April 5, 2010
4:00am in the morning
In bed, all cuddly and warm
I brave the chilly spring night to make a restroom run, half asleep. Not so gracefully dodging the land mines that are animals, clothing, shoes, bed, husbands feet hanging off the bed, and the cable cord that the cats so meticulously teased out of the wall....again. After the pitstop I reverse the order and avoid again everything that stands in my way of blissful sleep. Trying to get my mind to work just enough so as not to wake up, but still try to visually remember the order that everything is laying in. Finally back in bed, pulling the blanket up around my shoulders and chin to return once more to the dreamworld that we all escape to from this crazy world we live in...Ahhh Sleep...
Then, It hits me, like a bolt from God... The BEST Paintings EVER! I can see it, all of it, in full glory. Colors so bright they almost hurt my eyes to even think about. Every curve, every scale in perfect harmony. I could do this. Even the title is perfectly formed. Like Venus born whole from the sea every little detail, color, tone and flow is there before me. Even the very reference photos that Ill need to make everything JUST right with a pretty little bow on top. I can see it all, even how I'm going to paint it. Bush strokes, layering, color blending...the whole painting, finished and complete.
Should I get up NOW and draw it out before I loose it? Its really cold, and (Looks at clock glowing 4:13 in bright red digital script, the little dot in the lower right corner mocking me, signaling to my brain that its in the AM) I DO need to get things done tomorrow...maybe ill get up and just write it down, but if i get up and turn on lights, I WILL wake the whole house, and the man does have to go to work tomorrow... but what if I forget it, as has happened before...its the best painting ever! The one that will raise my carrier to new heights, that will sell every print before I can get them printed...THE ONE!
I KNOW! My cell phone has a note pad on it!
I roll over and find my cell phone, hoping the light doesn't wake the very patient husband next too me, and furiously type in short hand my idea. Adding colors and stance and even just a smidgen of the backgound. I roll back over, quite please with myself. All satisfied that the idea is safe, and tomorrow, in the wondrous light of the day I can begin the journey that will end in a glorious rising of artistic wonder. I sigh and relive the painting in my mind, holding onto it for as long as I can before I can remember no more.
At Least, thats what I believed at 4:16am...
April 7th 2010. 11:00am
The Studio
I can finally get to working on the "Best Painting Ever" and Im really excited. I sit and start to think about the idea again, pulling out my phone checking my notes. Huh... I thought the legs..and the head...well...wait...
I pull out my computer and proceed to look up reference photos in my ever growing list in the thousands of images I thought I could use at one time or another, finding the few that I had in mind.
hummm...Well darn, that leg isn't turned how I remember. I thought the wings looked more like...welll...huh. crud. well...ok. Ill look around online at some other photos. Cats standing, cast sitting, dragons sitting, cats sitting up, dragons sitting up, dogs sitting, dogs begging. Goggle images, fotosearch.com, DA, elfwood, yahoo images...nope nope nope.
Ill just draw up some thumbnails to see if I can work things out there. 14 thumbnails later and Im ready to chuck the best painting ever....
That is where I'm at now. I like aspects from about 6 thumbnail drawings, and still have the idea in my mind, even is it has lost some of its 4:13am shine. I am determined to paint this bugger though! I hope to post some kind of drawing later on tonight. Maybe I just have to wait till 4:13am...
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Norman OK and Artwork
Finally got home and settled from Norman's Ren Fair. Wasn't too bad, the weather was rough, and my husband ate something bad, so we had to miss out on Sat, But other then that not a bad fair. I missed last year so I felt like I was starting all over again. I collected several new emails however and Im looking forward to next year :D
I finally met Goldenwolf (Christy Grandjean) and her sister WindWolf (Sandra SanTara) both of which are AWESOME people. I hung out in their booth for about an hour talking art shop. If ym husband wasn't watching my booth (AND his) for me I think I could have hung out there all day :D Was really fun to talk to artists who are out there doing it, and where I want to be!
