Do you ever get lost in time...just ambling along and all of a sudden you realize that several hours have past? I ambled along and lost a few months.
There are reasons for all things and I won't bore you with details, but lets just state for the record that I have learned a great deal in the past few months. Some of the learning was simple reinforcement of lessons already learned and some was new information. The most startling was something I should have already known.
Fear tells lies. I know who is the author of fear and I know he is a liar, but, I guess I never thought about it. I can tell myself rationally that the whatever that is going bump in the night is probably nothing to be concerned about. I am bigger that most of the bumpy things in my house. The fear that something might jump out at me is terrifying, however. My blood pressure rises and my heart rate increases. Most of the time I see nothing at all.
That kind of fear isn't really what was bothering me, however. I am going to college to earn first my Associate's Degree in Graphic Design and then I will go on to earn my Bachelor's Degree also in Graphic Design. To get my degree there is a class that must be taken and passed. That is Life Drawing. Any of you who know me know that I don't draw people. I also don't draw nudes and drawing in the nude wouldn't appeal to me at all! Well in this class I was going to have to draw myself in a mirror and the professor preferred for us to be nude or have really tight-fitting clothes so that we could see various "landmarks." The landmarks that I was totally unprepared to view, let alone draw, were the scars from my mastectomy. I hadn't really faced them. I had glimpsed them, but...putting off dealing with them to another day, week, month, year was just fine with me. In Life Drawing class, I had to face them. I fully expected to see and draw heavy, ugly lines that made me look and feel ugly. After completing the drawing, I realized that fear had been lying to me all along. There weren't dark, ugly scars. The redness had faded and what I did see made me grateful for life. Wow! It was liberating. God was orchestrating the events of the day and He was with me every step of the way. It was a beautiful day!
All that brings me to this. While I have been lost in time, forgetting to write, not painting and not accomplishing the things I wanted to do, I have been working and learning and accomplishing other things. I am ready to get back to work on your painting lessons. So for any of you who would like to begin, email me at emeraldlaneart@gmail.com to let me know what you would like to paint. I am here and will be working so I may as well make it something we would all enjoy. Take care in this new year and learn as many new things as you can. It makes life richer! Go with God!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Autumn Days in Pretty Ways
Ok, everyone. I have painted the project and taken photos. I will be back in a couple days with the written instructions. I had them typed out here twice and have lost them when almost done both times. I am going to take a rest and be back. No point stressing over something that is supposed to be fun. Get lots of leaves drawn so that we can practice, practice, practice when next we meet.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
I've been gone...
I am soooooo sorry it has been so long since my last post. I have been trying to work on several projects while working on a typography class. My final is turned in and I am hoping for the best. I will just say that I am better at painting than I am at typography!
Autumn is a great time to begin painting and we will start our painting class with fall leaves. If you are anxious to begin, collect some leaves. Watch for various shapes and sizes. They don't have to be perfect and they don't have to have already changed colors. You are wanting them as examples of shape and size.
The first step in any project is selecting an object to apply the paint to. That can be almost anything. I would suggest that a good surface for right now, especially if you have never tried painting before, would be a sheet of poster board. You should apply a good coat of DecoArt Americana Buttermilk acrylic paint with a sponge roller. You can get one fairly inexpensively at your local discount store or hardware store. The small one works very well. Once it dries, you can cut it into manageable pieces for several practice sheets. Most of the craft stores sell DecoArt products. If you are like me and live in an area with no craft stores, you can buy these paints online. Michael's and Hobby Lobby stores often have great sale prices on these paints and a good choice of colors as well.
Once you have the size pieces you like, you can then draw or trace your leaves onto one. You can arrange them in an interesting group or just lay out several, one at a time. I would seriously recommend one at a time if you have never painted before. It will allow you to focus on the technique we are learning without the added need to think about depth. We will work on that in another lesson.
You get that far and I will be back with photos to guide you through how to float the color onto the leaves in our next session. You can be prepared by coming to class with your base coated sheet covered with leaves, paper towel, your paints and brushes, a palette and two small containers of water. You will find that a small, disposable apple sauce cup works well for the clean water. For the water to wash your brushes, any jar or cup will work. A Hefty type plate works well for a palette at the beginning. Below is a list of brushes and paints that will help you select what to purchase.
BRUSHES:
I like brushes that can be mail ordered through The Artist's Club. You can also purchase them at your local Hobby Lobby or Michael's stores or the like. I would recommend that you have at least these sizes, but sometimes you can buy sets at a good price. Keep in mind these are your tools. You will never be able to paint better than your brush will allow. You need to buy the best you can possibly afford. It will be worth the price and last for a long time if you take care of them properly. You will need a number 8 flat shader or a 3/8" angle shader, a number 10 flat shader and a 0 script liner. If you can, get them all. If not you have to have at least one of the flat shaders and a liner brush. You need one that will actually hold paint and the short liners, just don't hold much. It is actually easier to paint with the script brushes even though they look a little scarey at the beginning. My advice is, "Fear not!"
