Quirky Dame's Art Blog: painting

Showing posts with label painting. Show all posts

The Quirky Dame is back!

So it’s been a while!

I had a lovely vacation in Hawaii and it ended up being such a good break from reality. I went with six other lovely people and it was so hard to leave. So hard, in fact, that I had quite the difficult time getting my groove back when we returned. It took at least a month to finally settle in to something resembling normal.

Complicating matters was a certain little neighborhood rabbit. You might remember I mentioned Hopper in my last two posts. (If not, well, it has been a while!) While I was in Hawaii, my wonderful and talented brother-in-law built a fabulous hutch and rabbit run. It is truly an amazing little home for a rabbit and better than anything I could have bought at the store. (Believe me, I looked!)

So, less than a week after getting back, Operation Rabbit Rescue commenced. At 8:30 am on a Saturday morning, I was able to grab a very surprised rabbit and put him safely in his new home. The next few weeks were full of adjusting to having a new pet and helping the new pet adjust to us!

I have enjoyed every second I’ve spent getting to know Hopper and learn about his unique personality. I can’t believe what a blessing it’s been. He’s become such a happy, loving little bunny and a special part of our family. And he’s also become a major focus of my artwork. Every day after I get home from work, I go outside and let him out into his special playpen for two hours, twice as long on the weekend. I sit out with him and spend lots of time petting and playing with him, then I use the rest of the time to read or draw. I just received a portable easel for my upcoming birthday and will be using that to start painting out there.

Spending this time with him has given me the chance to observe him endlessly and record it with photos, videos and drawings. I am inspired and now rabbits are popping up everywhere in my art! One of the goals I am working on is to build up my collection of rabbit art and I plan to donate a portion of every sale to a rabbit charity. These furry little critters have hopped their way into my heart and it has become an important, heartfelt goal for me. Plans are in the works and I am having a good time putting those plans into motion.

The latest piece of art that I am concentrating on is a block print. A local gallery, the Upstairs Studio, features art challenges very month or so that anyone can participate in. This time around they are doing a summer block print challenge. I have completed my sketch and plan to start carving the linoleum this weekend. I’ve been working on some others, as well. It’s been great fun to get back into this medium. As soon as my entry is completed for the challenge, I will be sure to post it on here. (In case you are wondering, it does include a rabbit!)

I hope that all of you are having a wonderful summer so far. I promise it will not take nearly as long for the next update!

New pet portrait in progress!

Meet Hopper.

I mentioned him in my last post and he’s still hanging around. (He just started showing up around our house around the end of January.) He just makes my heart melt. I go out every night and feed him by hand while talking to him. Slowly building up the trust with him and hoping one day I’ll get to hold him. I took this picture recently and it’s one of my favorites of him. I felt inspired and decided to do a portrait of Hopper using this photo as inspiration.

So I grabbed my sketch pad and pencil, then got to drawing. First step was to create a sketch using the photo. I’ve done a couple of simple quick sketches of him, but this portrait will be a more realistic version done in oils.

Next I transferred the sketch to the 16×20 canvas I’ll be using for this painting. Then I grabbed some burnt umber oil paint and painted over it.

After letting the underpainting dry, I then mixed up some paint and added the initial blocks of color to the painting. Because this is a more realistic painting, I am using oil paints.

Then yesterday I got down to work. I painted in the background and the branch on the upper left of the canvas. Next up is to make any changes I feel are needed to both of those, then I get to start on the rabbit himself. This painting has been quite wonderful to work on. I felt a little lost with the background at first, but I’m pretty happy with it now.

I won’t actually be putting this painting up for sale. I’m being selfish and keeping the original painting for myself. I really want a special piece of art honoring this adorable little critter.

However, I do hope to add prints to my shop and will be using the image for my Zazzle shop, as well.

I’m hoping to finish this painting by the time I go on vacation, which is April 14th. I’ll be sure to post updated pictures as soon as I can!

Red hat owls and bunnies, oh my!

Just finished a brand new 7×5 custom acrylic painting for someone very special in my life. I visited my aunt in November and, knowing that she’s been interested in my owl paintings for quite some time, we sat down and figured out just what she wanted. She’s the one who came up with the idea to add the purse and I just love it. I’ll be taking pictures this weekend – for possible prints and to add to products in my Zazzle shop – then I’ll be mailing it off on Monday. I can hardly wait for her to get it.

