Big ANNOUNCEMENT

ANNOUNCING . . .

I am busily creating an online painting course

for beginning acrylic painters.

I hope to have it up and ready by August 1st.

Painting With Acrylics 101.com

will teach you:

How to mix and use color

What brushes to buy and how to use them

What paints to purchase

How to lay out your palette

Composition

Perspective

and lots of other goodies,

and will include step by step instructions 

for these two paintings.

  OK, these two roosters count as one painting,

but you can paint it anyway you want.

I have taught this in my gallery before,

and I chose it for this online course because of the barnwood

in the background, the straw, and of course the rooster.

There's lots to learn in this one, but it's not so difficult a beginner can't have success.

This is the second painting and I've never taught it before and it won't be taught anywhere else but this course.

This will be somewhat challenging, 

but is definitely doable.

You have the benefit in an online course to stop as often as you need to and watch a video again and again.  

I also will have lots of cheat sheets and check lists as well as a shopping list of supplies and places to get things online or brick and mortar stores.

The price for this course is practically insane at $129

and will only be that low the first 60 days it is available.

After that a considerable price increase is planned.

Hopefully, you're signed up to receive my blog

as that is the first place I announce anything.  

Look for the official launch sometime around the first of August.

I'm having a ball creating it

and it is one of the most challenging things I've ever done. 

But, it's coming along and so far,

I'm pretty proud of it.

If you've always wanted to learn how to paint,

this course is for you,

or it may be just the thing for someone you know.

Please feel free to share this information.

And for Heaven's Sake,

Get signed up to receive my blog in your inbox.

Artful Campaigning

Artful Campaigning

My Son In Law, Eric Stewart is running for Family Court Judge

in Logan County, Ohio.

I am up at their home in Bellefontaine, OH working on the campaign for a few days.

(it's pronounced Bell - fountain).

Any way

today on the campaign trail,

I drove my 14 year old grandson around out in the county

as he knocked on doors campaigning for his father.

Isn't he just the cutest???

He has helped organize the routes of 36 precincts

with all the people who regularly vote in the primaries.

He has gone out every day to spread candidate love,

and flyers and signs everywhere,

after he has done early morning seminary,

practiced the piano and

done all his homeschool work

every day for weeks.

What we learned along the road today was everyone,

OK most everyone

has an artistic bone in them somewhere.

We were out in the county, not in a city or a town,

but out in corn and cattle country,

and we saw some really cute things people decorate their yards and homes with

to make it their own.

This super cute piece was made by a little old pipe smoking man out of tree bark and other scraps.

When I asked him if I could take a picture of it,

he wanted to show me the real animals he had in his little barn.

He had two little donkeys and one of them made quite the fuss when

we were introduced.

The gentleman was quite the character

but looking at his very neat little home and not a thing out of place barn,

you wouldn't know he had much of a sense of humor

until your eye caught this.

He had it outside on a wall of his garage.

The only decoration I could see,

but isn't it adorable.

 I don't know the story behind this little gem,

but it was too cute not to photograph.

This guy said his yard was a work in progress,

but let us add to it by putting a sign in his tastefully decorated front yard.

You can see the vibrant color of this log cabin barn quilt on this huge grain farm.

The world can never have too many guard dog gargoyles.

Industrial Yard Art.

I told you this was corn and cattle country, right?

Another success story,

as Caleb places another sign in this front yard.

Here's candidate Eric Stewart,

Future Logan County Family Court Judge.

It's late,

we're all tired,

but we've had a great day of campaigning

in the heartland. 

Thanks for checking in with us today.

 

A Day in the Life

What is a Day in the Life of an Artist Like?

This is another in our blog carnival and at the end of the post is a list of other artists participating in the carnival.  You can visit them at your leisure.  There are giveaways along the way.

I will be giving away my 7" x 5" study in the post.
Be sure to click to see the progression of the painting.
Leave a comment on my blog and share my link on your fb page and you're entered.

I don't know that I have a normal day,

but this will give you a pretty good idea of what a "normal" day might look like.

I was getting entries ready for the Kentucky State Fair

so let's get started.

First off

you have to have the proper attire,

and these complete my ensemble of a UK t-shirt and blue jean capris.

Clothes make the woman.

I couldn't figure out how to show the wheels of my brain turning as I flipped through many possible photos I could use for my State Fair entries.

I decided on a swampy scene I took a photo of in Florida this past winter.

I've entered in two classes, a mini painting which I will do in a 4" x 4" format

 and another in a 16" x 20" on a stretched canvas.

 I've decided that I am going to spend more time in preparation for my paintings.

Here I'm drawing the scene, trying to get the composition I want.

 A little of the progress of the drawing.

The finished drawing.

I don't consider myself very good at drawing, but it is something I've worked on lately.

I'm happy with this.

Let's see if I can translate this composition into a good painting.

I've taken out several trees and a foot bridge from the actual photo.

 I'm going to do a 7" x 5" study of the drawing, again refining the process and

 getting the colors and values right.

This is how I attach my small panels to a dabble board.

Yep, that's just rolled masking tape.  I put the panel on a larger piece of masonite

so I can paint all the way to the edges, not touch it until I'm ready to remove it,

and I have something to do a quick practice stroke on if I need one.

I've used this method for years and have never had problems with the panel falling off 

unless I leave it on for several days.

Click here to view the video of the progression of the painting.

