Thoughts on a Wednesday

Tags

Artwork, Girls, girls design, painting of girl, redhead at the beach

• Sometimes it’s best to keep your mouth shut, so your foot doesn’t fly in and kick you on the roof of your mouth. This thought crossed my mind today AFTER I had made a comment to the art gallery lady about a certain show (the work, by the way, I loved, but whatever I said came out kind of wrong because it was met with a tight, “Looking at art is subjective.”) I gave a mumbled apology and fled, but now feel completely stupid; this is a gallery that is near my office and I go in often, and had even hoped to strike a friendship with this woman.

Now what? (Rhetorical question, btw, I’m not looking for an answer. 😀 )

• Someone ordered the above “Redhead at the Beach” print recently and I remembered how much I liked this particular one. I think I did it in 2005, when I was just beginning the Girls series that really helped solidify my art-making “career.” Around 2009 I moved on to other things, but the girls still pop up every once in awhile (kind of thinking they’ll be in a children’s book before it’s all over).

Anyway, recently I’ve come to think of drawings and paintings to be like “conversations.” Some are fun, some not so fun, but they all help us learn about ourselves and others. Some conversations end up morphing into larger projects; some perhaps are springboards for other conversations; others, most perhaps, end up stored in the back of our minds as “memories.”

The art I create is similar. Some works end up being shown; some are springboards for other art ideas; others, most perhaps, end up in a stack in my studio. (“Memories.”)

It’s helpful for me to think of it this way, that the DOING of the art is the most valuable part, just as the actual talking part of a conversation is the most valuable.

What do you think?

Questions

Tags

Carla Sonheim, etsy, Girls, q&A

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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!

Cereal Box Paper Dolls • ONLINE CLASS • Registration Now Open!

Tags

cereal box dolls, cereal box paper dolls, dolls, Girls, paper dolls

August 6-10, 2012 • Watercolor Transfer Paintings

August 13-17, 2012 • Cereal Box Paper Dolls

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C e r e a l  B o x  P a p e r  D o l l s

Summer Camp is back! One-Week intensive workshop: August 13-17, 2012

NOTE! Even though the class has started, you are welcome to sign up and catch up at your own pace.

* * * * * * * * *

“What did you do as a child that made the hours pass like minutes? Here is the key to your earthly pursuits.” — Carl Jung

It’s fun to play with paper dolls! (It’s even more fun to see grown men play with paper dolls, which happened in our household recently.)

In this class you will create set of stand-up paper dolls and a unique, interactive artist book using cereal boxes as your substrate. Your paper dolls will fit into the pockets of the folded book structure, which becomes the backdrop for your characters when folded out. Fun!

You will create your characters based on a fairy tale, a fable, your family, or your imagination. (Can’t draw? No problem! We’ll spend the first day doing fun drawing exercises to build your confidence and get your ideas flowing.)

We’ll also explore other ways to house your dolls, including altering an old book:

And on the last day you will receive tips and tricks for photographing your 3D project by Guest Teacher Steve Sonheim.

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To Sign Up, Click HERE

Supply List: 

3 medium-sized cardboard cereal boxes (you can flatten, but don’t cut down yet)

mechanical pencil

pink or red water soluble marker

white paper for drawing exercises (can be regular computer paper)

a #12 round watercolor brush (or similar)

a ½” flat brush (or similar)

brayer (to lay down gesso)

small white cotton rag

white gesso

small watercolor set (cake or tube is fine)

Fine line white gel pen or paint pen

Scissors

gel medium (to use as glue)

Ribbon or string (to tie book closed)

spray fixative

Optional items (I will demo these things but are not necessary to participate in the class):

small set of water soluable crayons

red pastel (chalky)

heat gun

white FW acrylic ink

a couple of Copic markers (or any alcohol-based marker)

an old book to alter

Muffins

Tags

birthday card, Girls, greeting card, happy birthday, Leanin' Tree, paper dolls

I would like to lose about ten pounds. I’ve given myself the summer to do it (seems a reasonable goal, you know, “do-able”), and my plan of attack is merely to walk or run daily and to stop eating muffins. Easy!

Except today on the way home from the bank I ended up standing in front of a bakery for more than five minutes trying to talk myself OUT of getting a muffin.

I managed to remain un-muffined for today (so far).

But the DRAMA!

These two images were recently licensed to the Leanin’ Tree card company.

Happy Valentine’s Day

Tags

Girls, Leanin' Tree, paper doll, Valentines, valetine's day

… with wishes for a Happy Valentine’s Day.

