For Cat Eyes Only

Tags

animal, animal drawings, art, Carla Sonheim, cat, Drawing, drawing tutorial, realism

This post is adapted from For Your Eyes Only (Lesson 12 in Drawing Lab)

Hello!

Even though I love drawing stylized animals the most, I believe drawing from life as much as possible makes my stylized work more “authentic.”

If you want to practice drawing realistically, eyes are a fantastic place to start.

What are some of the most fascinating eyes out there? Cat eyes! Almond-shaped, other-worldly and appearing to gaze beyond mere human experience.

Assignment: Draw 4 Variations of a Cat Eye

We are going to draw four different cat-eyes, the first one using only pencil, the second with pen and ink, the third with vine charcoal, and the fourth in color, using colored pencil.

Materials:
Your sketchbook
Pencil
Kneaded rubber eraser
Felt tip pen
Vine charcoal
Small set of colored pencils

Instructions:

1. With your pencil, draw a grid with four rectangles and lightly sketch the basic shape of the cat-eye in each box. Try to make them all the same size, and as accurate as you can (though you can adjust as you go, so there is no need to spend too much time erasing at this point)! I’ve worked small; the outer edge of the frame is about 5.5 inches.

2. In the first box, use your pencil for shading and cross-hatching and building up value (lights and darks). Keep your eraser handy and use it to pull out highlights. Reference your photo often!

3. Repeat the above step for the three other eyes, now using pen, vine charcoal, and colored pencils. Look at the all subtle variations in the iris. Be as detailed as you like.

4. This is a chance to play around with different media and let your intuition guide you. The assignment should take no more than a half hour total; try to let go of perfection and just do your best!

Taking it Further:
Once you practice drawing realistic eyes, drawing stylized ones will become even more fun:

Have a wonderful day!

Life Book 2014 – Registration Begins Today

Tags

art, Carla Sonheim, DIY, journaling, online class, Willowing Arts

Hello! I just wanted to give the heads up that registration opens today for “Life Book 2014,” the year-long online class I’m teaching for Willowing Arts. My lesson will be the third week of January:

Carla Sonheim • Week of 1/13/14
Main Mixed Media Video + PDF:
Creativity and Play – Hurray! Let’s play with your art materials, your thoughts, and your inner child. We’ll start with a series of seven quick and fun drawing, writing, and collage prompts/assignments, and then create a highly textured mixed-media “envelope” page to house your playful experiments using gesso, watercolor, and collage.

This is a really affordable class — only about $109 for weekly assignments/inspirations from more than 22 teachers.

For all the details, click here (affiliate link).

Some Questions

Tags

Carla Sonheim, q&A, sketching, white ink

A few months ago I put a call out for questions, and I plan to answer all of them over time! Here’s one from Tata Roldan:

Q: What about: color? shape? size? surface to paint on? time to paint? time to dedicate to painting? creating? blogging? family? HOW CAN YOU MANAGE EVERYTHING!?!?!?? 

A: I’ll take the questions in groups:

Color?
I have a “dull” color palette; bright colors scare me! But I tend to like aged or worn fabrics better than new ones, and dried up flowers after they’ve died at least as much as when they are in full bloom. I don’t really wear bright clothes… I just try to paint in colors I like!

Shape? Size? Surface to paint on?
I tend to work small. Most drawings or watercolors are about 5″x7″. I like working in the square format as well and always have a 5.5″x5.5″ hand•book sketchbook in my purse for pencil and ink work, mostly. For watercoloring, collage, etc., my go-to paper is Fabriano Artistico #140 hot press, traditional white.

Time to Paint? Time to dedicate to painting?
This is always an issue, and one I don’t really do very well! I do have my office configured so that I can paint a little, spin around and compute a little, then paint a little more after the first layer is dry. For example, I just added the white ink to this just now:

Then, at the end of the day, when I’m “done” with computer-y things, I might take a half hour or so to finish what I started during the day.

If I want to work larger, I need to dedicate an afternoon to it, and that usually happens on odd weekends here and there.

Creating? Blogging? 
When I first started blogging in 2006, it was difficult to post regularly; I just didn’t know what to say! After about six months or so, though, it became a habit and something I “need” to do if I have missed more than a few days.

I think creating is like that also; it’s almost a habit. When I’ve gone a few days without making something new or solving some creative problem, I start to feel “itchy.”

