nanke's stuff

OK, this time I really mean it!  This is the last version of my DaVinci copy.  I darkened the values, although it still isn't quite right.  But ol Yeller and I are parting ways.  It's time for me to move on to something else .... not sure just what yet, but definitely something else.  He was a good model (you know, he Never Moved At All!!), but I'm a tad tired of him.  So, one last look ....

Well, when I had 4,000 visits to my blog I decided to give something away when I got to 5,000.  Well, I missed that mark, and so I decided I'd do it at 6,000.  Then, I missed that  one too, so decided I'd do it at 7,000.  The thing is, I missed that one too!  So, rather than wait any longer, I'm going to do it now.  I'm so appreciative of all the support, encouragement, helpful  suggestions, and generous comments all of you have left for me, that I want to give a little something back to you.

So, here it is.  It's a North Light book of Painting Techniques.  It covers a variety of media - oil, watercolor, and pastel, among others.  It has tons of really clear photos showing lots and lots of different techniques.  The scan I did of it isn't the best.  The book is a tad big for my scanner, so a bit of it is a bit blurry, but I think you can see enough of it clearly to give you the idea.  It measures about 9" x 9" and has 208 pages.

If you want to play, just leave me a comment on this post between now and March 13th.  On Sunday, March 14th, I'll use one of those on-line random number thingys to pick a winner!  So thanks again, and good luck!! 

This is a drawing I did awhile ago that depicts some of the things that I love.  They are symbolic of some of my many interests.  Three of the items are self-explanatory, but two may not be as evident.  The ribbon represents gifts - the many gifts in my life, both given and received.  I've been so blessed to have been the recipient of so many wonderful gifts - special people in my life, circumstances, and of course, all the spectacular, one-of-a-kind jewelry that my sweetie gives me!  lol  The duck represents my personal history.  When I was 3 my father took me to a Halloween party for children.  I was dressed as a clown.  All the children (I think sort of by age group) went up on a stage while the crowd "voted" by their applause for the best costume.  We were up there alone.  Anyhow, I looked out over the sea of faces and I couldn't find my father.  I burst into tears, which of course, made finding him that much harder.  I won the contest - I'm sure it was because I was the only one crying.  The prize was this cast iron duck bank.  I still use it, and I love it. 

What a day!!!  It was sunny and warm (well, warm for the mitten in March), and I got to spend most of the day with 2 friends, one of whom I seldom see because she lives in Florida .... she thought it was really cold here!  We were helping to pack up her mother and dad who have sold their home here in order to stay year round in Florida.  We had a lot of fun, and actually got some things done!

I didn't have much time to devote to art .... between spending time with my (new) treadmill (another really long story about a woman who detests any kind of exercise), settling the dog, feeding the birds, etc, etc,  I didn't do anything on my DaVinci drawing until the dinner dishes were done and the trash barrel was down by the road.  That said, I think I'm calling this one done ...  yes, I know, I don't have the shading just right, but I'm ready to move on to something else.  I'm going to give the Masters a rest from my efforts for now and instead do ........  well, to tell you the truth, I don't know what I'm going to do next.  I'll have to ponder it a bit, I guess.  So, here he is .... old yeller.   Ok, ok,  now that I see him here, I may have to have one more go at him.

I had a very busy day yesterday and have another fairly busy day today, so I thought I'd post a picture I painted some time ago.  We took a trip to northern Michigan one summer and I was really taken with this little wall.  In the picture it looks like it's quite high, but in reality it is only about 2 feet high.  I loved that it was made by hand with native rocks, and that the rocks had so many different colors and shapes in them.  I also loved the view of the lake in the background.  This painting took me  quite a long time to do, what with all the details in each stone.    The colors in the scan are more intense than the actual colors in the painting - the actual painting is more subdued and subtle.  But it's one of my favorite paintings that I've done ... maybe because it brings memories of our wonderful vacation with the boys, and also much of it was painted with a group of artist friends.  The group is no more - some moved away, some moved on.  But when I see this painting, I remember them all with love.

   

My next copy is based on  a DaVinci study for The Battle Of Anghiari.  One of the challenges in this one for me is the many values in it.  Another is that it's a face (yikes !).  I find faces very difficult to do.  I have a hard time getting proportions right, correct angles, and the proper relationships between the various features.  So, this one seemed like a good one for me.  DaVinci did so many faces - many of them quite monstrous.  I'm thinking that at some point I will do some of them.   So, here is my reference photo, followed by my initial go at it. 

Yesterday my good friend Vicki and I went to Hollanders  www.hollanders.com (I don't know how to do that "click on it and you go there"  thing so I have to put in the url) which is a spectacular paper store in Ann Arbor and took a class on how to make a concertina book.  It was taught by Christine Reising and David Burkam ( moonmothpress.etsy.com ) and they were just wonderful.  The idea was to use a found book, remove the spine and replace it with an accordian folded spine, and replace the inside with new signatures made with art paper.  The paper we used for the new signatures is called Somerset (I think that's how it's spelled) and it comes from England.  I was initially going to bring my own paper to do the signatures because I want to be able to use watercolor in this book, but then I decided that since the cost of the paper was included in the price, I'd rather try out a new paper.   I knew I'd be making another concertina book and I can use my own paper in that one.  After I try out the new paper, I'll let you know what I think of it.

Besides being most excellent and patient teachers, they brought many examples of books they've made (and sell on their Etsy site), and I have to tell you, those books were absolutely spectacular!  One of them even had a beautiful handmade fabric bag to hold it that was just so lovely.  I wanted them all!

My book is very modest - I just couldn't find anything in my stash that was really interesting that I wanted to cut apart.  But, I don't really mind all that much since it's my first one and I didn't have to worry about ruining it.  So, here it is!