Can Pumpkins REALLY help you to DRAW BETTER?? - Painting and Drawing Tips

Push. Slide. Release.  It is great to be back on the Ice. 

Yes, curling season is beginning and although the game will be a little different we will be able to curl this winter

. 

Pumpkins in the Garden - Wish the pumpkins I grew would grow this big.  Love contrasting colour with line work.  (Ink, watercolour, coloured pencil)

Practicing before the first game is fun and also challenging. (It has been over 7 months since the last game) You are probably wondering how practicing can be Challenging, especially when you are repeating the same thing over and over.

 True, if you watch me I look like I am just repeating an action.  But there is more.  As I  throw a draw (a light rock that only goes as far as the circles on the ice) I am doing other things.  I am getting the ‘feel’ of how hard I need to push the rock.  I am checking my body position to see if I am in a good place.  I am watching to see if my aim is accurate as my rock slides away.  I am also watching to see how my rock is sliding and curling on the ice.  (The ice is different all the time. How much my rock curls and how easily it slides on the ice changes all the time.). Practicing the same shot over and over allows me the freedom to focus on all the other variables. 

 Using Repetition can help in your Art . . .

Pumpkin Booklet - Lots of fun drawing different pumpkin pictures.  Having different formats made it very interesting. 

 I love the fall colours and all the Halloween decorations. So no surprise I love to draw Halloween things too.  Drawing Pumpkins is one of my favourite things.  They come in so many shapes and sizes and look awesome with some pen work.  But best of all, they are very forgiving.  There is no PERFECT pumpkin.  They are all different. 

Pumpkins on the Table - I just coloured the 3.  Really makes a neat contrast with the others, eh?!(Ink, watercolour, coloured pencil)

How Can Pumpkins Help you Draw Better (or the Secrets of the Jack-O-Lantern)

1.     Drawing the same subject repetitively helps you learn your subject.  You will see your line work grow with confidence with each new drawing.

2.    Repeating your subject challenges you to look at it in different ways.  It gets your creative juices flowing.  (Now that I have 3 pictures, I have lots of ideas for other ways of drawing my pumpkins.)

3.    Focusing on a subject sparks your awareness.  Since pumpkins are everywhere right now I found I was studying them everywhere I went and taking pictures. I even checked out a few on line. 

4.    Feeling comfortable with your subject means your are free with your line work.  Your gesture lines will be looser, you will capture more of the characteristics of your pumpkins.  They will become more individual and not just generic shapes. 

Pumpkins in a Pile - I love the way the colour flows with this one.  The Blue shading really gives it a cool almost ghostly look. (Ink, watercolour, coloured pencil) 

5.    After the first few drawings you will find yourself experimenting with colour as well.  I tried several different colour schemes with my pumpkins.

I like to teach artists how to draw with pen and ink.  I find if they are comfortable with the subject it is easier to introduce new skills.  Learning how to change your line work to make it interesting and tell your story can be fun.  And really, what is more fun than drawing a stack of pumpkins in a bin!?

If you would like to join me I have semi-private classes scheduled for Oct 8 & 23 at the Artswest Showcase,  Landmark Pop-up Gallery, White Rock.  On the 8th we play with pumpkins and on the 23 I thought I would work with candles and make Christmas Cards.  See bottom of this post for more information.

Drawing Cupcakes - What a fun way to play with line and colour.  Really the sky is the limit as to what subject you can use for practice. (Ink & watercolour) 

If pumpkins are not your thing, try another subject that inspires you.  You will notice a change right away.  Even as you draw the first you are starting to think about the second.  Then the third.  Suddenly you are noticing things and the fourth one comes to life.  I know looking at my pumpkins I realized I haven’t even got into the whole Jack O’Lanterns thing.  That will bring to mind a whole new batch of ideas. 

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  Thur & 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 1: Drop-In Painting Class – Doris Biddle 2-4pm
Oct 4: Fused Glass – Gunilla Kay 2-4pm
Oct 7: Acrylic Painting Class – Joanne Dennis
Oct 8: Learn Drawing Skills with Pumpkins & Ink – Wendy Mould, 
Oct 14: Acrylic Painting Class – Joanne Dennis
Oct 23: Christmas Card Class – Candles & Ink - Wendy Mould, 
Oct 29: Ceramics Class – Doris Biddle

All Classes 10-12:30 pm except where noted

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  

Have you ever got trapped in the web of PERFECTION?! - Painting & Drawing Tips

As many of you know I like to golf.  Golfing is all about hand-eye coordination.  Planning and Executing.  Visualizing and follow through.  