Some new projects in the works involve a little critter named Hopper (thanks to my seven year old niece) who has decided to adopt us and steal my heart.

I’ve gotten some great photos of my little buddy and used one of them to do this quick little sketch Thursday night. I’ll be working on some art featuring this fun little fellow soon.

I’m off to go run errands now then hopefully do a bit of creating. I really must finish up the last of the Art-o-mat blocks, as they are almost out of them. Then I’ll be ordering 80 more and starting the process again! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.

In honor of Valentine's Day...

I'd like to present my latest (almost) finished painting titled, "Thinking of You."

A bunch of artist from ArtFire are starting up a blog where we choose a monthly theme and create a piece of 2D art according to that theme. This is our first month, so we went with Valentine’s Day. It’s been cool to see how everyone interprets it and what they’ve created. Here’s my (almost) finished painting:

I still have a few tweaks to make and then the sides to paint. After she dries a bit, then she’ll be listed in my ArtFire shop. She was quite fun to work on.

I’m also hard at work on a new collection of paintings for my shop! I have three completed so far and I’m planning to finish up at least five more before I introduce them. I’m getting a new delivery of 5 inch round canvases tomorrow and those will make up half of the initial paintings, while the rest have been done on 5×4 inch canvas paintings. My little inner child has been enjoying these mini paintings and I really hope that you’ll like them, too. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I can finish up the other five this week and introduce them the week after.

Wishing you all a very creative and blessed week and I look forward to sharing the latest news with you soon!

New Year Updates from Quirky Dame Designs!

Hello everyone! I hope that your new year is off to a good start. I’ve got several projects in the works right now and there is excitement about each of them. Plus the ideas are bombarding me constantly. I’m making plans, writing notes and taking steps towards turning these ideas into actual pieces of art!

Early last year I came up with a sketch of a woman with flowing hair and a bird perched on her hand. I loved the sketch and immediately started to paint it. Right from the start, things went wrong. Horribly wrong. I ended up putting the painting aside after keeping it out for a month. I just kept staring at it and every time I saw it, I felt worse.

Last month, something sparked in my brain and I came up with an idea that used that very sketch. I made a few changes, added a background and a foreground, and voila! I love this sketch even more. I’ve transferred the sketch over to an 18×24 gessobord and the painting has begun.

Here is a look at the sketch for the painting. The first layer of the background has been applied and my next step is to fill in the foreground and the woman and bird. I used photos from my recent trip to Hawaii as reference material for the jungle. I visited the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Gardens in Hilo and was blown away by it. The beauty and diversity of plants and trees was overwhelming. The path through the gardens ends at a spectacular view of the ocean and I was in tears. I snapped hundreds of pictures and am so happy I did, as I can use them to inspire new artwork in the future. I’ll be talking more about this (among other things) in the first newsletter for Quirky Dame Designs that will be sent out later this month. If you are interested in receiving it, you can sign up at http://eepurl.com/o4tP.

Another project is the next series of 30 Art-o-mat blocks! They’ve already sold over half of the first batch and are running low, so I’m continuing work on the remaining 30 that I have left.

A preview of four blocks that are completed so far. I have a total of seven done. Once I finish them all, I’ll be ordering 80 more blocks and the work will continue! I’m thoroughly enjoying my experience with this project and am so happy to continue participating. I also found out that my blocks have been available in Winston-Salem, NC at the Reynolda House Museum of American Art. Not sure if they are still available there, as I know that some have sold.

I’ll be back again soon with more news from Quirky Dame Designs. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog!

New Oil Painting titled Mutual Admiration

A few years back, my best friend and I started a tradition. For our Christmas gift (or at least part of it) we would create something for each other. I’ve given paintings each year and in return I’ve gotten a wonderful hand-painted plaster mask, a painting and this year, a wonderful piece of art done with watercolor pencils, plus a gorgeous handmade necklace and earring set. I’ve been very spoiled!

This year, I was pondering what to do. I started out with the idea to paint a realistic nude and the initial sketch came out gorgeous. Somehow, things went downhill between finishing the sketch and transferring it to the gessobord. I didn’t like the composition and I found I wasn’t very excited about it and realized that I needed to rethink things. I do enjoy the challenge of painting realistically, but honestly, I don’t want to do that every time. And this time I wanted to do something different – something fun and colorful but not too realistic. By the end of the day, I had a new sketch of a woman and her cat completed. And I found myself getting excited about painting this one. It just felt right. By this time, it was already into December, but I knew that I wanted to do this one in oils.

