A Scrapbook page-Grateful

This is a scrapbook page I did digitally in Photoshop CS4. It is about being Grateful. I really had a lot of fun with this one. I had to follow someone else's instructions on how to do all the images so I don't know if I could duplicate it.

It started out with an image of me. I took out all the color-desaturation- and then I think I inverted it, giving it the black face and whitish hair.

I added the words in different fonts and a few different verses: I am blessed, I am grateful, and,  Live in the moment.

I wish I could spend a little more time on learning Photoshop, it is an awesome tool for this kind of artwork.

Let me know what you think...

The Sketchbook Project Cover

A path through the trees....

This is the cover to my sketchbook for the sketchbook project 2012 World Tour. (I think I said it was 2011 but it isn't, it is going to be on tour in 2012). 

I am basically drawing my images in pencil and going over them in black pen/markers. The theme I chose is "a path through the trees."

We have the freedom to interpret the theme any way we like. I have interpreted it my way of course, which is sort of realistic with a fantasy twist. You will see my pages as I finish them but not necessarily in order. In the right order they make up a sort of story. I say sort of because I haven't really put it all together yet. I am just drawing what I think I might come across if I take a path through the trees...

Let me know what you think, I would love to hear your comments.

If you go to the web site of the Sketchbook Project there are other books that have been done in previous years and there are so many awesome works of art! I have looked at only a handful and I am so impressed with the imagination and expressions of art from so many gifted artists.

 It is amazing!

The Sketchbook Project

Hi all, I haven't had much time to post here but wanted to share with you soon, some of the pages from my "Sketchbook project." It will be cataloged and shelved on the shelves of the Brooklyn Art Library. It will also be digitized and you will be able to look at it on-line. I will give the link to that when it is all done in about February or March 2012.

There are many participants and I am thrilled to be a part of it!

 The books go on a tour of the US so many people have the chance to look at the books first hand.

 I'll also post the places where they will be going to so if you want to look at mine you we actually be able to go and handle it! Meanwhile, look for some posts next week of what I have already done in my sketchbook!

Thanks for visiting my blog!

My Other Talents

My Dino

Another one of my stuffed projects that I did years ago. I think he is cute. I would have liked to make more if I could only sell them. If anyone is interested let me know. I also made the quilt he is sitting on. It has glow in the dark celestial beings. The other side is many bright colors: red, yellow, green, and blue. I made it for my son. The penguin in the background is purchased.

Be Happy

I finally got it done! I always start too many projects! I have a hard time sticking with one thing from start to finish. I get bored with some things or I get stuck with no inspiration. I also enjoy working on several projects at the same time, so it goes....Here is my second page in the Life's Lessons project.

 Be Happy

The be happy words are actually grungeboard (from Tim Holtz) that was painted. I also painted the background and just listed those things that make me happy. I'm sure I will be adding more to this when I discover that there is more that makes me happy. I have plenty of room to add more "things."

Other projects

 

Years ago I would enjoy making stuffed dolls and animals. This is one of the dolls-Humpty Dumpty (in the nursery rhyme-Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, etc). In lue of not having much time right now to make more drawings I am posting this. These kind of crafts used to be popular but not any more. It's too bad because I really enjoy the challenge!

It's that time of Year!

Hi all, it's that time of year again, yeah, you guessed it.....tax season! Well, not quite but soon. The deal is that I have gone back to work at the tax office. I will be there part time for the rest of the year and full time in January. I will still try to find some time to draw-my passion! I am working on a project called the Sketchbook project. I posted info about it back in September or earlier, I think. What it is -- I signed up to fill a sketchbook with my art and in January I will send it back to New York and they will put it in a library with lots of other sketchbooks that anyone can check out and look at. It will be in the Brooklyn Art Library. When I send it in, it will also be digitized, and anyone will also be able to look at it online. I will post the information in January so you will be able to look at it. I will post a little bit of it here too, if not all.

Wish me luck in trying to find the time to work on it, so I can actually get it all done.
Thanks and Happy Holidays!

