I love creating the above sketch type portraits. Just a simple sketch on a colored background with a few highlights and the faint bit of coloring added here and there to the background. Always printed on art paper where splashes of oil pastel is added throughout making it a Mixed Media print!
Coming Soon…I have been asked enough times about creating sketches in Corel Painter, enough so I have decided to offer this as a class. New classes will be starting again in September. Check back for the dates and times of all classes.
I have so many images of the wild life found in our yard, especially the raccoons Several weeks ago our raccoon stopped visiting us…I am not happy about that for I tend to get attached and worry about them. Going by the past years it seems normal that we would stop seeing them….only the short period early summer are they really out and about during the day….and this one was. Oh well, maybe she will visit again with us next year….or I will happen to catch a glimpse of her for her favorite trees are right behind my home.
New class starting today at Paw Prints Studio. I opened the forum to the students yesterday and several have been busy making themselves comfortable, learning their way around. While class really did not start until today, I posted a little something about having everyone create a very quick self portrait (sketch) so that they could use it for this weeks avatars. While this course is about painting animals…this is a fun exercise to help everyone have a good time, laugh a little and just experiment and feel comfortable with the software, brushes and moving the pen around the tablet!
I posted a quick one of me….under 10 minutes…named a couple of the brushes used to create this very quick sketch and several took the challenge and ran with it. This was about having fun…no worries about it being good, bad….just play, experiment and fun with color and brushes. Thanks Cindy and Jeff, wonderful work! Looking forward to what the other students create
If your a student and would like to see your work on my blog all you have to do is e-mail me your permission to do so! Our next online Digitally Painting Animals course will be in Sept. Check back for the official date and time.
Yep, the time has come to have another Big Give Away. I love these This is just a little teaser to get you all excited…
This Big Give Away will be a Paw Prints Studio Tee Shirt…Stay Tuned for I have to make a new design for the Tee Shirt (I do this every so often)… and a video has to be produced. Maybe in a week or two.
It will be the same as our last give away…in order to get the tee shirt you will have to be a subscriber to both the Paw Prints Studio blog and Paw Prints Studio You Tube site. Just my way of saying Thank You to my faithful subscribers….you get the chance to win free stuff and all the discounts and special coupons come to you first! Once you have viewed the video all you have to do is leave a comment on the you tube site and your name will go into the the basket. Oh…one more thing…we actually want you to send us a photograph of you wearing the Tee Shirt (or even a You Tube video if you like) and it will appear on our blog. As in our last Big Give Away…one of the puppies willl be choosing the winner.
Not a subscriber, no worries you actually have up until we are ready to pick the winner to subscribe. Check back for further details and to get a peek at the Tee Shirt (oh, did I mention there will be something a little extra included with the tee shirt….it is a secret and only the lucky recipient will know what it is). Check back for further details
This lovely portrait of sisterly love was created in Corel Painter X.
Working on this portrait made me think of my sisters, I have two. Sadly…we are not very close. One sister I have not spoken to in over a year and a half…the other… once in a while. When I was younger I so thought family was important…I worked hard at keeping in touch with everyone when I moved to GA. I craved their friendship, companionship. I would imagine the fact that I am the “baby” of the family made those feelings stronger.
These days I do not work very hard at it. I never know just what “Not” to say to the one for she will just cut you out of her life over the littlest things and your left wondering just what you did, said. After one to many times I am afraid I have decided it is best to not put myself in that position, family or not. The other….well we are just so busy living our lives, living a distance away from one another….I guess too many years of that have gone by.
I know in my heart that one day there will be regrets. It is not that I do not want to be close to my sisters….after many years I just stopped trying. Still, I know that regret can be such a heavy burden. I often think that I could be the only one with those regrets. I learned over the years….and it really took me a very long time for this life lesson….you cannot force people to be part of your life, family or not!
It is heart warming and a joy to see a family that truly enjoys each others company and have the ability to be there for one another.
Our next online course for Digitally Painting Animals starts July 15th, there is still space available as well as time for you to enroll. The above was completed by Jack Heard one of our students who had so many nice thins to say about our online course. Thanks Jack….great work!!!!
Please know our class is geared towards those wanting to learn a few Corel Painter X techniques painting animals. Each week is broken down….painting the eyes and nose, backgrounds, fur (do you reallllly need a “special” fur brush)? Paper, textures and brushes. Last class is printing and hand embellishing your prints with acyclic paints. Four images are supplied for you to paint and practice with, however for those truly wanting to create their own art, your welcome to use your own images from the start. There are no filters used (unless adding a texture), this is a painting course. You are the Artist deciding on how painterly, colorful your masterpiece will be.
