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Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Faces on Friday: Figure Study
Sincerest apologies to my friends, who hopefully can't recognize themselves because the drawings don't look anything like them anyway. No - you really don't look like that. I promise.
If you ever get the chance to go to a figure study session - DO IT! The people there don't care how good or bad you are. It is a fantastic way to get better. I'm finding quite some improvement in just a few sessions.
It begins with 30 second poses. They go by so fast I feel like I barely have time to get marks on the paper. Fantastic warm ups!
Next are the one minute poses. I've improved enough that I can get the form. I just can't get the whole thing on one piece of paper yet. I'm going to go get a really, really BIG sketch pad before the next time.
Five and ten minute poses give enough time to work harder on getting lines and proportions right.
After a break the 20 minute poses seem like a treasure. Unless things start going wrong - then it's an eternity. When that happened I simply chose a really hard feature like hands and feet and switched to working on just that.
This is my favorite. Roughed in with a pencil then lines laid in with a japanese brush pen. It occurred to me the other day that I could fill a waterbrush with india ink at half the price of the refill cartridges.
So which is your favorite? And - have you been drawing faces too? Put your links in the comments and I'd LOVE to come take a look!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Any Time! Anywhere!
You truly don't need to be fancy about keeping a sketchbook.
Get a small one that is portable and keep it with you all the time.
It can be a place to freely doodle and play.
You'll be amazed at how your drawing skills improve
simply by taking a minute here, a minute there.
At the airport.
Staying awake at church.
Waiting for food at a restaurant.
Insomnia late at night (drawn from a photo).
Just DO it!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
ONE Fundraiser - Tomorrow!
TOMORROW is the big day!
TODAY you can preview the
http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/ONEFundraiserPreview.html
Sponsored by Fiberart For A Cause
Would you like to help promote ONE and be entered in a drawing for great prizes?
Zip over here for ready-to-use blog and Facebook posts, Tweets, logos, and more.
One Cause - The Fight Against Cancer
One Wednesday - February 16, 2011
One Hundred Collages - Created by an all-star team of artists:
| Natalya Aikens - Interview Pamela Allen - Interview Laura Ann Beehler - Interview Liz Berg Pokey Bolton - Interview Laura Cater-Woods - Interview Jette Clover - Interview Jane Davila Jane Dunnewold - Interview Jamie Fingal - Interview Gloria Hansen | Leslie Tucker Jenison - Interview Lyric Kinard - Interview Jeanelle McCall - Interview Linda Teddlie Minton - Interview Karen Stiehl Osborn - Interview BJ Parady - Interview Judy Coates Perez - Interview Wen Redmond - Interview Cynthia St. Charles Virginia A. Spiegel |
Our goal - Raise $8,000 in one day to add to the $205,000 already donated to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause.
On Wednesday, February 16, ONE hundred collages will be offered with a minimum donation for each collage of:
$160 for two hours (10 a.m. - Noon CST)
$80 for two hours (Noon - 2:00 p.m. CST)
$40 for two hours (2:00 - 4:00 p.m. CST)
Friday, February 11, 2011
Gallery Walk
A good friend video taped part of my solo show gallery walk at the Herb Young Community Center in Cary, North Carolina. She caught me talking about some of the meanings behind "Malachi's Promise" and some of the techniques used in my paintings.
Thanks to Sonya Stead for filming. She and I had our first babies at the same time. She taught herself to play guitar, I learned to quilt. I have solo shows and travel the country teaching. She has a band called Sweet Potato Pie and travels the region performing in places like Branson Missouri. Go Sonya!
Faces on Friday
At a meeting.
At the airport.
From an ad for Lion King while on the plane.
At a quilt guild. Sorry ladies - these don't look anything like you and next year I definitely need to work on hands.
On the plane again.
Last week Sandy asked how to draw noses and how to draw expression. I told her that if I knew I'd let her know. My sister did send this link last week from Lackadaisy's website. I love, love love, this graphic artist. It's a great little tutorial on how to draw expressions.
As for noses? I've been trying is to pay close attention to the shape of the tip and rough that in first. Getting it in the right place is another story. I see progress - and much work left to do. But the important part? I'm having fun doing it!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
For Your Inspiration: The Ringling Summer Home
I'm in Chicago today.
Cold place with warm hearted people!
Thought I'd share some pictures from a warmer place.
Sarasota Florida was the summer home of the Ringling family (yes, the circus people.)
A wonderful sink with beautiful design.
In Photoshop Elements - play with "color options" and the "poster" filter.
Of all the beautiful art in the home my favorite was this statue, veiled.
Photoshop Elements "fresco" filter.
I know Floridians think spanish moss is ordinary, but it's mysterious to me.
Photoshop Element's "dry brush" filter.
It was a beautiful home (ostentatious even.) I was even more fascinated with the hard working circus people that made it possible for the Ringlings to live in luxury by doing things like being shot from a cannon.
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