Ivy and Nala

Project for a friend! Unfortunately I'm the type of person that gets hung up on little things and trends to forget about my 'first love', watercolors. With a brush in my hand, the window open to the surprisingly warm Seattle weather, and all my mix mediums in front of me, I was so relaxed and ''in my element''. I haven't felt that way in a long time, it seems to always be tense when I 'get down' to work on drawing. Do you ever feel like you take more self-doubt or crap from yourself more than anything else? I feel like I'm my biggest ball and chain. And critic. Oh the life of working alone. ;)

What's your worst 'enemy in the studio?

And what helps you?

Let's share because we are a community of fellow artist of all different backgrounds and styles. We can take advantage of it!

Much love and blessings!
-Bethie

Tromping friends

Medium: Watercolors on 140lb watercolor smooth paper

Oi! Where has time gone - it's nearing the middle of JULY! *jaw-drop*

Two little sweet 'ums for today. Many blessings all.

(I'm looking into obtaining a camera... scanner doesn't truly do the best job with the original colors. Looking, looking, looking =)

Ocean inside me

Medium: 2B

Funny thing about this is that when I got up the nerve to show some of my family this picture, I warned them that it was a little abstract (They always grimace when the "A" word is mentioned... and I used to as well... but now I have found my appreciation for the abstract as well as the fine art. I don't judge them together because you just... can't), and my dad nodded at me and took this sketch and looked at it. And looked, and looked and looked...
To be honest, I got a really, ton, a lot but mostly little-ish nervous. =)
He finally said that, yes, it was abstract, but he could see it now, "you're looking out of a cave!"
*facepalm*

Oh well. I tried. (and if it's not just my lovable family and I truly need to work more on this, it's a figure with the ocean inside it... =)
All that said, when I said that I had to get my nerve up to show to my family, I feel like I should explain. I love my family, and they love looking at whatever I show them.
My only hesitation is that I sometimes don't believe them (does that sound bad - hopefully you can understands what I mean=)... and lots of the time I just want the hard truth ("you need to work more on this!").
There are times when all I want to do is hide up in a hole and draw and paint and not show anybody!
I sometimes hesitate (who am I kidding, I hesitate every time!) whenever I show/post a drawing/painting... I'm not afraid of harsh critics (I can only dream of them), rather, I'm afraid of myself... of what sort of monster I'll become if I keep showing people, and they "ooo" and "aahhh" over my work, say it's pretty or whatever... I get scared that I'll just stop. Right there. That praise alone will get good enough for me (and my pride, my horrible, nagging pride will get the better of me, has in the past so I don't doubt it will in the future. By God's grace alone I stand).
I don't know... I'm sometimes hope I'm just overeating in my head... but other times, I think I'm making sense (sort of, in a rambling kind of way I guess).
If you've read this- I'm impressed... (I don't even know if I would have!)

Anywho - Happy Sketching everyone!

Waterfall

Medium: Watercolors (16x12)

First off, I just want to dedicate this post to the Artist behind it all at the Blue Chair Diary Illustrations. Much love and prayers Alexandra.

This is another something that I did in a class I'm taking at the local collage - lets just say it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. To prove it, here are my two demo's (aka epic failures) that I did at the beginning of class:

(sorry 'bout the dark lighting - I live in Seattle area!)

Here's the value picture I roughly based the painting after...

And then the close ups.

Thanks for coming by!

Scars on the trees

Medium: HB and 2B pencils

 Just a quick sketch I did of a tree on my grandparents property that was first destroyed by the ice and wind storm a few months ago, and then was relieved of its branches. I am very happy of this sketch because it has that sort of  'harsh beauty' that I see everywhere.



And then this is me relieving myself of stress... =D Hi-yah! ;)

Medium: 2B pencil

Fierce

Medium: watercolor

Wondering if I'm not the only one who talks and gets giggly/scared at some drawings... I've seen brown bears up close at a rescue zoo in Alaska (see post here... scroll towards the bottom)... relived some of those memories while sketching and painting this out. =}

Most of the time as artist, we only portray the beauty - because it's almost easier. And I can say that because I do - sometimes all I want to sketch out is a pretty girl, doing something epic and exciting. But at times to stretch yourself and start climbing higher up the ladder of experience - we have to put ourselves in situations, and our characters and subjects, into something that's not always pretty.

I never want to be someone who just stop making things that I think are pretty, beautiful and lovely - but I also want to be able to do things that don't fit into that category. Anywho - just rambling here.

... darn... I forgot about daylight savings - technically it's midnight right now.. =P urg.

Bravery of the mind is a powerful thing

Medium: HB pencil

Just a quick sketch that I did for a friend. =)

  As I began to draw this, I was thinking about how nervous I am to be starting a class next month. I'm taking a watercoloring class that is both scary and exciting!

Wish me luck!

MUCH love to you all!

