Brand Spankin' New Postcards + Business Cards

Whew, it's about time I got new post- and business cards! I think the last sets of either that I had printed was when I was finishing grad school in 2015! That may not seem like that long, but when your artwork is all over your 'literature' it can start to feel a bit dated after a few years. 

And hopefully you've heard about my new Notes from the Nest group who receive hand written postcards from my studio? 

If you haven't heard, but you are fellow Snail Mail lover like me then you need to pop over to this post from a few weeks ago to find out how to get mini print postcards sent straight from my Nest to yours :) 

.... And to anyone who has signed up already... I may or may not have sent out a whole bundle last week! hint, hint... wink, wink ;)

Just check out these new cards compared to my old ones - still pretty cute, but with a much cleaner design. And I love the smaller size of both of them; I have people tell me they use my cards as bookmarks or hang them on their bulletin boards which fills me to the brim with glee :D 

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originally published July 22,2018

My New YouTube Channel Intro!

Welcome to my artsy channel! I'm sure most of my readers here have seen my YouTube vids, but have you clicked through to my entire channel yet?

Well today I'm super psyched because I've been wanting to make an intro vid for a while now but wasn't quite sure how exactly to put into words what I wish to do for my audience, but I think I've finally figured out how to express the unique voice I hope to add to your  art-learning journey! 

I certainly don't have everything figured out, and I'm definitely still learning just as much as I am teaching, but I have been serious about making realistic art for about 20 now (yes, for real.... I started advanced classes at age 11!) and have run two small creative businesses so I've gathered a bit of knowledge over the years which I am more than thrilled to share with other like-minded artsy folks. 

So let's live life artfully together! 

So while you're over there, pretty please give my channel a boost by hitting that 'Subscribe' button, and stay tuned because we've got a whole artsy world out there to experience! Yay!

New Oil Painting :: Seven's Lace

'Seven's Lace' was a fascinating first challenge for me as far as executing such detailed lace shadows. It was not only necessary to keep the shadow shapes organized, but then accounting for the curves as well as the direction the shadow was cast and therefore needed to bleed out, really made for an incredible study of light on the form. 

I have included elements of aerosol with found-object stenciling as well as gold leafing the rescinding leaves. 'Seven's Lace' is about the tender embrace of these seven nasturtium flowers and the delicate feeling of warmth and light mixed with lace upon the skin. With this angle and pose I am giving the viewer an opportunity to share this sensitive and surreal space with my muse, and I hope they will feel at home to step right in.

(oil on linen on wood panel, 12x18 inches) Available for purchase

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originally published July 15, 2018

How to Take a Great Reference Photo for Painting or Drawing

Taking a great reference photo is surprisingly simple. I have people asking me what makes for a good photo all the time through my custom portrait business so I figured I'd share some super easy tips with you today as well.

90% of your success will come from shooting in proper lighting, which I'm going to show you how to do using nothing but natural light with any digital camera. 

There are four main things to remember: lighting, location, position of the subject, and focus/ focal point. I'm going to go over all four in an easy to understand way.

Feel free to drop me a comment if you have any other questions about my portrait reference methods!

And if you'd like a little more info on getting your own portrait drawn by me check out my other website here. 

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originally published July 12, 2018

New Banners - Yay!

Just a lil post to show off the new banners I just had made for my Facebook page and YouTube channel :D 

I got them done from a woman on fiverr. If you ever need graphic design work done I recommend checking out that website. There are literally thousands of highly skilled folks that will do anything you need for great prices.

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originally published July 9, 2013

Do You Love Snail Mail?

Because I sure do!!

I love everything about Snail Mail, from the postcards or paper chosen to the words thought out enough to permanently inscribe to the tiny 'artpiece' postage stamp. In this fast-paced world of instant communication it's so nice to hold a thoughtful paper item in one's hand from time to time. Plus it's nice when at least one piece of mail in the box isn't a bill or credit card offer!

Today I am doing a lil unboxing of my new business cards featuring one of my newest paintings (the previous ones lasted me since grad school in 2015!) as well as a few postcards. It's a pretty short video but the exciting part is you can find out all about the Notes from the Nest snail mail group of art lovers I recently started....

