Looking to BUILD Confidence and Skill in Drawing - Painting & Drawing Tips

Are you hesitant when you go to draw?

Do you find yourself doing sketchy, broken lines rather than clean swooping stroke? 

Do you have to do everything in pencil first before committing to ink or paint?  

Does your confidence sag when you’re faced with drawing something?

Creating Christmas Cards: Fun. Skill builder.  Confidence Booster. Best of All "Friends Dazzeler".  

Well doesn’t have to be that way. . . .
Of course everyone will tell you, just practice.  That’s the problem, it is hard to practice when your Inner voice is screaming at you.  I know.  I have been there.  I am a self taught artist.  I know how hard it is to draw something when you are constantly criticizing yourself because it looks AWFUL.  Well, I can tell you, me and my inner voice always agreed on that!!

I found practice was way easier if I was doing something interesting and I felt it was successful.  It made me want to try more. Do more.  

I know we are trapped at home right now but this is a perfect time to try something new.  I guarantee this will perk you up, build confidence in your drawing skills and totally dazzle your family and friends.  

Make your own Christmas Cards . . . .

These are not just any Christmas Cards, these are cards to help with your drawing.  I have lots of things to ensure your success.  See my video DIY Awesome Christmas Cards for  ideas, examples, and more.  

 Materials: 

1.Permanent Fine Tip Pens- Micron or Staedler Size 03 & 05.  This allows you to colour with felts, watercolour, and other wet media without ink running.  They also come in a variety of colours. 

Micron and Staedler pigment pens are permanent so won't run if you add a wet media.  They come in different sizes and colours.   

2.  Cardstock/Watercolour Paper for Cards: I use cardstock if colouring with dry media otherwise I get Strathmore Watercolour Cards.  They are creased, cut to size and have matching envelopes.  They come in packs of 10, 25 or 50.  A scrapbooking store has great cardstock in lots of colours and different size envelopes if you want only a small number. Art Stores & Amazon will carry the Strathmore Cards.  

These come in mixed media as well.  

3.  Pencil, putty eraser, vinyl eraser, and colouring materials. Coloured pencils, watercolour pencils, felts or watercolours.  Both Watercolour Cards and Mixed Media Card papers will work for your wet mediums.  Don't forget a few glitter bits from the Dollar Store.  They are even self sticking!!

This card gives me a Happy feeling - The red strip on the side just adds extra pazazz (See my video to learn about this)

4. Inspiration - Christmas Card Activity Sheet - this a FREE Activity Sheet to get you started.  I have mixed candles, poinsettias, holly and doodle patterns to make my cards.  You are welcome to download it and get drawing.  I am sure once you create a few cards you will be inspired to try other things.  

My FREE Christmas Card Activity Sheet is full of ideas to get you started.  

Things to think about as you draw:

1.  Work towards drawing freehand.  I know at first you will want to do pencil first and then ink.  No problem.  But as you work stretch yourself by leaving more and more of the detail to freehand drawing.  

Being aware of your working space makes for better compositions

2. Frame your space. You will be working with your card flat.  It is important to understand your space so use a coloured sheet to block out the back of the card.  

3.  Try a few doodle patterns.  Doodle patterns are made from small parts that work together to make a pattern.  Drawing them freehand goes a long way to build confidence.  Try scallops on edges, little open circles, simple three petal flowers.  They can be powerful in perking up an empty space.  I live the power of a simple line or dot.  

4.  Sign them.  Be sure and own your work.  Add a signature.  I have my own Doodle Signature for my Doodle work and another for my other work. 

Get more information on my video: DIY Awesome Christmas Cards  and be sure and download the FREE Christmas Card Activity Sheet .  Now get ready to have some fun!  

Christmas Shopping Online with FREE Shipping in Canada!!

HOLIDAY SPECIAL - 15% on all sales

FREE SHIPPING IN CANADA TIL DEC 15

Lots of One-of-a-Kind items, original art, art prints, art cards, jewelry, pottery, painted scarves, and more. Anything that inspires an artist to create.  
Get your Christmas Shopping Done and Shipped Free 

Art by Wendy Original Work, Art Cards & Prints, Memo Pads and Doodle Cards will be available   

Looking to Move your work to NEW LEVELS?  

  Online Coaching/Teaching  (3 sessions 30 minutes each $75)

Are You and Your Inner Critic looking to expand your discussions.  Here's how it works: Send me a few pictures of your paintings.  I will prepare material to facilitate a discussion.  We meet on Zoom for our sessions and discuss your work. I am a sounding board and coach with suggestions, techniques and tips to help you meet your goals and move your art forward.  More info here.   Looking forward to working with you.  

  
Many find this post helpful: Turn your Inner Critic into your BFF

Be sure to like and share my posts.  You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email 

Have a great Artful Day,

Wendy  

Playing with Light, Shadows and Values - Painting & Drawing Tips

Have you ever spent time in the DARK SIDE?

With Halloween coming and the night slowly creeping into our daytime hours, Darkness seems part of our life.  