Very much like the Creative Process.

Sketchbooking Activity: Sunflowers in the Field

In the world of Golf - You need Perfection, but it can also destroy your game.  

Very much like the Creative Process.

Last week I missed 3 putts for par by 4 inches or less: 1/2 inch. 3 inches. 4 inches.  So what, you say, it happens all the time in putting.  Yes, it does.  But the trouble with those misses is they were TOO short.  Those putts were never going in, they were not strong enough to reach the hole.  A good putt goes in or pass the hole by 7 -12 inches at most.  Those putts have a chance but one that is short is never going in.  

Trying for Perfection can leave you short. . . .

In the spring I joined Karen Abend  Sketchbook Revival 2020, (see post "Catch the Sketchbook Habbit" for more info on this)  One of the activities demoed by Noah Scalin  really struck me as a good way to fight Perfection.  Don't get me wrong, fighting with Perfection is not an easy thing.  This is a challenging activity but at the same time it reminds me of the importance of 'seeing the whole picture' rather than 'one spot'.  

Working on a project brings in a wide range of emotions: joy, triumph, happiness, exhilaration, glee.  But also: frustration, disappointment, distress, sadness, chagrin.    Add the need for perfection and of course Mr. Inner Critic.  Gee, why do we even Create?  (See Post: Turn Your Inner Critic into your BFF for more on Mr. Critic) 

But you love to create so that web of Perfection is always trying to capture you. . .

So I give you a "Perfection Fighter Activity" guaranteed to drive you crazy as you work but give you a few "Aha Moments" when you're done.  

Step 1: Sketchbooking Activity: Sunflowers in the Field - Making 100 Dots

PERFECTION FIGHTER ACTIVITY - 100 Dots

**This project can be viewed on video as "Moving Away from Perfection"   with Wendy Mould

1.  Take a clean page in your sketchbook and make 100 dots randomly spaced all over the page.  Since I was using coloured paper, I decided to make white dots.  (You do not have to work in pen for this project, being a pen artist, I like to just jump in with pen.)

Step 2: Sketchbooking Activity: Sunflowers in the Field - pick your subject 

2.  Pick a subject (something real or fantasy) to draw, something that has some shapes and lines to work with. I chose to draw a sunflower and since my paper was buff, I used a sepia pen.  

Step 3: Sketchbooking Activity: Sunflowers in the Field - start connecting your dots

3.  Draw your subject by moving from dot to dot. Yes, things are going to get a bit wonky.  There wont be dots where you want them but keep going.  As you can see my petals and flower center are looking pretty wonky.  

Step 4: Sketchbooking Activity: Sunflowers in the Field - stay with it and finish your drawing

4.  This is the hard part.  Stay with it.  Don't let the kinkiness stop you. I finished my drawing and then decided to add colour with coloured pencils.

Step 5: Sketchbooking Activity: Sunflowers in the Field - Finish it with a flare

5. Finish up with a flare.  'What do you like?"  "What is really working?"  I really like the wonkiness of my sunflower.  The leaves and stem really add to that.  I was pleased with the results.  I feel those weird looking petals at the beginning all fit into the total drawing quite well.  

Step 6: Sketchbooking Activity: Sunflowers in the Field - Extending the drawing 

6.  All projects lead to new ideas.  I liked how my leaf was heading over to the other page so I decided to extend the drawing to the other side.  

Step 7: Sketchbooking Activity: Sunflowers in the Field - Colouring the new section

7. Finished  Sunflowers in the Field.  The finished picture is at the top of the post but shown here is the work in progress.  

Final Thoughts: What do you like? What is really working?  I discovered that I am a crisp white paper artist.  I really like how my colours glow on the white paper as apposed to the buff. I love particularly the smallest sunflower, it has a liveliness I couldn't have got just by drawing from the reference.  

Overall, I think it helps me to not dwell on individual marks but hold my comments and look at the picture as a whole.  Also, reminds me to keep going, leave my judgement til the end and just accept the challenge and roll with it.  

