Weekly Sketches

Sunday Sketches

This week has been super busy. I am getting ready for 3 fall shows coming up, so I am working daily to create plenty of inventory to sell. I will post more about those later.

Today I will quickly share a watercolor and pen doodle sketch that I worked on this week. I'm not quite finished with it, but I am liking the colors and the shapes. I think it needs a few more little tweaks, then on to the next one. If you have seen my latest doodle sketches, you can probably see the theme developing here. The whimsical flower designs are pretty fun to create and I feel like the design elements will be seen in future works. Possibly some mixed media paintings.

Check out Sunday Sketches on Blue Chair Diary Illustration Blog.

Stay tuned!

 Have a great Sunday and the rest of this week!

Beth ♥  

Doodling on Black Paper

New, to Me, Paper for Doodle Sketching

I had some black paper that I used to use for my colored pencil drawings, so I decided to try them out with a white pen (Uniball Signo Gel Pens).  I created a few drawings and loved the look, but wasn't thrilled with the way the pen was going onto the paper. It did not always flow evenly.

I saw these little packs of black paper at my local craft store, so I decided to try it out. The first drawing I did on this new (to me) paper turned out so much better than the other paper!

So I got online and found the same paper, Strathmore Artagain in a larger tablet size and ordered it right away! I ordered mine through Amazon, but it is also available through Blick Art Materials.

I've been playing around with the square tile paper to see what it can take and what I can do with them.

Here are a few of my doodles on the black tiles. 

I took one of them (so far), and added color with colored pencils. I always use Prismacolor pencils. I plan to add color to all 3 of these doodles.

I had hoped to use some paint pens, but the first kind I used did not work like I had hoped. So I will need to experiment with some other types of pens to see if I can get the look I wanted. For now, I will stick with the colored pencils.  I have tons of colored pencils! I hope to find some pens that leave a bright color on the black paper, similar to the white pen that I am using.


If anyone knows of some colored pens that work well on black paper, I would love to know! And if I find some, I will definitely update this post!

Hope you are having a nice 3 day weekend!

Have a great week!

Beth♥

August is Artist Appreciation Month!

Did you know that? 

I didn't either! And August 13th is also National Lefties Day!  I am both an artist and a Lefty! Raise your hand if you are a LEFTY!
I hope that I am not the only lefty artist that didn't know about these two events until last week!
Sorry for all of the exclamation marks, but I'm trying to show my excitement. Maybe a selfie would show that, but I'm not going to subject y'all to that.

I totally 'left' out Lefties Day this year, but I didn't find out until the end of the day. But next year...well, I will definitely be more prepared!

So back to Artist Appreciation Month.

Since it is Artist Appreciation Month, I want to feature some artists! This may even take a couple of posts. I have been influenced and motivated by many artists. Some personal friends and others that I admire from afar.

Where do I Fit?

Being a whimsical artist, I find inspiration everywhere! As I look through my Pinterest boards and search online for whimsical artists, I find so many creative and whimsical artists out there! For many years, I couldn't figure out where my art fit in. Before the internet, before we had all of the resources that we have now at our fingertips, I thought that I needed to have a realistic or abstract style to make it in the art world. But I don't fit into either one of those styles. Yes, I like to draw realistically, I love to create abstract art. But actually my style fits somewhere in between those two. I like colorful art, and happy art. I like design. I create a lot of stylized images. More like illustrations. But I didn't consider myself an illustrator either.

Artists Who Inspire
Today, I would like to feature two well know and successful whimsical artists that I have admired over the years. Both have influenced my style. These talented women are artists who both became successful with their creative businesses.

Mary Engelbreit
Many years ago, my husband brought home a magazine for me, to cheer me up. At the time, I was struggling to find my way as an artist. I was actually pretty depressed about it. So he brought this magazine called  Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion. It was more of a decorating magazine, with articles about working artist's. Of course, Mary Engelbreit's art was all over the magazine too. But that magazine, and the articles about artists, were so good for me. Her art is bright and cheery and whimsical. And many of the artist's that she featured in her magazine were too. I think that is when I realized that my art did not have to be realistic and I could play and experiment and try to come up with my own style. I was really sad when the magazine stopped being published. But I had every issue since that first one my husband brought home to me. He also bought me a planner and/or calendar every year for Christmas. Now we have the internet to bring all of those inspiring images and stories to us!



Patience Brewster
I am always looking for other artists who share my vision of a fun and whimsical world. A few years ago, I came across the whimsical artist, Patience Brewster. She creates some wonderful and whimsical art, especially for the holidays. Her Christmas ornaments are beautiful! You can find the story about how her illustrations are turned into to 3D sculptural ornaments here: About the Ornaments .

