Blog Banner Awareness

 

Started the New Year with this banner…..way too busy!  I wish there was a way to make the banners that you use for a month…static….meaning that they stay that way in the archives with the posts that were used at that time.  I just think it would make this blog more interesting.



This banner (Feb) is one that just came together well for me.  Don’t know why I like it or why it works, it just does.



This banner (March) was in celebration of my doodle directory popularity.  I’d never done an-all-geometric or doodled type header, didn’t know if I’d like it.  Chose to alternate black/white blocks with the colored ones, so there wasn’t too much asking for attention up there.  Because RED definitely likes the spotlight.  I’m pleasantly pleased with this banner.



Did a little sketching the previous month so my April banner reflected it. 

So….on this last day of April, I’ll leave you in suspense.  Will I change the banner or won’t I?  And what will it look like if I do?  Do you have a blog banner that you'd like to share with us?  Any suggestions for future blog banners?

Water Doodle….Nombre Deux

I took a drafting class when I was newly married and had lots of time on my hands.  I had to purchase some really good materials for the class and this was one of them.  A very exact compass, which uses actual lead, no pencils get clipped onto this puppy.



After making numerous semi-circles and stenciled flowers I was ready to ENHANCE.



This reminded someone (who shall remain un-named) of those spirograph designs.  I had to laugh, because by-golly he was right.  It does look like a spirograph design.  Just took me 100 times longer to create though.



Just a close-up view of the work-in-progress. 



I had to bring some RED in, it looked a little dingy without some pop.



This one may be a little too-precise.  I think I like the first one better.  That’s the thing about art, you just got keep trying different things.  Amazing how two similar pieces will not have the same curb-appeal, amazing!

Water Doodle….Numero Uno

It all started when I showed my daughter’s friend my Flickr Favorites while on vacation.  This young lady was so cute, she liked so many pictures she saw on my Flickr Favorite Photostream.  She has seen all.of.my.work, so she’s got a good sense of what I can do and what I like.  She spotted this picture from Margaret Storer-Roche and turned to me and said, “Wow, you should do something like this”.  I looked at it and thought “Yeah, I should….that’d be fun”.

So, I grabbed my favorite floral stencils.  Then picked out some primary colors from my watercolor pencil stash and went to work.



I like the look of watercolors with black and white uniform patterns included. 



Referred to my Doodle Directory many times for ideas while filling in this part.



Had an idea to zentangle up the inside of the Rainbow rings…..but I’ve since scratched that thought.



Must practice more with those watercolor pencils….wanted to have a lot of blue in that lower-right flower,
this isn’t exactly the look I was after.  Ahhh well!



This was a blast to make!!  A bLaSt!!  Free-handed the leaves and the lower blue flowers.  I have to admit, I am more drawn to the precise-ness of the stencils though.

To make one for yourself all you need is:

• A compass
• Good Black fine point permanent marker
• Watercolor pencils
• A stencil or two
• Your Imagination

Diver Done

Well, I had to go back and at least try to fix the back area.  Yes, even though I already shaded in the area and it was “passable”, it still bugged me.



I want to share a little tip I learned (don’t know where).  Take your little gummy-eraser and dab.dab.dab, as you blend.  It really helps to get that graphite blended, and it’s a wonderful way to smooth the whole area out.



Two more views of the diver-in-process.



Had to go back in and adjust that neck line.  I can only see things as they should be in relation to the other parts.



Here’s my little diver-girl Graphite only.



But, my favorite part of sketching is this part.  Where I take my micron pen and outline the figure with permanent ink.  Helps me to see it better, and I think in the long run it will keep the boundaries in line.



I really should give the photographer credit.  This picture was found here.

I think I made her arms longer than they should be and her “pike” position isn’t as piked.  This was a real fun picture to sketch.  I was a bit intimidated by the shadows the arms made on the legs.  I can see that I have to work on my graphite gradients…..those legs look like they belong to another person.

I think I’m avoiding drawing faces…..I’ve printed out another senior picture of my daughter and have yet to start it.

