unsuccessful THIS time - there is however.....tomorrow

however thanks to all you guys, i realized that this can actually happen, maybe not at this time and not quite this way but i am going to restart this in a month or so
i learned so very much from this
and actually despite not being successfully funded, it was a very good experience.
i discovered i could put together a video without equipment!
i discovered how much thought and research needs to go into something like this (* NOTE: a LOT..... seriously i lived this for about two months prior to launch)
and i also realized that i need a larger social network
i am very blessed that i have you all pulling for me and my work.
i think we're going to all discuss (probably on facebook) what to change for next time
the same way we all discuss how the paintings are progressing and what themes, subjects and projects are next.

i would still  love to see this project fly, maybe not as cards.... but something else common and every day
i was surprised at the amount of backers that were men..... wow!...and not just any men, highly educated men....... that was really a pleasure to see

so i figure that as you folks all watched this develop ......and in a way is sort of your baby too... i guess as aunts/uncles we all should put our heads together on how to next send it out into the world

thank you all so very much
(and maybe i need to paint a few more birds and a few more nests?)



edited to add:
(cause it won't let me comment !!!!)

i think you guys being behind me is why i did the kickstarter in the first place... i don't think i could have done this without you all telling me i could

Last 24 hours

this is the last chance for getting this project off the ground. there is 24 hours left, i really hope that it could be brought into the world. 

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/87722640/out-of-the-nest-a-card-project

expanded reward levels

first off thank you everyone who's backed this project. today is a week that it's live.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/87722640/out-of-the-nest-a-card-project

out of the nest card project

please if you like my work, please spread this link.

now i have finally updated the rewards, if you would like to take a look. so many of you who backed this project pledged more then the rewards - now it was so important to me that everyone got not only a reward but a fair reward that i upped the levels, this way you folks who pledge more will get more.

now figuring rewards is not easy to do for me as it's sort of abstract thinking. i can't actually SEE it in front of me, and since i think in pictures it was not easy for me to visualize this.

please let me know if i messed up, or if there should be levels i don't have. or if there is something someone wants and i don't have it

i added a big level for some people who wanted to have these as holiday cards. and if anyone does use them as holiday cards, i will be hugely flattered!

wow!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/87722640/out-of-the-nest-a-card-project
i'm getting there everyone!
thank you so much
this is so exciting for me
i am still working on higher level rewards for some of you backers that pledge so much more then the reward levels i had there
really i thought maybe a few friends would pledge but i didn't think complete strangers would....
and boy am i amazed!
and so grateful

now no one does a project like this without a lot of help, support and encouragement from folks
and i was so blessed to have a lot of people believe in me
from the beginning, when i sat down and started to paint nests and birds...... i was so very lucky to have the best support network.

i always encourage people to tell me what they like and dislike
and i am lucky that they do
now sometimes i change things because someone has made a valid point.... and sometimes i do another variation as someone has made a point that i really missed and i felt the need to explore

thank you all so much for believing in my work and in me

the day after

well first off thank you all so very much as the response has been been overwhelming.
i am exhausted
that was something i didn't count on, being that tired after the launch.
i was working on the video up to the last minute
kickstarter approved this in record time, as they said two days, and i think it was more like 2 hours!
i have to add more reward levels, as people are pledging more then what i have in rewards so i am going up the levels, for more goodies for the pledges i don't yet have rewards for.

i really can't believe i came this far.....i knew i wanted to do this as a kickstarter project, but i really didn't expect anyone to actually pledge money!
i am so glad though, and people that i don't even KNOW are pledging so that means that they like my work too!
that makes me very happy to know.
today i am sort of recovering, i made some cookie dough (butter cookies with my homemade vanilla and homemade orange extract) just a basic simple recipe
1c butter thoroughly creamed
1c sugar
1 egg (unfortunately the ducks aren't laying so i used a chicken egg)
vanilla extract
orange extract
2-1/2 cups of sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

i have it chilling in the fridge now

stuff like this grounds me. i am thinking of also baking bread after supper.....
now tomorrow i need to add more rewards so i will think about that
and i will also copy this post and send it to the backers
i have to thank you all again
i really do feel like cinderella at the ball

WE are LIVE!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/87722640/out-of-the-nest-a-card-project

SUBMITTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

now we wait for kickstarters approval......i went over the guidelines so i dont' expect there will be a problem but you never know..... so we wait

but basically.... this is it .......

now in doing all the preparation for this, i have to say........i learned a LOT.

a few things i will share with you folks

1) give yourself plenty of time.....maybe even 5 months more then you think you'll need (especially if it's your first project

2) try and outline everything you have to do..... that is going to change a few times but at least you will have a rough idea

3) have very good friends who love you

4) have plenty of coffee and icecream

5) expect that there will be days you just can't work on your project for whatever reason (i got sick, and i also had writers block)

6) for me, next time i do a project of any kind, i am going to cut all the paper at once, do a storyboard outline, and get my images scanned ASAP, 

7) be prepared to make do and think outside the box.

better to iron out the glitches now

then before this project goes live
and there are a few
the biggest one is the voice over is not audible to everyone
some folks hear it fine, maybe not the music but my voice
other folks don't hear me hardly at all ( i am doing the best i can with extremely limited technology)


so while i'm at it ....may as well make things even clearer in descriptions too no?

then there was the matter of graphic spacers for the project page..... i am liking these
i did those while i was also finding prices on packaging and figuring packaging options.
i think i got that figured out again..... this time with maybe an easier way to do it

the realization that at the very least there will be 6000 cards being printed, packaged and shipped has at times overwhelmed me.

one part of this project i am not sure if i discussed was that it was important to me not only to get a high quality job done, but at a fair price, and made in america.
i did finally find a local printer, a local fine art scanner, and i believe i have found a reasonable packaging option, and shipping options that are made in america

i am also very grateful to my friends who've been pestered and forced to view or listen to videos, slide shows, emails, questions, phone calls..... angst, self doubt, and attacks of total panic

one friend of mine, going over the rewards with me again and again..... she is a saint......
another taking time out of her totally swamped schedule to watch my video in her studio...
everyone on facebook who've watched this and held my hand through this
my husband who's been doing a lot around the house so i can paint and research

honestly i wouldn't ever have even dreamed of doing this without you guys telling me i could.....that what i do was good enough to put it out there.

bless you all
now for me.....back to work
i would like this project launched very soon.....

this project is about to go live ..........

gees i am exhausted,
i am going to try and redo that vid tomorrow with the audio a bit louder.... (which when you all read this will be today.....

and i am working on the 'rewards' for the kickstarter backers....
no reward can be more then ten of an item, so does that mean i can't have card sets of 12?
well tarot card decks are funded and that's 72 cards per deck
so i guess i can do double sets?
i think my head hurts
but i will figure this out
i also need to figure packaging, i had my heart set on kraft paper and jute twine.....
which folks can recycle, compost or even start the woodstove with...
we'll see
i realized that if i have to tie 500 bows in jute twine, i may not be painting for a few months while my fingers heal...........
i am sure i can figure a compromise
i also need to get figures for overseas sales, for shipping, as i know there are a few people that are overseas that want these cards.
and i have to have separate rewards for them!

this is a LOT of work, it's a huge project, and i am thankful that the bulk of the paintings (ok the goldfinch and indigo bunting were after) were done months ago
i would not want to be sitting down now to do the paintings for a project of this size.

most of the work for this was mental work, since the paintings were done. decisions about how many, what kind of paper.... which paintings to keep and which to leave out.
how to write what you folks read here on the blog and what will be on the kickstarter project page.

i sort of learned a bit about video too.
now about that video.......
i don't actually have access to a video camera.
my little camera does take video but it's sort of shaky and a lot grainy.
so i had to work with what i had.....and that was still photos
a slide show maker software
a mic on the laptop (we discovered the laptop has a web cam...it's even worse then my little camera!)
and my sort of learning on the fly to put it all together

add that to the budgies that NEVER SHUT UP, while i was trying to record my voice over....

so here i am, almost on the eve of going live.......i feel like life may never be the same again.
and in a way it won't be, as the entire world ( or at least the people that kickstarter reaches) will see my paintings.

ok now this will post in the AM- but i am about to go to sleep for the night.....
take good care everyone......
and please wish me and the project luck

a short discussion about......our birds!

i was asked recently, why birds?
why nests?
the answer is, because i love birds, and i have a few of my own!
i have 5 ducks
4 chickens
and 4 budgies
(also 3 laperm cats but that's another story for another time)
everyone is got a name, which they respond to......... all, with the exception of the budgies, are tame and love to be carried around like babies.

