Gone to Shiny Designs!

Hey! This is the last post here on Blogger but there's lots more to come at Shiny Designs.com

There are links to the new (and WAY prettier) site but I decided to leave things just as they were here.

You can still subscribe to the feed and it will work, except at the new (did I mention it's nicer?) site -I'm pretty sure, anyway.

If you're following me in your Google reader, it should automatically direct you to the new site. If I'm wrong about that, please tell me.

If you followed with Google Friend Connect - I'm not sure. If that's you, please, please click on over and let me know. We've reached the current limits of my technical mojo.

Thanks for coming by here and I'm looking forward to seeing you at the new (and much brighter) place.

Shiny Designs has Moved!

Click here to have a look around. I’ve been working hard to get the new site ready for you and it’s lighter and brighter and prettier. There’s even a housewarming gift –for you! From now until the end of August, download a watercolor cardinal greeting card (that’s him up there) as a PDF, formatted and ready to print on regular cardstock.

Having the blog and site all together is going to be better all around with more up to date posting and new stuff. If you’re reading in your Google reader or your inbox, you should get your updates as usual. Be sure to bookmark the new site while you’re there.

Go on over now and get your free cardinal card, have a look around and let me know what you think. I’d love to hear from you.

Wren - Colored Pencil

I've been back at the drawing table and have some good things to show for it. This House Wren is Prismacolor colored pencils on smooth bristol.

It's a combination of birds and a theme from years ago: ribbons. It's monochromatic in browns and yellows with some black and white. It felt good to combine the two things and see what happened.

After the splashy paintings, I wanted delicacy and lightness and this does that nicely - I'm especially pleased with the white space. It's finished size 8 x 10. The gray shadow is from the scanner - I'll have to rescan to use this for cards or prints.

This is the first of four, with three completed. They're all monochromatic and three are finished. I'll post the others soon.

The Blue Jay watercolor from a couple posts ago is ready and in my Etsy shop as a notecard. Bonus for you: buy a package of cards (any of them) and let me know you're a reader here (just type the word "blog" into the notes/instructions) and I'll send you a free gift with your purchase!

One last thing! I'm working on moving this blog over to my main website and it'll be ready soon. Of course, I'm still working out the technical stuff but will keep you posted. It's looking good and it's going to be nice to have everything under one "roof."

Painted Mini Garden Gnome

This little project was just for fun. My friend over at WhollyPiecemeal gave me this kit:


Notice you have to be over 3 years old and that it comes with three colors of paint and a plastic brush. Well, I'm over three so that's covered and the paint and the brush went straight to the trash.

I used 12 colors of acrylic craft paint plus mixtures and about 6 brushes to paint my little fellow (he's 3 inches tall) and this is how he turned out:

I like how he looks woodsy and his little (and I do mean little, as in small and difficult to paint) face has personality. Yes, there are tiny white highlights in his eyes!

What are you doing just for fun? Leave a comment and let me know.

Two Blue Jays – Which do You Prefer?

It’s been a while since a post – again! Let’s face it, time spent at the computer is time NOT spent painting or drawing or writing. Well, a lot of writing is at the computer, but you get what I mean. Time spent creating is not the same as time spent telling about creating.

On to today’s good stuff! Here are two watercolors of a blue jay. Same format, same colors – Cerulean Blue, Manganese Blue and Mars Black –worked at the same time. One is much better to my eye, what do you think? Do you like #1 or #2, this one or that one?




I’m curious which one is more appealing to you. The winner will become a greeting card in my Etsy shop so please comment!

Slumps are like Spinach – Yucky but Good for You in the End

I haven’t created a significant amount of art, or anything other than writing, for the last nine months. So, this is what a slump feels like.

Now that it’s been long enough to see clearly what happened, it’s obvious I did it to myself. I took the joy out of creating so I quit and balked like a three year old at spinach.

My mistake came in two little words: have to. Having to do something turns it into a chore, a drudge, something to be endured. I turned my art and the very act of creating, making things, into a have-to-do by setting expectations that, in hindsight, were unreasonable. Then what? I set myself free by deciding to make whatever I wanted out of what was on hand.

It was incredible! In just a few hours, I felt the old joy of making something with my own hands come back. Rummaging through my collection of supplies and materials was intoxicating and my imagination came back to life. The old me, the one who hated to stop working to eat, is back.

Now, I’m working on a crochet book proposal for my publisher and have a modest selection of one of a kind Halloween things in my shop at Etsy as well as continuing with several magazine article assignments and planning new paintings. During the slump and subsequent invigorating burst of creativity, I learned several lessons but the most important for me is to be careful with setting goals. Having goals can move you forward but not if they stifle the root of your creativity.

Let me know your thoughts and if you’ve dealt with the same issues

Drawing of a Robin - Colored Pencil

This soft sweet Robin is in the same series as the Cardinals. It's 5x7, on Champagne Mi Tientes paper (smooth side) and done in Prismacolor Pencils.

For this one, I ended up with a few more colors than usual: Indigo, Periwinkle, Mineral Orange, Yellow Ocher, Black and White. The blue and orange tones are complements and work together nicely even though Robins in life don't have much blue in their feathers.

