The Color of the Day Is....White!

Oh, I have been so very busy the last week to 10 days! We have more than 100 acres of wooded pasture that has mushrooms sprouting like crazy...we're trying to get the garden tilled, up and ready to go...Mother's Day flew by me like a super sonic jet plane...I need more time in a day!

White is today's color. Alot of people think that white is the absence of a color, but in fact, it is all of the colors in one place. It's a little hard to describe, but it's true. Absence of color is actually black. Of course, when you mix your water colors together, it turns quite nasty black, doesn't it. Are you confused yet?...Good! Then let's get going on today's picks!

I just love this print of white, wild horses from AnneE's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9300051



And this art quilt from pelecypods2's shop is simply fantastic!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9969529



Go and check out this fantastic watercolor painting of Spring in thecreatorspalette's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9402433



Are you a soap lover? Then go to TheVagrantPoodle's shop and check out this and many other great items!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10944104



Now, here's a photograph after my own heart. As much as I love macro photography, I just couldn't let this little tuft go unnoticed today from TreasuresByTina's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9661949



And I will be adding more items to my own Etsy shop in the next few days, so be sure to go and check them out!

The Color of the Day Is...Periwinkle!

I have been so busy the past few days. One of these days I will get a faster computer, so it won't take me so long to do the things I do online.

I have opened up another store over at Cafepress.com. I wanted a way to get more exposure for my art and photographs. I want everyone to go and check it out, and tell me what you think...just leave a comment on this post. And don't just be nice to me...tell me what you really think about the items, the graphics and the prices. I've left 2 links over on the right for everyone. One is for my Cafepress shop, the other is a referral button, if you decide you'd like to open up one of your own. (yeah, I have alot of referral buttons in here, don't I...?)

Periwinkle is probably THE hardest color to find amongst the artisans on my list. Not quite light blue, yet not quite lilac, either. I love it, though, and I think you will too when you check out all the neat items I found with that color somewhere in them.

Go and take a peek at this really cool framed print in amandajean's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11041060



Here is a very nice piece of art with Italian glass made by luluvillage:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9085807



You'll find many great jewelry items, along with this gorgeous ring over at cassowaryjewelry's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11015500



If you love art, you'll just love this ACEO print in keecojo's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7264855



I wish these had been around when my kids were small enough to wear them! Check out these baby booties at kaboogie's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10937322



I see that I'm going to have to do some rearranging of my blog soon, as I've been adding neat little buttons for everyone to use. I'll be doing that as well over the next few days. Make sure you watch for construction signs! LOL

The Color of the Day Is Slate!!

Slate. Not quite true blue, not quite gray. Very quiet and calming and just plain lovely. It goes well with any color...pinks and browns the best. One of my favorites!

okay...I confess...I have A LOT of favorite colors lol

So, grab your slate from Mr. Slate and clear the slate so you can make notes on these Etsy shops!

Everyone needs to get a business card holder, especially this one from WonderfullySewKnits' shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10406084



I've heard that Tatting is becoming a lost art...it's not lost on TotusMel! Go check this one out:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6923095



Labels are just so much fun...the lovelier the better, like these from VanessaCavacoDesigns' shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10773810



Are You An Artist?? If not, don't fret...go see LeoaDesignStudio's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6221621



And I took just a bit of artistic license on this one...there IS slate in there, somewhere...I'm sure of it! It's so lovely, I just HAD to include it today from ImagineStudio's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11215181




Well, I think I've done it! I have finished my Fairy drawing. I added three more flowers, 2 pink and 1 white with pink, and lightly shaded green into the background. I haven't decided if I want to darken the green background or not...I need to stare at it some more lol

But...here's the finished product, with a little black added here and there to add depth to the shadows. I REALLY hope you like it!

The Color of the Day Is...Teal!!

Ahhh....finally, Spring has sprung here in central Iowa. It's 7:51 a.m. and the sun is shining, the grass is finally green and the songbirds have finally come out of hiding! My thermometer reads a glorious 70 degrees and all is well with the world!!

