Drawing Day 3 & 4

December 29th: Didn't draw today... but my dad, mom and I rearranged my studio to fit a new drafting table in!!

December 30th: Continuing to work on my brothers drawing and a quick sketch of my brother holding a chicken

Drawing Every Day

So my plan is to try and draw a little bit every day. If that means I get to start and finish a drawing or start one and finish it over a few days... that is the plan! 

Start date:

 December 27, 2012

December 28, 2012

Started today, hopefully finish it tomorrow or the next day

Finished Drawing!

This drawing took a lot of effort but I am very pleased with the result!!

New Thought to Promote Business

Trying Something New

So with the exciting positive response to my Photo Collage Trees from the Heart of Hope Auction I have decided to try a few more photo collages that I have. I have some from Greece, Mammoth, San Jose Island, and my grandparents house in Oregon. However, taking photographs of photographs is not one of my camera's strong points... so some of the pictures are not of good quality here, but they all look great in person. Here they are some of them. 

Heart of Hope Benefit Dinner and Auction

I have finished getting together all of the items I am donating to the Auction for Heart of Hope! Here they are!

4 Tree Photo Collages from trees I saw in Romania

A Panoramic Photo Collage of Camp of the Good Shepherd, where I spent July of this year hanging out with awesome Romania people!!

 3 Drawings from 3 boys from the Hegel Placement Center. These boys snatched my sketchbook from me and drew in it. So I got to take their drawings home! 

My favorite piece going into the auction. My mops and brooms drawing!!! 

Other Works in Progress

My Brother's Archery Drawing

A Series of MLJ Portraits

Portrait for my friend Alina from Romania

Moxie Drawings

Moxie Hair and Design Studio is where I have been getting my hair cut since I got back from Humboldt in 2010. Kari is the owner and is TOTALLY AWESOME!!! She is such a creative person and I love having her as my hair dresser and friend.

One day we were talking and it was decided that I would be doing portraits of her employees for their new business cards. However the idea of putting a head on a pin-up girl body was a challenge for a 3" tall business card. So we decided I would do them in pastels and they would be much bigger than a business card size. Here is the progression of what I have done.

 Choosing a background from different colored hand pressed fiber paper

Life Changes in 2012

My first commissioned portrait! The only photo the client had of their father (who has pasted away) was his drivers license photo. There were many struggles with this one, mainly having to use a magnifying glass to see, but it turned out really good from what I had to work with. I am pleased with it.

My Second Commissioned Portrait! This one was a family that I had never met before. The Dad had seen one of the portrait drawings I had done of his daughters classmate (one of the 7th fleet kids). He wanted a drawing of him and his kids for his wife. Yet again I was given another small, challenging photo to work from (a magnet). But the photo was clear enough that I was able to get enough detail to draw a nice looking portrait.

 Finally put up my final art project from my art intensive in Greece from 2010. After I repainted my bedroom, this wall was the perfect and the only space large enough to hang the artwork! So now I get to think about Greece all the time.

I got the chance to use my art skills in a few of my credential classes as well. This is one from my Diversity in Secondary Education course. It was our Cajita (box) project. We had to use a box to tell about ourselves. I created a wire tree to fit inside the box with photos in the roots of my family and the leaves of the tree with photos of all of the awesome things I have been able to do because of the love and support of my family. 

The inside of the cover has me painting the sunset, which is representative of a Family Circle comic strip I found when I was in Middle school. It says "The best artists in heave get to paint sunsets and butterfly wings". That phrase has stuck with me ever since. Every time I see a beautiful sunset, I wonder to myself, and to God, who He has allowed to paint that beautiful sunset. 

This is a photo of the "Studio" that I had when I came home from my undergrad schooling at Humboldt State. It is a space in my parents home. I am super thankful to my parents for allowing me to have a little space to myself for my art! A very small and cramped workspace, but it was what I had, so it is what I used. 

 Probably the biggest event in 2012, besides spending a month in Romania is this:

 In June of 2012 I received the great honor and blessing to have my first official studio! At the age of 25!!! SO SWEET! This is mine for the next year!!!

When I first moved in on August 1st. This was also one of the best Birthday presents I have ever received.  

 Moving in all the stuff that was in my parents house to my new studio! Mom was very happy to have the space in our sun room back too. 

 Rearranging things with the help of friends and family

 This is pretty much what it looks like now. My dad and I bought and put in carpet, which gives it a sense of home. The carpet is nice too because I like to sit on the floor and work on some of my bigger projects. I also have some artwork on the walls now instead of my Elements Posters from my Art Ed classes (pictured here). But here it is!!! I'm settled and working in my studio every week! Ill post a photo of what my most updated studio looks like soon. 

7th Fleet Portrait Series 2011