Bertram's Waiting for Santa Already

Sketching on Location

Sketching on location -- making quick studies of a subject -- is a great way to develop and practice skills as well as record ideas for more complete painting or drawing. It's also a way to record the light and shadow patterns in a scene before the rapidly moving light source (sun) changes them, or make note of a particular color that a camera may not quite capture. For these reasons, many artists won't leave home without their sketchbooks.

Here are a examples of the different ways I've used such sketches in my art process.

Value sketches are usually monochromatic. Their purpose is to help you decide on the relative values of the different objects in the composition. You can check your overall composition at the same time. In this value study, I decided that the horizon needed to be lower (as I noted with an arrow).

I lowered the horizon in this second sketch to see if I liked it better. I also adjusted some of the values.

In this example I tried three different compositions.

Here I tested ideas for a birthday card I wanted to paint for a friend. I liked the drawings on the bottom the best, so I added color, and then finally decided to use the stair concept for the card.

This was a value study for my three Japanese Teahouse watercolors.

In this sketch, I recorded the interesting edges of the plant.

This ultra-quick sketch captures the motion of the kangaroos.

And again.

This sketch focuses on the back-and-forth movement of the elephant's trunk and the twitching of his ears and tail.

Here I was trying to decide if this view of my living room would make a good composition.

Here's a painted sketch of the shadow shapes in a scene. I wanted to be sure to include these shadows in the final painting. The light and shadow in a scene can create framework that's an important part of the composition.

Here's another painted sketch of shadows only.

Sketching doesn't have to be for a particular purpose, though. Sometimes I like to get together with other artists and sketch for fun. There are many opportunities to sketch in more organized ways. For example, Michele Cooper, who keeps a wonderful sketchbook, participates in the Sketchbook Project. 

Sketchbooks on display for the Sketchbook Project. 

Several other artist friends take part in Urban Sketchers, which is a group that gets together to sketch in various locations. Also, Catherine Gill hosts a weekly group called Art on Tap, where artists meet at a local pub three Monday evenings a month to sketch. Maybe I'll see you there!

You might also enjoy:

• Artists of the First Nations -  A visit to the UBC Museum of Anthropology.
• Robin's Sketchbook - Photos of a watercolor sketchbook.

Holiday Gifts for Kids in Need

Dear Friends,

I have a personal holiday tradition of buying new clothing for local teens in need. When Bill and I lived in Kirkland, we donated the items to Hopelink, which has offices on the east side of Lake Washington. Last year we moved to Seattle, so we're now supporting an organization here, Treehouse for Kids, that collects gifts (clothing, toys, etc.) for foster kids of all ages. I'll be taking donations to their collection site on Friday morning, December 16. The last day to donate for the holiday drive is Saturday, December 17.


If you want to join me in this endeavor, here's a wish list of items you could buy: Wish List

Or, if you'd rather donate money, you can do so online. Just click the "Donate Now" button on this page: http://www.treehousef...

If you live near Ballard and want me to deliver your donations along with ours, comment on this post or send me a message. If you're not here in Seattle, I hope you'll support a similar organization in your own community and help kids in need during the holidays.

Thanks and Happy Holidays!
Megan

Bad BAD BAD Kitty

My neighbors got two adorable kittens this summer which have since turned into cats. I'm becoming very familiar with these animals because their favorite place is our yard, where they stalk the little feathered creatures who come here to eat and drink.

This is a dilemma. I love animals, but I don't love cats eating my little friends. So on seeing one getting ready to do this, I rush into the yard hissing, arms flapping, yelling "go away you stupid cat," and all sorts of other things that probably chip away at my local reputation.

The typical scenario goes something like this.

1. I look out the window and see this flat cat shape in the bottom of the rain garden (the best stalking spot when it isn't raining).

2. I burst out the front door, pretending to be a very VERY dangerous person.

3. The cat calmly gazes up at me.

4. My voice gets louder and louder. My arms flap harder and harder. This finally inspires the cat to move.

5. The cat begins walking towards me purring loudly. I don't think it's getting the idea.

6. The cat begins rubbing against my legs.

7. I pat it.

You might also like:
Meet Bertram
The Yard Robin Liked Me Better

Clintavo's Position on Marketing Art via Facebook and Twitter

by Clint Watson

please remember, if the world loses a single work of art you could have produced because you got sucked into playing Farmville, well, that would be, quite frankly, tragic. [...]

Read the rest of this article at:
http://fineartviews.com/blog/35038/clintavos-position-on-marketing-art-via-facebook-and-twitter

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This excerpt appears courtesy of FineArtViews Art Marketing Newsletter by FASO,
a free email newsletter about art, marketing, inspiration and fine living for artists,
collectors and galleries (and anyone else who loves art).


For a complimentary subscription, visit: http://www.fineartviews.com

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Art Studio Party and Kathy Collins Talk

Boy, it's been a busy few weeks, and I've gotten out of touch with my blog. Vacations, house guests, parties, talks, and so on... But I have a minute for a quick post so you won't think I've gone away for good.

Sunday was our 49th Street Studio annual party. It was my first, and I had no idea what to expect. What happened was lots of food, art, and about 200 guests. What a blast! I got 10 of my paintings framed up and another five matted to show. It was the first time I've framed anything, and it was a bit of a learning experience. I'm happy with how things turned out, though. Here's a photo of my stuff:

Some of the paintings I showed at the studio party

For more about the party, see my post on the 49th Street Studio blog.

Today was Kathy Collins' talk, and it also was a great success. She generously shared her knowledge and experience about the business of art with 14 of us. There was so much information to digest and we all had lots of questions, too much to recap right now (dinner's on the stove).

Kathy Collins giving a talk on the business of art.

Kathy is easy to admire, being such a wonderful artist and a fine human being to boot!

Thanks, Kathy!

Don't forget about "The Business of Art" Talk on Sept 27

This is a reminder to register for Kathy Collins' talk on the business of art. See full details at http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2011/08/announcing-kathy-collins-talk-on.html.


Topics covered will be:

• How Kathy got into the art world from the world of science and medicine
• Improving your art, getting a style
• Organizing your art
• Getting into juried shows
• Getting into a gallery
• Getting your art published in a magazine
• Steps to begin teaching

IMPORTANT: To guarantee a seat for the talk, please preregister by emailing kathy.collins2 @comcas​t.net (remove the spaces in the email address).

This event is sponsored by the Seattle Watercolor Meetup Group.