October already?

Where has the year gone?

I just wanted to let everyone know that I've got a few computer issues currently. Not fun at all! Being without Photoshop to process my raw tiff images or even my photograph jpgs is really frustrating. Not to mention everything else I used daily.

So, as I'm resolving those, I'm also working on a graphite commission. When I can, I'll share my WIP (work in progress) but until then, I hope everyone is being more productive than I am, and having a wonderful fall season!

Tj

Millie's first portrait ~ finished!

I found a couple of hours yesterday to finish this one up. Whoot! There might be a couple of tweaks I might do but for the most part this is finished. I like using a relatively small palette, this piece is no exception. You might think my strokes are gone, but they aren't. I did allow the face to become more saturated in order for those layers to blend together, but I left outer edges a bit rough, especially the finger. Love those little finger and toes. I'm going to have to do more studies ... they are just so tiny and well.. amazing.

The cross hatching is still there, layer by layer, but softer now.

I guess this means I need to finish up my little molly I've been working on now! Also that cowboy on the strawberry roan... hmmmm so much to do, so little time!

Have a great day everyone, and keep those pencils sharp!

Millie's first portrait! WIP

I couldn't help it.. just had to play with those tiny fingers and that cute little baby face. 

This started as a discussion on realistic skin tones. Although this portrait isn't quite finished, it got me to thinking... what is a realistic skin tone?

 Is it something plain and flesh colored?

Ah.. trick question! Everything is effected by the light and color reflected on and around it. The light bounces off one object only to reflect that color onto something else, it's filtered from above, around and below. It has  colors of it's own, is it a warm light or a cool one? All this effects the objects it shines on.  Skin is no different. So, what I see as a realistic skin tone, might not be what you see.

Here is Millie's first portrait, prismacolor on Strathmore Bristol Vellum. Still a WIP (work in progress) I was hoping on finishing it up today, but we'll see.

You might notice that I like my pencil strokes, and I really like to apply my pencil as if I'm painting.

sorry about the yellow tint, this was taken in my kitchen..with yellow walls.

So, is a realistic skin tone different for me than it is for you? I'm sure it is, and that's ok. I love the pinks, purples, blues, greens and yellows in this piece. Hmmm wonder how it will look when I'm finished?

Guess we'll have to find out.

Keep Scribbling!

I have a new Grandaughter!

Welcome to the family, little one...!

Little Miss Millie waited until I returned home from Atlanta to make her entrance into this world. Such an impatient little one, she arrived 5 1/2 weeks early. However she is home now, doing well and ever so tiny!

I have taken out a little mule foal I had started but put away for awhile. I took it back out and will be finishing it up, but I have been just a weee bit distracted. Soon, I'll get some pics posted. In between new baby snuggles... ;)

more ATC's

Here is another ATC I just did this week. He was another model from my photo shoot. Did they have sunglasses back then? I don't know, but I really liked the look. The first image should be actual size. 3.5" x 2.5"

Next is a little doodle that went to Atlanta with me, I hear she's very happy in Arkansas! Same ATC size.

I've been really busy, revamping my outdated website,(from scratch! eek!) a few other projects and a couple experiments. Not to mention big things going on family wise.  I've not had much time at the easel lately it seems. However, these small images keep me sane and don't take up to much time.

I do have several things I need to post here, as soon as I get to them! One is a big repair job.. ack! Stay tuned, to find out "can it be fixed?" (notice I didn't say what? lol)

Hope you all have a wonderful week! 

Back from Atlanta!

What a wonderful trip! 7 days of ART and ARTSY friends. Love my family and non-art friends more than they imagine, but sometimes, well, sometimes you need that connection with others that really know what your saying when you mention burnishing, solvents or favorite supports. You know those people who's eyes don't glaze over when you mention lightfast ratings or what's legal..... (color pencil people.. color pencil!)

Each and every one of the people below are wonderfully talented, amazing artists! I am blessed to even be able to get to know them.

My week of colored pencil art and artists began early last Monday when I flew into Memphis (via a short layover in Houston ..hustle hustle to your next terminal!) to meet up with a good friend and fellow colored pencil artist Beth Macre from Arkansas. From there we drove to Duluth, Ga. where the 17th Annual International Colored Pencil Society of America Exhibition was held. Both Beth and I, filled in for our CPSA Chapter Presidents who could not attend this year. Boy, not only was it enjoyable but a wonderfully enlightening experience.

See.. I was working!

Now, on to the fun stuff!

At every CPSA International Exhibition there is a local host chapter. This year is was the Atlanta Chapter CPSA DC #107. I'd like to send them a huge thank you, it was wonderful! Your hard work is very much appreciated! I would like to add an special thank you for whoever managed to give us such great weather while we were there.. Hotlanta? No.. not at all! Loved it!

There is a Hospitality Suite, where everyone checks in, hangs out and gathers to see whats going on. Also the silent auction pieces are here on display and open for bidding... Awesome works..every one of them.

If anyone cares to see the entire collection of silent auction donations, including my own Sunshine, here ya go....

CPSA Silent Auction Pieces 2009

You *might* find one or two sneaky members walking around with cameras at the ready.... of course you might find your self outed if your one of them! Here I was tattled on by one of my very favorite people, Linda Lucas Hardy, who blew the whistle on me while I was doing the "paparazzi" thing by clicking away while she was visiting with the always lovely Cindy Haase and a very quiet Theresa Mallen whom I think had just arrived, unsuspectingly Surprise! lol.

