Getting ready for a Sale

Still haven't updated why the disappearance. Too busy! But the reason is that we were in France (again) for a couple of weeks. We went to Paris and Lyon and a side trip to Geneva for the day.

When I got back I had to finish up work at my old job and prepare for a bit of a transition. I'm planning a blitz of courses in digital media and art business. I'm allowing time for a bit of a re-group. I'm also updating my French skills.

But first I'm hoping to sell some of my photos at a show tomorrow. One day only with a bunch of creative gals. Wish me luck.

Above is a photo taken as a storm was threatening in Paris on our last day. We were staying right across from the Pantheon. I was really hoping to be snowed in and have to stay but oh well...

Inspiration needed

Well today started out as a beautiful day but I needed more than that for inspiration. So, you dial up an artist when you need help and plan a spontaneous trip out to the westend of the city to go to a great art supply store. You buy photo paper you don't need but mat board that you do. You even try to spur on the painting (I haven't done any lately as you can probably tell from this blog!) so brushes were bought and a lovely travelling watercolour sketchbook. Which led me to think, our trip to France is just over a month away! On my return with my goodies I wasn't entirely done there. I also purchased a photo magazine that came with a cd with really good workshop videos including one for Lightroom (still trying to figure that one out). So, now I'm combing through my old photos looking for inspiration there before adding more photos next month and also playing with some new textures and borders (thanks to PhotoRadar). Not entirely happy with it but I'm going with the feeling that I'm just experimenting and playing tonight. This one was taken last October with my lensbaby on my camera so it already had texture and a strange colourcast to work with. More serious work to come.

San Francisco and Paris?

I loved this San Francisco building when I saw it. It's actually a really interesting green colour and I'm sure it is probably cast-iron. I also remember a similar image that I did of a Parisian building so here they are together.

Creative Monday

Lots happening today. I feel like I can give myself a bit of time today to experiment and be creative. I even got outside to take pictures (not all sitting in front of the computer) although it was my backyard. I thought I would experiment with my macro filter (it's great and so much cheaper than getting a macro lens) with the last of the cherry blossoms and other flowers. I think my neighbours thinks I'm crazy (crouched nearly on top of a hyacinth at one point). Off to work tomorrow!

I think I like the background of my painting. Now to remove all of the masking gunk. And there's a lot!

More fun with Photoshop

I'm loving these actions and brushes that are out there. I have started a painting but it will involve several layers for the background. Until then, here's a photographic creation.

Paris - end of the row

Just a quick sketch last night. I had tidied my desk and put my regular paints in their fab new wooden case so I just used my watercolour pencils. I also added some black ink for a change. And voila, as they say. Not entirely happy with it (bit wonky, don't look too closely).

Mamie Gateaux, Paris

Well, so much for knuckling down and doing more painting in 2010! But I do have an excuse. First, interview on Thursday and then exhausted that night. Second, well Friday there was no excuse except feeling like not wanting to do anything. Saturday, party and preparing for that. I could have got more done today but there was cleaning up after the party and putting the tree out and the Christmas decorations away. So there are all my excuses and here's another Parisian shop front. Not very happy with it, bit boring, but I will work harder.

Eiffel landscape

Just a quick watercolour pencil sketch based on a photo in the Marie Claire Maison magazine (Sept '09) while I waited for my birthday lunch with my parents (thank you). It was my birthday yesterday. I did bring a sketchbook with me to the cafe (my treat to myself was to go and sit in a cafe for part of the day) but instead I emailed friends (yay free wifi!), drank my large chai latte, looked up lenses for my camera and mostly just wrote in my sketchbook notes for my interview tomorrow (yikes!). So that was my day. Had a lovely evening with the hubby who bought me a book with my Paris photographs printed in it (very sweet) and never got around to painting. So that's my excuse. I did a quick calculation the other day and I have to pick up the pace a bit more. Thought I was doing well lately but that's not making up for periods when I didn't or I was away. Must work harder towards this in 2010.

Parisian rooftops

My largest watercolour for a long time (21.5 x 8"). I actually had to stitch it together in Photoshop. You probably don't know this, or maybe you've guessed, but I work quite small usually. So this was fun and I was using paper that I used to use (Arches) but forgot how different it was from the pads of paper I usually use (which go from Fabriano, Hahnemuhle, Canson, Strathmore and Cartiera Magnani to name the most often used). I forgot how much the paint bleeds into the paper and how it almost has a sandpapery texture.

Anyway, I might try some more like this but maybe smaller next time but still "panoramic."

