I need to get better at this.

I took this picture of the irises beside my old house ages ago.  I keep the folder with all the photos close at hand for quick reference.  It took a couple of weeks for me to complete this.  I didn't quite match the color of the flowers to the colored pencil but thus is art.  If it were to be a perfect match, I could have just posted the photo.

Wow! Hard to believe it's been a year!

Here is Maddie in colored pencil.  We're trying to get moved from a drafty old house to a nice, beautiful home that's much closer to Rick's work.  I'm still working on my attitude.  School just about destroyed any desire I have to be an artist.  There seems to be a lot of personal issues here, some I just take personally and some I stand on moral ground.

It's been a really hard year physically.  I blew out my knee joint last December, finally had a partial replacement in June and then my other knee decided it required equal attention shares.  The last few days have been the most pain free I've had in a year.  I've spent many days crying in despair over the amount of pain I had.

I digress!  My colored pencils are the only thing handy and portable enough during the move that I can work on while resting in between packing and unpacking.  This isn't a great photo but what do you expect when taken with a phone camera?  It was fun trying to catch her playful spirit.  I'm still thinking about where to go with my art.  

Last School Project

For my last project this semester, I did a portrait of my grandson. I chose it because of the warm fuzzy feelings that I get as I draw him, I can remember the way he giggles and the twinkles in his eyes as he thinks he's pulling a good joke on you. I miss him so much sometimes that it hurts. My teacher didn't much care for the portrait but I did it for me.  It's in Conte crayon on Canson Mi Tientes.

Final Version

Thanks for everyone's help.  This is the final version of my class assignment.

Another Watercolor - This time it's a wash

 

This was done in class.  It was a great exercise in learning to control where the wash goes.  When I brought it home, I wet the entire thing and put in the background.  I loved the freedom of not controlling where the wash goes.

I need your help

I'm getting this one ready for drawing class.  It is near completion but I need your critique.  Please help!  I'm looking for technical corrections.  Thanks in advance!

I Love Fall and Something Orange

 I was sitting in the campus library yesterday and it felt like I was watching the leaves turn right before my eyes.  So I had to draw it with my new watercolors.  Watercolor sketching is a new concept for me and I think this can be addicting. 

first watercolor sketch

I've done a few watercolors before, more as an exercise.  This is my first actual sketch and the longer I look at it, the happier I am.  I think I need to give him a happy name.  Any suggestions?

I find rocks to be really hard to draw.  I'm never quite satisfied with the texture or tone.  I drew these rock (boulders really) from our visit to Cannon Beach in Oregon.  These are not actually new.  I drew these before I decided to go back to college to get an art degree.  I'm sure you can see why I needed more instruction.  But before you think I'm being self-deprecating, I always think I need more instruction.  There's very little in this world that I'm not interested in and want to learn about.  I hope that I won't ever stop wanting to know more.  I think that is one of my better assets.

Something that makes me smile

Something that makes me smile is remembering this first time that Papa got to take a nap with our first and only grandson.

I Have a Praise!

Recently I convinced the homeschool group where I teach art to submit projects to the art contest at the state fair.  I am pleased and more than just a little proud that every one of my students (4 students) won ribbons.  Out of the 10 student projects submitted, they got 8 ribbons, 4 blue, 3 red and 1 white.  I have no new drawings to post today.  Today is dedicated to my students who have worked hard and reaped those rewards!

Symbolism

Here is a recent sketch I did with Fall symbolism.  I'm afraid the scan is pretty bad.  This is a preparatory sketch for another large art project at school.  Critique and comments are welcome.

Fall is coming!

We are having our first Fall weather day today.  So I thought I would post this Sycamore tree leaf that I found floating in a stream.  I just love Sycamore trees.  They are so beautiful year round.

A New Week

Last week ended on a disappointing note for me but I've had a really wonderful weekend and I'm ready to start anew.  I took two paintings in to the State Fair competition.  I know there isn't a lot of payoff in that but I really need to get more comfortable with competing.  My husband purchased a daily sketchbook for me at the art museum.  I'm already enjoying it.  I had forgotten the pure pleasure in the quick imperfect sketch.  Not that perfection is ever something I have to worry about, it is definitely freeing to not worry about what someone else is going to think of it.

