Ever Just Need a Play Day?
Last week I hit a wall. Ever been there? I don’t like when I get there, but it happens. Creating is what I love to do, and it just seemed like enough of that wasn’t happening. I love what I do as an artist and having an art business, but sometimes the business side gets hard and time consuming, as other things in life do for us all. And then there is the housework, laundry, cooking-all the mundane things in life that seem to never end. All of a sudden last Thursday I decided I was taking Friday off to do nothing but play. That’s right, just play. I gave myself the right to just get up and have a play day all day-no housework, no working on the business-a full day off to just play.
What does having a play day mean for me? You know it involves creating! It meant I pulled out art supplies I had been given at Christmas by my family. Art supplies I had asked for and had not taken the time to just pull them out and play with them. No specific painting project in mind, just keeping it simple and enjoying the moment was the plan. I was like a kid who just got a new coloring book and a new box of colors! I proceeded to pull out lots of different surfaces to try with these new supplies. And I just started trying out these wax pastels, watercolor pencils, Pan Pastels, and, of course, my colored pencils on these different kinds of surfaces. I started finding combinations of supplies producing results I didn’t know was possible! I was having so much fun trying out these new things. Time just flew by! I started writing notes on all of my surfaces of what combinations I had tried and what worked and what didn’t. I suddenly started feeling inspired with different techniques I could try in the future. But not that day, just play and have fun. I truly ended that day so fulfilled.
My question now is why don’t we give ourselves permission to just play sometimes? One thing is for sure, “the list” with all of the “to dos” will always be there. That is a reality, but self-care is also a reality. It needs to happen for all of us. This one day made me know the importance to carve out time just to play. I am determined to schedule that time in from now on. I am the only one who can make it happen.
I hope this may challenge you to take some time for yourself and just play, whatever that means for you. Give yourself a break from the things in life weighing you down. They aren’t bad things, but you just get tired and need a break. Love yourself enough to give you a break. Make your family aware of your decision and protect that time. Go do whatever would feel like is playing to you, become childlike for a day! I don’t think you will be disappointed and you will be surprised at how coming back to life in general doesn’t look so mundane anymore. I found I was much more productive this week. I carved out time to work on my current project, worked on things in the business, did the laundry and other housework, and cooked. The difference was taking the time last week to take care of me. I’ve known this before, but I forgot, and I have to remember, self-care is important.
I hope this inspires you to plan a play day for yourself! I would love to hear your story, so if this challenged you and you planned a day for you, let me know how it went!
Just a reminder, if you haven’t subscribed to my YouTube Channel, please do so at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2-F1MIojoRl0mepsKit_LQ . I’ve added a few more videos in the last few weeks that are pretty fun to watch.
Also, I invite you to join me live at 10:00 CST each Tuesday on my Instagram page @kimkeysart. If you can’t join me live, you can catch it later on Instagram and I usually share the link on my Facebook page. So, if you can’t catch the live you can always watch the replay. I’ve also been posting some IGTV and Reels videos on Instagram working on my current art work. It’s been fun doing those and I hope you will go watch them!
That’s all, and remember to set aside some to play!
Spring Brings New Things
“Teatime and Tulips”
Happy Spring! I hope all of you are enjoying this wonderful time of year! It’s been a fun, but busy time for me, as I have some new things to share with you.
The first is about the completion of my latest piece, “Teatime and Tulips, which is pictured above. I wanted to share some of the story from this painting as well as some of the process used to complete this artwork.
