You Find Me Interesting, Right?

My husband vacationing in his new hammock

I'm currently on vacation.  That's right and I am actually up on a mountain at a about the 8000' level dry camping in my modest 23' camper trailer.   Amazingly, I have really a good WiFi connection here so I am able to spend some time working on my website and post this blog. While I've been here, I have been reading a number of articles about improving your blogging and tips for marketing as an artist.  You know what I found to be the number one suggestion in the articles I read?  The message seemed to repeat itself over and over and that was to make yourself more interesting!  You would have thought it was make better art.  Being interesting isn't necessarily an easy thing to do.  At least for me.

I now know quite a few artists and some of these individuals just seem to light up a room when they walk through the door.  That is a wonderful trait but did I ever mention that I really like the dark?  That's right...I hardly ever open my curtains and blinds during the day.  I love a dimly lit room, cloudy, overcast days and thunderstorms.  So I guess I'm not the "Light UP A ROOM" kind of artist.

Other artists I know walk around in flowing colorful gauze dresses and leggings.  The brighter the better it seems.  They look like a walking paint palette with legs. I just wouldn't feel comfortable being surrounded by that much color I think.  I love to wear just plan denim and the brightest color in my wardrobe is teal.  I love to wear navy blue and brown.  I guess I should wait before going out and try to figure out what size of leggings I would wear.  That thought just gave me goosebumps.

I noticed cowboy boots and even hats are big accessories for some artists.  I wonder if they wore these before they started painting or did that habit just sort of evolve as they became more popular in galleries around Texas and Wyoming?  I wonder.  I think my calves are too chubby for boots and I have a rather round head that I just don't think would hold a cowboy hat on it for very long.

Another marketing video I watched said that I needed to have "A STORY".  An interesting story that is easy to remember and that when they hear your story your circle of influence will go out and repeat that story to all their friends.  Wow...I'm still chewing on that one.  It is on my vacation to do list- Write My Story.

So today, I guess I'm blogging a blog about how I'm not naturally interesting.  I know there probably are those that would object to me saying this because it sounds negative and I am being to harsh and unkind.   I do know that we are our own worst critics but frankly, I feel that I have lead a rather boring life up to this point. You know what?   I'm not sure I'm uncomfortable with that fact.  After all, I am an older retired accountant who has just recently changed boats in the middle of this stream of life and I catch myself often I'm looking around boat for an extra large life preserver.  I guess you could call that a neon orange accessory.    A number of those artist type people in the boat with me are a diverse group of creative individuals and very talented artists.  So who am I to talk about leggings and cowboy boots like it is some sort of a gimmick to sell more art.  I do have to admit when those neon leggings walk into a room, people are bound to take note.

So I had better back on track with this blog because obviously I am struggling with the "Be More Interesting" .  I thought you might enjoy a few sketches I have done during the past few days while on my artistic sabbatical.  I hope you find them INTERESTING!

Zentangle with Triangles

I love zentangles and my Tombow N60 (blue grey shade) is my favorite pen to grab.  You can see that I love the way it adds dimension to a drawing by simply applying an outline the shapes.  You can see it, the line is there but your attention isn't  drawn away from the object.  The result that I just love is that it actually makes the object appear to jump from the page.  That simple line gives your drawing a 3-D quality.

Chick using Color Pencil over Tombow markers

You can really see that effect of the shadow outline here on my little chick sketch.  By the way besides my N60 Tombow marker I have fallen in love with a new pen. It's called "Le Pen" by Marvy.  I think it is a .05 but I threw away the packaging and can't quite remember what it said.   I just by chance picked it up at Hobby Lobby a week or so ago, and to my amazement I have discovered that it does a great job of outlining over the colored pencil portions of my work.  You see, colored pencil leave a waxy coating and the drawing pens I have used so far really struggle with this. (Prismacolor Premium Fine Line Markers)   I really like adding a nice thick, black outline to the sketch after I have finished all my pencil work and blending.





