[ wednesday 2005.04.27 ]
illustration friday: daring

here is my take on daring. i dragged out my acrylics for this one and had lots of fun in the process of making this. i've been all about the process lately, deriving great enjoyment through making things with my hands & really being in the moment with my work. the sketch came about fairly quickly, i sat down with my sketchbook and had a pretty much finished drawing in just about 3 or 4 minutes. then i moved quickly to the canvas adding down my initial layers. left it to dry, then came back and finished out the final layers of paint.

paper, ink & acrylic on canvas

[ posted by beth at 6:00PM ] [ ]

one of my biggest problems is deciding how i want to draw eyes. this varies from illustration to illustration depending on the style or feeling i want to go for. i realized that a lot of my illustrations have little arch eyes (middle right) which is probably because that look is playful, happy & content. but lately i've been feeling the need to go a little further and convey other emotions with eyes. i decided to just get out the sketch book and doodle lots of them. i came up with over a dozen. and it is so exciting because this little exercise sparked some new thoughts in my brain as to how i go about my work. sometimes you just need to do little doodle exercises like these to get your mind working and get stuff out on paper.

[ posted by beth at 12:37PM ] [ ]

photo friday, illustration friday, studio friday... whats next? whew! way too many things to do by friday! :)

tine from tine sparkles has a great new idea: each week share a bit of your studio space. this week's theme is chair parts. that is my $5 t.j. maxx pillow in the background. i love bargains. my chair is from ikea. not that comfortable actually, but i've had it for 4 years now and it has grown on me. actually it isn't that bad of a chair... it is definitely not leather and fancy like some people have. but it is practical & as you can tell from the photo, "wage" sure loves it.

[ posted by beth at 9:48PM ] [ ]

i am posting this as "reinvent" for illustration friday because...

i used my "alone" submission from last week to paint this. it is 5" x 7" in size. i really wanted to keep the colors similar to my sketch... using oranges, golds, yellows... but wanted texture from a brush. as i was painting this, i got all kinds of new ideas for paintings. it was almost like this was an exercise, a taste for future work to come. it just feels so good to paint, to lose track of time and become so involved and content in the now.

'before the trees turned' - watercolor on clayboard

[ posted by beth at 7:54PM ] [ ]

i did not have much time this week to paint or carve... so this is a drawing with digital color. i may try to paint it over the weekend because i have some ideas for it and i don't want to leave it as a drawing. it could be something more.

for those interested, i have one space left in my print exchange collaboration project. it is a great book, and every participating artist will get their own copy. all the details can be found at this page "found:" collaboration project

drawing with digital color

[ posted by beth at 6:20PM ] [ ]

only a few spaces remain in the "found: in japan" a print exchange collaboration, so sign up now if you are interested. i need a few more artists. i've been so excited about the positive response. this is going to be a good thing.

okay, here is the tutorial that i've promised. everyone does prints differently. this is merely my way of doing them. once you try it, you'll develop your own technique and become a printing maniac! the tutorial & margarita recipe are on this page: linocut tutorial enjoy!

[ posted by beth at 11:26PM ] [ ]

i am SO excited to be announcing this collaborative project. it is called "found:" the concept is similar to a print portfolio exchange that printmakers often do. but this will be a theme print project turned into hand sewn books (by me!). the result will be a stunning collection of hand pulled prints sewn together and given to each artist. i think it will be a really beautiful book made with lots of love and hands on creativity and i'm really looking forward to it. i invite anyone to join, even if this is your first time trying printmaking. the project is limited to 12 artists, so sign up early. you can find out all the details here: "found: in japan" a print exchange collaboration project

a special note to those who wanted to see a documentation of the print process: i am working to put together a little tutorial and should have it up in the next few days. for those who asked about the amount of time it takes me to make a print... not long. from my initial sketch, to carving, to inking & printing it usually takes me around 2-4 hours for a small piece (4" x 6" block) plus drying time.

[ posted by beth at 12:02AM ] [ ]

i chose to do a blockprint for this piece. it is different than my airplane blockprint as i did not use linoleum this time... i used one of those "easy carve" blocks. honestly, while the cutting was quicker, i do like true linoleum better. it feels more solid.

blockprint

[ posted by beth at 6:06PM ] [ ]

i made the eggs benedict and home-fried potatoes from allrecipes on easter weekend. i used whole wheat english muffins and poached the eggs in a big pot of vinegar water. good stuff!

[ posted by beth at 8:31PM ] [ ]