tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66962043038904109322024-03-06T03:05:52.059-05:00Jumping in PuddlesAlisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.comBlogger263125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-19816823810356849232015-08-10T09:28:00.000-04:002015-08-10T09:28:04.160-04:00Adventures in linocutI just completed my first ever reduction linocut. Here's the plate with the image drawn on in sharpie and just the areas I wanted to be white cut out.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG4q1e9VDSHgmDBttxBUx99PgBKPM0jd59YB0hHoeyvmuDX6-7wRw1rtNlEIL8e3lkLKcUcf1q19NFBTo7JMnE9vFyahLWf1fwZ1yiXt0EDKRcu0Tq_-9-M9j-h4UWDaILfJPmLzSw_H4/s1600/image_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG4q1e9VDSHgmDBttxBUx99PgBKPM0jd59YB0hHoeyvmuDX6-7wRw1rtNlEIL8e3lkLKcUcf1q19NFBTo7JMnE9vFyahLWf1fwZ1yiXt0EDKRcu0Tq_-9-M9j-h4UWDaILfJPmLzSw_H4/s320/image_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
And here are the first two colors I printed.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-1QlIxeY_V54v1qHvstWulN4nnfsjCge6yZPcyufxsVy-tKGUz5znBiKmJQPPuDxyyTxjd2OdgyHqMb33oZonLJL1UPDfU9OGMyGt3Dwg7DBOCizPiwQtT6RrK7ysHKDDSZaabUzGQLk/s1600/image_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-1QlIxeY_V54v1qHvstWulN4nnfsjCge6yZPcyufxsVy-tKGUz5znBiKmJQPPuDxyyTxjd2OdgyHqMb33oZonLJL1UPDfU9OGMyGt3Dwg7DBOCizPiwQtT6RrK7ysHKDDSZaabUzGQLk/s320/image_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The pink was first, then I cut away more of the block and printed with the blue. I had quite a bit of trouble getting the pink to print well and in the end found out that I hadn't sanded my block enough.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fSc-2pboTQhc21WtwjIclSgOHJWbXgU3aWj6LqgnBcw_zubJ2y6dOiEMIi-DKXlLlDvCNtqEHxOLSTgHfke8_qwDqtM4g_yDIrrH8EBIGVJJyYHieY7ixoxRE-lkIQo5BimMivPpKcA/s1600/image_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fSc-2pboTQhc21WtwjIclSgOHJWbXgU3aWj6LqgnBcw_zubJ2y6dOiEMIi-DKXlLlDvCNtqEHxOLSTgHfke8_qwDqtM4g_yDIrrH8EBIGVJJyYHieY7ixoxRE-lkIQo5BimMivPpKcA/s320/image_3.jpg" width="259" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGY92vT7QnHhjOJIyZDxPL0D-cKMyM7NMoT_ku07xoePgeeKTnoPaYr9N8GjGOyDd4Sy5H3iWqJVX7RU_HERio3zhFp49U2FFLKKFdWlwzpUtD4MPrs7vxmm3VG8PoJ2nMcrmWnNvxj0U/s1600/image_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGY92vT7QnHhjOJIyZDxPL0D-cKMyM7NMoT_ku07xoePgeeKTnoPaYr9N8GjGOyDd4Sy5H3iWqJVX7RU_HERio3zhFp49U2FFLKKFdWlwzpUtD4MPrs7vxmm3VG8PoJ2nMcrmWnNvxj0U/s320/image_4.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I added a lighter green, cut away more of the block and then did the darker green. The colors dry lighter so at first I thought I might stop at this point, but later decided to go ahead with black as I'd intended.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3B703ATPJDzpw8YmUQmxJ58hT6ACE7EYndvJvKQDMRde3UFD_nIKm1kNkcjMXBv6bsn0alvZHrl62vRhMoKDyOa4xqrL8MvZPnPHtHoQOr156HwqNQu-rleTMs7eHwS-cpmGHqdxXpZo/s1600/birdlino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3B703ATPJDzpw8YmUQmxJ58hT6ACE7EYndvJvKQDMRde3UFD_nIKm1kNkcjMXBv6bsn0alvZHrl62vRhMoKDyOa4xqrL8MvZPnPHtHoQOr156HwqNQu-rleTMs7eHwS-cpmGHqdxXpZo/s320/birdlino.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This is the final print. I learned so much doing this - about the right viscosity of the inks (I used a mixture of Akua intaglio inks and Speedball block printing inks along with a couple of different mediums), about the importance of precise registration, about my chosen brand of lino and about the press at Makers' Mill in North Adams where I did the printing. It took a few days because of waiting for the inks to dry completely between stages. Here's a shot of the great drying rack they have over there. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfjjqbtYHim-7nqlxt4AupvxhHlPPX3h_h1bawxgUNZ2V4BLa5zCEG1H46drpT9qBMKR2R17fbCzADPH7w_LFooVkxBAFm_fGPl7CGKxn6mlocNQrqykcxQ3TUOWz-pAE8YgKiGAh_kE/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfjjqbtYHim-7nqlxt4AupvxhHlPPX3h_h1bawxgUNZ2V4BLa5zCEG1H46drpT9qBMKR2R17fbCzADPH7w_LFooVkxBAFm_fGPl7CGKxn6mlocNQrqykcxQ3TUOWz-pAE8YgKiGAh_kE/s320/image.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It's a lot of fun as well as a little nerve wracking not being sure how things will turn out in the end. I came away with 11 prints, but they're all a little different from each other.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-63989267898718831562014-07-09T20:57:00.001-04:002014-07-09T20:57:39.664-04:00Painting how-to<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHafeBhyphenhyphen8sc6wrWiugGABAawvbhALsHoYP6I3VCLEPnCSgxsmW0XD5aTIeTYx1_1w-mRv1DuDX49RwhHgA0G516NOnt4lJ3-LatJ9yTzs4h70jg8AkLlO4GSimD1Kozf-tMdnH-r7WW1Q/s1600/DSCN0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHafeBhyphenhyphen8sc6wrWiugGABAawvbhALsHoYP6I3VCLEPnCSgxsmW0XD5aTIeTYx1_1w-mRv1DuDX49RwhHgA0G516NOnt4lJ3-LatJ9yTzs4h70jg8AkLlO4GSimD1Kozf-tMdnH-r7WW1Q/s1600/DSCN0001.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Early this morning I rode my bike to this spot and took a few pictures. When I got home I made a quick black and white value sketch, stretched some watercolor paper and when it was dry masked out the areas I wanted to keep white.<span style="text-align: center;"> </span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;">I then poured liquid watercolor over the paper. First yellow, then red and finally blue.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK6PQosLQk0E0lM2QCfz_1QkW7jG6tO-ON57tDGRQEdSp2gFEgcGbUTkPsqH1191uwrMKs4tmwjWln0vN3Pajc1zvZeic7a_iH0Rh5PepJUZ8JVkLCgxWpQcNTecPgZX25_xrvWrZYKSk/s1600/image_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK6PQosLQk0E0lM2QCfz_1QkW7jG6tO-ON57tDGRQEdSp2gFEgcGbUTkPsqH1191uwrMKs4tmwjWln0vN3Pajc1zvZeic7a_iH0Rh5PepJUZ8JVkLCgxWpQcNTecPgZX25_xrvWrZYKSk/s1600/image_4.jpg" height="322" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIksrhQy8BkKjAHk4A_3RmpUH6_gr6n_BxJjBTvccdAz-zJlYb3p1B8NeuTznu3-9rnVSCV_68oFpPbKeMiZW_tnnUZeJXvNLtLidmZtlLKuwzAoRyasOhQTQgTiw4cIVxRzVr0ctXCw/s1600/image_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIksrhQy8BkKjAHk4A_3RmpUH6_gr6n_BxJjBTvccdAz-zJlYb3p1B8NeuTznu3-9rnVSCV_68oFpPbKeMiZW_tnnUZeJXvNLtLidmZtlLKuwzAoRyasOhQTQgTiw4cIVxRzVr0ctXCw/s1600/image_3.jpg" height="318" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Here it is with the mask removed.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDpEKHLhTJKBufCvONuweFbz6_UxfS9BA5G-PItGF3H_rDQfnxvARa1OZRx34caECRw7JB-bYNIwtKi8dYQdaHj30_RW3krgzMgGrDK9Mfs8QKoRVpYUWRlrQczHooBnLC9lgaSQYYP-Q/s1600/image_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDpEKHLhTJKBufCvONuweFbz6_UxfS9BA5G-PItGF3H_rDQfnxvARa1OZRx34caECRw7JB-bYNIwtKi8dYQdaHj30_RW3krgzMgGrDK9Mfs8QKoRVpYUWRlrQczHooBnLC9lgaSQYYP-Q/s1600/image_2.jpg" height="321" width="400" /></a></div>