It all began with a trip to Pilot Point, Texas about 2 years ago. My husband took me to a tulip farm and it was quite the trip. What an experience to see so many varieties of tulips! The color and variety were so spectacular. I took hundreds of photos. You could cut tulips as you went through and then pay to bring them home. The flowers in the vase in my painting are the ones I chose to bring home. I put them in a vase and placed them on my breakfast table. As I was admiring them during breakfast the next morning, the Idea came to create a still life and call it “Teatime & Tulips”. So, the adventure began of getting the DSLR camera out, setting up my still life with the flower arrangement, a teapot, and a tea cup. Choosing the teacup was difficult, but finally settled on the one having some of the same coloration as one of the tulips. I love teacups and have collected a few and plan to use them in future still life paintings while enjoying their beauty in my home. Back to the photo shoot—I took about 90 photos, making different arrangements as I went, then uploaded to my computer, edited some of my favorites and then finally choosing the ones I loved from the sequence. Then my photos remained on my computer until this spring when the flowers started emerging. I remembered I had taken those still life shots and became inspired to create a painting from one of them. So, I pulled them up again and chose which one I would like to paint, printed it out for a reference, and then began preparing for how to create this piece. I was so excited about creating this painting. It was bright and cheerful after coming out of some really cold weather and gloomy days. My spirit was uplifted as I planned this. Springtime is such a glorious season with all of the newness coming to life around us! My hope for this painting, wherever it finds its forever home, is it will lift others’ spirits as it did mine. If you would like for Teatime & Tulips to hang in your home, you can purchase from my website: https://www.kimkeysart.com.
Now to the process of how to approach creating the painting. I first had to decide the surface I wanted to paint on and decided on choosing a sanded paper called LuxArchival by Brush and Pencil Products. A colored pencil artist, Alyona Nickelson, invented and designed this paper just for colored pencil. I have used it a few times and really liked it, so I decided to use it for this project. It was a perfect choice! I love how brilliantly the colors popped on this paper. I had decided to make a vignette style background to bring the focus to this beautiful still life. To get the background in I used oil based colored pencils (Faber Castel Polychromos and Derwent Lightfast) along with the powdered blender by Brush and Pencil. This speeded up the process in colored pencil quite a bit but also created a beautiful and softly blended effect. (I plan to create a tutorial showing my technique for this technique soon.) I then began to undercoat the rest of the piece with the same brands of oil based pencils and blended with the powder blender. The next layers were put on with wax based pencils, mostly with Caran D’ache Luminance pencils. As I began to add the layers with the Luminance, it began to come to life! There were other steps, but for the most part, this is how I completed the project. It truly was a fun experience for me as the artist!
In the last few weeks I have been going live on my Facebook page (Kim Keys Fine Art) to teach from my free ebook, Getting Started in Colored Pencil. This ebook contains colored pencil tips to get you started in colored pencil, a supply list, and a full tutorial to complete a beautiful apple. The videos of previous sessions are still on my page, if you desire to catch up with where we are currently in the project. Since you receive my newsletter already, you can email me at kimkeysart@gmail.com to request it and I will forward the ebook to you as a thank you for signing up for my newsletter. This ebook became available after some of you signed up for my newsletter, so I wanted to make that offer to you if you desire the free ebook.
The last new thing is I have created a YouTube Channel called Kim Keys Art! I’m so excited in beginning this adventure and sharing it with you. Since you are a subscriber to my newsletter, you are going to be the first to be able to see my first video I have uploaded to the new channel! This video is made from the progress scans I made as I worked on my latest work, “Teatime and Tulips”. Please subscribe to my YouTube Channel while you are there viewing so you will be able to see new videos as I upload them in the near future. I hope you enjoy this first video, and here is the link: https://youtu.be/O5EgiyF79EQ .
That about covers my news for this month! I would love for you to join me on Facebook live (Facebook@Kim Keys Fine Art) on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. (CST). If you desire to purchase original artwork or prints, please visit https://www.kimkeysart.com.
You Are Creative
Hello to all my art friends!
This week I wanted to write about my love for teaching and desiring to help others realize we are all creative! We were created to create. Creativity is expressed for us all differently. Some of us may paint or draw; others may write poetry, songs, or books. Cooking/baking is how some demonstrate their creativity. Some people create an awesome business! We create atmospheres in our homes and workplaces. Creativity is so much more than what normally comes to mind for most people. I hear all the time, “I’m not creative at all!”. Friend, I’m here today to encourage you to try new things so you can find what you love to create. It’s in there, I promise. When you find what you love to create, you will come alive in ways you’ve never experienced. What makes you feel alive and passionate when you are doing it?
