7.16.2015

(sassy) 20's ladies

It's taken some time to adjust to the spontaneity of watercolor. Letting it flow and blend where it wants is really tough for a control freak like me. I still enjoy painting it on thick, like an acrylic, but I thought these 20's girls were a nice practice in "less is more."


"You are about as entertaining as a piece of butter."


"Your lips are moving...I know you're saying something...
When do the Kardashians come on?"


"For Pete's sake, Carl, it's pronounced MAUVE."


"Yeah, I thought you were a player."

"Girrrl, this purple fur is so warrrrm..."

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I was inspired recently to get serious about sketching and let my ideas flow. I was reading over Abigail Halpin's blog (yes, I was going pretty far back into the bowels of her site because I'm a huge fan) and she linked me to this post by John Hendrix - in order to find your voice, you need to be creating what you love.

This idea has been hovering in my thoughts for a couple of months now. Am I really making things that I can stand back and appreciate, because I think it's lovely? No, I'm not trying to be vain. But really, when I'm with my art, up close and in it all the time, I might as well make what I like!

This is contrary to what I've been doing to challenge myself recently: Art Challenges. I think I've gone through one 40-day, two 30 days, and even made a few short 5-day challenges for my friends and myself. But the challenges are for stretching your technique and broadening your art subjects, not  necessarily to hone your "style."

I think I'm ready now. Honing has begun:

1. Tigers. Always
2. Desserts
3. Anything German
4. Traditional Korean clothes
5. Tall ships
6. Teapots
7. Mountains
8. Coffee (even though I never drink it. It's the smell...*sigh*)
9. Portraits
10. The 1920s
11. Insect
12. Leaves
13. Birds
14. Herbs
15. Fruit
16. Kitchens
17. Chinese characters (Hanja, as Koreans would say)
18. The night sky + constellations
19. Quilts
20. Famous artists

As for the other 80, I'll jot it down in my notebook. Maybe you can spot my favorite things from now on...?

6.30.2015

Nature

I finally finished the nature alphabet! I know it might seem simple, and for the most part, each piece went fairly quickly...but it was 26 of them! Which ended up stretching over more than 26 days because I'm lazy. You can't say I'm not consistent, though! Which letter is your favorite?


Here's a layout in case you're impatient for my GIF:







6.29.2015

How to paint - - Mountains!

Sometimes my friends will say.

 "Wow, I like your art! But I could never draw like that..."

Well, guess what - I think you can!

The way I paint isn't necessarily difficult. I like to do illustrations. Illustrations aren't supposed to be realistic; it's an interpretation. Really, it can be anything you like!

So, to all of you who believe you are art-challenged, fear no more! To help you along, I'd like to share a basic step-by-step of how I paint mountains (one of my favorite subjects!)

1. Start with a pencil, making one large mountain shape in the middle, and two on either side to frame it.



2. Get out your paints! You can do this with watercolor, acrylic, even markers - it doesn't matter! I prefer watercolor, and usually paint it on thick.



3. Make sure you are using two different greens for this, to get the desired effect. You should show a difference between the ridges of the mountains and the trees growing on the bottom edge.


4. Finally, fill in some ridges with dark green-blue to make shadows. I made little dots for texture, too. You can add evergreens, a river, a cabin - anything mountain-y to the bottom.


Voila! Here it is, in full form:


You've made some mountains! If you're not good at art, I hope you gave it a try and painted something lovely for yourself. Thanks for reading! Now get out there and have an adventure...hopefully, on a mountain.

-LM

6.27.2015

Doodling

I think I don't do enough sketching. Most of the time I have already decided on a subject and feel that doodling without a purpose is a waste of time. I want each time I sit down to paint to count for something...but man, that's a lot of pressure, actually! So, here's a little crab that I enjoyed scrawling sans plan.



6.26.2015

Follow Friday - Liekeland

I ordered some postcards a few weeks ago and was so happy to receive them yesterday! I love mail, even if it's something I bought for myself. This illustrator caught my attention because her contrast of of cool and brassy colors with pencil sketched creatures. I love how she marks her animals' fur with such detail and her characters' faces focus on expression. Her art has a very calming effect, doesn't it?

Isn't she lovely? Go check out her shop. You can also find her on instagram. If you order something, she throws in a couple of extra goodies and a hand-written note~


I bought the set of 8 postcards for this one scene: the boar and the wolf dancing on the table. Somehow this reminds me a my sister Jordan when we were kids...probably something we would have tried, when mom wasn't around.



I want to wear this bison's sweater! And I want to cuddle with it too!

6.25.2015

Watercolor Portraits

In painting through this Celebrity Alphabet Challenge, I've come to thoroughly enjoy portraits. I'll admit, I'm stumbling through this and learning as I go. Remember, it's an illustration, not a realistic portrayal.

I think people's faces are fascinating, all the curves, wrinkles, shadows...and noses! The noses are the icing on the cake.

I thought I would share some progress shots of one portrait (this one, D for Daniel Radcliffe).






I've included my Alphabet list for future reference, but some I'm undecided about. Where there are 2 or 3 options, please let me know which ones you'd like to see! (Bold names are already completed.)

Anna Kendrick
Beyonce
Channing Tatum
Daniel Radcliffe
Emma Stone
Freida Pinto
Gwen Stafani
Hugh Jackman
Ian McKellen
Jennifer Lawrence / Jennifer Aniston
Kanye / Katy Perry / Kirsten Dunst / Kim Kardashian
Liev Schreiber / Liam Hemsworth
Miley Cyrus (FO SHO)
Natalie Portman
Olsen Twins / Olivia Wilde
Paul Bettany
Queen Latifah / Quentin Tarantino
Rihanna / Robin Williams
Ryan Reynolds
Sandra Bullok / Scarlett Johansson / Shia LaBeouf
Taylor Lautner / Taylor Swift (It's funny 'cause they dated. Ha!)
Usher (Still cool? Always.)
Vince Vaughn
Will Smith
X
Y (Obviously need some ideas for this one)
Zhang Ziyi / Zooey Deschanel / Zac Efron

Check back for more portraits!