Today I'm pulling out one of the older drawings.  I look back at some of them and wonder how I had the nerve to keep going.  But then I look at others and say, yeah, that's why I kept going.

I tried and tried to get this lion to wake up so I could get an upright photo of him.  He insisted on his cat nap and so that's how I painted him.

A little Whine with that Cheese?

Now I'm going to whine about what I'm cheesed off about.  It's hard sometimes to take critique, especially when you've worked so hard on something.  It's easier to take it when you feel that there is no malice and that it is well intended.  Like the critique I got here on the worker piece.  I got good advice and I took it.  Then I took the piece to class for critique and grade.

Everyone of my classmates made really good comments about it and then the teacher asked... Does anyone see anything wrong with it?  Fair question, right?  Long silence, no one wanted to say anything.  Again fair enough, be kind.  When the silence continued, the teacher said, "Come on, out with it, Kate really wants to hear what else you have to say."  Now I'm starting to think that's not so nice.  But still no one said anything.  Finally, she turned to me and said, "I know I told you not to do too much detail in the face but you really should have taken some close up shots and done more detail in the face."

Am I wrong in feeling a little sting with that?  Anyway, that's my cheese and my whine.  Again, thank you to everyone who critiqued on here and gave me really wonderful advice that helped me produce a piece that wow'd everyone except my teacher.  I have no intention of letting a little snarkiness get in the way of my goals.

Art Project revised

So here he is again, I didn't make his head actually bigger.  I made his chin a little bigger and made his collar and shoulder bump smaller.

First Major Art Project of this Semester

I haven't posted in about a week but I finally got this project near finished.  It's a good thing too since it is due on Thursday.  Now I can sit back and look at it for a little while and think about what needs to be tweaked.

Critiques and comments are welcome but be fast about it so I can fix it before I turn it in! 

Prayers are answered!

I was whining last time about missing color and wouldn't you know it?  From my lips to God's ears!  Yesterday the art teacher said we could bring a dry color medium and good paper to class and do something new!  My pastel box is going to get to travel.  Yay me!

I love drawing children on the beach.  I call this one Isaac because it reminds me of a quote by Isaac Newton.  “I was like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.”

Have a blessed day!

I Miss Color

In my drawing classes, so far we are using colored Canson Mi Tientes and charcoal and white.  I sure miss color.  It's easy to say, well just do color at home but my lame excuse is, by the time I do my school work and housework, I don't have time to do color. 

So today I'm posting a past experiment with oil pastels.  This is on standard Strathmore Pastel paper.  I love the rich colors and the ease it went onto the paper.  The blending was so easy and it was still easy to come back and put unblended highlights on top.  I'll be doing more with it when I have more time, when I can prioritize it and make more time.  I love experimenting with new mediums and papers.  I want to try it all!

I need to say a word about photo resources.  The photo resource for this painting came from www.wetcanvas.com.  If you don't know about them, they are a great resource for peer input, lessons, advice and critique, not to mention photos submitted by other artists for your free use.  Of course, some are free-r than others in that they won't mind if you sell the work and others just want you to use their photos for practice.  It's always good practice to respect someone else's copyright and give credit where it's due.

I’m Not Who I Used to Be

I’m Not Who I Used to Be
By Kate McCullough


I’m not who I used to be,
I used to be a cute blonde
But then I grew up.


I’m not who I used to be,
I used to be a daughter,
But my parents have passed on.

I’m not who I used to be,
I used to be a mother to 2 small children
But then they grew up.

I’m not who I used to be,
I used to be a nurse,
But death trampled my heart.

I’m not who I used to be,
I used to be a farmer,
But death again closed the farm gate.

I’m not who I used to be,
I used to be a real estate agent,
But travel took its place.

I am a wife to Rick,
Mother to Missy and Danny,
Stepmother to Erin,
Grandmother to Devan,
A sister,
A friend,
A dog lover,
A Christian,
A Republican,
An artist,
A student at NSU.

I’m not who I used to be
And yet
Who I used to be is who I am.

I won’t always be who I am now
But I have been here
And someone will remember me.