Snow Leopard

Snow Leopard”
Graphite on 14 x 17 Bristol Smooth

Happy Monday! This honey of a drawing is one of my UFOs that has finally become an FO 🙂
It has been great being able to carve out some time to finish some of these projects that have been on the board for a while. I was very excited to finish this one. It is pretty big and huge when you consider the fact that I used a .02 mechanical pencil on this drawing. But it was worth every little stroke capturing that lux fur. 
What is on your drawing board, if you care to share?

Take Care!

Home…

Home
Graphite on Bristol Smooth

I was commissioned to draw this home from one of the sweet REALTORS in the office. She wanted to give something very special to her very important client at the closing table. Her husband.

I won’t go into their story, but what I can tell you is that his Dad actually built this house for his Mom.

Man, this house is detailed! There are a lot of touches in this home that proved this was a true labor of love.and inside is just as lovely as the outside.

I actually had to break out an .02 mechanical pencil (the lead would snap off every other second) but it was worth it in the end.

I was truly honored that she asked me to do this and I hope it was a bright spot through a difficult time..

Ginger…

Lab

Ginger
Graphite on Bristol Smooth

About the drawing:
Isn’t she just the cutest!  This is the first commission of a puppy I have able able to draw in quite a while.  I have missed drawing pet portraits.  Drawing animals gives me all the feels and I was very excited to draw this one. She loved it! 

Things have been pretty busy around here.  We bought a new home, sold our primary home and been working from home.  Its been pretty chaotic!  So for some reason, I thought it would be the perfect time to change my domain name back to carolottaway.com. I had to change everything on social media too and it took forever! My account on Bloglovin’ is still listing my site as wordpress instead of .com and I can’t seem to change it.  Not that it is a big deal or anything but I pay to use the .com so I should be able to utilize it but this is an issue that I will save for another day.

Speaking of moving, I can’t wait to share my office studio with you!  Still have a lot to do before everything is set up and my husband is still in awe and amazement of how I fit everything in our little house, lol….(Where there is a will there is a way).  It feels weird being in a different home, but it has really worked out with all three of us working from home during the self isolation. We aren’t on top of each other and I am sure if we were in the other home it would be like War of the Roses at the Ottaway household.

I hope everyone is staying safe and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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Lighthouse…

Lighthouse

Light House
Graphite on Bristol Smooth

When a commissioned piece is delivered, it isn’t often I get to see the person actually receive the work I have done.  But with the modern marvel of Face time, I was able  to see her reaction has she opened the portfolio of the Lighthouse drawing inside.  I could actually see the excitement and happiness as her eyes took in every little detail.  As I watched her gaze at every little stroke of my pencil….My emotions were as blurry as this picture I have posted….I mean lets face it, if I were a photographer this would be a totally different blog… Anyway, I went from anticipation, to worry, then fear til finally elation.  I am so appreciative she trusted me to make this keepsake  and very happy she loved it.

I really missed all of this.  Art and Blogging.  I have no one to blame but myself and this is my first step….I’m so serious that I am up writing this at 2:50 in the morning. 🙂

 

Stay safe everyone!

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Saving the Day…

Dog
Acrylic on 8 x 10 canvas panel

Happy Sunday! This was my first attempt in painting a dog in acrylic. I had chosen this picture because of the superhero pose not really paying attention to the fact that painting a white and black dog would be hard to pull off. Black and white is an inclusion of reflective colors that bounce off the fur from their surroundings mostly and bits of black and white mixed in as low lights and highlights. This pup had a lot of creams and flesh tones in the white but only brown and gray in the black from what I could see. The reference picture was lovely and the photographer really knows her stuff. I was drawn to the photo so I just painted what I saw. I did remove the background, so the dog would really pop. And he/she does.

I painted the portrait on an 8 x 10 linen canvas. I found it extremely difficult to get the softness of the fur and the sharpness of the fine whiskers. Paint would gather or drag on the squared tooth of canvas. If I was working on a large scale it probably would not have been a big deal, but on a small scale? I had lots of issues and many attempts.

