2012 Mexico

Packing for my trip!

As a (so-called) artist, it's fun to visualize what you'll be wearing on a trip! It was especially difficult to imagine hot and sunny before we left upstate New York!

My new Schminke orange tee!

Back to the same resort as last year!  Very relaxing, hot and sunny, visited the Tulum ruins again, kayaked this time.  Although others tried it, no ziplining for me!

Aventura Spa Palace

Statue in the gardens

Oversized chess set - the pieces were nearly two feet tall!

In case of fire...

 At our resort, these were the actual fire-fighting uniforms and equipment that would be used.

A marvelous view of the ocean from the ruins at Tulum

And I returned home to find this little welcome home from the TSA.  Not sure I feel any safer...

Why was the zipper pull completely broken off an easily opened, empty side pocket on my luggage?

Bookmarks are in!

I recently ordered these, they are here, and the quality is great! As much as I adore my moo cards, these end up being a third of the cost.
The downside is that they are all the same images. That's okay, because these have a 'purpose'.
If you'd like one, drop me a dollar (for mailing costs) to my PayPal (button is at very bottom of my blog here) and email me your address! (Please send $3.00 if you are not in the U.S., thank you!)

Monks moving huge drum in Luang Prabang, Laos

Loved the orange fabric here. It looks like they are working around this drum-like object.
This is also the very last page in my sketchbook! I've got two others started already! Sigh, what an addict I am becoming.
Another sketch from the photos of the ADV riders "From Estonia with love". Reference photos for these sketches can be found on an amazing motorcycle ride report: advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=480532 (Page 1)

More ADV riders sketches - "From Estonia..."

Old truck

Grass roofed hut in Northern Laos

A couple more sketches from the photos of the ADV riders "From Estonia with love". 
Reference photos for these sketches can be found on an amazing motorcycle ride report: <a href="http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=480532" rel="nofollow">advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=480532</a> (Page 1)

Finally updated!

I finally was able to update my original website today! After reading the zenhabits blog, and working on simplifying my home for the last month, I was able to work on my old web site.  I wanted a site that reflected my latest attempt at minimized design, and could display my newest art. www.artbybernadette.com

As expected, things became more confused before they got better!  I wanted to add my latest sketches from flickr.  After figuring out how to, then downloading ALL my Flickr images,  I was able to then make a photo album, using 'web albums generator', and then uploaded it to my web.  THAT took TONS of searching and experimenting to complete!
So far, florals is the only one I've done so far.  It is still not the final version.
Oh, did I mention I have NEVER had formal training in web design?  I'm done whining - it had a few hassles, but the end result was worth it!
(Note: I still had a bit of refining and image adding to do.  It's done for a while as of Feb. 19!)

One of my goals is to enable sales of my art on my web.  I have gotten several requests for prints and note cards, and printing them is so not my thing! (More fun to splash paint!) I think I may end up with Fotomoto.  Has anyone else heard of it?
My ultimate goal is to make enough sales to have a profit,(Hah!) and I promise to donate 10 percent of any profit to charity. (No, I'm not the charity!)
Probably the American Cancer Society to start, later maybe local non-profits related to the arts.  Anyone that knows me, knows that I am not creating art for money.  I do it for the sake of creating art.

PS - for reference, here is the older version:

Forgotten art

View of mist and trees -  I used a sharp end of a brush to make the trees and branches.

Three Pears - Watercolor and a brown micron pen. (If I remember correctly!)

Well, zen habits.net and the new year have gotten my house more simple and organized every week! I have also put some note cards (with my art) up for sale at a newly opened shop (Serendipity) in Owego, NY.  While I can't sell my original art there, the experience has inspired a desire to sell some of my art.  At least I should *try*!  So, I dug out some older paintings shown here.  They have to be at least ten years old.

From Estonia - Schoolgirls walking

It looks like rain here, but in the reference photo it was a sunny day. Splashing paint has its consequences!
Another sketch from the photos of the ADV riders "From Estonia with love".  Reference photos for these sketches can be found on an amazing motorcycle ride report: advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=480532 (Page 1)

Chinese lanterns

I went about this all backwards!  First, I decided I wanted to make some art for a small opening in a bigger mat.  Then I got the mats made. THEN I sketched these. Oh well, I never claimed to be a rule-follower!