Teal...not a lot can be said of this tweener color. It's right 'tween blue and green, yet not quite turquoise...but it goes splendidly with pinks, purples, browns....almost any color out there, really. That's why I've chosen it for today...well, that, and it happens to be the colored pencil I picked out of the jar ;)

Need an Etsy promotional package? Then you MUST stop by gleepsie's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9299310



Want to Congratulate some special? Go check out this lovely card from LadyGil's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10581975



marshatoh has used a beautiful combination of pink and teal in this gorgeous necklace:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10205669



This amazing painting is hanging in artkitten's shop just waiting for a home on your walls!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10329108



And while you're shopping, these earrings are a 'must have' for this spring from outofthepinksky's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8650944



As I looked at the fairy drawing that I'm working on, I realized that my fairy's just a little bit on the bright side. It makes her look out of place amongst the dark purple of the flowers. So I decided to add a bit of sunshine to certain things in the drawing. I did this by first scraping most of the color off of the left edge of the flowers and the stems with my exacto blade. After this, I used Mango and Yellow Orange to give the flowers that look of first sunlight touching them. I then did the same with the leave that the fairy is resting on as she pulls open one of the blooms. I think it worked well. Tell me what you think by adding a comment to this post. (you have to be polite, but by all means, be HONEST about it)



I will be adding more flowers of the same variety in the background, smaller and different colors, and green as well. I'm really hoping I can pull this off...

See you next post everyone!

And I've added another photographic print to my listings, so go check out my shop as well at http://AreYouAnArtist.etsy.com and check it out!

The Color of the Day Is...Yellow Orange

Sunshine go away today. I don't feel much like dancin...Obviously, someone was singing this and doing a little bit of ye good ole rain dance, cuz the only place to find sunshine here in Iowa is right here on this blog. That's right!...Direct from Etsy.com for your viewing pleasure...It's Yellow Orange!!!

If you need a card to send to a friend, then simplyexpress has just the one you need:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10125803



Need to knit some sunshine into your life?...check out ThePaintedTiger's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10360523



Go and grab yourself this sunny NotYerAverageLobster from sojournquilt's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=313624



Already have sunshine in your neck of the woods? Then go check out pinkmarshmallow's shop for this way cool flip flop/t-shirt ensemble!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10567701



And how about a matching pair of earrings to wear with it from SOUNDandFURY's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10033997



You know, I was plugging away at this cute little flower fairy, proud as a peacock at not only my choice of colors (which wasn't even an original idea lol) but at how well I was layering them on the paper, when I had an idea that would just look so cool...so I thought. I decided to outline the inner most red/orange part of her wings with the blueberry pencil. Let me tell you about bright ideas...this one wouldn't have lit up the refridgerator.



So....now what?!! It's dark blue/purple over pink and red! I can't just erase it, but I can't just leave it there and hope no one sees it. Actually...quite by accident I learned this neat little trick to fixing fully saturated swatches of colored pencil...but you have to use a light touch for this one.

Take out your handy dandy exacto knife, and put any blade your are comfortable with. Of course, I've forgotten if mine has a #16 or #11 in it, but they both work smashingly! GENTLY scrape off the colored pencil from the paper until either you get rid of the error, or until you have exposed your drawing surface. Then go in with the color you needed, in this case, I colored back over the red/orange/pink of the wing and made it as good as new.





This is a better trick on Illustration Board than it is on drawing paper, but with the right touch, you can do it without tearing it. And, this trick comes in handy not just for mistakes, but for changes made mid-stream, as you will see a bit further on.

I decided to make the Fairies clothes a bright yellow...same color as my pick for today, actually. I did this because it went with the rainbow like theme of the wings. It also really brightened up the entire drawing. I actually use 3 shades of yellow-orange for this, plus light brown and brown for the shadows. I also used Pale Flesh and the same browns for her skin. I think she turned out quite lovely.



Flowers always look best in odd-numbered groups. I'm not sure why that is...but there it is. I drew a grouping of 3 Morning Glory blooms, and decided to make them lavender and dark purple, with yellow centers. ALWAYS use your lightest color first...purple will cover yellow, most of the time, but yellow only turns burnt sienna when placed over purple. The yellow went down first, starting at the center and in a sunburst fashion, out from there. Then the lavender next to the yellow. If you put enough layers of yellow down first, the first layer of lavender glides over it, leaving no mark unless you push hard to make it leave a mark. This characteristic is what makes it easy to see where your colors are at. Then, I blended the dark purple into the lavender around the very edges of the flowers. They turned out really lovely, but something was missing.

I took my exacto knife out again and scraped away a little circle spot in the middle of the flowers. With the dark purple, I filled it in, giving it little rays into the yellow. You see...nothing is really permanent, is it?



I'm almost done with this little drawing. The completed drawing will be offered in my shop, as soon as I decide how I'd like to do it. I still have a sale on the drawings in my shop, and will be adding more nature photographs as well. Go check it out!