Flippin’ out over here

I tried to lighten this picture up, still appears pretty gray….sorry.



In this “contour drawing” stage if you look closely, you can see just how many lines I put down alongside a similar line….then erase.  It’s the only way I know how to do it.  I guess I could grid the picture out first, but I’m not really into making more work for myself.  Especially since these are just for fun.  As I continue there will be more line adjustments, I’m sure….always are.



LoViNg my ipad!! Especially for times like this when I want to pull up my picture (anywhere) and start sketching. 



I started to flip out when I saw how small the back circular area is compared to the original.  Too late to go back now, just wish I saw it earlier.  I hope she doesn’t come out deformed, hopefully she’ll just be short-waisted.

Off to tweak my flips, now.

TV Tots

I probably should start this post with a WARNING Sign, because opinions will be expressed.  But it’s my blog and it’s just my opinion.  One opinion among billions!



But before I get ahead of myself, I’ll show you my usual step-by-step drawing process.



Just three young birds doing their thing.  But I think the baseball player is trying to get a game up.



Brought in those wonderful watercolor pencils for the green wall, the blue sky seen through the window and the blonde girl.



Turn me off… Think for yourself.  Just the facts m’am – just the facts.  These people aren’t real, the lives you see here are an illusion.  Go do something…Anything….read, write, draw, dance, sing or play.  Your options are limitless.  Don’t succumb to the mistrust, envy and greed that this breeds.  And often it all starts with the commercials!

There I said it!  Now you know my opinion about TV.  Don’t get me wrong, I watch TV, and we’ve got 4-5 of them in our house.  And I thank my lucky stars that I stopped being glued-to-the-tube at an early age, for reasons I won’t go into here. And it’s pretty rare that I’ll sit down and watch a show alone.  Just my way…. just my way.  I have to confess, I’m never the first person to know what’s going on in the news, and I rarely remember the names of some of the new stars.  I can’t recognize a mature face that started out as a child actor.  I’m a sucker and completely gullible when I watch TV.  I believe so much of what I see.  So, for me….I’ve got to prevent the drama from creeping into my life from the tube.  I don’t much care for any Soap Operas, American Idol, or Dancing with the Stars.  But if there’s a mystery on, or a lifetime mini-series….I’ve been known to take a peek.  Usually I’m not in control of the remote, and I’ve fallen in love with the “go back”  DVR button when I am.  Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a “go back” button in real life?

It’s about time….

Fin-A-Lly….finally Spring Break time!!  What a l.o.n.g. winter this has been.  But we survived!  And now it’s time for some much needed rest and beach time.  No big plans once there, just going with the flow.   My favorite way to vacate.  How about you?

Have a nice week yourself.  I’ll see you on the other side.

Dancing in Pointe shoes

                                               * Image from HERE

Made the image black and white because it’s easier to see where to shade that way.



Then I started on the shoes.  Lots of texture and folds in the slippers and the foot.



I love to see the progression of a picture….all lined up… neatly in a row.



 If I did not have a picture to work from I could not sketch….not at all.  Or if I did, it would lack a lot of detail.  They say if you can sketch from life, then you are bringing your perceptions of the subject onto the picture.  It would be stamped with a bit of their personality as witnessed by the artist.  All I know is…. there’s no way I’d even consider asking a ballerina to hold this stance for 4 days! LOL!!



I think I’ve done it again:  I made the left leg skinnier.  This is why figures are so much easier to draw.  Because I can get away with these imperfections.  Faces can’t handle too much change to remain intact enough to look like the person.  A millimeter here and there adds up to a lot on a face.

Ok….it’s time for some color and some doodling!

A sketch…. En pointe

The blank page…..we all have ‘em and we all have to deal with ‘em.  But I think of it more as a “clean slate”, a chance to try again, to mend my ways, to re-do, to learn from my mistakes.  It's also like a free pass, a bonus, benny, a do-over, those kinds of things.



Since I can always use some sketch practice, I went off to find something interesting to sketch.  I stumbled upon this ballet picture on line.  Simple enough, 2 legs, a couple knees and two toe shoes. 