So, I am home now, and staring at all the cleaning and laundry that builds up when Im at shows. I was home about 5 days in 3 weeks, and needless to say, not much cleaning got done. Im also working on rearranging the house, so that's two strikes against me. Finally finished the back computer room and started on my studio...which DESPERATELY needed a good rearranging! cant work if I don't have the space to do so! I was able to get the big stuff moved around before the drawing board called me back. I started cleaning, and ended up finishing my first ACEO card! An Angel of all things, and started a dragon card. If I can get the energy Ill go finish the dragon card after I finish this blog post...
Other then that Im staring at all the artwork that I need to get done within the next few weeks. After all the soul searching I have done in the past few weeks, I came to the conclusion that I just need to draw more. Everything I have done has been "finished and polished". I so rarely draw for the sake of drawing. So, with that in mind, I sat with the sketchbook for a few hours today before going with a good friend of mine to our bi-monthly dinner. (I swear, if it wasn't for this Gal, Id never leave my house outside of art shows!) SO I found a random animal generator, and drew a penguin/octopus for fun, then started a drawing based on a Waterhouse painting. I always was fascinated with how he painted his women, so strong, but I have never looked as his art like I did today. I think more studying of pre-raphaelite and neo classical artists is in order, its truly AMAZING stuff. I LOVE it! Ill post the image at the end of this post.
I haven't managed to finish the frost dragon yet, due to my ADOS (Attention Deficit, ooOOoo Shiny! Thanks Harker Heights!) And whats doubly hard is that Im totally changing my technique, so well see how this goes. Im also having to "relearn" watercolor, since I paint with SUCH a heave hand. Watercolor is supposed to be light airy layers, and Im having a hard time not caking the paint on like acrylics. Painting the ACEO cards is a HUGE help though, I can work though issues and problems there instead of a finished painting. Dragging out the watercolor block and just playing would help too... Ill have to pencil that in tomorrow!
sorry about the BAD cell phone pic, ill post a better one once i get a bit further
I finally met Goldenwolf (Christy Grandjean) and her sister WindWolf (Sandra SanTara) both of which are AWESOME people. I hung out in their booth for about an hour talking art shop. If ym husband wasn't watching my booth (AND his) for me I think I could have hung out there all day :D Was really fun to talk to artists who are out there doing it, and where I want to be!
So, I am home now, and staring at all the cleaning and laundry that builds up when Im at shows. I was home about 5 days in 3 weeks, and needless to say, not much cleaning got done. Im also working on rearranging the house, so that's two strikes against me. Finally finished the back computer room and started on my studio...which DESPERATELY needed a good rearranging! cant work if I don't have the space to do so! I was able to get the big stuff moved around before the drawing board called me back. I started cleaning, and ended up finishing my first ACEO card! An Angel of all things, and started a dragon card. If I can get the energy Ill go finish the dragon card after I finish this blog post...
Other then that Im staring at all the artwork that I need to get done within the next few weeks. After all the soul searching I have done in the past few weeks, I came to the conclusion that I just need to draw more. Everything I have done has been "finished and polished". I so rarely draw for the sake of drawing. So, with that in mind, I sat with the sketchbook for a few hours today before going with a good friend of mine to our bi-monthly dinner. (I swear, if it wasn't for this Gal, Id never leave my house outside of art shows!) SO I found a random animal generator, and drew a penguin/octopus for fun, then started a drawing based on a Waterhouse painting. I always was fascinated with how he painted his women, so strong, but I have never looked as his art like I did today. I think more studying of pre-raphaelite and neo classical artists is in order, its truly AMAZING stuff. I LOVE it! Ill post the image at the end of this post.
I haven't managed to finish the frost dragon yet, due to my ADOS (Attention Deficit, ooOOoo Shiny! Thanks Harker Heights!) And whats doubly hard is that Im totally changing my technique, so well see how this goes. Im also having to "relearn" watercolor, since I paint with SUCH a heave hand. Watercolor is supposed to be light airy layers, and Im having a hard time not caking the paint on like acrylics. Painting the ACEO cards is a HUGE help though, I can work though issues and problems there instead of a finished painting. Dragging out the watercolor block and just playing would help too... Ill have to pencil that in tomorrow!
sorry about the BAD cell phone pic, ill post a better one once i get a bit further
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Pagans in Texas
I was in Harker Heights this past weekend for Ostara Fest and a in store signing with the Sisters of Earth and Sea. if you ever in or driving though Harker Heights, stop and say hello to these wonderful people. They made me feel SO welcome, and home and amongst friends.
