Latest...

This is the latest. It took me awhile to get a chance to work, and then I had problems. The sketch didn't turn out exactly as well as I had hoped, but it's NOT because the eyes are too big. That is really how they were! (I have pictures!) Then I did it while trying to watch The Lakehouse, so my attention was divided, which I usually do not allow. So basically it must have been Chris' fault for recommending the movie. I finally realized it was the background screwing things up. I didn't like the wagon either, but couldn't really do anything about that. Today I reworked the background and it is much better. So, anyway, this is my second son, Nathan, when he was about 7 or 8 months old. He had huge, dark eyes. So sweet looking. He still has the dark eyes, but I am not sure how sweet he is anymore! :) J/K!

I also found my old portfolio today, finally. I need to get a new one. But I was glad to have found the artwork. There are several of my oldest son as a baby that I wanted,and a bunch I didn't remember doing, lol. Pencil and charcoal stuff. Houses. I like houses too.

It Looks Like...

THEM

Well, as I said, I got the projector, and though my 17yo thinks it is cheating, I used it to do the sketch for this painting. And it looks like them. (it is Anna and Josh, my 2 youngest children.) The baby looks more like Josh than the girl looks like Anna, but still. Maybe I can post the photo too. Having trouble getting the phone to send the pics to the computer.

I used the better paper, and it was MUCH better. It did not disintegrate when it got wet. It is 300lb cold press, 11 X 17, I think. I like the larger size.

Budding Artist!

My daughter Anna is always doing a project! Last night she wanted to paint when I was painting. Here are two pictures she made. Love is one of her favorite words!

Projections are In...

Saturday, November 9th...

I had been thinking about getting an art projector. The watercolor portrait book I have talked about them, that artists use them all the time. I had looked at Hobby Lobby, and they had 3 different ones. they had a really nice one that was the same brand in the book, for $24.99! I finally decided I would just get it, a little splurge! Well, when I got my total at the register, I found out the projector was $249.99! How disappointing! I thought it seemed awfully well-made for that price.

Sunday came and I got one newspaper. I am taking a break from my couponing. Well, Hobby Lobby has projectors on sale this week! Even the expensive one would have been like $150! But I didn't have that. I did think at the new price, it would be worth risking the purchase of one of the cheaper ones. They also had a coupon for 40% off an item, so I got some larger, better quality water color paper.

Of course, Anna tried the projector out the minute I got home, and in the living room it didn't seem to work too well. Which is about what I expected. But later I set it up in the boys' very dark room, and it was much better. I traced a photo and doctored it up after removing it from the wall, then I painted it and was pretty pleased.

Oops, it's a Golden Girl

I spent most of Saturday trying to draw a picture of a friend that I wanted to paint. I just could not get her to look right. She looked about 12 (she is in her 50's), and it was very frustrating! I don't know how to fix this. I guess I just need to keep practicing? I really want to do portraits, but they need to look like the person I am painting. Sigh.

Tonight I sat down and drew A picture of Granny Foster, a wonderful 92 year old sister from my former Congregation. Well, she is no longer living, but she was something else. She had this way of punctuating her comments with these eye expressions; she was so funny. The picture turned out pretty close, it looked like her. I was looking forward to painting it and then tell you all about her.

I was not too far into trying to paint her, when she began to look suspiciously like Bea Arthur. You know- Maude, The Golden Girls... I like her, but she's no Velma Foster. aside from that, it looks okay. The eyes are too far apart I think. But it is not bad. When I get my phone battery charged back up, I will post the picture.

Now, any suggestions on how to draw or paint people who resemble their real life appearance?

Dancing Woman in Red with a Boa

I have been wanting to paint for a few days, and even though it was late I decided I wanted to do something. I had this sketch in my book and decided to just lay it on there loosely, without drawing on the canvas first. Just for fun. this is not the dancing woman in red I mentioned before, but it was just sort of for fun. And not too bad considering I did most of it with a three year old in my lap.

The New Creative Artist

Today I had to kill a lot of time while waiting for Eric to attend his Yearbook workshop in Lexington. Little kids are not allowed at the workshop, so I was not allowed either. We went to several stores until I ran out of ideas. So we went to Books A Million and I let the Littles play with the train set for an hour while I looked at art books.

I found one I really really wanted to buy, but it was $30, I have already bought 2 art books this week, I am getting ready to take a trip to Georgia, and anyway I had just bought rugs at TJ Maxx. I showed a lot of restraint and did not buy. I wrote down the author and title and decided I would look on eBay. They do have it some cheaper there, but I am going to wait. Oh, the book is called The New Creative Artist, by Nita Leland.

I got to thinking she might have a website, and by-golly she has several: nitaleland.com and a http://nitaleland.blogspot.com/ too. I am enjoying looking at everything. Her book was so neat and I can't wait to try collages and some of the other things. She writes, "You dream of being an artist. You are an artist. Begin."

