A Year of Drawing Day 8

A plethora of work today!

I will likely not be posting tomorrow. We've got a lot of stuff going on! See you Friday or Saturday!

 

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A Year of Drawing and a Work in Progress

Days 6 and 7

I am still playing with cute animals.

 

I also experimented with my Inktense Pencils and painting rocks. This was inspired by a video tutorial from Dion Dior.

 

I also made it into the studio today and started on this painting. I hope to finish it tomorrow.

 

Thanks so much for visiting!

 

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It's Official! I Have a Store!

I have partnered with Fine Art America to sell prints, framed art, canvases and acrylics of my artwork. I am so excited by this opportunity. Fine Art America lets you choose size, style, frame and so forth and they ship all over the world! How cool is that?

Please, stop buy the shop and check out the artwork I have to offer. I have a nifty slide show of my artwork over there on the right. Also, if you like my Facebook Page or follow me on Twitter you will see when new work is posted.

Here is some of the artwork now available as prints.

 

 

 

 

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A Year of Drawing Day 4 & 5

I decided to go "woodland cute" this weekend with my drawing. I think Alisa Burke's Whimsy & Wonder E-course inspired this set of drawings. It's a sketchbook approach to creating whimsical drawings. My sketching skills are something I really want to improve on so, this class was perfect. I will say if you want to learn to draw a specific thing, that is not how Alisa teaches. She gives you ideas and shows what she does but she does not show you step by step how to draw specific things. The drawings she made for this course are not intimidating though. If you draw a little and like to draw from imagination, this course is wonderful.

 

 

 

 

One thing I have definitely learned is that I am a paper snob. I have to use Strathmore Mixed Media paper if I want to do watercolors. Alisa uses cheaper paper and doesn't mind the buckling. She even irons the paper after it dries. The buckling drives me crazy. I have to use the good stuff. Strathmore has a few mixed media journals and their paper holds up very well.

Oh, and just an FYI. I have a big announcement coming this week! Stay tuned!

 

 

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A Year of Drawing Day 3

I felt like chilling out and drawing longer than just 10 minutes today. I'm getting a spring cold (I wish spring warm would come with it) and I'm just sitting with the kids while they watch movies. I did a sketchbook page of a Serene Girl using Derwent Coloursoft Pencils. The aren't as nice as Prismacolor Pencils but I'm just playing around.

Have a good weekend.

 

 

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A Year of Drawing Day 2

One of my weakest areas when it comes to drawing is the body. I'm going to work on that for a bit. I pulled out a posable mannequin and a ball point pen and sketched for 10 minutes.

 

 

Here is another Zenanimal.

Before. This is drawn in one continuous line.

After. I "zenned" it up with some more loops and thicker lines.

 

Have a wonderful day!

 

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A Year of Drawing

This June I'm taking Lilla Roger's new e-course, "Make Art That Sells" and I decided I need to improve my drawing skills. I'm good but I would like to be better. I've been looking at the art of some licensed mixed media artists and they all have wonderful illustration skills. I want to improve but I also don't want it to be a chore. I have to enjoy what I am doing so I keep the desire to do it.

I'm making my rules very simple:

Draw for 10 minutes a day (minimum)

Post what I draw (the good, the bad and the ugly) on my blog (hopefully everyday)

In my opinion it doesn't matter what you draw as long as you are drawing something. I want to keep my drawing options open in regards to subjects matter but give myself an easy minimum time period to stick too. No matter how crazy things get in this house I can usually find 10 minutes to draw.

Here is what I drew yesterday; Some quick characters.

 

 

 

 

Before bed I've gotten into drawing what I call Zenanimals. Here are my two latest.

 

My intention is to do this for a year. Yes, a whole year! This is the only way to make it a habit which is what I want. I enjoy drawing and I think it's a helpful skill to be comfortable doing. I don't want to have any "fear" about drawing. I have a little basket of drawing tools that I carry around the house with me and I have a mini sketchbook in my purse. I have an issue with drawing in public that I want to overcome.

I just turned 44 so starting my Year of Drawing this month is a good thing.

I hope you will follow along!

Thanks for stopping by.

 

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What I'm Working On

Here is my latest painting. It's part of a whimsical animal series I've been doing.

 

He's so darn cute. Or she is. I don't know if its a boy or girl. It's just cute!

This other drawing I'm referring to as a zenanimal or zen drawing of an animal. I learned a version of this technique from Carla Sonheim. I took one of her Draw Silly courses a year ago. Every day I received a worksheet with a fun exercise to do (very similar to a worksheet you'd get in grade school). Basically you create the animal in one continuous line. After creating the animal you go over some lines, making them thicker. I found it very relaxing and zen like.

In my version I started like Carla but I took it a step further. I added more lines and curves. I focused on making the line, how it curved and filling in color. I knew this would be relaxing so, I did it before bed and had nice mellow music playing. I slept like a baby. But it could've been the Zyrtec.

 

Don't ask what kind of animal it is. I have no clue.

I'm really trying to increase my drawing practice. I'm going to draw what I want and what I like. Any drawing practice will increase my skills but I want to have fun too!

Keep checking in with me. A new project is in the works!

Have a wonderful day!

 

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When the Universe Speaks Part 2

The other day I wrote this post about getting past the February Blues and into a new frame of mind. Well this week the Universe kept on speaking to me. I found Art & Soul Radio.