 If you love unique ornaments and Holiday cards, then check out her website! View some of her latest Christmas Cards , because they are also beautiful!  And she has the coolest name!


Who inspires you?
I don't know these women personally, but I still feel like they have inspired me to be who I am, not what everyone else wants me to be. Because they have worked hard to make their style work for them. Every artist must find their own way. It's okay to be inspired and learn from others, but be yourself.

Be True to Yourself! 

Beth♥ 

Ink and Colored Pencils

I call this drawing a "Butterflower".

When I drew it, I started with the flower patterns of a flower, but the shape of it reminded me of a butterfly.  I added color with colored pencils, using some of my favorite colors.

What colors would you use to color the 'Butterflower"? 

The line drawing (without color) is available for purchase as a download in my Etsy shop here:  ButterFlower
Color your own Butterflower and show me what you did! 

Hop on over to Sunday Sketches with Alexandra H. MacVean to join in or see what others are creating!

Have a great Sunday and the rest of this week!

Beth ♥   

Line Doodles

While finishing up several different custom orders, I've been spending some time in the evenings doing more sketching. I create original line drawings, paint with watercolor, then print the original line drawings for coloring pages.

Line Doodles
Here are a couple of my latest line creations in ink. I will share updates later, after I add watercolor to the originals.

As for supplies, I like to use Sakura Micron pens (black), and Zig Millenium pens. The both come in a variety of pen tip sizes and are archival and waterproof. For paper, I use Strathmore Mixed Media Paper. It is smooth (good for pens) and will take wet media.

ART Design Doodle

And here is what I have been doing with the ART design that I shared here, a couple of weeks ago. If you haven't downloaded and printed the free design, you can still go copy it to your computer and personalize it how you want! But I want to see what you do with it! Let me know if you blog about it! I want to see how creative you can be!

First I added some line doodles in the background, Then I started adding color. On this one, I am using thin markers. You can use what you are comfortable with!

Be Creative! Have fun!
This will be one that I will work on a little bit at a time, between projects. I will share an update when I finish with this one!

 I am also linking this up to Blue Chair Diaries blog linkup. Hop on over to Alexandra's blog to see what she is up to!

Have a great Sunday and the rest of this week!

Beth ♥   

Creative Inspiration

When inspiration strikes...

I hope that I am working! 

When I feel like I am in a rut,

I get out a different medium.

It makes me think again.

Think outside the box.

Try a new technique.

Retry an old technique.

Just create something different.

Maybe a transition? 

Only time will tell! 

Have a great week! 

Beth ♥

Coloring pages for adults! It's a thing!

Adult Coloring Pages
Or should I say
...Coloring for Adults. 

The first one sounds pornographic, but that is not what this is about!

Apparently adults are into coloring pages these days!  It is a big thing now! I've been seeing more and more of these online lately. I read an article in a newspaper insert today (July 12th, 2015).  A quick google search finds 1,910,000 results!

This is something that I have always enjoyed. But I actually draw mine out, then color it in. They say that it is relaxing. It is! That is what I have been saying all along. When I taught high school art, one of my first assignments for each year in beginning art, was to create a line design, then add color to it. Like the example shown here. This was a study about lines and creating designs with them. Then the students could add color to their designs. Same thing as what the adult coloring books are like. Except adults are buying coloring books with detailed designs. They are adult coloring books because of the detail and difficulty. But I would say that teenagers would enjoy them also.


Coloring Teaches Patience

I am really happy to see this trend. So many people these days have very little patience. My theory is that because of computers, the internet, and cell phones, many people want things to be instant gratification. Drawing, coloring, painting...many art techniques are not instant. It takes time and patience. So, I think this is a good thing! I would like to encourage people to draw out some of their own designs and color them. It also teaches creativity! Bonus!


Coloring Page Downloads

But if you are one of those poor souls that feels like "you cannot draw a straight line with a ruler", or that "you do not have a creative bone in your body", then you are in luck! There are millions of coloring pages that you can purchase and download onto your computer and print! Just do a google search and find the style and subject that you like.

I have some designs that I am preparing to upload into my etsy shop here: Hearthomes  (shameless plug).  So check back later, or follow me on etsy, for new designs in the near future!

Digital Download Section of my Shop

Free Digital Download  ↓  For personal use only

For those of you that are creative, or want to try to be creative, download this ART design and start creating. All you have to do is right click on this image and Save to your computer and print. I would recommend printing on cardstock, but any white paper will do. If you mess up, or you want to try a different design, then just print it again. Enjoy!

Add your own line designs to the background and color with your favorite medium. My favorites are colored pencils and markers. I would love to see what you do with the design!

