Birdhouse Auction Now Live!

I am beyond excited! The Birdhouse Project for Protect Sudbury auction that we have been working SO hard on is now live!

You can bid on my items or many other amazing pieces!

Gold House for a Goldfinch, Bethany Shaw

Peep Show, Kevin and Bethany Shaw

Chicklets, 5¢, Christine Faucher and Bethany Shaw

Barely Read, Bethany Shaw

New Poster!

I am so excited with how this screen print turned out!

Four colors, page is 13x19 inches.

For more information about the exciting event this is advertising, please visit www.sudburyart.com/birdhouse -- you'll be able to buy this poster, bid on a number of birdhouses, and buy tickets to a birdhouse decorating event.

Sudbury Art Association Holiday Market

I know I have been a bit of a slacker posting...but there's this...!

Bunny

In a little detour from my usual style, I played around with a little whimsical bunny drawing I was thinking about recently.

Watercolor on Mixed Media, 4x6 inches

Watercolor on Board, 4x6 inches

The second one is still in progress but I enjoyed seeing the two together...

Very Cherry

I was getting frustrated by another project and losing confidence, so I thought maybe if I stepped away and played today while the kids are with a sitter...

I haven't yet cropped this to my liking yet, but I think it's about 4x6. It's watercolor on paper.

The best part of this project? I was tired of overworking it so I ate the cherry. Now I can't go back into it because I have no reference!

Happy summer!

Hair

Studying hair.

I am really struggling with it. I'm having trouble with a full head of hair from behind as well as the movement I want to suggest. 

The face on hair was a study from a watercolor I liked that I found while doing research. I thought it might help with the back.

Here is a detail of a study for another part of the painting.

Pomegranate

I have been working hard on the studies for a painting for a friend. It's taking a long time though because I am out of practice and time is so limited.

Here are some photos of my work in progress and a study of a pomegranate I did today.

It's coming along. I think I will continue to do some pomegranate studies for the next week or so (or until this one starts to go bad. Pomegranates are out of season so this one wasn't cheap so I have to use it to its full potential.

Pomegranate, Fig, and Ice Cream

Woah. As I was writing the title I thought that WOULD be an amazing ice cream flavor!

That aside, I got into the studio today to do some studies. I am kind of frustrated because I like working from "live" objects, not reference photos, but figs and pomegranates aren't in season so I have to make due.

Ice Cream (Watercolor on paper)

I found the ice cream part of the painting while cleaning and today I added a cone. I loved the simplicity of the scoop. Not sure how I feel about the cone.

Pomegranate (Watercolor on paper)

Fig (Watercolor on paper)

This was an underpainting I was going to work into but I kind of like it as is. I might not work into it.

Drawing a Day 20150224

Just Dance (Watercolor on paper).

Another study for my commission.

Drawing a Day 20150223

Me in Line. (Pen on paper)

Enjoyed this. Really enjoying making line drawings. Practice, practice, practice.

Drawing a Day 20150222

Ashley's Super Mix
Pen and watercolor on paper

Ashley's Super Mix (before coloring)

I love pen and watercolor, but I don't usually trust myself with a pen for the initial drawing. But this was fun.

Drawing a Day 20150221

Sketch for SSB

Watercolor on Paper

Drawing a Day 20150220

Blind #1 and Blind #2. Pen on paper. Not showing today. Feeling a little self conscious.

Got to this very late today. I'm actually doing yesterday's today or something, but since I am still awake I am considering this yesterday's drawing.

Another blind contour drawing. I am falling in love with blind contour drawings, so much so I might give it a nickname (BCD). I am not surprised. I have ALWAYS loved line drawings.

Thinking out loud here. I'm almost done with this month of drawings and while I have loved it, it's exhausting and I'm not sure at this point in my life I have the time to keep up with the girls and do a drawing a day to my expectations. But maybe I can do a BCD a day (and not share them, necessarily) and do one more focused, longer drawing of something at least once a week. I like Jessie Oleson's suggestion to not be tied to your plan and alter it as you see fit. 

Not my work (but it's spot on)

Someone just sent this to me and it it describes exactly how I am feeling as I rediscover my own work. Thank you Bobby (for sending) and thank you Ira (for speaking!).

Drawing a Day 20150219

Self Port #1

Pen on paper

Self Port #2

Pen on paper

This is totally weird to post but I am pushing my boundaries, and then there was something I liked that came out of it. These are blind contour drawing self-portraits but then I started playing with features, but I really loved the way I was playing with the drawing with my nose, tracing the contours and building it out sculpturally, almost as if it were wires building the shape.

Drawing a Day 20150218

Not posting anything today. Spending my time working on a drawing for a private commission.

Drawing a Day 20150217

Mango

Watercolor on paper

I am loving watercolors lately. I was really overworking this so I had to stop but SO much fun.

Definitely playing with this again.

A special thanks to someone who has proven to be a wonderful mentor -- thanks so much, Bobby!

Drawing a Day 20150216

Self Portrait #1 and Self Portrait #2. Pen on paper.

I am always so self conscious of blind drawings, so I don't think I am going to post them. I had a lot of fun. I did them really very quickly. Definitely going to do this again.

Drawing a Day 20150215

Cupcake Again

Gouache and pencil on paper

Really enjoyed playing with that cupcake drawing the other day, but thought maybe I should be doing it in gouache because I was laying the colors on so thick. Thing is, I haven't done gouache in years. Some of my paint was 15 years old. I know the saying "It's a poor craftsman that blames his tools" and I'm not, but I was frustrated when some of my paints were rock hard. I'm having a hard time deciding whether I want to persue gouache more but it would be a bit of a financial investment because I can't use these paints as is. 

I did enjoy going in harshly with pencil at the end. It was empowering!

Drawing a Day 20150214

Me. (Drawing on paper).

Really not in the mood to draw today. But I did it.