**This project can be viewed on video as "Moving Away from Perfection"  with Wendy Mould

Bunny from 100 Dots with Noah Scalin  - Sepia Pen and coloured pencils

My Bunny from 100 Dots is another example of working with these dots.  I started with his head and then his eyes.  The eyes looked so wonky I wanted to quit.  However, once darks and lights were put in I was very pleased with my guy.  

Have fun with this activity and I hope it inspires you to climb out of that Web of PERFECTION.  

Outdoor Sketching Classes !! 

Ready to go out and do some sketching?  Have fun painting and sketching while learning new tips and techniques. Capture a moment in time without worrying about the World and the crazy problems of today.  Come Join me for a session or two.  Beginner to Advanced are welcome.

Class Size: max. 3.   Rescheduling for Bad weather.  Covid  Rules and Social Distancing will be followed.  

Sessions 2.5 hours, in local North Surrey Parks, Tuesdays 10-12:30 or Special Times to be set up for groups of 2 or 3.  

Cost: $45  

August Dates: Tuesday August 4. 11, 18, 25:  Time:  10-12:30:pm

Save a Spot Now. Contact Wendy    More information: artbywendy.com 

 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  

Catching the Light - Out Door Sketching - Painting & Drawing Tips

 Are you feeling stifled, stuck in your studio?

Does the outdoors call you?

I know how your feel.

THE STONE LION - This is one of the lions that guards the Forbidden City in Beijing (no I am not in China right now, I only wish!!)

 Painting and drawing are my passions but I get so tired of the AC world.  I want to be out and about. Trying new colours, painting something different or taking on a new challenge. 

The good weather is here and I am ready to roll.

 

I promised a new medium to wet your appetite and give you something new to think about.  Of course it incorporates ink.  Now, don’t panic and turn away.  A little black ink can really make your work pop.  I find that no matter how hard I try, without including ink, I just don’t get my darks, DARK. 

Without that true dark, things just don’t pop. 

So as you guessed, the new medium for outdoor work is mixed. 

1.     Permanent ink:  in the form of Micron or Staedler pens.  I like to use 03 for a small sketchbook, 5.5 x 8.5 and a 05 for a larger one.  Of course, it is nice to have a 02 or 01 in the bag when you want a light crosshatching shadow. 

2.    Coloured Pencils: Prismacolour.  Yes, coloured pencils with a bit of ink look awesome together.  Note my Stone Lion above. 

I find a pack of 24 has a good colour selection and doesn't take up too much room.  

Now why coloured pencil . . .

The pencils are very portable: light weight, clean, small. A 24 pk gives you lots of colours to play with and yet take up little room.  The colours can be mixed easily:  this can be done working in layers; different pressures; glazing; putting colours side by side.  Your old rules of mixing still apply.  Opportunities to include different textures by glazing over colours or leaving them rough. 

They can give you fast results when your time is limited.  Note the mix of colour (the Lion) and plain ink (the stand) They can both can stand together or alone on your page to bring your ideas to life.  

Working quickly is soooooo important in Outdoor Sketching. . . .

 light changes, things move and time disappears. 

Yes, you need to be quick because life is changing in front of you.  But more importantly working quickly teaches you so much. 

LITTLE BUCKETS - note the colour mixing and light strokes to quickly add colour to the outline drawing

1.     You don’t dither and doubt:  so easy to do in the studio.  And yes, when working on a large finished piece you need to think before you act.  But you loose the spontaneity in your work.  That lively line or stroke. Working in your sketchbook, gives you permission to not be perfect and give things a try.

2.    You mix and move on: Experimentation happens more readily when you need to move.  Working in a sketchbook allows that freedom to say “What the heck” and give it a go.  I have discovered many new ‘colour combos’ from these moments.  Note all the colours in the bark below.  Certainly a brown tree is more than just brown.  

LITTLE BUCKETS -  Note all the colour mixing on the tree - deep black and indigo for the grooves in the bark, some reds, oranges and browns and even green, the reflection from the foliage and a bit of grays, the reflection from the buckets.  