Card available from Leanin’ Tree.

I Get Mail

Tags

cereal box, etsy, Girls, paper doll, paper dolls, tutorial

I get the most wonderful mail! Yesterday I received the following from Mary, age 12:

Thank you, Mary!

As for the paper dolls, the idea for those came when I was working on other things, perhaps even with the cereal boxes themselves, just messing around. Perhaps I had seen some paper dolls at the store that day. In any case, I had been working on a series of girls with their animals on wood, and it was easy to transfer them to the cereal boxes!

Here’s a link to the tutorial, featured on etsy.com last year!

Japan Relief

Tags

Girls, Paintings

I contributed a small piece to the Japan Fundraising effort over at crescendoh.com. This is my piece!

10 Things, in No Particular Order

Tags

"Life", Artwork, Family, Girls

1. I am so behind on everything! And yet… I took a couple of hours yesterday to paint. Nothing finished to show… but here’s the messy mess!

2. I think I forgot to tell you that there is great family news: Steve and I are going to be first-time grandparents! My son Christer and daughter-in-law Christi are expecting their first child September 9th. Wheee! (Here they are skyping us from China to tell us the news!)

3. My photographer husband is doing is first online workshop this summer! Steve was the “guest artist” during “The Art of Silliness 3,” providing four silly/serious exercises as part of that class. He caught the teaching bug and is going to do a two week course — Photo Silly — from June 12-25. Steve writes:

“Photo Silly” is a 2 week course with daily assignments designed to help you see better with your camera. We will cover some basic technical principles to help make the best use of the amazing tools we now have with digital cameras. We will do some silly assignments and some not so silly. This class is for anyone who likes taking pictures and wants to involve more photography in their art.

Sound fun? Registration info and details will be up soon!

4. On Saturday I’m teaching a one-day workshop in Port Angeles, WA based on “Drawing Lab.” The class is actually full, but the reason I’m mentioning it is that there will be a “lunch and talk” portion that is open to the public. The cost is $10 (for lunch) and I will be doing my first “talk” about the book. Details are here!

5. Silly 2 is now available for purchase as PDFs!

6. When in NY last week I had the opportunity to meet some of Melanie Testa’s Journal Study Group. (They get together once a month, or more, and do all sorts of things, such as sketch at museums and share techniques. Everyone should have such a group!)

We had lunch and then went to see this exhibit at the Guggenheim… such a fun afternoon! They are (left to right): Teri Flemal, Benedicte Caneill, Patricia Gaignat, me, and Shirley Levine. (Unfortunately for us, Melly was feeling ill that day and couldn’t join us. We missed you!)

7. Cheerios!!

8. I recently updated my etsy shop with some originals from my “girls” series. (And yes, I hope to add animals soon!)

9. The theme this month over at The Sketchbook Challenge is SPILLING OVER. Head on over to the blog and flickr site for all sorts of inspiration!

10. Finally, #10. The last few weeks I have felt overwhelmed by “little” things. Each day I tick off another item from my list. But if I owe you artwork (Antoinette, Eva) or some silly prizes (Silly 3 Squeens and Spanish Sillies), or have not responded to an email, please know that I am working on it!

(And, I accidentally deleted an email that began “Are you going to be…?” Ack! That’s all I read before I hit the delete button… if you wrote that email, I’m so sorry! Please write again!)

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That’s it for now. Thank you for visiting… I sure appreciate all of you.

Dreaming of Birds III

Tags

Girls, Musings

This is a detail of a recently finished piece… I’m proud of it! (See the full image here.)

It was at one point last week “wrecked” — the colors were awful (too “Valentine’s Day” for me), and I truly wondered if I could pull it off. I thought out loud (while talking to my friend Karine), “I’m going to pull all the color off and start over.” Voicing that aloud, I went home and did it. And within an hour I had “saved the piece.

Moral: Don’t give up (but you already knew that).

That said, there are many paintings that I DO give up on. I’ve learned to trust myself on that one. If a painting makes me MAD to look at, it’s got to go. If I’ve spent a reasonable amount of time trying to save the darn thing, and it still makes me cringe, I put it in a big plastic trash bag and throw it away.

I’ve never regretted getting rid of the “bad energy” of a hopeless painting.

What are your thoughts?

Free Valentines – Grade-school style

Tags

Girls, Valentines

I thought I’d repost the offer here – shoot me an e-mail at carla@carlasonheim.com and I will send you an 8.5″x11″ sheet of Valentines for you to print out! I promise I won’t put you on my mailing list, unless you specifically request to be on it!