Evolution of a Fox

I thought I'd share with you today how my foxes came about. It actually started with Ed Emberley.

He has a wonderful series of drawing books for children. I think I have them all. Every subject is broken down into shapes. He shows you step by step how to put those shapes together and you get your picture. My children and I have been working through his animal book and they are having a great time. So, during a sketching session I drew a triangle fox.

Later I Googled "foxes" and looked through the images online. I sketched and traced (using my iPad like a lightbox. It has a Zagg Shield on it so I won't scratch the screen) from real photos to get a feel for the fox.

And then I played around with different ways to make him whimsical.

When I put one into a piece of artwork I can play around with his look depending on the medium I am using.

 

 

I pretty much do the same process with all my animals. I think about their basic shape. I look at real pictures of them and then I play around with making them cute and whimsical.

If you think you "can't draw" I highly recommend going to the art section in the children's department in your local library and get Ed Emberley's books. They are simple and fun and great for all ages. Once you see that things are made up of shapes you will be able to look at something in real life and break it down into shapes. My cat Oscar is a fat pear with ears for example. (don't tell him I said that).

Be brave. Give drawing a go!

Here is a video interview of Ed Emberley as well!

 

Falling in Love with Drawing

My art career began back in 2004. I was a decorative painter and a muralist. I learned to draw and create with my brush. I rarely did anything with a pencil. I was a part of a business group and one of the members wanted me to create a business card for him. I told him this wasn't my thing but I needed the money and he seemed to have faith in me. So I painted a picture of what he wanted. He loved it. Scanned it into his computer and printed out cards. Another member of the group liked the business card and asked me to create a new logo for him. Mind you, I wasn't a graphic designer or an illustrator. I painted murals. But he insisted and I drew a logo for him. Well, his partner (who wasn't a people person) did not like my creation for them and spent 20 minutes telling me how awful I was as an artist and that his 6 year old could do better. (There was a reason this guy didn't represent his company in the group!) I think I cried for several hours after this horrible conversation. It shook my confidence and I left the group a few months later. All artists have stories like this one. Someone comes along and tells them they aren't as great as they think they are. I didn't attempt drawing again until 2 years ago. And, I have to tell you, I love it! It's meditative and fun at the same time. Most important, I do it for me.

I made myself some ground rules when I decided to improve my drawing skills.

Don't label it as "good" or "bad"

Don't compare my work with others

Draw what I like

Draw every day

Explore and have fun

So, I draw fun characters or scribbles. Whatever I feel like. I know every mark is just going to make me better. I post my sketches to Instagram pretty much every day. Here are some I've done in the past week or so.

 

 

 

 

 

This giraffe is all pastel and colored pencil.

This owl I did on my iPad with the Adobe Ideas app

Drawing can be so much fun when you let go of your fears and let go of past negative criticisms. I understand not everyone is going to like my work. I believe my audience will find me. So, I'll keep drawing and creating. It brings me joy and finding your joy is what it's all about!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you find your joy and give drawing (just for you) a go!

Follow me on Instagram or Twitter to see my daily sketches.

 

On My Art Table

I've been floating from project to project. Working on whatever I'm drawn too.

Here are some of my latest projects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are other things I'm working on too. I'm slowly getting back in the groove. The craziness of April is finally over and my new adventures need lots of attention.

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

Published!

At the beginning of the year the magazine, Cloth Paper Scissors had a readers' challenge called "Make Mine Mini". Readers had to submit a piece of artwork no bigger than 4"x4" in size. My art was one of the 40 plus chosen to be published in the May/June issue of the magazine!

I have to be honest, I am over the moon about this! This little critter is something I have loved creating and the background is so fun and colorful. This 4"x4" piece of art is the style I enjoy making most. Having it chosen out of the hundreds submitted feels like a huge validation. I know I'm on the right path for my art. This is also quite the motivation to keep creating! I've been trying my best to continue sketching every day. Once April is over I hope to get some larger pieces done and maybe get an Etsy shop opened! Here are a few other things I've been doing.