3.    You don’t stumble and stall: How often has an errant line or stroke caused you to stop.  You get hung up on the mark.  You restate the mark.  You correct and restate.  In short you are stalled.  Unable to move on.  The freedom of the sketchbook and the hum of the sunlight will keep you moving, letting that wayward mark sink into your work and get lost.  Yes, believe it or not.  A wayward permanent ink mark can get lost in your colouring and shading.   Once you are finished, it's gone.  Give it a try and see for yourself. 

LITTLE BUCKETS: pressing hard to glaze white over the buckets, mixed and blended the colours and gives a smooth look.  Light pressure to colour the tree with a yellow glaze leaves a more granular texture and tones it down

So grab you pen and pencils and head out to draw. 

What is your favourite medium for outdoor sketching? 

Up next, a few tips and techniques for getting your pen moving and into your sketching more.

Looking to get your Sketchbook Up to Snuff: check out my Italy series on Sketch-Booking: 

1.  Is Your Sketchbook Ready to Roll
2.  My Really Smallmendous Art Kit
3.  Did you Test Run your Portable Art Kit
4.  Sketch-Booking in Italy - Part 1
5.  Sketch-Booking in Italy - Part 2 

My Etsy Store is always OPEN: Etsy - WendyMouldsArt

Originals, prints and Instant Printable Cards for all Seasons available.


Join me for a morning of  Outdoor Sketching: 

Small group Outdoor Sketching Classes on Tuesday morning, July 30, August 6, 13, and 20. 

The classes will be small, max  5.  We will meet at 10-12:30 in a few of the local parks in North Surrey.  ie. Bear Creek Park, Tynehead Park.  The cost is: $45 tx incld. per session  Book all 4 sessions for $150. Bring your own supplies
Contact Me to register.   and for more information. 

FYI
Plein Air Event at Kilby Historical Site - August 16 -18, 2019

215 Kilby Rd, Harrison Mills, BC – approx. 1.5 hr drive from Vancouver
(or stay our there. I like to camp at Kilby Campsite but there are lots of  places to stay close by.  Makes for a great little adventure.)

 On Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning, painters will be capturing  breathtaking historic vistas, 1920s farm equipment, historic buildings, lush gardens & orchards, delightful farm animals and surrounding mountains.  Not hard to find something to catch your eye.

This is a fun, outdoor adventure for everyone.  Sunday afternoon, brings live entertainment and awards ceremony.  There is a competitive and non-competitive part to the event, so great prizes for everyone.  Cost $15 Registration: events@kilby.ca  more info: kilby.ca

I have been part of this event since it started 5 years ago and I never get tired of wondering the grounds and finding little vignettes to paint.  I know you will enjoy yourself.

If you decide not to join us to paint, come out and see the fun.  On Friday and Saturday,  Artists are set up all over the grounds working away or come see the 'Showing and Sale' on Sunday.

Be sure to like and share my posts.

You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email or Like my Facebook Page.

Have a great Artful Day,

Wendy

Is that Really the Right Blue? - Painting and Drawing Tips

Having trouble with your colour choices?

Feeling like there is 'no right' colour to paint with?

I know what it is like. . .
Sometimes my painting flows, my colour choices seem to roll with ease.

Mushrooms in the Leaves - ink and coloured pencil

Then trouble starts. . . .

You add that trim colour, or move into the shadow colour and nothing seems to work.  So annoying.
Working with colour has become my focus this year.  I am back re-reading some of my books, trying different combos.  Researching.  And playing.

One of my favourite ways to play with colour is with coloured pencils. . .

Funny eh?  Not sure why, but when I use coloured pencils and my sketchbook I seem to be freer. No fear.  Dropping in a new colour, mixing a weird combination, just seems to be easier.  I think too the fact that I am not making mud with my watercolours helps too.  Regardless, it works for me.

Mushrooms in the Leaves - WIP 1-  note the delicate look of the mushrooms. They are outlined with Sepia not Black

So here's my latest neat way to play . . .

I decided to try a different colour ink to layout my drawing.  I grabbed a sepia coloured one.  I thought I would use other colours too.   But when I added some  green I decided it was too garish and stopped. So I just used the sepia for the rest.  Then took my coloured pencils and had fun.  Mixing my colours to create new colour. 

Ways to layer with coloured pencils . . .

