Every time I sit down to draw I like to challenge myself. Challenges have never been something I ran from but engaged with.
One of my favorite artists has always been Bev Doolittle. Bev is a master at multiple images or camouflage art. Check her out at https://www.bevdoolittle.net to see her beautiful art.
Here is my feeble attempt at camouflage art.
If you are an artist regardless of where you are in your art journey you should continue to challenge yourself.
The artist you are today is just a hint at the artist you will become tomorrow.
Good morning my friends. As I continue on this artist journey I will pass on to you any tips and tricks I find.
Glaze
When I initially unpacked my Dad’s art supplies after he passed I kept moving around this bottle of Glaze.
Over the years I did not find a use for it until today. Honestly, I really didn’t expect it to be any good since it had to be at least twenty years old. I shook it up and heard that familiar “slosh”. This plaque needed a little something on the edge.
I carefully unscrewed the top and poured a little into my palette. With a half-inch brush, I waited to see if this bronze Glaze was going to do the trick. Standing back looking at it I decided it was definitely worth the wait.
Don’t be afraid to experiment. The thing you pass on might be the one thing you should have done. Will definitely be glazing again.
Well, when my instructor asked me to show a few pieces at our local arts council I was a little hesitant.
My largest piece at 22×28 is my Kayak Run. If you are one of my FB friends you have already seen these but now you get the story with them.
Kayak Run
As a photographer, I have many times photographed kayaks maneuvering the rapids and rivers including in the Smoky Mountains. Of course, my favorite places in full or in part end up in a painting.
My second entry is Shawl Dancer.
Shawl Dancer
I have many times photographed beautiful native american women at Pow Wows doing this same dance. When I sat down to do this piece I wanted to do her with as much color as possible.
3rd Entry
My smallest piece at 11×14 is Cyprees Knees.
Cypress Knees
This picture really came about by accident as I use whatever paint I have on my palette to create my next painting. A few days prior I had been photographing knees in Edenton. I guess they were still in my head when I created this. The driftwood was simply a creative stroke.
Now that these pieces have been submitted I can just enjoy painting. Here’s today’s creation in water color on aged paper.
Hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my crazy artistic life.
The one thing I hate is to waste paint. When I finish a painting I like to take whatever paint is left on my palette and put it on a new canvas. Sometimes there is enough paint to create an entirely new painting. As was the case in this painting.
This was not planned. When I pulled the paint off my palette I had no idea what was about to develop. I have an obsession with cypress knees and have photographed a lot of them.
Ironically as I threw the paint on the canvas the knees began to form. Then as I cleared out my greens and yellows they mellowed nicely into forming the grasses. These waste paintings as I refer to them are much more fun since I don’t feel pressured to create something perfect. They are what they are. So before you leave paint on your palette or pour it into a jar just throw it onto another canvas, metal pot, wood, or any other surface to see what else you can create.
Have a great day and don’t waste another creative moment
If you are not making enough money selling your drawings and paintings you do have other options. Turn your art into sellable products.
For instance, I create art both digitally and through photography. I take an image and scan it into my computer. At this point, I can import the image into my cross-stitch software to generate a pattern or upload it to a print-on-demand company that will transfer the image onto their products like cups, T-shirts, etc.
This is the image I am going to start with. This is the initial raw sketch.
From this sketch I am going to create three-way products, painting on a canvas bag, cross stitch pattern and print-on-demand products.
This is a work in progress for the painting on a bag project.
Within just a few hours I was also able to initiate the creation of this pattern from this same design.
My last step in this diversification process will be when I upload the original image to a print-on-demand site to print on already established products like cups and tees. You now you should understand the process of diversification in art. Now I am not saying you have to do it the way I did but it is a way of keeping your art alive and monetized.
So artists get cranking out that beautiful work and let’s see the metamorphosis begin.
As I am lying awake in my bed I am listening to the Beatles. Yes, I am old but I also listen to a wise genre of music. From old rock and role, country, southern rock, Michael Buble, contemporary Christian to old standards, Christian Rock, and the list goes on.
It’s this traditional rock role music that I grew up with and beach music. This was music that you could sink your teeth into. The Beatles, Temptations, The Supremes, The Rolling Stones and of course Elvis were in my stack of 45’s.