Shari Nelson

The eyes have it....

Okay, I was practicing last night and I came up with this picture.

 I was trying to draw my grand-daughter. I didn't quite capture her look but I thought this drawing was pretty good so that is why I am posting it.

It's all about practice!

 I know that the eyes are darker than the rest of the picture, I just like eyes. That's also probably why I like Renoir's art a lot, he also emphasizes the eyes.

 Let me know what you think!

And, thanks for looking!

Shari Nelson Nov 2011

My Grandson

This is a drawing of my grandson-Jackson. I drew this from a picture I have of him because if I tried to draw him in real time, the picture would be a blur. He is full of energy and fun loving.

I am going to send a copy of this picture to him in the mail. I told him I would send him a picture. He is so sweet.

I will have to do one of his sister too.

I hope you like it. Thanks for visiting! 

AJC- Fight

FIGHT

This is one of the words we had to journal about. When I think of fighting I think of all the negative things about fighting. After I ponder it for awhile I start thinking of all the causes that I feel are important enough to fight for. Some are my right to free speech, and to worship the way I want. My right to vote and choose my own leaders. These are all good things to fight for.

"My saying on the page, "I don't wanna fight..." stands for my feelings about the physical fighting or argueing. Those things I don't want.

Thanks for looking!

Fear

FEAR

{My affirmation}

"I do not fear the future, I do not regret the past, I live in the present enjoying each moment as it happens."

Another page for my Art Journal Caravan adventure! What do you think?

I think I am getting better at this digital scrapbooking.

At least that is what I think. I look at other digital scrapbook pages done by other scrappers and wish I could do what they do. Do you ever feel that way? I have to remember that no one has the "correct" way and that every one is different. That is what is so great about being, that we are all different from each other. So, we all do things differently than the next person.

I can't tell you what all the images mean on this page because I don't even know myself. I just put things on there that I like and some things that remind me of Halloween. If you noticed I added some bright colors to the mix too. I love bright colors, they make me feel happy.

I really believe the affirmation too. I try to live in the present every day! No worries, right?



Process

Process

I took this as the Process of becoming Me. I put some elements on the page that mean something for me.

The Queen represents something that I am in my home-the Queen. The moon and stars are full of mystery and intrigue, the camel represents the adventure, the heart means love of course, do everything with love. The wand is my magic wand which helps me to get things done.

It is just a scrapbook page. I love "playing" with my Photoshop software.



Amuse

Amuse

Another scrapbook page for the Art Journal Caravan adventure. The words on it are as follows:

I love to sit and watch nature as it moves on by. It is my joy, my pleasure, and my amusement!

I love the bright colors, and I also love pastel colors. Seeing these colors make me happy. Enjoy and thanks for looking!

A Digital Scrapbook page

Understand

Another one of my digital scrapbook pages in my Art Journal Caravan book. The saying is this:

I understand that the right to choose

my own path

is a sacred privilege.

Use it.

Dwell in possibility.

It is a good quote. The elements on the page are from Scrapbookgraphics digital art. I use a lot of art work from Tangie Baxter. (You can too if you visit Scrapbookgraphics.com or TangieBaxter.com and get some for yourself.)

I used the frogs singing image because it "talks" about impossible possibilities, but sometimes it is only how we view things that make them impossible. So, that is there to remind me that I need to change my thinking about possibilities and be open to more of them. The camel reminds me that I am on a journey. The Eiffel Tower is a symbol of my dreams, and the animals-the bunny and horse- represent one of my favorite subjects. I once thought that I might want to be a veterinarian but they wasn't what I really wanted, it was what my parents thought would be a good choice for me. I tried it and decided not to pursue that idea.  

  

A Wedding Dress

A Wedding dress...

 I drew this from a picture in a magazine. It is easier to draw something that has already been flattened and that is what cameras do, they flatten images.

 It's not that I want it to be easier, it's just that I don't have this kind of subject to draw from real life. I was intreged by the layers of fabric in her dress and wanted to see if I could draw the layers and folds. I always have trouble with hands too. So it was good practice for that.