I then painted in the tree trunks and created more textures in the foreground and the bushes on the far side of the river. Unfortunately I didn't take any more process pictures, but here's the final result.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEo6N1RKQ23heoao3scD9QHMrB9WIJ2LZvwynEJYsYL3pK0NriI5hm-cJ_2bcw7b4YqmU6jYmH7m3P-DVu7WtoyMmOYrdhYN5uUcfUwXPmQ8Ot74dbNXLF57ydTkpT8YFJj51JwveYyY/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEo6N1RKQ23heoao3scD9QHMrB9WIJ2LZvwynEJYsYL3pK0NriI5hm-cJ_2bcw7b4YqmU6jYmH7m3P-DVu7WtoyMmOYrdhYN5uUcfUwXPmQ8Ot74dbNXLF57ydTkpT8YFJj51JwveYyY/s1600/image.jpg" height="312" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-38726696164749260192014-04-26T08:44:00.000-04:002014-04-26T08:44:29.254-04:00What I learned<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FwEQRg2MBvx2ZV4qBqMvH4R0aW6J2jIrhh12ykEOuutWKkvvA1EqeDvg8WoyTVrBYscagMNG4CPPWSnVPLY0JJy8ozOv9wr65V0xG4qQyFsUXLHFMQdnhy6AWZRDqU1j98cIk_Hedvc/s1600/image_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FwEQRg2MBvx2ZV4qBqMvH4R0aW6J2jIrhh12ykEOuutWKkvvA1EqeDvg8WoyTVrBYscagMNG4CPPWSnVPLY0JJy8ozOv9wr65V0xG4qQyFsUXLHFMQdnhy6AWZRDqU1j98cIk_Hedvc/s1600/image_1.jpg" height="337" width="400" /></a></div>
At the end of 20 days of posting new art work every day I learned:<br />
<br />
1. I can do more than I think I can<br />
2. Ideas come. I may have no inkling of what I'll post in 2 days, but when the time comes so does the idea.<br />
3. Even the rather limited accountability of telling my small online world of my plan makes it more likely to succeed.<br />
4. Modest goals work better than huge ones - I couldn't have kept this up indefinitely.<br />
5. Promising to do something daily gets people coming back to check and see what's next.<br />
6. I even sold something.<br />
7. I'm happiest when I'm creating (unless it's when I'm singing). I know this, but it can still be hard to get down to it.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-11579446975768395492014-04-25T12:36:00.000-04:002014-04-25T12:36:27.237-04:00Subtractive watercolor painting <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMpU8scVNXDMODjzObcWQ6mU0YeziYfGsFsWAofMNcRA4zjL4GD1ZjmGHqn0VeontkLJAKhNmMCWZcNKoHY6oc66_n7kFCjtwQzy7mKUWZoJazWzHOeDJTedpxl9LwqagzlzgiNun5u0/s1600/moonlightfox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMpU8scVNXDMODjzObcWQ6mU0YeziYfGsFsWAofMNcRA4zjL4GD1ZjmGHqn0VeontkLJAKhNmMCWZcNKoHY6oc66_n7kFCjtwQzy7mKUWZoJazWzHOeDJTedpxl9LwqagzlzgiNun5u0/s1600/moonlightfox.jpg" height="400" width="307" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The basis of this painting was done back to front! I painted two layers of cobalt blue and then one of indigo before I started, adding more water as I moved down the page so that the bottom would be lighter. The cobalt blue is easy to keep smooth and even, the indigo much less so. I used a circle of masking tape to keep the moon white (and later softened its edges). I then removed color with a wet brush quickly followed by mopping with a paper towel. You can get almost all the way back to white paper with these two pigments (other colors are much more staining). The white on the fox's face and tail were not masked first, but just had their color lifted. I then added color to the fox, but the underlying blue helps keep him in the same moonlit spectrum of light - he doesn't show up quite as red in the actual painting. I added a little definition on the trees with indigo paint and a fine brush, but whereas I'd originally intended to make them clearly birches, I found that I preferred the softer focus of the subtractive process rather than defined markings. I also worked the middle section of the background so that it looks like a more distant hill.</div>
<br />Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-33922616777577524272014-04-24T13:55:00.000-04:002014-04-24T13:55:34.052-04:00O little townI enjoy the work of <a href="http://lisacongdon.com/">Lisa Congdon</a> although her work is much more graphic designy and modernist than mine. Anyway she's done a number of pictures of little towns and they inspired me to try one. I decided to use gouache as I wanted the rather chalky colors that can provide. I liked what happened at this first stage and was a bit afraid of losing it as I added detail so I recorded it. I had originally thought I wanted flat color but ended up liking the variation that happened when I used the paint quite diluted.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuyT0ik9alWeDJgQUXQuo7yjjbL3YZciI6k8WXoPOK3358fyePHe4FYbNRUFkGrxv8L6eGvofFRboUXOVIgdmWo0bu2ItIECqYH02K5XRMnimUALqkEuNN3FwJVj8u0elDXE7dEzUB1w/s1600/town.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuyT0ik9alWeDJgQUXQuo7yjjbL3YZciI6k8WXoPOK3358fyePHe4FYbNRUFkGrxv8L6eGvofFRboUXOVIgdmWo0bu2ItIECqYH02K5XRMnimUALqkEuNN3FwJVj8u0elDXE7dEzUB1w/s1600/town.jpg" height="400" width="395" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I then went ahead and added black marker and white acrylic ink lines.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40cwZkTldZCn1Jj-yXVFG7p_WKPy6O3VWmofgHQrhHa6kYnNk2TRXoCULW5fiF5W_0wmbw1XORU2cvRW1JFGsTlgdO4jWUiNLHmk5Hzqf-wJtXHdzrpyaoB_HyzXiGXWiWcRG0DYriTw/s1600/town2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40cwZkTldZCn1Jj-yXVFG7p_WKPy6O3VWmofgHQrhHa6kYnNk2TRXoCULW5fiF5W_0wmbw1XORU2cvRW1JFGsTlgdO4jWUiNLHmk5Hzqf-wJtXHdzrpyaoB_HyzXiGXWiWcRG0DYriTw/s1600/town2.jpg" height="396" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's a little hard to know where to stop with the details...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-31955526286113798672014-04-21T11:05:00.001-04:002014-04-21T11:05:23.464-04:00My daily paintingI realized that followers of my blog may wonder what happened to my <a href="http://alisonkolesar.blogspot.com/2014/04/challenging-myself.html">challenge to myself</a> to create a new piece of art every day for 20 days. It looks as thought there are quite a few gaps, but in fact I've been posting my daily piece at my Facebook page, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alison-Kolesar-Illustrator/345425255542399?ref=hl">Alison Kolesar Illustrator</a>. I've just used my blog to talk about pieces that needed a bit more explanation. Anyway here's today's piece.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjip-aYpGMipRjo1KSjGF5qwsLbkM_toC4BGceT48rWXI9Cm9UzdtmHinoPFbPoK6Dnj8pjjjEmkX9AV8yp0DHMfKUDRJVFDoigS3nDrp9C7s4Vt9X42Tc0myDHkTJmMz6NSyy0qo-twfo/s1600/cherryblossom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjip-aYpGMipRjo1KSjGF5qwsLbkM_toC4BGceT48rWXI9Cm9UzdtmHinoPFbPoK6Dnj8pjjjEmkX9AV8yp0DHMfKUDRJVFDoigS3nDrp9C7s4Vt9X42Tc0myDHkTJmMz6NSyy0qo-twfo/s1600/cherryblossom.jpg" height="232" width="400" /></a></div>