so back to the question, i am of the school where you draw, or write what you know, and i am surrounded by birds.
completely by choice.
we don't have a lot of pet birds compared to the amount of wild birds that share the property with us.  they love it here!
we have plenty of cover for them, food, water..........
lots of trees and wild spaces

and they seem to really really LOVE duck and chicken food. the cardinals alone must go through a pound or two a week of duck and chicken food.....they swoop into the duck/chicken pens and help themselves. it's gotten so bad that the ducks ignore the wild birds!
but i love them all, they make our world so much happier with their chirping and their flying around out there.
we put out nesting materials for them in spring but really there is so much out there, dead dried grass, duck and chicken feathers.... etc that they just happily stay here and raise family after family.

they're happy
we're happy
and i get to paint them!

so that's the answer of 'why birds'

things are better with drum scanning?

i spoke to another fine art scanner company..... and drum scanning is the way to go for art prints
(or so folks think)

soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
that would add a whole buncha money to the kickstarter project
but may be worth it

(and i have a fast rough draft and voice over that sucks but progress is being made)


now there are a few points i know i need to make with the video.....one being that this project is the first really big one that i've done on my own.
and that i had a 'godwink' happen to push me into this back in january when the lady in the bookstore descended the ladder and asked me about what type of studio i had.... then when i told her about the book i was working on, insisted on there being cards....

another point would be how much joy painting these birds and these nests gave me, as well as the people watching them develop

and how many people are anxiously waiting for these to be printed and available

wow

AND we got goal! (from yesterday)

this nest is so magical for me

although the voice over was not usable as i started to cough again!!

today all i need to do is finish the video and we can go live ASAP
everything else is done!
and i mean EVERYTHING

i love the colors

i did the merchant's account
finished verifications
etc





so today's goals are

1. call the fine art printer down the valley and see about a deal on professional scans 
2. try another voice over, without coughing
3. finish piecing together this video

today my goals are:

starting the head of
the house finch

1. to open the amazon account that i need to start the kickstarter 
2. to record at least draft 1 on the voice over

i had a lot of person set backs with this project, not as much with the paintings, more with the 'fly the nest' part of it....where i try and get it out into the world
i think that part of that is me

goldfinch

it's pretty scary out in the big world and they are all such YOUNG paintings...( ok humor me, i do spend a LOT of time over them)

but today is another step closer to them going out into the world.

while waiting for my voice to return

house finch on rough press paper

so i can record this voice over...... (i am wondering if, perhaps i should just do it with music and insert black frames with type, like old timey silent movies)
i figured i would talk a bit about watercolor paper and a bit about the differences etc.
watercolor paper is usually 100% cotton, and is specified by weight, and surface finish


i tend to use 140# hp (hot press) some folks use lighter 90# and some use heavier
a lot of artists like the texture of rough press paper, and i do too but it doesn't lend itself to easy reproduction of my paintings - see that house finch...look at the sky closely.....see the texture? now in person that texture just sparkles....... but i don't truly like it in scans as well..... and i have to correct for it.
(when the originals go up for sale though, someone is going to love it, i would bet on it)

cardinal on hot press paper

now here on the other hand is a cardinal..... he's done on hot press paper and the surface is smooth... it's easier to get fine crisp lines and better, i think, for reproduction...but in person, it is my opinion that he doesn't quite sparkle as much as he could. (that is my opinion, as my husband thinks he does)

my favorite brand of paper is twinrocker, hands down the top of the line paper.
i do also use fabriano artistico
i do NOT use arches, i don't like it.
i do however like canson100, which is also part of the arches family..... but for some reason canson works better for me then arches does.

there are other papers out there and others that i have tried but these work the best for the way i work.
normally

all the paper i use is 100% archival as well, so it should, with reasonable care, last at least 500 years. so will my pigments...........
not that i am any great master artist or anything but it's good to know that when it comes time for these original paintings to be sold, the buyers won't be facing faded or mutated colors, or deteriorating paper. properly matted and framed they will be around for a very long time.

a glimpse of one of the 'fails'

occasionally a painting is a total fail, and i recycle it.

