Seasons Greetings… better late than never!

I knew that I wouldn’t have time to create a holiday card in time for Christmas, or even New Year’s. I had been busy with projects, and the paying jobs come first! I look forward (and dread) the holiday card every year. It’s always a fun project for me, but personal projects tend to take longer than expected sometimes… Since I knew this wouldn’t be a holiday card, but would still be within the season of winter I decided to do a “Seasons Greetings” card and play with thyme and time.

I created a seed packet, which I folded by hand using origami techniques. I then designed and illustrated the packet. There is an illustration of thyme and mentions of time. The front says, “Seasons Greetings! Plant these seeds and you’ll always have thyme to share.” I really do want people to actually plant the thyme and use it to spice up their lives. I’ve recently become a green thumb. (Well, not technically, but I have plants and they are staying alive, which is a great feat for me!) I used the thyme/time metaphor throughout the design of this. I wanted it to be clever and fun. The back reads, “There’s no time like the present, so here’s the gift of thyme”

I also included the latin name and what thyme is used for with the title “What Thyme Is It?” and  potting instructions with the title “Thyme’s Up!” Here’s a photo of  the front back and inside of my “seasonal” card.

I cut my Christmas card list short this year because of, not only my lack of time, but I only had so much thyme to give. (I can’t stop!  Send me an email if you would like a packet of Thyme from me and I’ll send one your way.

Success!

It was a success! I was at Petals and Paws in Canton this past weekend, and did many sketches for many happy clients. It was so nice to be able to meet the dogs and their owners and be able to do a sketch for them on the spot.

If you are interested in a pet portrait, please contact me for prices and timeline.

Thanks to Petals and Paws for letting me draw in their store, and thanks to everyone who stopped by!

Sketches by Sarah @ Petals and Paws!

Petals and Paws is having a customer appreciation weekend, on January 16 & 17, and they have asked me to do a demo for them. Sign up today at the Petals and Paws in Canton to get a pencil sketch done by Sarah for only $10!! Bring your favorite photo of your pet (any kind of pet will do) and I will draw a quick 8″x10″ pencil sketch, while you wait! I’ll be there from noon to 2 pm, so be sharp and don’t forget the photo!!

Along with Sketches By Sarah, Petals & Paws is also providing dog training demos, including rally, games, basic obedience, and canine good citizen testing. There is ice cream making (you have to sign up for that, too), prizes, raffles, and other vendors that will be addressing dog’s and cat’s health and diets.

Petals and Paws is located at 465 Albany Tnpk, Canton, CT 860-693-8760

Highlights from this Season!

For over a month now, I’ve been working on portraits for the holidays. I have wanted to post them, but didn’t want to ruin the surprise! Here are a few highlights from this holiday season:

This is Muffin – 8×10, Colored pencil on black paper.

Above is Matteo, 8×10, Colored pencil on black paper.

Above is Abby, 8×10, pastel on green paper.

This is 11×14, pastel on blue paper.

This is 8×10, pencil on white paper.

Thank you all for supporting me this season! I am working on some portraits for January, and you’ll see those when completed. I enjoyed working with each and every one of you. Have a happy and safe New Year!

Busy busy busy

Just finishing up some portraits for xmas! I’ll do a post after Friday of the highlights from this season. Can’t show you just yet!

The open studio I had a few weeks ago was a success! I sold a few paintings, some prints and greeting cards. It’s great meeting all the local people that stop by and see what we’ve done for this year. It’s also nice seeing family and friends who support me and my artwork!

Thanks to everyone for all the support you’ve given me throughout this year and always! You will see new pieces from me soon! I promise.

Custom Christmas Card

My latest commission was for a Christmas card. They wanted something different, but personal too. They love their dog, Sparky, and decided to feature him on the card! I also decided to take a few pictures in-progress to show you how I complete a drawing in colored pencils.

They provided me with a few different photos and this is the one I chose to work with:

They wanted me to spice it up and make it look “more Christmasy”. So I did a sketch for them that looked like this:

Which they loved. (Sparky really does like to open presents too!)  I figured we could put text on the inside that said, “No peeking” or something along those lines.

Here is the final sketch:

It’s more refined than the initial sketch I gave. That was just to give them an idea of what I was thinking. This final pencil drawing is fully shaded on illustration board and made to the correct size and proportion of the final piece.

Then, I put a thin layer of gesso right on top of the drawing. I usually spray fix the pencil, just so it doesn’t smudge with the weight of the brush. I use a cheap foam brush, so I don’t get any brush marks and it goes on nice and evenly.

As you can see, the drawing underneath the gesso is still visible. The gesso is thinned slightly with water and when it dries it’s slightly transparent. You don’t want to thin it too much because then it defeats the purpose of putting gesso down altogether. …but on the other hand, if you don’t use enough water, it becomes opaque and you lose the drawing you just did. This might take some experimenting to get the right mixture. I use gesso because I like to thin out the first few layers of colored pencils with turpentine to give it a more solid feel. A lot of times with colored pencils you can see the white of the paper through the wax. (sometimes, I use the color of the paper to enhance the colored pencils, such as in this piece) Using a solvent, such as turpentine, with eliminate the white show-through.

