What a difference color makes!

Dear Readers,
 Spring is here!  And with the beautiful days outside, it has been hard to draw inside lately!  But this past Wednesday, I took my lunch hour outside on a picnic bench, and I was amazed how much art I got done.   Hopefully I can keep this up.  And on Friday, my dear art friend A and I sat and shared our sketchbooks with each other.  Hers is so beautiful, I am humbled by it!  She is doing portraits of people she knows.   She drew me wearing a Renaissance dress. (Is anyone surprised? ) :) She is going to scan it when she is finished, and I'll post it here.  In terms of my own sketchbook, I have been adding watercolor to my sketches. And what a difference it makes!  The pictures really pop.  I had one person comment (love you Mom!) that it was really hard to see the pencil drawings I posted last time.  And she was right.  Hopefully this way you can see these better.
 Here are the first two pages again, this time with color.

 

What do you think?  I will post more as I finish them....

My question for today (and I welcome facebook comments as well) is :

How do I create my own header for the blog?  I want to incorporate my own drawings into my logo and header, but I don't have the blogging expertise to do that.  Any advice??  Thanks!

The Owl embarks!

Dear Readers,
 Two weeks ago I first showed you the beginning of my sketchbook.  I had a lot of people ask me what the story was all about, and I want to share some of that with you today.  For copyright reasons (and to keep it a surprise!) I can't tell you the whole story, but I will be sharing parts as I sketch away. So to begin.

 Basically, my story is a fable about an owl who sets out to find out what makes everyone laugh.  He has various misadventures along the way, and keeps a running list. (Probably one of my favorite things to draw so far has been an owl holding a list!) 

So far I am about halfway done with the sketches.  I discovered on the first painting that the paper is very thin, so I am going to wait to paint until the end.  Today I want to share with you the first two sets of pages. 

 What do you think so far???

After my question of last week, I have decided to hand write the words.  I also wanted to note that if you want to make a comment but can't because you're not a blogger, you could always comment on the facebook post I always put up about the blog.  I really REALLY want feedback!  I hope that you are having a wonderful Sunday!  :)

Why did the Owl make everyone laugh?

Dear Readers,

Hello again!  I've actually managed to blog again within a week!  Hopefully I can keep this up.  As I mentioned last week, a friend and I are taking part in The Sketchbook Project.  You have to choose a theme, and I chose the theme Why did the Owl make everyone laugh?  

I have been working on this now for about 2 weeks, tossing different ideas around.  Finally one night I just sat down and wrote a very simple story about why the owl made everyone laugh, and what happened to him.  It only took me about a half hour to write- its a very simple story, but it makes me smile.  I'll post pieces of it as I illustrate each page.

Here are some images of the title page of my book---

Here is where I need your help!  I typed up the story, and I'm trying to decide if I should just cut and paste the printed words in (as above) or hand write them.  I would love some feedback and ideas on this!

Thanks for your support-(and hopefully comments!!! )
I can't wait to show you more!

It's been awhile!

Dear Readers,
I must apologize- I pulled up the blogger site and realized I haven't posted since October!  But I have been busy making art!  Here Goes....

Art Updates:
1.Well, my art was in the Art FX gallery for about three months- I sold one painting!  Unfortunately, they closed in December.  But still, I called it a success!!
 

 2. I've been in the process of writing a children's story- I haven't written a story since high school!  It's about a hedgehog who goes on a quest to defeat an evil cat. :)  Stay tuned for pictures!


3. My friend and I are doing a sketchbook competition together!  Its called the Sketchbook Project and it involves filling a sketchbook and sending it to a museum in New York, where it will be on display. One of my pages will also be printed in a book!  You can find out all about it here:
The Sketchbook Project




I will try to be better about updating my blog- check back in a week for pictures of my new sketchbook!!! (And maybe a few pictures of a hedgehog! ):)

Thanks for reading :)

Adventures in a Gallery!

Dear Readers,
Yesterday something very exciting happened.  I put 6 of my botanical illustrations on display in a gallery in Annapolis!

  The gallery is called Art FX :

http://www.artfxgallery.org

I am very excited about this development and I hope that I can be putting more artworks up for sale soon!

Here are some of my paintings:

I hope that you like them!  If you're ever in Annapolis stop into Art FX and check them out!!!

Welcome

Dear Reader,


Welcome to my blog!  Here I will write about the adventures, excitement, and perhaps even a few trials that I am going through as I work at creating illustrations! 
Let me tell you a bit about myself- I have a degree in fine arts and I am a 7th year art teacher.  I love what I do but I still long to someday earn my living by painting.  I am starting this blog to keep tabs on my art, and to tell you what I'm creating and where it is being sold. I would also love some feedback, advice, and critiques from you my dear readers! 


Come again soon to see my post about some of my flower illustrations going into a gallery!