Art Every Day: Z is for Zen

Day 26

Today's image of a lotus is drawn from a favorite photo, and also a reminder to focus on the light at the heart of things. This drawing is in color pencil on vellum.

Art Every Day: Y is for Yellow Bird

Day 25

Happy Thanksgiving. I have much to be thankful for, this year and every year. I think this little bird is thankful he is not a turkey.

He is done in colored pencil and ink.

Happy holidays one and all.

Art Every Day: X is for eXhilaration

Day 24

I can't take too much credit for today's post, other than knitting this lovely green hat and birthing and raising this baby's mother :-)

But I am sharing this ultimate act of creativity as an eXplanation for my eXhilariation.

Today is a GRAND day for our family, and I am taking the day off from creativity to just feel thrilled (and maybe do a little cooking).

Art Every Day: W is for Winter

Day 23

Winter has arrived with an 'Arctic Blast' to our usually temperate region. The frost and some snow are truly on the pumpkin, and some tiny pears that never developed on the tree. I love the way one is still growing upwards (they do that till the grow heavy enough to turn downwards.)

For me, winter is always the time of wishing for warmer weather. The yellow in these pears brings a little sunshine to the coldest day.

This is a combo of Mother Nature, digital photography and Photoshop.

Art Every Day: V is for Variations

Day 22

There were a few sun breaks between the rain yesterday, so we (husband, dog, camera and me) headed out for a walk. I photographed a fairy ring (a perfect circle of mushrooms) growing on the bark dust in the park. There were fallen leaves everywhere - yellows, brown and red.

Separate from the masses of fallen oak and maple leaves on the ground, was this ... lone birch or aspen leaf. The simple, single heart shape and golden color stood out from the rain wet tarmac.

I like this image so much, I could not resist playing with it in Photoshop. After tinkering around, I had several variations. I think each one works on its own, but, like a good marriage, I think they are even more effective together.

Art Every Day: U is for Umbrellas

Day 21

Umbrellas have absolutely nothing to do with this post, but I needed something to call it. I had a lot of ideas - like up and I'd paint clouds, or upside down (I like that idea) or ultramarine blue and paint gorgeous Nepalese poppies. But this is what appeared today - I don't know what kind of flowers they are, only they are small and I drew them big, on black paper with pastels.

There we go, U is for Upsizing.

Art Every Day: T is for Tinkering

Day 20

I've been working on card design all day, stuck in digital mode. So, to take a break from working with images on my computer, I clicked back over to the Fluid Painter application to continue experimenting with swirls. (In other words, continue working with images :-< )

Today's result was this bouquet of roses. It's funny how just switching gears can be so pleasurable.

I love to tinker around with new programs. I have learned much of what I know about Photoshop and other digital art programs through experimentation and minimal guidance from online tutorials. As a digital designer, some of my best and most unexpected successes have appeared in this way. The chance to play in all sorts of modalities has been one of the greatest benefits of this challenge.

Onward to Day 21.

Art Every Day: S is for Stormy Seas

Day 19

Now this was a cool project. Visiting the blog of another artist doing the challenge, I found a link to an amazingly fun digital tool called Fluid Painter. Peter Blaskovic, the developer says that it is an "experimental tool for painting liquid." Works for me!

Once I started playing with it, I couldn't stop. I soon understood how to use the tool, and made several pretty pictures. I could not figure out how to save them until I thought to use the snipping tool in the latest Office program (love that tool by the way). Once I could capture my images, I dropped this one into Photoshop and really started to play.

This is the result, easy, digital and FUN!!!!

Art Every Day: R is for River Revisited

Day 18
One of the best things about having a dog is the walks we take. Living as I do surrounded by water, I often walk along the river. It seemed like every walk last fall (not so much this rainy one) resulted in a stunning play of light on leaves, clouds and water.

I took dozens of photographs, and tried several time to capture the vibrant light in pastels. The paintings always lacked the intensity I saw outdoors. So I tried again today. I am still struggling with the texture and shape of the mass of trees, but the light is a little better. The sky really was this blue. I think all this challenge practice is helping.

Every time I look at the photo or the painting, I remember the incredible beauty of that day on the river.

This is pastel on canson mi tiente.

Art Every Day: Q is for Quiet

Day 17

I am a writer. I make my living with my words. I play word games, solve word puzzles, read read and read, and I talk. What this means is that there is usually a lot of noise and conversation in my head. Grabber headlines, witty closings, captions, rhyme schemes, paragraphs and voices wake me up at night.