It's a straightforward watercolor that needs no explanation other than that the blossoms are not painted from life - we don't get leaves or blossoms on the trees around here before May! And the bird's colors are made up, so if it looks like a kind you recognize that's just by chance.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-48720643081862845162014-04-19T11:01:00.000-04:002014-04-19T11:01:23.053-04:00Inspired by Norman RockwellI was thinking about Easter bonnets (as something to draw - I won't be wearing one), which brought to mind this image by Norman Rockwell<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_KbspqclHMYqhfU5wbKZrSPEjDp-MnkPgKZ8hBNQT2QNTzUHqUCVJ4cKVaQh3z4dQLw3vHr8r9hAZZdRUIgMX-k0X65eGBs_6jJ2YOTu5DIfPNYDzgXoJWvJffMrw0FwXr-H0chlcQU/s1600/194N09048_75SR6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_KbspqclHMYqhfU5wbKZrSPEjDp-MnkPgKZ8hBNQT2QNTzUHqUCVJ4cKVaQh3z4dQLw3vHr8r9hAZZdRUIgMX-k0X65eGBs_6jJ2YOTu5DIfPNYDzgXoJWvJffMrw0FwXr-H0chlcQU/s1600/194N09048_75SR6.jpg" height="400" width="380" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
although I know it's just called "Walking to Church" and isn't specifically Easter.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is the drawing that resulted</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXoVWqzs0JbSFl0sS8dTfeGClSqqbdv47ecfO31geQnru8kfFPM1r-mE1sdwDRD_MfcV4KTQ2jCVtsVB_NULa2tu2JxrMLM5TjNTkgPc8g5iZcn-VQFQ4xj2egkWiUj9sNMGfAJxxVnmc/s1600/Walking+to+church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXoVWqzs0JbSFl0sS8dTfeGClSqqbdv47ecfO31geQnru8kfFPM1r-mE1sdwDRD_MfcV4KTQ2jCVtsVB_NULa2tu2JxrMLM5TjNTkgPc8g5iZcn-VQFQ4xj2egkWiUj9sNMGfAJxxVnmc/s1600/Walking+to+church.jpg" height="248" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Then I wondered about superimposing these three on an old photo of a street and it turns out that this one is in the archives of the <a href="http://www.nrm.org/">Norman Rockwell museum</a> as a reference photo used by Rockwell himself.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68aWG8GJS35GsvXtcr_NypthzrHCUD7UqiDGYawJ7AQg09lZupiw3Kzd3K5n1yJsXRvYQovCOlr98bFstm7Hzfz2qISLmTuWTPN1JFyN31YcZibR5O21PZu7dHIYBYw9wUvhyphenhyphenAWJb5UI/s1600/st1976_8627-600x377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68aWG8GJS35GsvXtcr_NypthzrHCUD7UqiDGYawJ7AQg09lZupiw3Kzd3K5n1yJsXRvYQovCOlr98bFstm7Hzfz2qISLmTuWTPN1JFyN31YcZibR5O21PZu7dHIYBYw9wUvhyphenhyphenAWJb5UI/s1600/st1976_8627-600x377.jpg" height="251" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So I had to put them together.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2RROE0opd4pwFUe_LhMY16YkY6pNER-GBr5R8UqiS_xvs1GEqfdVK_T3A3M8kUvTT3Ys0Yp-ajQmxPEoRgGRo6gDhoo25u9FbOfjZB6s67bQBC6GNEaQx5uVzqTueUVRpmVSZG0sqnE/s1600/Rockwell+church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2RROE0opd4pwFUe_LhMY16YkY6pNER-GBr5R8UqiS_xvs1GEqfdVK_T3A3M8kUvTT3Ys0Yp-ajQmxPEoRgGRo6gDhoo25u9FbOfjZB6s67bQBC6GNEaQx5uVzqTueUVRpmVSZG0sqnE/s1600/Rockwell+church.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-42733386876482489892014-04-12T11:31:00.000-04:002014-04-12T11:31:48.165-04:00Learning something newI enjoy looking at surface pattern designs, but have very little understanding of how to create them. I took a little step forward in my learning with this image. First I sketched a bunch of things from my kitchen. Here's one page from my sketch book.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZLQp9MIHdYtoBihZlboaQ6OxIN4zKXSqAoWbGpTHOLOS3PJUeGvFK8Ow8oiD5d6hoaimKTWtMbQ56a92GMCC5Fq8xZckxIE_X8HQo_EFGuKkIKbXYDfYsoi9HIZSrVnlSt7cc-i83nL0/s1600/image_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZLQp9MIHdYtoBihZlboaQ6OxIN4zKXSqAoWbGpTHOLOS3PJUeGvFK8Ow8oiD5d6hoaimKTWtMbQ56a92GMCC5Fq8xZckxIE_X8HQo_EFGuKkIKbXYDfYsoi9HIZSrVnlSt7cc-i83nL0/s1600/image_1.jpg" height="318" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Then I scanned them into the computer, played around with the relative sizes, placed them together on one page, and printed it out.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_RQyKo8Nq5vTR5u_lzvnwg7toqm5gR6LveYW79IemhMxPGPGqdo2WZaOBgxPZScAbzEDij6lMQeQom0M-y3ISa3g9t3Pt52nyi6mGJN2dg8H3zCB7n2zSIlgxq2YHCf9wlb3is7pmKs/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_RQyKo8Nq5vTR5u_lzvnwg7toqm5gR6LveYW79IemhMxPGPGqdo2WZaOBgxPZScAbzEDij6lMQeQom0M-y3ISa3g9t3Pt52nyi6mGJN2dg8H3zCB7n2zSIlgxq2YHCf9wlb3is7pmKs/s1600/image.jpg" height="307" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
More work with tracing paper, moving things around, adding a few more objects, and then I inked the final piece.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHmqTJxRHQ5sDK_U2zjnWPO_1bm0LUQvgsFcz1C57qYggwDslewz_lK8MFTAWDsDUduPW0jiSheLTc-62OOwE4SMm3rE0wP1rze1iYporv_LF44IM9tDKpgPesTR9i-7lm1MfYEWCRIA/s1600/kitchen1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHmqTJxRHQ5sDK_U2zjnWPO_1bm0LUQvgsFcz1C57qYggwDslewz_lK8MFTAWDsDUduPW0jiSheLTc-62OOwE4SMm3rE0wP1rze1iYporv_LF44IM9tDKpgPesTR9i-7lm1MfYEWCRIA/s1600/kitchen1.jpg" height="400" width="297" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here's where the computer fun started. I scanned it back into Photoshop and tried out a few things I'd learned by searching online. First here's what happens when you go to Image, then Adjustments, then Invert.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxAFrnS4Ql54K34vpmhd9P4WM9G2CgWwuWEvTg1pKLlXocc0zfhNbZ8icibIpD_s0mXGpNXE5Ztjnd0Ejqi-nYrbygapo8UjB8Pyzlr0RxNRSZntZnXgo_H42A3D8p_THK-sUgpedWV9Y/s1600/kitchen3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxAFrnS4Ql54K34vpmhd9P4WM9G2CgWwuWEvTg1pKLlXocc0zfhNbZ8icibIpD_s0mXGpNXE5Ztjnd0Ejqi-nYrbygapo8UjB8Pyzlr0RxNRSZntZnXgo_H42A3D8p_THK-sUgpedWV9Y/s1600/kitchen3.jpg" height="400" width="297" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But I wanted a white line and colored background. That involved going to Select, using the eyedropper to pick up the white, then to Layer, New, and Layer via Cut, which puts the line work on a layer of its own. You can then color another new layer and change the order of the layers so the white line is on top.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR65riN-e3Up7P9e5P45qWAorKwaEm9GVYBXy99KW_jL0CfX18b9p58dre0_kkxD_qLf5G9WIZHgK0gPw8AqY04oslNHPPqtpd8Qcq5CnLFALxq9JAkGNug9ctg9vgs0okvkaZsVIYHVU/s1600/kitchen4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR65riN-e3Up7P9e5P45qWAorKwaEm9GVYBXy99KW_jL0CfX18b9p58dre0_kkxD_qLf5G9WIZHgK0gPw8AqY04oslNHPPqtpd8Qcq5CnLFALxq9JAkGNug9ctg9vgs0okvkaZsVIYHVU/s1600/kitchen4.