The softness of this drawing is very apparent, to me anyway, and adds a sweet look to the subject. That wasn't my goal when I started but I did work with it as it appeared.

The entire back of the bird is suggested but not drawn clearly or just plain missing. I'm still experimenting with the pencils to see how loose I can go. This may be getting close to the boundry of "not enough" - we'll see where it ends up.

Drawings! Cardinals! In Colored Pencil!

OK, so that's a lot of excitement up there in the title. But, it's been such a long while since I posted and almost as long since drawing and painting that I got kind of wound up.

This is the first drawing after being away for while and I could sure tell in my rusty hands and eyes. It's sketched lightly on Champagne Mi Tientes and then the color is worked in with Prismacolor colored pencils. In trying to stick with limited colors, I chose Tuscan Red, Scarlet, Poppy Red, White and Black.

Overall, it's OK but I didn't like the texture of the paper - too mechanical. Nor am I happy with the stiffness and lack of life in the bird; perhaps it's a bit overworked.

So, I did another drawing exactly the same- sort of.



Here's Cardinal #2, same paper (except on the smooth side), same size (5x7), and the same colors. To me, it seems fresher even if there's less detail. This one was much easier to draw and complete; I could feel myself loosening up as it progressed.

Colored pencils are a big draw for me, but I'm still getting comfortable with how I want to use them in a less precise manner. I'm enjoying exploring these small drawings and am trying to do some everyday. I've got another couple to show very soon.

Thanks for looking and any thoughts and comments are always appreciated.

I Want a Kindle

No, I crave a Kindle, yearn even.

Now, I’m not an acquisitive person, especially where electronics are concerned. We have one television and it’s not even HD or a big screen. I don’t own an IPOD and most of the time my cell phone has turned itself off because the battery died.

So, why a Kindle? I’ve wanted one since the first version, Kindle 1, was unveiled, but I waited because I couldn’t justify the cost and unproven technology. Then came Kindle 2 and I waited again because it still seemed extravagant. But, the lure of so many books just a click away has wormed its way into my brain. Now, the Kindle DX is due soon.

The DX has a larger screen more suited to reading a newspaper. Think of it, reading the paper one handed without all that ink. No more flapping the pages around trying to find the continuation. Best of all, no more traipsing out in the front yard in your sleepy clothes to get it!

I’m not sure if I can hold out much longer.

Shiny Designs has a New Look ...

and a new outlook. There’s a fresh format and an updated take on things.

So, why? Apparently I’ve reached the point in my life, some would say the age, where I want to be more me as a whole and less of the separate parts that fit our notion of proper roles.

That means my blog will have to be more “me” as well. So, now there will be content from the many, and wide ranging, parts of my life: from my new business venture to articles and books I’m writing as well as artwork and the random curiosity treks I take occasionally. Most recent- investigating the decay chain of radioactive isotopes.

This may be messy and it may be silly at times, but I have high hopes it will be more interesting and it will be more authentic. Thanks for joining me; I appreciate the support and the company.

Colored Pencil Drawing - Clay Face

This is a sketch of my clay face from the previous post. The paper is Canson Mi Tientes in some shade of buff with Prismacolor pencils in White and Sepia.

The color choices for the pencils and the personality around the eyes are pleasing. However, I'm less pleased with how the mouth and chin look. It's obvious from this drawing (and another that I'm not posting) that the anatomy of the model's mouth and chin are not correct.

Until now, I was confident (perhaps overconfident) that I had a good grasp of facial anatomy. Certainly, I can draw and paint the face and portraits with some aptitude, but that's just not the same as making a 3D model. This has really shown me where I could use some more information.

So, that started me on a study of facial anatomy. First, I'm making a study of the skull and then the muscles of the mouth and chin. Look for those soon!

A Clay Face - Just for Fun

Several days ago I had an idea to make my own clay model of a face for drawing practice. The idea isn't mine, it's from Bert Dodson's "Keys to Drawing with Imagination" where he talks about modeling your own subjects then drawing them to achieve a more personal interpretation of the subject.

So, I went to the local Michael's and bought some Laguna Self Hardening Clay. It comes in four colors, but I wanted the Terra Cotta for that natural look and because the lighter colors don't show shadows and contrast as well for drawing features.

That's my clay face up there and I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out especially since I'm not accustomed to working with clay. It did remind me why I don't work with clay - too messy! Things that get my hands dirty just aren't my thing, but I wanted the end product enough to endure it.

Doing this did show me where my knowledge of facial anatomy needs work. Having to build it from scratch is a remarkable test of understanding. The nose and chin are purposefully exaggerated for character, the eyes turned out nicely, and the mouth could be more refined.

I'll probably make another one or two of these to have on hand for models as well as giving me the chance to explore facial structure. No time yet to draw and paint from it but, look for artwork based on the clay face in future posts.

A Bird of Different Sort: Watercolor Rooster

This is an older painting from several months ago that was never posted. He's actually the first bird of the sort that I've been doing lately. I was so pleased with him; it gave me the push to try the other birds.