As shown in the photo above, the red bow has been thinned with turpentine, and I’ve just laid down the green on the present — see the white of the paper through it? That will be a smooth surface after painting it with a solvent.

This pic is a little smaller than the others, but you can see that I have my reference shot to the left and the present is just about complete. Sparky is sitting patiently waiting his turn to be colored!

And here is the final product!

Original illustration created in colored pencils on gessoed board, approx. 6″ x 6″.

Contact me if you’d like your own custom portrait and/or custom greeting card for the holidays or anytime!

Newly Formed Business Alliance Serves Local Businesses

Bill Baldwin, owner of Compelling Marketing Communications, has announced the formation of a new business alliance serving Connecticut.

Compelling Marketing Communications, mpression graphics, Paolucci Illustration and Design and Talcott Mountain Media have all joined together to deliver even higher quality services to their small and mid-sized business clients.

Compelling Marketing Communications specializes in creating and enhancing web sites, getting those web sites noticed by the right people and email marketing. mpression graphics, owned by Michelle Stanish, specializes in graphic design. Michelle’s primary contributions to the alliance include logo and web site design. Paolucci Illustration and Design, owned by Sarah Paolucci, specializes in illustrations, drawings and graphic design. Matthew Craver, owner of Talcott Mountain Media, is a writing specialist. His contributions to the alliance revolve around the written words for web sites, email newsletters and other marketing tools.

For more information about this new alliance and how it may benefit your organization visit http://tinyurl.com/CMC-Partners.

Open Studios!!

I will be showing my artwork at Artsake Gallery during the Open Studios of Northeastern CT this year. From 10-5 on November 28-29, and December 5-6, many art studios in the northeastern corner of CT are opening their doors for visitors! Get out your wallets and support local artisans from the area! Get a loved one a handmade gift they will never forget.

Artists of all kinds will be there: painters, woodworkers, glass, jewelery, printmaking, ceramics, textiles. You name it! Visit aosct.org for more info and a map of the area.

This year WindhamArts is running a promotion with participating locations. Get a pin by becoming a member of WindhamArts (for $20.00). When you wear your pin at the participating locations you are eligible for different discounts or raffles! Join now! Click here for more info. If you come wearing a pin to Artsake Gallery, Jennifer Hopkins will be raffling off a handmade bookmark!

So come visit me at Artsake Gallery. I will have NEW ART to show you! And as always, I will be selling prints of my artwork, and cards for the holidays.

I am showing with two other artists. Barbara Cambra is a textile artist who combines color and pattern to create unique usable art: table runners, lap quilts and wallhangings handquilted for adults and children. Jennifer Hopkins, owner of Artsake Gallery, creates handmade glass beads. You can purchase individual beads for your own creations or choose gifts of bookmarks, bracelets and necklaces. Lamp-work demonstrations on Sundays. <—These are a lot of fun to watch!

Artsake Gallery is located at 273 Tolland Stage Rd (corner of routes 74 & 30), Tolland, CT

AOSCT.org – for more info about the organization and other studios

Here’s one example of a new art piece I have to show you…

This is created in colored pencils and is 12.5″ x 15.5″. I think the title is going to be “Believe” but I’m not sure yet, if you have any ideas, please let me know!

Stephen Brown

There have been many art teachers in my life. The so-so teachers show you how to do it, the good teachers teach you how to be better, using what they know, but the great ones teach you how to see. Stephen Brown was one of those teachers. Stephen passed away on October 21 after a long battle with cancer. It’s hard to say he was one of the most talented teachers at the University of Hartford’s Art School, because they have so many talented teachers. But he was.

Stephen Brown taught painting. Oil painting to be specific. He was able to push and pull the medium and give a flat surface an enormous amount of depth. In his class we painted countless still-lifes, which I still have to this day, and he taught me that a white wall is far from plain white. He didn’t just say it, he had a way of making you see it. He gave many students that “aha!” moment, when they realize how to paint. And it wasn’t just realism either. Although his work is mainly realist portraits, still-lifes, and landscapes his teaching applied to abstract painting as well. It was about color and composition and movement and line and space and all the elements of design.

A few days after I found out about the news, I knew when the calling hours were and sadly I could not make it. But I was driving in the car at the time when I looked up at the sky I saw a cloud that personified the Stephen Brown that we all know and love. First of all most of the clouds in the sky seemed to be painted on – maybe that was his doing. This particular cloud was not in front of the sun but off to the side and had a rainbow in it. I’ve never seen anything like it before, but it reminded me of everything he taught. In one white cloud were all the colors of the world – you just have to open your eyes and see it. I tried to take a photo of it, but anyone who has been taught by Stephen Brown knows that a photo can’t compare to the beauty that came from his paintbrush. He was an amazing teacher and I am a better artist because of him, as are many who have attended the Hartford Art School. HAS will never be the same. His beauty and legacy lives on in his paintings. My condolences go out to his family in this difficult time. He will be missed.

For more information about Stephen Brown here is an article about the painter written by UNotes which is a University of Hartford news website.

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