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIDGaWctWfs_YovI4R1j3h2cFDrm4EeK3CRGD12PrLNUHU4g8hm3TLB7HYlVPlk75-dKg4017J7q9DrCLTgmeZgTP1v0ySLPm3UFaWrJ473rbID57BOUqpwbXkJl8SAzYsY85x1iz7yi8/s1600/kitchen5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIDGaWctWfs_YovI4R1j3h2cFDrm4EeK3CRGD12PrLNUHU4g8hm3TLB7HYlVPlk75-dKg4017J7q9DrCLTgmeZgTP1v0ySLPm3UFaWrJ473rbID57BOUqpwbXkJl8SAzYsY85x1iz7yi8/s1600/kitchen5.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And here's a bonus one where I somehow managed to color the lines rather than the background. Still learning! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5k2B7bQhjotXd_KCS4103-30wrivkqJfDMJFicRD5_sCljfYW1M6zoH1een7GXauihfy30Py1u6egIqswE8hINF_4JMtZPGMQzQa87LSLcbXCNssjaUFcTzEUl6u5xQhl_RqZejv3HKM/s1600/kitchen2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5k2B7bQhjotXd_KCS4103-30wrivkqJfDMJFicRD5_sCljfYW1M6zoH1een7GXauihfy30Py1u6egIqswE8hINF_4JMtZPGMQzQa87LSLcbXCNssjaUFcTzEUl6u5xQhl_RqZejv3HKM/s1600/kitchen2.jpg" height="400" width="296" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eYT2MZH9f_esshngaLA1BmI5WalktoVzL_qgdK_pK_EtGWKhTWYtUnLnDUHL7KOijctqRAaCMBVQyvF_xOXncTAQlMG8z-g_SdtOYU5OtxEnUc-qenSCc2eKUQYfAEW1W7S8lk3dCg4/s1600/kitchen5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-38202736871141562952014-04-09T10:36:00.001-04:002014-04-09T10:36:46.413-04:00A great attitude to rain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgruU5ofxuVvHXgmkbFDEehFqggNrlBO7s4pI49RYJYwwzgencHvnaX2QHrg8Ze_GhmFmB_Wv4KPNT3L7-IL8rQ9tqwup5ItcrVKJoCMhj9D64hQZ7DV4GV6OAOkRuRIQF7ewQR8Amgak0/s1600/Rain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgruU5ofxuVvHXgmkbFDEehFqggNrlBO7s4pI49RYJYwwzgencHvnaX2QHrg8Ze_GhmFmB_Wv4KPNT3L7-IL8rQ9tqwup5ItcrVKJoCMhj9D64hQZ7DV4GV6OAOkRuRIQF7ewQR8Amgak0/s1600/Rain.jpg" height="400" width="315" /></a></div>
As I was contemplating adding words to today's picture, I came across this great little verse by James Whitcomb Riley. I don't know anything more about him except that his dates were 1852 to 1916, this comes from a piece called <i>Wet-Weather Talk,</i> and I'm guessing from the semi dialect that it was put into the mouth of a country character.<br />
<br />
"It haint no use to grumble and complane<br />
It's jest as cheap and easy to rejoice;<br />
When God sorts out the weather and sends rain,<br />
W'y rain's my choice."Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-73412796275704538502014-04-08T10:27:00.000-04:002014-04-08T10:27:26.602-04:00Day Two<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvx0-YjIQotBJmWhwYu4VgrMHZW11eNhqua4OVU-gGo5ppeqKQrlLzqDgIk60Ic4rGg4p96XFY3k1K0kjonNyXu8A76sjch49iUQaa2Vox-fZffEolK5IxroafIzkDFlTK7ifSl3IeKU/s1600/Payattention.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvx0-YjIQotBJmWhwYu4VgrMHZW11eNhqua4OVU-gGo5ppeqKQrlLzqDgIk60Ic4rGg4p96XFY3k1K0kjonNyXu8A76sjch49iUQaa2Vox-fZffEolK5IxroafIzkDFlTK7ifSl3IeKU/s1600/Payattention.jpg" height="400" width="308" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A quote from my favorite poet. I'm not sure I could offer this one for sale because of copyright issues (though some people say very short and attributed quotes are OK). Next time I'll look for something that's definitely in the public domain. The postcard was downloaded from a site that has lots of old images, some for free. (I can't now remember which site but there are lots.) No need to scour junk/antique shops any more for that sort of thing!</div>
<br />Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-48426281020133288262014-04-07T11:44:00.000-04:002014-04-07T11:44:26.490-04:00Challenging myselfI recently came back from a wonderful vacation. <span style="text-align: center;">No prizes for guessing where we went!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrt8l6Ib4cSzGt8sfsqQKvE3BDjom0wwZc1HdBOblx99AjTZ9BAS_KlVTW0H4T_LdGHiqFxYyB4F8uRNt7x8yd4mXjddFtHOUqoOZ-zoTbtOLx49WZYJWYvzGdrn93Mg3ZND-Zg-iTwc/s1600/DSCN0077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrt8l6Ib4cSzGt8sfsqQKvE3BDjom0wwZc1HdBOblx99AjTZ9BAS_KlVTW0H4T_LdGHiqFxYyB4F8uRNt7x8yd4mXjddFtHOUqoOZ-zoTbtOLx49WZYJWYvzGdrn93Mg3ZND-Zg-iTwc/s1600/DSCN0077.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'd also been to Scotland to visit my father earlier in the month, so March wasn't very productive work wise. Now I'm trying to re-establish some good habits and therefore I'm setting myself a challenge - 20 new pieces of art work in the next 20 days. Here's piece number one.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxP6hM9o862RKVpKlVuySFn-gCuU89USSlQjYW5EGHrpaPXfrcmOSaWZxqAdhyphenhyphenu4AYOf-lNDJ6Kae0B0Ng_9TkAnP0Z3nzqEe2KByHONhw1RdA9zoqPh9n8l5xPYPo4TVICi-gY76Erh0/s1600/fox&bluebells.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxP6hM9o862RKVpKlVuySFn-gCuU89USSlQjYW5EGHrpaPXfrcmOSaWZxqAdhyphenhyphenu4AYOf-lNDJ6Kae0B0Ng_9TkAnP0Z3nzqEe2KByHONhw1RdA9zoqPh9n8l5xPYPo4TVICi-gY76Erh0/s1600/fox&bluebells.jpg" height="400" width="336" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I don't have any particular theme in mind and obviously they can't be too big or complex if I'm really going to do one a day. It'll be interesting to see what emerges.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-28558570420350739172014-03-24T17:08:00.000-04:002014-03-24T17:08:44.858-04:00Bird Collages<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiStr0n2If0CXHyVBJ5nrFrWdN6oLJWevQWlwdLy8rL9DkeGb2aLIgn_kbuhVJWFlT9KN4AkrWyse9KwHmqqJISqJ_jeNepa6qbkDj8MAHQjH8RKCz6uqgPDk2esr34YFnxOKYvGdccMk/s1600/yellowbirdonblue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiStr0n2If0CXHyVBJ5nrFrWdN6oLJWevQWlwdLy8rL9DkeGb2aLIgn_kbuhVJWFlT9KN4AkrWyse9KwHmqqJISqJ_jeNepa6qbkDj8MAHQjH8RKCz6uqgPDk2esr34YFnxOKYvGdccMk/s1600/yellowbirdonblue.jpg" height="199" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOyTuwqZrhQDtDO4SZIEYgCwdSznRHsw6v_HqgjkiFKyt_Ofa-olZJbi006Ke1qDX110dojJBg5gfX6WC-CfZZnia_DAEDw0j79wsglheLcjFp80yAIfGBpz7zuf6t9Lk5g0eSsugdudQ/s1600/green&bluebirdforetsy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOyTuwqZrhQDtDO4SZIEYgCwdSznRHsw6v_HqgjkiFKyt_Ofa-olZJbi006Ke1qDX110dojJBg5gfX6WC-CfZZnia_DAEDw0j79wsglheLcjFp80yAIfGBpz7zuf6t9Lk5g0eSsugdudQ/s1600/green&bluebirdforetsy.jpg" height="200" width="197" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_yaZPh_dg2BpubLXmXF9HFt8Rc7S2mQYMDePjxmUKUvxkQnYq0XDk1Rua46Kcw8RHRtLtIrzEeNMC4JytyPYFoQ9ULZNcoIEN8XZtcjGU7_yYwT3eHdMVnMXeQIE6QwfDdzd5Hdo9Aeo/s1600/bird7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_yaZPh_dg2BpubLXmXF9HFt8Rc7S2mQYMDePjxmUKUvxkQnYq0XDk1Rua46Kcw8RHRtLtIrzEeNMC4JytyPYFoQ9ULZNcoIEN8XZtcjGU7_yYwT3eHdMVnMXeQIE6QwfDdzd5Hdo9Aeo/s1600/bird7.