2nd painting of a
chipping sparrow-recycled

i figured that i would show you all a total fail, and it only got worse after this!

there are elements of this chipping sparrow that worked but then overall it just was not something that made my heart leap when i set the brush down.....then i made it worse by redoing the background sort of an orange purple too. 

 also he's cramped into the plane of the painting, which made me feel like he was captured and flattened, not the feeling i wanted at all....so this is one of my recycles...

now the elements that did work for me, actually it was the colors! i really LIKED this the way it was as far as the colors go...and the modeling of the bird itself- and i even liked how the shadows and modeling of the branch came out...just enough without being over done but overall it just was not right.

on the plus side, HE is actually looking like a SHE since there is an egg bulge. 

*  anyone who is involved with birds on a daily basis will know exactly what that is-for the rest, it's the bulge just under the tail, indicating that an egg is waiting to be laid. i have ducks, chickens and budgies here, mainly girls, so that is something we notice   *

now my point being?

well each painting teaches the artist something, even a failure.

keeping trying as it is about the process of correcting what you did wrong, and reaching further towards what you feel is right.
repeating what you did right while stretching your comfort area with each different painting
and THAT part should never stop for an artist who's interested in growing.

3rd chipping sparrow

here is the third one i did of a chipping sparrow- i don't think the bird is quite as well modeled as the last one but i do believe there is more 'air' around him....

this was/is all part of the process i went through doing the work for the card project. i have nest paintings too the either didn't make it into the line up although they were good, because they didn't 'fit' the look

i though folks may find it interesting to see some of the 'out takes' that happened with this project

now as soon as i get a voice BACK, i intend on doing the voice over for the slide show...then this project goes live on kickstarter.....

one that i love, but didn't get into this set of cards

this is the oven bird.
they live in my area of pa on the forest floor, they make a really cool nest, which is what they are named after.
i loved this little bird so much.
after laying out all the birds in the series i decided that i would have to cut him.
it broke my heart as i really loved painting him, i loved learning about him, and his little feet in this painting just GOT ME.
(so did the orange striped cap)
i do tend to favor the ones that everyone overlooks.
in my mind this is as fascinating as a cardinal, but not as showy.
with THIS bird, you have to learn to appreciate the subtle shadings of feathers, and how amazingly well this bird is designed to hide in the mulch layer of the woods.
no he isn't the most eye catching of birds but that is the whole POINT!
cool huh?
maybe eventually i will do a series with these quite birds.....what do you folks think?


oh and we are getting better around here.
today i was able to get the ducks out (with help)

temporary setback due to

fast update today is tuesday sep 4...OMG i been sick all weekend (you don't want to know just how sick i was, i could NOT break a fever of 102.4) but i am better today, thank goodness
whatever this thing is that bernie gave me, i am STILL coughing really bad, and i hope i can sleep tonight as i wasn't able to for two nights as i could NOT breath, i almost went to the hospital ER it was so bad.
i figure another day if i can get some sleep then i should be fine and out of the nest should be back on track- thank you all for your continued support

the plague from the pits of hell..........(thanks to bernie....who shares EVERYTHING with me)

he shared a really bad cold this time, so bad my face is swollen!

so here is a page out of my journal, i know a few are unfinished but i need to order new ink for my fountain pen, please look at this for a while, and let me attempt to recover from this really really REALLY bad cold that has my poor face so swollen i can't focus my eyes!

and for the record, bernie is on the mend...... and he's barely coughing!

some PROGRESS!

i got a bit more done on scanning etc, my friend lana would like to see these paintings professionally scanned and i would also- i did find one more fine art scanning/printing company that i didn't know about so i am going to call them to see about scanning. because i scan them over and over and keep adjusting color to get them to look the same as on my screen but then i realized, that a printer will need them scanned for cmyk not rbg ( i know that MY printer wants them in cmyk, i can do color separations for that here) 

so monday i call another printer, and depending on costs i will figure that into the kickstarter budget. meanwhile, this is the line up of the paintings for the card project. plus the fledgling in the nest if we exceed the goal.  i am starting to get excited again. oh and the writer's block..... fading....