When I began oil painting I did not think of myself as an artist at all. I would never have thought about calling myself an artist! When I began painting I discovered a part of me coming alive I never knew existed. Then about 5 years ago I discovered colored pencils, and my favorite medium was discovered! I had to be willing to try something new in order to discover a new love of mine. I have to be willing to make some ugly art, no matter which medium I’m using. I’ve tried other mediums and found out I don’t like them, but if I wasn’t willing to try I wouldn’t have made that discovery. It wasn’t until about 3 years ago that I could actually say “I’m an artist.” It was about then that I felt called to start my art business, by creating and selling original art, prints and cards, and teaching art. I’m loving the journey.
I love to learn new things, and I hope you do as well. I challenge you to step out and try something new this week! I would love to hear about it if you do! Feel free to email me back and let me know what you tried!
I’m about to start going live on Facebook once or twice a week for 30 minutes to give you an opportunity to learn about how to use colored pencils and to create art of your own, if you desire to try. I’m so excited about this! Teaching is one of my gifts and I desire to use it to encourage others to be creative. I homeschooled our two sons and it was a joy to be able to introduce them to the wonderful world of learning. I would love the opportunity to teach and encourage you to try something new. You may discover something you completely love! To begin with I’m offering a free PDF download called “Getting Started in Colored Pencil” you can get by going to my website at https://www.kimkeysart.com and sign up on the pop-up form on my home page. You will receive an email with the free download which includes a free tutorial for how to create a beautiful apple in colored pencil. There are tips included about using colored pencils, a supply list of what is needed to complete the tutorial, and step by step instructions. Some of my Facebook Live sessions will be going through some of this with you, so I will email when I plan to go live so you will be aware. If you can’t join live, then it will be available on my page (Kim Keys Fine Art) after the live event for you to watch at your convenience. If you haven’t started following me on Facebook, I would love for you to find me and follow so you will have access to those videos. I hope to see you there in the coming weeks.
I’ve posted some videos this past week on Facebook and on my Instagram (@Kim Keys Art) showing some of my process on my current work in progress, “Teatime and Tulips”. If you haven’t seen those this week, I hope you will go and watch them.
Remember, try something new this week! You never know where it could lead!!
Back to What I Love
“Cardinal in Snow”
Well, it’s been a while since I wrote a blog. I’ve been on a journey in the last several months and I’ve learned a lot along the way. Just thought I would share some of my journey with you.
Needless to say, 2020 was quite a year. It threw a lot of us off course. Our planning books went out the window, wouldn’t you agree? The isolation has been hard for all of us. I’m naturally an introvert, but I found myself really missing face to face meetings with people. We are designed to need each other and be together. I appreciate my alone time, but I need others and 2020 really made me aware of that fact.
During the times of frustration and isolation, I found myself taking in lots of free classes regarding business, art, self-development, etc. being offered virtually. I learned some new things about a lot of subjects, but I was creating art less and less. Art is my escape from what’s going on around me, and a healing place for me. A season of not creating much art for me lead to much frustration, and I had no one to blame but myself. After the holidays, I had to take some time to pray and seek the Lord and ask Him what I needed to keep and what I needed to let go. He was faithful and truly led me to know what were the “best” things for me to continue, with the first being to create art and to partner with Him in this journey. It’s just amazing how quickly my schedule became full of “good”things, but not necessarily the “best” things for me in this season of my life. A mentoring coach of mine made this statement to me, “for every “yes” you say, you will have to say “no” more to other things or you won’t accomplish the things you are truly called to accomplish. 2020 would prove that for me because I didn’t accomplish near what I had hoped. That is okay, I learned in the process. I have a clear path of what is important for 2021 and I will weigh everything coming my way with the question, “Does this get me closer to my goals for this year or take me away from them?”.