So, I got to work. The skin tones came together fairly easily. Painting in oils was the right choice. I’m so much more at ease with the oils, especially when it comes to painting people. Working on this painting helped solidify my decision to focus more on oils this upcoming year and less on acrylics. Some things, such as my owl and the Art-o-mat blocks will still be done in acrylics. But the rest will mostly be done in oils. And I’m really excited about that!

Above you can see the finished painting. I’m pretty happy with it and feel that I made the right decision to scrap the original idea for now. Best of all, it was done before Christmas and in time to exchange today, though just barely! Thanks to thesunnysidebiz on ArtFire, it has a name, which is Mutual Admiration. (I’m simply horrible at naming paintings and when I mentioned it needed one on the forums on ArtFire, she put forth her idea. I’m very grateful!) It was done on a 9×12 stretched canvas.

My next project is another owl, a special custom painting for my darling aunt. This owl will be a red hat owl and it promises to be a fun project. After that, another oil painting and I’m narrowing down the possibilities out of several promising sketches. I hope to spend New Year’s Eve doing what I love best… painting!
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and may the New Year be filled with many blessings!

Now Available in Art-o-mats!

That’s right, I just received word that my mini paintings have been shipped to the following three locations:

The Smithsonian in Washington D.C.
The Studios of Key West in Florida
The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas (Opening on December 15, 2010)

Ah, now I’m wishing I could arrange a long weekend in Vegas!

It feels great to know that my paintings are now out and about and available for purchase. I have started painting backgrounds on a few of the remaining 30 blocks that I have left to paint. Ideas are brimming in my brain and I’m excited to start creating some more pieces soon! If you have found this page after purchasing one of my pieces, please comment or email me. I’d love to hear from you and find out which painting you received!

While I was in Seattle at the beginning of last month, I had the pleasure of visiting a delightful shop called Venue Ballard. It was full of wonderful jewelry and art. I found a charming owl print that I just couldn’t resist.

And how did I discover this business?

Art-o-mat! Yes, they have one there and I was lucky enough to pick out six wonderful pieces, though I’m wishing that I had gotten a few more!

I took the pieces back to my Aunt’s home where we were staying and had a great time checking out the pieces I had purchased. Here’s what I got:

The little robot dude makes a great pendant.

My aunt was kind enough to give me a silver chain and I ended up wearing him to the Art Walk the next day. I’m looking forward to the day when I have another chance to visit one of these machines!

Holiday Happenings at Quirky Dame Designs!

I am back from a much-needed, very restful vacation and am getting back into the swing of things creatively. I’ve added a few new items to my shop. Above is the Fantasy Flower pin and there are two more featuring cats. I also have some hand painted pendants in the works. I’ve been having fun playing around with the smaller scale pieces. I love unique, playful jewelry and creating it? So much fun!

While I was away, I was gathering inspiration. I spent two weeks soaking up the sights in Hawaii and have come away with many wonderful photos to use as references and a couple of sketches. I attended two one-hour demonstrations featuring Hawaiian musicians and hula dancers. I am fascinated by the hula and plan on studying it more in-depth. In the meantime, I worked on a sketch of a hula dancer and hope to turn it into a painting soon. I’m also working on a whimsical 8×6 oval painting of a mermaid.

But first, I must paint my Christmas present for my best friend. Each year, we create something for each other instead of just buying something from the store. I love having the chance to dream up and create something special with her in mind. That’s also one of the things that I love about custom orders. Being able to tailor something to another person’s taste and vision is quite a challenge and it’s so rewarding when you have managed to capture what they wanted and even more in a piece.

Okay, I had to share the picture of this crazy cat! It is another one of the hand painted pins. He was a fun one to work on! If you are looking for some colorful, quirky items as gifts for Christmas, I do have a few special deals at Quirky Dame Designs.

First, all prints, cards, hand painted magnets and pins ship USPS first class for free! If you need quicker shipping, please contact me. I will deduct what the first class postage would have been from the total of the faster shipping cost.

Also, all mini paintings with easels, such as the one to the left, are 20% off! I do accept custom orders, so if you see anything you like, but would prefer different colors, etc., please contact me about having something special made to your specifications.

Be back again soon with more news from Quirky Dame Designs!

Done! Well, mostly...