Ostara fest was in the VFW hall, and it wasn't too bad at all. We did a suicide trip, leaving Ruidoso at 9pm and driving though the night. Thank goodness for the friend who came along with me for this trip, she drove the whole way. We got in at about 8:30 am, unloaded and set up for the day. We had a large space with 3 tables, so it was nice to spread out. The fest began at 10:30ish. The crowd was friendly and wonderful to talk with. Many of the people there knew me as the "I broughted you a Fariy Lady". The sisters picked up a signed print from me at INATS in Denver the previous year, and had the piece hanging in their store. Many came to buy art work, both babies and serious dragons, and Im looking forward to speaking to various people in the future. I traded with a few of the other vendors and acquired many new things, including a fairy door for my art studio...the dragons are pleased by this, they are hungry :P
At 7om we tore down in a flash, wanting nothing more then to get back to the room and sleep. Grabbed a quick bite on the way, and we were out by 10pm at night. Im not sure when the last time was that I was out THAT early. but after being up for almost 40 hrs, I was ready for sleep. Unfortunately, I have been having difficultly sleeping for the past week, so I was up by 2:30am, and the rooms didn't get internet. So, off I trudged to the lobby to surf the nets and play some computer games. The woman behind the counter came out and talked with me for a few hours, and by 6:30 I was back in bed.
The next morning we drove out to the Sisters shop for the store signing. They are not usually open on Sun, and so it was a little slow. A few people came buy and bought more artwork, and I was able to get to know the people who run the shop and their families. It was just too cool. We all had so much in common, and all had the same sense of humor. I think we spent more time laughing then anything else :D
That night they were kinda enough to treat me to dinner and socialization. There was so much laughter Im really surprised we didn't get kicked out of the bar :P
We left TX Mon after lunch and headed home. After another 9 hr drive, we rolled into the driveway by 9pm that night. I was so glad to be home.
Now, I am scrambling to get things ready to roll back out Thurs morning and head to Norman OK for their Ren fair there. I have been in the past, and it really is a great little show (little being 300,000+ people)
Ostara fest was in the VFW hall, and it wasn't too bad at all. We did a suicide trip, leaving Ruidoso at 9pm and driving though the night. Thank goodness for the friend who came along with me for this trip, she drove the whole way. We got in at about 8:30 am, unloaded and set up for the day. We had a large space with 3 tables, so it was nice to spread out. The fest began at 10:30ish. The crowd was friendly and wonderful to talk with. Many of the people there knew me as the "I broughted you a Fariy Lady". The sisters picked up a signed print from me at INATS in Denver the previous year, and had the piece hanging in their store. Many came to buy art work, both babies and serious dragons, and Im looking forward to speaking to various people in the future. I traded with a few of the other vendors and acquired many new things, including a fairy door for my art studio...the dragons are pleased by this, they are hungry :P
At 7om we tore down in a flash, wanting nothing more then to get back to the room and sleep. Grabbed a quick bite on the way, and we were out by 10pm at night. Im not sure when the last time was that I was out THAT early. but after being up for almost 40 hrs, I was ready for sleep. Unfortunately, I have been having difficultly sleeping for the past week, so I was up by 2:30am, and the rooms didn't get internet. So, off I trudged to the lobby to surf the nets and play some computer games. The woman behind the counter came out and talked with me for a few hours, and by 6:30 I was back in bed.
The next morning we drove out to the Sisters shop for the store signing. They are not usually open on Sun, and so it was a little slow. A few people came buy and bought more artwork, and I was able to get to know the people who run the shop and their families. It was just too cool. We all had so much in common, and all had the same sense of humor. I think we spent more time laughing then anything else :D
That night they were kinda enough to treat me to dinner and socialization. There was so much laughter Im really surprised we didn't get kicked out of the bar :P
We left TX Mon after lunch and headed home. After another 9 hr drive, we rolled into the driveway by 9pm that night. I was so glad to be home.
