Getting Organized

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 9

Leslie's blog is tips from different artists about organization.  It is just loaded with good ideas.  The tip I included was organizing paint tubes into plastic bead boxes, something I included on an older blog.  There is a good prize for the winner. I'm hoping to win this one.  

 

Good Luck to everyone who enters.  


http://lesliesaeta.blogspot.com

12 Days of Christmas

Tips for the studio

Leslie Saeta is doing a "12 Days of Christmas" on her blog.  I missed Day 1, but  to enter for Day 2 just include an a tip that you use in your studio to save time or helps in some way.  There is a prize if you win best idea.  My entry is the tip about using old socks to keep brushes clean while painting. 

Even if you don't enter, it is  loaded with ideas that are time savers, ways to be organized......

Thank you to Leslie, once again.

Here is the link to Leslie's blog:  http://lesliesaeta.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-12-days-of-christmas-day-2.html#disqus_thread

Christmas Tree Farm

 

Happy Holidays

Abstract Painting

December 4, 2013

I tried something new with an abstract painting and I like this approach. 

First, I did a contour drawing of guess who, my favorite model, Ziva.  Of course I will include of photo of her, well, at least a painting of her. 

  
Very loose drawing of Ziva, sort of a contour drawing with dark and light shapes.  (She is sitting next to me on the couch, our favorite spot every night.  The dark area is the back of a chair.  Can you see Ziva?  oops, there is a shadow in the photo that should not be there.

This drawing gave me something to use as a start for the painting and it motivated me because it included Ziva. 

 

I used some of  the colors that I liked from the abstract painting of the boats that I did recently and included most of the shapes from my drawing.  Do you see Ziva here?  It actually looks best rotated once to the left, but I still know Ziva is there. 

Abstract Painting

December 1, 2013

Recently I mentioned in a blog that I have read and many teachers have said:  "under every good painting is a good abstract painting."   Then I asked  myself  "what is a good abstract painting?'

That is what I have been trying to figure out in the past couple of years.  I've always liked abstract paintings, but didn't really know why so I signed for a class several years ago about how to paint an abstract painting.  Before that in a class I took at VCU in studio painting the teacher happened to be one who painted primarily in abstracts and she gave us a class lecture one day of an overview of the history.  I was very intrigued by her work, too. 

My own idea was that design had to be a big part of it.  I kept a list of the elements and principles of design taped to my easel when I did my first big abstract.  I figured that had to be a big part of it. 

My next blog will be about what I learned in the class I took about abstract painting.  I started a pinterest board with abstracts and have included the link

link to pinterest board Abstract


Update on marketing:  In the last month I opened an ETSY shop.  I've enjoyed learning about it.  It does seem like a great option for selling your paintings.  I stumbled across the ETSY mini which you see on the sidebar of this blog.  If anyone knows how to make it fit within the column, I would love to hear it.

I added free shipping and a 25% off coupon in time for cyber Monday.