The Color of the Day Is...Coral

Coral...the lovely pinkish-orangeish-reddish color that just conjures up pictures of underwater reefs and beautiful tropical fish...that's going to have to be next on my list of things to draw. Some day I may even get to see one in person, but until then, let's go see what we can see!

If you go to susansheehan's shop, you will find these and other exquisite lampwork beads:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10668435



And this really cool recycled notebook can be found in subu's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9803062



For those who love to knit...or just love looking at those as talented as iWunder is, you gotta check these out:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9800816



You can find a lot of journals and notebooks on Etsy, including this awesome notebook found in LadyGil's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10608222



Tired of using the same old pincushion your Great Grandmother used? Then go to verybigjen's shop and get your own!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9906069



As for my newest creation...I haven't yet decided on a name for the drawing I'm using for this Work In Progress...or WIP from here on out. But after I picked the colors, I started adding color to the lifeless drawing on the obnoxiously blank paper.

I first laid down the Orange on the inner most parts of the wings...the little pointed ovals nearest her body. I then took Maroon and colored the outside of these little ovals, blending it with the orange. After that, to brighten it up and blend it more, I colored over that entire area with Red-Orange, making it stand out a bit more.
For the outer part of the wings, I used Pink nearest her body.





I did come across a problem with the second wing. Only part of it was visible, and just shy of outlining the whole drawing in black, I didn't want it to get lost back there, so I colored lightly in Magenta first, then Pink, so that it was darker than the closest wing. (you can see this in the above pictures)

I then took Magenta and colored in the next area of color, being careful not to cover the wing edges. I blended the Magenta into the Pink, and then went over both with Pink again to get a subtle fading of color from one to the next.




Then it was Blueberry I added to the outer edge of the wing, blending it into the Magenta much the same way that I blended the Magenta into the Pink. I then drew the wing section 'lines' with the Blueberry.




And that's when it happened...
The worst possible thing to happen to an artist as obsessive/compulsive (anal retentive) as I am...

I MADE A MISTAKE!!!
...and I'll tell you all about it next time

(gotcha again)

The Color of the Day Is...Lime Green!

You put the lime in the coconut and shake it all around...ha ha got you humming that one now, didn't I? :)

Sorry I've been away so long. I've been organizing my volunteer list, drawing pretty flowers and fairies, searching for long lost Macaws (long story) and taking pictures. It's been a nasty Spring so far this April...we woke to find snow on the ground this week! Where's my 80 degrees and tornado warnings?! Even that is better than SNOW!!

For every volunteer in this blog, I have a list of every color I see in their listings. Some are short, being silver and black and white...some have every color imaginable. To decide what a color is, and which color to choose, I have a very complex and time consuming method that involves formulas and collates, theorems and algebraic equations...Basically, I reach into my box of colored pencils and pull one out. :) And I have a box of 120...

So, without further adieu, in this weeks Lime Light are the following 5, that's FIVE, Etsy shops. Let's go take a look!

Now, you have got to check out this terrific Shea Butter Soap and the many other wonderful items in TheVagrantPoodle's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10958449



And while your at it, check out this adorable kids knit hat from poisdoux's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10573776



Go and take a look at this sweet ABC Box from joydevivredesign's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7107008



Need a tote? Go and look at this adorable number in ChicBoutique's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7164133



Now, I know this next one says Apple...but hey, this is my blog...I can call it lime if I want to :) Go check out this great skirt/top from sweetcharlotte's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9808687



Now, I have been busy drawing an OSWOA size drawing for a work in progress demo to be part of my post. Keep reading and check it out. (OSWOA stands for Original Small Work Of Art, remember?)

In the first step, I did the obvious thing. I traced my drawing ;) Now, I don't think tracing is cheating in this case because I did actually draw the original myself. I just chose to draw it on tracing paper to save my good paper the stress of my mistakes. Keep in mind that it was really cloudy and snowing and raining when I took these pictures...they're a tad bit off.


Next, I decided on the colors. For this little lady, I received outside inspiration. I made a friendship bracelet for my extremely gifted niece. When she picked the colors, I thought she was nuts at first, until I started to braid and knot it together. The colors she picked absolutely matched and complimented eachother. Not bad for a 12 year old! So that's what I picked.
I like to leave a small margin around my drawings so I can check the colors before I start drawing 'for real', as you can see in this picture. Once I was sure that I had the right colors, I started on the fairies wings.


And you can read more about it in my next post...HA! Cliffhangered ya, didn't I?!

As always, go to Etsy.com and check out all of the great stuff there! And while your there...check out the sale I'm having for Mother's Day. Great deals on my drawings!!