Improving, Learning, Growing

Always Trying to Improve, Learn & Grow

Art can be such a struggle!

You study,

you work

you practice

you study,

you work,

you practice.

You get frustrated!

Rinse and repeat!

This is my story with this painting.

We have some pretty interesting barns

 where I live in Kentucky.

Many have been standing for as long as I can remember.

We have a barn I love on U.S. 42 in Carrollton.

It sits on a hillside and part of it's on stone stilts.

It's an old tobacco barn.

Many barns in this part of the country were tobacco barns.

I've painted it plein air.

I've photographed it.

I've drawn it.

I've painted it in the studio many times.

This was my best effort and I was never happy with it.

It was toooo tight.  

The other day I was in the studio and I was looking through some old work that I love the scene but not the painting.

This one was is that pile.

I looked and looked at it to decide 

what I thought needed changing.

The path going into it isn't right.

The roof is right because they maintain the barn so well,

but I thought it would look better a little more distressed.

I re-worked it for a little while and was 

much more happy with the results.

Not crazy about it yet,

but happier.

I added some rust and missing pieces on the roof.

It's not accurate to the actual barn, but it looks better I think.

I warmed up the inside of the barn wall

 as if a light was left on in there.

I completely changed the driveway going into the barn.

There isn't actually a driveway there, but it needed one

I thought.

I lightened up the side of the barn on the stilts

and tried to show more where the doors are.

Tobacco hangs in levels in a barn like this.

The doors on the sides are opened or closed

as the tobacco dries so air can pass through more evenly

so it doesn't scorch.  

After the fall rains, then you want the tobacco 

to absorb moisture as it goes "in case"

so it can be stripped and baled and taken to market.

Carrollton, KY was once the burley tobacco capital of the world and there used to be huge tobacco warehouses all over the county.  Now most are gone as the market has completely changed.

Years ago every yard with any size at all would have tobacco growing there and nearly every farm had tobacco bases.

You were given an allotment by the state and you were allowed to grow only so much.  People rented other peoples bases if they were not going to use it.

Raising tobacco is a very labor intensive product and students used to get out of school if they were needed on the farm to plant or harvest or strip tobacco.  It became almost impossible to find help to work the fields.

Tornadoes, age and abandonment have taken its toll on tobacco barns all around me.

But this barn stands and is maintained.

I love the stone stilts.

I am fairly happy with this painting.

But I have many more of it I can always use to 

improve, learn and grow my skills and knowledge.

If you've enjoyed this post, I'd love to have you share it with anyone you think would be interested.

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If you are a homeschool family who would like to add art to your curriculum, I invite you to join my private Facebook group, Painter Nation Homeschool Art Club.

I post daily, M-F and I go live once a week with a live drawing or painting class.  I try to do that on Monday at 10 a.m., but sometimes I've had to change it.

Click HERE to go to the Facebook page.  

Ask to join and 3 questions will pop up.

I ask that everyone answer the 3 questions so I have a better understanding of how I can best help you.

Once you answer the 3 questions, I can open the door and welcome you in to our group.

This group was designed to create a place for basic art student education and a place to share your work for feedback, and a place to encourage each other.

Please join us now.

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If you have it on your bucket list to learn to paint and/or draw I have created a private Facebook group especially for you.  I hop in there every day, M-F and I go live on Wednesday at 1 p.m. to teach a painting or drawing class.

Click HERE to join our group.

I know how difficult it is to find basic beginner instruction for adults who finally are taking the time to do something they've wanted to do for years, learn to paint and draw.

If this is you, please join us in a very safe, friendly environment where everyone is learning and wants to share what they've learned.  

There are 3 questions when you ask to join so again, I can know how best to help you achieve your goals.  

Answer the 3 questions and I can open the door and say

"Come on in!"

I can't wait to say that to you.  

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You can visit my website by clicking HERE.

I have a FREE blog on there that also has lots of information expressly created for beginner artists.  

I also have individual classes and my full blown art course there and there will be more classes coming in the very near future.  

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by today.

P.S.  I almost forgot.  I have a YouTube channel where I also teach beginning painting and drawing lessons.

And, guess what?  It's FREE too!

Teaching Art To Children

I'm Back in Elementary School!

I've been hanging out with a lot of elementary students lately.

Recently I had the opportunity to help in our local elementary school as students work on a recycling project.

They have written songs, 

learned dances,

created posters,

and participated in a service project.

I helped with the service project.  

The students took ordinary plastic grocery bags, cut them into strips and then wove those strips into mats for the homeless in the Louisville, Ky area.

These are thick and can serve as something 

to sit or sleep on or to cover up with.

In another recycling effort, I taught several classes of students how to use art to express themselves.

We used 5" x 7" canvas panels and I drew a basic outline on each of a gallon milk jug, a 2-litre soda bottle, a soda can and a single serve soda bottle.

Students had about 45 minutes to paint the canvas that they selected and put their own stamp on it.

It was so funny hearing them talking about their pieces as they worked on them.