Now, I am scrambling to get things ready to roll back out Thurs morning and head to Norman OK for their Ren fair there. I have been in the past, and it really is a great little show (little being 300,000+ people)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
TRYING to paint...
Ya know, every once in a while I just hit a wall. I have been working on a new painting, the frost dragon one, and for some reason I am just in no mood to paint it. The only thing I can think of is thank goodness this one doesn't have a deadline! I AM still trying to get it finished in time for the store signing this coming weekend, and ill be working on it tonight. I'm absolutely thrilled with how it looks so far, I just don't think I'm very motivated at all right now. I have been working on new drawing however. Still plodding along on the zodiac babies, and I have started birthstone New Age dragons. Opal is almost finished and Ill begin the background tonight or tomorrow. Im going with a Art Nouveau style from the Birthstone dragons that I think will come across very well. I'm just drawing the heads, draped in the gems and stones for each month. I think I have a hard time getting motived to work when I have so many shows in a month. The stop and start of trying to work is difficult (I know, whine whine, my life is SO hard :P)
But yea, 3 shows this month, so I'm gone more then I'm home. But Its ALWAYS worth it in the end. :D
I have LOTS of great ideas, and I'm excited to start getting them all done. I might start playing with deferent surfaces again to see if I find something I like better then the pastel board. I LOVE ampersands Pastel Board, but there are some techniques that I would like to try that wont work on the board.
I tend to combat the anitflowing with research into some of my favorite artists. Stephanie Pu-Min Law is my choice this time around, and I have just spend the past 2 hrs on her blog site reading...well EVERYTHING. If you get a chance, check out her work, shes simply amazing :)
But yea, 3 shows this month, so I'm gone more then I'm home. But Its ALWAYS worth it in the end. :D
I have LOTS of great ideas, and I'm excited to start getting them all done. I might start playing with deferent surfaces again to see if I find something I like better then the pastel board. I LOVE ampersands Pastel Board, but there are some techniques that I would like to try that wont work on the board.
I tend to combat the anitflowing with research into some of my favorite artists. Stephanie Pu-Min Law is my choice this time around, and I have just spend the past 2 hrs on her blog site reading...well EVERYTHING. If you get a chance, check out her work, shes simply amazing :)
Friday, February 26, 2010
Busy Busy busy
It never ceases to amaze me just how fast time goes by, more so when your busy.
The shows in the beginning of Feb were fabulous! I always meet the coolest people at shows and make some wonderful new friends. After returning home and relaxing for a day or two (working a week and a half straight at shows can REALLY wear ya out :P) I went back to drawing. I decided to try some new subjects to shake things up a bit. I came out with two nudes in pencil. I love going back to graphite now and again, Makes me feel like a "Real" artist. puts me with the Renaissance artists who spent all their time drawing in charcoal/graphite or painting in Oil, I have tried oil, and didn't like it one bit! I have so much respect for the people that work in oil...Its just a tricky media.
Anyway, I drew two nude and will publish them in this post.
I have also started to work on Zodiac images with the baby Little Wings Dragons... SO cute! I have Taurus, Aries and Scorpio finished in pencil so far. I think Ill get them all drawn up then start the painting process, It should go faster that way and Id like to have them all done by April/May. If they come out the way I like Ill have them done on tee shirts, cards and a Calender in 2011. Im REALLY excited about this new line of baby dragons!
Ok, Off to work on new artwork...I have a week before I leave for Anime Wasabi in Denver, the a week to ft. Hood, and then 4 days and Im in Norman, OK. I have a feeling this month is going to fly by as well!