 This was a good pic for practicing the figure and a challenge for the layering. That is what a lot of art is...practice, practice, and more practice. Let me know what you think. I also need honest feedback so I can improve my skills.

 Thanks! 

A Wolf?

Okay, I'm back! I have a few drawings I have been working on. This one is actually a drawing of a picture of a wolf. Most people I've shown this to say it looks like a dog. I think it does too. It looks a little off because of his nose. I would have to work on it a lot more to get it to look just right, but I am not willing to do that on this one. The hair takes a lot of time. (and I mean alot of time!) It was good practice to try this, a person has to have a lot of patience to draw animals with hair.

Let me know what you think. Thanks for looking!



A Blue ATC

Happiness-that's what the chinese symbol means on this ATC card. I had the hardest time finishing this card and still I'm not satisfied with how it looks. I was making a wedding card with these butterflies and decided to add them to this ATC so I could be done with it. It is the last one in my series of color. I posted three other cards for this group previously on my blog.

You can see them here, and here, and here.

I wanted to talk about color in association with these ATC cards. I used blue here, yellow, red, and green previous. Color is very important in art. It implies a feeling usually, thus an emotion. The emotion that the artist feels is not always the same as the observer, thus art is interpretive.

 I probably chose unwisely when I used blue for happiness, blue usually implies sadness....But when I look at the blue sky and the "blue" water in a lake, I feel happy. I love the color blue, it is very comforting, it goes with most anything (clothes), and looks good on almost anyone. So, blue doesn't always mean sadness to me. What makes you happy?

I will be moving my ATC cards to my other blog at

http://shariscardsandpapercrafts.blogspot.com/

so if you want to see more of them, that's where they will be.

I have other cards and stuff on that blog too!

Working on projects

I just wanted to let everyone know who views this blog that I am busy working on projects to post here. Life seems to get in the way a lot with so much going on all the time. I am trying to work on my art, make money doing this and that, and keeping up with all my home "duties." I wouldn't be me if I didn't have many projects going on all at once. I like my "way" of doing things, it keeps my life interesting and keeps me involved.

Did I say that cooking is another one of my passions? Well, it is and right now I have been trying to find some time to make homemade granola bars. First I looked for recipes, and then I gathered some ingredients, and hopefully today I will actually make them.

 Like I said, life is full of activities for me....

Drawing a Face Video

I finally figured it out! It wasn't hard, I just had to find time to work on it. I hope you all enjoy this simple instruction video on how to draw a basic face. Thanks for watching!

Basic instructions from video:
First--draw a basic shape for the head, I chose an oval because that is very common.
Second--draw some guidelines. One down the middle of the face, and one across the middle of the head.
Third--start with drawing the eyes in the middle of the head on your middle line across.
Fourth--about half way between your eyes and the bottom of your face, the chin, is the nose. Draw a nose in this area.
Fifth--about half way between your nose and your chin is your mouth. Draw a mouth in this area.
Sixth--Ears. Start on one side of your face, level with your eyes for the top of the ear, and the bottom will be level with the bottom of the nose. Draw an ear on both sides of the face in these areas.
Seventh--work on the eyes. Draw a lid, then draw the iris of both eyes, shade in. Make a black dot in the middle of each eye for the pupil. You will want to leave a small white spot in the pupil to give it a realistic look. The white spot is the reflection of light.
Eighth--in the video I forgot to tell you to draw some eyebrows over the eyes, so go ahead and do that next.
Ninth--Draw in the hair any style that you like. Draw a neck area, and if you know about shading then go ahead and do that too, to give your face some perspective.

Easy and simple, anyone can do it with a little practice! Enjoy....

Symphony of Science-Our Place in the Cosmos

This is a cool video. It talks about our place in the universe. Have you ever wondered about that? I used to before I found the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have learned a great deal about life. If you go to www.mormon.org you can find out more about The Church of Jesus Christ and what we believe. You just might find answers to your questions.  Anyway, enjoy the video, it is awesome!

