Sketchbook Love

Here are a couple of drawings taken straight from my current sketchbook. They are messy, colorful, sketchy and definitely NOT perfect...but isn't that what a sketchbook is for?! I have many, many sketchbooks and love to look back through them to see how much I have changed as an artist in terms as the media I use and the subject matter I draw. I sometimes love to draw from observation and other times it is strictly from fashion magazines! The sketches shown are a mixture of watercolor, pencil and ink and even a little collage. I just love combining media! Recently I discovered a collection of 1950's National Geographic magazines and am in LOVE!

Keeping a sketchbook is so important as an artist and I strongly suggest drawing, painting, collaging in one as much as possible! You can even sew in one (I am dying to try this!) My favorite book on sketchbooks or visual journals is the book The Decorated Page: Journals, Scrapbooks and Albums Made Simply Beautiful by Gwen Diehn. I bought it when I was student teaching (a whole six years ago!) and I constantly use it as a source of inspiration!

In my classes I assign a weekly sketch that usually we do in class on Fridays. This week's sketchbook assignment is to draw something or someone you are thankful for. I am hoping to get some interesting drawings...usually I get car keys, ipod and cell phone drawings! What is this world coming to!!!

If you had to do this sketch what would you draw?

The pARTsy

I have just been featured on the blog


Yay! Happy Monday!

Oh Deer

Happy Sunday everyone! Hope you are doing well! Today I plan on getting some lessons done for school but also hope to work on some new collages for my etsy store. I am posting a collage that I just completed yesterday. It is a little different than my usual art but reflects my love for warm, rich colors in the fall. I seem to like different colors at different times of year...I think we all kind of do! This artwork is called Little Blue Deer and was inspired by the four deer that hang out in my backyard time to time. I love watching them for the most part except when they eat flowers from my garden in the summer!

It is snowing here in Ohio today and I love it! It makes me excited to make more Holiday collages! I just downloaded from itunes two new Christmas Cds that I think are pretty good. They are: This Warm December: Brushfire Hoidays Vol. 1 and The Hotel Cafe Presents Winter Songs. Usually I love jazzy type Christmas songs like the traditional Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Harry Connick but these Cd's have some of my favorite musicians like Jack Johnson, Rogue Wave, Mason Jennings, Ingrid Michaelson, Lenka, etc. If you are in need of some new Christmas music I highly recommend these!

Well it is back to work on lessons! Have a good one!

Holiday Bird Series

Here is a series that I began at 3 am on Thursday! I woke up wide awake and could only think about art...love when that happens! So I got up and worked until I had to get ready for school at 5:30 am. I just finished them last night and am going to be listing them on my etsy site today after I photograph them:) I think I might turn them into Christmas cards as well!

Book Recommends!

As an art teacher I am always buying tons of art books to help myself and students learn new techniques and tricks. Here are a couple of my favorites:

1. Drawing Nature by Stanley Maltzman

2. Expressive Drawing by Robert Kaupelis

3. Acrylic: Artists' Questions Answered by David Cuthbert

4. Mixed Media Nature Journals by L.K Ludwig

5. Keys to Drawing by Bert Dodson

6. Drawing and Sketching by Jackie Simmonds

7. 100 Creative Drawing Ideas by Anna Held Audette


There are a million more that I love but these books have really helped with lesson ideas and creating my own art. I usually buy all of my books through Amazon.com because the books are usually cheaper and you get free shipping if you spend over $25! Yay!

What is your favorite art book? I am always looking for new ones!

Italian Perfection

Hello! Sorry I have not written on this blog for over a week! I have been super busy with school and have had a broken camera so it has been difficult to motivate myself to write without including new pictures!

So...I was going through some of my old photos for inspiration the other day...perhaps looking for an image to paint or draw and I found some of my photos from Italy. I have traveled to Italy twice now and want to go back as soon as possible! Here are some of my favorite pictures from Florence and Venice. Maybe they will bring you some inspiration!

Collection Drawings!

A while back I blogged about my drawing class having to draw an object or collection of objects 20 times using at least 10 different media. Well the projects are done! I am posting just some of the finished artwork, more to come! The numbers you see at the bottom of the artwork are from our critique we did today in class...disregard them please!

Students did a wonderful job and were so creative! I am so proud of them!

TAGGED

Well I just got tagged today by Plaidfuzz


I am supposed to share 7 facts about myself and tag other bloggers....I will try to tag some people soon....I just don't know who I want to tag yet!

So...here are so random facts about myself:

1. I cannot cook well at all but love to watch Food Network.
2. I have been to Italy twice...and hopefully will go back soon!
3. I used to speak with a southern accent.
4. I am almost a vegetarian but HATE Celery with a passion.
5. I am addicted to This American Life and would love to meet Ira Glass one day!
6. I am never without Orbit Cool Mint gum...that stuff rules my world
7. I start listening to Christmas music in October......I know...total dork:)

Trip to the Park

Yesterday the husband and I went to a nearby park. The weather was absolutely beautiful and all of the leaves had pretty much turned color! I took a billion pictures much to the husband's dismay! The coolest part of the park trip was when we found half of a tree that looked like it was floating! So crazy! So of course we had to take pictures of ourselves next to it holding a magic wand (broken branch)! Hope you were able to get out and enjoy nature this weekend, it will be snowing here for us very soon! Gotta love living in the snowbelt:)

The Brave Little Soul

This past week a friend of mine suffered a terrible loss and it really made me put life into perspective and why things happen. Tragedies bring people together in a way and make you appreciate what you have and often make you realize the important things in life. Here is a short story/poem that brought us some comfort this past week. If you know anyone suffering from such a horrible loss please pass this story on, to me it made a senseless tragedy a little more bearable. The Brave Little Soul