So here I am just playing around and  practicing my feathers.  The goal here is to start getting more fine detail in my sketching technique.

Practicing Feathers-Color Pencil over Watercolor

If you like these drawings then you should check out all my artwork on my website, Julie Townsend Studio.

Artistic Journal Post-Love the that weave background shadowed by my trusty N60 marker

The rest of the pictures posted her for you viewing pleasure consist of actual Artistic Journal entries that I did and I then for a WOW factor, I threw in a few sunset photos taken with my cell phone just to round everything off.  Pretty interesting, huh?

A true artistic journal post complete with date and my thoughts

Sunset on Day 4

Sunset on Day 3

Just Paper and a Pencil

Well....there might be some ink involved and of course it's not just one pencil but rather a set of colored pencils but you get the idea.  I do love the freedom that colored pencils and a sketchbook affords me as an artist.  With very little effort you can enjoy creating a beautiful piece of art without hauling a suitcase full of supplies, easel and canvas around with you.  It affords you the ability to be discrete and yet at the same time i you can draw plenty of attention to yourself as an artist if you so choose.

I thought I would share a few of my most recent sketches that I have done in an effort to begin building a portfolio of such with the future goal of perhaps getting some illustration work or to have some of them perhaps licensed.  I know it is a stretch but you have to start somewhere and the research I have done so far says to take 3 to 6 months to build a portfolio of ideas before you start sending them out to potential clients.

These particular pieces are going to get framed this week and be on display for the First Friday event next week at City of the World Gallery in Downtown Las Vegas. I love the energy of First Friday and I'm really looking forward to seeing the response I receive from the public regarding my little drawings. You can be assured that I will be sharing in future blogs about that exact thing in the near future.

If you are in Las Vegas this next week, please consider stopping by and checking out the art.  City of the World is an amazing gallery full of many art styles and genre.  You are sure to find something to love.

Think Big

You Stole My Heart

Enjoy a Good Book

Designated Drawing Spaces

Just in these past few weeks, I discovered a new artist friend that I have found to be very inspiring.  It is Katherine Thomas and her whimsical drawings immediately caught my attention.  She is also an successful blogger and uses a number of social media platforms to promote her art.  I find that combination very cool and something I want to work to improve in my own quest for self-promotion.

Last week I saw a picture that she posted on Facebook of her sitting at her drawing table and that was when I decided I needed to reorganize my studio and make a designated drawing area along side of my easel. Drawing has always been my first love in art and I passionately believe that you are a better painter if you spend time actively drawing on a regular basis.  

So, I spent a good portion of my day on Sunday organizing and cleaning the studio and  I am pretty happy with the ending results.  Even though it was getting late in the day when I finally finished and I was a bit worn out, I just had to try out my drawing table and do some sketching.

Here are the results of those efforts. My subject for my sketch was a little selfie of my husband and I.  Portraits are always a challenge and drawing a self portrait compounds that challenge.  I drew this on Canson 96lb Bristol paper with my Prismacolor Fine Line Markers and Prismacolor Colored Pencils. 

Looking at my little sketch makes me smile.

I guess you could say I'm a Prismacolor girl since obviously  I own so many of their products.  

Coloring Isn't Just for Kids Anymore

I know that the newest rage I hear these days are adult coloring books.  Who would have thought that there would actually be a market for advanced coloring books geared towards adults but I can say that I it completely understand the benefits that they offer.

I have been doing a great deal of sketching myself and often grab these blank cards to draw on it. This practice has lately become an evening activity that I really look forward to.  I find it relaxing spending a few hours just having fun playing with colors and lines.  Getting wild with my watercolors, colored pencils and my new set of Tombow brush pens.  

I have no idea if I will actually sell many of them, but besides it being excellent practice for me as artist, I sure won't have to buy any cards myself for quite sometime. 

3-D card that I made by attaching the poppy flower sketch to the card

A pile of completed cards that I have made in the past few weeks.

A couple more colorful examples