We were at Camp Kysoc, a former Easter Seals facility that is in Carroll County, KY.  

Easter Seals no longer uses the camp and while Carroll County is figuring out how to best utilize this great facility, the schools use it at least once a month for activities like this.

These are my 2 demo paintings I did to show them how to get started.  They did all sorts of colors, varieties and I think had lots of fun learning about art and recycling.

On this same day, students were able to listen and participate in Native American drumming, Science Center presentations where they learned about their internal organs,  play chess, go for nature walks, and learn to paint and draw.

I also had another class who made recycling posters, but we were so busy working on them, I forgot to take any photos.  

Art can be instructive for any subject matter and I am very grateful that I have the opportunity to meet and paint with so many great students. 

At the end of a great day there is always lots of brushes to wash.

Every artist needs to understand how color works,
so I have created 7 Tips for Mixing Color.  
Click HERE to get this invaluable aid and print it off and keep it where ever you paint. 

Thanks for stopping by today,
and let's paint together real soon.

It's Never TOO Early or Late. . .

 It's Elementary!

That's who I painted with last week.

Elementary students.

I was asked to teach 3 classes of elementary students in one day in an enrichment program here in Carroll County, KY.

I had about 20 students in each class.

I had one class of younger students who I had never taught before and then in each of the other two classes I had a few students I had taught.  

The goal was to paint and 8" x 10 piece on a canvas panel,

teaching color and some techniques like blending paint.

In this simple painting students learned to make the heart shape by starting with 2 dots, how to select colors that work together, use light and dark colors for effect, how to make the lace edge, how to get the arrow to go through the heart, how to use both ends of the brush as they made the dots, and so much more.

Our class was held at Camp Kysoc in Carrollton, KY a former Easter Seals summer camp.

I used a Valentine subject as I taught why some colors work together and others don't.  We also talked about why you need to use light with dark colors in order to achieve contrast.

It's one of the things new artists struggle with, creating depth with color.

I've created 7 Tips for Mixing Color that you can download and print out and keep where you paint.
Click HERE to get the printable.  

Me and this great group of artists in the first class of the day.

These are all the paintings from the first group.

Not one like another one.  

I'm trying to teach a method and 

then let them run with their own creativity.

In the other two classes we really went abstract as we tried to make loose flowing hearts and shapes around the heart and then added curly-q's.  

My two demo paintings from the next two classes.

Showing shading, blending, use of color, and how to play in the paint.

In this painting we learned how to think outside the box in creating the shape of the heart.  We were also able to explore how light and dark colors affected the painting.  Painting the curly-q's helped loosen up the students as they learn to manipulate the paint and the brush.

Again I was just teaching a method, and then I hoped they would infuse their own personalities into their work.

I was not disappointed.

Look at all the variety in these paintings. 

This was the final class of the day.

One thing I learned again, is that there are always those students who are fearful of anything where they have to use their own creativity.  Others dive right in and go for it.

I always try to reassure all that there are rules and best practices, but once they understand them, they can successfully break them for some interesting results. 

This group was very brave and really pushed themselves.

It was also interesting to see how each group had their own personality as well as the individuals in the group.

I had a great time and I hope they did too.

We created a ton of colorful art 

and I think we all learned a lot.

Click HERE to visit my YouTube channel where I teach art concepts and classes for free.

Click HERE to visit my website.

If you are a homeschool family and would like to add art to your curriculum, click HERE and join my FREE Facebook group created especially for you.

Thanks for stopping by today and hopefully you've signed up to receive my blog in your inbox.

You Want to Interview ME?

Who Wants to Interview Me?

I had a fun experience today.  

Carrie, a young lady from our local high school, 

asked to interview me as part of a project she is doing in order to graduate early.

She wanted to know about being an artist.

We met at the library and for an hour she asked me questions and I tried to explain what I think you need to learn to be an artist.

Of course you need to hone your art skills,

learn your craft,

understand art concepts 

and all that sort of thing.

But I also told Carrie that 

she needs to understand business.

She needs to understand the internet.

She needs to be comfortable with who she is

and not be afraid to put herself out there.  

There's lots to being an artist in the internet age.

Not only do you have to have a handle on the type of art you like and how to make that art,

but you also need to know how to:

blog,

promote your work,

promote yourself,

understand and use social media,

be able to work alone,

trust your instincts,

work endless hours,

build a website,

take good photographs,

learn to write,

manage your time,

understand money,

take business courses,

and on,

and on,

and on.

The internet is a great tool that is available to artists,

but it can be 

the black hole for time management.

I've met so many great artists,

learned from great artists,

viewed so much beautiful art

because of the internet,

but if you're not careful 

it can suck every last minute of time away from

you and your art.

I wish Carrie the best,

regardless of what she pursues in her future.

But she and every other hopeful artist needs to understand,

you work alone,

you practice alone,

you promote alone.

So it's pretty important to like yourself

because you're going to be spending a lot of time

with that person in the mirror.

If you want to learn to paint,

please sign up to receive my blog in your inbox 

and check out all the great info I give away all the time.