"hi, ..........and welcome .................et me introduce you to my project........'

on being an artist

i'm an artist

new paint table shelf-half finished

i look at the world from that view point

it's usually a bit left from center 

i observe

sometimes people don't like what i do observe

it sometimes gets people nervous

however, most often i don't even realize i have observed something until later

sometimes i see things that people really don't want me to see......

it's a curse and a gift and i get to live it daily

i was once told ( and by my brother of all people) that even if i took a 'break' from art i couldn't take a break from being an artist.....

because it was how my head was wired and i would continue to look at the world from that view point-and i continued to get better even when i was on a break!

guess he was right huh?

i LOVE what i do.....especially when the work is going well...... but even when it isn't going well, i would still rather doing this then anything else. 

i try, (sometimes without realizing it) to challenge myself with each painting...... then there is the ebb and flow of working....plus the inevitable questions back and forth

the dialog in my head goes something like this 

'i don't think i can pull this one off...'

'this is too advanced for me'

' i am so going to get this one' 

'totally'

'oops, oh shit'

'i need more brushes'

'WHY didn't i use heavier paper for this one, it's all freeken washes and now it's buckled.......(why didn't i stretch the paper)'

'oh LOOK a hawk ....( that would be said while 'resting' my eyes looking out the window)'

'coffee and icecream is a perfectly acceptable breakfast......' ( cause i paint early early sometimes)

'you need to layer like 7 different blues to get a hint of the right one'

'what the hell does this need? damned if i know'

'ok it's about to be recycled'

now that last one brings wails from the people who love me and follow my work......

but it is true some stuff really does need to be recycled.....

and if/when i chop it all up and then make scrap mixed media bookmarks or something out of it... 

well let's just say......that'll be between me and the studio ok?

the fact of being an artist is that you have a dialog going on in your head.....several actually, all at once

there is the technical part of you.... 'blue next to orange and they both pop' 

the human side of you ' wow, look at that beautiful bird......amazing'

the child side of you ' how much fun is this and let's add more color'

the adult side of you ' really i need to get the dishes washed'

and this all sort of swirls around while you work

that's why i am so glad when i get into that 'zone' which is a total meditative place

everything either shuts down but the work

or 

i just can't hear the other shit that is yacking away in my head

oh and somedays

there comes a finished painting that has me saying 

'holey shit! did i do that? na.....i must have been channeling leonardo.....cause honey i just ain't that good'

so there you go......

a glimpse into my head,---minus the screaming budgies, the music that sings little songs to me from a cd in the boom box, the drips and splashes of paint, the endless marketing, and the wish for a prettier studio like i see in all the magazines........(DOES any real work go on in them studios? damn i must be the sloppiest artist EVER)

til next time

color! seductive, distracting- and compelling

 here is a photo of one of the palettes i use painting nests, yes i really do use bright pure colors like that, i layer color over color in thin transparent layers and slowly build up colors.
i do the same when painting the birds for the out of the nest series
(the crows are a slightly different story, but we aren't talking about the crows now)
also in that photo is my garbage bag under my paint table and the folgers coffee "can" i use for rinse water.

 ( thaddeaus likes to drink the water, and i use colbalts and cadmiums)

i love the colors i use, each one made it onto the palette because first off they are light fast, second they are full rich lusty colors. if they didn't reach into my soul i wouldn't have them on my palette.
now normally i prefer black and white to color, because i know me....it's easy to get waylaid by the color and not pay attention to basics like form and modeling. so periodically throughout the painting i will run a photo of my progress through imaging software and turn it into grayscale to check if i still have things working. if they are fine, i continue painting.....if they don't work......well then decisions need to be made. some are simple......MORE DARKS in certain areas.... some aren't as simple....and may lead to a painting being recycled.
(yes i know... a lot of people start screaming at me when i say a painting is getting recycled.....but really if i say it's not good enough, it is NOT good enough- i can and will do better)

so it's not unheard of for me to do 4 or more paintings of the SAME thing...almost exactly, trying to 'get it right'.  it's not often thank goodness but if i have to i will

now the next picture is my palette as well, however this one is my palette chart. and yes i do this will ALL color (and sometimes even blk/wht in pencil) i draw it all down to tint....... i find it helpful on a few levels.
i get to work with the colors without having to have pressure to 'paint' something and i keep it on my drafting table if i need to remember the basics of a color....... it helps me make mixing decisions as well.
'mmmm that red is more orange.... so i'll pair it with that yellow which is also has orange in it....makes things brighter'
i label the colors with the pure pigment, MY numbering system (for color tests) and the color name.
actually i have four more colors on that chart now.. but that is the palette i used for the nest/bird paintings. and the new colors that were added recently were used in the holiday collection

for anyone involved with color, i would suggest a color palette chart.... i also do wash charts (especially of greens and purples, they seem to give me the most trouble)

so here is another behind the scenes of painting this series.....
meanwhile the quest for the voice over has been set down for the moment... i am painting crows and hoping that the muse comes back soon. i figure it's ok cause it's back to school time anyway..... but this all needs to be finished at least by the next two weeks and launched

til next time

just taking a break in the project to ask you all....