How to Draw a Face-the basics

Sorry, I haven't been able to upload this video yet. So, I guess I am having technical difficulties. I will get it uploaded as soon as possible.

Self-Portrait

Okay, this is the picture I am going to try to recreate on video on Friday (Sept 16th). It doesn't have much in the way of shading but it is supposed to be simple. Believe me this is a basic portrait and can be done by beginners. The details may take a little time to get down but it is like they say, "practice, practice, practice."

If you have any interest at all, get yourself some kind of pencil that you are comfortable with like a #2 pencil that you would use in school and a piece of paper. White is always good to start with. Colored papers are fun to use every once in a while too. Like I've said before I use the Mead Academie sketchbook 8.5" x 11". So, get yourself these simple tools and follow along with the video and give it a try. Also, have fun!



My girl

 

I like to draw faces, so I drew this picture. I like making my figures with curly hair, probably because I have curly hair.

I love mountains also, and of course, clouds.

This gal has a big head. The eyes tend to be a little too high on her face. I will be showing you in a video just how to draw a face. It will be my first attempt to make a video so I hope it works out well. I hope you will check back to view it too. I plan on posting my video's on Friday's starting on the 16th.

Just so everyone is clear my artwork is copyrighted. I sign every piece of art that I make. You may not copy or use my work without proper permission. 

My Heart

I need to say a little bit about this page. I have been going through a rough time for the last four months. There has been a lot of change in our family and it has been hard. Why is change always so hard, even when it is good for you? I was feeling a little down so I have gotten used to journaling my feelings....

I colored this page then added my thoughts and feelings about my heart. This is what it says:

My heart...

A person's heart is a precious thing...

It is a secret place, sometimes strong, sometimes weak,

but always precious.

No one but the owner knows what is deep inside-

even when it is given away.

A heart knows sorrow and pain,

it also knows joy.

This is my heart, no one knows it but me...

I know joy and I know sorrow, and I know love.

Love comes in many different forms, it is child like-

happy, carefree, unconditional; It is tough

and sometimes rejected, but also deep and everlasting, mature, grown-up.

My heart has many scars, and sore spots, but someday

they will be gone and my heart will be whole,

it will be stronger, it will truly understand what real love is.

God's love is charity.

Love is an action and a feeling.

I am truly blessed to know God and to know His love.

I am truly blessed!

September 2011

Jumping for Joy!

 

I love this drawing! It is full of action and joy! What do you think? Am I right? It makes me smile.

Here is an older boy or young man, in his robe, jumping rope. I love the angle of his head/face, it was a totally different way of drawing a figure. He even has slippers on!

There isn't much in the way of shading but the drawing has dimension because of his robe flying out at the bottom. The hair gives the picture movement, along with the ties for his robe, just bouncing up and down.

This was a fun drawing to do, and I hope you like it. I used a mechanical pencil on white paper. I used my sketchbook from Mead Academie.

My Cinderella

I did another few drawings this past month and will be posting them. This is one of the drawings. It is a drawing of Cinderella by the fire. I used a mechanical pencil and white paper. I have a Mead Academie SketchBook that I sketch in. It is Heavyweight Paper, that won't fade or yellow, acid-free, lignin-free. It is ideal for sketches in pencil, pen, marker, pastel, & Charcoal. It is perfect for my drawings. I like this 8.5"x11" size. I also like drawing on bigger pads of paper which will probably come later.

I plan to post some lessons on my blog about how to draw. I also plan to do some video's so you can see how to actually do the drawings. I have a little more planning to do but will hope to have this going by the end of the month.

If you happen to have any requests let me know. I love to teach and I will try to help anyone that has a request.  

Let me know what you think of my drawing. Thanks for visiting.

My Self-Portrait Digital Scrapbook page

Hi there! I know it has been awhile, but I have been busy, honest...

This is my newest scrapbook page for the Art Journal Caravan 2011 with Tangie Baxter.

