Orchids

Here's a colored pencil botanical illustration that I gave to my Mother-in-law for her 80th birthday. She loves orchids and I'm happy to say that she was thrilled that I did that for her. Being the procrasinator that I am, I finished this, matted, framed, and packed it just 5 hours before we got on a plane to visit her. I didn't even get a chance to scan it or to take some really good photos of it.

I really like the simplicity of this piece - just a beautiful flower in all it's glory. I like doing this kind of artwork - botanical and scientific illustration meets my need for fine detail. I do enjoy art that tells some kind of story too, but I think this kind of artwork just stands on it's own in a very powerful way.

This is colored pencil on Stonehenge paper - 11 x 14 inches.

Carousel Horse

A few people have asked me about the art that I used for my Bookmark Art post, (see Feb. 23) so I thought I would include the whole image here.
You can see now how the small sample for the bookmark gives the viewer just a glimpse of the original piece.
I donated the original to our local PBS station for their annual auction, but before I did, I made several reproductions from digital images. I usually make 11 x 14 inch matted prints available for sale as well as note cards - and of course, the bookmarks that I give away for free.
This was done with colored pencils on Stonehenge paper.

Boost Your Creativity

I don't know about you, but during my creative journey, I've had some experiences with 'artistic blocks' - and if you've had the unfortunate experience yourself, you know it really sucks. Recently, in my quest to overcome this horrible experience, I found artist Mary Gatling's web site. Mary not only creates wonderful art, she has also put together a workbook designed to help boost your creativity that I highly recommend.
Here is what Mary has to say .....
I am an artist with a background in advertising design and publishing. I love painting but also enjoy design, graphics and I am fascinated with the topic of “creativity”. This is why I have developed a workbook titled “Boost Your Creativity - A Four Week Workbook To Enhance Your Creativity”.
The purpose of this Workbook is to train you to think more creatively and get you in the habit of “doing”.
Creativity is broader than artistic expression. It is essential and required in many areas of life. Creativity is about problem solving. We are all creative and we all have ideas, but not everyone shares and executes their ideas. My hope is that you will get in the habit of bringing forth your ideas and executing them.
More information about Mary's workbook can be found on her web site http://www.marygatling.com.

Spring is in the air

This week I noticed the first signs of spring - the bulbs that I planted in my garden last fall are starting to appear. Here in Colorado, the beginning of March doesn't necessarily mean that there won't be any more snow this season, but I can't help feeling like spring is in the air.
These sunflowers seem to appear out of nowhere each year - I think a result of seeds falling out of my birdfeeders or squirrels attempting to store some food in the ground for the winter. I just let them grow wild in my backyard. I love the way they look and how birds, butterflies, and bees gather around them to feed - they are what inspired this painting.
This is the largest colored pencil painting that I've ever created - it's 24" x 36" - and it took me three months to finish. For the background, I used blue ink, which I applied with a sponge.
SOLD

Bookmark Art

I thought I would share an idea that was passed along to me by a fellow artist.
As a way of marketing my art, I've created bookmarks that I give out at shows, to my students, to friends and family members, or anyone who shows an interest in my art. I think that it's a better way to advertise than business cards since most everyone reads books and, let's face it, business cards usually get lost or end up in the trash.
People seem to like the idea, and it's a little different from what they would usually expect. Since I'm scaling down the size, and not using the entire image, the viewer gets a small sampling of the whole piece - just a little bit of a tease.
I take a scanned image of my artwork and crop it down to bookmark size in my photo manipulation program. I use Roxio Creator and Corel Draw, but any photo program would work for a simple project like this.
After I make any adjustments to color or exposure, I copy the image several times to fill a standard size paper. I then make prints onto heavy, cardstock paper and cut out each bookmark with an x-acto knife.
On the back of the bookmark, I put one of those sticky back return labels with the kind of information that you would normally see on a business card - my name, email address, and other contact information.
If you decide to try this, I suggest you use several different images of your artwork. I've found that people like to pick out a favorite.

EDM #166 - Draw a fish

This is one of those sketches that I would like to eventually make into a larger, colored pencil piece. It was fun to do and I love the movement - to me, it says that this fish is alive.
I teach a class on animal portraits in colored pencils, and this is one of the ideas that I try to emphasize to my students. Putting a living creature - animal, plant, or human - in their natural setting, gives the viewer a 'story' to follow.
If I had drawn this little guy as a side view, I think he would appear flat and lifeless. By putting this fish in water, and capturing that moment of leaping up to, what - finding an insect for breakfast, escaping a fisherman's hook, or maybe it's to impress that cute female fish that's swimming just outside of the picture?
That's the beauty of this - it can be any of these things and viewers get to make it their own personal experience that way. By capturing their attention with this natural movement, you're inviting them to create their own story. It doesn't matter to anyone how I saw it when I created it - that's my own personal experience. And that's one of the things I love about being an artist!

Insect Art

This illustration was done about five years ago and is one of my favorites. It's part of a Scientific Illustration grouping that I did of four beetles drawn larger than life. It sold in a show put on by the colored pencil group that I belong to - the man told me that he was buying it as a birthday present for his wife, a scientist who fell in love with it.
I love drawing detail and I think animals are a fascinating subject to study and learn to draw. I mostly use photos that I've taken at zoos or museums since it's hard to find animals that will sit still long enough to draw them.
But since photos can make things look flat, I also use toy animals - those small, plastic, molded ones. Some have a lot of detail and it's helpful to see your subject in a three dimensional form. I can even set up little scenes this way, change the lighting, and design the composition. And, to be honest - I get to play as well!
This was done in colored pencil on Stonehenge paper.
SOLD

EDM #44 - Draw an animal

Meet my dog, Joe. He's a 10-year-old mixed breed that we call "The Dog of the Universe", cause he's just a great guy. Joe's a special member of our family and I really enjoyed doing his portrait.
Have you ever noticed that some of your best drawings are someone, or something that is meaningful to you? I know that I put a lot into this drawing because he's very special to me - I just love him. I think it shows in the finished artwork when you're drawing something that doesn't interest you - there's something missing but you can't quite figure it out.
My students frequently ask me about subject matter - they say that they don't know what to draw. I tell them to draw something they have strong feelings about - draw something that is meaningful to them. It seems to work every time - and I can see it in their work. I think it also gives you more incentive and motivation because you're connected to the work on a deeper level. Try it and see if you can feel the difference.
Joe was lovingly done in soft pastels.

EDM #20 - Draw something "Dad"

This drawing challenge was especially meaningful to me because I lost my father to lung cancer two years ago - he was only 69 years old. This eagle is for him.
I’ve had a difficult time adjusting to life without him, and I feel that this drawing is honoring what he meant to me. He had a collection of eagle statues and plaques - gifts from his family because we knew he felt a strong connection to this bird. To him, the eagle represented strength, courage, and respect for the country that he loved. He retired from the Navy many years ago, but he was always a sailor, and a good man.
My mother passed away 20 years ago - he never remarried and was dedicated to the five children he helped raise - a promise I’m sure he made to her. I miss his words of encouragement, and his unconditional love - but I carry with me all he taught me, and how much he gave to me. This one’s for my father, with love.