The other part of this journey was trying some things in art and playing with some old mediums. I took a brush lettering class, played with some watercolor pencils, and painted some in acrylics. I had fun playing with new and old mediums, but one thing I found was how much I don’t enjoy the messy part of some of these things. Mixing of colors, cleaning of brushes, lots of prep before and clean up after, all of this only confirmed why I love colored pencils so much. The ease of use and to be able to sit down and work for even 15 minutes at a time and then stop and just get up and leave my project without having to clean up anything, sold me again on my favorite medium! Also, the precision of being able to put the point of a colored pencil in an exact spot I wanted to apply to in a painting, is heaven for me! I grew frustrated with the brushes at times in watercolor and acrylics in not having the mastery of making the brush do what I desired. Again, this was part of the journey, rediscovering that colored pencil is my most favorite medium!
I really am thankful for the journey I’ve been on. It’s brought clarity to so much. This year I’m choosing to stay focused on the things that will bring me closer to my dreams being fulfilled. I’m continuing on in an artist mentoring program for Christian artists which I’ve been part of for the last two years called Created to Thrive. My mentor in that program, Matt Tommey, has truly helped transform my life and my art and has helped me to develop spiritually and artistically. I’m going to focus on creating a habit of creating every day because that is how my skills will grow as well as receive the needed therapy for me in the process, and build a body of work. Last year my goal was to teach colored pencil classes, but with the pandemic, not many classes were able to evolve. So, for 2021, I’m choosing to pivot and teach virtually. I will be offering online classes this year and I’m hoping to build relationships with others who would like to join me and learn how to use this medium I love so much. Actually, I am offering a FREE Colored Pencil Workshop (to paint the cardinal painting above) , held online in a private Facebook group on Wednesday, January 27th, from 1-3 p.m.(CST). If you would like to sign up, please click here: https://mailchi.mp/2908953b3b19/free-cardinal-in-snow-tutorial . I would love for you to join me!
I’m excited for a fresh new year and for new opportunities! I’m choosing to enjoy the journey, carefully assess any new opportunity to see if it is the best “yes” for this season of my life, and create art with my Creator! It’s okay to be ME and fulfill my calling and encourage others to fulfill their callings.
That sums it up for me! I hope this has inspired you to get back to what you love!
Our Beloved Pets
Isn’t it amazing how quickly we fall in love with our pets? Our furry friends are such an important part of our lives. It’s awesome how they anxiously await our coming home for the day, and greet us with what seems to be a huge smile on their faces. Or how they love to jump in our lap just when you sit down in your favorite chair. Our pets love to be close to us and have our attention. They truly become part of our family.
I’ve always loved to take photos and taking photos of our pets has been a delight. Some of those were taken with cameras that didn’t take quality photos, but they are still great reminders of memories with those beloved pets. Like photos of each of our boys with their first dogs, priceless. I have quite of few photos of our cats, Rascal and Duchess. We adopted these two when we moved to the country. We decided to get a cat to help with the unwanted pests in the country. We found someone giving away kittens and decided to go pick one out. Our youngest son chose one and named her Rascal (whom we thought was a male, but later found out was a female), and our other son fell in love with a kitten because of her beautiful blue eyes, which was already named Duchess by the owner. So, we brought two kittens home, instead of one, and they entertained us for years to come. Rascal was greatly known for exterminating many unwanted pests. She was a great hunter and was always on a mission. She was very loveable as well. One of her favorite things was to wait for my husband, Stuart, to arrive home from work and go to meet him at his truck when he came home. I had never seen a cat do that before. Duchess was an occasional hunter but her main task was to try to become a house cat. She thought she was royalty and lived up to her name. Later on, when we moved to town, she won and became a house cat. Duchess lived for 20 years; now that’s a long time! I cherish all the memories with our sons’ pets.