Artist Trading Cards

Painted Papers

Sketches

 

 

I'm sorry but I think the Tutu Hippo is too too cute! Sketching what I want, just for me, is very freeing.

Until next time!

 

Bitten by the Comparison Bug

It happens to all artists. We look at other artists' work. We love what we see and then we start to compare our work to theirs. I try very very hard not to do this. I know comparison is the death of creativity. So, if I find myself comparing, I try and take a more analytical approach. I don't want to paint like the artists I admire but I do wonder "what do they have that I am missing in my art?".

So I looked at the Etsy shops of some of my favorite artists to see if I could figure out the quality or qualities these artists have that. I checked out Juliette Crane's, Mindy Lacefield's and Danita's. Each of these women have a very distinctive style and a consistent style. It doesn't matter what the subject matter is, you can look at any of these artists' work and know who the painter is. This was an "aha" moment and a "well duh" moment too. I can tell a Renoir from a Degas no matter what they painted. So, I looked at the work I have created over the past year. I can see some consistency in my work but I think my style changes when the subject matter changes.

These girl paintings have a similar look.

And so do these but, I'm not sure the style is similar to the ones above.

These animal paintings are similar in style but, do they go with the girl paintings?

And then I've been making this style of animal. I used collage and watercolor on these atcs. Do they go with my other paintings?

I'm still learning I suppose. Developing my style and finding out how I like to paint. I admit I'm still all over the place. Exploring art supplies and what I enjoy drawing. I love color and whimsy. I also love my serene girls. Ugh! I don't know. The only thing I can keep doing is paint, draw and paint and draw some more. The other thing that the artists I admire have in common is years of experience. They've been painting a long time and it likely took more than a year for them to find their style. Comparison isn't always a bad thing. It can help you be objective. You just can't get stuck in the "comparison mode". You have to move on and just paint.

 

A Short Vacation!

April is going to be one busy month. My daughter turns 4 and we have two parties planned, one for family and one for friends. There are two Spring Fling Events this month. Strawberry picking with my son's school and a community yard sale. Whew! I'm exhausted typing all this. It's a good thing we took a short vacation at the beginning of the month!

We went to New Bern, NC. It's about two hours away from Raleigh (which is the area I live). It was a pretty laid back vacation. We mostly did things at the resort where we were staying. It had an indoor pool so, the kids were thrilled. We did take a day to go to Atlantic Beach and the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. The kids had a blast!

Here are some photos from our day.

 

 

 

Silly me thought the kids wouldn't want to go in the water at the beach since it was 55 degrees. I forgot kids are immune to cold (it's why they want to play outside when it's 20 out!). They got soaked! We had to strip them down and buy t-shirts for them to wear on the way home. The joy on their faces made the sandy mess all worth it. I wish we lived closer to the ocean.

 

 

I didn't get any art done while I was gone. That's okay. Sometimes you need a break. I'm getting back to work now. I'll be sharing new projects soon!

Have a wonderful weekend.

 

Continuing My Year of Drawing

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

We celebrated Easter.

I am continuing my daily drawing practice but, it's kind of morphed into something else. I had a stack of small pieces of paper to be used for my 10 minute sketches. But now I have several sketchbooks going at once. It's quite disorganized actually. I should come up with a proper system but I haven't quite figured that out yet. Here are some of the sketches I've done the past few days. Some are quick sketches and some I spent time coloring and playing with. Some may even end up on my blog. The Fox in my new header is one of the sketches I did this week.

I sketched this dog from a picture in a magazine. I thought he was cute.

This is from a drawing book I have. I like giving a more realistic animal a go so I know it's key features.

Another fox. I think this will be a painting very soon.

A girly.

I think this guy will be on my blog soon.

 

I'm trying very hard to stay busy and keep the creative momentum up. I will have other work to show you later this week.

Have a wonderful day.

 

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