It is my self-portrait for the project. Tangie is going to collect pages from all the people in the 2011 Art Journal Caravan that participate and make them into a book. Now that is exciting, don't you think? I used many digital elements here and I will list them so everybody gets the credit they deserve.

CottageArts: background paper

Tangie Baxter: paper doll elements, butterflies, elephant, flowers, leaf set, "enjoy the journey"

Flergs (Scrapbookgraphics): string

Loriem-(Scrapbookgraphics): bird 

Shabby Miss Jenn designs (Scrapbookgraphics): paint tube

I had a lot of fun putting this page together and again, I had to do some fancy work in Photoshop CS4. I made the shadows for the paper doll and the paint tube in this program. I had to copy the items and color them a shadowy color then warp them. It really is quite easy once you've done it once or twice.

I posted this page on Scrapbookgraphics in the Art Journal Caravan gallery which you can not get to unless you are a member. So, I will post here some of the comments I already received on this page:

sbpoet said: "musical arms!"

tarthur said: A really FUN layout!  Love your text treatament, and the shadow is great! (i agree, birds are nice, too)"

sparklyduck75 said:  "You used the flip-top head!  And put your face on it!  I love it!!!  :D"

Tangie Baxter said: "oh love your "you art doll" and the way you did the rotating jouranling text! (I loved the addition of the tiny little flying elephant too ;)) Wonderful, so glad you participated!"

and

Cynthia said: "What a cool self-portrait!! Love the way you journaled and the elephant on top is the perfect, quirky touch!"

I hope you all enjoy this post! Thanks for looking. I need to ask a favor of anyone who reads my blog, please refer my blog to others that you think would enjoy reading or looking at it. I need to "get my name out there, in the world," and maybe, just maybe, someone might need my artist skills and offer me MONEY! Yeah, with your help, it might work! I would greatly appreciate any and all efforts on my behalf....THANKS

Being Happy

You know that I love clouds.

 Now aren't these beautiful?

 I took this picture while my son was driving us to the lovely town of Buffalo, Minnesota. These are big fluffy, white, clouds. I just love them. They remind me of soft cotton balls, all soft and "warm."

 I don't know why I associate fluffy and soft with warm but I do. I also associate these characteristics with a warm, loving feeling. I love fluffy, soft animals too. Bunnies, kittens, puppies, and teddy bears.

 I had a teddy bear when I was young so that is probably why I connect these things.

Comforting

love

warm

happy

I think of quilts too when I think of comforting.

 I make quilts.

 I love to piece together the top of the quilt. When I am done quilting all the layers together I like to cover up in it and "feel" the quilted fabric.

 It is very pleasing to touch.

 Does that mean that I am a tactile learner? (Learn by touch?) I am also very visual (seeing). I don't learn as well by lecture (hearing).

I hope this doesn't sound too weird.

 I am sharing these things as part of my journey into discovering what makes me happy for my Life's Lesson project.

It is very interesting to do this project and I am only on the second topic. It is a self-discovery journey like the Art Journal Caravan project I am doing with Tangie Baxter on Scrapbookgraphics.

 I am posting my scrapbook pages every so often here on my blog.

My ART Journal Caravan topics are verbs.

 It has also been an interesting journey.

My Life's Lessons topics are "Be (insert word)" I guess these can be verbs too. I am enjoying the journey.

Art Journal Caravan - Live

"There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle."  Albert Einstein. 

This is what it says on the bottom of my page here. This is one of my digital scrapbook pages from the Art Journal Caravan 2011.

I took a picture and opened it up in my photoshop CS4 program, then I altered it using some of the tools in that program. I changed up the colors, added some elements from Tangie Baxter and the AJC 2011 project folder.

The theme for this page is LIVE. I have it laid out on the page as if it says, "Live!!! a journey of discovery."

 It is my way of saying that we should look at each moment of our lives as a way to be thankful and grateful for what we have, for what we can do, for what we can see, feel, hear, touch, smell, and for what opportunities await us, etc. I could go on and on.