After both of the dogs had passed, we decided to get another one. A friend of mine had a litter of puppies and asked if we would take one. I named him Jake and he stole our hearts immediately. My husband and I have thoroughly enjoyed him over the years. He’s been my walking partner for many years and he still looks forward to them each day. He’s also stolen the hearts of many people in our neighborhood; he’s just that charming. Jake loves kids and has been so good with our grandson, Hudson, and they are great buddies. Jake is thirteen now and is beginning to show his age, but he still is a delight. One other thing, he loves coffee! Seriously, he drinks part of my coffee every chance he gets!
As an artist, I decided to create a portrait a few years ago of our cat, Duchess, from a photo I took of her with my first digital camera. I chose a blue suede mat board because her favorite color was blue. She was always looking for a blanket to lay on and if she had a choice, she would choose the blue one, every time. The blue mat board also helped accentuate her beautiful blue eyes and made her fur look so soft. I was well pleased with how it turned out. A great tribute to her, now hanging in my studio.
Just a few months ago, I decided to do a portrait of Jake. I chose a favorite photo I had taken of him because I loved the way he was looking at me with a big smile on his face. He was probably 5-6 years old in this photo. I chose suede mat board again for my surface. This surface renders pets beautifully because of the realistic look it gives the fur. I think the portrait captured his personality well, and my husband seconded that opinion. He loves it and said that looks like him in every way. On both of these portraits I used colored pencils as the medium. I just loved being able to get such detail in my colored pencils! I’m anxious to get Jake’s portrait framed and on my wall in the studio.
I’m so glad I did these. I don’t have great photos of our other pets that give enough detail for me to paint them, but I still have lots of memories.
I’m sure you have awesome memories of your beloved pets as well. If you would desire to have a portrait of one of your favorite pets, I would love to help you with creating a cherished piece of art you would cherish for years to come. For more information about pricing and details please go to: https://www.kimkeysart.com/new-page-1.
Fun at Art Workshops
My first colored pencil class! I had so much fun with this group!
Doing what I love, art and teaching!
As an artist, I have loved being part of art workshops and they have been very beneficial to me. I’m always looking for workshops to attend that will enhance and grow my skills in becoming a better artist. Sometimes it is to learn a new technique I’ve never tried before, or a different subject matter to learn how to paint. Some workshops I’ve attended have taught how to use different art supplies I’ve never tried. One of the greatest benefits of being in a “live” workshop is the one-on-one help you can get from the class instructor. Books, videos, and other learning means are awesome to utilize, but nothing compares to individual help where the instructor can see your work and can give clear instruction for how to improve based on your work they can see at that time. That has proven invaluable to me. But, the greatest thing about art workshops is being with other artists! Seeing how others create, observing their techniques, and enjoying their fellowship is so inspiring. I have begun friendships as a result of being in workshops over the years and have kept in contact with them to the present.
Not only do I love to attend other artist’s workshops, I also love to teach workshops. I have always enjoyed teaching others. One of my greatest joys in life was homeschooling our two sons. Teaching in my church on a variety of subjects, including having some art classes with a group of ladies, has also been a blessing. As I have been developing my art business, it just felt natural to incorporate some teaching opportunities into this as well. It’s so rewarding to teach others about learning to use colored pencils to create beautiful pieces of art, and to have fun together in the process. I’m so excited to see others grow in their artistic skills and to enjoy the fellowship together in class. One of the things I hear most often is people saying they have no artistic skills, can’t draw, etc., and then they just dismiss being a part of an art class. I want you to know, you can develop skills, you just need someone to get you started and then you can practice and become more skilled and have fun in the process! I would love to be the one to help you get started. Creating art is also so inspiring and relaxing; for me, it’s therapy!
I would love to know what you would like to learn about colored pencils and the kind of subjects you would like to create. If you would like to give your input about either of those, please email me at kimkeysart@gmail.com. I would love your feedback so I know how to plan for upcoming classes and give you what you want to learn!
There are two different dates scheduled right now for a Beginning Colored Pencil Workshop. This class is all about learning the basics of colored pencil and completing a smaller project in a four-hour class. These will be held in my home studio. Class space is limited. You can go to https://www.kimkeysart.com/classes to find out more.
I hope this inspires you to step out and learn something new!