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTi20R0MII0oEsxDb8qAfbiIarvlwhDy-7o7s-4s_GXVGqiEQKlkTayLACcFb0T9mcyfWVzHIZ_ZE77m0Z0eMzrg8mc4tSSyYoVngcWRRnFcBZ1GegqWocY6w0kEiXafYbj65XDWRGuo/s1600/redbirdetsy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTi20R0MII0oEsxDb8qAfbiIarvlwhDy-7o7s-4s_GXVGqiEQKlkTayLACcFb0T9mcyfWVzHIZ_ZE77m0Z0eMzrg8mc4tSSyYoVngcWRRnFcBZ1GegqWocY6w0kEiXafYbj65XDWRGuo/s1600/redbirdetsy.jpg" height="200" width="195" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWr8odqsrNxh964pC2VlJJ6KuHa-tjYqQElxOP8UwGr4TiCRjemrcnrxm-tLTCFwtBUHh8ttr8Yc-VLx2oSyPfROTLomBKah8nfI2wMCrQxSOq-Q4nA3ZXtoYGG66_zscBTe10brdXhI/s1600/bird+on+red2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWr8odqsrNxh964pC2VlJJ6KuHa-tjYqQElxOP8UwGr4TiCRjemrcnrxm-tLTCFwtBUHh8ttr8Yc-VLx2oSyPfROTLomBKah8nfI2wMCrQxSOq-Q4nA3ZXtoYGG66_zscBTe10brdXhI/s1600/bird+on+red2.jpg" height="200" width="198" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOCl15dE4LudAKM86LMcXaeS4Mm3x6dn2qPwFBumpRhSFMDrfSLZMiX6KGmglOosLEemUAJM3xAPhRdNeHmCQjB4_KIYdtgKbwClfojr3m7Ki8UoGLbgzeuWRhonBIJpeI2KDgn54kM4/s1600/blackbird2etsy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOCl15dE4LudAKM86LMcXaeS4Mm3x6dn2qPwFBumpRhSFMDrfSLZMiX6KGmglOosLEemUAJM3xAPhRdNeHmCQjB4_KIYdtgKbwClfojr3m7Ki8UoGLbgzeuWRhonBIJpeI2KDgn54kM4/s1600/blackbird2etsy.jpg" height="200" width="197" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2XoYQ0UxFzTWSBsQCAtSQEBNfWAUQYZDZ6E3I9EjiQQ7imOfmINkcJmEirtK2MLJ62UmcRONqu4Tn2aEF9tILvk3MR7MJXO67kBFgM4bYvWmGVt-3DPPUcoQZhTA_Bl5179tYG4O7Xg/s1600/pinkbirdcollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2XoYQ0UxFzTWSBsQCAtSQEBNfWAUQYZDZ6E3I9EjiQQ7imOfmINkcJmEirtK2MLJ62UmcRONqu4Tn2aEF9tILvk3MR7MJXO67kBFgM4bYvWmGVt-3DPPUcoQZhTA_Bl5179tYG4O7Xg/s1600/pinkbirdcollage.jpg" height="200" width="198" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghl1aveECcPHifXJGcn9h1Xl8VOSSH9IW9fCgjGTiVMfKyJR1Z5DBuNUtcGwzCPeArx96spYFOsWQd9FkNyxmJ9O3cyI3aurAx_V0SxE6QcEi9qD-dbDmhR8B9cHTVmOHsEKxlirsm6t0/s1600/seedbirdetsy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghl1aveECcPHifXJGcn9h1Xl8VOSSH9IW9fCgjGTiVMfKyJR1Z5DBuNUtcGwzCPeArx96spYFOsWQd9FkNyxmJ9O3cyI3aurAx_V0SxE6QcEi9qD-dbDmhR8B9cHTVmOHsEKxlirsm6t0/s1600/seedbirdetsy.jpg" height="200" width="195" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Here are some of my recent bird collages grouped together. Apart from the subject matter and the format of these 6 x 6 inch panels, I'm not really thinking in terms of series, but it's fun to see which ones work with which others in terms of color and degree of abstraction. I guess of these the only pairing that doesn't really work for me is the last.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-78535641432974255612014-03-22T16:55:00.000-04:002014-03-22T16:55:08.127-04:00Trying something new<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2f083L51xwsdEq-tkUBNByIE70r6qNluBoPRtadOHsu_i8XrCVq7jcBtQ7nBfA3tGoM38TxDPcC6In6DTGAMdyxB9awwYs0k1kbZBJnf8WK1rvWFeFIapYD1Mxy0N2of3dpd7Du7faEo/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2f083L51xwsdEq-tkUBNByIE70r6qNluBoPRtadOHsu_i8XrCVq7jcBtQ7nBfA3tGoM38TxDPcC6In6DTGAMdyxB9awwYs0k1kbZBJnf8WK1rvWFeFIapYD1Mxy0N2of3dpd7Du7faEo/s1600/image.jpg" height="382" width="400" /></a></div>
I recently saw work by the artist <a href="http://www.rogenemanas.com/">Rogene Manas</a>. She uses paper clay to create bas relief art work. I don't know what her recipe for the paper clay is, but I decided to try doing the same using the mixture I had made up for making my little 3-dimensional birds. It was on the wet side and tricky to use. I know there's a commercial product available that I might try another time. But in any case here's my design in paper clay on a wood panel. The white round the edges is from gesso that I applied to the sides of the panel.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Yk4LPnGIOdNBFVYrQiXF-XkJwTcEJdUm8G2LS1Az_Lv3DhO_-G7D1XIi28WPmCZM7A4yjU5a_uy2RDCm-O4Xo2WgLtv5Haz-dSM4GLwKOYGhRqhNzWr_txxz0jO_U6G9wgNr-w7QsLQ/s1600/image_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Yk4LPnGIOdNBFVYrQiXF-XkJwTcEJdUm8G2LS1Az_Lv3DhO_-G7D1XIi28WPmCZM7A4yjU5a_uy2RDCm-O4Xo2WgLtv5Haz-dSM4GLwKOYGhRqhNzWr_txxz0jO_U6G9wgNr-w7QsLQ/s1600/image_1.jpg" height="400" width="362" /></a></div>
I painted the whole thing dark grey, making sure to get my brush into all the nooks and crannies.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_M8SUz5b5a_sFxUjwExE9S3jkngUZnSl_k2ZyDDm9VacPLQbmJaowAJYTK_z3ZCaIVxZch8V99gKj6ERxem3_AdWM3por1kuL-O1o_z3_hlXZ_wL2x0dhuKjzgWAKTpw4mMMntBG0mRY/s1600/image_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_M8SUz5b5a_sFxUjwExE9S3jkngUZnSl_k2ZyDDm9VacPLQbmJaowAJYTK_z3ZCaIVxZch8V99gKj6ERxem3_AdWM3por1kuL-O1o_z3_hlXZ_wL2x0dhuKjzgWAKTpw4mMMntBG0mRY/s1600/image_2.jpg" height="400" width="381" /></a></div>
I then brushed the blue background just on the surface so that the grey would show through. The surface was quite textured. Some of it is just the way the paper clay is, but some was added by rolling it out between layers of plastic wrap.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtQiE3uECUTqt0ht_lTUjsC74LPdMo2QkvIsyr3vKsUEEn0DtIpRw7E3Xqt-t-tjU0I0_4tY_bhqodU5KqChXKN3ImfeyeFSuNabnFxnNI2RXmmbMpO42MdQ4JwxBbc9k6mT1qUzlceA/s1600/image_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtQiE3uECUTqt0ht_lTUjsC74LPdMo2QkvIsyr3vKsUEEn0DtIpRw7E3Xqt-t-tjU0I0_4tY_bhqodU5KqChXKN3ImfeyeFSuNabnFxnNI2RXmmbMpO42MdQ4JwxBbc9k6mT1qUzlceA/s1600/image_3.jpg" height="400" width="373" /></a></div>
And here's the final piece. The 3-dimemsionality is less obvious now that the color is there. Part of me thinks I might prefer the all dark version. What do you think?Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-16840015578129414332014-02-23T13:27:00.001-05:002014-02-23T13:27:32.949-05:00Name that chicken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxUz2GoPYuDm8ByUYfPXAb-n8xePPgaMgg0GtCmgw1SCceie_8kNtVOZFQzqQYEi0wl_17BcHMd0OlFymrgA0IxInBXI2l7roZKhQVHMvdHe7z8sOdZlK1bl1Dwr4_A4Vg3vrZ5EHKZGQ/s1600/image_3+11.10.14+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxUz2GoPYuDm8ByUYfPXAb-n8xePPgaMgg0GtCmgw1SCceie_8kNtVOZFQzqQYEi0wl_17BcHMd0OlFymrgA0IxInBXI2l7roZKhQVHMvdHe7z8sOdZlK1bl1Dwr4_A4Vg3vrZ5EHKZGQ/s1600/image_3+11.10.14+AM.jpg" height="360" width="400" /></a></div>
