Topiary

Before I write my blog, I wanted to tell you why I did not post one last week.  Over Labor Day weekend, my husband and a friend cut a dying tree down in our backyard.  Our internet cable was under it and when they cut a branch it fell on the cable.  We lost our internet and could not get it fixed until the next Friday.  So that is why I was without a post last week, no internet!

A few months ago, I was out of town for a funeral.  My grandfather died.  He was the only grandfather I ever knew and he was also the last of my grandparents to pass.  It was a sad time but, I am glad he got to meet my son, his only great-grandchild before he died.  My grandfather was a giving man who worked hard.  He was a veteran from WWII.  But, the one thing I know he was well known for was his green-thumb.  He had a beautiful yard that he kept in tip-top shape.  He would visit his son's homes and inspect their yards as if he was a judge from a topiary contest.  My father took the most liking to his father's work and has been teaching me some of the family techniques of yard work.  I know I am no where near to my grandfather's skills but, it is nice to know that it runs in my blood.

A few weeks ago I found an article of some of the most magnificent topiary gardens from around the world and I could not help but think of my grandfather.  These gardens are where my grandfather would have dreamed to work, live, and grow old.  To say my grandfather was not an artist would be a lie, he used hedge clippers and pruning sheers to sculpt the perfect bush.  Please take a look at these wonderful gardens.  Not all artists have to use a brush.  So remember to be the best artist you can be!

Topiary Gardens

Galleries

Being an artist is a lot of fun.  You get to create something new and show the world what is inside your mind with just a few strokes of a paint brush.  It might seem like artists do not know a lot about the business world and all the countless details that go with it, but we need to know more then you think.  If you are an artist, you want to show your work or even make money.  It is foolish to say that artists only do what they do to make a statement.  But, artists are like everyone else, trying to make a living by selling something that they are good at doing.  Most artists can try and sell by themselves (which is what I am trying to do) or they use a gallery.  This is when business talk comes into play.

I have been in a gallery.  It was for a short time.  I found myself spending more money then I was making to people who knew nothing about business.  I will admit, I am not as business savvy as the CEO of some big corporation, nor do I ever want to be, but I do know a little thing or two about money.  I have bills, I have a family, and I have a budget to keep to like most people.  When I was in the gallery, I found myself surrounded by artists who tried to run a business and ended up loosing money instead of making money.  So, what I did was leave, I could not afford to spend money to be in a gallery that never promoted my art so, I could sell it in order to afford to stay.

The advice that was given to me about galleries is to shop around.  (I did not have this option in my town) You want to find a gallery that works for you and helps you sell your artwork.  I was also told to never pay more then 40% to the gallery for your art sales.  Understand galleries do need to make money but so do the artists who are trying to make a living.  I encourage you to be in a gallery, a good gallery, that works hard to help you become more well known.  A gallery that finds collectors to buy your work so you can continue to afford to make more artwork.

Here is the debate....galleries are not making much money so they are charging artists more and more money to have their artwork there.  I understand that a gallery is a business and their money comes strictly from sales and donors.  But artists need to make money too.  That is the dilemma.  I read an article going back and forth about this debate.  Saying the usual cost for an artist is 50/50 (more then the advice I was given).  Galleries are wanting to charge more and artists do not want to pay more because they can not afford too.  This debate does not just happen in the art world, but everywhere as all businesses struggle to thrive.  I encourage you to read the article, if you have time because it is long.  Make up your own mind on the topic.  You may think, forget ever being in a gallery, I'll sell my art on my own.  Here is my advice because I am someone who tries to do just that, it is hard.  I do not sell nearly as much as I would like to make this a regular business.  Social media is not an easy thing to do on your own.  Galleries do have some great use if you find a good one.  Consider all your options and good luck.  Being an artist is fun but can be stressful if you want to make money doing it.  I hope this helps you be the best artist you can be!

Here is the article: CLICK ME!

Want to see where I sell my art? Or try and sell my art?  Click HERE to see!

Back to School

If you like most of America, has started back to school, I wish you or your children a good school year.  The first few days are always stressful getting back into the rhythm of getting up and going to school.  As a child, I always loved going back to school but with a little bit of anxiety about new friends and new teachers.  School always came at just the right time when you have gotten all you could out of summer.  Today, I do not have a long blog for you because most of you are ready to rest after a long day of work or school.  So, I will leave you with this....try and leave a note in your child's lunch, a doodle, a joke, or whatever fits you and your child's relationship.  Let them open their lunch to find something fun from their parents.  Maybe even use that napkin as your daily drawing exercise.  They will enjoy it and you can keep drawing to keep your skills fresh.  Below I have a link to an artist I stumbled across who does food art.  I am currently following her on Instagram to see her newest food-related artwork.  Enjoy!