Family?
I love my family! Besides work (which includes drawing and painting), I spend most of the rest of my time with family. My youngest son is 17 and graduating from high school this year, and my oldest son, his wife, and young son live nearby as well, so I spend as much time there as I can (Liam, 16 months, is SO CUTE!).

HOW CAN YOU MANAGE EVERYTHING!?!?!??
Barely! Since I spend most of my time at work or with family, lots of things don’t get done very well — paperwork, housework, reading — these things suffer a lot. For example, the trash only gets put out to the curb an average of 2 out of 4 times a month!

So the answer is, I don’t really! But it’s okay.

😀

Questions

Tags

Carla Sonheim, etsy, Girls, q&A

******************************

Recently I put a call out for questions, and I plan to answer all of them over time! Here’s one from Lori:

Q: At what point did you feel comfortable with your work…I mean, when did you start to share? I like what I’m doing (sometimes), but the thought of actually letting someone else see it – and, gulp, critique it, still scares the sox off of me! Did you experience this? How’d you conquer it? Confidence is a weird thing!

A: One thing that helped early on was taking “live” classes where I got immediate feedback, either from the instructor or the other students, so by the time I put things out for my first art sale, I already knew that my art appealed to some people.

However, that first sale was so painful that I determined NEVER to do it again. Basically, 98% of the people glanced briefly at my art and then kept walking without any apparent reaction. I was pretty crushed….

But a year later I was encouraged by a friend to try again, and that time it was easier. I began to realize that it was pretty “normal” for most people to not really respond to my artwork; I was on my way to developing a thicker skin.

When I started selling on etsy in 2005, I had a new body of work (Girls) that I was a little nervous to show. But I found the internet to be a pretty painless place for me… I could put it out there and didn’t have to watch people click away!

By the time I did large outdoor art/craft shows from 2006-2008, I was used to most people not stopping or reacting, and grateful for the small percentage that liked and bought my girl paintings.

It’s not easy all the time, though. It was difficult to overhear some of the not-so-nice remarks people made. Even though my skin was pretty thick by that point, I still could get stung, and it’s one reason I don’t do those shows anymore!

Showing your art is a scary thing. It’s a really brave thing to do, I think.

I advise to start small, in a safe environment. Perhaps a small craft show somewhere, or online on facebook, a blog, or etsy. (Note: Sometimes your family members might not be the best place to start, especially if they themselves aren’t interested in art.)

Then, try not to take “non-reactions” personally. And be encouraged that most people will either be positive or indifferent, but rarely are they outright critical; though thousands and thousands of people passed my booths those three years, I only remember 2 or 3 comments that were really critical.

It definitely takes time to grow that confidence, and the fear of putting yourself out there never really goes away completely. But I encourage you to try anyway. Art is meant to be shared, I think!

Holiday Gift Store

Tags

Carla Sonheim, gift packages, greeting cards, holiday card, holiday cards, holiday gift store, online art classes, Online Classes

Hello there!

If you still have holiday shopping to do, please check out my HOLIDAY GIFT STORE: I have created some “Gift Packages” for you! All prices include PRIORITY MAIL SHIPPING.

 

Books • Online Classes • Greeting Cards • Prints

 

Thanks!

Day #1 • Book Release Blog Celebration • Two-Week Schedule

Tags

Animals, book, Carla Sonheim, Drawing and Painting Imaginary Animals, drawing animals, drawing book, painting animals

Here it is, my new book!

This book features 9 “messing around” exercises and 10 “mixed-media” projects (which, together, touch on almost all of my painting and drawing tricks and techniques that I’ve used the past 20 years — whether drawing animals, people, flowers, or playing around with abstraction — so even if you’re not an animal nut like me, I hope you will find something helpful in “Drawing and Painting Imaginary Animals” [Quarry Books]!)

Why did I create this book? Drawing animals has been kind of an obsession the past three or four years, and I was anxious to share the fun!

Also, about ten years ago I ran across an article highlighting animals in contemporary artwork. There were some wonderful things going on, and it served as an inspiration for me these past years to just “go for it” with regards to focusing on animals in my artwork. When I looked for books on the subject, however, I was surprised at the scarcity of books on drawing contemporary, stylized animals.

So I wrote one! (My own version.)

