  Bathrooms are a great place to sketch small items.

2.)  Get your children (or grandchildren) in on the fun.  If a child was particularly well-behaved, tell them that you will sketch whatever they choose.  Trust me.  It is like a sticker to them…

3.)  Join the Every Matters Group on Facebook.  This group is based on the book written by Danny Gregory.  The EDM Group are the most supportive group of artists that I have encountered so far.  They provide a weekly prompt for you to sketch.  You can share or just sit back with some coffee and peruse some of the beautiful sketches from other members of the group.

4.) Gather some like-minded friends, hop in the car and go riding around in town. Stop at a great location and sketch what’s around you for an impromptu sketch crawl.

5.) Join or Start a sketching group.

I hope you find this helpful and a great start on a very fulfilling sketching  journey.

Where do you find your inspiration to sketch?

Be Well and Happy!

 

 

My Sketching Essentials…

There are so many supplies available for the artist to work (or play) on the go.  The equipment can get really elaborate as well as expensive.  So, I have put together a few things I have carried with me from time to time with no problems.  By problems I mean,  I have never sat down to sketch and said, “Man! I wish I would have brought_____!”

Sketching

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I am first and foremost a graphite girl! I like to draw on a smooth papers. And the above are  my papers of choice.

–400 Series Strathmore Drawing Pad – 8 x 10, 80 lb., pad is coiled so it folds flat (which is awesome).  Paper has a slight tooth, but I still consider this a smooth(ish) paper.

–400 Series Strathmore Sketch Pad – 5.5 x 8.5, 60 lb., pad is also coiled, slight tooth and not as thick as the 80 lb.

-Canson Drawing – 5.5 x 8.5, 70 lb., pad is coiled and has very little tooth.  It is the mid range weight between the two pads above.

-Canson Drawing – 5.5 x 8.5,  65 lb., pad is coiled, slight tooth and also a good mid range weight

The two Canson pads are not available, but here is a link to see the Canson line.

–Moleskine Journal – unlined, stapled and smooth tooth, compact and very versatile.

Tools

pencil

These are all the tools I need to keep me happy!

–A stump – for blending

–A kneaded eraser – erasing mistake of course 😉

–2B lead – a very versatile degree of graphite. Depending on the amount of pressure and using a stump, this one soft graphite can give you anywhere from a 4H, 3H, 2H, H, HB,  as well as 2B!

–Lead Pencil – Trimming your pencil may not be an option, so for me a lead pencil is a definite must.

When I want to sketch on the go and I don’t want to or can’t take a bigger pad.  I throw a Moleskine, stump, kneaded eraser, lead and a lead pencil in a Ziploc baggie and off I go!

Colored Pencil…Would be essentials

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I rarely take colored pencil on the go.  I may if we are traveling by car, but not usually as a rule.  If I decided to and I had no plan in mind, this is what I would probably take with me. I bought this portfolio from Dick Blick many years ago, and I love it.  The portfolio holds a pad of paper, 12 Prismacolor Pencils, and a sharpener.

The additional pad:

–300 Series Strathmore Bristol Smooth – 6 x 6, 100 lb. paper, heavyweight paper that will hold many layers of pencil.

Tools

-Colored Pencil Portfolio – I bought this on clearance for a whopping $20.00…ikr, yay me!  Sadly, I don’t think this is available anymore.

–A 12 color pack of colored pencils

–A kneaded eraser

-Sharpener

–Lead Pencil – not shown.

–typing eraser – great hard eraser

–Prismacolor blender pencil

-A Baggie – for pencil shavings

Watercolor….Would be essentials

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I haven’t had the pleasure of working in watercolor (yet).  But I do have a few things that I would choose as my essentials if I were to paint on go.

Paper

–300 Series Strathmore Bristol Smooth – 6 x 6, 100 lb. paper, heavyweight paper that will hold many layers of pencil.

