Painting Every Day

I'm trying very hard to balance drawing and painting the "analog" way with learning how to create on the computer. The computer is fun and it has the wonderful function of "command z" which allows me to go back a step or 10 steps if I mess up. But I find the computer analytical. I think it's because I'm still learning how the programs work. Painting and drawing is more meditative for me. I just go with the flow. I usually don't worry about mistakes because I can quickly cover them up or use them to my advantage. I think having a more meditative creative process feeds into my learning how to create on the computer.

I doubt I will actually be able to paint every single day. I'm going for 5 days a week. I made my rules simple. I set my timer for 30 minutes and just go for it in a small sketchbook. So far I've been using gesso, gouache and some collage. I try to not have a lot of materials on hand so I can be quick. I've also given myself permission to quit if I'm not "feeling" the page. It's just my sketchbook. Forcing art making if you aren't feeling good about what you are creating will not result in a good piece. I think it's important to try for at least 30 minutes though as it can push me past any uneasiness in the beginning and get me into the groove. Here are some fun pages I've done so far.

 

 

They're playful and simple. I'm just goofing off and having fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

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Happy Easter

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter and (hopefully) a sunny spring weekend!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

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A New Painting and a Sale!

I've been taking Mindy Lacefied's 6 month course, Wild Surrender. February Mindy did a lovely textural sailboat painting and her lesson inspired this painting.

This is my first painting to feature a boy (my son was thrilled!). I had so much fun painting this one. My love of the ocean, the book "Where the Wild Things Are" and the painted papers of Eric Carle influenced this piece.

In other news, my birthday is March 15th! To celebrate I am having a 10% off sale in my Etsy shop. A print of the above painting is available along with some other new art. Just use the code HAPPY45BDAY at checkout. Sale ends midnight on Sunday the 16th.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

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Feeling a Little Lost

I've been thinking a lot about the art I create lately. I've been feeling lost. It's not that I dislike the art I am making. I am just not sure if it's "me". I think The Make Art That Sells e-course changed how I look at my art. I want to make art that I love but it also has to be marketable. So, I am questioning everything I am creating. I just want to enjoy making art but I also want to sell it so, where is the balance? How do you balance being commercial and being true to yourself? I decided I've been overthinking things and my problem may be that I haven't found my style. I've found some of it, but not all of it. My art is also not quite focused for a specific market. So, I've gone into analysis mode and started thinking about where my love of art comes from. Why do I love art?

When I was growing up I loved (and still love) Disney Films. I watched the Disney Channel when if first came onto cable and they actually showed all the classic cartoons. I have quite a collection of (now out of print) books on Disney Animation. I used to trace the characters and color them in. I still love to look through the books and I now get to watch the movies through my children's eyes.

In high school I fell in love with Impressionism. I actually enjoy most fine art but Impressionism is my favorite, especially Degas. I love the color and texture in Impressionist paintings. I also like how they captured daily life and landscapes.

In my 20's and 30's I worked in several different bookstores and my favorite department was the children's section, especially picture books. I loved the stories and the art. The best part of picture books is that the art can be so different. Below are pictures of just some of the books in my collection. I have a lot! I think my favorite thing about picture books are the characters created. The trick to creating an excellent picture book is that the words and the pictures work well on their own but are perfect compliments to each other. I was recently reading a Frog and Toad (by Arnold Lobel) story to my son and he was cracking up at the story and the pictures.

So what does all this mean for my art and what I create? I'm not sure yet. I think I have some of the whimsy from Disney, some texture from the Impressionists and characters from children's books already floating around in my art. I just need to keep drawing and working and drawing some more. I have been experimenting with other media too. My beginnings in art was in the craft world. I was a certified Donna Dewberry Muralist. As much as I enjoyed being a crafty painter I'd like my work not to look "crafty". This is my personal preference. Most important though I need to remember what kind of art makes my heart sing.

 

 

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I Can't Art Without.... Charcoal Pencils

If you are a regular reader of this blog you know I have a plethora of art supplies. It's why I consider myself a mixed media artist. Art supplies are my potato chips, I can't have just one. I am trying to make art every day, even if it's just 5 minutes and I decided to focus on one art supply for at least a week. This way I really get a feel for them.

Currently I am loving charcoal pencils. They create dark lines and quick shading even for cute characters. I like how they glide slowly on the page. It forces me to be conscious of the shape of my line. When I start drawing I do a basic head shape, then I let that shape tell me what it wants to be. I know, it sounds weird but the shape either feels like a "person" shape or a "critter" shape.

The sketches below only took about 5 minutes to draw. The shading helps make the image look more finished than it actually is.

This elongated head felt like a more grown up girl.

This head shape could've been a young child but, once I did the eyes, a bunny emerged.

This circle had a tilt to it so, it became a sleepy girl.

This image of the sleepy girl is my favorite. So, I tried to figure out how to use this sketch in other artwork. Perhaps with collage or paint.

I traced my original sketch onto a coffee filter, sprayed it with fixative and glued it onto an art journal page. She still has the smudgy line quality I want but I'm not sure about the coloring I did.

The above piece I did on an ATC watercolor card. I sealed it then tinted it with my Inktense pencils. I like her better. It feels like a tinted black and white photo. I will master this and find a style that works. I like the simplicity of it.

There is an advantage to having multiple art supplies on hand. When I'm stuck I pull out a different supply and my head immediately switches to play mode. It almost always pulls me out of a creative rut. See, hoarding art supplies is psychologically beneficial to creative people. That may explain my husband's vast supply of musical instruments. I guess I won't give him a hard time about owning 5 guitars anymore.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

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My New Favorite Book

I love art books!  I find them so inspiring. This is my newest fav, Print & Pattern Kids.

It is over 300 pages long and it is filled with a variety of artists who license their work. Since I would love to license my art for children's products this is the perfect book for me to study. Here are a few of my favorite pages. The artists' names are on the photos so you can Google them.

I find myself drawn to colorful patterns with cute characters. I like the whimsical style and the hand drawn feel. These artists work on their computers but I don't feel these images have the flat/perfect vector feel. I see a lot of potential with merging my art with the computer. I just have to work on those computer skills!

You can find the book here. 

You can find the Print & Pattern Blog here. Talk about eye candy!  If you haven't checked it out, you must!