close up

Baby Robin completed

I had fun finishing this cute little robin and I was hoping he would bring spring to my neighborhood. Not to be. We're expecting 2 more days of snow and I have no idea where we are going to put it! but it's February tomorrow!

Robin stage 3

I've worked a little bit more and filling in the feathers. I erase most of the plain pencil as I go, then add the colored pencil bit by bit. I've added some blacks and grays and orangey colors and he's starting to fill out. I add whites both under and on top of the other colors, though it's usually much easier to only add it under. Some colored pencils are slicker than others and the white just just doesn't want to adhere. More tomorrow!

A little beak looking for mom!

A little color

Because they are so helpless, baby robins have quite the camouflage going on! Bits or reddish orange and brown all over their chest and lots of baby feathers with creamy white detail. This may take a bit longer than I had anticipated! But the snow is still coming down, so I may sit and color some today while I'm waiting for it to stop. STOP SNOWING!!! Please?????

It's almost spring!

Well, we are supposed to get 5-7 more inches of snow tomorrow, but I am ever the optimist! January is more than half over so it must be getting close to spring. I was told to go out and get some more sunshine to up my vitamin D. So once I bundled up in 3 shirts, a sweatshirt, 2 scarves, my winter coat, and my big black wool cap, the only thing showing was my nose! I went for the walk, but didn't get much D!!!

So my thoughts naturally turn toward the robin's returning. so I've started a little baby robin, fresh out of the nest and we'll see where that takes us.

Gannets card close-up

Computers tend to get turquoise blue a bit off. It's not that bright, more subtle!

Gannets All Occasion card

While I've been working on Valentines Day cards, I decided to use my gannet pair. It turned into an all occasion card though, because it has that certain peaceful, all occasion, "get well," "sympathy", "how you doin?", "are the kids driving you nuts again today?" kind of feel to it, rather than a lovey dovey Valentines card! Yeah, I know. Nutty artist on board! LOL!! Enjoy!

Izzy has her own Valentines Day card

The Art of Icon Painting

If anyone is interested, this class is gong to be held in Exeter NH.

The Art of Icon Painting
A 4-session Hands-on Workshop with Marina Forbes on Saturdays: January 22, 27 and February 5 and 19, 2011 from 10:30am to 1:30pm at the SAA Gallery in Exeter.

EXETER - The Art of Icon Painting workshop is offered for adults and high school students at the Seacoast Artist Association Gallery (225 Water Street in Exeter, NH) on Saturdays: January 22, 27 and February 5 and 19, 2011 from 10:30am to 1:30pm. The 4-session hands-on workshop for students interested in learning traditional Russian icons, one of the world's oldest and most respected forms of religious art, will feature individual attention and step-by-step instruction from renowned Russian artist, Marina Forbes. The program will include a detailed discussion and demonstration of traditional materials and methods of icon making. Then, under the direction of the instructor, students will create their own icons using a combination of traditional and contemporary materials and methods. Students will learn about board and painting surface preparation, gesso application, image rendering, pigments, brush stroke techniques, detailing, highlighting, gilding, Old Slavonic lettering, and varnishing.
For more information or to register please contact Marina Forbes directly at (603) 332-2255, by e-mail at marina@anylanguage.org or visit her website MarinaForbes.com

Good place to shop for the art materials is the Utrecht Art store - http://www.utrechtart.com/ - 1-800-223-9132

ART MATERIALS to be brought to the first class

8 x 10 Cradled Gessoed board or Claybord

Acrylic paints

Titanium white
Ivory black
Cadmium yellow
Yellow ochre
Cadmium orange
Cadmium red
Cadmium red extra scarlet
Alizarin crimson
Burnt sienna
Burnt umber
Raw sienna
Raw umber

A box of Kleenex and paper towels
2 containers for water
several pencils
script brushes (size 1or 2 and 6)
round watercolor brush #8
3/4 inch soft flat brush
a plastic transparent egg container (carton)

The following items can be purchased from the instructor:
8 x 10 (Cradled) Claybord
23K gold leaf
Please let me know if you have any questions.

