Just so you know, I didn’t COMPLETELY stop painting. I had to do a secret painting for my friend Heather (who has an awesome blog for anyone interested in nutrition, yoga and healthy eating). She wanted a dog portrait of her two pups, Radley and Einstein, as a birthday present for her hubby Chris. As much as I love these two dogs, I had a very hard time working on this one. With their jet black coats and a terrible print job from my printer, I just couldn’t see the variations in lighting. Einstein, the dog on the right, was the hardest. He was ending up with a pig nose and a white mustache and soooo not looking like his cute self. Radley, the dog on the left, was somehow developing a scarf. Very weird.

I would find myself leaning the painting up in different rooms and just stare at it…say angry things at it… and then hope the art fairy would fix it. Sadly it was left up to me. In the end, this is what I delivered to my friend. It’s not perfect, but I hope it made Chris smile on his birthday. Happy Birthday, Chris!

Radley and Einstein

Spooky House or Fun House?

In the latest challenge for Different Strokes from Different Folks, the subject was this beautiful San Francisco Victorian home. I was eager to get started.

This time, I decided to paint a little larger than the last one: 8″x10″. I started sketching and painting right away. But then there came the windows, the lines, the angles, the roof, etc. Ugh. I could’t seem to paint a straight line for the life of me. Trying to define the architecture and angles, this became more outlined than I’m used to. Then my angles got all distorted and I thought, “This looks like something from Dr. Seuss.” All I needed to do was add Little Miss Cindy Lou. 

However, I still like it. It turned out to be a fun experiment. As I try to get back into painting, projects like this help me find my style and paint stroke again (or at least improve it). So for that, I’m thankful.

Be sure to check out the original photo and what other artists did with this challenge by clicking here. It’s always fun to see how others interpret a photo. There are some great ones!

Here is what I submitted this morning:

Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C.

With yesterday’s historic inauguration, it seemed fitting to be working on a subject located in Washington. This was different for me to paint for two reasons: it was really small (5″x7″) and it was a night scene.

To see what other artists submitted (and the original photo), click here. I’m not sure when my image will be up there, but hopefully I submitted it properly and it will be posted soon.

Side note: Ever notice how photos bring out everything you didn’t see before? I like this painting so much better in person. But staring at the photo, I keep looking at that crazy blue line by the road (lower left). It’s bugging me. In person, I never even noticed it. Oh well.

Birdhouse Painting - FREE

OK, I give up on the birdhouse painting. It’s just too cartoony for me. I think it would have been a more charming/sweeter painting if the size were smaller. Maybe like a little 5×7. Instead, it’s 11×14 and frankly, just not working out. This is a bad start to my new art chapter, but, hey, you win some you lose some. Right?

With that said, anyone want a FREE painting? Maybe someone else will appreciate more than me. If you’re interested, leave a comment or shoot me an email. And if I don’t hear from anyone, then I’ll take it that everyone agrees with me and I’ll file this one away with a few other painting tragedies.

From birds back to dogs, here’s my next subject: My dog (and yes, this is the little terror that destroyed my art portfolio noted in a previous post. The only reason why I keep her is because she’s so cute.)

My next subject

Birdhouse painting - Day 2

On another subject, you might notice in the right hand side that I linked to Karin Jurick. I ran across her blog through this article posted about “Different Strokes from Different Folks Portrait Swap.” It’s an interesting year-end challenge where different artists submit pictures of themselves and fellow artists paint each other’s portraits. It’s so fun to see the different styles out there. 

So from that article, I discovered Karin Jurik, went to her blog and posted a comment that I really liked her painting style and colors. No big deal, right? But last night, I was looking through the latest American Artist magazine and noticed that her artwork was on the front cover! 

I felt like an idiot! Here I am, “Little Miss Cup of Joe Art Show” telling her to keep up the good work. Apparently she doesn’t need my encouragement. haha… I guess I should feel good knowing that American Artist agrees she’s an amazing painter. Check it out for yourself.

What I see as I walk in my door.

Another sad view.

What you are looking at is my college drawing portfolio from my life drawing classes. I couldn’t believe it! The dog ate my homework! Granted, it’s from 10 years ago, but it was my homework! Word to the wise: do NOT store your art portfolio under your couch if you have a dog. I understand my drawings were nothing amazing, but they represented a part of me from my college days. That’s what makes me so sad. Luckily, one of my favorite drawings was mostly unripped. I called my framing friend to see if he could salvage it for me and frame it. We shall see.

Here are a few remaining pieces:

I don't remember who he was, but he was spared.

The foot on this drawing used to be one of my favorite parts. It's now in the trash or in my dog's stomach.

So there you go. Maybe my dog is trying to tell me something. Is it, “Cherie, your drawings suck.”? Maybe she just wants me to know that paper tastes really good. I don’t know. But today is a new day. The ironic thing is that I signed up for a life drawing class that starts in February because I loved it so much when I was in college. Sigh. I guess this just means I need to start a new chapter in Life Drawing.

When is Happy Hour?

So, I’m back (thank you God) and tonight I finally added some paint to my picture:

Birdhouse Painting - Day 1

Yes, my drawing is off quite a bit. That’s OK. In fact, I never quite get it exactly right even when I’m finished. I’m not one to trace the picture or project it onto the board. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I just prefer to try to define and refine as I go. I like the challenge. 

So far, I’m enjoying this painting. It’s a different subject than what I’m used to. Notice how there aren’t any whiskers, paws or wagging tails? Don’t get me wrong. I love the pup portraits and I have one that I’m supposed to get started on very soon! It’s just nice to switch it up from time to time.

I guess it’s time to go to bed. At least, that’s what my dog is saying.

My dog, Briley, who is uninterested in my blog.

Here is my favorite one:

Photo for my first painting

While sketching out the picture, I noticed in the photo that part of the bird feeder was broken off. I looked outside my window at the bird feeder and sure enough, a piece was missing. Sadly, I already knew this. Two weeks ago, I dropped it while trying to hang it on its new branch and unfortunately a piece broke off the side. I gasped when it originally happened for obvious reasons and tried to fix it immediately. I thought it was OK after I glued it back on, but apparently it was not.

So I stepped outside to inspect it more closely and the door slams behind me. Guess what – it was also locked. Yes, I got locked outside. I have no coat on, really bad crazy hair and I’m wearing fuzzy slippers. Awesome. (This is probably why my neighbors never talk to me. I’m the weird lady.) By some miracle, I had my cell phone in my pocket and was able to get a hold of my sister for a key. An hour later, I was back inside! Amen!!

But…

I didn’t get back to my painting. Instead, I went to see Gran Torino. So I’ll have to get back to my painting tomorrow. I’m tuckered out and sort of not feeling well. Hopefully I’ll be back in the swing of things tomorrow night.

I have to say this: I’m pretty excited. This whole thing is pretty crazy to me. Why am I blogging? Well, as I told my friend tonight, it’ll help keep me motivated and in check with my goals this year. So what do I have to lose? I do have a few painting ideas swirling around in my head and I can’t wait to get started on them. 

Stay tuned. I shall return. Promise.