Not when I am drawing. One of the things I noticed, almost from the beginning is how quiet my inner world becomes when the colors come out. All I get are some occasional (and very polite) directions - a little darker here, the edge is a beautiful curve, more blue under the red. This is a place I want to be more and more often.

I have really been enjoying looking at the work of other artists in this challenge. I have noticed that some people are creating mandalas. I have done a few in the past, as part of lessons I teach combining art and math and technology. I think that a mandala is a fine reflection of the idea of a quiet space.

I found this orchid image I drew from a lesson in a colored pencil book years ago. I brought this into Photoshop and turned it (literally) into a mandala.

Art Every Day: P is for Poppies

Yesterday was the birthday of Georgia O'Keefe. An image of one of her paintings of giant red poppies was posted with information about her art and her life on Facebook.

I love poppies, but I have always been too intimidated by the intensity of color and the detail to try to paint one. However, I have a file filled with poppy pictures I've taken, and one favorite that I keep on my walls to enjoy every day. So, in honor of one a great artist, I was inspired to give this a try.

I drew with color pencil on vellum, and then brought it into Photoshop and saturated the image so that the colors and the details popped beyond what I saw on the page. I love the results! I hope you do too.

Art Every Day: N is for Nature

Day 13

Yesterday was our anniversary, and just like on the day we were married, it was a sunny afternoon. It is never a good idea to ignore the light in November; who can say when it will be back again, so the plan was to head outdoors.

Earlier in the week I heard a report of the impressive crop of mushrooms growing in the forest. We decided to go hunting. My husband envisioning sauteed delights, the dog, and me with my camera. We drove west toward the coast, and drove to the top of a high hill in the state park. Tomorrow I will show you the sky. Today, I drew a mushroom on the forest floor.

This is pastel pencil and pastel on Canson Mi Tiente.

By the way, though the picking was poor, the hike was a pleasure, and a stand along the road sold us a bounty of chanterelles. Dinner was delicious.

Art Every Day: M is for Magic

Day 13

I started painting in pastels one year and one month ago. Before that my artistic life was filled with self-conscious struggle. I had the confidence to use my skills as a graphic designer and craftswoman, and loved the images I created digitally, but painting and drawing was not something I thought I could do.

Then I took a class in pastels. I had worked with them before, and enjoyed the experience. But, this time, something changed. I fell in love, not only with the pastels, but with the process of making art 'by hand.'

The best way I can describe what happened is that every time I started to draw, I felt MAGIC! And I still do. For me now, it is a form of magic to sit down in front of a blank page, and watch (almost like a bystander) as something amazing appears.

Today's piece is cut paper, and was it FUN! The idea comes from a combination of inspirations. The idea for working in paper came from an activity in the lovely book Paint Happy, by Cristina Acosta. It struck my fancy because I have boxes of wonderful collection of colored papers in my stash closet, some from my years as an art student at Pratt Institute (a very long time ago.) Once I had the idea for the medium, I needed an image. I walked around for days trying to decide what would work. Then, among the lesson plans for my Young Rembrandts students, was a tree image that teaches foreground, middle and background. I had it.

My next worry was how to get the shapes just right. After fussing for a while I simply started cutting and pasting (something I, as a former art student, am highly experienced at doing) and the scene took shape. I love the simple shapes and the colors. Most of all, I liked playing with the paper and seeing what appeared. Magic!

Art Every Day: L is for Light

Day 12
Its dark outside. This is true for most of the time in this season. How lucky I am to be able to generate light with my color pencils.

Simply looking at this sunflower warmed me up. Painting the glowing yellows and hot reads against the dark background was not only a chance to explore the structure of the flower, but it was a lesson in painting light.

To do this one, I set it out as an exercise in seeing and drawing only the shapes of the colors I saw. In the process, I blended layer upon layer of colors to build to the combination of light against dark. Its almost bright enough to let me ignore this dreary day.

Art Every Day: K is for Kids and Creativity

Day 11
Today's image is a botanical drawing of a potato plant- the final assignment in the fun class I am just completing. It is a botanical drawing - so has no shadows. It looks a little flat to me. None the less, it was fun to draw. I used graphite and color pencil.

Now onto the K. I have kids on my mind. I am just back from a teacher meeting with a handful of interesting and challenging new lessons to present. The classes I teach are part of an after school program funded by parents. This means that only kids who can afford the classes, get to participate. Yet, every kid I encounter tells me they love to do art, and that they wish they could do more of it in school.

Today, the arts are a luxury that many of Oregon's financially strapped schools can't seem to afford. Art advocates (I am certainly one) believe that the price for eliminating the arts from our schools will exact a price we don't want to have to pay.