1. One light layer of a colour then put a heavier layer on top of another colour

2. Double up, light layer one colour, light layer another colour then heavier layer of the first colour (watch you don't end up with too many layers or you can get a waxy bloom. Prismacolor.com: "Wax bloom is a natural oxidation process of wax-based materials, just like rust is an oxidation of iron. It appears as a cloudy white film over a drawing or color lay down. If you are plagued with wax bloom, simply wipe your drawing with a clean, dry cloth and spray it with a final fixative to seal out air.")

3.  Heavy layer one colour and then a light layer over top of another colour

See what I mean, with heavy and light layers you can mix things up.  The big thing though, is to look carefully at what you are doing.  See what you like and don't like.

Mushrooms in the Leaves - WIP 2 - Note how the shadows make the leaves look really fluffy 

Things I really liked . . .

1.  The stems of the mushrooms.  I liked the effect of the light pink at the transition point between the white light and the purple to blue shadow. 

2.  The yellow leave on the bottom left.  It was looking way too bright, see WIP 2 above, I glazed part of it with purple and part with a terra cotta. - see finished picture below

3.  I love how many ways I was able to integrate the red into the leaves on the ground.  Red is a colour I don't use a lot.  But I needed it there because of the red in the mushroom caps.

4.  The deep, dark shadows. Those were made with black, blue and purple.  They look really dark but don't seem to be a flat black. The purple seems to give them a new life.

Just a 24 pack of Coloured Pencils and two Micron pens  - neat stuff awaits.  

Easy Supplies . . .

Really can you ask for anything easier.  Just a 24 pack of coloured pencils - Prismacolour and 2 Micron Pens - Sepia and Light Green Size 05.  I like the Micron pens because they are a permanent ink. They dry quickly.  You never have to worry about the colour running.

The Take-Away . . .

1. New medium combo - I love the softer sepia line with the coloured pencil.  The crisp sharpness is there but blends softly with the coloured pencils.

2. Experimented with different colours and their effect in the transition zone - area where light and shadow meet.  This is an area I do not give enough attention to in my colour works.  I understand its value but didn't understand the colour changes that work there.

3.  Played with the two colour compliments - Visual Compliments and Mixing Compliments. (see post on this here. ) 

Looking for more on drawing with coloured inks. You might be interested in: 

Using Tonal Values in Ink 
Getting Loose and Free
Building Patterns with Your Mark

Have fun with your playing - love to see what you do with ink and coloured pencils.
I have been on another colour trip, which I will share with you next week - Oil Stiks.  I am really playing in a new playground, eh!?

My Etsy Store is always OPEN: Etsy - WendyMouldsArt

Originals, prints and Instant Printable Cards for all Seasons available.

Time to Register

May 1 - Workshop Day for Spring Show - South Burnaby

Want to experience the joy of watercolour?  Learn about the supplies? See paint in action as you create your first Masterpiece?  - Join Audrey and Myself on May 1, 10-12pm for a Beginner Watercolour Class - $40 all supplies incld. 

Itching to create but want some direction? Want to make exciting cards and notes for the special people in your life? Add design to your sketchbooks and journals? - Join Myself and Audrey on May 1, 1-3pm for a Creative Card Class - $40 all supplies incld.  This year's theme: Flowers and Ladybugs.  

Audrey Bakewell and Myself include this Workshop Day as part of our Spring and Fall Shows at Mandeville Gardens, 4746 Marine Dr, Burnaby.  Both classes are very popular and fill up very quickly.  

REGISTER NOW

SPRING SHOW:     Paints'n Bloom Workshops & Art Show & Sale

 in Support of the Alzheimer's Society of BC

 Thursday, May 2  to Saturday,  May 4 

Gardenworks at Mandeville Gardens, 4746 Marine Dr, Burnaby

Workshop Day: Wednesday, May 1 

10-12pm - Beginner Watercolour Class

1-3pm Spring Card Making Class

$40 ea. All supplies incl. Beginner to Advanced Welcome

Registration Happening Now Contact Wendy 

 Be sure to like and share my posts.

You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email or Like my Facebook Page.

Have a great Artful Day,

Wendy

OMG!! I have a NEW Major Medium - Painting and Drawing Tips

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

 Not sure if my studio has room for it. . .  but . . . I am really loving it.