PAINTS:
I like DecoArt Americana acrylic paints. I will not say that some of the other brands are not good, I just like the feel and coverage of these. They are not all created equally even though most of them come in the 2 oz. bottles that look similar. If you would like more information, feel free to e-mail me and we will talk about it. These are the colors you might like for this project...
Buttermilk--base coat
Santa Red
Cranberry Wine
Cadmium Orange (Or any of the other oranges they have)
Tangerine
Burnt Orange
Moon Yellow
Cadmium Yellow
Hauser Light Green
You do NOT have to have all of these colors. These are simply suggestions for autumn colors. You may select what you like. You will use only a drop or two at a time, so these will go a LONG way except for the colors used to base coat projects.
Have fun getting things started and I will be back. I hope to have photos take by Friday and post again on Saturday. I have hurt my back, however, and can't promise. Some days it is all I can do to sit upright! The future will be brighter and the sun will shine again.
Autumn is a great time to begin painting and we will start our painting class with fall leaves. If you are anxious to begin, collect some leaves. Watch for various shapes and sizes. They don't have to be perfect and they don't have to have already changed colors. You are wanting them as examples of shape and size.
The first step in any project is selecting an object to apply the paint to. That can be almost anything. I would suggest that a good surface for right now, especially if you have never tried painting before, would be a sheet of poster board. You should apply a good coat of DecoArt Americana Buttermilk acrylic paint with a sponge roller. You can get one fairly inexpensively at your local discount store or hardware store. The small one works very well. Once it dries, you can cut it into manageable pieces for several practice sheets. Most of the craft stores sell DecoArt products. If you are like me and live in an area with no craft stores, you can buy these paints online. Michael's and Hobby Lobby stores often have great sale prices on these paints and a good choice of colors as well.
Once you have the size pieces you like, you can then draw or trace your leaves onto one. You can arrange them in an interesting group or just lay out several, one at a time. I would seriously recommend one at a time if you have never painted before. It will allow you to focus on the technique we are learning without the added need to think about depth. We will work on that in another lesson.
You get that far and I will be back with photos to guide you through how to float the color onto the leaves in our next session. You can be prepared by coming to class with your base coated sheet covered with leaves, paper towel, your paints and brushes, a palette and two small containers of water. You will find that a small, disposable apple sauce cup works well for the clean water. For the water to wash your brushes, any jar or cup will work. A Hefty type plate works well for a palette at the beginning. Below is a list of brushes and paints that will help you select what to purchase.
BRUSHES:
I like brushes that can be mail ordered through The Artist's Club. You can also purchase them at your local Hobby Lobby or Michael's stores or the like. I would recommend that you have at least these sizes, but sometimes you can buy sets at a good price. Keep in mind these are your tools. You will never be able to paint better than your brush will allow. You need to buy the best you can possibly afford. It will be worth the price and last for a long time if you take care of them properly. You will need a number 8 flat shader or a 3/8" angle shader, a number 10 flat shader and a 0 script liner. If you can, get them all. If not you have to have at least one of the flat shaders and a liner brush. You need one that will actually hold paint and the short liners, just don't hold much. It is actually easier to paint with the script brushes even though they look a little scarey at the beginning. My advice is, "Fear not!"
PAINTS:
I like DecoArt Americana acrylic paints. I will not say that some of the other brands are not good, I just like the feel and coverage of these. They are not all created equally even though most of them come in the 2 oz. bottles that look similar. If you would like more information, feel free to e-mail me and we will talk about it. These are the colors you might like for this project...
Buttermilk--base coat
Santa Red
Cranberry Wine
Cadmium Orange (Or any of the other oranges they have)
Tangerine
Burnt Orange
Moon Yellow
Cadmium Yellow
Hauser Light Green
You do NOT have to have all of these colors. These are simply suggestions for autumn colors. You may select what you like. You will use only a drop or two at a time, so these will go a LONG way except for the colors used to base coat projects.
Have fun getting things started and I will be back. I hope to have photos take by Friday and post again on Saturday. I have hurt my back, however, and can't promise. Some days it is all I can do to sit upright! The future will be brighter and the sun will shine again.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
One More Down, Another of Many to Go!
I just finished another class. I am a student at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh-Online Division. I am soon to enter my Sophomore year and am working hard toward that degree. I love the classes and am learning so much that I didn't even know existed!