Here’s the Table of Contents:

******************
SECTION 1: Just Messing Around
1. Blobs & Sidewalk Cracks (3 exercises related to “Finding Animals Around You”)
2. Photos & Life (3 exercises for “Drawing Animals Around You”)
3. Memory and Imagination (3 exercises for “Drawing Animals Within You”)

SECTION 2: Mixed-Media Projects
4. Oaxacan Dotted Elephant: More is More
5. Imaginary Animals: Abstract Watercolor Starts
6. Junk Mail Creatures Book: Gesso and Watercolor
7. Watercolor Transfer Animals: Iron-Ons
8. Doggone It! Messy Collage
9. Animals in Tape: Instant Collage
10. Creatures on Wood, Part I: Puzzle Paintings
11. Creatures on Wood, Part II: Embracing Serendipity
12. Go Fish! Installation
13. Wrapped and Tied: 3-D Fabric Animals

Section 3: 12 Featured Artists

******************

******************

Today is the first day of a two-week blog celebration, and I wanted to give you an idea of what’s ahead the next two weeks:

WEEK 1
Sunday, 9/23: Intro to Book, Schedule
Monday, 9/24: Art Tutorial
Tuesday, 9/25: Book Giveaway!
Wednesday, 9/26: Book Giveaway, Artist Karine Swenson
Thursday, 9/27: Drawing Assignment, Art Giveaway
Friday, 9/28: Book Giveaway, Artist Karen O’Brien
Saturday, 9/29: Shading Tutorial, Art Giveaway

WEEK 2
Sunday, 9/30: Book Giveaway, Artist Malathip Kriheli
…………… Also: Book Giveaways in tandem with today’s Radio Interview with Artistically Speaking Talk Show, 3:30pm PST
Monday, 10/1: Book Giveaway, Assignment, Artist Dar Hosta
Tuesday, 10/2: Book Giveaway, Artist Lisa Firke
Wednesday, 10/3: Drawing Assignment: “Go Blob Hunting”
Thursday, 10/4: Book Giveaway, Artist Petra Overbeek Bloem
Friday, 10/5: Eraser Drawing Tutorial, Art Giveaway
Saturday, 10/6: Book Giveaway, Artist Julie LaPointe
Sunday, 10/7: Wrap-Up!

***************

Thank you so much for checking in and we’ll see you tomorrow!

***************
To purchase a copy of the book directly:

from amazon.com
from Barnes & Noble
from QBookshop
from Independent Bookstores

The Art of Silliness: The Book!

Tags

book, Carla Sonheim, Drawing Lab, The Art of Silliness, The Art of Silliness: A Creativity Book for Everyone

I can finally show you the cover of my other forthcoming book!

“The Art of Silliness: A Creativity Book for Everyone” is a compilation-“plus” of the worksheet exercises from my online class series, The Art of Silliness. Published by Perigee Books, it is due out November 6th and will also be available as a Kindle version and also as a Nook.

I’ll be planning some fun things here at the blog in November to celebrate, but before that I’ll be doing a blog tour for “Drawing and Painting Imaginary Animals: A Mixed Media Workshop with Carla Sonheim.” (Amazon says this one is due out September 1st already!) There will be book giveaways, fresh tutorials, and more.

I’m really excited about both books, and am so grateful to be able to do what I do. Thank YOU for being such a large part of it!

Studio Visit

Tags

art studio, Carla Sonheim, seattle art studio, studio visit

Yesterday I had a visitor from Wisconsin, 9-year-old Stella!

I showed her and her family around the studio and then we sat down and drew. She whipped out these two beautiful drawings in about 3 minutes flat!

And she brought me this cool drawing she had done at home…

… which, held up to the light, looked like this…

… because on the back, she had drawn this:

BRILLIANT!!

Thank you, Stella, for coming by!!

“Flower Crazy” Online Class

Tags

Carla Sonheim, collage, flower, flower crazy, flowers, gesso, online art class, painting flowers, watercolor

Hello! Lately I’ve been FLOWER CRAZY!

I’ve been hosting online classes for almost two years now, and have long wanted to offer a more in-depth painting class, showing the techniques I’ve developed the last 15 years with watercolor, gesso, collage, and other fun stuff… With the flowers emerging these last two months, everything “clicked.” So here we go!

Five-week class begins April 9th. Go HERE to find out more!

Guest Post over at Art Camp For Women!

Tags

art camp for women, art camp for women blog, Carla Sonheim, elephant, flower, flowers, guest post, spoonflower, spoonflower designs

Hello!

I have a little guest post over at the Art Camp for Women blog today. I will be teaching two artist books in October… class descriptions will be up soon, but there’s a little preview over there now…

I’m still painting flowers a bit each day and having fun turning them into Spoonflower designs… and I haven’t forgotten that I promised a quick tutorial later in the month!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!