My father referred to me as his “flower child” because I came up in the era of hippies, acid and rock. While I loved the music and the fashion of those days the drugs and free lifestyle did not fit me. I guess you could say I am a spiritual soul without the bad trips.
Music has always been a significant part of my life. At the age of six I took piano lessons but it just didn’t seem to stick then. At thirteen I took guitars lessons and found my instrument of choice. While I have played in places like Nashville I chose not to play professionally.
Since those days music has changed so much. The soothing sounds of the 60’s and 70’s moved over to make room for R&B, Rap and Heavy Metal. I enjoy some R&B but you will never find Rap and Heavy Metal in my music library.
Now there is Techno which is kind of like fingernails on a chalkboard! The only electronic music I listen to is the new frequency music for healing.
I’ve had a long journey with music with no regrets.
A 31-year-old man named Charlie Kirk is dead. While I didn’t know Charlie personally, I knew him in spirit. Watching his videos I could relate to the kind of faith he had. Reading his words about his faith and family helped me to believe there was still hope for this nation.
Charlie’s life will live on through his children. The values he lived by will live on through the millions of lives he touched. The lifeless soul that took his life will live in misery. React not with violence but in faith that God will have his revenge.
The battle has just begun. We will not use weapons of disaster but tools of love from the Bible. We will not yield to Satan but stand proudly in God’s army.
Rise up and proudly show your faith. Charlie did!
We pray for the family of Charlie Kirk. I am proud to say that in some small way I knew him.
While I enjoy all kinds of arts and crafts I think my bigger joy is in design. When you can take a concept to a finished product it is always rewarding. It’s that long road from a simple idea and the steps that follow that make it intriguiging.
I create art in a lot of ways one of which is linked to needle crafts. I have designed quilts, dolls, and cross stitch patterns. Through the patterns I not only get to make the product itself but also get to share that time and effort with someone who wants to create that same piece of art.
My cross stitch designs begin with a sketch…
A simple rough drawing colored just enough that my cross stitch program will recognize it. Once it is scanned into the program I change or add colors in the pattern itself to enhance it. In order to make it client friendly I have to merge a finished photograph and the pattern to a PDF file that is easily transferable. Now I have a marketable product. Here’s what the pattern looks like now:
A lot of time project are by trial and error but I can also convert a favorite photo into a cross stitch project by simply importing a jpeg file into my cross stitch software. In seconds the conversion is complete and a favorite picture becomes another form of art. Here’s a sample:
The original photo…
to the graphed pattern.
Interested in expanding the art you already create? Begin with a photograph or a painting and the rest is just a process. Now you are taking what you already know and have created and making it digitally accessible.
Have fun with it.
PS all photos and images are under copyright by me.
Well, this week I have ventured outside of my comfort zone. Normally I stick to canvas and to landscapes. This is what I did differently, thanks to my art instructor. I painted an animal instead of a boring landscape. He’s a bit rough but developing his own character
Today I decided to ditch the canvas and paint on a raw live Catawba leaf. I wasn’t prepared for how much the leaf would absorb the acrylic paint. It’s going to take more paint since this one leaf spans about two hands wide. Going to need more paint still but here is my little cabin next to a mountain creek.
I like experimenting with different textures, sources, and new projects. Previously I have painted on wood, rocks, and metal watering cans.
Don’t be afraid to explore the unknown. Feel what you paint instead of just laying down strokes.
My current painting may look very dark but it has yet to receive the final stroke.
We go through so many things in life that at the time we may not fully understand their meaning. It is especially hard when those times involve the lives of innocent children. Remember, like this painting, it will go from dark to light. The darkness of the person who took the lives of innocent children will pass away and be overshadowed by the beautiful and happy lives that these children led. Satan does not win! Their spirit lives on in the hearts of their families and in a community and country that grieves with them.
This painting will not stay that way long. The light will soon reveal itself. The beautiful thing about art is that it gives us a venue to share messages to all its viewers.
Never let darkness stay in your life. Light will reveal truth in all things. Be the light for others. We still have an opportunity to not just enjoy life but to share that joy.
Through My Eyes 