Arctic prayer

Medium: watercolors

Finally pulled out the paints after a three month break (this being the second one I've done, the first is hardly noticeable - nothing in it holds any value but I might post it sometimes - learning by mistakes is the best way to move forward!) - I'm still using student quality watercolors (except for one tube of Danial Smith Brunt Sienna that I use in the blanket) so trying to get the look I want is a challenge - but a interesting one as well, I feel myself growing with each new breakthrough that I encounter. =P

Feel free to critique this - I want feed back and even though all of your wonderful comments of how you like what I've done is great and all that (makes me smile) I would also love it if you had something to share, either the way you work your way through something or if you have something that could help me along.

Merry Sunday!

Merry Sundays to you all!

Study in movement 2/8/2012 and Sunday Sketch

Medium: HB and 2B pencils

As most are beginning to realize about me - I use my little sibs quite a bit in my sketching and inspiration, as well as random modeling for me. This little sketch was first started when I glanced out of my window to see Abs playing in the empty garden just like above - but then, to my disappointment as I feverishly tried to put her features on paper, she jumped up and came inside (it was a very blustery day and the strong winds scared her). I looked down at what I put down.... not enough for me to get that realistic movement that I've been striving for.  So, I dragged her in to my room with promises of treats and toys (maw-ha-ha - trickery is my game!) and was able to get this down. It's only a sketch but I want to redo it in a larger size soon.
(Thanks so much Sophia for hosting Sunday Sketches!)
Much love everyone - happy sketching!

Trails sketch pages

Medium: 2B pencil

Just some ideas for a new blog makeover that will be happening soon. More later.

SS: Steampunk chic

Medium: H2 Pencil

Steampunk is awesome - what else is there to say?
It's such a fun style - take anything punk-ish and historical and roll it together, bake for 3-7 minutes... and ta-da! =) I honestly don't dress it myself all that much (more of a hippie/bohemian styler here) but I love to people watch those who do.
I did this sketch some time ago, just for fun.... and I'll release it to the world just for fun as well.

 Enjoy your weekend!!!

The Boot-Sisters Sunday Sketch

Medium: HB pencil

Finally figured out our scanner - my older sister is -oh so glad!- to not have to take pictures for me all the time. I'm pretty happy how this turned out (scanner and in the general sketch), I like to think that childhood is made up by anything and everything you could possible put together and compiling it all into one little girl (or boy) to create their own unique self. My little sister, is very much one of them. She has the privileged right of picking out her desired PJ's every night and they almost always consist of footie jams, shorts over them and some random hat... I love it (all of these sketched little girls are inspired by outfits that Abbie has put on).

Happy Sketching everyone!

Waiting for sunset

Even though I sketched this out a few weeks ago, it suddenly struck me that it is very much a New Years sketch. Looking to where I'll be going, the questions of what'll happen this year. And everything that comes with something new and exciting.

Happy New YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!

SS catch up

Medium: general pencil

Here is the nearly finished project that I showed on a Sunday Sketch post a while back. All that needs to be done now is some clean up and adding watercolors to it (which I can't do until I get some more paint=)

Also, this is one of few that I actually name... Consider yourself lucky for seeing with a title. I'm very camera shy. =P

Happy Sketching!

Musician watching commencing...

Medium: HB Pencil

About a week back, I went to a Musician's conference in Redmond, Washington. While there for the weekend, I hung out with super awesome music makers and singers. I got to listen to (and watch!) Paul Baloche, Lincoln Brewster, Norm Stockton, Jonathan Lee, Carl Albrecht, Doyle Dykes and Phil Wickham. If you didn't recognize any of these names - look them up (and Phil Keggy - he was there last year and was AN-MAZ-ING). But with all that said, I didn't really have time to pull out my handy sketch book, but I was able to get this amazing person' (one of the problems with musicians is you can't hardly tell the sex of the person from the back...=P) style. Long overcoat, beanie, scarves, colorful skinny jeans, messengers bag w/ pins and beat up converse, is the theme of all musicians (and yes, for one of the days I wore my own -very beat up- lighting blue converse high tops =)

(sorry for the poor quality of the photo, cellphones are lousily photo-takers)

Work in progress

(I've updated this project further, see here)

Medium: HB pencil

This is a work in progress (as you already gathered from the title of this post, and most likely looking at my little, unfinished sketch. Also, this is really, really blurry and bland looking, that would be the 7yo cameras falt), I want to go farther with it and add some background to it, as well as complete her hand... any ideas of what I can do with it? I'm thinking now her hand can be touching something (tree... reaching for the sky...)... Something like that. Happy Sketches everyone!


Up Date:
Reignie is on the mend, starting to look like herself again. Thank you all for your kind words and prayers. They are working.

Sunday Sketch

Medium: HB pencil

This is my boho girl I spent giggling with while mornings dawn came upon me a while back. Haven't had so much fun doing a sketch of an adult in a very long time since mainly focusing on things for children. Linking up to Blue Chair Diary's weekly Sunday Sketch get-together of sorts. Never done anything like this but Sophia has the cutest paintings ever and her writings inspire and move me.

Heard this song called You Take My Breath Away by Eva Cassidy. Such an amazing, beautiful voice.