Arts help students think creatively, not only express ideas, but shape them too. They offer opportunities for success in a variety of learning styles, and prepare kids for the world of work beyond school. And, most of all, kids like art. For many, the arts are what keep them coming to school day after day.

To learn more about the value of arts education, check out this video about the importance of creativity and the value of arts in school from Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) Art Beat at School.

By the way, Oregon Art Beat at School is another fantastic resource for art education, ideas and resources. It includes lesson plans sorted by grade, subject and content standards, and are based on individual videos aired on the TV program and available for streaming online (and in your classroom).

In the interest of full disclosure, I am one of the writers for the site, and I highly recommend it.

Art Every Day: J is for Just Do It!

Day 10
I had no idea what I was going to do this morning. I spent some time looking at books seeking inspiration. Today is J - joy, jobs, jumping up and down, blue jays? What?

Then, email arrived from John (a good sign). Attached was a photo of a bald eagle taken near his home in New York. I have only even attempted a bird once before, but I loved the image. Frankly, I had no clue where to begin, but I decided I'd just try it and see what appeared.

My first thought was to simply capture the darks and lights in graphite and then ink. Soon, as I stared at the eagle and sketched the basic shape, colors and patterns began to appear. Some of the darks were blue, some red. Some of the lights were white white, others creamy, some yellow. Out came the pencils. One thing I wanted was to make this guy look friendly (I have some JOY in my future who might want an eagle to look at).

Here he is - a fuzzy, friendly eagle on vellum in graphite and color pencil.

Art Every Day: I is for Iris - Goddess of the Rainbow

Day 9
I was introduced to the irresistible beauty of irises by a friend at work many years ago. His entire tiny urban front yard produced a veritable rainbow of exquisite blooms each spring. Every day during the season, he'd bring irises to the office, some for each of the ladies. I was enchanted.

Some blooms huge, some tiny, some fragrant, some flagrantly sensual. I was amazed by the second bloom that appeared after the first wilted. Most of all, it was the colors that attracted me to these flowers. No wonder they are named for the Iris, the Winged Goddess of the Rainbow.

Later, camera in hand, I discovered another aspect of the iris's magnificence - the shapes, the curves, the delicacy. I could go on and on ... but instead of telling you, I will show my version of this goddess flower. This is color pencil on vellum - but I brought the finished image into Photoshop and dropped in the turquoise background (iris in the sky?)

As I worked on this I made another discovery. It took a rainbow of colors to paint this red flower.

Art Every Day: H is for How-to

I am sure it comes as no surprise to others participating in this challenge to learn that creating an image everyday, and living the rest of my life, is not that easy. The hardest part, for me, is figuring out what to draw every day.

Add to this the alphabet organization I've given myself, and, in case things are not complex enough, I am also trying to experiment with different combinations of media to create different effects.

And, after working for detail in the last two florals, I feel the need to try something loose and sketchy.

Though I am rarely short of ideas, I am often woefully short of technique. As a teacher/writer, I seek, and frequently write, resources, how-to's (e.g., how to stimulate creativity) and curricula for educators. With this in mind, I did a search on How-to's for artists. Surprise, surprise, I came to a site already listed on THIS blog!

The idea for this drawing of a favorite garden is based on a lesson plan I found on DickBlick.com Resources for Educators. This is a great resource for ideas and How-to's. This is also the place you can go to buy new and replenish dwindling supplies.

The garden is drawn on matte acetate with color pencils (which worked surprisingly well). There is a sheet of metallic paper behind the image that gives it the light. Its rough, but I would certainly try this approach again. I an going back to this site for more ideas to try - for myself and my students.

I am always looking for great instructions and ideas - for myself and to share. Please post your favorite resources here.

Art Every Day: G is for Garden

Day 7
I've mentioned that I love to photograph flowers. I do this where ever I go. Fortunately, in my neighborhood of big yards and burgeoning gardens, I don't have to go far to find something to beautiful.

Though our garden is usually full of vegetables, and our trees hang with fruit (and gorgeous spring blossoms), I often prefer to visit the Master Gardener up the street when seeking inspiration. Monet would have been happy in S's garden.

This drawing is from a photo I took there years ago. I don't know what kind of flower this is, but I love dark flowers, especially, as in this case, when they grow among crowds of white clematis.

I have drawn this flower before, always struggling to get the details out of the lush dark petals. This time I used color pencil on vellum. This seems to me to be a really good combination of paper and media, the vellum does a good job of holding and showing the color and texture I use to apply it.