Picture This

I just posted this video on the top 5 beginner mistakes in Photoshop CC. I added a bonus tip if you stick to the end of the video. I forgot a tip/mistake. Students accidentally will change the layer mode to another option instead of Normal. This causes their brush strokes to not show up as they want to.  Tomorrow I'm going to be trying a live zoom with a friend Nikita Prokhorov. He specializes in Adobe Illustrator. He's going to be giving his top 5 tips.

I had a wonderful time talking with Katelyn Yoder, surface designer, and illustrator. She does beautiful work. Here is a bit about her.  My name is Katelyn Yoder. I am an illustrator, painter, textile designer, and crafter who wants to bring happiness to others my joy for life and passion for friendship and faith with my art. I use a variety of mediums to express illustrative arts, such as watercolor, pen and ink, graphite, oil, acrylic, embroidery, printmaking, and digital art. I am proficient in technology such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign and Procreate. I am an outgoing, energetic, person with a passion for travel, nature, and food with a great sense of humor who is very easy to get along with. I always make sure my art is a work of heart. To see more of her work visit her website. KatelynYoder.com Instagram @work.of.heart To listen to the podcast visit My Creative Life.

Working on an illustration for #BringTheJoyCards that was started by Josh Cleland an illustrator based in Portland, OR. It's a great way to spend some time making someone else's day by creating a custom drawing for the special day. I'll be working on value and color tomorrow. You don't have to be a pro. Visit the site. https://joshcleland.com/bringthejoycards/

Posted a tutorial on how to draw a Magpie Bird using a pencil.  Here is the low opacity file if you just want to try inking. Free for personal use.

I think with all the turmoil that is going on in the world right now I wanted to work collaboratively with my fellow people to share a positive message. I feel for those that are struggling. This virus is like nothing I have seen in my life. The closest is probably 911. It's a time that leaves us uncertain of the future, but I truly feel that things will get better. This place we call the USA has so many great things going for it. I feel fortunate that my parents that were immigrants moved to this country for us to have a better life. I feel lucky when I became a US citizen. My wonderful creative friends have come together to help out with a word in the message. They come from all over the United States. CA, NY, GA, and IL. There are probably more states, but it's hard to keep track. Message is  "We may be apart but we're in this together. Social distancing. Stay safe. We'll meet again." I'm posting a template of what we have so far and I'll upda...

I had the pleasure of meeting TeMika Grooms via the SCBWI Southern Breeze. She is such a generous and knowledgeable illustrator. I think her passion and kindness shine through in this interview. Here is a little about TeMika. TeMika Grooms is an Atlanta-based artist, author, and arts advocate. Her interest in art and storytelling began early in life under the influence of her mother, an artist, educator, and librarian. Creative art practices provided TeMika with an outlet during challenging transitional periods as a military child settling in Columbus, Georgia. Under the direction of wonderful teachers, she was provided a well-rounded education that supported her artistic talent and ability to capture and animate the human form with strong, fluid lines and expressive movement. To expand on her traditional art-making skills, TeMika is exploring the use of technology in art by creating digital paintings and surveying new avenues to bring interactive art to the public. ...

Happy Easter, and made this coloring sheet to celebrate the holiday and remind us to accept one another.

I am super excited to share this latest interview with you all. I had the honor of having Gregory Christie on my podcast. I met him from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). I got the courage to ask him to be a guest on the podcast. Here's a bit about Mr. Christie. R. Gregory Christie is a multi-award-winning children’s book illustrator with more than 60 traditionally published books to his credit. He is also the owner of GAS-ART GIFTS (Gregarious Art Statements) an Atlanta based traveling children’s bookstore that provides art services to private and public groups. He is an NAACP Image Award Winner. The 2013 Kwaanza Stamp designer. A Caldecott Honor Winner A Six-time, Coretta Scott King Honor recipient. Has won many awards from The New York Times and Boston Globe. An artist for a New Orleans Jazz Festival poster. Has films on Netflix through Karyn Parson’s “Sweet Blackberry” projects. He’s done many album covers including John Coltra...

I got some amazing new brushes Windsor and Newton series 7. I got them in 6, 4, 2, and 0 sizes. I'm a fan of Beatrix Potter and decided I would try and do some botanical studies to test out the hotpress paper and brushes. I had never used hot press. I'm loving it for the pen and ink portion. I'm in the process of starting to paint. I'm sharing the JPGs of the images so you can print and try inking or you can go and paint in. Either or. I'm including the reference photos I took outside for the flowers. It is called Spiderwort. Pretty and it comes back each year in the Southeast. Here is a link for more information on the flower. Spiderwort Flower Friday Article

I saw a post on another artist's Instagram talking about how they find color schemes. Everyone is different about this. I've found color schemes on Pinterest, photos I've taken, artist's work I like, and color wheel sites online. I've used the sites with my students as well. I also provide a JPG for a free color wheel worksheet for students about basic color schemes. Feel free to download.

I made a video tutorial for teachers that need to create interactive worksheets for their students in Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint. Here are the video tutorials.