But the real challenge is making them look real, bringing this two-dimensional image into a three-dimensional image.  I’m trying to see the shading in blocks or sections and work from there.



Back in my “flash dance” days, I had a huge crush on Mikhail Baryshnikov.  Wow!!  This guy could DANCE!  I appreciate the grace in which he performed, but I’m not a huge fan of men in tights.  If I were, I’d be drawing that instead!  LOL!



I’m growing quite attached to these little Stumps (or Tortillions).  If you sketch at all, I highly recommend them, you will not believe how much control these give you as you shade in your areas.



I would’ve preferred to have this all completed by now and not do a two part post…but I think these pointe shoes are gonna take me a week to complete!!  But then again, maybe not.  I’ll need to revisit my Tutu post to remember the tricks I used there.

It’s show time….

It’s show time…..for a bird that is.   I really like to outline my bird pages first, prior to coloring them in.  However, I didn’t do the hair because I didn’t want it all black.  I also, didn’t outline the spotlight- light in the background because that would’ve made the light an entity and the light isn’t an object, it’s more of an observation.



Picture from my phone and it’s a bit blurry, sorry.  If I were to color this gal in again, I would have put her in a Flashy Red Dress, and doodled the heck out of it inside…..(why do i forget that I can embellish the material?)  Ugh…next time!



This little bird is really quite flexible….can you imagine having your feet go in one direction then twist your torso around to hold and play a guitar?  Wow, very impressive!



Patsy- the Performing Bird…..She’s always been the confident sort of kid growing up.  She had all kinds of friends, who were just drawn to her.  One day, out of the blue she told her parents she wanted a guitar.  For months she quietly taught herself how to play and to sing.  She even organized a band with her more musical friends.  She doesn’t even get nervous when she plays in front of people, she just enjoys it.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again….I think our talents find us!  As long as we have an open mind, a willingness to try new things (even when we’re scared) it’s best to follow the bend of our preferences.  I guess I’m lucky, because I was allowed to explore lots of different things growing up….the only expectations were to “do my best”.  But kids don’t always have access to the extra-curricular classes they may have wanted to pursue when younger.  Sometimes what we enjoy later in life is something that we didn’t have time for earlier in life.  Or we weren’t in the right mind-set.  So, what are you waiting for?  Go out learn what you’ve been dying to try for years or decades.  We get to explore whatever we want now.

Thank God we are not all on stage (or American Idol) as we learn new things!  

Are you Excited about your Art?

  * Image from Keri Smith; go http://www.kerismith.com/blog/how-to-feel-miserable-as-an-artist/

It was time that I actually did an Art Journal page.  I really enjoyed doing my Psychodelic and Notes and a Doodle pages and these pages give me a chance to use my doodle directory!

I thought I’d write out the above statements about How to be Miserable as an Artist, which has been seen around the blogosphere for awhile.  I think that these statements apply to more people than just those who make Art, it applies to everyone.  However,  I really don’t like the negative tone of these statements, so I thought I’d turn it around.



I limited myself to 6 little flower petals.



Just playing with color combinations and pattern here.



So, I changed the whole concept from “How to be Miserable as an Artist” to “How to feel Excited about your Art”.



Just a pic of my 5x8 watercolor moleskine with the completed page.  The pic below is scanned.



How to feel excited about your Art:

1. Never compare your work with others.
2. Keep quiet about your Art, don’t expect others to see your vision, your way.
3. Your entire career is never based on a single piece.
4. Go out on a limb and try new things.
5. Value your experiences.
6. Push your boundaries even societal ones.
7. Don’t just follow the money, you’ll burn out.
8. Work on what you love, never mind if others like it.
9. Work on something besides what your Boss wants.  (Boss used here as Customer, Client, Gallery Owner)
10. Realize it’s all just Baby Steps, Baby Steps, Baby Steps.

I’m sure you guys have a few other things that help you to create.  Or you’ve found yourself too concerned with things or people outside of your control.  Eeek!  I’d love to hear some of your insights.