Remember, if you use this, I would love to see what you do with it! Shoot me a message here, or on Facebook or Instagram. (Links to my pages in the right column.) 

Have a great week!

Beth ♥

The Stars and Stripes and July!

Hello July!  

Happy Birthday America!

I have always enjoyed drawing patriotic themes. The Stars and Stripes are such a beautiful color combination! So in celebration of July and our nation's birthday, I decided to create a patriotic sketch or two. Maybe some will eventually be made into clay creations, as well.

And just Flashback art for fun! "Stars, Stripes, and Stitches"

And two Colored pencil drawings that I created when I first started selling online around 2003-04!

These are only 3 1/2" x 2 1/2" ATCs. 

Have a Happy Fourth Weekend! 

Beth♥

Love One Another

Sunday Sketches with a theme.
I love to draw and sketch with pen and watercolor. But I spend a lot of time working with clay, which I also love. I sketch out ideas for projects and ideas in my sketchbooks. Lately I have been making the effort to work on some sketches and finish them with watercolors. I have been inspired by another artist/blogger, Alexandra H. MacVean, to start posting 'Sunday Sketches'. She has a link up post every Sunday with a cute graphic to link up with. I will be posting my watercolor sketches here on Sundays.

So here are a couple of my recent watercolor sketches...

My theme today is...

Love One Another

I'm choosing these two watercolor sketches because I would like to see more tolerance and love in the world.
I was taught to Love thy neighbor.  This past week, there has been a lot of hate and negativity in the world. My hope is that people will learn from these events to Love one another.

Love thy neighbor

No two people are exactly the same. We are all very different.  We can't pick and choose what differences should be acceptable or not. I wouldn't want people to choose not to accept me because I'm left handed, or because I'm an introvert, or an artist. I would hope that I am accepted by everyone for what I am. I can't change who I am. God loves me just the way he made me.

Your neighbor does not have to be your best friend, or someone that you spend time with, But you should love them for who they are. God made them too. We all matter in this world.

Love one another

This world would be a better place if everyone would just love each other.
Love is caring about each other.
Helping each other.
Not tearing other people down.
Accepting that people have differences.
Respecting our differences.
Respecting others opinions.


We need more 
tolerance
in this world. 

We need...
Peace

Help spread some tolerance and love around this week. What can you do to help your neighbor? A friend? A family member? A stranger?

Have a great week!

Beth♥

What I'm Working on Wednesday

It is already June?

This month I am playing catch up. Last month was spent taking care of family, so I didn't get much time to post here. Again. Family first though, you know?

I am signed up to be in two large art shows this fall. One in October, and one in November. I was a vendor at War Eagle Fair, in October last year, but this will be my first time at the show in November. The November show is a big local Boutique show.

This summer will be filled with creating lots of items to sell at each show!

Houses on a Hill

War Eagle Fair
October 15-18, 2015

NWA Boutique Show
November 6-7, 2015

I am also creating new houses and sculptures for my etsy shop and working on custom orders.

Custom Made House

Between the two shows and keeping my Etsy shop stocked, I am/will be very busy for the next several months.


Happy Wednesday!



What are you working on?



Beth♥

What I'm Working on Wednesdays

Life has been throwing curve balls at me lately.  I panicked when one adult child called from the ambulance on the way to the hospital after a wreck, then the other adult child called in the middle of the night, needing to go to the ER...then surgery, all in the same week! Obviously, I dropped all of the projects that I was trying to juggle, and focused on family. I've have several posts in the editing stage, but just haven't had the time to wrap them up.  This week things have calmed down a bit, so I am trying to finish them up. This post will get posted before the end of today...Wednesday! After all, it is titled for Wednesday.

What I'm Working on Wednesdays
I thought I would start with posting things I have been working on, once a week. So I decided  'What I'm Working on Wednesday' would get me started. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen some of these. See link in the right column to my Instagram account.  You may notice I have posted more flowers photos on Instagram than art, lately.
(Curve balls = less art time = less art photos.)
But I've been in the studio this week and have something to show for it!

WOW #1   or...WI?WOW
So here is my WOW post for this week!  Here are two new things I am working on.

Spoons!
I just made my first clay spoon. It is a small spoon, so I decided to make it to match a little scalloped bowl that I just made. I like it so much,  I plan to make some more bowl and spoon sets.





HeartHome Hills!

I've created bird houses.
I've created little birds.
I decided it was time to create some that go together!
The HeartHomes for the Birds are now listed in my Etsy shop. :)

After making the HeartHomes for the Birds, I decided to make more HeartHome Hills. (I made a few hill sculptures a couple of years ago.)