 Live in the moment is good too. Don't worry about things that have not come to pass and don't worry about things that are in the past. Live in the moment. Relax. Life is to short to live any other way.

 I'm not saying NOT to set goals and make plans, I'm saying to pay attention to what is going on around you and within you right now, in whatever thing you are doing. When you are driving, then focus on driving; when you are with your kids, then focus on your kids; etc. Too much time is spent on stressing about tomorrow or what we are going to do in four hours from now.

Speaking of tomorrow....I just signed up for: The SKETCHBOOK PROJECT 2012.

it will be awesome!

I will be making a sketchbook full of my artwork and it will be physically going on tour across the country and digitally throughout the digital highway! It will be totally awesome, I am so excited about this. I got this idea from Tam who just signed up to follow my blog. Thanks Tam!

Clouds

Okay, here are some......clouds.

 Do you think they look like clouds? I made the picture this brownish color. I drew it in pencil on white paper. That is the fun part of PhotoshopCS4-you can do all kinds of effects to your pictures.

I also started taking some digital pictures of clouds. It has been stormy around here lately in Minnesota. The humidity has been high all summer, but that is nothing new. What's new is the heat and humidity all over the country! Wow!

So, I am going to look forward to drawing more pictures of clouds.
 I love clouds!
 I always notice clouds when I go outside. I also notice the colors of the clouds especially at sunset.
 Have you ever noticed all the colors in the sky at sunset? It is so colorful and beautiful sometimes, well, just always!

Again, thanks for visiting!

My Life's Lesson Project-Be Aware

BE AWARE-I've been working on this project all month.

Most of it has been me noticing what is around me. I know that I always look at clouds when I am outside. I am starting to take photographs of clouds and I actually did a drawing of some clouds and will post it soon. I am also trying to be more aware of what I say to people. I want to be "soft spoken," or at least the type of person that people like to talk to.
 I am also trying to be more aware of what I write on my blog, in my e-mails, in letters, etc.
 When you write things down they are more permanent, and therefore one should be more careful in what they write. A person can read and reread something that is written down and if it is pleasant then that is uplifting, but if it is condemning, then it can hurt over and over again.

I don't want to do that!

I also noticed that I love to draw portraits and all things in nature.
 I don't particularily like to draw buildings or automobiles or very many "man-made" objects. I will have to practice drawing them sometime though if I want to be an illustrator or designer.

I do love all things old!

I love the Victorian era and the Impressionists.
 Leonardo Di Vinci is one of my favorite artists and so is Auguste Renoir.

I've decided on my next topic for this month in my Life's Lessons Project. The topic I've chosen is to

 "BE HAPPY"

Art Journal Caravan 2011

In January I started an ART JOURNAL.

 It is a lot of fun. I have always had trouble just doing "scrapbooking."  Now I incorporate my art, designs, and sometimes "wacky" ideas into a scrapbook page with some journaling- or not. I totally enjoy my "art journal scrapbooking" pages now.

What I do is to start with a 12x12 digital page. I either "paint" it myself or I "place" a pre-made page onto my background in Photoshop CS4. I then add pictures, artwork, and journaling. I have about 12 pages already done and more to work on. I belong to an Art Journal Caravan which is a group of people from Scrapbookgraphics.com.

The group is led by a designer named Tangie Baxter.

Tangie gives us a word and then we use that word to make a page. We also get quotes and affirmations and sometimes free digital art. If you are interested in joining, either leave me a comment or go over to scrapbookgraphics and take a look. I used some design elements from Tangie Baxter from the Art Journal Caravan 2011 intro set. (StudioTangie@www.scrapbookgraphics.com)

 It is a really fun way to journal your life.

 It is also fun to use the photoshop tools to make a unique page. I will be posting my pages when I am working on other projects so you have something to look at on my blog. It would be great if you could leave a comment so I know someone is looking at my stuff. Thanks for visiting!