Hi Ladies, thank you for being such good sports! .. OH YEAH, I just read that trouble always comes in three's???? Funny thing is, every time I see Linda she's one of three! LOL, Hugz to ya Linda!

Here is my roomie Beth Macre and myself at the Members Meeting, where we reviewed all of the images that were submitted (over 600!) .

Of course it's also a chance to mingle and catch up with those other artists you don't see thru out the year, and meet new ones too!

Cathy Henry of the hard working Atlanta, Ga, chapter and yours truly..

Linda Hardy, Texas, who always makes me smile!

Nancy Hoover, N.C, one of those Paparazzi types (who I stole a couple of these images from lol.. ) and Jean Malicoat of Ohio.

I was just getting even with Nancy for this lovely shot she took....

I had only begun to chat with Lynda Schumacher, (on the left) whom I had never had the chance to talk to before that evil flash interrupted us.

Sunshine found a new home too! The silent auction bidding gets going hot and heavy twords the end... lol bidding wars are not exactly unheard of, and I saw several bidders "guarding" their bids! But it's all in great fun, and for a good cause.

Banquet Night and Award Presentations...

The CPSA website to see the winners

Gemma Gylling and Jean Malicoat

Debbie Hook and Jean Malicoat of Ohio

and well.. someone had to do it lol.. sorry Bethie!

(well sorta )

Finally.. the Convention draws to an end, Beth and I have been nicknamed "Thelma and Louise" unjustly of course... no one could define which was which anyway lol.

Beth, I'd take a road trip with you again, as long as we stay away from the Grand Canyon!

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Artist Trading Cards

I'm getting ready to attend the CPSA Convention in Atlanta, Ga. Wow, how the time has flown by.. I leave next Monday! Whoa. lol. The Ga District Chapter is hosting an ATC exchange, so I thought I'd join in the fun. I've created these ATC's to take, each of them being 2.3" x 3.5". (The same size as a playing card or a baseball card.)

The first one is on Uart 500, the second two are on Bristol Vellum. I'd like to sneak in a couple more before I get there. :)

Sunshine is on her way to Atlanta!

I've officially called her finished. Yay!

What a relief, Uart 800 is NOT my favorite grit to work on.

Have a great week everyone!

Sunshine Day 7 and 8

Life.. well it just has a way of demanding that you participate. As much as I would rather just be able to lock myself away to finish each piece, it's just not going to happen.

Yesterday I finally got back to work on Sunshine.  Finally! Then today I was back at it bright and early. Here is where she is now. I've got my .jpg due July 1, how many days are in this month? lol..

Thanks for stopping by, tomorrow she should be complete! Whoot!

From the deep dark wilds of Texas...

I was watching National Geographic the other night, they had a story about a very rare sighting in Texas, did anyone else see it?

It seem that in the deep dark under growth of the wilds of Texas, amid the cool night breezes, the chirping of crickets and the soft lowing of the longhorn cattle........Something mysterious has been sighted! This creature has been seen rarely in the daylight hours, seems to roam about eating at night, napping frequently but visits the local watering hole weekly according to the footprints. It appears to be mostly nocturnal with an occasional foray into the dawn and dusk hours.
If one is lucky enough to see this creature..... grab your camera, it appears to be very shy at first glance, although one can hear vocalizations all night long if you know what your listening for....

WIP 11x14 prismacolor and neocolor II on pastelbord, about halfway completed.  The reference photo I used is of a friend, taken with a flash indoors and blurry at that. lol. This was drawn freehand off the computer screen. I took a lot of liberties with this one! So much fun. Her setting is completely made up, I had to give her more "meat" on her skinny frame because she was to skinny to get this effect without it. A Texan and artist in her own right, she loves her longhorns.... hence her brindling lol.

Sunshine is fine, but I haven't worked on her since my last update. Next week she'll be completed. Have a great weekend everyone.

Sunshine Day 6

Another beautiful day today, and I notice because I'm working plein air for the most part lol.

So, here is Sunshine yet again. This digi is from this morning..

The one below from around lunch time..

and this one this afternoon when I called it a day.

I threw a closeup of just the rocks.. ack Eric.. don't be to tuff on me! Rocks .. geeze you do know a rock or two lol. Now her perch is mostly done, I might tweak it at the end but for the most part it's there. I'm still working  on the foreground bringing it up, the middle ground holding it's own and pushing the background back a bit farther.

Seems I have plenty to keep me out of trouble for at least a day or two. ;)

Sunshine, Day 5

It was a beautiful sunny day in Tucson today! Even nicer on my little side of town where the little higher elevation means it's a bit cooler.. :D

So here is Sunshine, as she was this morning after working on her for about an hour.

I've got most of my blocking in, so I'm moving into some of my detail now. Notice how much more shape her tiny feet have than they did this morning?

As I was building her form with my layers.... it dawned on me that I didn't like the rock she was standing on.

Soooooooooooooo

I changed it!

The change isn't quite complete but I had to call it a day and pretend to be the camp cook. I'll finish up those changes tomorrow.

This is how she ended the day today. Tomorrow will consist of building & defining my values in my foreground, and if I have time to push the background back a little more.

Until tomorrow.. Keep Scribbling!