is this blog loading ok for you folks? 

are the pictures ok?

is there any problems with it at all? 

please let me know ok? you can leave it in the comments if you wouldn't mind 

vi

ps: this is a sneak peek at the first painting in the crow series, i am up to 10 now 

this is for my chicklet daughters

btw, i have to say, time away from my paintings is good for me, because then i get to see them with a fresh eye.. oh and another thing, painting indian corn I THOUGHT was going to be a nightmare, turns out it was a LOT of fun

(this whole painting was a lot of fun for me)

a few of the other paintings in this series

i LOVE this nest, i don't know why

 here are some of the other birds and nests in the series, they are thumbnails so very tiny i know- i have discovered that i need to color separate them then recombine them for the best images!

i have to say i do love what i do, i know that there are times when i am convinced that i can't paint my way out of a paper bag with a road map, but when it's working well for me, i truly do love what i do. it's so meditative for me- one of my friends tells me that what i do is my form of prayer and she just may be right. i feel so great when i finish a painting that is working. now that being said- if i don't think it's working i will not hesitate to recycle a painting. everyone gets so upset when i do that, but i think at some point, you need to trust your eye enough to say.....'this is crap and it's gone' or 'i can do better' or even 'this is really good let's stop now before we f* it up'
(and i have said all that and more at times)

i am actually painting the continuation of the crow series right now, while i work on this video for kickstarter, and i am up to number 10, although 9 has yet to be laid out.
this voice over is harder then i expected, so i keep hoping i will dream it. i love when i dream things out.
i have a few more series that i will start after out of the nest, and the crow series. but i enjoyed out of the nest so much, i do plan on a second 'out of the nest' series next year.
so i hope i get this video done soon, i don't feel too bad about it at the moment, as school just started and a lot of folks are busy getting thier offspring out of the nest so to speak. but i really hope next week or so to go live
bug me ok?

sneak peeks

this is just a fast sneak peek at a baby fledging about to leave the nest, in many ways this painting became (for me at least) a symbol of this project. so i decided that if i meet my funding goal on kickstarter, i may offer this print as another separate reward......what do you all think?

it wouldn't be work without some hitches no?

which one is the best image? the scanned one or the digital one (taken with my little camera)?

scanned image

digital image

after this just one more to go

AND the nightmare voice over which still is eluding me........ then i do a vendor account at amazon, then a final budget projection............. then this goes LIVE at kickstarter......

and i am terrified! doesn't make any sense to be this terrified right? i mean either way..... it doesn't detract from the fact that i did the paintings, but part of me is afraid of failing to meet my funding goal and being able to print the project.....and part of me is terrified i WILL meet the funding goal and print the project

not that any of that makes sense but it is normal i think before a person does something very different for the first time. 

now i'd been in advertising and done large accounts before, but i handed off things to either the printer, and then the sales people or the client....this is the first time i will be acting as 'general contractor' for a project from start to finish. i know logically that it's pretty simple really after all is said and done..... 

ok deep breaths and hope writer's block leaves soon

writer's block

i am trying to write the voice over for the slideshow/video

so far i am getting no where

inane dreck is basically what i've been reduced to

so i sort of goofed off a bit today

i made curtains out of some toile i had stashed since last year 

(for the studio)

i painted a bit

i delayed doing things.....i cooked

but still nothing is coming to me about this voice over

i dreamt on it....... which normally works

still nothing

i can't have a silent video so i need some inspiration pretty quick i would say

no?

like MAGIC- takes a bit longer in real life

these may not have made it ok but these are part of the video for kickstarter

a wash your laundry does not get clean---

what is a wash?

 i was asked this yesterday

this mysterious wash thing i keep referring to

as it obviously doesn't involve socks and sheets

ok so here is a photo of a wash on watercolor paper

it's a thin veil of color with a wet edge

(see the little drip of darker color?)

