Beautiful Faces

I got some new books this week! I'm always excited about that. The "Drawing and Painting Beautiful Faces" by Jane Davenport, is about drawing faces from your imagination. I've been having fun learning to draw faces, and I usually look at a picture of someone to draw from, but sometimes, when I'm making a journal page or including a figure in a drawing, I don't need it to look like anyone particular, and I like the idea of creating someone from my imagination.

 The first exercise is to draw a lot of little faces quickly, and I found that to be quite fun! Sometimes this is all I need in a quick sketch where I want to include a person in a scene.

Here are my little girls. They really are little too, because they are drawn in a pocket Moleskine.

Face Cards

No, not the joker and the queen, but the elf! I ordered some cards from MOO with my elf on the front. As usual, MOO did a great job. The paper is nice and heavy and the printing is great. I order all my business cards from this company as well.  With the post cards and business cards (and I think greeting cards too), you can order a different image on each card if you like!

If you use the link I provided above, I'll get credit for referring you, and you will get to try out their neat stuff.

15 Minute Journal Backgrounds

I've been watching Rae Missigman's video's about making backgrounds in 15 minutes. It's a great way to overcome that fear that sometimes hits when you are faced with a blank page or canvas.  Click on the link to watch her video. It is fun to do a background so fast! The picture above is the background before I started doodling over it. I started with a page that was written on when I was taking notes on a book I was studying. so that is the script you see behind the paint. There are also a couple of pieces of paper ripped from a gelli print.

After I turned him on to Sharpie water based pens, my friend, Warren Ludwig, sent me some fine tipped ones! So I've been doodling with white over everything! Warren has a great blog, and he reviews the pens in this post. I'm thinking spring again. It was sooo cold and windy here today, but eventually it has to warm up, right?!

Gauche Alchemy hits a home run with the art supplies!

I did a little shopping at Gauche Alchemy. I am so pleased with the service and the products. Look how they were packed too...all rolled up in old sewing patterns and tied with jute. What can I reuse out of this package? Absolutely everything! You have to love a company that puts that much care and thought into it. 

I never had any punchinella. Used bubble wrap to do little circles, but that gives a whole different look. Well, I have some now! This is the 5 dollar variety pack, and there is such a nice variety of sizes and shapes. Can't wait to play with it all this afternoon.

It's a good mail day...

Any day I get a new zine in the mail from Andrea Joseph is a good mail day. She does amazing work with a ballpoint pen. Inspiring! Maybe I'll be back with another post tonight with a sketch of my own.

Danny and Jack Gregory's New Sketch Film

Danny and Jack just keep coming out with great films about sketching! This one is about Butch Belair, who sketches in his car. I hide in my car because I'm shy about working in front of people. Amazing to read that someone as good as Butch is also a bit shy about it!
Enjoy!

To El and Back: a film about Butch Belair from DannyGregory on Vimeo.

New Drawing Video...Tommy Kane at Work

Danny Gregory and his son Jack Tea Gregory have made another interesting drawing video. This time they have featured one of my favorite sketch artists, Tommy Kane. I've been a long time admirer of Tommy's detailed sketches. As I watched this I noticed that he creates his drawings rather like I do...he seems to start with some area that interests him and build out from there. He also seems to jump right in with the ink pen too. He has much more patience than I do though, and often will spend hours detailing his drawings. His drawings are full of life and carry such a feel for the places he sketches. I hope Danny and Jack will be making many more videos...it's facinating to watch!
Red Hook - a film about Tommy Kane from DannyGregory on Vimeo.

Friday Favorite....

Today I am honored to be featured as Mary Nasser's  Friday Favorite on her blog.....check it out!

Mary uses maps in her artwork, and you all know how I love maps. You can see some of her work here. She also recently was an artist in residence at Red Cinder Creativity Center on the big island of Hawaii, loves her dogs and bicycling. You can see we have many interests in common!
Here is one of her recent works, inspired by her time living by the volcano on the big island:
This piece is entitled "Lake"

Derek Gores

This is Derek Gores, and I love his work. Check out his site.

Derek Gores from Jason D. Boone on Vimeo.

Easter Eggs!

Alisa Burke has a couple of nice tutorials for Easter eggs: doodle or watercolor. I'm at the shop today so I did some doodle eggs on some plastic display eggs. If I was at home I might have used real eggs and dyed them pretty colors before using the Sharpie, but since I'm in my office, I used highlighters. Many people tell me they cannot draw because they cannot draw a straight line, but as you can see, neither can I! I say draw anyway...straight lines are highly overrated, and if you really need one that's what rulers are for. Have a happy Easter!

A little belated drawing action for Valentine's Day!

I've been trying draw more people and here's one from a page of my art journal. I avoid drawing people, but this year, I'm trying to do some of the things that scare me. I'm starting to have a little more success making the humans look....well, human. :D  Maybe one of these days, I'll actually attempt to draw people in poses where their faces show too!

I love it when I come across videos and such with some drawing action. This one has some wonderful artwork/animation. And it has a sweet song too!

Check out the Etsy shop of Ted Schrey

The strangest things happen on the world wide web. Many moons ago, in college, I dated a very nice young man. Now we are friends again through the amazing web that is facebook. After many years in the corporate world, Ted is living on the Big Island of Hawaii and is making beautiful stained glass pieces. He has a new Etsy shop that he (unlike me!) is keeping stocked with wonderful artwork.


I love the use of copper in the stands and frames.



I think he has something at every price point too...so you can own a small Ted Schrey piece or very large complex pieces.

Here are a few hanging in a gallery in Hawaii.

I've never seen one of these pieces in person, but Ted is pretty particular, so I'm sure the craftsmanship is beautiful. The coral and watery glass in this one...perfect.

Ted is also a painter, writer, and furniture builder. Hopefully we will see some paintings on his site soon. If we are lucky he might even start a blog one day.

If you need something special, he does custom work as well. Click here to check out his latest work...

...undoubtedly inspired by the beauty he encounters every day.

Love makes the (blog) world go round!

Margaret at Water Blossoms honored me with this award. Thank you Margaret! I love her blog too....every time I visit I want to run and grab my sketchbook and draw something. She's a wonderful artist. This is my first award...exciting! I'm supposed to pass this on to 5 bloggers whose sites I love to visit.

1. Andrea Joseph's Sketchblog: Want to be inspired? Go see her wonderful sketches! I love her drawings of collections of small things!

2. Julie's Pictures: Julie is a marvelous artist. She captures her family and friends in wonderfully loose sketches...someday I hope to be able to do that! She also encouraged many of us to get off our duffs and walk for exercise by linking it to drawing. I didn't stick to it as I should have, but I enjoyed what I did and now I always carry my tiny moleskine when I walk.

3. Felicity's Philosophies: You will just have to check her out......Felicity is a master with the pencil and she just started using colored pencils with the most amazing results. You will be astounded. Felicity also lives in some wonderful places and her photos let me travel from my desk chair.

4. So Many Stars: Kathleen just got set up in a studio space away from home. Her blog is always inspiring...from journal pages and paintings to collages and stamp carving. She'll inspire you to do something creative today.

5. Learning Daily: Cin has a wonderful blog. You'll be charmed by her sketches of the people and places of her life!

The participation rules are simple:

1. If you get tagged (and want to play along) write a post with links to blogs that you love, too.

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme, created by Emilia.