Happy New Year

SENDING YOU MANY BLESSINGS FOR 2012!

Pears in Paradise

Hi Y'all. I have been enjoying my vacation but I have been painting like crazy even though I have been out of town. You know I can't put a paint brush down!

21 Secrets  will be available for purchase on January 2nd but it doesn't begin until April 1.

I will teach you how to paint flowers with a credit card. I will show you how I cut my card for pedals and leaves and we will use the easy value system to make our flowers pop!

If you sign up by clicking my button on the right side of my blog roll then I get "credit" for it.

Sending thanks to you now if you do that!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Merry Christmas

I am going to take some time off for Christmas and will return in the new year. 

I hope you all have a very blessed Christmas!

Bye for now.

Mother of all Pears

Yep, it's a big pear for sure. I think this is 18 x 18. I sat "her" on the front porch to show how big she is.
 I added some scrapbook papers first and then added the cranberry-ish background color all over. Then I drew out the pear with some sidewalk chalk (that was the closest thing around at the time) and started to layer on the color.  It took quite a while. For some reason painting a pear in different colors, like blue, is pretty easy but when I start to paint a "real" looking pear it gets harder.  But I love pears. There is something just wonderfully lumpy and whimsical about them. And if they are ripe--they are just about the yummiest thing ever.

Here is a journal page I forgot to post the other day.

Also--> Check this out! 
I will be teaching how to paint Credit Card Flowers in the upcoming "21 Secrets" workshop.
It looks like it's a great group of artists this go-round!

Saturday Pears

You know how much I love pears so I thought I would torture myself a little bit this morning and paint from a "still life". My lighting was not great but I just needed a reference. I taped it off, drew it out and started painting. I do love watercolor and I think I have gotten the hang of painting a pear. The secret is laying in the shadows first as I indicated on my last post.

I threw in a little table salt on the blue

and used one of my favorite stencils from Mary Beth Shaw.

My stencil was actually smaller than this link I have added but that's the stencil that I love. I probably should get it larger too.

Here is another pear with many layers of glazing. I added in a purplish shadow first and then starting the glazing process. I never understood the glazing process very well until I took Karlyn Holman's class. Now I understand. It's all about harmonious transparent watercolors. Pretty simple once my pea brain got it.  I also used the same stencil and grundged it up a bit. 

She swears by Arches 140lb cold press paper and I love it too. But I was here at the house with only Arches 140 hot press. It is much harder to work with because of the waterlines it constantly makes.

I need to bring some hot press home with me.

I love pears...

Just doing a little pear paintin'

I love to paint pears whether it is with watercolor or acrylic. This is watercolor with some writing and doodle-y lettering with it. I learned a new technique about the shadows today. They are laid down first in the contrasting/complimentary color that the pear will be, let it dry then paint the pear. And lots of fun. I learned this technique from http://www.karlynsgallery.com /Karlyn Holman at Art of the Carolinas. She is my new favorite watercolor artist. Check her out. She is fabulous. Maybe I will do a little tutorial project class on pears sometimes. They are so fun.

Wood Icing Flowers

This is a 5x7 on watercolor paper and acrylic. The texture is made with Wood Icing and a flower stencil. I really was very pleasantly surprised how the texture added so much interest. Maybe I will try this bigger.
All of these florals are painted first with just a messy all over background then the floral shape and vase is negatively painted. My brain is still trying to adjust to the negative painting because I have always painted positively. The trees are all done this way also.  It's a fun way to paint---when it works! Some of the time it doesn't.

Credit card flowers and journal page

I collaged some scrapbook paper first but not much of it showed through. Sometimes I put it down first just for the texture it gives and maybe some might show through. This was another late "nighttime" creation in the art closet here at home. 

It's a bit cheesy but I think I must like cheezy sometimes.
I will be teaching this technique but I am not sure if I am suppose to say where yet.
I will show you how I do it and you will "slap yo momma" as to how easy it is.
(My momma used to say expression so to all you non southerners--please excuse me)
I think that maybe we will even make a little mini masterpiece like this one but I haven't filmed it yet so who knows.

And here a journal page in my big journal. I haven't journaled recently in
my big journal. I am going to need a new one soon.

When all else fails... simplify

Well, I just couldn't stand it. The painting in my previous post was bugging me so much that I just had to paint over it. I know simplifying sometimes works so as I was painting over all the flowers this kinda caught my eye. Maybe I will just add the stems and call it done. I have fiddled way to long with this one.  Maybe add one more flowers to make it an odd number????---there I go fiddling again. See ya later painting.

More paintings...

This was the last of my beveled canvases that I have had for a long time so I am glad I finally used them. This was a floral that didn't get painted over but it got worked and worked and finally after adding the white over the red flowers I liked it even though as I am looking at it online my light source is wrong. Maybe I will fix it and repost it later. I have to let them sit for a few days and see if it is finished. I am still working on glass. It's pretty tricky.