To celebrate getting to 50 items in <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/AlisonsArt?ref=search_shop_redirect">my Etsy store</a>, I'm holding a little competition. The best name for this chicken (as judged by my friend who will not see who's posting ideas) will win your choice of any item $12 or less from my store. I'm also running this on my Alison Kolesar Illustrator page on Facebook.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-90547841913800856612014-02-03T16:50:00.000-05:002014-02-03T16:50:17.119-05:00Collage step by stepI've been making a lot of collages recently so I decided to document a bit of the process.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiAzxzDNO4xi2jr1zsvRBFd1zlbuZai4SHPfNuGe446T8xcnjYuTKwDsVhQiMmMC4rrSuyVeSykLzpvIo-PkxhJT3X7AkOlkS1apZm4VSj5lNJp7l0DfNRWnq0PZVtxH9GDHVj1Z-ml6w/s1600/image-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiAzxzDNO4xi2jr1zsvRBFd1zlbuZai4SHPfNuGe446T8xcnjYuTKwDsVhQiMmMC4rrSuyVeSykLzpvIo-PkxhJT3X7AkOlkS1apZm4VSj5lNJp7l0DfNRWnq0PZVtxH9GDHVj1Z-ml6w/s1600/image-2.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
At this stage I've already made a lot of the decisions - background color, color of the sides of the panel that the collage will sit on - but nothing is glued down and I'm still playing with the placing of the various elements.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj23f2_fAdLcYQ51TwDFfMLen1h9_hLQeOriWsFxdD-BqOOy4qcfJB-qC_UiCd-FLlPyEzgQCu4hDq2o5Xbw7ZquMS3wMnn9LL-9RFQxpaoscAy7zt-bXVXhqRicCVIcyRLgbMaeat45TY/s1600/image-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj23f2_fAdLcYQ51TwDFfMLen1h9_hLQeOriWsFxdD-BqOOy4qcfJB-qC_UiCd-FLlPyEzgQCu4hDq2o5Xbw7ZquMS3wMnn9LL-9RFQxpaoscAy7zt-bXVXhqRicCVIcyRLgbMaeat45TY/s1600/image-3.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
I liked the shape of this little bird, but gave it different colors to fit better with my overall color scheme.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmedhQjxrkk4DTolGrgIKvrLhjyvfHPk2BcvsUO-atYGBB3goXtOVhidYMdyV5RET0YnaUGFFkuWgKCSVWfF2kmYXMRAxGzH0rMdu8jDuDqNnlPAUQ2WGBU_iiU-n5tgMl3ByjXibeaw/s1600/image-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmedhQjxrkk4DTolGrgIKvrLhjyvfHPk2BcvsUO-atYGBB3goXtOVhidYMdyV5RET0YnaUGFFkuWgKCSVWfF2kmYXMRAxGzH0rMdu8jDuDqNnlPAUQ2WGBU_iiU-n5tgMl3ByjXibeaw/s1600/image-4.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
I'll often draw on the back of a previously painted piece of paper and then cut out the shape. It's fun to see just how the colors appear on the right side afterwards.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PtQbATBwTzMrJwVeamvmArzmOrh6Jk_Fc9nHHzaMitMZh2GLY6BpMva0DspjTpQj4etryjK32wM0E_OIEBXe0i_WMYm-A5K_phqO9aKfR1YHogXRwbklKQvqR26Ftv9albiWN5nxJq0/s1600/image-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PtQbATBwTzMrJwVeamvmArzmOrh6Jk_Fc9nHHzaMitMZh2GLY6BpMva0DspjTpQj4etryjK32wM0E_OIEBXe0i_WMYm-A5K_phqO9aKfR1YHogXRwbklKQvqR26Ftv9albiWN5nxJq0/s1600/image-5.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
Starting to stick the various elements down. The berries on my table were the inspiration for the now cut spray on the table to the left. The wonderful textures in the background are made with alcohol inks.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURgUELb5GA5Pp0nTBdW3iZVm-xHs2-hPv2ViPSvDBuM-ANIPr1dm_SVjWf0zNaaBwKtIAUVfl858UJ74i0-GJ-OzrDwKyUFhiXf8hD09eEIvlqgqpNOUq1NKJJaneR5NztRnCa5IoXU0/s1600/image-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURgUELb5GA5Pp0nTBdW3iZVm-xHs2-hPv2ViPSvDBuM-ANIPr1dm_SVjWf0zNaaBwKtIAUVfl858UJ74i0-GJ-OzrDwKyUFhiXf8hD09eEIvlqgqpNOUq1NKJJaneR5NztRnCa5IoXU0/s1600/image-6.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
Adding the bird, along with a longer branch to sit on.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivEOeHNiF88mJwb4banlYQ0LhxY1uD6fC6V8u5QxD5PEV97oGvT8h12rG22LFmttT4W8hK3Y5Df7QFARUpUowue-O61gJU8MCAP_2Fi6Dxkpb78I87Rcm4d-Uk1clR9w2A-acvxvRspuY/s1600/image-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivEOeHNiF88mJwb4banlYQ0LhxY1uD6fC6V8u5QxD5PEV97oGvT8h12rG22LFmttT4W8hK3Y5Df7QFARUpUowue-O61gJU8MCAP_2Fi6Dxkpb78I87Rcm4d-Uk1clR9w2A-acvxvRspuY/s1600/image-7.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
That bottom left corner seemed a bit empty even after the berries - trying to decide whether to add another plant shape there.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbVcerBpkwcWbpkwQCVW-9_PG7Czywtqqc3c3I904X6qyUh70nCu85FxG8GMTPOg_YHKSpjZ_QbsSKX3-TKdQxxQst7PbfCyQwENKTZBptbZK802sYUIzUfFse6NDogfTr5Sdk3mO9NI/s1600/image-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbVcerBpkwcWbpkwQCVW-9_PG7Czywtqqc3c3I904X6qyUh70nCu85FxG8GMTPOg_YHKSpjZ_QbsSKX3-TKdQxxQst7PbfCyQwENKTZBptbZK802sYUIzUfFse6NDogfTr5Sdk3mO9NI/s1600/image-8.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
The finished piece. It'll go in my<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/AlisonsArt?ref=search_shop_redirect"> Etsy store</a> once the varnish has dried and I've taken a few more pictures.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-88878933233305844932014-01-31T11:45:00.000-05:002014-01-31T11:45:35.351-05:00Hand carving stampsI recently found a blog by an artist living in Mexico, <a href="http://www.geninne.com/">Geninne Zlatkis</a>, who, among other things, makes wonderful hand-carved stamps. She wrote a book about how to do it too, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Making-Impression-Designing-Creating-Artful/dp/1454701250/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391184480&sr=1-1&keywords=geninne+zlatkis">Making An Impression: Designing and Creating Artful Stamps</a>, which I got for Christmas. Here are a few photos of some stamps I carved recently.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxfp3_oTuzZjW7LZEprw0wlBkJhe8jwkEaZwzFDfj9B56CVEtc29TXAwMasPck0S1Q8e5gaPckIDHNvdyTH_VtfwuyNTdecmfCjdl3B6Yu3Mf_HlWjjAkW3lX-mzveh-of7Lk4PkMNBY/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxfp3_oTuzZjW7LZEprw0wlBkJhe8jwkEaZwzFDfj9B56CVEtc29TXAwMasPck0S1Q8e5gaPckIDHNvdyTH_VtfwuyNTdecmfCjdl3B6Yu3Mf_HlWjjAkW3lX-mzveh-of7Lk4PkMNBY/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
Pencil images are very easy to transfer to the stamp carving block. I used <a href="http://www.dickblick.com/products/moo-carve-professional-carving-blocks/">Moo Carve</a> which is easy to cut and good at not crumbling. (I had used a different product before which wasn't bad, but this stuff is better.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCeOZ9g97WFOSYDSouq9rrNUWrGvcvOqwbA58F91xlsc24NHzHRQnfR8wcaBYgzCsRhfpOko2w70Siql0Tqq0fc_Ervwe2-2_r7g5QMujJ6KSFtQjjc51ytGyYBkbLdgcYGujL3Alg8ZQ/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCeOZ9g97WFOSYDSouq9rrNUWrGvcvOqwbA58F91xlsc24NHzHRQnfR8wcaBYgzCsRhfpOko2w70Siql0Tqq0fc_Ervwe2-2_r7g5QMujJ6KSFtQjjc51ytGyYBkbLdgcYGujL3Alg8ZQ/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