Happy New Year!

...and time to play today. I photographed some lace and also scanned some paper to create my own textures so I've been playing with photography today but onto painting next. Here's a sample.

December 30, 2009 - Paris at night

Bit of an impressionistic experiment with this one. I don't normally do night scenes. I loved the rich orange light that was in the photograph that I took a couple of years ago and wanted to try to replicate it. I did a couple of darks washes over masking fluid and then got to work on the "light" colours. It was fun if not very successful.

December 27, 2009 - I'm back

Back from Christmas and all it has to offer. We didn't actually go anywhere except 20 mins away to my parents' the 25th and the 26th but I had ideas in my head for paintings if not the energy or time to carry them out. So I'm back. And I went to the art store today and they are having a 20% off sale so I finally got a new mat cutter (I just realized the one I had and that I cannot find blades for anymore was bought when I was high school and not a short time ago like I've been thinking and hence why I can't find blades).

I saw an ad for brushes with a sepia landscape of the Hagia Sophia and I wanted to try that out. I've been doing some aged photos lately so why not try a watercolour. Here's the first attempt - Paris rooftops.

December 2, 2009 - 3 photos and a watercolour

More playing around with Paris photos yesterday afternoon until a headache got the better of me. It cleared and I did a small painting of a door in Paris. Probably shouldn't have. Anyway, it's just okay. For instance, you can tell it's a door. I used the very "bleedy" smooth paper I got in Germany. It's a bit of a challenge. I love it and hate it at the same time.

Well, I'm pleased with the photos. I'll probably post them on redbubble today.

December 1st, 2009 - new photos

Okay, so no new watercolours after my productive Sunday. But that's because I have a new toy so I've been concentrating on photos instead and playing around with textures so I'm posting these instead. I also just opened a shop at redbubble. Check out my shop. I'm under "easelarts" there as well. Maybe you'll see these images there.

Once again, I'm going through my Parisian images. Most of these date back to 2007 but now with a new twist.

November 8, 2009

Been busy creating more photos than painting the last couple of days but I did get this one done today. It's a beautiful day here so no more of that. Have to get out in the sunshine. It's also my mom's birthday so Happy Birthday, Mom!

Yet another French shop front. This one was near the marche des enfants rouges.

November 4, 2009 - Cafe awning

If you cursor down to the bottom of the page you'll see this but here it is again. I thought these three images would work so well together as a triptych. I might even fire up the old printer and print them off.

I took this photo from the top of an old railway line that is now a garden walkway. Such great views from there and such a nice walk. On the walk back you go by artisan studio that are under the walkways' arches so something nice and different to see on the return journey.

I have a watercolour of a Berlin shop all marked up and masked and ready to go but off to see if I can get some freelance work first.

November 3, 2009 - Flag

I'm on a roll. This one I turned the everything black and white and selected the flag as colour. I made the colour in the flag a bit more subdued and then added noise for grain as well as another artistic border.

October 31, 2009 - bistro

This image is based on a photograph I took while in Paris. I just love images of their shops, cafes and restaurants. They are always so lovely and so French. I was going to change the name of the restaurant in my watercolour but thought better of it; "Gaspard de la Nuit" just works. I cracked open more new paper and again it's Hahnemuhle. Love it. This is from the matt block. Why don't we have these papers here?

Pleased with this picture. I also used some of my new pans of colour from Germany although I'm afraid the green is one I have already. Oh well. Can't have too much green.

Feel so pleased with myself that I got a picture done today. I have been worrying lately about employment and such but I read a brief thing in a magazine at the library that called my situation "funemployed" - when you have the time to do what you wanted to do and to enjoy it. I've got to start enjoying this time more and trying not to worry. Painting is ever so calming...

I am closer to making this a sideline, though. I've got most of my watercolours scanned and I'm going to try hocking them on a stock illustration website. Wish me luck.

Parisian pastries - Macarons!

Everytime I had been to Paris, I still never managed to have a macaron. Can't believe that. I've seen them here but they are also really expensive. So my first was from our local bakery and raspberry flavoured. They come in all sorts of flavours and are lovely pastel colours. But they are also so yummy. If you haven't had one, they are basically pure sugar and meringue so just one goes a long way but people tend to get a bag of them. Since I also got a fraise pastry at the same time, one was more than enough. I did sneak it in before dinner, though.

Paris market

Another Parisian market scene - a dog riding in its owner's basket shopping cart. Not so pleased with this, just a quick sketch but I still have to include the ones that I don't necessarily like along with the ones that I do.