That’s right, the first 50 Art-0-mat blocks are done! Okay, mostly. I still have to paint the sides, sign them, print and attach labels, then package them along with the inserts. Oh, and I want some photos. LOL! So a bit more to do, but the hardest part is done. I will be ready to ship them out by or before next Monday. Which is awesome, because I leave state on Tuesday. I’ll get to attack the next thirty blocks when I get back.

Woo hoo! Feeling very happy and productive today. Now to celebrate by making dinner. :)

It is done!

Finished the pet portrait tonight! For now, I will put it away for a week or possibly two, then take another look. If there are any minor touch-ups that are needed, I’ll make them then. Plus I will be emailing a photo to Linda, the artist who taught the pet portrait class I took in June. If she has any suggestions, I’ll be addressing those as well.

This portrait took longer than I expected, mainly because I hit a bad patch with it. There was something not quite right and it took me a while to figure it out. I spent way too much time avoiding painting so that I wouldn’t have to work on it. Not the best way to handle it! But yesterday I had a breakthrough and the changes I made just seem to turn the painting (and my attitude) around. It was such a relief to finally be happy with where the painting was heading and to actually want to paint again!

Now the only other major decision I have is whether to paint the two-inch sides a dark brown or a dark gray. Decisions, decisions…

So many projects, so little time!

So I’ve been spending my time working on a few different things. Thought I’d take a moment to post a little update on each one…

First, the cat portrait. I’ve made slow progress on this. I’m posting a picture of mainly the cat, as that is what I’ve focused on. I’m thrilled to say that I’m almost done filling in her fur. She’s got pupils, so she’s looking a little less creepy.

I was over at my friend’s house this weekend and spent a little time with Penny. I took a closer look and realized that her eyes are actually much greener than the picture I’ve worked from. So I will be correcting that as I complete work on her. Once I’m done with her, I need to turn my attention to the bird and the feeder. My goal is to finish this by the middle of the month, so that she’ll have a little over a month to dry before the auction.

I started this piece as a way to get used to painting in oils again after an eight month break from them. Plus I have a bigger mermaid painting forming in my mind and this was a good way to work some things out. About all I have left to do on this painting is to add some detail to her tail and touch up a spot or two on the water. Then I’ll be listing her in my ArtFire shop.

I’ve also been sketching away, coming up with some fun new ideas for the Art-o-mat paintings. I’m having such a good time indulging myself with all sorts of fun ideas. I’m looking forward to getting the wood blocks so I can finally get it going.

Some (especially ones that don’t make the cut for the Art-o-mat pieces) I’m even contemplating expanding and painting in a bigger format. Many thanks to my best friend Alicia who came up with many ideas for titles during our lunch this weekend. I’m awful with titles and she’s such a fantastic writer. I’m so blessed to have her input!

Another fun thing about these tiny sketches? Seeing the delightful drawings that my six-year-old niece comes up with when she sits down to copy them! She’s been adding her own art to the pages and I love seeing her put her own twist on things. Here she’s decided to copy one of my pictures, but to do it with a real bunny instead. Love it!

So that’s the latest on things. My main objective over the next week or two is to get the cat done and set aside to dry and then to get the mermaid done and listed. That way I’ll be free and clear when the blocks arrive. Plus I have many other unfinished paintings to create and a Christmas project to continue doing. Just wishing there was more time in the day to do all of it!

Awesome news to share!

About six weeks ago, I was perusing the forums at Etsy. I did a few searches for “art” and “artists” just to see if I could find any hints or advice from other artists. Maybe learn something new. I came across a thread about something called an Art-o-mat. My curiosity was piqued, so I took a look.

What are Art-o-mats? I learned that they are old cigarette vending machines that have been repurposed to vend miniature works of art instead. (They have a website at http://www.artomat.org, check it out!) How cool is that??? There are over 90 machines and for $5 at most locations, you can buy a small piece of art, jewelry, or even a little sculpture, for example. I was enchanted by the idea, absolutely smitten. What a creative way to recycle and put these old machines back in use. And I love how it makes art friendly, accessible and affordable for people.

I spent some time browsing Art-o-mart’s website, Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Art-o-matR-Dont-Go-Round-Artless/234778157983) and even a group on Flickr where artists submit photos of their work and people who have bought some can post their pictures, too. I studied the artwork and realized that my art might be a good fit for this. Feeling energized and inspired, I went for it.