Here is a 'work in progress' HeartHome Hill.
Watch here for updates!

I hope that you enjoyed my first
WOW ...or  WI?WOW
(which one sounds better?)

I may start a link up on Wednesdays. I would love to hear from you if you would like to join in!


Beth♥

Little Clay Houses

While gathering photos for my new website (still under construction) and applications for shows, I realized that I have to focus on making things that clearly identify my work.  I love to create so many different things and use different media, but my time needs to be spent on the things that I want to promote for sale in my business.

Those items that I want to focus on, include the whimsical little clay houses and accessories, bowls, cups, ornaments, and other small gift items. I also want to do more whimsical acrylic paintings, adding textures and collage elements.

Little Clay Houses

I love creating these little clay houses, and more than that, I love to see people smile when they see them! They are so fun to collect and create little vignettes around the house! Or put them in shadow boxes, or windows, or even create little terrariums with them.

Custom Clay Houses

Update* Occasionally I offer custom clay houses when I have time to take pre-orders for semi-custom houses. Based on the sizes that I typically sell during a Ready to Ship restock.

In the past, I have created custom houses that show the colors and details similar to your own house. While I loved creating those custom houses, they could be very time consuming and difficult to create without problems in both the creation process and the finishing process. Currently I do not take custom house orders because of the time involved.




I am also adding more functional, yet decorative, pieces to my work, such as bowls and plates and cups. I will talk more about those, and my textured paintings in upcoming posts.  For now...

...Have a great weekend!


 Beth♥

Spring Colors

Spring has sprung and I'm enjoying the beautiful weather, but more than that, I am enjoying the time I am spending in the studio! Time really does fly when you are having fun!  I am working hard at stocking up on things that I want to sell in shows this Fall and to put in my Etsy shop. I am also working on some new designs. So I have really been enjoying it. The beautiful weather has been a little distraction, but I know fall will be here before I know it!
But for now, it's all about Spring Colors!

Beth♥

Unexpected Visitors

Enough about the new studio and the move. Back to regular programming.

Finally, I have been working in my studio, trying to get back into the creative groove. I started out pretty good. I spent a few days working with the clay and getting a lot of little things made, so I can restock my Etsy shop. I've even glazed a few of them.  Like these tiny birdhouses. They are part of a little experimental project that I am working on. If that works out, I will post photos of that later.

Unexpected Visitors
After getting several projects started, we had a couple of 'Unexpected Visitors'. The dreaded 'flu bug' came to visit my
hubby. I avoided Mr. Bug like the plague! He brought the cold weather back with him too, so my creative flow came to a halt. My usually active husband was pretty sick for about 4 days. He doesn't get sick often, so I knew he felt really bad. He had fever and chills and all of the typical flu symptoms . I was trying to take care of him while he was feeling really bad, but also trying not to get too close. Luckily, I avoided Mr. Flu Bug. But between the weather and taking care of the hubby, I have been dragging around here with no energy. He is usually the cook around here (his choice), so I had to cook a for a few days. (I know, I'm very lucky!) That is exhausting to me, so I am having a hard time getting back into my creative routine. Hubby is feeling better now, so hopefully we can both get back into our routines. We are more than ready for Spring weather to arrive and stick around! We had a few days of warmer weather last week, and the daffodils started blooming, so it was a great sign of things to come!


Bunny Visit
It is not Easter yet, but Hubby found this little visitor in the garage a couple of days ago (look real hard, it is a baby rabbit). He/she, along with his two little siblings, made a run for it when my hubby found them hiding under the plastic tub full of stuffed animals. Hopefully they made it back to their little rabbit home/hole. (Wherever they live.) I like rabbits, but I do not want them taking up residence in our garage!  I may need to draw some little rabbits to illustrate the visit.

Until next time...
Have a nice productive week!

Beth♥ 

New Studio Space - Part 3

Welcome to My Studio

In my last post (part 2), I showed the desk/drawing space side of the new studio. Today, I am showing you the clay/painting side of the studio. Since this photo was taken, I have started back to work there and it is back to its usual cluttered, but productive space. See second photo for the busy artist at work look!



Back To Work
Now I can turn my attention back to my little Etsy shop and to get ready for craft shows for this year.

I've made clay houses, trees, mushrooms, hearts, birds, and some Believe Tree ornaments. I have to make up for the time I've spent packing and moving. Now I can have fun in my new space.

I am hoping to add one or two more shows to my schedule this year.  My goal is to raise enough money to buy a larger kiln! It takes a lot of time to fire larger items in my little baby kiln. It is perfect for my little houses and other little things, but if I want to expand my little business, I need a larger kiln! Wish me luck!