To join in on my Notes from the Nest pop over to this page:
https://www.caleighbirdart.com/snail-mail
**Currently I am doing this for fun and for free. If lots of folks wind up joining I may have to ask for help with postage in the future, but my early signer-uppers will be taken care of ;) **

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originally published July 4, 2018

New Oil Painting :: Sage

I am so thrilled to be sharing my latest oil painting, 'Sage' with you today! This creation of this work was especially exciting, not only because of using new mixed media techniques including aerosol as well as gold leaf along with the oil paint, but because I was trying to capture such an unusual perspective in this work using the technique perfected by many Masters who have come before me - trompe l'oeil (which means 'to fool the eye').

Notice how Sage's ear and upper shoulder area are much more crisp and clear than her lower back and hip area? Just like how the human eye focuses closer objects but blurs objects that are farther away, I tried to portray that optical illusion within this painting. I really wanted her head and shoulders to pop out at you! What do you think? Did it work?

And about the name... 'Sage' is actually the name of my friend and model featured in this piece, but I felt like her name fit the mood so well that I just kept it for the title too. The word sage means one who is wise from reflection and experience and often refers to a person who uses good judgement and has a calming effect on those around them.

I find this piece to be very calming and to appear that Sage is looking down from on high in a reflective and peaceful way free from harsh judgement. (oil on linen, 9 x 15 inches) What are the feelings that come to mind for you?

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originally published July 1, 2018

How to Varnish an Oil Painting

Welcome fellow artists! I've got a super simple video for you today, but if you're anything like me you want even the simplest artsy stuff explained before you jump into it yourself.

Varnishing an oil painting is actually really easy. It only takes a few supplies, but it's important to wait until your painting is completely dry and set so I like to wait between 2-6 months (depending on paint thickness) before varnishing any of my works. 

Do you need any varnish? Using my links will help support my YouTube channel. Thanks!

Golden MSA Varnish
https://bit.ly/2KfWbXs
Golden Solvent
https://bit.ly/2yJ2GNi
 

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originally published June 28, 2018

Oil Painting Timelapse :: Sage

Aloha friends! It has been quite a while since I've created a full painting timelapse demo for you so I hope you are just as excited to see 'Sage' come to life as I am to show her to you!

This painting holds a tiny breakthrough for me too - check out the perspective of the ear/hair compared to the cloth at her waist. Do you see how it gets slightly out of focus as her body goes down? ...Just like when viewing any object in real life, huh?!?

The technique of trying to bring real world 3D perspective into a 2D surface is actually called trompe l'oeil and the masters have been perfecting it for years. It's especially popular when doing both landscape or faux interior murals and can really pull the viewer into the artwork when done effectively. 

Do you think I achieved the perspective illusion I was going for? Leave me a note in the comments!

Would you like to snag your own set of gold leaf or grab some of my favorite M. Graham & Co paints? Any item you purchase when using at least one of my special Dick Blick links will help to support my channel. Thanks!

Mona Lisa Gold Leaf
https://bit.ly/2Jbqomp

M. Graham Oil Paint

https://bit.ly/2toymBq

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originally published June 21, 2018

Bungalow Shoot with Amanda Leigh

I am always so humbled when I get contacted by a photographer to be a muse for a day:) 

Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to have Amanda Leigh of Bee Leigh Imagery come visit my little studio bungalow and take some gorgeous shots with this incredible morning light streaming in through the palms. We had just 'met' through Instagram (I super love connecting with other creatives btw! @caleighbirdart) and I simply adored Amanda's use of natural lighting to really give her subjects a heavenly vibe. 

So when she told me how much she loved my studio tour and felt inspired to shoot me in my Nest I was beside myself with excitement! Yay!! I love to work with photographers and am especially thrilled to work with a female photog that was close to my own age. 

It's just so much fun to see yourself through the eyes of another artist! And I am beyond impressed what Amanda was able to do using nothing but natural lighting  - no flashes, no reflectors and totally spur-of-the-moment setups. 

It's hard to get a good, candid laughing shot!

To my fellow Hawaii residents,  Amanda is available to book for elopements and portraits. Seriously go check out how talented she is right here. 

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originally published June 18, 2018