This is my first time participating in the local “Art on the Green” art festival event in downtown, Woodstock, Georgia. I’m excited to be a part of this event and share art I’ve created with my local community.
I’ll be at Art on the Green Fall 2022
Tag: color
Flowers symbolize hope, courage and caring
I’ve been asked a lot lately about my favorite things to paint and I felt a bit silly admitting I like to paint flowers. Why? I mean it’s obvious I’m painting them, especially if I’m standing less than five feet away from my own art. I’ve done some reflecting on this and I’m ready to share why I think I enjoy painting them. Spoiler: It’s not just because they are beautiful, whatever that means. Flowers are fascinating Flowers have always fascinated me. They come in so many shapes, sizes and forms. The more elaborate and colorful they are, the more I like them. Some people may see flowers as very feminine, weak, and “girly”. I see them as symbols of courage, hope, and caring (love). Flowers may be temporary, but they are even more powerful symbols of courage and hope…
Two Art Shows in July in the Atlanta Area
I’m thrilled to be showing my work in two locations in July. One in Cherokee County, Georgia, northwest of Atlanta and the second in Atlanta at Ponce City Market. Both shows feature free receptions where you can meet the artists and other art lovers. July 1 – 26th: Cherokee Members Art Show Reception: July 7, 6-8pm July 7 – 27th : Binders Ponce City Market Reception: July 23rd, 3-5pm What art will I be showing? The Cherokee Members Art Show will feature several new paintings in including “Mischief”, “High Energy Jack” and “Shelby Dreams”. Here is a preview of the pieces that will be in the show: Binder’s Ponce City Market will be featuring work from the Friday Painters group at the Atlanta Artist Center including three paintings by me. Here is a preview of them: I hope you can…
Stubby, A Real Dog Hero
I recently finished the painting of Sgt. Stubby, part of the Real Dog Heroes Series. This is a new series of paintings and drawings based on real dog heroes from search and rescue organizations, every day dogs being heroic and dogs who protected soldiers. The series was inspired while writing one morning about different canines who have done amazing things against what sometimes seemed to be impossible odds. I researched for the series by reading books from different sources and various news sites online. Stubby was the only dog to be awarded the rank of “sergeant” during World War I. He was smuggled overseas to France by his owner after he was found on the Yale campus. This loyal American Pit Bull Terrier mix saved lives and kept up the morale of soldiers by providing warnings about poison…
Dog Portraits: Colorful Boston Terrier using Derwent Inktense Blocks and Watercolor on 140 lb Paper
I’m continuing my series of colorful dog portraits with this friendly Boston Terrier. He was inspired by a conversation I had with a fellow designer at a conference. He was talking about how Boston Terriers are the ultimate pet for designers. They are a cute, quirky and visually appealing breed. They pack a lot of personality into a tiny body. This piece was made on high quality 140lb watercolor paper using watercolor washes and ink washes with layers of Derwent inktense block art sticks layered on top. And layered again. And again. There were a few chalk pastels used here and there, but yeah who uses ink medium for textured layers? It’s fun to experiment like this and not use art materials the way the were intended. I get a thrilling zing in my belly. Does this make me an…
Purple May the Blue Heeler
May 2 is a portrait of a blue heeler rescue named May. She lives in a farm on Florida and is about three years old. I used fluid acrylics and iridescent acrylics on canvas applied with brushes and palette knives. I really enjoyed experimenting with different colors and using different tools to get effects. My goal was to capture May’s sweet and slightly pensive personality. May is happiest when she is next to her favorite people.