Meet My Shadow People - Come Join them in the DARK SIDE

When Max and I finish our evening walk it is often very dark. I am holding a flashlight and looking for the next street light.  It gives me lots of time to study shadows. 

 

In Art we have 2 Shadows: The Core Shadow and the Cast Shadow

Like me you have probably studied shadow diagrams like the one above.  Probably even drawn them too.  I must admit I didn't learn much from them.  But one day I took a flashlight, shone it on a few shapes and really started to look at things.  It changed my perspective.  

Shadows are really not like they appear in photographs. . . .

I learned that shadows have their own life.  They are very much affected by the light around them. To understand some of the things I noted take a look at the Cast Shadow. 
***My video "Getting Those Shadows Working for You " offers more examples and discussion on this topic.  

Cast Shadows are not all sharp black shapes

Secrets of the Shadow World: 

1.  Photographs show a shadow as a black shape.  But really if you take a closer look you will see the value is not consistent throughout the shadow shape. Shadows are very dark near the object but get lighter as they spread out away from the subject. (This is very clear with the picture below.  The Reflected light from the surface makes the middle part of the shadow much lighter than the ends.  

2.  Shadows are not all sharp edges.  I always find edges a very important part of anything I draw.  I noticed that shadows have very different kinds of edges.  Close to the object they have sharp edges but as they move away from the object the edges get softer or fuzzier.  The longer the shadows the fuzzier the edges get.  

Core Shadows can look very different than the ones on the Apple you drew in Drawing Class

3. The Core Shadow holds many secrets.  When I compare 'my little person' to the apple, I can see many different shadow values.  Reflected light is working on not only the sides but the tops and bottoms of the curves in the shadows.  That distinctive dark line - The Terminator - on the Apple is much harder to find on 'my little person'. 

Two Objects with the same light source have different shadow patterns if they are in different planes. 

4. The Core Shadow on two objects with the same light source is very different.  I think this was the biggest surprise to me.  When working with a forest of trees, my thoughts were the Core  Shadows were all the same. This is only true if they are in the same plane in the picture.  If some trees are in the foreground and some in the background for example, their Core Shadow patterns are  quite different.  Although the light source (the sun) is coming from the same place,  it will hit them differently. My example only had 2 little People in 2 Planes.  Try it with 3.   Line up 3 Little People and put one in the Foreground, one in the midground and 1 in the background.  It is really interesting how different the Core Shadow is.  

 

Now don't panic.  You really don't have to know all this stuff to draw and paint.  However, I do think being more aware of these things will change how you view your subjects. The Big Game Changer for me was how much Reflected Light affected both the Core Shadows and the Case Shadows.  

 Free Printable Download: Mushroom Sheet

I played around with drawing some shapes and shadows and put together this little Mushroom Activity Sheet.  I found it a great exercise. 

Mushroom Sheet: Here the Light Source is from the left

Put an arrow for your Light Source and then shade the picture accordingly.  Can you make the leaves curl up and down?  The mushroom appear round?  How about making the skirt on the stem spread out away from the stem?  (I like to pretend a little piece even gets caught in the light.)  Note how the shadow from the stick reinforces the idea of leaves rolled up on the ground.  

Mushroom Sheet: Try it again with the Light Source coming from the Right. 

 I worked on two examples, one with the light source coming from the left and one from the right.  You can really see how the light source changes what is happening in the picture.

You are welcome to download and print my Mushroom Sheet Free.  It fits on an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper.  Print several and try different light sources.  

See My video "Getting Those Shadows Working for You "  on YouTube for further discussion.    

Have fun with your light and shadows, I hope it leads you to NEW adventures.  Next week let's look at Ambient Light.  Like Reflected Light it changes the shadows but also the COLOUR of things.  

FACE-TO-FACE Gallery show!!

Artswest Showcase

October 1 - 31, 2020

Landmark Pop-Up Gallery - 15140 North Bluff Rd, White Rock

Full Covid Safety Rules in Effect - Only 6 in the Gallery at a time 

Open: Wed 10-5pm  Thurs & Fri 10-8, Sat 10-5pm Sun 12-5pm

Come see what our Art Group has been doing - Lots of new Original pieces of Art, special

One-of-a-Kind Art Items and special gift items for any occasion.  

Bonus Show Activities - Semi-Private Classes:

Learn Drawing Skills making Christmas Cards - Fun with Candles and Ink

Oct 14: Acrylic Painting Class – Joanne Dennis
Oct 19: Fused Glass - Gunilla Kay
Oct 23: Christmas Card Class – Candles & Ink - Wendy Mould, 
Oct 29: Ceramics Class – Doris Biddle

All Classes 10-12:30 pm 

Classes $50 each.  Some supplies included

Registration:  Contact Wendy  

Do you have big/small projects on the go?  

Looking for a sounding board, help, suggestions, techniques. You and your Inner Critic looking to expand your discussions.  I am available for Online Coaching/Teaching  (3 sessions 30 minutes each $75). more info here.   

  
Many find this post helpful: Turn your Inner Critic into your BFF

 

Be sure to like and share my posts.  You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email 

Have a great Artful Day,

Wendy