Here you see my first prints of the tree and birds. The exacto knife beside my sketch book is used for trimming the outside of the block.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZHqqc1nP_5tTL7iH_L-HxuNDAAJ9BvikSRzFIcHTjaqmb2iHMfTVYoGErGh4xAsKg-8IrzwErqzMUDpGM5l-rPSVPt5dnm_8wLSwfSVprdJrRYSN2e2CPmhrOwQIm6efB-5mRQ2OXshI/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZHqqc1nP_5tTL7iH_L-HxuNDAAJ9BvikSRzFIcHTjaqmb2iHMfTVYoGErGh4xAsKg-8IrzwErqzMUDpGM5l-rPSVPt5dnm_8wLSwfSVprdJrRYSN2e2CPmhrOwQIm6efB-5mRQ2OXshI/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
This picture shows the lino cutting tool used to cut the lines in the stamp and a couple of ink pads. I was given the lino cutting tools years ago but hadn't used them in a very long time.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnWRLJccjMiJ-3C47G3rR2N2SoRFkYjHKvJZsAnmwj_uijWHDU3dskLeEK6to9GcDADwyZZymNSrkL0-Pd6VtnRKn9PUN8orGxdRA_ebf75uuqbybGvGO3369lNTzZOVMQY2uLqlcAX0/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnWRLJccjMiJ-3C47G3rR2N2SoRFkYjHKvJZsAnmwj_uijWHDU3dskLeEK6to9GcDADwyZZymNSrkL0-Pd6VtnRKn9PUN8orGxdRA_ebf75uuqbybGvGO3369lNTzZOVMQY2uLqlcAX0/s1600/photo+4.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
I decided to add veins in the leaves and the fox, as well as trying the tree in different colors. I don't have a lot of different stamp pad colors - the green one is from a kids' stamping kit that is rather running out of juice.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-16355446963916331742013-12-03T14:41:00.000-05:002013-12-03T14:41:37.130-05:00A little bird finds a home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijU1R59dd72M18oAiWu3iLpvbSmZRroZH1svj3sHJmKt3MtsPC14WtvAh6IzbFJWdL-25G5sWF7l0P1_lmod_ZFCw7YtQ408bQW3jkaxW82GdusQpPe9ZPRxCjie4WxrIyWAs9ESXEveA/s1600/birdsnest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijU1R59dd72M18oAiWu3iLpvbSmZRroZH1svj3sHJmKt3MtsPC14WtvAh6IzbFJWdL-25G5sWF7l0P1_lmod_ZFCw7YtQ408bQW3jkaxW82GdusQpPe9ZPRxCjie4WxrIyWAs9ESXEveA/s400/birdsnest.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
It's ages since I've posted here. I was very busy preparing for a show which opened just over a week ago. I did it as a fundraiser and have been delighted by the response with over half the pieces sold. One item was this little bird, bought by a friend for her six-year-old granddaughter who took it home and made a nest for it and gave it an egg to sit on. I always like it when I sell something to someone I know. It feels good that something I invested some of myself into is going to a good home. But usually that just means that it'll have a place on the wall in the home of a friend. In this case it feels as though a whole new life is starting for this little one.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-24132156506776969092013-10-07T11:14:00.001-04:002013-10-07T11:14:57.430-04:00And yet more birds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3InAyeKmTkQ0w0IYShN-1TBVK_WEh4aHvLIQcd-M2Hyz3-gTc1gUeeCi0EiqNLEIUzl8yf-jnG0yLXc48xt4NpNEDBUeDWSfWkhK6IwxURIftupVP0P4pTTZS0_qXdThOD6ZLL6TwtP4/s1600/4birds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3InAyeKmTkQ0w0IYShN-1TBVK_WEh4aHvLIQcd-M2Hyz3-gTc1gUeeCi0EiqNLEIUzl8yf-jnG0yLXc48xt4NpNEDBUeDWSfWkhK6IwxURIftupVP0P4pTTZS0_qXdThOD6ZLL6TwtP4/s400/4birds.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I quite often create a piece to fit a frame. In this case I had a very long thin silver frame which now contains this quartet of collaged birds. It was an interesting challenge to create them as four separate pieces that still needed to work together.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-21152623170411381842013-09-05T11:45:00.000-04:002013-09-05T11:45:14.082-04:00I keep painting birds!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquMgNfMjF_W0PtHPT9lBY4IVdwER6YGsCUEkwi-_kTOMfakA09JPZow8AVH_kutB1whdEa5BpkEJM77A2Lp5UTsHI1PDHeMYvz-5kHpliJ3RYAia9yWiBBe6GHazgKLqDduyezl2bxu4/s1600/birds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquMgNfMjF_W0PtHPT9lBY4IVdwER6YGsCUEkwi-_kTOMfakA09JPZow8AVH_kutB1whdEa5BpkEJM77A2Lp5UTsHI1PDHeMYvz-5kHpliJ3RYAia9yWiBBe6GHazgKLqDduyezl2bxu4/s320/birds.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>
At the weekend we went to <a href="http://www.massmoca.org/">Mass MoCa</a> and saw the latest shows. One that I really loved was the altered book by Tom Phillips, so I came home, found an old book that I'd already designated as collage material and used one page as the basis for this found poem/illustration.<br />
Meantime I had my first sale on <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/alisonsart">etsy</a> of this painted panel. The purchaser decided she'd like a companion piece so I created the next two. She chose the middle one so the bottom one will go in my etsy store.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_N6Jhe0CiLOTjPK_cXnmFjzxZPfTSTbvWPdRSvhZCSnaPefpWqwXPkSWjlEEO9_RkmY0kShfMh-KDOIy-YRcclx1LU16kMYNKeQTRhbdjZKWvD0gspf28YoZCHNemfG0eZMEE89iYMc/s1600/goldbird1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_N6Jhe0CiLOTjPK_cXnmFjzxZPfTSTbvWPdRSvhZCSnaPefpWqwXPkSWjlEEO9_RkmY0kShfMh-KDOIy-YRcclx1LU16kMYNKeQTRhbdjZKWvD0gspf28YoZCHNemfG0eZMEE89iYMc/s320/goldbird1.jpg" width="314" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZt6XGH0p2JQ8-cljpOBC0CiUUEWS3IeMo6Rk66qH8oTTib1zsI3xcQTJk0ar8HmfNdDnbW-BemeGb7eYGXTbSBk0to-HDnUw6JOzqvTq46LDs95KyIpFIiDHhafmrlI0VF0Pqg4bnCg/s1600/goldbird2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZt6XGH0p2JQ8-cljpOBC0CiUUEWS3IeMo6Rk66qH8oTTib1zsI3xcQTJk0ar8HmfNdDnbW-BemeGb7eYGXTbSBk0to-HDnUw6JOzqvTq46LDs95KyIpFIiDHhafmrlI0VF0Pqg4bnCg/s320/goldbird2.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVd1I9Yz9NxDC63zRg0msJzZ5mWz3m7LA3-6BOj7qSJL8L-fSBwyjhIj_sgBKK-LSu-yIHQCPswHORbONwX7_n09u59VPSsPdMu_ldvC-UlWHkxXc9nok8xEj6E6WR8H4qaHowbDbtRQ/s1600/goldenbird3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVd1I9Yz9NxDC63zRg0msJzZ5mWz3m7LA3-6BOj7qSJL8L-fSBwyjhIj_sgBKK-LSu-yIHQCPswHORbONwX7_n09u59VPSsPdMu_ldvC-UlWHkxXc9nok8xEj6E6WR8H4qaHowbDbtRQ/s320/goldenbird3.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>
<br />Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-44590360732595783492013-07-30T10:51:00.003-04:002013-07-30T10:51:30.379-04:00Illustration Friday - jungle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuesd-3hfv3DWsQFpbv1ReU-5A6Qq38Kg_HRl5GD3ylSqjanxcaqDi_ZrFRDaPAKrg2Pna5mmrIj8z39EbJzbncglrjmFNO31s2FFm_uHPw9VKuiX6diDSsy0Rt58rj6r14mcZwXmRUGM/s1600/jungle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuesd-3hfv3DWsQFpbv1ReU-5A6Qq38Kg_HRl5GD3ylSqjanxcaqDi_ZrFRDaPAKrg2Pna5mmrIj8z39EbJzbncglrjmFNO31s2FFm_uHPw9VKuiX6diDSsy0Rt58rj6r14mcZwXmRUGM/s400/jungle.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