It all started innocently enough, I guess all major events start that way.  I was packing for art supplies for our 4 week camping trip.  Now as many of you know, I live on the West Coast of Canada and one of the things we are noted for, is our rain.  So although I prefer to paint outside on the trail or at the beach I know we will have rain.  So I need rainy day art supplies too.

I was pulling things out of my draws and saw my Canson Mi-Teintes Assorted Colors (Pastel) Paper paper.  Yeah, I thought, I should take that and maybe some coloured pencils.  I have always been meaning to try working with this paper.

UP FOR AIR - 5 X 7, Coloured Pencil on soft blue paper Available at Etsy
This little seal was following my kayak when I was kayaking with the salmon last September.  After he checked me out, he gave a good flick of his tail and dove under.  I think he splashed me deliberately!  (See my blog post on kayaking with the salmon here. )

My first picture started out a little poorly.  I didn't realize there was a smooth side and textured side to the paper.  You can work on both sides but it is a lot more work to get a smooth blended picture on the rough side!!  I did persist and QUIETLY WAITING, my heron was the result.

QUIETLY WAITING - 5 x 7, Coloured Pencil on tan paper
Herons are a common sign on the waterfront where we camp on Texada Island.  This heron was standing in the water during slack tide.  He didn't seem to be fishing, just looking around.  

It was after finishing QUIETLY WAITING my real trouble began.

I decided to try another picture using the blue paper and this time I would be sure and use the smooth side. UP FOR AIR was the result.  I loved him.  I even worked on him on sunny days!

When I got home I knew I had to try more.  I had taken this great picture of a crow on a log and I really wanted to draw him.   The camping laundry had to wait, I needed to 'set this guy up'.

WIP - AT THE BEACH - 12 x 16 coloured Pencil on tan paper
Yes, he is much bigger and yes, he is on the smooth side.  I so exciting to see him come alive on my paper.   

You will have to tune in later to see my finished crow.  Needless to say, coloured pencil is slower than painting. Right now it is also slower than graphite as I have to feel my way with colours on the tinted paper.

Spending 4 weeks painting/camping trip this summer has brought about great changes to my work. You can read about the other changes starting here.   For me it has been a real shake up and I think made my work move forward.  New ideas, new mediums and new materials have really given me inspiration for new works.

Do you have ways to really shake up your work?

Oh, and remember that new Travel Kit I talked about in the last post?
Well it really hit pay dirt for me.  Read about my new kit here and in my next post, see how it really 'Saved the Day'.

 Etsy Shop now Open: WendyMouldsArt  Come on In!! 

Special Offer: Free Shipping with your order of 4 or more Doodle Cards.

Special Upcoming Event: Plein Air Painting Festival - August 25-27 - Kilby Historical Site, Harrison Mills, BC
Great Opportunity to Paint on a Historic Site with costume models, farm animals, farm scenery,  old store and more.  Great Prizes for all levels - Beginners to Advanced Welcome - $15 Register events@kilby.ca by August 15, 2017.  Painting Friday and Saturday, Prizes, Luncheon, and Sales on Sunday.

See you there!!

 Be sure to like and share my posts.
 You won't miss a single one if you Follow by Email or Like my Facebook Page. Keep up with all the art events by joining my email list (see sidebar on my blog)

 Have a great artful day,
Wendy

Out with the Old, In with the New!!

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

Here we go!!   Are you ready for the whirlwind of 2016? 

 Wait a minute . . .!

Bear - Christmas Commission
Graphite and Coloured Pencil

A few things must be done first. 

Kinda like your mom making you wash your hands before you get to dig into your most favorite, lushes, delicious dinner.  

It is the boring stuff: booking keeping and inventories.  Yuck! And Yuck!!  Inputting expenses, not fun; inputting sales, nice.  But this is more than a horrid excise.  Like your Mom's instructions, there are benefits.  And really after playing outside it is healthier to wash those hands before eating.   

Closing down 2015 with book-work really does have benefits. Of course if you are smart you will arrange a special treat when you are done!  (Don't forget to wash your hands first).

So here goes:

1.     Don't just post those expenses, look at them.  What contests, juried shows,  art markets and events did you enter this year. Which ones were good, which should be skipped?

2.    The Sales: yes the highlight of our painting life.  Enjoy the moment, let the ego be stroked.  Now look at them. Where and how did they happen?  What can be done to repeat the success?