The shows in the beginning of Feb were fabulous! I always meet the coolest people at shows and make some wonderful new friends. After returning home and relaxing for a day or two (working a week and a half straight at shows can REALLY wear ya out :P) I went back to drawing. I decided to try some new subjects to shake things up a bit. I came out with two nudes in pencil. I love going back to graphite now and again, Makes me feel like a "Real" artist. puts me with the Renaissance artists who spent all their time drawing in charcoal/graphite or painting in Oil, I have tried oil, and didn't like it one bit! I have so much respect for the people that work in oil...Its just a tricky media.
Anyway, I drew two nude and will publish them in this post.
I have also started to work on Zodiac images with the baby Little Wings Dragons... SO cute! I have Taurus, Aries and Scorpio finished in pencil so far. I think Ill get them all drawn up then start the painting process, It should go faster that way and Id like to have them all done by April/May. If they come out the way I like Ill have them done on tee shirts, cards and a Calender in 2011. Im REALLY excited about this new line of baby dragons!
Ok, Off to work on new artwork...I have a week before I leave for Anime Wasabi in Denver, the a week to ft. Hood, and then 4 days and Im in Norman, OK. I have a feeling this month is going to fly by as well!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
A thought on Art Suplies...
I received a new batch of art supplies today and it made me thing about all the money that artist spend in supplies just to try new things. I'm going to try and make my own board to paint on. I can get the absorbent surface with the texture that I want, and make it in more sizes then i can get, sounds like a great idea, right? Well well see... the first back is drying right this moment. I did however think back to all the times i have dumped oodles of money into a protect, only to discover how much i hate doing that particular technique, or even just trying to find the "right" supplies.
I switched from marker to watercolor about 3 years ago now, and it was a nightmare. I hate to try all the surfaces you can paint on, and all the different kinds of paint to find one with a texture and brightness that I liked. Anyone how looked into watercolor knows its cheaper then oil or even some acrylics, but still! And you can just buy one color...no, the least you can buy is 5-6, 12 being better, and some of those sets cast up to $200 for 12 colors...that I might hate right out of the tube! Luckly i have had some good advice on watercolor and found some fairly cheap. I do think i might replace the brand that I am using for a different brand though that i find a hair more smooth. Since i use it SO heavy I like the smother paints. I should just go back to acrylic, but watercolor has some really great technique and layering effects that i just love.
Anyway, I'm about to try a different media over this watercolor, and if it works how they say it will, it might just make several of my supplies obsolete in my arsenal. Im really excited about it!
Filming my speed painting is going fairly well. I have almost 8 hrs on tape and will be spending the day on it tomorrow, I might be able to almost finish this piece! Its a hassle to have to stop and start every 20 min or so, but i think in the end it'll be worth it. I doubt ill do this EVERY painting like i was thinking I might, but at least every few...
Ill update with a picture tomorrow. The details on this piece are really nice!
I switched from marker to watercolor about 3 years ago now, and it was a nightmare. I hate to try all the surfaces you can paint on, and all the different kinds of paint to find one with a texture and brightness that I liked. Anyone how looked into watercolor knows its cheaper then oil or even some acrylics, but still! And you can just buy one color...no, the least you can buy is 5-6, 12 being better, and some of those sets cast up to $200 for 12 colors...that I might hate right out of the tube! Luckly i have had some good advice on watercolor and found some fairly cheap. I do think i might replace the brand that I am using for a different brand though that i find a hair more smooth. Since i use it SO heavy I like the smother paints. I should just go back to acrylic, but watercolor has some really great technique and layering effects that i just love.
Anyway, I'm about to try a different media over this watercolor, and if it works how they say it will, it might just make several of my supplies obsolete in my arsenal. Im really excited about it!
Filming my speed painting is going fairly well. I have almost 8 hrs on tape and will be spending the day on it tomorrow, I might be able to almost finish this piece! Its a hassle to have to stop and start every 20 min or so, but i think in the end it'll be worth it. I doubt ill do this EVERY painting like i was thinking I might, but at least every few...