that is what 'carries' the wash down the page 

i go over areas with multiple washes to build up colors and define and model images

this allows the most amount of light to bounce back into the viewer's eyes

when i get to the point that the washes are built up enough and dark enough, then i work in what is called 'dry brush' which is just like it sounds ...much dryer paint on the brush

now this post is short as i am working on a slide show/video for the kickstarter project

not too successfully at the moment i might add.

i have arcsoft media impressions and while it's doing it sort of, i am not sure i can export what i need into  video software so i can upload it

oye

til next time

vi

chickadee backwards

here is another start to finish....this time a bird 

i plan on posting my 'out-takes' as well

so folks can see when i mess up. i hope that this reminds me to never take it for granted, reminds others that even though it may look easy from the other side, it isn't.

and that only by keeping going do you get anywhere

so here goes with the chickadee, this time backwards ok?

i liked (at that time) the weird moody color of the background. while i still do, i realized through out the series that it wouldn't work with each bird, so while here it makes the chickadee look alive, with say, the cardinal, it would be a disaster.

almost finished, darks needed correcting

now this painting also started me on a bit of a study of lichen! as the twig this bird was on was covered in it! i found a few different kinds just outside my door! i even found fairy cup lichen! and then i wanted to start a terrarium for some lichen and mosses that i found - i did not get the terrarium finished but i do intend on making one, as THAT is how interesting i found my very small fast study of lichen, fungi and mosses.

working on wing and tail feathers

while i am painting i am also half in a meditative trance, sometimes i listen to music but i don't have to. while in this state, i tend to feel my subjects, i can feel the fluffy feathers, and hear the rustle of the wings. i don't hear bird song normally though. but i can almost hear a heart beat... if i get to that state,then the finished painting should be good. i remember telling one of my teachers that when i was in art school..... thankfully she understood and didn't call the men in the white suits for me.

developing the darks further

now this chickadee i liked very much when i did him, as i felt that the feathers were softly shaded enough, and he was feathery enough for you to hopefully feel his softness and his fluffy roundness. i like chickadees in general as they are cheeky little birds who really aren't too afraid of anything. and they are smart too.....they used to follow me around outside until i filled their feeders.

starting to develop the darks

they are here all year long in my corner of PA, and most folks love to watch their antics at the winter feeders. 

there are a few different kinds of chickadee, but i only see the black capped and the carolina. 

they looks very similar.

and they have HUGE heads compared to their bodies, so they look like babies or cute cartoon birds.

first washes

so there you have one of the birds painted from start to finish... although you do have to go backwards to see that

from start to finish

 i love watching how things are created - the process, which for me is the most interesting part.

first washes with liquid masked areas

i love seeing how others faced and surmounted problems, what decisions were made at key point, and what unexpected elements happened.
i think a lot of people like to see how things develop as well
i know when i posted start to finish paintings on facebook folks seem to like to watch them go from this (see the photo on the left)

 through to the finished painting (bottom painting)
now i started with washes of yellows and peach and rose colors -these are my very favorite colors, and i was determined to use them

in the second photo you can see where the liquid mask is stopping the colors from sinking into the paper
i work in thin washes at first, building up layer after layer of pure pigments
i use pretty bright colors too, mixing them at first optically on the paper
the colors don't look bright because they ARE such thin washes
it takes a while to build areas up, and it takes a while for washes to dry, but mostly this insures that the colors remain clean and clear.
it also gives me a bit of time to see what is developing....stuff maybe i had not counted on or thought of.....
i do think the universe helps every artist (and every one) so sometimes it is a good thing to get out of the way and let it help

at some point i really start getting into the painting and start to develop areas. when that happens it's like i am in a trance or a place of meditation.
if you happen to be following what i am painting you can see pretty much where that happens just by what starts to happen in the painting. and THAT is where for me, the sheer joy of painting comes in
that is mostly why i keep doing it
and after a session, when i 'come back down to earth,' i take a picture and post it to my friends to let them see, plus really, for me to see it with a fresh eye

sometimes i need to put it into grayscale or flip it to also see where i i am with each painting.

and to see areas that i possibly missed.

sometimes it all works out so perfectly that i am sure that being an artist has got to be the BEST job on earth or in heaven.......to create, to design, to present beauty to the eyes and hearts of your world.