My Need for Organization
For now, everything is organized. I'm sure as I work more in the space, I may decide to rearrange things and I'm sure I will paint some of the furniture pieces, so they don't look so random. But because of all of the 'stuff' (art supplies), I must keep everything organized, so things do not get chaotic. I can't work in chaos! Because I want to become more Focused this year, I need to declutter. My cleaning out may become someone else's treasures!

Back in the corner, I have my printer on top of the cabinet with my paint supplies, plus the thrift shop cabinets with more paints and glazes. Yes, I feel like I have too many supplies. I want to get rid of some supplies that I no longer use. That could take me awhile to weed out the slightly used supplies that I can part with. I may have to put some supplies up for sale, just for my need for organization.

Studio Tour - Part 4 

Until next time...
Beth ♥

New Studio Space - Part 2

We have Progress!

We started moving in over two weeks ago and I can finally go into the new studio and not find a box to unpack! Yes, I do have more organizing to do. I will continue to rearrange things as I get back to work. I have come to realize that I have too many things. Too many supplies and not enough time to use them all. I may have to have a supply sale in the near future. I need to get back to work and start using them up, which I plan to do this week.

Now that all of the boxes are out, I can see the floor space and I am pretty excited about it! I have 2 work spaces. One, at the desk where I can draw, compute, dream, and maybe a little paperwork. The other is for clay work and painting.

My Inspiration Wall

Above my desk, I have hung things that make me feel good or have special memories to me. All of which inspire me. Here is a close up of those things. I have numbered them so I can identify the item, the reason it is special, and the creators/artists of the things that I did not make.

1. "Stars, Stripes, and Stitches"  by Me.
This is one of my favorite colored pencil drawings. It is one of those drawings that I put a high price on it, just so it will NOT sell!

2. The little clay 'Follow Your Heart' piece was created by Karen Fincannon. She was very nice and helpful to me when I started doing art shows in Georgia. The message is very inspiring to me.

3. The first Go Hogs Ornament that I made. Go Hogs! (I'm working on more using a slightly different design this year.)

4. A Dream Catcher that a long time, good friend of mine, Cindy, gave me. Catching some dreams!

5. The gum wrapper chain is a part of a very, very long chain that my good friend and I made back in junior high school.  A few years ago, after reconnecting again, she gave me part of the chain. This chain brings back many good memories! Cindy and I spent many hours hanging out and talking and laughing back then!

6. 'Mrs. Macre' sign from my classroom door at Blytheville High School. So many memories!

7. ACEO size drawing of Me, by my Artist friend, Tim Hunter.  He titled it "Blonde in a Turtleneck". It was/is not unusual to see me in a turtleneck and with my reading glasses on my head. He did a good job of representing me!

8. Owl wall hanging by Karen Fincannon from Georgia. We traded a few things at the Georgia shows that I went to. I love this owl!

9. Another little owl. But this one is done by another artist friend, Joy Elizabeth. I also met her in Georgia, at an art festival.  But now she lives nearby and I can visit with her in person!

10.  The little ACEO size quilted painting on fabric was given to me by my sweet artist friend, Fannie, from Hawaii.  She is a very sweet, talented, and special woman. An inspiration.

11,  The little shot glass, with colored pencils in it, is from Paris. I bought it on the trip to France in 2008.  It definitely brings back special memories of the trip I took with Becky, the French teacher, and 12 wonderful students!

Part I of the New Studio can be found here: The New Studio - Part 1 if you want to see the space before.
I will post pictures of the other work space and storage in the room. And eventually I will post a cleaned up and decluttered space.   Update: Studio Tour - Part 3

Update Studio Tour 2017  - Part 4

Until next time!

Beth♥

New Art Studio Space - Part I

Moving In


We recently moved to a new (new to us) house. In our previous temporary place, we only had 2 bedrooms, so my art space was very cramped! But we found a house that was just what we were looking for! I was so excited to get moved and have that extra bedroom space for my art studio again.

I don't have a huge space, but it is a room dedicated just to my studio.  We only started moving in two weeks ago, so I am still emptying boxes and looking for things that I need and deciding how I am going to organize my work space.

Now if I can just find the clamp for my lighted magnifier!

It still has a ways to go, but here is my new space. I just need to get all of my supplies out and organized so I can get back to work! I will post updates as I do a little decorating...paint, fabric, maybe a rug.

In my next post I will have pictures of the new space, hopefully more organized and ready to use. Check back for updates on my progress.
Studio Tour Update: Part 2
Studio Tour Update: Part 3
Studio Tour Update 2017: Part 4

Beth♥