Next time, I will either paint on a wood board or prime the tooth out of the canvas for a smooth foundation.

What I liked is that I left everything out, so when I could grab a few minutes, I would paint for a bit. I know I had posted this before but I keep forgetting. I also have another painting to get started and a drawing on the board. I want to get one more painting ready to start, so I can have 3 things going…I will see how it goes. I promise series, but don’t follow through because after I get one thing finished I want to move on to something different, whether it be subject or medium. So we will will see.

Be Well and Happy!

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Alcohol Ink Coasters…

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I stepped down from my Admin position to go back to being a full time REALTOR (Yes this is in all caps…I pay for the use of the title, swore an oath…and proud to be a REALTOR although I am a little disappointed that there was no secret handshake)

Anyway, I digress…

When I stepped down, I realized that there were so many people that I appreciated while I was Admin, people who have shown me so much kindness while I was working as an employee and support in my transition back.  There was no better time to show my appreciation than the Christmas season.  Granted, the dollar amount isn’t much, but I spent  A LOT of hours on these and was very excited how they all came together.

I was so nervous but these little gifts were well received and everyone loved them and I think sometimes the best gift you and give is your time.

Did you give any handmade gifts this year?

I hope you had a wonderful Holiday Season and a very Happy New Year!

Be Well and Happy!

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Springer…

Springer Spaniel
Graphite in Bristol Smooth

Hello!  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I did!  I spent some time with my little pack of 3.  We didn’t do all that much, I cooked and we watched some TV and laughed a lot, but it was more than enough and I’m very thankful.

On Friday, we went to the movies and watched Creed II.  It was a great movie! Although,  the movie did make me realize that I was around during the old Rocky movies and getting on up there in years, lol  Strange that a movie can bring on angst regarding my mortality, but there it is.  Seriously, if you like Rocky movies, you won’t be disappointed.

I am hoping to get back in the studio this week.  I have a commission that needs to be completed and a few pieces that need to be started.  I won’t mention the box of misfit works that need tending to, that have me stumped! But such is life 🙂

Do you have a box of misfits that you can’t throw or won’t away?

Be Well and Happy!

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Life is just Beachy!

“Blue Waters”
Copic Various Ink on Yupo

A BIG event happened in the Ottaway household recently… Our daughter graduated college!

I can’t tell you how good it feels to have my little chickie home and how proud we are!

                                                      Look at that happy face ❤️

After graduation was our yearly trip to Hatteras. (Thank you Chris and Vicki!). It was so much fun to get together with the family.

              We spotted this Raccoon carving on a nature walk on Ocracoke Island!

I guess it’s fitting that I am posting “Beach Waters”. I want to do another piece like the one above, but since each piece is unique and has a mind of its own so we will see how close I can get!

What have you been working on lately?

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Welcoming 2018 with Alcohol Ink!

Underwater
Alcohol Ink on Card

Happy New Year Guys!

I’m in love with Alcohol Ink!  Welllll, when I am not in love with a new process….but still.  This is pretty cool.   I think my favorite part is that you really don’t know what is going to look like. I mean, I guess you can control it, but I don’t worry about it that too much because  I love surprises!

Usually, other artists mount this art to a wooden block with a resin pour, but I am not brave enough to try that, yet.  Eventually I want to, but for now I will settle for matting.

If you have never tried Alcohol ink, you should give it a try!

I hope you guys had a great time welcoming in the New Year.  Ours was pretty quiet and we stayed home.  It was nice to veg out in front of the TV in my PJs.

How did you spend your New Year’s Eve?

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Hi!

WIP
Graphite on Bristol Smooth

Things here are going pretty well.  Work has kept me pretty busy, but I found this old drawing that I set aside and I have been working on it on and off.   It feels  pretty great drawing and I found it much easier to leave it out handy and work on it when I can steal a few minutes here and there.

I’m not complaining….A little time is better than nothing!  And today is an on day!

So……I have the Hallmark Channel, homemade chicken ‘n dumplings on the stove and my drawing….what’s to complain about.

So, my question for you is:
How often are you able to work on your art?

Be Well and Happy!
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