 

They have wonderful interviews with some of the best artists mixed media. It's sponsored by the famous Art & Soul Retreats. You can listen to the podcasts on their website or subscribe via iTunes. I listened to interviews with Jane Davies, Jesse Reno, Carla Sonheim, Pam Carriker and Marissa Anne of Creative Thursday.

All the interviews were so inspiring to me. Each person had a different story and each person wasn't so different from me. Pam Carriker is a busy Mom like me. Neither Carla or Jesse have formal art training. They all love to play and experiment with art supplies. All of them had helpful insight on getting past blocks and obsticals to making art. I felt like these artists were encouraging me in my new attitude. It was so uplifting to listen to each of these interviews! I was even inspired to write down encouraging phrases. I'll eventually paint each of these and hang them in my art room as reminders.

 

 

 

In other news, next week I should have my first online store open! I will be partnering with Fine Art America. They are a print on demand resource for artists and my art will be available as prints and canvases for sale. How cool is that! I will announce the official opening here on my blog as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

I am also taking a course on using Photoshop to beautify my blog. Keep watching as changes are made to make it super snazzy. (Unless I get totally frustrated and chuck my computer out the window!)

Here are some links to the other places you can find me.

http://www.facebook.com/Lyndammetcalf.artist

http://followgram.me/lyndammetcalf

https://twitter.com/Lyndammetcalf

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

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When the Universe Speaks....

In a previous post I briefly touched on having the February Blues. Well, to be honest, February was a crummy month. I went into it with a lot of energy and then I got sick with a morphing cold (it kept changing into other illnesses). And if that wasn't enough to suck the creative juices out of me, I had to give up the Sugar & Spice Art Retreat I was planning to attend this summer. Life threw some unexpected expenses our way, so I had little choice in the matter. I was (and still am) bummed about it. I had been planning on going since I had first heard about it last year. You know how life is though. It throws things at you just to see how you are going to deal with it.

So, I wallowed a bit. It's okay to sit in the sadness for a little while. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I have a family that doesn't want to sit in the sad with me so, I needed to pull myself out. Over a few days that's exactly what happened.

First, I read this great article about artist Cori Dantini in the March/April issue of Somerset Studio. She doesn't write out business plans, she just works. I'm not one for planning so this really intrigued me. Cori does art shows, has a successful Etsy shop and is a licensed artist. Her story for me is not about magic or luck but more about doing what you love and being open to the possibilities and opportunities. I decided after reading this that's what I need to do. Create, create and create some more and put my work out there. Cori does goals instead o a business plan. I can do goals. Cori has deadlines. I can do deadlines.

Here is Cori Dantini's art on the cover of the current issue of Somerset Studio.

The next thing I did was write a to my art friends in my True Free Spirit class about the "funk" I was in. These ladies are so awesome. They poured out ideas and support. I felt like I was getting a great big virtual hug. Talking to people about your heartaches can be so helpful. I also tried not to be "Oh, woe is me" about it either. I asked for help and solutions and these gals totally stepped up.

The following day my husband asked a question over breakfast. "How do you see yourself in your business?"

It didn't take long to answer. "I see myself working from home and eventually teaching in cool places when the kids are older."

Then he asked how I can make money from home and somehow licensing came up (probably the Cori Dantini article). From there the topic of Lilla Rogers' new licensing e-course came up. I had previously dismissed this course because of the art retreat. He and I talked about it, researched it and Lilla Rogers (a very successful licensing agent/artist) and I've signed up for course. That day I ran out and bought Lilla's book and read it over the weekend. Her approach speaks to me. She's not about "make art that sells by sacrificing your style". She's about "make your art and see how you can make it work in the market place".

Lilla Rogers book, I Just Like to Make Things

Her e-course is Make Art That Sells

All these little things that happened over the first few days of March have totally re-energized me. I'm scanning art into my computer to get prints done and open a shop in April. I'm working on paintings because I may have my art displayed in my beauty salon (they participate in a neighboring town's art scene). I'm working on learning Photoshop Elements to spruce up my blog and perhaps creat original art. I'm carrying a planner around to write goals for the week and month. I'm not creating a business plan. I'm figuring out things I need/want to do and putting in a deadline. It's all very exciting.

I know it still stinks that I had to give up the retreat but I also know I will meet the artists and friends attending it in the future. My goal for the year is to focus on my business. I guess the Universe is guiding me to do that.

Some original cardboard art of mine.

Adorable Dog

 

Have a wonderful day! Go create something!

 

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A New Painting.... Mermaids

As promised, here is the big reveal of my BIG painting, Mermaids.

It took me about a month to create this 24'x36" painting. This video from Alisa Burke and this video from Mindy Lacefield inspired me for this painting. I watched Alisa's video and I thought "I can do that. I need to paint big!" I wasn't afraid or unsure of what I was doing at any point during this process. I was in the zone!

Here is is from start to finish.

A background filled with collage, paint and inky drips.

A face emerges.

 

Then another.

 

They are mermaids.

 

 

 

Here are details of the painting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am so proud of this painting. A part of me can't believe I finished this and another part of me knew I would because I was so into it! I am currently taking Mindy Lacefield's True Free Spirit course. It has really built my confidence as a painter. I highly recommend this course. The women who are taking it are so supportive. It is just amazing!

As a special bonus I have a video here from Qwiki. It's a new iPhone app that let's you share videos. They are short snippets of special times in your life.

Click here to see the video. I hope you enjoy it!

 

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