Inspired Minds
Today I want to talk about what inspires me to create art. I get asked frequently where I get my inspiration. It truly comes from many resources.
First, I am so inspired by nature and God’s creation. Just to be outside and see all of the beauty can just almost put me on overload for ideas to paint. Sincerely, I have more ideas than I have time to paint. In nature, the ones that inspire me the most would be flowers, birds, sunsets, various kinds of clouds, streams of water, mountains, and the ocean. I love the variety of colors and kinds of flowers and birds, the smell of flowers and fresh rain, the sound of ocean waves, wind blowing through the trees in the mountains, the sound of water rushing over rocks in a stream, sitting on a beach or in a boat and enjoying the turquoise waters of the ocean. So much emotion comes from all of those. Having a camera with me most of the time is important to capture something that inspires me so I can paint it later. When looking through the photos I’ve taken for a reference to paint, I experience the memories of what I was feeling when the photo was taken and soon the inspiration is flowing again.
Other artists’ artwork is also a great inspiration for me. I love to go to art museums, art fairs, and other events that present an opportunity to enjoy other’s works of art. I enjoy taking the time to find out the medium the artist used, to study their subject matter and to ponder on what inspired them to paint that subject, and to observe their techniques that make them unique as an artist. I usually come away with fresh inspiration from those outings.
Music is another place to get inspiration. Listening to a song, I can get a picture of something, or an emotion that moved me in that song, and then find photos to help me capture that in a painting.
Animals also inspire me. I love to watch people with their pets and how they respond to each other. The smiling dog faces (you know what I mean, I hope) as they observe their best friend coming home from work or taking them for a walk. To watch cats or kittens play, or to watch calves running and frolicking in a pasture, it just brings a sense of peace and happiness that leads to inspiration. I don’t necessarily have to paint that subject; I’m just infused with inspiration to create again.
These are just a few of the things that get the creativity flowing in me, and make me ready to get my colored pencils out and create something new. In reflecting on this subject, it just makes me know the importance of slowing down and taking the time to be inspired by our surroundings. Most of the time, we don’t have to go far to accomplish that. Being inspired doesn’t relate to just painting. You could be inspired to write a song, a poem, or a book just by opening yourself up to things that stir up creativity in you. Someone might be inspired to cook a certain meal or dessert from something they’ve observed. It’s all about having an open mind to the endless flow of inspiration all around us. I encourage you to be inspired today in some way. Happy creating, whatever that is! We all are creating something each and every day. I encourage you to start being observant of what inspires you!
Included with this are some photos I’ve taken that sparked inspiration in me. I hope you enjoy them!
To see some of my work that I have been inspired to paint please visit my website at https://www.kimkeysart.com.
Making Lemonade from Lemons
This year has been so different for us all. At the beginning of the year I set goals to reach during 2020. I had no idea that a pandemic was on the horizon for our world when I made these goals. At the beginning of the year I was recovering from two eye surgeries in December, so I took my yearly goals and was careful to not over schedule for the first quarter so I wouldn’t set myself up for failure. However, after that first quarter, I loaded a lot in the second quarter. They were realistic and attainable goals, only to be shattered (or so I thought) by Covid-19. I left in early March to attend two artist conferences in North Carolina. I was overflowing with passion, direction, and new vision for myself as a colored pencil artist when I came back only to find that things were changing swiftly in our world with the pandemic about to sweep through our nation. All of a sudden, the plans I had put on my list started being cancelled or changed one-by-one. Let me preface this before I go any further. I know lots of bad things have happened in this pandemic. People have lost loved ones from this virus, have suffered financially, and many other things. My heart goes out to anyone who has suffered in this pandemic in any way. The whole reason I chose to write this is to show how I had to shift my thinking during this time to see what good could be brought out of it. Following now is how I did that:
REVAMP
I had a choice, to mope about what couldn’t happen, or choose to make new plans with the new circumstances. I chose the latter. Since feeling called to take my art to the marketplace there were a lot of tasks I still hadn’t done in establishing my business. Some because of fear, and some because I just was being lazy in that area. So, I decided to use this “down” time to complete some of those things. The largest of those tasks was setting up my website. That word, “website”, put me in fear mode every time I said it. I decided to not let fear win and to press in and get this accomplished. It took several weeks to gather everything I needed and then another week for me to put all of that onto the web and then hit “publish”. It was an exhilarating feeling to have that one done! You can check it out at: https://www.kimkeysart.com.