Color Secrets: Vibrancy
Vibrancy is about how intense a color is, how strong the color appears to be. It is not just how bright or colorful it is, instead it is more about how pure and vivid the color is. Artists who use physical paints often use this term to describe how well a color matches the original paint out of a tube or to compare two colors next to each other. Digital artists and creatives also use vibrancy, usually as a way to compare an object’s color to a background or another element. Vibrancy can be good but also bad. Two strong colors like orange and blue hues tend to look like they are visually vibrating when they are next to each other. This is why people usually try to use a vivid color paired with a duller or desaturated color. Navy…
Color Secrets: Brightness
There has been a trend lately in app design where white or very light backgrounds are paired with minimal use of color and flat, simplified shapes. Why this shift when sites had been trending darker and darker? Is it the Star Wars reboot? A renewed interest in futurism? Or are we just all tired of looking at gray or black displays? As more and more sites provide lighter sites or options to choose what backgrounds we want, designers and user experience professionals will need to take another look at how people are using devices as part of their daily lives. People don’t use devices in well lit, climate controlled areas. Being able to observe and take into account the key environments where users are will then have an impact on choices about color including brightness, contrast and saturation. My personal ideas about why…
100 days Woman from Apache Cafe
There is a venue in Atlanta called Apache Cafe where on Monday nights there are live models to draw or photograph. This sketch I made using Adobe Sketch and my fingers on an iPad Pro was based off a photo I took there. Adobe Sketch has some interesting effects when you used the watercolor flat brush. It continues to “bleed” into the other parts of the sketch after you lay a stroke down. The more times you go over an area, the more the colors blend and spread.
100 days colorful bunting bird
Today for #100daysofdigitalsketch I drew a bunting bird. This is a regional bird often seen in North Carolina and Georgia. It is a vibrant bird and a lot of fun to draw. I used a combination of the taper, basic blunt and chisel brushes. I used different opacities and brush sizes to create layered glaze effects while applying colors.
100 days fire sketch
It’s day two of my 100 days of digital sketch project. Today I sketched a fire using default tools in Adobe Draw. If you want a detailed breakdown of what I did, I have a description below the image. I used square shape for large areas of background since currently there is no all over background color tool. I picked the basic flat brush and made it as large as I could, 60px, and chose the dark orange color. I made broad shallow curves to define the two logs on a new layer. I chose a lighter orange and laid down a few curvy triangular marks for key flames. I then picked the taper brush to define points and add more character. I alternated colors and opacity while building out the flames. I mixed in flatter blobs of hot ashy…
100 days seltzer bottle sketch
Created using the Adobe Draw app on my iPad for the 100 days project. I used mostly brushes 2 and 4 that come default with the app. You can follow my progress on Instagram. I wish the brush size controls were a bit easier to use. They do not all have the same size ranges. I would also like for larger sizes. I’m also still adjusting to the line weights of the different brushes. Sometimes they appear larger or smaller than I expect when I start using them. I used an Intuos Bamboo stylus since I was traveling and did not pack a full size stylus.
Five Tips for Creating Better Color Palettes for the Web
I’ve put together five tips for creating better color palettes based on a recent talk I gave to computer science students. Faced with working on their first mobile apps or sites, they had never really been given advice on choosing color palettes. I realized this is one of those gaps in knowledge; part of the missing manual of design experience you build over time as a developer or designer. I hope you find them useful too. (more…)
Finding Color Inspiration in Games
Sometimes we need a quick jolt of inspiration to get out of a color rut. I often hear from other designers that they use the same colors over and over again. There are perfectly good reasons why – we may be known for a certain color palette (Nubby and her black, white and reds), or be restricted by brand guidelines or we just gravitate to some colors. While constraints are great, pushing ourselves progressively as creatives means going outside our comfort zones and also challenging standards. Color is a great way to alter mood, focus, and revitalize. Today I’m taking a quick look at three sources of color inspiration with a gaming theme. (more…)
Testing Color Theme Tools and Getting Out of a Color Rut
I asked other designers what they were struggling with when it came time to pick a color theme. They gave me a wide range of answers, some about how easy it is to fall into a color rut, while others tend to browse colors and hope for the best. Others mentioned struggling with issues of contrast. These are all challenges we face as creative people. Asking ourselves the right questions and honing our eye for color can help us overcome them and be more effective with our designs. (more…)