of course then there are other times when i mess it up and it goes into recycling.... sorta like a dinosaur.......

but not this time

btw, the blue corners you see ...... those are pieces of blue tape (painters tape) which is what i use to hold the paintings to the board
i use blue tape for almost everything in the studio now
it's cheap
easy to see (just don't leave it too long on the vinyl cover of the drafting table)
it doesn't hurt paper
and it's low tack

ok til next time

PS: i am starting to patch together a video, i have to use my little digital canon camera, so this is going to be interesting
any suggestions on free editing software?

thank you so much

a review of the paintings one at a time

one of the nest series

i thought it might be nice, in no particular order, to review the paintings in this series. for me it's meeting old friends in a sense, for some of you, it's meeting new friends. for others it's a refresh the memory. 

now a lot of folks who know me watched these paintings come to life, almost one wash at a time. 

i posted them in progress on my friend list on facebook.

i was so very scared to show people what i did -  see i am a commercial artist, i went to art school but switched early to commercial art as i knew i needed to earn a living.

i did layout/pasteup early on, typesetting, graphic design, logos, illustration.

at one point i did a lot of packaging design as i ran my own toiletries company (sounds bigger then it was) 

when we moved here to pa, i was making original from scratch porcelain dolls... a lot of work but rewarding. 

now i've moved full circle.

i started painting nests because i just love birds. 

and bird's nests fascinate me as do eggs.

i think it's a combination of what they are and what they represent.

home, love, family, shelter, safety, hope for the future, freedom - they are cozy and yet not restricting.

i know a lot of people watch birds build their nests and raise the babies with a sense of awe and wonder.

i am no exception.

here where we live in pa, we are in or very near the 'eastern flyway,' a migratory route for birds. we are close to the river and so we get a LOT of birds here.

of course bernie and i help them along by keeping a lot of natural wild plantings so they have food and shelter. 

there is also a seasonal stream out back.

then if that isn't enough

our beloved pet ducks and chickens provide extra food and water for the wild birds.

it's gotten so that the wild birds go into the duck pens to eat next to the ducks and drink out of the duck ponds!

so you can imagine we have a LOT of wild birds here, winter and summer.

and in fall we see a LOT of bird nests

i really should start to save them in the house but mostly i leave them out there

so the cycle of nature can continue

til next time

another day, another offset printer AND a glimpse into the studio

i am looking for a second estimate for the card project.

a stack of palettes in the studio

the specs are:

5X7

scored not folded (they will fold easily)

matte card stock

12 images 

envelopes

matte stock i think works the best with my paintings, so matte it will have to be.  

now, to get the best prices so i can offer these cards at a universally (almost) affordable level, i need to get at least 500 of each image. 

this is a BIG job for an offset printer run. it will take them about 3 weeks as plates need to be made from color separations, and it will be run through the presses a total of four separate times then through the cutting and scoring machines!

there are 4 colors per card, so four separate plates per card, each plate is 10X7 that's a HUGE job 

no wonder it takes them three weeks!

1st of the crow series in progress 

printing at home would be even more of a job at this point, as i would not only need a BIG printer capable of large format etc...and i believe (i am not sure) that the cost per card would top 3.00 just to print here! (which is why i am going commercial as well - quality and costs)

i really really WANT this project to go forward and i figure that the more reasonable the project is the easier that would be

i have been hoping to bring in the cards at around $20 for 24 but that doesn't look like i can do it unless i go a lot smaller, and get glossy card stock. And at this point also, the local printer is about .02 cents cheaper per card then the internet giants!

also at this point, with the estimates i am looking at approximately 16.00 per set of 12, plus shipping (and sales tax in pa)

what a mess! more palettes

i also would like some printed information about the cards with my contact information on the backs-that may cost a bit more as well.

so today is calling another printer but i really do think the one i spoke to yesterday will be the one i go with if the kickstarter project is successful.  PLUS they are right around the corner so i can keep a close eye on the runs

tomorrow my challenge will be a video...... once i have the video done and my funding estimates...

i load this all up on to kickstarter and go live

the video may be a problem, as i don't have a video camera, nor is the video part of my little digital camera any good .... the laptop cam is a total waste of time (we finally figured out where it was)

til next time

oh and if anyone has any suggestions about how to do this video.....let me know ok?