NEW HABITS
During this time of being home, I also established some better work habits. Since my art studio is in my home, I struggled with getting enough time in my studio to create and to work on the business. So, I made a new schedule for how to take care of things in my home and also incorporate my work as an artist. I can honestly say I’ve gotten into the new rhythm now and I’m getting much more accomplished due to this. I’ve attempted this before but never would hold myself accountable and would drift from it. With Covid-19, I couldn’t really get distracted because I couldn’t go anywhere. As a result, I established a good work habit that I will be able to carry on even after this is all over. They say it takes 21 days to create a new habit, and I think I’ve done that.
LEMONADE FROM LEMONS
Lastly, during this time I had opportunity to take several free training classes on business and read some great books on a variety of subjects. I had some fun creating art with other artists in Facebook Live tutorials. I’ve grown in business knowledge, artistic skills, as well as personal and spiritual growth through all of this. Bottom line, I made lemonade from lemons by making choices to help propel me forward in the things God has for me even though it looked glum when this all began. I’m looking forward to the days ahead now. I’m researching and considering new ways of teaching and helping others learn about art and colored pencils. I’m back to creating this week and hope to be sharing new works of art soon!
Why Colored Pencils?
Why Colored Pencil?
First colored pencil piece I created.
I have had so many people ask me why my chosen medium is colored pencils, so today I thought I would share why I love this medium so much!
My first medium was oil paints. I took oil painting classes for 9 years and I did love using them. The problem was when I would come home, I never painted because it took so long to get out my paints, mix them, paint for a short while and then have to clean brushes and put everything away. It just took a lot of effort and so, most of my painting only took place in class one day a week.
Then, one night as I was scrolling through Pinterest, I saw a painting that caught my attention and it said it was done with colored pencils. I couldn’t believe it! Colored pencils, really? Well, I then remembered that I had some Prismacolor pencils left from when I had homeschooled our boys. I went to find them and then found a reference photo of a red hibiscus that I had taken, sketched it out on some paper and started using those Prismacolor pencils to color this in. I fell in love immediately! I didn’t know colored pencils could produce a painterly look. I made some mistakes because I didn’t know much about how to use them. For instance, I didn’t know to save the white of my paper for highlighted areas. I thought I would be able to add my white highlights back in on top of the red. Not so, due to the nature of the pencils, so my highlights were pink. You can see this in the photo I have included. It didn’t matter, I was so excited about the vibrancy I was able to capture with this medium. That led to me finding videos on YouTube, buying online tutorials, buying books about colored pencils, etc. to learn all about this medium. The most wonderful thing was it was so easy to just sit down and work on a project. I could sit in my chair with my paper taped to a drawing board placed in my lap, my reference photo on my iPad or printed out, pencils and other supplies in a caddy beside me and just paint away! When I was tired or ready to stop (doesn’t happen very often, lol) I could just put it down, no cleanup! I was in heaven!
That was four years ago. I’ve learned a lot about this medium since then and bought a lot of colored pencils! I’ve practiced different styles and techniques, tried different subjects to paint with them, and still have so much more I want to try as I see other artists try different things. I have completed several original pieces of my own and actually sold my first original piece in the fall of 2019. Deciding to start my art business has been so fulfilling! Making connections with people and seeing them come to love and appreciate my artwork is so amazing.
My next phase is to begin teaching others how to use colored pencils and how they can create. I plan to teach live classes at our local Hobby Lobby, considering private lessons at my home, and also looking into online classes/tutorials in the future. For more information about upcoming classes, please click here.