nasturium, horses, an actor, and some paint

One humorous idea to use up your old pencil stubs
Hi folks!
I come back with peace and offerings, ;). A flower, an actor, some horses, and-gasp, a painting in progress!
Here is the flower that I'm working on. I'd been itching for a long time to work a brightly colored flower on stark black colourfix paper, and yesterday evening I decided I'd give it a go. It's only my third flower, so as always, I'm a little nervous, but it sure is fun putting bright swathes of colors on that black, sandy paper! Here is progress shot one and two for those who are curious. Not two much of a difference here, but thought I'd post it.
Nasturium study, 9 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches on black art spectrum colourfix paper


And here is the horse(s) portrait I'm working on; I'm not so certain of it right now, the light source in the reference photo was not so hot, ;). But here it is just the same.

Many Horse study, 9 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches on terracotta art spectrum colourfix paper

Next in line is the actor, Antonio Banderas, (one of my all time favorite actors!)

Antonio 5x7 inches on bristol smooth done with prismacolor pencils (black, lots of different cool and warm greys, and white)

And here is the painting I started today, 11x14 inches on canvas board, done with acrylics.

Here I am starting out by underpainting some cookies with bright green paint. Ah! How I love the smell of acrylic paint in the morning!

Here is a clearer image of the start that I had.
Okay, now I smeared more bright lime green for the wooden reddish brown table- since the opposite of red is green, and orange cause the grey of the milk has a yellowish warm tone to it.
Now it is officially into the ugly stage.
Now I've added some murky yellow brown over the cookies and a reddish brown table surface.
Now I've added grey to the milk glass and a vague rim.
Ah, a paint snot rag to boot. Enjoy!
I've altered the overall tone of the cookies, worked on the plate, and touched up the grey on the glass.

Make sure you have plenty of room before you get into a painting!!
Here is the collaboration of colors I've used so far for my painting.Here is my latest update. It looks much better in real life-the lighting was horrible. I've begun to add details to the cookies and touched up the grey on the glass.
Thanks for looking!
Have comments about my art or my blog? Drop me a post!
Thanks for looking

Rudy and Lucy

Okay, I'm back. I've been very busy, but I've managed to squeeze out one colored pencil to boot and finish another one. They're both 5x7 on terracotta art spectrum colourfix paper, done with prismacolor pencils.
The handsome yellow cat you see is of one of our family cats, Rudy. Rudy always wears that "king of the forest" or in our case, "king of the basement" expression.
The other is of my silly cute scottie, Lucy, who is (50% of the time) very photogenic and once her attentions are caught from rolling in the grass or hunting for holes very eager to make poses for me.


Recently I've also started a scarf in a rather appealing shade of leaf green. I'm not too much of a knitter, but (sigh of relent) I decided to pick it up again and actually finish a project this time. Not much yet, I know, but here it is.


That's all for today, lots more work to do! More later. :)
Questions or comments? Drop me a post, please! I promise I won't bite. ;)

A girl, more geese, and a cat who mean's business!

Here are the projects that I've worked on over the last couple of days. I've started adding color to my seemingly black and white geese, and smoothed the ripples out a little in the process to keep the black ripples from looking too purposefully placed.
Also, I made a colored pencil portrait of my charming and adorable two-year-old niece, Victoria. I did her on my most favorite paper in the world to draw on, colourfix paper, a colored, grainy, sand-ingrained paper. See at Dick Blick. Be sure to scroll all the way down-they have an awesome list of colors to choose from. My favorites being black, brown, and terracotta. But really, I love them all!
Lastly, here's a piece that I started just last night of our older cat, Rudy. I just love his expressions. He always looks to me like a proud, calm warrior. He acts like one, too. His movements are always slow, careful, and well planned. This piece is on terracotta colourfix paper.
Thanks for looking and don't be shy, let me know what you think of my blog and my art.

Gander of Geese

This is a project that I've started today. Last night, I was thinking I should become more serious with my artwork. My major thought was that I needed to challenge myself, so that I would overcome increasingly harder and harder obstacles. So I thought, hmmm....what should I try out today?
So I decided to try geese, but that isn't the hard part, the seemingly simple water surrounding the geese is the challenge. As I have never done water, this will definitely be a learning experience for me to say the least.
To start off my piece, I did all the darkest bits first. I put a mediumish layer of indigo blue onto the paper first to give the black I would later lay on top to make a deeper, bolder, black. Also, to keep it smooth and nicey, and to keep it murk dark as well, very sharp pencils are a must. If your pencil sharpener is making eerie, groaning, wheedling banshee noises, and after all that wasted time of grinding your pencil didn't do anything but make it a longer dull lead, it probably means you need a new pencil sharpener. My brother kindly got me a new one for Christmas last year, which ordinarily I would have pouted at. Oh how nice! A pencil sharpener! I've always dreamed of owning one. But I was thrilled to see it. He and I had both witnessed the old pencil sharpener's miserable and pathetic buzz-saw whines and groans, and the lack of point on my dull pencils.
Thank goodness for observant brothers!