From Estonia - Kariina's getting lit by Allah in the dark Imam mosque, Esfahan, Iran

Reference photo was lovely and moody, not so happy with my result. (Apologies to Kariina!)
Another sketch from the photos of the ADV riders "From Estonia with love". Reference photos for these sketches can be found on an amazing motorcycle ride report: advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=480532 (Page 1)

Franklin the cat

Franklin

My nephew's fiancé's cat. A surprise for her recent birthday, so not posted until she sees it!

I'm not a 'cat' person, and have never sketched a cat before, I hope I caught a little of his personality!

January 28 - Can't stop sketching these! Why am I?

More sketches from this amazing rider report. Love the brilliant saffron of the monk's robes!
Thought I'd show the original photos with my sketches this time.

I suppose some of you are wondering, why does she keep painting from someone else's photos? She's never been to these places, she doesn't have a motorcycle (anymore).  She surely doesn't enjoy roughing it. 

Well, when I started reading their posts, their love of what they were doing was what made their photos so attractive.  Their passion about riding around the world, and sticking to it somehow came through and reached out and grabbed my attention.  The colors and composition, sure, but what I paint from these is a feeling.  Maybe that's why it's mostly people that I've used as reference.

So enough philosophizing, I'll get more done soon!  And, I promise to go through their report again and review all of these, so I can add where they were taken and any other specifics.

If you haven't yet read their ride report, at least scan through a page or two.  You will get an idea of the passion that was with them on their adventure.

Reference photos for these sketches can be found on this motorcycle ride report:
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=480532 (Thanks for sharing!)

Monk in saffron color robes - Phnom Penh, Cambodia - Buddhist Monk with umbrella

Malaysia, east coast - Muslim school girls

Sumatra - Women walking on beach

From Estonia...

More sketches from this amazing rider report.
Reference photos for these sketches can be found on this
motorcycle ride report:
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=480532

(Thanks for sharing!)

The ostrich photos are a riot!  I wonder if he nearly got the camera!
I still have about 50 to 80 more I look forward to sketching!
Jan. 23: just added the primate sketch. Love his intelligent expression.

New palette for the new year

I've been reading about 'minimalism' and this got me started cleaning out lots of stuff in my basement. It's also reflected in my revised palette - less colors. Took out a few that I hardly used to make room for larger pans for the ones I use most. This page is carried with my sketch kit for reference, but also because I just *love* looking at pure color!

Sketching 20120113

A very cold, snowy and windy day. Great time to update my watercolor palette and do a little bit of sketching...
I dug out my old proportional dividers to help with portrait sizing. I'm not yet able to do that squint and measure thing with my pencil yet!

 

Some painting supplies

I just *had* to do a quick sketch of my basic tools used to sketch with.

From left to right:
1. $2 brush (or maybe it was a dollar) from home improvement store

     (I love using this brush to make a messy start!)
2. Black Gold, size 8, travel watercolor brush (Feels luxurious)
3. Cotman size 5 watercolor brush (Eh, good all-purpose)
4. Robert Simmons size 1 watercolor brush (Hardly ever used)
5. Pentel waterbrush (again, hardly ever used)
6. Pentel pencil
7. Click eraser (used too much!)
8. Pitt artist pen
9. Micron .01 pen
10. Noodlers Flex nib - had trouble with this at first, have learned to love it!
11. Lamy safari with Lex. grey ink (new ink color, not used to it yet. Also, I love the flex nib!)
12. Uniball red pen
13. Uniball/Signo white
14. Plastic grid/ruler

From Estonia with love

Reference photos for these sketches can be found on an amazing motorcycle ride report:
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=480532
A young couple from Estonia took a motorcycle trip around the world.  It took them several years, and they kept a blog on the Adventure riders website.  Margus and Karlina traveled 170,000 km over 1,126 days, and traveled through 70 countries.  The photographs are what dazzled me - the quality, and the content - they have fantastic images of people, places and things they encountered.  I do not presume that my sketches are anywhere close to the quality of their photos, just that I was touched by them.  So, here are a couple - just a start.  I received their permission to post these.
If you have some time, stop by and read their report - you won't be bored!

Ship on dry land, Cap Blanc, Mauritania

Mexico, San Cristobal de las casas native

Another sketch from their fantastic photos...

Turkana tribeswoman in Kenya