These are called drip trees and Bob Burridges taught us to do this in his landscape class. They are fun to paint.  Not much control here. That's what I think is hard about Burridge's painting style, It's controlled chaos. So far I have the chaos part perfected. I might try some more of these. This one is actually a big one.  I added some Nova Color fluorescent paint to the edges of the trees to make it have intense backlighting but I don't want it to look like it's a forest fire. It might be too much so again, I have to sit with this one for a few day and decide later whether to tone it down.

Surreal Trees

These two started out as florals then I painted over that and tried florals again and painted over that so now they are trees. I think they will stay as trees but maybe they need something else. I have to look at them for several days.  I was painting out in the red shed in the back so I was able to sling paint everywhere.  The weather has been so nice here. I love November weather here in Florida. These two canvases have a beveled edge so I thought I would hit the edge with the sander for some interest.

Blue Pear etc...

Yes, it's a blue pear. I was feeling adventurous today. Maybe I will paint a pink one tomorrow. This one is 12 x 12 and the sides are black. The pear below is just a practice pear on gessoed watercolor paper because I have a larger canvas prepared and I was trying out colors. So maybe I will go for it on my larger canvas.

This painting below is one more that started out really terrible and actually came out ok. I really painted some bad ones today and had to paint over them and start again. I keep telling myself that we only learn by our mistakes.
We only learn by our mistakes...we only learn by our mistakes...we only learn by our mistakes...

Definitely sweet

I have some new Letraset Markers that I used to color the faces. I am not sure if I like them better than Copic markers but they are really nice and blend really well. As you see I am using my grid paper because sometimes it's great to draw a face with a grid. It helps to get the features straight.

PS to Anonymous comment:
These girls are drawn in a fanciful manner. They are not intended to be realistic.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

She's a redo--

I am not really sure if I really make these girls better but I really have been wanting to change her face for a long time. Sometimes my girls come out really happy but sometimes they tend to smirk at me and I can't make them stop. She is one of those that has a little more of a smirk than a smile. Just like children sometimes my girls just have a attitude. I do like her though. And her little bird friend is saying, "I think you look beautiful with your new face."

Here's a good tip...

Well not only did I spill gesso on the rug I also left one of my favorite brushes in acrylic paint for several days and you know what that does..it petrifies the brush as we all know and have probably done. Well don't throw it away so fast. Bob Burridges has great tips and this is one that works! He washes all of his brushes with Murphy's Oil Soap and makes them all like new. If you petrify a brush just soak it in Murphys for 24 to 48 hours and it dissolves all the paint and makes it like new. This brush is like new again. Good ole Murpheys! It's magic stuff!

Worst nightmare realized...

THE CULPRIT

Yes,  my greatest fear happened on Saturday. I dropped this brand new jar of black gesso on my precious little oriental rug. Why do I have a precious little oriental rug in my studio? Well, I just love it and wanted it there. Yes, crazy, I know---an accident waiting to happen---that happened! I am always so careful but yesterday as I was taking the gesso to the little red shed it slipped out of my hand and the top broke. I think I was actually in shock but then I screamed bloody murder and I was afraid the neighbors were really going to think it was a bloody murder. 

But as you see I dragged the rug outside and quickly squirted it with the water hose and it started to wash off. Of course I had it all over me and Bucky has a black fanny.

Maybe I have saved it. I am not sure but I think so. 

Then there was the wood floor. Oh my goodness--it was a mess. I finally had to call Chauncey at work to come home and HELP!

So my thoughts are this on painting big. I have to do it outside. To paint freely the way I want to I just can't do it inside. 

The weather has been so nice that I could paint in the shed. Maybe I will try and make it so that I have have a little air conditioner unit out there. It would need some walls and ...well no need to discuss plans here.

Anyway, I did paint a little bit today and I have a few starts here. I am starting several and coming back to finish them up. I am going to try to have lots of paintings going at once. This is very new for me and WAY out of my comfort zone.

Here they are so far.

See what a big mess this makes??

Alpha-doodlin'

 This is one of the most relaxing things for me to do. I love to alpha doodle in any journal that is close by. This one is a soft bound Moleskine. The paper is pretty good for markers and pens but doesn't take watercolor too well. When I alpha doodles I use lots of different styles including CalligraFun, Elvie Cursives (Lori) and Versadoodles. It's fun and I am always trying to find words to write. As you see, sometimes I get stuck on one word! I need to keep my list of words right next to me.

Think Positive...Paint Negative

I am trying to retrain my brain to paint the negative shape rather than the positive.

 "Think positive but paint negative!"

This girl is one of the "starts" from one of my classes. The whole page was just a mess of paints, mostly reds on the page. I then painted the negative figure shape and "fashioned" her into a girl who might be dancing or just throwing her arms up. 

All the figures we painted in the class seemed to have a personality or a story.

Painting negative is not easy so far but with practice hopefully it will get easier.

Below is just one of the exercises in painting a quick figure with light into dark and dark into light. When I sat down to do it it was confusing but it looked so easy when he did it. This fella tells a story too. He could be a tightrope walker or a dancer. These are done very quickly. It was a fun exercise and I will practice more of these. Burridges calls these our little art sketches for a larger painting or even a little masterpiece as it is.