New Valentine's Day card available at my Etsy Shop

Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/roxy5235 or just click on any image to the right under "My Etsy Shop" and it will take you to that item.

Cudleigh all done!

I already listed him on my Etsy site if you'd like a your own copy.

I changed it to "Cudleigh"

I don't want anyone to pronounce the "h" in "Chudleigh" so I'm changing it to something that always rhymes with "cud-ly"! This bad boy is all done and now I'm not sure what to draw next. He was just so cute that he'll be hard to match. Time to start going through my reference material and see what comes up. I still need to draw my little Cleopatra, just have to find the perfect photo of her.

We have 2 feet of snow on the ground and of course that make for 5 foot snow banks all around the place. Please be careful…especially if you see me pulling out of my driveway!

Hmmm, maybe a Boston Terrier or a Black Lab pup? Suggestions?

Panda and cub

I drew this years and years ago and my brother Greg, was able to get it back to me from a very old floppy disk. It's pencil and I have no idea where the original is. Enjoy!

Chudleigh, stage 2

Okay, I have named my tiny brute "Chudleigh" because he's an English Bull dog and I've just been waiting to use that name for a long time! Plus he is very "cuddley"!!! I've added some of the color but didn't get very far. My brother stopped in and we had a great chat. I asked him if he could save a file I had burned onto a floppy disk in 1993, and of course, being the genius he is, he was able to! I'll post it. It's a pencil drawing I did of a Panda and cub. I think I'll redraw it in pencil. I wonder where I put my original drawing?

What's is harder than drawing?

Keeping organized! I've been organizing my office since the beginning of the month, so I can tell where everything is when I go looking for it! Whew!!!

Then on the easy days, I get to draw!! I saw this cute bulldog and had to draw him. I'm going to add some kind of heart shaped pendant to his collar, I have one in mind that I bought for my granddaughter. Just have to figure out the best placement for it.

I always start with a pencil drawing, and part of me want to just keep going in pencil, and I suppose one of these days I will rather than finishing up in colored pencil. I made a good scan of this drawing and may offer it for sale in just plain pencil as well as in colored pencil and see which one sells better. Plans and plans and more plans! Hope January is going well for you.

Still reading about Photoshop CS5

All I can say is its pretty boring so far.........I know there are some new powerhouse tools in there but I haven't gotten to those chapters yet! Ah well.....23 chapters to go!

And a little close-up of Izzy!

Izzy is finished

I did somehow figure out how to open a CS3 doc in CS5, so I was able to make some brand new gifs in there. I finished up Izzy last night and I'm very happy with the way she came out. I think I will do yet another mouse. I'm becoming very fond of these creatures. Too bad I have 2 cats, or I might consider getting one as a pet!

Photoshop CS5

Well, I finally jumped off the cliff and straight into Photoshop CS5, and I'm feeling like I landed on Mars. I'll definitely have to spend some time in there, before I can figure out where they put everything, and why! I bought Illustrator CS5 at the same time, and it's another lunar landing when I open it and try to figure out where everything went and why. Sometimes, you just have to get the book!. Of course the new software doesn't come with a book any more, so you have to buy that separately. Oi! At least Borders is having a 30% off sale!

I'll start with the a new Photoshop book, since i'm in there all the time, which reminds me, I can't figure out how to use my scanner from in there yet, so I have to do that from CS3!!! Help!!!

Izzy stage 3

Okay, I'm liking the cup better! Almost done with this drawing. I want it to look soft and springlike. I'll add more details in the flower and leaves and around the edges. Then on to the next drawing. Ah, it's good to be back!!!

Izzy stage 2

Here I have added some color, but I'm not crazy about the shape of the cup. I'll fix that next.

Izzy stage one

Back from the old year, into the new one! Izzy is my next project. Here is stage one. She's a cute little mouse in a teacup.