Before I start the small painting, I start priming larger canvases.  

I usually do several at once.

If I'm doing small ones I do a dozen or so at a time.

These will receive up to 6 coats of gesso before I begin the painting.

Starting with a fresh palette.

Those are paper towels around the edges with the paint on them.

Since I paint in acrylics, I can spray my palette with water and the paper towels absorb the excess ad keep the paints moist.
I spray it several time during a paint session.

When I'm done for the day, I spray everything, put the lid on and

live to paint another day.

 The beginning of the study

The completion of the study.

I'm happy with the colors.

Might make more separation in the distance foliage.

 I'm beginning my 4" x 4" painting.

It's on a panel.

I felt it would be easier for me to start small and then go large.

I'm using the same reference for both of these paintings.

They aren't competing against each other

and I really like the composition.

Here it is finished.
You can see I added more distance by painting another lighter bank of trees back there.
I also added more warmth by adding brighter yellow and light green in the foreground.

I took a break for lunch here.
I've really worked up an appetite!

 Now for the 3rd painting today,

I'm starting the 20" x 16" stretched canvas.

Here's the block in and . . .

 Here's the finished painting.
There's more reflections in this version and more oranges and yellows close to the water.

 Here's all 4 pieces I've completed today.

I know,

I'm an over-achiever.

I popped the 4" X " into this cute wooden shadow box frame.

Now to frame the big boy.

I made a little video of how I frame a painting,

so click to view the video here.

Now one last thing.

I'm entering one of my slate shingle yard art pieces,

and I needed to do a few finishing touches to it.

Can you see those holes about 2" from the top.

This slate hangs on a shepherds/mini flag hook in the yard,

for some pretty cool yard art.

 

I'm pretty beat.

But a day wouldn't be a day without this,

 During my little lunch break,

of course I had to go throw a load of clothes in to wash.

Well there you have it, friends.

That's pretty much what my days in the studio look like.

Here's the list of other artists blog posts.

Cindy Michaud	Jo MacKenzie	Christine Parker	Marla Laubisch
Joanne Grant	Kevin Larson	Cindy Williams	Sharon Graves
Sally Binard	Karen Johnston

"http://charleenmartinstudios.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-day-in-life-of-artist.html">Charleen Martin

Thanks for stopping by today.

Let The Challenge Begin

Let The Games (Challenge) Begin

I accepted the challenge from Leslie Saeta in January

a grueling 30 paintings in 30 days,

and it was an up hill both ways kind of challenge!

These are the paintings I did during that challenge.

I learned a lot about painting, and a lot about myself during that challenge.

Now Leslie has issued another challenge, 30 marketing ideas in 30 days.

I have no idea how this will work or what it will look like,

but I know I'm going to learn a lot and I and you can see the marketing ideas of lots of artists

on Leslie's blog for 30 days.

In an entrepreneur sort of way, that sounds like fun.

I'm sure there will be lots of ideas for everyone so . . .

Click here to sign up for the challenge

Click here to visit my website.

30 Day Collage

So after we finished with our 30 days of paintings, Leslie Saeta our fearless paintress,

next invited us all to post a collage of our work on her blog.  

It is so cool to see everyone's paintings in collage form on there.

It's amazing to see how most artists have a very definite palette that they paint from.

Looking at my collage I don't really see those same colors repeating themselves,

but in some of the collages, it is striking.

Anyway, here are my 30 paintings I painted in 30 days.

Hope you enjoy and come back to see how the work progresses.

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Day 12, Snowed In

Day 12

I took the photo for this painting several years ago when we truly were snowed in.

We live back a long lane and this was before we bought the tractor and we were stuck for almost two weeks.

We had icicles hanging everywhere, but this is off our front shed.

The trees and berry bushes were completely weighed down with the heavy snow.

I have always loved this photo, so now I love the painting.

It's a 6" x 6" acrylic on canvas panel, unframed.

$50 + $6 shipping

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Artist of the Month Display at Gallery 104, LaGrange, KY

If you didn't make it out, 

here's a little peek at what I displayed.

Thanks Gallery 104 for giving me the honor of artist of the month.

I sure appreciate a reason to throw a party.

Sold 2 paintings on the wall, the smallest framed painting on the wall and the one top left.  

Also sold one out of the basket on the left, plus lots of note cards.

These were the display shelves in the show room.  

I sold two of these also.

Summer Scent,

I gave this painting away and Heather Toombs was the winner.

I took some of my garden stones and sold 2 or 3 of them.

This was a display of my entries in the KY state fair and a basket of 8 x 10 and 5 x 7 unframed paintings.

I forgot to take pics of the food, which was delish, thanks to my daughter Kari, the chef.

I also gave the painting on the right away and one of our missionaries, Elder Lowe won this.

He was so tickled.

I think everyone had a good time.  

I did and I thank everyone for coming.

We had a great crowd of friends and family

and sometimes I can't who is what.

If you went, please post what you liked the best.

Thanks

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sites of Carroll County

A few years ago I took a drive out E. Rt. 36 and saw this shed.  I took a photo of it and I painted it recently.  You can actually drive under it.  It was hiding beneath all the vegetation growing all over it.  I don't know if I could find it again, but it was one of many great photos I took that day.  This is an 8 x 10 acrylic on masonite and is framed with wooden deluxe frame with a dust cover on back and wired to hang.  $75 + shipping.