Other watercolor pads

Tools

–Loew-Cornell dry watercolor pan

-12 color pan no longer available
–Winsor & Newton – 12 color travel set – linked to a similar set

or Watercolor Pencils not pictured

–Travel water brush

-A Mister

-a folded paper towel not pictured

–A stump

–A kneaded eraser

–2B lead

–Lead Pencil

Ink

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Sometimes, I want to  Zentangle  and this is perfect to throw in my purse!

Paper

–300 Series Strathmore Bristol Smooth – 6 x 6, 100 lb. paper, heavyweight paper

–Moleskine Journal – unlined, staples and smooth., compact and very versatile.

Tools

Micron Pens

–2B lead

–Lead Pencil

–A stump

–A kneaded eraser

I think oil and acrylic would fall under the en plein air category.  And since we all can’t know everything I have no idea what a charcoal or pastel artist would carry.  But I would definitely be interested in finding out.

Nothing is set in stone and you should carry what makes you feel comfortable. For me these things mentioned is what makes me comfortable to sketch in the past and what I shall continue to have with me in future.

What are your go to sketching essentials?

Be Well and Happy!

What is sketching?

Sketching is quick drawing and/or painting studies.  Oftentimes, artists uses thumbnail (miniature) sketches before beginning larger works. This enables the artist to make adjustments in perspective, design, color and cohesiveness before beginning larger works.  Sketching is also practiced for relaxation, introduction to new mediums and as well as for someone who wants to learn to draw.  So, it stands to reason that a sketch book is a collection of all that has been mentioned above.

There is some debate in the art community whether graphite drawing is considered a legitimate medium.  Some believe that drawing falls under the sketching category, while others believe that drawing should receive the same accolades presented to other mediums.   Myself?  If you want to make me good and mad?  Tell me a drawing that I have 80 hours invested in is a nice sketch and I will go from zero to wolverine with no stops in between.   But I digress…

If you want to start sketching, the most important question you should be asking yourself and thinking about is what medium are you going to use in your sketchbook?

Will you be using dry mediums?  Such as:

 graphite?

colored pencil?

ink?

charcoal?

pastel?

Or will you use wet mediums? Such as:

watercolor?

qouache ?

I would not recommend oil or acrylic.  The drying time for oil and acrylic takes too long.  You may be able to use acrylic, if it is used as a wash and you have a spiral bound sketch book that can lay completely flat.  Acrylic can take up to an hour to dry so be aware….

Whatever medium you choose will have a great bearing on what type of sketchbook that you would need to purchase.

So, I guess that is where I am going to leave today…In contemplation…

Be Well and Happy!

To sketch or Not to sketch?

Yep, that’s my question.

I was creeping in on a discussion from a popular artist in one of my online groups.  The short version of this discussion was that she was informally accepted in a Gallery, but they wanted or needed to see her sketch books.  WTW, sketch books?  I don’t keep sketch books!  How do you keep a sketch book?  The poor woman was coming unglued.  Of course, their were lovely people a plenty on hand to help her in her hour of need.  But it got me thinking.  I wonder how many artists out there keep a working, bona fide sketch book?  I use to keep sketch books a long time ago, but not in years have I sat down and intentionally sketched for the sake of sketching.  And I couldn’t find them now if my life depended on it.

Have you ever kept a sketch book?

Do you keep a sketch book now?

Would it be a prudent move in your career to start keeping a sketch book?

I’m thinking that it’s a definite yes!  You and I should!

Don’t get me wrong, I draw and paint because the desire to do so is there.  But Come On, I’m not an idiot, LOL  And if by chance, in my wildest dreams a Gallery approaches me, I want to be ready!  And if not, then we will have some awesome coffee table books 🙂

I think I am going to dedicate at least couple of posts to this very subject…I’m a little rusty, but I am more than willing and happy to share what I know.

AND If you are subscribed to this blog and have always wanted to learn to draw but can’t?  This would be especially helpful for you 🙂

Be Well and Happy!