Drawing Chris and Melissa
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Simple Line Drawings
I needed to take a breaks from the projects and "mandatory" art I need to finish. So I found a couple of faces that I turned into simple line drawings. They are both 3.5"x5"on hot press watercolor paper.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Starting a New Routine and a New Direction
It has been some time since I have posted on my blog. However that is going to change. My life has taken a turn and I am very excited to let everyone know! Here is the story:
At the beginning of 2013 my parents reminded me that I was going to be taken off of my dad's insurance in August when I turned 26. To prepare for this my parents suggested that I talk to my employer to figure out what steps I needed to take in order to have benefits starting in August. After talking with my employer I found out that I needed to be working full time for 6 months before I could start getting benefits. So in March I started working full time at 7C's (the child care center at my church). Everything was going smoothly. I got to work with toddlers in the morning and still hang out with the school age kids in the afternoon. About 2 weeks into my new work schedule I started coming home extra tired every day; which is understandable when you work with kids for 40 hours a week. At first this was not a problem, but soon I realized that I was too tired to work in my studio. Every time I tried to go to my studio after work, nothing ever got done and the pieces I did work on were frustrating and I usually messed something up. I also putting a lot of time into planning a mission to Romania with my church. That also took away time from my studio. But I am not upset about planning for Romania! That was an amazing mission that I hope to do again!
To put it in perspective, over the last 6 months I have spent less than 30 days in my studio working on my drawings. This was not acceptable. I was basically paying for a nice storage space at my studio since I wasn't using it to draw. Not being able to create or feel the desire to draw was really disturbing. I was fed up! One of my goals in life is to support myself with my art; so not producing artwork was a problem. My solution? Work part-time!
This is the part that I am most excited about! I am working part-time with a split shift. That means that I will work in the morning, have 3 hours of break, work again and then have the afternoon off. This schedule is great! I have designated my break in the morning for my "Studio Time". I will spend at least 15 hours a week in my studio working on projects that need to get finished. Doing that will give me room for the project I know are coming my way as well as give me time to work on pieces that I want to do. In one year I want to have a body of work that represents what I can do. I have never been able to have daily time drawing. I am a little nervous that I wont be able to stay consistent, but I will do my best. I am truly excited to see what I am capable of and what I will be able to accomplish with the amount of time I have dedicated to my artwork.
Another exciting opportunity I have been given is a book deal. An author from a local community college came into my studio and asked me if I would illustrate for the book he is writing! I jumped at the chance! I never would have thought that I would be asked to do illustrate for a book!! Both the author and I are still in the early planning stages, so I will have more information on this subject in another post soon.
So there it is! My "New Routine and New Direction". I am very hopeful. I am working on coming up with short-term and long-term goals for my artwork, development and growth of my drawings, possible teaching opportunities and much more. This is a time of accelerated growth for me in terms of my art and my growth as a child of God. I have a lot going on at my church as well that all ties in to my art and my abilities as an artist within a church congregation. God gave me this gift and I am finally ready to start using it for His glory! This will be tough, but I have all the confidence that I will be able to do it with God's help and guidance. So many things can happen in a year! Let's get started!!
At the beginning of 2013 my parents reminded me that I was going to be taken off of my dad's insurance in August when I turned 26. To prepare for this my parents suggested that I talk to my employer to figure out what steps I needed to take in order to have benefits starting in August. After talking with my employer I found out that I needed to be working full time for 6 months before I could start getting benefits. So in March I started working full time at 7C's (the child care center at my church). Everything was going smoothly. I got to work with toddlers in the morning and still hang out with the school age kids in the afternoon. About 2 weeks into my new work schedule I started coming home extra tired every day; which is understandable when you work with kids for 40 hours a week. At first this was not a problem, but soon I realized that I was too tired to work in my studio. Every time I tried to go to my studio after work, nothing ever got done and the pieces I did work on were frustrating and I usually messed something up. I also putting a lot of time into planning a mission to Romania with my church. That also took away time from my studio. But I am not upset about planning for Romania! That was an amazing mission that I hope to do again!
To put it in perspective, over the last 6 months I have spent less than 30 days in my studio working on my drawings. This was not acceptable. I was basically paying for a nice storage space at my studio since I wasn't using it to draw. Not being able to create or feel the desire to draw was really disturbing. I was fed up! One of my goals in life is to support myself with my art; so not producing artwork was a problem. My solution? Work part-time!
This is the part that I am most excited about! I am working part-time with a split shift. That means that I will work in the morning, have 3 hours of break, work again and then have the afternoon off. This schedule is great! I have designated my break in the morning for my "Studio Time". I will spend at least 15 hours a week in my studio working on projects that need to get finished. Doing that will give me room for the project I know are coming my way as well as give me time to work on pieces that I want to do. In one year I want to have a body of work that represents what I can do. I have never been able to have daily time drawing. I am a little nervous that I wont be able to stay consistent, but I will do my best. I am truly excited to see what I am capable of and what I will be able to accomplish with the amount of time I have dedicated to my artwork.
Another exciting opportunity I have been given is a book deal. An author from a local community college came into my studio and asked me if I would illustrate for the book he is writing! I jumped at the chance! I never would have thought that I would be asked to do illustrate for a book!! Both the author and I are still in the early planning stages, so I will have more information on this subject in another post soon.
So there it is! My "New Routine and New Direction". I am very hopeful. I am working on coming up with short-term and long-term goals for my artwork, development and growth of my drawings, possible teaching opportunities and much more. This is a time of accelerated growth for me in terms of my art and my growth as a child of God. I have a lot going on at my church as well that all ties in to my art and my abilities as an artist within a church congregation. God gave me this gift and I am finally ready to start using it for His glory! This will be tough, but I have all the confidence that I will be able to do it with God's help and guidance. So many things can happen in a year! Let's get started!!
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Friday, May 31, 2013
One Year Anniversary of being an AIR!
This weekend is the Summer Market at Studio Channel Island Art Center (SCIART). This event last year was the first time I was able to draw in my studio space as an Artist In Residence (AIR). My space has been updated and modified many times in the last year. So to commemorate my year in Studio D4, here are some photos to show how my space has changed in 12 months:
A new key and an empty space.
Linoleum Floor with Brown Butcher Paper to walk on.
Brought most of my things from home, including the charcoal carpet
Moved my book shelf to the other side of my space
Finished bringing in my art stuff and now have started to arrange it how I like. My brother also got me a light board to add to my growing art supplies!
Got new carpet!! My family also helped to get rid of the brown butcher paper and linoleum. I added more things to the wall and put together a small table for my artist business cards.
It's Christmas Time!! I loved decorating my studio for Christmas! We also had our Holiday Market (like the Summer Market) where I got to meet people and talk to them about my drawings!
I did another re-arrange of my space, moved the bookshelf, added a circle table and... GOT A DRAFTING TABLE!!! Thanks to my dad for scoring that for me!
I added 2 black sheet to the wall as a backdrop for my artwork. I took out my painting easel (since I don't use it for painting) and displayed some artwork on it.
My table is AWESOME!!!!
As of today I have become more at home in my studio than I ever have been. I have added a new table, flat files and a fridge! This is what my studio has become in one year! I am so thankful and blessed to have this awesome space! Thanks SCIART!!!!
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Works in Progress
Working on a few different drawings. Being full time at my job really makes it difficult to get to my studio to work on a regular basis, but I am trying my best.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
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