Resting and Reflecting on 2010



Pen and Ink Commission
Beth S Macre© 2010

Well its been awhile since I posted in my blog. Its been a very hectic 2010, but especially leading up to Christmas.  I was commissioned to do several pen and ink home portraits for Christmas.  Although I love doing them, the added pressure of getting them all done in time for Christmas on top of working full time, was stressful to say the least!  I hope to do more in the future, just not all right before Christmas! 
2010 has been a busy one and I will be happy to say goodbye to 2010 and hope for a less stress filled 2011.  I'm trying to keep a positive attitude and hoping the economy will keep getting better and better!

I hope everyone has a great New Year and stay safe and close to your loved ones. 
Beth 

Thanksgiving Week

I cannot believe that it is already Thanksgiving week!  Only two days to work the day job this week, but I have plenty to work on. I now have 5 pen and ink commissions to get done by Christmas, plus a some custom clay houses that I need to finish before Christmas.! So yes, I am getting a little overwhelmed with all that I have to finish! The pressure is on.  I can't share the pen and ink that I am working on now, because it is for a Christmas gift for a local family.  Don't want to give anything away.  I guess the only piece that I can share right now is a Pen and Ink of a local church that I drew as a commission and has already been delivered.

So, I am very thankful to have all of these projects in the works.  Hope you have alot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!
Beth

The Holiday Rush has begun!



Pen and Ink
Commission 2010

This is my latest commission. All of those windows was really a challenge, but I finally got them done! I've even finished another pen and ink commission since I finished this one. Now on to the next 4 commissions! Love the commissions, just wish I were doing this full time, not moonlighting! One of these days. 
Have a nice weekend!
Beth

Pen and Ink House Drawing

Private Commission ~ Pen and Ink

8 X 10 Pen and Ink in Frame

I've drawn a few homes and businesses over the years. Many of them have been done with black pen. This one is my most recent home drawing commission. I have 2 more orders that I will be working on over the next week.  I love drawing houses and architectural structures, as you can probably tell by looking at my artwork.  Many buildings, parts of buildings, plus the many little houses that I have created out of clay.  Yeah, I probably should have been an architect.  But I didn't go that route.  Sometimes I wish that I had, but this is pretty interesting to draw and paint and sculpt them.  So a realtor, who happens to be my neighbor, commissioned me to do this drawing for her client, and she has ordered 2 more drawings. So you will be seeing more pen and ink artwork soon.

As for the supplies that I use, I prefer a smooth acid free paper (this one is Strathmore Smooth Bristol 100 lb.)  and I use a variety of black pens, but for commissioned artwork, I use either Zig Millennium or Pigma Micron, in different sized tips. Both of these types of pens are acid free, lightfast, and waterproof. So these drawings should last and last!

So enjoy and I hope to show you more next week!

~Beth

Latest Pen and Ink Portrait

Home Portrait

Pen and Ink

18" x 8"

As I mentioned earlier, I had two pen and ink home commissions to finish before Christmas. Well I finished Wednesday and delivered them Thursday. I had to get them delivered Thursday, as I was going out of town this weekend. This one also had to be framed, so I ordered a frame online, so the frame was delivered and ready to put the drawing into it. I ordered the frame from pictureframes.com and was very pleased with the results. All I had to do was put in the size of the drawing, pick out a frame, pick out a mat color, choose the backing material, and order. That is great for when you are in a rush. The frame was delivered within a week.

Now all of the pre holiday rush is almost over, I hope to work on some colored pencils pieces soon. I need something to enter into the CPSA competition, so I need to get busy with the colored pencils.

Old Red Barn Commission

Old Red Barn

Prismacolor Colored Pencil on Stonehenge

Beth S. Macre © 2005

While I am working furiously on my current pen and ink house commission, I will post a colored pencil commission that I did a couple of years ago. The highway is being widened next to this property, so the owners house had to be torn down. The house was located next to where I took this photo. The barn is still there, but the house has been torn down, so the yard has been changed. Although the barn is pretty old, the owners (farmers) have taken really good care of it.

Latest Pen and Ink Home Commission

18" x 8" Pen and Ink

on Stonehenge

I just finished this commission of my neighbor's house. (Those pine trees are in my backyard!) I have done several architectural study drawings over the last few years. I guess the people in my little town know my pen and ink work more than anything else. I've only had one architectural colored pencil commission requested so far. I drew a barn a few years back with colored pencils. I have one more house to draw before Christmas. I will be starting that one tonight.