Click HERE to visit my YouTube channel

where I teach a new class every single week.

More FREE "How To Paint" info.

If you're a home school family and you would like to add art to your curriculum, join my FREE Facebook group created just for you.  Click HERE.

Click HERE to visit my website with all my classes, courses and membership site that is available.  

Thanks for stopping by today and leave a comment or ask a question in the comments about becoming an artist.

How and Why to use a Color Wheel

Do you use a color wheel?

There's tons of info to be learned from a color wheel,

and it doesn't take that long to learn the basics. 

I created this short video on how and why 

to use a color wheel.

Click HERE to watch the video.  

If you like the video, please click the thumbs up button and subscribe to my channel and then click that little bell next to the subscribe button.  

That will notify you whenever I post a new video.

I've created a FREE printable, 7 Tips for Mixing Color, for you to keep handy where ever you paint.
Click HERE to get it.  

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

If you're interested in learning how to paint,

please check out my website at

www.paintingwithacrylics101.com

Happy New Year 2019

Peace and Health to you in 2019

I am where I usually am this time of year!

Looking over goals I either did or didn't achieve.

I did pretty good on some, and not so good on others.  

My Word for 2019

I have  had a word of the year for the last 5-6 years and I have been thinking over my choice of this years word of the year for about a week.

Here are some of the words I've considered:

Compassion

Order

Rebound

Punt

Breathe

Peace

Resilient

Vision

Serenity

I have mulled these words over and over and looked at how each of them would effect me or how if I concentrated on that one word how could I change my life.  

P E A C E

is the winner for 2019.

I almost chose Breathe, because anyone who knows me knows I have serious lung issues and breathing can be difficult sometimes.  I think about breathing all the time, so that's why I didn't choose that.

I need peace in my heart, in my life.

I am going to make those changes, mindsets, behaviors that brings peace to my heart and mind.  

Now I have to decide what those things are.

That will take a week or two to put some meat on those bones.  

Some things I'll need to look at are:

Limiting my social media time - except for you guys,

Reading more.

Eating better - healthier.

Sleeping better.

Walking more.

Create more art.

Study more.

There's a lot going on for me to achieve peace.

I wish there was an easy switch to pull to add peace in my life, but there isn't.  It will take improving in many smaller areas for peace to come into my life.  As I make those changes, I will be able to invite peace into my heart and life.

Leave me a comment about your word of the year or a goal you set for 2019.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

Since this is an art blog, I'm going to show you what I'm working on right now.  There will be more on this later, but here's a sneak peek.

Improving my drawing skills is important to me and I'm going to be working on this.  I show you this because one eye is closer to be completed and the other is far from completion.  The eye on the right doesn't look bad, in fact, it looks pretty good, but compared to the eye on the left it has a long way to go.  

We'll talk about this more in the near future. 

If you're a homeschool family and you would like to add art to your curriculum, join my FREE Homeschool Art Facebook Group.  Click HERE to visit that page. 

Click HERE to visit my website to check out classes and courses I offer.  

If it's on your bucket list to learn to paint,

stay tuned for a new FREE Facebook group coming soon created just for you.

Cyber Monday Deals - But only til midnight!

I Don't Usually Do This,

But Hey, 

You're Gonna Love It!

You have until midnight tonight,

Monday, November 26 to get in on these 

INSANE Deals.

Never offered anything like this before and probably never will again, but I'm giving you the chance to get anything on my website at ridiculous prices.

Deal #1

I have several single subject classes on my website that normally sell for $19.99.  Today, if you use the coupon code 

Ondedayonly2018

at checkout you'll receive 

50% off.

Do the math!

Click HERE to go to my website and then scroll down till you see the single subject classes.  

If you'd like to purchase either or both, just use that coupon code at checkout and you're taking an online painting class for only $10.

Deal #2

If you've thought about joining the 

Painter Nation Members Club,

a monthly membership club where you always have access to a minimum of 6 art concept classes plus every month I release a new bundle of drawing and painting classes on a specific theme.  Right now there are at least FOUR Bundles on there with hours of instruction.

It sells for $24.99 a month, I know, that's a great price,

but until midnight tonight you can take 50% off the first month and every single month you're a member.  You can cancel at any time, but why on earth would you.  

Coupon code Todayonly2018 gets you that discount.

Click HERE to learn more about the 

Painter Nation Members Club.

Deal #3

I can't believe I'm doing this, but hey,

 "you deserve a break today".

Use coupon code CMPWA2018 and take $80 off,

yes, you heard that right,

$80 off my Full Blown Art Course.

Click HERE to see what's included.

Remember!

You only have until midnight tonight, November 26,

to make up your mind.

Are you kidding? 

On these incredible deals.

What's to think about.

If you've wanted to get serious about learning to paint,

adding art to your homeschool curriculum,

or to step up your skills, 

today is your moment!

I'm going to just back on outta here while you

get your thinking cap on.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving 

and 

Happy Cyber Monday!