Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Clay Colors

Fun Forms

I finally got some polymer clay  bits together and baked. These are fun. They don’t have a use, yet, but maybe someday. More pictures to follow.






Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Tree Sketch and Watercolor Practice


I am going to try to do more life drawing with my random free-time doodles this year, and this month I tried to capture the tree outside my window with a pen. It's just a messy sketch, but it was oddly satisfactory for the most part. XD


And here's my WIP watercolor class practice:


I know, my colors are super light. I need to saturate it more or something, and I know how; I just always have this kind of really gentle approach to the beginnings of projects, where I subconsciously want to make sure I have room to fix mistakes. It was almost a problem with my color pencil class last semester -- I needed more confidence to get the burnishing and blending done. Haha! At least my hesitation is not so bad that I have trouble putting ANYTHING onto the blank page at the start, right?

Also, Leah and I are going to be gone for about a week, so I'm thinking of not posting for next Tuesday, which will be one less thing I have to get done before we leave. So, we'll see you here again March 13, Lord willing! :)

Sunday, February 25, 2018

More Dutch

Animal and Still Life Paintings

Scrumptious

A tad tied-in below the knees and hocks, but otherwise quite stout








And a snow scene for our winter time. Such lovely blues and greys.




Saturday, February 24, 2018

Art? Or?

Does the Price make it Art?

When one is doing repairs on a very old barn, and he comes across a metal sign, he considers whether he should toss it in the old metal disposal pile or put it in an on-line auction site to see if he can get ten bucks for it. 



He chooses the latter. Maybe, just maybe, someone will want a rusty sign for some hipster decor. O.K. Get a nice picture of it by Little Brother. Put it on the site. Start the bids at one Franc (about one US dollar).
Well, surprise! Someone was interested , and the bid did get to ten. The length of the auction is a week, so sleep on it and see what happens.

 Morning comes and it is at 60!  Seriously? For a rusty metal sign? 
Well. It is old, maybe turn of the century - last century, not this. And it is ceramic-covered, not enameled, so, yes, maybe interesting. But still, a rusty old metal sign. 

The price goes up. One hundred. Some people like it. Wow. Maybe rusty signs are en vogue.

Um, the price still goes up....
 And up.....
Two hundred. Yikes! Really?
Three hundred. 
Check it for hidden diamonds. None.

Then four hundred. 
Well, it is good it didn’t get junked.

Two men are battling each other for it. The rest drop out. Understandably.
A rusty old metal sign. 

The week is drawing to a close. Over four hundred. 
Not bad for a barn find.
 Last minutes....
Five hundred. 

The rules are, if, at the closing time, someone makes a bid, the time is extended for three minutes to allow a last bid for anyone else. 

Soneone did. Six hundred. 
Unbelievable.
More three minutes. More bids, by twenties, by fifties. 
Seven hundred.

Who would do that, for an old rusty metal sign?

Three more minutes...
Eight hundred. 
Someone, two someones, do really want this.

Nine hundred!

Not possible. But it is.

More three-minute pings.

ONE THOUSAND!!

Surely that is someone's limit.

Well, not quite. Each tries to push the price just a little bit to wear out the other. Seven more. Twenty more. Fifty more.
Unbelievable.
It finally stops at 1107.

For an old rusty metal sign.



Does that make it art now?


Friday, February 23, 2018

Complex Cane

Or At Least More Complex for Me

I am still using up polymer scraps, and adding a bit to them, for various color effects. 
So, After having read something on the subject of how to assemble and “reduce” canes,  I finally took a few minutes to try one a little more intricate. 



These are made with rods and slabs of clay in concentric forms. They are not at all as complex as some gorgeous pieces experienced developers make, but I understand more of the process now.
At some point these will go into a bigger design.

Thursday, February 22, 2018

More February Flowers

Well, I have not exactly been "keeping up" with the Instagram flower challenges, but I've done a few.  




The above is some loose play with my fabulous triangle brush.






We spend the mornings on school work...





...and I am pecking away and spring-cleaning, a little every day (more in anticipation of spring, while the weather is actually snowy).





But some days in the afternoon I can make time for playing with my pens and paints. 





Nothing finished or special, but it's something.





It's a good way to enjoy flowers...




...until the real ones show up... months from now, probably.



Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

New Semester


We've started a new semester at art school!

I'm taking a beginner acrylic painting class this semester. Here is the practice piece I did on canvas paper:

It was really fun doing the tree!

And I'm also (as well as my sister Leah) taking a more advanced figure drawing class.

2-minute life sketch to see where we were at already, before lessons

Gesture drawings - coils

The teacher is applying some of Bridgman's methods for quick gesture capturing

Lunar New Year was this past Friday, and it reminded me that I still haven't gotten that recap up for last year that I feel like I need to do. Haha. Soon. My new year's business usually starts in February and stretches into March anyway, so I'm not going to beat myself up about being late on life again. And I'm going to make the recap thing just to close up my post from last year's New Year, and not going to pull it into this one; so I hope to not have a recap to do next year. (Unless that kind of thing is fun?)

Happy Year of the Dog to everyone! XD

Monday, February 19, 2018

Swedish Hearts

Woven Paper

These are something that I ran across and wanted to try. So I made some for cards for Opa's  Birthday tomorrow. They are not entirely finished, but you get the idea.

From pattern to weaving. You cut out two of each design, in contrasting papers and weave them at right angles to make a heart shape.
For some of these I had a pattern, but no idea what the result would be until I put them together.









This doesn't have the eyes cut out yet, so doesn't quite look like an owl.

This and a few others I still want to try sometime.


Saturday, February 17, 2018

Watercolour 104

More Fog and Frost

Same ridge, different section. Somewhat larger paper for this work.

The full painting
 Details:





Friday, February 16, 2018

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Contest Results

Sigh...

It looks like the making and giving of Valentines has gone the way of all flesh - meaning, exchanged now for “likes” on a screen? Or, Much better, maybe for flowers and pretty breakfasts. 

So, for the creative Family who entered their pretty creations.....

Names




In a bowl and mixed



And mixed again 



And draw......



And one more, just because....



Happy day to you!
Katie, send me your email address, please. 


An Aprilish sort of day for us, first steady snow, then fog, then rain.







And all the fudge cake from yesterday was polished off.




Here, lady bugs and clovers are good luck symbols. There weren’t any hearts at the store. These are of marzipan.