Perspective

School has started and fall is just around the corner, it's time to get into the routine of the year again.  I don't know about you, but I have been having trouble getting into that routine. I hope your doing better then me!

As usual I found myself looking at art online and found some really awesome sidewalk chalk drawings.  What makes these drawings so amazing to me is the perspective.  These drawings only look good from one vantage point.  When drawing the artist has to be extremely knowledgeable in knowing where the drawing will look correct and correct measurements to accomplish a complete drawing.

 Notice how the drawing changes when you move where you would be standing.  The talent of knowing how to make a drawing look 3-D on a flat surface.

If you want to try making a drawing like these, tell me how!  I have never been great about perspective and anyone who is good at it, have always amazed me.  Here is the link to the website I found these pictures and their are many more for you to enjoy, Click HERE

Do not forget I have an Etsy shop and if you would like to see my paintings or even purchase one, you can look HERE

Bee Have

Do you feel that?  Can you?  That slight, slight drop in temperature?  It's coming!  It really is coming!  FALL!!!! After being a hermit the last few weeks with this blistering weather, I have emerged from my cave to feel that slightly cooler weather.  It has been wonderful and just in time for school to start.  It feels like we can finally have fun outside without dying.  Which it is just in time for all the festivals to start, this is my favorite time of year living in a place that actually has a fall.  I hope y'all are enjoying the little bit of cooler weather too.

As I just keep putting off finishing my painting, I decided to get some sketching done.  It is so important to sketch as often as you can.  I am very guilty of not doing it more often.  Sketching to an artist is like working out for an athlete.  It keeps your skills fresh and you begin to perfect your technique and style.

After wading through all the junk mail we recieve, I found an informational letter on the decline of the bee population.  I know they are important to our environment like really, all living things.  I have thought about one day having some beehives and processing my own honey.  The only thing is my mom is deathly allergic to bees.  So, she might not get to visit if they were buzzing around.  So, I can just imagine having bees instead of actually owning some.  So, whats with all this bee talk?  Well, I decided to sketch a honey bee.  After sketching it, I had a whole bunch of ideas flood into my brain about what my next project will be.  I am excited to get started BUT I need to finish my painting I already have in progress.  So, maybe the excitement for this next project might get me to finish my current one.

I hope everyone is enjoying the last bit of summer you do have before school begins and activities start.  Keep sketching and working on your art, do not let it slip away. Remember to be the best artist you can BEE!!

Christmas in July

We have been traveling quite a bit this summer.  For the last three months we have gone to Texas three times.  I am from Texas so these were all family trips.  After the third time, I told my family we were done for awhile.  Now I can sit and enjoy summer here in Kansas with my family.  Now that it is July, the weather outside can be described as close to the temperature of hell.  So, spending summer time with family has been restricted to indoor activities until that wonderful Kansas Fall arrives.

Since most places like to have a sale for Christmas in July, I thought I would partake as well.  I need to make room in my house and in my Etsy shop for new artwork so time to slash prices and move some product.  Please visit my shop HERE to see the discounted items**.  If you know me personally, you can always contact me and I can wave the shipping fee and just hand deliver the artwork.  I hope everyone is staying cool this summer!

**Please note, all items have been discounted 25% except photograph prints.  Some items have been discounted before and the original price before any discounts have been made can be found in the description below the item.

Art or Science

I hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th of July!



My husband likes to share new and different YouTube videos with me.  Whether I like them or not, I watch them, especially when it's a silly song that will be stuck in my head forever. Last week he showed me Ant Hill casting with molten Aluminum.  This video is fascinating but brings up the debate whether this is actually art or science.



My personal opinion is that this is science.  Just because you use an expensive material and mount the finished work and find it in a museum, does not make it art.  Art to me is something that you created with your hands and with your imagination.  This is taking something that is already made and using it for your own enjoyment.  I am not saying that these Ant Hill casts are not cool, because they are.  But, this practice is a great way to study and learn about Ants and their home.  I find this so interesting and hope they use this method in scientific studies of Ants and their way of living.



So, what do you think?  Is this art or science?

Middle Ground

I hope everyone is having a great summer.  Sadly, it is almost halfway over.  School will start and the pools will close.  At least the benefits to it all is cooler weather.  

I started working on the second layer to my painting, the middle ground.  Most paintings consist of three layers; background, middle ground, and finally, the foreground.  Luckily, I did not need to go back into my background to fix my middle ground work.  

I am not too happy with what I painted but, luckily, paintings are made of paint and paint can be layered and covered up.  Being able to edit yourself is a wonderful thing in painting.  Here is what I have done so far and will keep you updated as often as I have a moment to write my blog.  

I hope everyone is having a good summer and have been finding some time to create art.  So remember, to be the best artist you can be!

Layering

Hello readers!  I know I have been away for quite some time but summer really does keep this girl busy.  In our house, summer is the busiest time of the year.  We have graduations, travel, classes, and fun that keep us busy.  I hope you are having a great summer and staying busy in all the good kind of ways.

As I talked about previously, I have been planning on working on some new paintings.  My goal is to walk you through that process to help you understand how I work and maybe help you organize your thoughts as well.  I talked to you about sketching and researching and planning.  Well, once that all is done and ready to start, how do you start your painting?  With this particular painting, I plan on layering.

What I mean by layering is working on one part of the painting at a time.  For example, I will do the background first, next the middle ground, and finally the foreground.  I layer my painting from bottom to top.  What is great about painting that drawing can not always provide is correction.  If I mess up on my middle ground and ruin my already done background, I can take my paint and fix it.  Paint is a very forgiving medium to work with.  If you have watched any of my painting videos you will know this process of layering is not one I used while creating my "Orange" painting.  I painted as if the painting was all one layer because I was using texture that I did not want throughout my whole painting.  Working as if you are on one layer is what most water-colorist do as well.  Watercolor is not as forgiving as acrylic or oil paint is.  Once you make a mistake, their is no going back, you can not cover it up.  That is a lot of the reason I do not like watercolor.  I like having that option of correction.  I hope you are enjoying creating some artwork and finding more time then I have been this summer to create.  Here is the background of my painting and hopefully, I can get the next layer done soon.

As always, I am here to help you be the best artist you can be!!

(My prayers are going out to the families of those lost in Orlando this past weekend)

Recycling an Old Post

I wanted to share an old blog post I wrote nearly a year ago that you might enjoy again.  Go ahead and check it out!

CLICK HERE


I hope everyone is having a good day and week!!! Take care!