Video of my Art Studio!

   Here is what I filmed some weeks ago. The painting in progress has now gone to the girl whose birthday present it was and I can now publish this. It was rather strange talking to a camera which I haven't really done before--and trying to be serious at the same time!

Coming along

Here is how the painting stands since the second day of painting at the end of last week. I haven't worked on it this weekend, but this week I hope to finished and have it framed in my 'broken' frame. 

Interesting and Inspiring - Akiane Kramarik

Painted by Akiane at age eight!

 Several years ago my aunt gave us a book about an artist called Akiane and we were stunned by the beautiful paintings and poems which were created by a little girl. Her most amazing paintings were painted when she was only eight and nine and are better than I and many other adult artists could do. She is now about sixteen or seventeen and here are a few videos I have found on YouTube. 

I this you can see her painting in a time lapse or speed painting video.

Ups and Downs and In Betweens

   Here is what I have been working on today. And I'm a little bit excited about it! And I would never have painted it had I not smashed the glass in one of my frames. I was quite annoyed with myself for doing that--always clumsy! I suddenly had a useless frame. Until I thought that the only thing I could use it for would be to frame an oil painting. So I got out a big sheet of drawing board, painted it yellow and then decided to paint this. I know my people still aren't very good, but I'll get there.

   And here's another story of something rather annoying happening only there hasn't been any good come out of it yet! A few weeks ago I bought two big sheets of good quality pastel ply board from America, the only place it could get it from. One is for a commission and the other I planned to cut up and use in small pieces. And so I got Dad to cut it up for me, because he's good at that kind of thing. I marked all the lines, gave it to him, and asked whether he needed me to come down to the workshop and tell him what to do. No, he said, he didn't think so.

    So he trotted off to work with it, and I trotted off to my painting, and a few hours later I trotted back into the house to find Dad had cut up the board perfectly into the right size pieces. Only, there was something terribly wrong! My lovely rough pastel surface was all smooth! He had gone and SANDED the surface smooth!! He said he thought he was helping me by getting rid of all the pastel marks I had made when marking out the pieces to cut. I almost cried. Men are very helpful, but sometimes they go a little too far in thinking they know it all... But 'that's life.'

   I'm sure I'll still find some use for the board but it's not really good for pastel anymore. I wonder if I can buy a coating and coat it myself. I think I've heard of something you paint on board or paper to make it rough for pastel...

Inside my Studio

  If you noticed the absence of Fridays post, then my apologies! My newsletter is also late, but if you have subscribed you will receive it in your inbox this week.

  Here are some photos I took of my studio when I had it all cleaned up a few weeks ago to make a video of it. I shall upload the video next week, I can't yet because it contains unpublished paintings!

 

In the Whispers

  The add I drew a for the Kaeo Craft and Art co-op to which I belong was published in the local paper, the Whangaroa Whispers. Sitting insignificantly on the back page. =)  If you happen to pass through Kaeo just pop in to have a coffee and a bit of homemade baking and browse through all the amazing local craft and artwork. 

Interesting and Inspiring

   I love looking at other people's drawings, don't you? I'm always inspired and learn something, or simply enjoy it. I think I like looking at drawings more than I do paintings, I guess drawing will always be my first love in art, no matter how much I try to succeed in painting I will always come back to drawing. Here is an article full of drawings from various artists with very different styles. My favorites  are the first two.

   I am in the process of writing my second ever newsletter which I shall send out next week so if you would like to receive that please enter your email in the box at right.

  Here is some inspiration for ya'll! We all have those brilliant ideas that come to nothing simply because we never made anything of it in the first place. Here is a blog post that talks all about it. Though for me personally my problem is I take up to many of my ideas until I'm doing so many different things at once that I completely bewilder myself!

  Noses. These strange appendage of the face is something many people have trouble drawing, when they think about drawing it anyway! In a portrait the nose is not the focus point somehow, unless it is particularly noticeable, we don't really notice noses as much as eyes and mouths. This is because people don't communicate with their nose! When talking with people or trying to see there reactions we don't look at their nose but their eyes and lips. But to make a nose successfully unnoticeable in a drawing the artist must know all about how to draw it. Here is a helpful video.

Don't you just love looking at pictures of stunning horses! Every time I go on Pintrest, I am confronted with a whole lot of new beautiful photos of horses.

In which I discover Bristol Board

On Monday I photographed and framed a handful of new pictures, mostly drawings. Here is a better photo of the drawing I shared in my last post. I discovered the best way of photographing my pencil drawings is outside in direct sunlight, makes it so much easier! 

'The Fear of Pain'  graphite drawing on paper.

I had drawn my drawings on large sheets of A2 paper, and it was almost impossible to move them without making creases or bends, I thought there has to be some other way! What do graphite artists use to draw on? I did a little research and discovered that most graphite artists use 'Bristol board' as a drawing surface. I ordered a couple sheets myself and they came in the mail today, in a tube to my surprise. I discovered it's not really board, but a kind of stiff card with a very smooth surface. I'm looking forwards to trying it out next week. I'll post about my discoveries then. 

Framed horse drawing

   I am sending out my second ever email newsletter soon so if you would like to receive it you can subscribe in the sidebar at right.