Don't be fooled into thinking that online means easier. I have been to a campus-based college and, now, this online school and I will tell you that while there are differences, the classes are all rigorous! I think, perhaps, the online classes are faster paced. I only take one class at a time, but when you realize that some of these are skill forming and skill building classes, you realize that you only have 5 1/2 weeks to become proficient! It is a great experience and I love it!
In the next few days we will begin the painting instruction. We will be learning about how to apply the acrylic paint in order to achieve that wonderful gradual change from light to dark. I think it is exciting! But, then again, I watch paint dry for a living! I look forward to seeing your work and encourage you to join the fun! All I have to do to get the lessons started is learn to paint AND photograph at the same time! See you in a day or two!
Don't be fooled into thinking that online means easier. I have been to a campus-based college and, now, this online school and I will tell you that while there are differences, the classes are all rigorous! I think, perhaps, the online classes are faster paced. I only take one class at a time, but when you realize that some of these are skill forming and skill building classes, you realize that you only have 5 1/2 weeks to become proficient! It is a great experience and I love it!
In the next few days we will begin the painting instruction. We will be learning about how to apply the acrylic paint in order to achieve that wonderful gradual change from light to dark. I think it is exciting! But, then again, I watch paint dry for a living! I look forward to seeing your work and encourage you to join the fun! All I have to do to get the lessons started is learn to paint AND photograph at the same time! See you in a day or two!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Which Way Is Up?
My mom used to say sometimes she didn't know which way was up! Usually that was when she had too many projects going and too little time to get them all done.
I am here to tell you that being able to tell up from down is a key thought in painting and drawing. It affects everything you do! Even once you can see what is on top and what is on bottom, knowing how to show that can be rather tricky. In the coming posts, we are going to work on being able to tell in a line drawing what is on top and what is on bottom. Of course, there are many things that can set between the two! I am going to give you an exercise that you can work on in pencil and then we will take that same design to a painting project to show how to get a three dimensional look there as well.
Don't be afraid to scan your results and e-mail them to me. I promise you that my critiques are kind. I won't tell anyone, "Oh that's terrible!" That isn't my way and what does that help you accomplish? We are here to build. So, print off the free "UP and DOWN" exercise pattern and show me what you know. I will show you some examples of my thoughts on the project and we will compare notes!
I am here to tell you that being able to tell up from down is a key thought in painting and drawing. It affects everything you do! Even once you can see what is on top and what is on bottom, knowing how to show that can be rather tricky. In the coming posts, we are going to work on being able to tell in a line drawing what is on top and what is on bottom. Of course, there are many things that can set between the two! I am going to give you an exercise that you can work on in pencil and then we will take that same design to a painting project to show how to get a three dimensional look there as well.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Welcome!
Hello, everyone. Welcome to my blog. I am brand new to this and am going to try to learn as I go along!
I am a painter and creator of many imaginative projects. If there is something creative going on, I like to try it out! Do you know what your house can look like with this passion? I am also on the lookout for great storage ideas. I guess the two concepts go hand in hand.
I will be offering free patterns and tips for you to use in your own artistic journey. Everyone has something creative within them. We are created in God's image and, therefore, are creative people. I can help you with your projects and would encourage you to offer suggestions for mine as well.
I am a breast cancer survivor and will be sharing some tidbits of my story with you from time to time. Hard times come into our lives for a reason and there are ways to cope that can be effective and spiritually uplifting at the same time!
Do any of you have ideas or questions that you would like to discuss? E-mail me and we can talk here about all things creative or...whatever. I know there are comment widgets that can be added to blogs, but until I get everything set up, please use my e-mail.
Marilyn Brown
Artist
Emerald Lane Art
emeraldlaneart@gmail.com
I am a painter and creator of many imaginative projects. If there is something creative going on, I like to try it out! Do you know what your house can look like with this passion? I am also on the lookout for great storage ideas. I guess the two concepts go hand in hand.
I will be offering free patterns and tips for you to use in your own artistic journey. Everyone has something creative within them. We are created in God's image and, therefore, are creative people. I can help you with your projects and would encourage you to offer suggestions for mine as well.
I am a breast cancer survivor and will be sharing some tidbits of my story with you from time to time. Hard times come into our lives for a reason and there are ways to cope that can be effective and spiritually uplifting at the same time!
Do any of you have ideas or questions that you would like to discuss? E-mail me and we can talk here about all things creative or...whatever. I know there are comment widgets that can be added to blogs, but until I get everything set up, please use my e-mail.
Marilyn Brown
Artist
Emerald Lane Art
emeraldlaneart@gmail.com
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