Supplies goodies I bought

I had one day of rest and today I have been going through my purchases (YIKES) so I thought since I don't have new showable art then I will show you some supplies I purchased. 

First of all here is my permission slip from Burridge to create art without fear and discouragement.

 "Just keep painting until it looks right!"

I think sometimes I get frustrated too quickly. Bob Burridge has 30 paintings going at once and if he feels like he is stuck on one he goes to the next. Ok, that makes me have to resolve my issue of leaving a painting "unresolved."

I have permission to do that now!

I am such a rule follower--I need permission sometimes to trudge into uncharted ground.

Below is probably the best paper for printing. I took a digital class and boy was it informative! I wish I had know these things 5 years ago. This paper is by Canson Infinity and there are many different kinds depending on the texture you like. This is a sample pack which has all of the sheets to try. These two prints are on Canson BFK and Canson Arches (pronounced "Arsh", in the French manner.)

Canson owns Arches and Canson has been around since the time of Michelangelo.

The brushes are Stratford and York Rutland (orange handle), Isabey Isaceyl, and his "detail brush"--(ha ha that's his joke) His is an Escoda Chunking #4.  It's BIG. Jerry's didn't have that one but this one was comparable.

The next thing is the Holbein Acrylic paint. Here is the Acryla and the Holbein Mat Arylic. Both are fabulous pure pigment paints and I absolutely love them. As I work through all my Golden I will probably just use these. The are bright and act like watercolor also without loosing any pigment.

I had such a fun time. I know that if I want to be a better painter I need to paint everyday. It is very important to paint everyday if possible because that's the only way to learn about color, color combinations and contrast.

But as we all know, life gets in the way.

"Life" for me lately has had it's extreme ups and downs and it seems it just keep on coming.

But you know...that's just life!

Carry on!

"21 Secrets"

I will be teaching a "secret" in the 21 Secrets workshop this time and we have a great line up of teachers.

21 SECRETS won't be starting until April 1, 2012--

and officially goes on sale January 2, 2012...

Click on the image to take you to Dirty Footprints Studio to see

all of the wonderful teachers.

YAY!

Landscapes, florals and trees

I have had a very full day today. I started with Bob Burridge's florals this morning and Landscapes and trees this afternoon. The landscapes are very hard to do. I could watch him and think I had it but when I sat down I couldn't remember how to do it. But in the workshop setting I do have these brain drains so when I get home I can think about it and start to play around. The drip trees were a bit easier but I really need to work on them too.

Undoubtedly the coolest and funniest teacher on the planet.

Day 1 at AOC

I love Robert Burridges and I think he is just about the nicest and most gernerous teacher I have ever had. He has his wonderful art all over the walls and he says to take pictures, copy it and do whatever you want to with it.  How refreshing is that!? I also had Karlyn Holman today and I love her class too. Here is the start of my painting. 3 hours is just not quite long enough. I will have to practice this style of watercolor. It was about painting flowers in a shape and negative painting. It gets confusing.

Below are my Burridge paintings. I don't do well in workshops at all so I am looking forward to getting back and painting where there's lots of room. These are just a study in painting with his color wheel. More tomorrow.

Here's Bob and Karlyn.

Surely two of the nicest teachers ever. I loved every minute of it.

Here I go!!!

I am very excited. We are leaving for the airport in about an hour or so. Of course I just had to do a journal page but I kinda ran out of time. I needed to go pack up my clothes and other necessities. I will try to take some picture along the way. I am not good at taking pictures when I am in workshops. I don't know why.
For the "Art of the Carolina's" title, I painted in the versals with Twinkling H20s. I wish you could see the sheen and twinkle but unfortunately the photo doesn't pick that up. So...better go now. Bye!

More Credit Card Flowers

I thought I would get out a few paints and play around. I love to create these fun credit card flowers. I am experimenting with cutting the card a little differently for leaves and pedals.

 It's always a surprise what I get and the more I practice the more control I have. I like the impressionistic look they have.

I am counting down the days until this weekend at Art of the Carolinas. 

We are leaving Thursday. 

;=))

Just a Little Yummy Peanut

Well, you know Nana just has to show off the little peanut. She really is a sweet baby. She just hangs out and enjoys being alive. Her big Brother, Marc, is doing well with her. He doesn't pay much attention unless she is napping and Marc doesn't know where she is. Then he gets concerned and says, "Uh-oh, where is baby?" He's already getting to be a protective big brother.

And here she is behaving herself in church yesterday with her little lamb. 

Thanks for indulging me everyone. I don't have any art du jour today because we went away for the weekend and I didn't get to do any art. But guess where I am going this weekend?

I am going to The Art of the Carolinas in Raleigh and I am signed up for back to back classes with Bob Burridge. YAHOO!

Hopefully I will be running on adrenalin and won't get tired or overwhelmed.

And of course seeing all the stuff in the Jerry's Artarama trade show will probably make me hyperventilate.

I better put a paper bag in my pocketbook just in case!

JUMP!!!

I am hoping that you all get some great exercise this weekend!