Ill update with a picture tomorrow. The details on this piece are really nice!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Frost Dragon 001
I started the painting of my frost dragon tonight. I always hated this stage. It currently looks like a 4 year old got ahold of my work and ran with it. I did manage to record the process though, so it should make for a really cool video...I hope! I was really happy with the pencil, so logically the painting should go well, right? :P This is another of my newer pieces that's a full detail painting instead of the framed dragons that I have done in the past. Its a little nerve racking to push myself this hard, but I know it'll pay off in the end. And if I wasn't pushing myself, I would never grow as an artist, and I think for most artists that is the main goal.
I was going to try and finish a bit more tonight, starting on the tree, but I want to see how the video goes before I get ahead of myself. The plan is to finish this one this week and start the next one by next week to have them as prints for my next batch of shows. Ill be debuting a bunch of both serious dragons as well as new Little Wings Dragons, and I'm honestly excited to see which ones people enjoy more. I am retiring several old images to make lots of room for the new ones. Its always interesting to watch as my style changes what people like and what they don't. On top of that images that did really well 2 years ago are starting to not get the attention that they used to compared to the newer ones...
I think that goes with the growth that comes with pushing yourself as an artist, but its a trip to watch :D
Enjoy,
Carla Morrow
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Silly Internet
First blog here, there are a few on myspace, but they are awfully old...not MUCH of a blogger, so well see how this goes :D
Im Carla Morrow, and I am a fantasy artist. I have been trailing and selling my work now for 4 years. My main site is www.acrylicdragon.com where i have 2 distinct styles of work. The "regular dragons" and the Babies. If you get a chance, please check them out :D
ok, so I wanted my first post NOT to be a rant, but after I just spent 4 hours setting up accounts, merging profiles and getting everything updated, Im a bit spent...let me explain
The internet is a wonderful thing, don't get me wrong here, but oui! There are SO many ways to keep in touch with people, and as a growing business, ya gotta keep up. So, just tonight I have added this blog, updated and merged not 2 but 3 google profile accounts, started a flickr (because photobucket wouldnt work with my goole profile that I JUST updated and merged, updated my yahoo account (because it wont merge with my google profile) and plugged twitter and youtube into everything. The Plus side is that I think Im about done with all that! WooHOo
So NOW what? well...I have 2 weeks before Im off to a next batch of shows, and provided there's not a new social network that comes out between now and then, Im going to paint :D
Whats that? PAINT?!?! Yes, finally!
I have the pencils ready for 2 new dragon paintings. A "frost" dragon and a underwater scene. Im really excited abotu both paintings. The underwater one i have had in my head for about 4 years now, and the frost one for well over a year. Ill be adding pic of both the pencils tomorrow, and keep an eye out, because once i find my dratted plug and play web cam ill set up for a speed painting. Ill be video taping the entire painting progress for youtube and my website. I think itll really be alot of fun!
Im Carla Morrow, and I am a fantasy artist. I have been trailing and selling my work now for 4 years. My main site is www.acrylicdragon.com where i have 2 distinct styles of work. The "regular dragons" and the Babies. If you get a chance, please check them out :D
ok, so I wanted my first post NOT to be a rant, but after I just spent 4 hours setting up accounts, merging profiles and getting everything updated, Im a bit spent...let me explain
The internet is a wonderful thing, don't get me wrong here, but oui! There are SO many ways to keep in touch with people, and as a growing business, ya gotta keep up. So, just tonight I have added this blog, updated and merged not 2 but 3 google profile accounts, started a flickr (because photobucket wouldnt work with my goole profile that I JUST updated and merged, updated my yahoo account (because it wont merge with my google profile) and plugged twitter and youtube into everything. The Plus side is that I think Im about done with all that! WooHOo
So NOW what? well...I have 2 weeks before Im off to a next batch of shows, and provided there's not a new social network that comes out between now and then, Im going to paint :D
Whats that? PAINT?!?! Yes, finally!
I have the pencils ready for 2 new dragon paintings. A "frost" dragon and a underwater scene. Im really excited abotu both paintings. The underwater one i have had in my head for about 4 years now, and the frost one for well over a year. Ill be adding pic of both the pencils tomorrow, and keep an eye out, because once i find my dratted plug and play web cam ill set up for a speed painting. Ill be video taping the entire painting progress for youtube and my website. I think itll really be alot of fun!
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