Dee is very free with her time for those students with a desire in improving their painting skills. The class forum is open to students only, a safe environment for you to visit at your convenience….class size is limited. There are also a few short videos for your viewing pleasure
Those students (such as Jack Heard) that have been the most successful with the course have completed the assignments and shared their work allowing the instructor to view for feedback…maybe a suggestion or two…then up to the student to work on until they are satisfied. This five week course goes by very quickly…and again, the forum is there for you 24 hours a day so you can work at your own pace.
Earlier today as I was painting the above, due to my eyes bothering me as of late I was continually having to stop and put a cool cloth over my eyes. Rather then detail I used color and my brush strokes. When you cannot see well the details are just not there for you paint….as for the use of color…again, not having the ability to see well you tend to use darker tones….lots of contrast in your paintings, at least that is how it is for me.
Taking off the reminder of the day to turn my attention to things around the house…the dogs. Still hot here in the SE so out door time will be short….my canine friends are not enjoying the warmer temps, like me they prefer it a little cooloer.
Today found me finally going through some footage on the video camera....then playing around in imovie. Very amateur editing but I really have no clue as to what I am doing. The credits at the end, although I slowed them down once uploaded to You Tube it sped up...hopefully my skills will improve....that goes for the video camera as well ;-)Take a break, make a nice cup of tea and sit and enjoy the dogs.
A fast portrait created in corel Painter X. Digitally Painting Animals starts up again in July! Please contact Dee if wanting to commission her to create a lovely, one of a kind portrait of your beloved furry friend. If in the Atlanta are she can photograph your pet, or she can work from your images.
Sunday Morning, up at 8….since Mike is away for the week in Singapore it is my job to rush the dogs out the back door in the morning, all without allowing too much time for Niki to pee and poop along the way. Since her spinal injury she does not have the greatest control over her bowels, and her bladder.
Some of you may already know this, those of us with RA…well we are a bit slow in the morning. It takes a couple of hours for us to “unhinge”. Not only do I feel like the tin man from wizard of Oz in need of a good oiling, so too do I move like him. The dogs and I wander the yard….dogs do their morning thing, I make sure Niki’s bladder is completely empty having to do this twice for I cannot bend so early in the day (her bladder must be “squeezed” to make sure it is completely empty for bacteria can build up causing an infection.
Once inside I then can go do my thing All the while avoiding the mirror….as always my entourage has accompanied me down the hallway into the bathroom. The only thing on my mind is a nice cup of tea….I am not even sure if there is any caffeine in it for I had switched to green tea months ago. It helps with the “unhinging” process for I can wrap my hands around the warm cup. Once the water is up, stove on… me and my entourage wander back outside to fill the kiddie pool. Now, here in the Atlanta area we are still under drought conditions….I am not sure just how strict the county is currently enforcing the outside use of water for while I have followed the rules (with almost a full week of 90 something temp all you have to do is look at my lawn and weeds….dried brown mess….not to mention just how dirty my car is) I have been filling Niki’s pool just about every other day. Well worth any fines that may come my way for during the course of the winter she has lost so much strength and muscle tone. All of which I am uncertain if she can get back….but we will give it our best shot. As to if she is in discomfort….there are some days she moves a little like me. There is no yelping, or crying….just slow movement. I am really unsure if the county would have sympathy due to the fact Niki requires this in order to build her strength back up….or just to keep what she currently has. To view her walking in the water you see those back legs really moving, plus the sit, stand game we play (very tough to have her sit without floating…if she can touch the bottom of the pool….lots of concentration on her part she gets a click and treat). The movement is easier for her in the water, while at the same time it is so much more of a challenge for her… forcing the use of muscles she does not use on a daily basis.
Last summer when I introduced the pool to her she was not a happy camper…and the same this year. Refusing to go near it…..this morning I managed a few shots of her and the other two while I was filling the pool up. She was not happy….but since I had a few tasty treats she gave into sitting by the pool. As the pool fills… time for the birds….they want their feeders filled up. Yes, our wild life has us very well trained
Tea Time….water boiling away I pour the water into my cup and let it steep wile I feed the pups. Now, in my green tea I add a little milk….I know this has shocked some that have actually witnessed me doing this….I just like it that way. While sitting and enjoying my tea….my stiff hands slowly absorbing the warmth from the hot cup I spy the clock, the true testament of just how slow I move in the mornings, 9:45. I smile for I thought I had moved about in a speedy manner. My mind drifts to the fact that it is Sunday…I guess my age but I remember when stores were closed on Sundays, dinner was planned earlier in the day….you got to relax, eat dinner with the family….hmmmmm, sounds good to me. So. plans for the day….hanging out with the dogs, PT for Niki, depending on the heat and smog (bad air along with the heat) will determine how much out side time we get…then….relax.