He's a little larger than 5 x 7 and painted only with Quinacridone Gold, Indigo, and Quinacridone Red. The green in the tail is from the Quin. Gold and Indigo mixed - I love that color every time it appears!

His face is sharpened with a touch of Prismacolor colored pencil that looks like Tuscan Red and Goldenrod. I didn't write them down and don't remember now which ones they were.

I hope you like him - he was a first of a kind!

Western Red Tailed Hawk Drawing - Colored Pencil on Dark Paper

I enjoyed drawing the hawk in the earlier post so much, I thought I'd try again. Here's a 5 x 7 Western Red Tailed Hawk drawn on Mi Tientes paper with Prismacolor pencils. Again I used a minimal palette of Indigo Blue, Dark Umber, Light Umber, Goldenrod, White and a touch of Black. I don't know the color name of the paper, but it is very dark and cool toned.

In hindsight, I would have done this differently. This color is incredibly hard to see to draw! My initial sketch lines - which are usually very light as is my habit - were nearly invisible. Also, the colors I chose harmonize well with the subject and the paper, but seem to lack sparkle.

There's some of this paper left and next time, I'll try a white bird for that lift it seems to need. Either way, I'm still pleased with how the hawk turned out, especially the expression, and it was really fun to do.

I'm still experimenting with watercolor toned grounds, but it looks like an art supply order for more colored paper is in the making!

Red Tailed Hawk Drawing

I haven't done enough drawing lately and was feeling the lack. So, here's a Red Tailed Hawk on gray paper. I think it's Canson but it was in a stack of miscellaneous paper with no marks or labels so that's a guess. This hawk is actually a warm toned bird in shades of brown, golds and cremes so my choice of cool colored pencils makes it look much starker.

I sketched the bird lightly with a fine point pencil, then used four Prismacolor colored pencils for the body and beak: Black, White, Indigo and Warm Gray 50%. Two more colors were added to enhance the eyes: Light Umber and Goldenrod.

This was a relatively fast study and, for what it's worth, fast for me means around 30 to 45 minutes. Overall, I'm pleased with it but, as usual, there's room for improvement.

Working with the pencils on the colored paper did start me thinking about using watercolor to tone and drawing on that. SO, I've got a couple of those lined up to experiment with. Let's see where that goes!

On a painting note, a new cardinal is available at Etsy. I think he looks festive, so he's a Christmas Cardinal with the name "Waiting."

"Waiting"

Christmas Cardinal

5 x 7 Original Watercolor Painting

Let's Knit! Contest Giveaway

Imagine my surprise yesterday when Google found me over at the Junk Creation blog where you can enter to win a Christmas for Crafters gift package.

The prize package includes a copy of "Let's Knit!", as well as "Easy Birthstone Jewelry", a 2009 Beadstyle Calendar and the latest issues of Beadstyle, Art Jewelry and Bead and Button magazines.

It's simple to enter and the contest is open to everyone including international readers. Just go to Junk Creation and leave a comment. Be sure to tell Peggy about your Christmas craft projects as well.

If you win, let me know and I'll send you an autographed book plate for your copy of "Let's Knit!". Good luck!

Watercolor Painting: A Green Beetle!

This is a little different subject, but I've always been fascinated by bugs. Not just the pretty ones like butterflies either. Maybe a new series here, there's surely a lot of interesting bugs out there! What do you think? Any favorite bugs?

If you are wondering about the birds, I'm still working on birds of prey. As usual, the first painting is not what I had in mind so am working on more that I'm happy with. Currently in progress: American Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon and Coopers Hawk. I'll post soon with news on those.

In the meantime, there is a set of 4 note cards available at Etsy or directly from me if you prefer.

Watercolor Bunny Notecards

Finally! After quite a bit of searching and fussing, I've been able to make the bunny available as note cards. The first printing was disappointingly pale and that's not how I want my work to be seen. SO, after persevering with local printers, I was able to get them printed to my satisfaction.

They are available at my Etsy shop or directly from me. Special requests and your thoughts and comments are always welcome!

Halloween Candy Sketch

Having been inspired by Leigh and her blog where I've been enjoying her daily catalog of Halloween candy and curiosities, I made a quick sketch of a treat that caught my eye.

It's a large lollipop that doubles as a mask! See the moon shaped eye holes above the weird candy eyes? I cannot imagine the mess this would make but it looked like a lot of fun.

I didn't actually buy it but just stood in the store and drew it. I added the color later to liven up the drawing but the actual pop was much more vivid even than this. The wording is directly from the packaging - Eat It! Wear It!

Well, I really enjoyed it and thought it was funny. Happy Halloween to all!

New Watercolor Bird Paintings - Chickadee and Wren

"Busy"
Original Watercolor Painting
5" x 7"

"Pensive"
Original Watercolor Painting
5" x 7"

These two are already in my Etsy shop if you are thinking of Christmas already.

Oh and there's a cardinal too, but he's being held off for a bit. The colors and layout are unconventional so I'm giving him some breathing room to decide if he's OK. Here's a sneak peek; any thoughts?