Be Kind to Yourself

+

Okay, here I go...I am not a Super Mom! Not only do I like to draw and create lovely works of art I am also an avid journaler. I love to journal. I have many, many, journals that I have written since I was 18 years old. When I found a site about art journaling I knew it was for me. Though this may not look like an art form, my page above, it is part of my art journal and yes, it is in black and white. I did this page out of a need to self-medicate.

 I was feeling a little upset and very depressed when someone said that I wasn't the type of person that appeared to be very helpful to others. I wrote out my feelings and also some of the ways that I do help others. One lesson that I learned was to not believe everything that I hear. Others do not really know what I have inside of me, and no one can "see" or "hear" of every thing that I do. Only one person can make a correct judgement of us as individuals and that is the Lord God Omnipotent.

He is the only one who knows our hearts and minds and "sees" every good thing we do. He can also help us to know ourselves by bringing to remembrance every good thing we have done to help another soul.

 It is a very hard thing to hear when a friend or acquaintance says critical things to us, even if they are true to that person.

 Sometimes we are not ready to hear the seemingly helpful comments and it can be devastating if we don't have on our

 "rubber suits."

 (My new and improved, rubber suit is put on everyday now. The improved part is that it makes all those "bad" and "hurtful" things bounce off with much gusto! This suit is going to save me from kicking myself to hard)

So, I wrote out in my art journal several of the things that I do to help others, and since you probably can't read the words

 I will share some of the kind things

 I do to help others.

I give people rides to places, I smile at people, I say hello, and compliment their choices in clothing, I offer kind words, I teach lessons in church after much preparation, I make meals for people when they are in need. I try to find others to help a person when I am not able to do it myself. I say a prayer and ask for God's help.

Above all, I do what I can and if I can't help then I just can't, and that is okay to, because there are others that can help too. I can't do any more than that. I do my best and that is sufficient.

 Please, be careful when you find yourself judging others. It is not ever the way you think it is. That is why it is not for us to judge others unless we can do it justly. And whom among us can do that?

Here is a picture of a saying that goes with this post:

from MyConcreteSky

Light and Shade

This is a portrait of my oldest son when he was around the age of two or three. He has his daddy's cap on. I snapped a picture years ago, then drew the image, this month, in pencil . (My son is much older now.) I love to draw in pencil. Not only can you erase- which an artist is told not to do, and I might tell you why later- but you can make the marks light or dark, broad or thin, and it is easy to smudge. Yes, smudging is good.

This picture is graphite on white, or black on white. It is what artists call Light and Shade. The way the light shines on an object tells us about its form and texture. What I did here is to draw dark marks on light paper. I drew the shade not the light. This is called "chiaroscuro," which is Italian for "bright-dark."

I also used a tonal scale to depict the darkest and not so dark areas to give my image a 3-D or three dimensional look.  Can't you just reach out and pinch those cute little cheeks? I am always so amazed when an image drawn on a flat piece of paper can look like it is three dimensional.

The Third ATC in the Series-Freedom

Isn't this one appropriate for July?

I know that the 4th has gone by but I am counting this as part of our country's celebration.

 I used some old stamps I had in my collection to embellish this card.

I used the same techniques that I used on the first two cards-already posted.  (see July 21, 22, 2011)

Coming soon! I have been working on my "Life's Lessons" project and can't wait to share what I have put on my scrapbook page. I just hope I can convey what I have learned about Being Aware this month.

I will be posting this before the first of August. I hope you will come back and take a look at what I have done.

In this ATC I have also used a symmetrical balance. Can you see how it is done? The stamps balance each other, the bottle cap and the spinner balance each other, and the word Freedom and the three buttons balance each other. For my first ATC I did not tell you what kind of balance I used. You may be able to discern that for yourself using these other descriptions as a guide. I also used another artists' tool when making these cards and I will discuss this other tool when I post the last ATC in this series. There are only four ATC's in this series, and this is the third.

Again, thanks for looking at my blog. I would appreciate more comments if you have a chance. Thanks!