Happy blogging!

Two finished pieces to offer

"Stephanie" 8 x 10 inches on brown colourfix paper, done with Prismacolor pencils.

"Watchful" 5x7 inches on brown colourfixpaper , done with Prismacolor pencils

Hi folks! Last night I finished two pieces! I will admit, though, that I will have to touch up the horse portrait's shoulder a little bit.
Also finished (actually finished mind you) a leopard I did for a thread challenge (Wetcanvas.com).
Today I went shopping at a favorite clothes department and searched diligently through the sales rack for something nice-(I'm always chronically short on pants, my bed or dresser must be devouring them in my sleep) and as usually you'll find size 0 or 2 pants (Argh!) and if you find your size (oh, this looks promising!) you find it has ticky-tacky graffiti or unfavorable rips, extra embellishments, zippers, buttons, or embroidery. Alas, I did find a decent pair of green cords in my size as well as a comfy fleecy blue sweater! Plus I got to go to the bookstore (high pitched girly squeals excluded) and found two books to my liking.




My new green corduroys!

Ah yes, it is turning out to be pretty good day! (Quote from the movie The Money Pit
a fantastic movie if you want to laugh until your eyes water)
It didn't start doing slushy rain mix until after I got home either. Count your blessings.
Oh yes, and here's a yummy sandwich to try if your ever interested in trying something different (IT'S FLAMIN' DELICIOUS!). Toast two pieces of honey wheat (or your favorite white bread) bread. Put mayo on both slices. Split half of a cooked chicken breast in half sideways and cut that half longways. Take a little of that cold stuffing taht's in your refridgerator that you made the night before with your baked chicken and put it on your slice of bread. Lay on top of the stuffing your two quarters of chicken. Top it with a slice of provolone cheese. Put your other toast slice on top. Voila!
Do you want the extra special (extra delicious) version? Here goes:
Toast two slices of bread. Mix cranberry sauce and mayo together,( make it 3/4 cranberry sauce and 1/4 mayo). Spread a hearty amount on each slice. Put bean sprouts or baby spinach on each one slice of toast. Put a layer of cold stuffing on top of that. Then add cold thick sliced turky (carved thanksgiving turkey is the best) or chicken breast on top of that. Lastly, top it with provolone or swiss cheese, (provolone is da best, but swiss is pretty close).
There. I hope I made your day. Now go make that sandwich! I'm going to go eat dinner now.
Happy blogging!

I'm back......again

I know, I know, I should do just one post a day. But I can't! The aliens won't let me stop!
Here's an update on "Stephanie" and a new one which goes nameless for now. Anyone have any ideas for names? Post a comment!

I'm Back!

*I'm back!
*After having some terrible plague from the Bible for 3 weeks straight.
Here's a work-in-progress that I've been working on that I'm loosely thinking of calling "Stephanie". "She's" 8 x 10 inches on brown colourfix paper, done (as always) with Prismacolor pencils. Every piece I do is a learning experience, and this one is no exception. Already, I've noticed that she will need a nose job. I exclude smacking myself in the forehead and grinding my teeth.
My 2 year old niece is very funny. She, her granna(Nonni), and her uncle were playing with blocks, and she drops one. "Oh, I dropped it!" she says seriously. "That's okay." Nonni responds.Then she says, "Oh, I'm sorry." "That's all right" her uncle and Nonni reassure her.
She's like a little person! I squeal excitedly to myself.
Among these sentences while building she'll exclaim in a bright serious voice: "Another one!", "More blocks!", "Oops!", "Beautiful!", and "Here's a big one!"

Sigh.

Thank goodness Christmas Holiday is over. I really do not care for Christmas shopping because you never know if the person your buying for will actually like it. Then you do find something the person will like. Oh G- it's a hundred bucks!
Does anyone agree with me?

Squeeze one more outta me

Here's one more for today. An ACEO (2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches) on Bristol Smooth paper, done with Prismacolor pencils. It's of one of my newest favorite subjects: tigers. I tried to find a guy's name that meant wise, or knowledge, but wasn't satisfied with the results. Instead, I just named him a noble sounding name, "Gordon".
Happy Blogging!

Frederick

"Frederick" ACEO (2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches) on Bristol Smooth, done with Prismacolor pencils
It will be on ebay this evening (make sure to type in Blarneygirl16 into the ebay search engine to find all the art that I'm selling in one place).

Hey-ho! Here's my art card offering for today. Can't make any promises on holding back my eager fingers, so this addictive ACEO may not be the one of the day. I thought I would be free and whimsical today, and add little overly cheerful dabs of easter-eggy, pastel colors into the background (I don't know what came over me!) and into his mane and- well, really into the whole thing! Among cheerful colors used in my pallete: blue-violet (purple), mulberry, limepeel, yellowed orange, canary yellow, pale vermillion (orange), parma violet, and true blue.
Happy blogging!