Everything for a Dollar

(Post for Thursday, actually)

I spent a lot of today in town running errands. I bought a magazine and enjoyed it so much that I read instead of painting. It was a magazine for women over 40. I am not 40 yet, but I am in training for that, so I thought I could practice. Apparently, 40 is when you begin to think about "Act 2". So I better start planning now.

I went to the Dollar Tree store today, and guess what they had?! They had small art board/canvases for sale, for a dollar of course! A 9x12, or a 2 pack of 4X5s. I bought a few. I will have to go back and get some more; that is really cheap!

Brothers in Unity

Today I am feeling really tired, and won't get to paint although I wanted to. I am going to post an older painting I did at least 10 years ago. It is acrylic on paper, entitled Brothers in Unity. I remember doing it like it was yesterday. I remember having the boys "model" for me, holding their little book bags. Hope you enjoy it.

Painting a Young Adult with Glasses

I was not feeling so hot today, but forced myself to try to start a new picture. I chose this one from the how-to book, was pleased with the sketch and got excited about painting it.

I really like how this one turned out. The subject was appealing to me. I guess she reminded me of a combination of myself and a school friend when we were younger. My oldest son just came in and asked if that was supposed to be me. So I guess I am not the only one who sees the resemblance. right now I am wearing my glasses, which most of you haven't seen. (and a butterfly antennae headband because I could not find a scrunchie.) I have worn glasses since I was 6 or 7. Anyway, The point of this study was to learn to paint glasses, and I think they look pretty good. I also managed not to give her the sunburned look a lot of the examples seem to have, and my Eskimo baby from yesterday had. I mean, that is how the shadow is portrayed in the book, I just don't care for it much yet. I don't think this method is going to be quite the same as working with oil paints as I hope to do in the future, but I guess I will see what happens when that time comes. Right now I am just enjoying this.

I took a photo of the sketch just in case the painting didn't look so great. I liked the drawing. So I am including it today too; hopefully you can see it. In taking the pictures with my phone camera I noticed it does not look as good as in real life. She looks happy, bright, very avant-garde, very warm. She also looks a little like Velma from Scooby Doo. Hmmm. Hope you like her.

Study- Shading, Eskimo Baby...

Today I got a book on how to paint people. I saw it the other day when I was at Hobby Lobby, but it is really a water color book, and I planned to use acylics, so I got the basic acrylic book instead. But this seems to be what I really needed, so I think it will be okay. I want to learn how to shade stuff properly and have it look realistic. Need a true "how-to" book that goes step by step, and that is what this is.


The book is in the other room, so I don't know what this is called, but I think it is a baby a little over a year old; I am not sure what race she is. I think she looks like a little Eskimo baby. Only she looks like she has a sunburn. It looks a lot like the shading in the book, but not exactly. It turned out better than I thought it would. My two youngest children like it. It is nice to have someone so easily and enthusiastically impressed!

This was the first time I used the water color paper. It is not too bad. I liked the stretched canvas best, but it is the most expensive. I will have to wait until it goes back on sale and buy more. I think I would really like the 16 X 20". I read this quote on an artist's eBay listing today. It said something like, "If you can't paint it well, make it big. If you can't make it big, make it red." Lol, I liked that. Chris sent me a few links to other artists' sites and I got to look a little bit, but with dial up it is sooo slow. Chris also suggested I paint something I see in my imagination. I keep imagining this large woman dancing exuberantly in a RED dress- sort of a mumu, lol. I cannot see her face but I feel her movement and her joy. Maybe I will be able to paint her some day.

Ever Feel Like This????

Hazards of Painting with Children

I don't even remember anybody even saying it was time to paint.

We had been doing schoolwork when we decided to take a little break and put a cake in the oven. While I was doing that, Joshua decided it would be a good time to open the manila art paper I had picked up for him that morning. I heard "the littles" getting stuff out in the family room- aka the studio- but thought well, okay. I'll just clean this up here in the kitchen. So they are getting brushes and water and the bottled craft paint, which was fine, sure, whatever. Then I hear this swush-swush sound, the sound of paint being forcefully squeezed from a bottle. I went to investigate, and Josh was putting big puddles of paint on his paper. Anna was daintily setting up her palette on a sheet of paper, but they were both sitting on the floor. Where else were we supposed to do it, darling daughter asked. How about the TABLE?!

Okay, well, be more careful. I sat down at the dining room table (opens to family room) and started trying to sketch out a picture I was going to paint later. I was not very far along, I swear, when Anna said, "Mom, you do NOT want to come in here!" Well, at my house, that is code for "someone made a really big mess." And sure enough... Well, the pictures are self-explanatory. Josh was laughing his head off as I dragged him to the shower, giggling and trying to hug everyone as he passed.

I guess if you get to the point where you take a picture instead of yell over something like that, it is a sign of maturity. Or something?