I ordered a sample of the wooden block (pre-cut to the exact specifications they need) that they have available. I love painting on wood, so that was the perfect choice for me. While waiting for it to arrive, I started working on possible designs. The painting must measure exactly 2 1/8″ x 3 1/4″ so I created a template in Word with 8 squares that size on a page, then printed out multiples copies and started sketching my ideas in the squares. I also developed and created the designs for the promotional card to be included with the work and the placard that they would use to advertise my art on the machine itself.

Art-o-mat prototype, placard and leaflet

Once the block arrived, I decided on the design to use, then transferred it and painted. Then I covered the sides and back of the block with black gesso and then, after letting it dry, I sprayed it. Then it was time to put it all together. Your submission must be complete and vend-ready. For the back of the block, I printed out a label with the title of the painting, my name and my email address. Then I wrapped the block and the promotional leaflet I had designed with the strip of acetate. I packaged that up with my application and placard and sent it off around the first of the month.

Then I waited. That was the hard part! It was only three weeks, but it felt like three months.

But while I waited, I continued to sketch out more ideas in case I was accepted. I’m unbelievably thankful now that I did that.

This morning I arrived at work before it was time to punch in. So I decided to finish checking my email. And there it was… the email saying that they had accepted me! I was giddy all day.

Made it very hard to concentrate on the day job! But now the fun part of gathering the supplies and finishing up the designs commences while I wait for my package of 50 blocks to arrive. (Plus I have to finish the pet portrait!) I’m going to be a very busy painter, but I’m so excited to have this chance.

I’ve not yet had the opportunity to visit an Art-o-mat in person yet, but I’m visiting relatives in Seattle come November and there is one there! I will be visiting it and starting up my own Art-o-mat art collection. I’ll also be in Hawaii, but Kailua Kona. The Art-o-mat there is in Honolulu. Oh well, one day.

They have a list of locations on their website. Check it out… maybe you’ll discover one in your hometown!

Just a little update...

Happy 4th everyone! I spent Friday night and most of Saturday at my parent’s cabin with my family. They’re still staying out there until Monday, but I can only take so much of the woods (I’m more of a beach/ocean person) and I needed a little alone time, too, so I came back after one night. Plus a three day weekend? I needed one of those to work on some paintings!

Here’s the latest update on the cat painting. I’ve filled in the fur on the body – though I have to make a few corrections – and have done a little over half of her face. So much fur. LOL! I finally had to step away to give myself a break and let some of the paint dry. I’ll be working on it some more tomorrow. I’m hoping to finish up the fur. Then I get to tackle the bird and feeder. I’m not happy with how they look.

In the meantime, I’ve dragged out my unfinished acrylic owl painting to work on for the rest of the night. It’ll be a fun one to work on and a nice break from trying to do a realistic animal.

Day Five of Pet Portrait Class!

Tried to post this earlier this week, but my internet connection was down. Giving it another try!

So… I’m a few days late. I pushed myself a little too far last week and my brain and body just shut down this weekend. I needed a long time out to regroup.

Friday night was a rough night. Mentally I was working against myself, overthinking things, doubting myself and any ability I might have, comparing myself to others (unfavorably, of course) and such. It was a hard night of painting. The painting wasn’t going well, the colors just weren’t right. At one point, Linda and I were talking and studying the painting and determined that the values of the cat weren’t right. Which mean I got to paint the undercoat all over again. But that was a good thing as it corrected something that needed to be fixed and I loosened up a bit in the process. The class ended on a positive note with me feeling much more confident than I had felt at the beginning. And yes, that’s yours truly posing alongside her creation.

(Picture is courtesy of Kristen, another student in the class.)

I learned so much from this class. It was a good way to throw myself back into the oil painting again. And this time I really have vowed not to let it go. While I didn’t work on the cat this weekend, I forced myself to sit down tonight and mix up some paint colors. Then a little while later, after an impromptu visit from a friend, I sat myself down to start the process of painting in the fur. Linda warned us it would look and feel weird at first, but that as we continued the process, we would see it start to come together. Well, Penny is looking a little weird right now. *g* I can see a few spots where the values aren’t quite right and will fix that tomorrow. However, you can’t see it in the picture (sorry for the lousy iPhone pictures – I can’t find my camera) but on the right side in the dark patch of fur on her body, I started to fill in the hair a bit and I can see how it will come together.

I’m pushing myself to keep at it, to keep learning and playing and experimenting. It’s just little moments of fighting the fear of messing up or making a horrible mistake or just painting bad and doing it anyway.