Merry Christmas and Loads of Art

Exeedingly sorry for the wait.
I've been a busy little bee, what with Christmas literally, (as true as my fingers are scratching my chin, wondering what to talk about) just around the corner, (this weekend in fact!). I have not been *slacking, however.
*Not much ;)
Here (above) I have my finished "Earnest", a portrait of my coy, evil, (but wonderfully adorable) and innocently blinking bum of a kitten, Vinegar ( you know the jingle: eating all the time, and clawing all the way, oh what fun it is to have an insane orange kitten today, Oh!). Okay, maybe he's not that bad, but he's plenty enough with his insanely driven sister, Tamlin.




Also completed is a scottish landscape (from a beautiful photo that my enviously clever sister took) which I've dubbed, "Home Again". I can just smell the delicious melt-in-your-mouth cranberry and orange or cinnamon and raision scones and some black breakfast tea with extra sugar....and don't forget the clever Border collie sitting imploringly at your feet, eyes begging for your dinner (tea included).



I've also recently gotten into acrylic painting! Pencils are fun and detailed, but once in a while, a girl's gotta get a break and let loose by making brightly colored blobs on canvas. This still life painting here, is called, "Group Hug".




Lastly, here is a work in progress, "Just Dating" (also from another great photo that my sis took).




....and there you have it! Remeber to check your to-do Christmas list twice!
Happy Blogging and Merry Christmas!

art card offerings

"Twilight Molly" Bid on this art card at ebay.com
(Type in Blarneygirl16 into the user engine to find all of the art that I'm selling in one place)

Here are my two art card offerings for today. I know that I should cease and take a breath, alas, the little green galactic aliens won't let me stop! The first in line is "Twilight Molly" and the second is the bird of our wonderful country; the bald eagle, called "Stealth". Come on by and bid on these two, and "Farid" (from previous post) on ebay! Happy Holidays, Christmas Season, blogging, and bidding!
Meanwhile, post a comment to let me know what you think of my art and my blog. Also! Don't forget, House comes on this evening, (and the special CSI, too, at the same time unfortunately). Grab those Christmas coated cookies, or doughy, melty, fresh-from-the-oven chocolate brownies, and a lot of milk, and enjoy!

"Stealth" Bid on this art card at ebay.com
(type in Blarneygirl16 into the user engine to find all the art that I'm selling in one place)

Sleepy Farid

"Farid" (ACEO) Bid on this at ebay.com
Type in Blarneygirl16 into the user engine to find all of the art that I'm selling in one place.

Today's offering is yet another art card (2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches) , of my newly found favorite subjects; big cats.
This one is one of my favorite big cat species, the snow leopard. I named it "Farid", and it is done on Bristol Smooth paper, done with Prismacolor pencils, and as with all of my art cards, sealed with protective fixative. Take a visit by ebay and and make a bid!
Happy Blogging!

Softy

Here's my latest art card (2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches) on Bristol Smooth paper, done with Prismacolor pencils. Happy Blogging and Happy Holiday and Christmas Season!





"Pretty Please?" Bid on this art card (ACEO) at ebay.com (type in Blarneygirl16 into the user engine to find all of the art I'm selling in one place)

Grrr!

"Ronald" (ACEO) Bid on this art card at ebay.com (Type in Blarneygirl16 into the user engine to find all the art that I'm selling in one place).
This is my art card (2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches) for today, "Ronald". This big bad kitty (though adorable as well) is on Bristol Smooth paper, done with Prismacolor pencils. It will be listed on ebay today, so take a visit and make a bid!
Happy everything!

Art Cards out of the Wazoo!

"Daniel" (ACEO) Bid on this art card at ebay.com (type in Blarneygirl16 into the user engine to find all of the art I'm selling in one place)

Here are two more of my latest art cards, "Golden Brown" and "Daniel". You can go to ebay.com and type into the user engine "Blarneygirl16" and find all of my art together by itself.
Drink mugs of delicious hot chocolate with mini marshmellows (they don't taste the same if they're any bigger). I know, I'm a whiner, but I like my marshmellows teeny tiny when they're in my hot chocolate. Happy bidding, Happy Holidays, Happy Christmas Season, and lastly, Happy Blogging!
"Golden Brown" (ACEO) Bid on this art card at ebay.com (type in Blarneygirl16 into the user engine to find all of the art I'm selling in one place)

Bid on "The Queen" and "Showing the Cheek"

Go to ebay.com and type in Blarneygirl16 in the user engine to bid on "The Queen" (above) and "Showing the Cheek" (below)

I've recently gotten an ebay acount! Hurray! Find my art by typing in the user engine at ebay: Blarneygirl16. Happy Blogging and Happy Bidding! Oh, and Happy Holidays and Christmas Season! Eat lots of baked goods and milk and think merry thoughts of sugar plum fairies.