Under 5$ Spring Craft

Spring Is Here!

It's time to smell the roses...or whatever you prefer.

Here is an awesome project you can do with the young'ns for about $3

I picked up:1 terracotta pot

1 package of seeds- whatever your fancy

1 bag of potting soil

(all from the 99cent store)

for each kido 

Like some of you I already had paint and brushes layin’ around the house as well as some (dollar tree) shallow plastic bowls.

I picked out 5 colors of acrylic paint & placed a little in each bowl.

I gave each kid a paint brush and set them up outside with some water to rise their brushes and let them design their own flower pot.

Let the paint dry over night… the next day you can spray a clear coat, such as Krylon, over the artistic masterpieces.

After another 24 hrs place in your potting soil and follow your seed package instructions.

Enjoy

I Beg To Differ...Color Contrast 101

COLOR CONTRAST

You always want it whether you are painting or photographing.

Why?

When done correctly, it makes the subject matter POP!

So your subject matter doesn’t fade indistinctly into the background, from a distance.

I have made this rookie mistake myself. Sometimes you can play it to your advantage and swing it as a unique look.

Lets Look At Some Examples:

See how the filter I added to this photo changed the wall color to a minty green and makes the picture so much more interesting and adds so much character...   it starts to tell a story..

In this painting of mine, in my early stages of being a professional artist, I made a bo boo…not enough contrast between my subject matter and my background. This is a small painting as well, so when viewing from a distance the bulb of the sun flower stands out beautifully but seems to be just floating because the stem and leaves are camouflaged into the background L

There you have it freebie artistic tip O’ the day.

-Sheanna Marie

Simplify Your Mind..Turning a Complex Idea Into a Tangible Painting.

Ever have an idea so complex you are not sure how to actually convey it in one simple still frame form?
Let me help you with that..


Let Me Start With An Example:
My most recent painting 'Breaking Chains', as seen in the last video post, started as a very complex vision in comparison to the final product. 


My Minds Eye: 
With eyes closed during a church service I am listening to people sing, Break Every Chain. I begin to see a vision...
I see thousands of men and women naked & dirty in an open field, bent over & chained to the ground. I also see an army of angels in white radiant suits of armor on the hill over looking the people. The army charges down the hill with swords raised. They rush into the crowed of helpless people and bring their swords down on their chains, shattering them and freeing the people.


Process Of Elimination: 
The size of your canvas will have much to do with how much your idea will need to be simplified
What is the main point of this idea?  
Being freed from the metaphorical chains by the power of the Lord.
So from that I can decide that one human form will suffice to make the point. 
I will need chains. 
I will need a sword, which will easily represent a cross as well to represent the spiritual metaphor.
Even the angel itself became something I could eliminate.
I used the swirls of color to also represent the metaphorical emotional & spiritual battle taking place. Doing this also created a focus on the figure, chains, & sword.

There you go, it's really that simple! Don't overwhelm yourself or your viewer, keep it simple.

Breaking Chains an acrylic painting by Sheanna Marie (video)

Love Connection

My palettes surface

What is your first reaction when you see a piece of art you LOVE? Some stare in admiration, while others simply study it's intricacies. Personally I always have an immediate reaction to reach out and touch the artwork. I not only want a heart and mind connection with the piece, but a physical connection as well. This may well be one of the reasons I work with a lot of texture in my own artistic endeavors. Wether a painting or a scrapbook page I want it to be interactive with the viewer.

Let's Get CONTROVERSIAL, Shall We..?

Exposed

Nudity and Sexuality.

 yep, I said it...so those of you who are already cringing may should X out OR open your mind and provide us all with some food for thought, but PLEASE don't be rude or I shall SHAME you.

Do you think nudity and or sexuality can be artistic? Do you think they are one in the same, that the two cannot be separate from one another? Do you find it easier to handle the subject matter in a particular medium? i.e photography,painting,sculpture...

I believe nudity AND sexuality CAN be artistic. However, I do not find T-N-A magazines "artistic". I mean that the human body, male or female, is a beautiful and wondrous creation of God. As well, sex, when handled maturely, can be a sensual and invigorating subject.
I also do not think the two go hand in hand. You can be naked without being sexual (even though I know most men have trouble separating the two); and you can be sexy without being naked (now here is where I know you men can relate).

In my more modest, and yes, prudish days I found all nude or sexual photographic material offensive, suppressive, and subjugating. However, I have matured into my OWN person over the years and I PERSONALLY no longer fell this way about ALL photographic materials. Though, like most people I assume, I find even the most erotic subject matter easier to handle and contemplate when done in a "Fine Art" medium such as paintings or sculptures.

In What ARTISTIC MEDIUM Do You Express Yourself?

Restless

I want to know in what Mediums do you most often express your artistic abilities? Painter. photographer, sculptor, wood worker, metal worker, beader...???

I consider myself a painter at this particular moment. Although in the past I have worked full time in photography as a model and found photography quite expressive and artistic as well..if done tastefully I must add. Currently, I am full time into my painting. I prefer acrylics mostly but dabble in the intricacies and diverse forms of oil painting as well.

               How about you???