3.    Inventory: OK, hard to be positive with that one.  I love math and numbers but counting every little things really takes incredible will power and at least one trip to Starbucks.

4.    Reflections: Yes, reflections are important.  Like every other business you need to do reflections.  What did you really enjoy in your marketing process in 2015?  What really worked?  (I hope they were the same thing) What was a bust?  I am a firm believer in working towards what you enjoy.  I think that if your heart is in, you and your work will reflect it. This is where your direction for 2016 will come. Finding better ways to match your enjoyment with your marketing. 

 Now you are ready for 2016 can begin - setting new goals, trying new things, following new inspirations.  Exciting stuff!!

February is Marketing Month for Artists, a time to prepare for the year.  Join me for a full day  Marketing Workshop "Let's Get Your Art Out There!",  February 21 or February 28. You will come away with new strategies and goals for 2016.  The synergy that builds through the day will carry you through the year and make it your best year ever. More Info: www.artbywendy.com - Workshops

 Be sure to like and share my posts. You won't miss a single one if you follow by email or Like my Facebook Page. Keep up with all the art events by joining my email list (see sidebar)
Have a great artful day,
Wendy

The Power of Suggestion & Fuzzy Pencils - Drawing Tips

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

I like to hike.  Not the marathon 4 day type, the one-dayer's: a few hours or all day.  It is an awesome experience to walk through our coastal forests or head up into the mountains.  Some of my favorite hikes are around the lakes nestled in the Coastal Mountains just northeast of Vancouver in the Harrison Lake Valley.  The lush green forests are draped with moss (yes, they do get LOTS of rain there) and the ground cover is varied and plentiful. The trail is soft and springy with its many layers of twigs, leaves, fir needles, and dead or dying ferns fronds.

That is the problem. 

VICTOR - 16 x 20 - Graphite & Coloured Pencil, Commission

You want to draw a forest scene.  You want to put a bird, animal or person in the scene.  They are the focus and you know they need the detail.  No problem there.  But they need a setting that is believable.  Before you know it, you are drawing every twig and needle on the trail, both foreground and background.  Not good.  Your composition strategy has gone out the window.  The principles of eye movement, focal point, and hard and soft edges seem to be lost and your pencil just doesn't seem to be listening.

Victor was my challenge.  A beautiful dog and joy to draw.  "We would like a background, the owners said.  A forest setting, trees, ferns that kind of thing. 

Okay. . .

I searched through my reference pictures and found some great ferns on a grassy knoll and with the magic of Photoshop, plopped Victor in the middle.  Great, we love it was the response.

I set to work.

The foreground was the problem.  That wonderful lush ground cover threatened to sabotage Victor.  The detail screamed to be heard but I didn’t want it.  I needed a plan.

My plan.

First a light value of graphite over the whole area. This is like the painters that block in an area to get rid of the white surface. Because I was putting coloured pencil on top I kept it light.  

Few key details laid out - large leaf and clumps of grass

Then I sketched in a few large detailed shapes: leaves and sprigs of grass. Now it was time to study patterns.  Yes, there are patterns in the groundcover. It is found in the lights and darks and their flow.  Using that fuzzy pencil again, 4B this time, I stroked clumps of lines, varying the value, the direction and the length.

Working the pattern of the ground vary the strokes in value and length

Working the pattern and changing the direction

As I did so I could see random shapes appear that could be bits and pieces of twigs, leaves, grass and mossy.  Some of these I darken and others I left.  The detailed leaves and clumps of grass surrounded by partially created shapes makes the forest bed take shape.  That is the Power of Suggestion.

Adding definition to the suggested shapes.

Working across my drawing you can see how this worked.  When I added my colour I continued this process: fuzzy pencils and stroking varying the value, the direction and length. It made my colours nicely blended.  

Close up of the ground cover with the colour added. 

Next time you need a busy foreground/background, use your fuzzy pencil and "suggest" away!

Not too late to order that pet portrait for Christmas.  They are an awesome way to celebrate a cherished pet and treasured gift for that pet lover in your family.  Give me a call and we can get started.  Gift Certificates are available as well.

 Be sure to like and share my posts. You won't miss a single one if you follow by email or Like my Facebook Page. Keep up with all the art events by joining my email list (see sidebar)
Have a great artful day, Wendy