This is an oldie but it fits this week's Illustration Friday prompt.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-80715180313643058332013-07-30T09:48:00.000-04:002013-07-30T09:48:35.454-04:00Collage on panel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghrS9EBJfNIkAsXNxloZRJ0RdA0ASHR9dJvP10YTfwIttZPqqoXRkDC3ZpKRmpQMWUU57k-Sh1IeHghCc54Q7lN3Oc-ehu4pEh1U2I5uveNXjcsKu9WpoBaPa5QnRuN6NGvIH9pxSrAwA/s1600/chickencollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghrS9EBJfNIkAsXNxloZRJ0RdA0ASHR9dJvP10YTfwIttZPqqoXRkDC3ZpKRmpQMWUU57k-Sh1IeHghCc54Q7lN3Oc-ehu4pEh1U2I5uveNXjcsKu9WpoBaPa5QnRuN6NGvIH9pxSrAwA/s400/chickencollage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE48WSfgUOLoCd6fivEo2yTtTk6JSXQYRHVw9fVy4vJjabZOkfNcU1tMa8tvX3uEc4flnpdkQdd92kI02nRBr8zlLhgyNT4YHcNRw25JuvynkiCluLxifn80cSaYvaq7RhEjTfv6vqpKY/s1600/birdcollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE48WSfgUOLoCd6fivEo2yTtTk6JSXQYRHVw9fVy4vJjabZOkfNcU1tMa8tvX3uEc4flnpdkQdd92kI02nRBr8zlLhgyNT4YHcNRw25JuvynkiCluLxifn80cSaYvaq7RhEjTfv6vqpKY/s400/birdcollage.jpg" width="397" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxaiz02cksDsthEC73RYgMUXuqEcQZdNd3RjvQjyaiJwxWDSrIdW3W1EqcyuPq501vWRBXG8P0tkxzMAV4ZYOTKfbf399Ng7dqCe0VE1exyn-L2AVSDFI_oPzpiIySd9zY47gwATKrLjU/s400/Sunflowers.jpg" width="392" /></div>
I've been having a lot of fun working in collage in the past few days. I had ordered some 6" x 6" cradled wood panels and all of these are mounted on those. I've put them in my etsy shop if you'd like to know more<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/AlisonsArt"> here</a>.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-80479133000063247632013-07-24T09:05:00.002-04:002013-07-24T09:05:56.955-04:00My favorite way of working<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit5o1XImwNIsOwP7h6RlzwFCoags7-rJwuS107aTG49kJ7yIFvLogCoOW6ttXxdOTYRXseP8GcBCqsmxDBcfWaoTshHPBTjwkpZbfBtpXiAGuwJF95kWQJep87XvJ7dzSMuq2PPnpwaL0/s1600/lookwhatIdrew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit5o1XImwNIsOwP7h6RlzwFCoags7-rJwuS107aTG49kJ7yIFvLogCoOW6ttXxdOTYRXseP8GcBCqsmxDBcfWaoTshHPBTjwkpZbfBtpXiAGuwJF95kWQJep87XvJ7dzSMuq2PPnpwaL0/s400/lookwhatIdrew.jpg" width="321" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieh1czfjnMm3GSMQjQH8gzHO7Ky4hm85xo72g-4gt0yjX8o5Q8oIw3oRhWcpzO1UCoarM06X4ghMfL7MccHBUtEaKxqzTd39n2UP_hqkz__D1upQnkSoa2nOP4MsCyNO1-KmQlP7rYP4U/s1600/bearytales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieh1czfjnMm3GSMQjQH8gzHO7Ky4hm85xo72g-4gt0yjX8o5Q8oIw3oRhWcpzO1UCoarM06X4ghMfL7MccHBUtEaKxqzTd39n2UP_hqkz__D1upQnkSoa2nOP4MsCyNO1-KmQlP7rYP4U/s400/bearytales.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I wasn't very happy with the digital shading of my <a href="http://alisonkolesar.blogspot.com/2013/06/almost-daily-sketch.html">sketches</a> so turned them into watercolors with a bit of colored pencil. This way of working feels very comfortable to me.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-40964833502962973792013-07-19T12:51:00.001-04:002013-07-19T12:51:05.551-04:00I do like birds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHeDgbcLPnb8D7z2nUrKJPIfnTjUjT2LQqv6zWJ6Dh7HfaZj0eVziR2zQF-U0pEtvPjBJ4paVums28x0EfSGMy4m1bBa9akXPdDccXU0ecKYoJZExduHmjOCFrBM6gGbJ8TbXI9nHsvgI/s1600/bird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHeDgbcLPnb8D7z2nUrKJPIfnTjUjT2LQqv6zWJ6Dh7HfaZj0eVziR2zQF-U0pEtvPjBJ4paVums28x0EfSGMy4m1bBa9akXPdDccXU0ecKYoJZExduHmjOCFrBM6gGbJ8TbXI9nHsvgI/s320/bird.jpg" width="243" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcE_RaEto3JBtdVwR_TBwnTUbI_-HwzK8nKxhZNxvvILFWlekq7O83p8XZUx0ufQ8-dR9tyPDuTEzEgFZkSqWhfsxkxBfu2_SYrjqbSnbTPtaDa2lkFnKyi9it_21WXx2ZtybCaghyn_A/s1600/runningchicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcE_RaEto3JBtdVwR_TBwnTUbI_-HwzK8nKxhZNxvvILFWlekq7O83p8XZUx0ufQ8-dR9tyPDuTEzEgFZkSqWhfsxkxBfu2_SYrjqbSnbTPtaDa2lkFnKyi9it_21WXx2ZtybCaghyn_A/s320/runningchicken.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
A number of things have been keeping me from my usual creative endeavors - knitting illustrations, a bike trip, a singing workshop - but these birds asked to be made and here they are. They'll be in the <a href="http://www.benningtonartsguild.org/">Bennington Arts Guild</a> gallery as of this afternoon.<br /><br />Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-49144073855297231982013-06-24T10:41:00.003-04:002013-06-24T10:41:54.543-04:00(Almost) Daily Sketch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2y5nhumBZhlfExEhH6xNn_HFTQLA4WuVZEwDk8EJNnToN0oL5DbjyZi8VZCAB-jPlxLLX20YLO5Y2Hts3b0uIJ0TA_sKWaYxGiQPE12fn4-INdNXY76oqM723IWUO64QvYaS_SimLBQ/s1600/showmama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2y5nhumBZhlfExEhH6xNn_HFTQLA4WuVZEwDk8EJNnToN0oL5DbjyZi8VZCAB-jPlxLLX20YLO5Y2Hts3b0uIJ0TA_sKWaYxGiQPE12fn4-INdNXY76oqM723IWUO64QvYaS_SimLBQ/s200/showmama.jpg" width="149" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGK2JjVYeY886VrnrZ-iDgYSPVbDpISqFDoMuCT9OlEIBSPxpG8TwHv7gpg9ncYw9U8i6fEPXxojx3qDi0YXbvAaQNeyePs5y_8nmFveH1H7J_WLVr6tNKFsm2Rm8G0KoBpnJHZGZC_4g/s1600/readingbears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGK2JjVYeY886VrnrZ-iDgYSPVbDpISqFDoMuCT9OlEIBSPxpG8TwHv7gpg9ncYw9U8i6fEPXxojx3qDi0YXbvAaQNeyePs5y_8nmFveH1H7J_WLVr6tNKFsm2Rm8G0KoBpnJHZGZC_4g/s200/readingbears.jpg" width="200" /></a> <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I've made the resolution before to do a daily sketch and somehow I've never done it long enough for the habit to get established. But here are my sketches from Friday and Saturday. Both started as pencil drawings. For the first I just changed the line color in Photoshop and for the second I added the tonal values in Photoshop. I have to say I prefer working in watercolor...<br />
<br />Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696204303890410932.post-73208679995959750012013-05-24T14:25:00.000-04:002013-05-24T14:25:04.073-04:00Lettering and Illustration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMDaoeWbqQ53zf0Wz0i-0yuHXPknJbjrNsVhf8MCeT4PbWjKZ2aA5a93cBAZXv2-0BN70sIdgCocxuuIATX5YCXqeTtQYQO0i_NzUXwHGW9gYeg45MMNcpqe-56gwS_KHyVbI7SWhg0Lo/s1600/StFrancislow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMDaoeWbqQ53zf0Wz0i-0yuHXPknJbjrNsVhf8MCeT4PbWjKZ2aA5a93cBAZXv2-0BN70sIdgCocxuuIATX5YCXqeTtQYQO0i_NzUXwHGW9gYeg45MMNcpqe-56gwS_KHyVbI7SWhg0Lo/s400/StFrancislow.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The course I just took in watercolor lettering from <a href="http://valwebb.com/">Val Webb</a> has been very enjoyable and at the end we got to the best part - marrying words and illustration. I'm going to be on the lookout for more great (short) quotations.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186361569869349325noreply@blogger.com1