Wednesday, May 15, 2024
What If? Little Free Library Update
Sunday, May 12, 2024
Tiny Art from a Photo
A day spent out with my eldest kid in Frick Park, Pittsburgh yielded this photo, the perfect inspiration for the quick watercolor sketch below.
Playing with watercolor sketching in a nature journal or just on a sheet of watercolor paper is a fun way to warm up for more creative projects. Let loose, general shapes be your goal. After the first pass, you can add more details.
Happy Creating!
Copyright Betsy Bangley 2024. All rights reserved.
Friday, May 10, 2024
The Artist's Eye & the Camera
I'm sure you can see plenty of variations between my painting and the reference photo.
I often tell my students, "You're not a camera, you're an artist!"
You don't have to perfectly render any part of the real world.
There's no requirement to make photorealistic art.
Realistic drawings and paintings are valid, fantastic pursuits, but you, the artist, don't see things the way a camera does. You have feelings, and interests that focus your attention on certain portions of any scene. You likely will become fascinated by one bit in a larger scene, for me it was this tree. That fascinating part of the larger scene is where the magic is.
Let your eyes dwell in the places that attract them. Stay true to your personal vision. Never feel you must draw or paint every part of a scene. Simplify.
What makes artwork sparkle is your enchantment with what you're drawing or painting. You'll notice that the part of a drawing that comes alive is often the part that you delighted in looking at and drawing.
Let the painting or drawing grow out of that one bit that caught your eye. For me in this case, it was the dark, crooked tree limbs held against the sky, with fresh spring growth just unfurling. It was the spring bringing color to a landscape that had been winter drab for too long.
Next time you're out for a walk, notice what catches your artist's eye. What in the world holds magic for you? What enchants you? Let your eyes dwell there.
If you have time, make a sketch, take a photo, embark on an artwork, and show the world your artist's vision of what's fascinating to you.
Copyright Betsy Bangley 2024. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, May 8, 2024
More Tiny Art:A Portrait of My Cat
Monday, May 6, 2024
Tiny Art: Morel Mushroom
Happy Creating!
Saturday, May 4, 2024
Art Journaling with Word Art
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Tiny Art Journal
I just finished teaching my Tiny Art class at the Community College of Beaver County. We had a wonderful time painting small natural items with gouache.
For our final project, we made journals using old books and book covers, and mounted our paintings inside.