Learn more HERE

Drawing Exercise

Every person who has taken an art class knows that the teacher usually has you do some sort of exercise to master your drawing ability.  Of course, we all know that some people are better then others at this skill.  I am not the best when it comes to some of the exercises so bare with my drawings as I walk you through the different ways to practice and master your drawing skills.

First, let me start with the object I chose to draw.  A pineapple candle.  In college, my roommate and I picked this up at a garage sale because we read somewhere that the pineapple is the symbol of "hospitality".  So we knew that our home needed a pineapple to show our guests we were hospitable.  Years later, I have the pineapple candle in my home.

Blind Contour Drawing: 

drawing without ever looking at the paper you are drawing on.  This was the first of my drawing exercises today I wanted to show you.  This is the one I hated the most doing but it really challenges your hand-eye coordination.  You have to really think as you explore the object with your eyes and translate that onto the page.  Below is my attempt at this exercise after many years of avoiding ever doing it.  

Timed Gesture Drawing:

 a gesture drawing is completed quickly in timed intervals (20, 30, 60 seconds) using fast, expressive lines.  In order to do this, you need to break down the object into basic forms to capture it quickly onto your paper.  Below are my timed gesture drawings with the time I did to create them.  

I clearly moved quickly to get as much of the object on the page as possible.  

In this one, I thought I would have more time then I clearly did and focused more on the top.

Upset about the previous drawing I spent more time on the bottom then the top but managed to get more of the pineapple then before.

Continuous Line Drawing: 

when you never lift the drawing instrument from the paper.  So, you must continuously be moving the pencil from one part of the drawing to the next without lifting it.  This creates darker images unless you lighten your pressure on the pencil.  This I found hard mostly because I have been using dry erase board and marker for this exercise.  This one is good to help you really explore the object and understand it's shape in relation to itself.  Helping with proportions along the way.

Contour Drawing:

 shows outlines, shapes and edges of a scene, but omits fine detail. The best way to describe this technique is think of cartoons and how they only have the outlines of the character.  This one was hard for me because I wanted to add more detail but had to stop myself.  You want to show the basic shape of the object.

I hope you enjoyed this post and hope you will try some of these drawing exercises at home with an object in your home.  Maybe even get more daring and use a person to be your drawing subject.  This is a fun way to exercise and master your drawing skills.  The more you practice the better you will become.  As always I am here to help you be the best artist you can be!  Have fun drawing!

Reference for this blog: link

Art History

There is no doubt that art has been around for a long time.  When words were not an option, pictures were the earliest way to communicate by leaving a symbol/image for others to see.  One of the first drawings was a cave drawing left several thousands of years ago.  From primitive artwork to the complex work we have now has taken thousands of years and a lot of learning.

When we create artwork now, whether we know it or not, it has come from previous education.  There is nothing that has not already been photographed or drawn.  We can not keep repeating the same thing over and over again without learning a lesson from the previous image or work.  Everyone has drawn a flower, but how can you make it different from other people's flowers?  That is the challenge here, to take something ordinary and make it extraordinary.  But in order to do that, we must have complete knowledge of our past and history in art.  So below I have given you links to different timelines in art history.  Study them, and learn so you can continue to be the best artist you can be because without knowledge of history, how could we learn?

Timeline ONE

Timeline TWO

Timeline THREE

Create

It is good to be home.  I was unable to write a post last week because I was out of town for a funeral.  When I wrote my last blog I did not know that later that day my grandfather would die.  A few days after that my son and I were off with my parents and sister to go to his funeral.  Unable to write any updates I have been busy handling family matters.  We returned home Friday afternoon tired and missing my husband very much.  I have not prepared like I would normally for my blog this week.  So all I have to say today is to try and find some time and create something....anything.  We are all creative, just in different ways so create something.  Hopefully, I can find the time to sew and create something with the pile of fabric I have been collecting.  It isn't my usual go to but, I want to get the things on my to-do list done.  So, go and create.  Have fun!  And remember to be the best artist you can be!

Sculpture

How have you been?  I am starting to get sad that summer is coming to an end BUT I am SOOOOO ready for cooler weather!  Either way...I better not make this a long blog, a storm is rolling in and in case the power goes out, I better have the computer off.

I am no where near a sculptor...I can't look at a giant block of marble and see something in it other then a block of marble.  Sculptors have always amazed me at the way they can make something out of a 3-D object.  I really never took any classes on the skill so I really do not know how they construct their art.  I do love admiring their work and so when I stumbled upon this article I enjoyed looking at the unique sculptures from around the world.  I hope you enjoy them too!  Here is the link:

Click ME!

Here is an image of my favorite one from the article:

Hippo Sculptures in Taipei, Taiwan

I hope you enjoy!  And remember to be the best artist you can be!

Do not forget to check on my Etsy Shop HERE