Do-Over

Whenever someone approaches me about an old drawing or painting, I first hope the picture isn’t too embarrassing. Then I hope that the customer will allow me to repair, replace, and rework anything that is no longer up to my always improving standards.

While at the Redbud Festival, I met Karen, who is a new member of the Lemon Cove Women’s Club. She wanted to know how to get cards reprinted with the pencil drawing I did so long ago that I didn’t even put a date on it. (1988? 1989?). I said, “Sure, of course! I hope I can find the original drawing. . . HEY! IT’S IN MY DINING ROOM!”

I thought this was a good drawing, and maybe it was for my skill 30 years ago. But when I put it on my drawing table under the magnifying light, I was disappointed and thought, “that girl needed drawing lessons”.

I was able to find the photo and the original card. This was something to smile about, along with having the original drawing in my possession. (I haven’t kept very many, and wish I could gather all the old ones back for a do-over.)

3-1/2 x 5″ snapshot – how could anyone draw from this??
The card printed in 1988 or 1989.
Retouched with pencil, scanned, but not photoshopped
Photoshopped to printing perfection!

It probably wasn’t horrible, but my drawing students would have picked it apart, and I would want them to, because this is how we all learn to draw better. (Where was I when I needed my help back in 1988? The hubris of the young. . . sigh.)

Chicken Title Winner

Who knew that naming a chicken pencil drawing could be so mentally taxing? Look at this list of ideas:

  1. Be a Dandy
  2. Ruling the Roost
  3. Roost Ruler
  4. Rooster Rules
  5. Barnyard Politics
  6. Dawn
  7. Morning Pursuits
  8. Breakfast of Champions
  9. Starting the Day
  10. Another Day
  11. Crazy Good Chickens Not on my Dinner Plate
  12. Chicken Scratch
  13. Hen Party
  14. Rooster’s Harem
  15. Keeping an Eye on the Girls
  16. Hen Peckin’ Heaven
  17. I Know It’s Here Somewhere
  18. Can’t Find Scratch
  19. Here Come de Judge
  20. Cock o’ the Walk
  21. Where’s Wilda?
  22. Something Fowl
  23. Hectic Hens
  24. Large and In Charge
  25. Do You Know Who I Am??

And the winner is. . .

Can’t Find Scratch

Thank you, all who participated. (K, I’ll be in touch because I want to give you a little prize.)

Name That Drawing

Want to help me name a drawing? First you get to read how the drawing came about.

Chickens are a popular subject in life and in art. They will make an appearance in my 2019 calendar, and I chose these 2 photos to work from.

The black dude on the lower left has too little detail, so I substituted this one. It is called a “Barred Rock”, as opposed to a “Plymouth Rock”, because it has “bars” on it. (Does a Plymouth Rock have plymouths on it? What is a plymouth?)

The drawing was a challenge; my students have heard over and over from me, “Pick something you love because you will be staring at it for a long time”. Can’t say I love chickens, but I do love a good pencil challenge.

Slow start
Closing in on it. That guinea hen was a huge challenge with all her tiny spots.

YEA! Finished! But what shall I call it?? “Hectic Hens”, “Large And In Charge”, “Do You Know Who I Am?” or something else entirely? (I already used “Busy Flock” on a oil painting.) 

What do you think? You may tell me in the comments, or email me at cabinart@cabinart.net. I’ll wait a week or so, and then pick a winner. There will be a prize. Might be an egg or something. . . 

About the Kaweah Post Office

The Kaweah Post Office is about 3 miles up North Fork Drive in Three Rivers, California. For awhile it was known as the smallest operating post office in the USA. Now it is operated in a weird little way; the woman who owns the building goes to the Three Rivers Post Office to collect the mail and then brings it to Kaweah to pop it into the boxes. 

People who live near the post office are quick to tell you that they live in Kaweah, not Three Rivers, thank you very much. It has its own zip code (93237), so I guess that makes it its own town.

The building is very picturesque and old-timey, established in 1890, but I think the current building was constructed in 1910. It is also sort of falling apart. I don’t know what will happen to it. But, I don’t know what will happen to anything or anybody, and neither does anyone else.

It has a ton of visual appeal, which is why I continue to draw and paint it. Have a look at some of the drawings. I’m not showing you the very first one because it is downright embarrassing.

 

Drawn in 1999 (last century!)
Drawn in 2010 for the 100th year celebration
Drawn in 2018

Tomorrow I will show you the first seven oil paintings of the Kaweah Post Office. Not “THE FIRST”; MY first. I’m sure there must be dozens of other artists through the years that have chosen this little jewel.

Field Trip or Procrastination?

While working on the umpteenth pencil drawing of the Kaweah Post Office, I was struck by how stupid it is to guess at what is around and behind the little building. Why am I struggling with an incomplete photograph when all I have to do is drive about 4 or 5 miles and see the thing in person??

This is the photo I was using, and there is green chaos all around the edges. Besides, I took this photo in October of 2010, so I suspect things have changed.

Indeed, they have. I know the biggest oak lost a limb; I helped raise money to replace the roof by selling oil paintings of the Kaweah Post Office, donating half of whatever they auctioned for. But where is the little fence with the gate?Would you look at that? It is gone! But wait! I think I see it. . .That’s no help. Guess I’ll just stick to my old photo. The background works, just sort of scribbling in blurry curly growing symbols. 

Are you curious about the porch and the inside? Have a look:

After goofing off enjoying a spring morning outing, I went back to the drawing board. (Do you know anyone else who can literally say that?)

New Mineral King Cards For Sale

Last summer I had a hankering to draw some new Mineral King pictures in pencil. I did four of them without a plan for reproduction or framing. Artists make art, and I am a Central California artist making art of the flyover center of California, my main source of inspiration (along with liking to drive and to eat.)

This spring I decided to test the marketability of these drawings as cards. These are packages of 4 different cards, 5×7″, blank inside with envelopes, $15 per package. There are only 9 5 packages available. Through this blog post and Saturday’s open studio, I will decide if these are popular enough to print in greater quantity.

This sort of thing is just part of the business of art. Make the art I want, and then figure out if there is a market for it. . .

This is the insert that goes inside the package of cards. The drawings are too small to really appreciate on the insert, so I’ve placed them underneath. Scroll on, Gentle Blog Reader. What?? No Honeymoon Cabin?

Nope – sometimes an artist’s gotta do what she’s gotta do. (But she is willing to listen to customer requests, within reason.)

P.S. I thought at first that $15 was a little high-ish for 4 cards. Then I went inside a real store and looked at real cards that are sold one at a time. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? I was astonished at the prices, so believe these are a bargain.

Oranges, Completed, Sold and Delivered

As I showed you in yesterday’s post.
Completed in pencil (graphite)
With the barest hint of colored pencil.
Photoshopped for best reproduction in the 2019 calendar.

That last step after the photoshop thing only shows a subtle difference, but I wanted you to know that the business of art includes thinking ahead toward how a piece can be used besides just selling the original.

And the original is sold and sent! That makes me happy for three reasons: it is going to someone important to me who will truly appreciate it; it won’t be languishing in a drawer while I dither about whether or not to get it framed; it produced an income (not all speculation drawings sell).

Just Another Workday

One day a week or so ago, I painted in the morning and drew in the afternoon. This is what it looked like:

Piper was needy. He is resting his little head on my arm, not biting me the way Samson did.
Felt compelled to paint this view again; 4 days later a friend/customer/collector emailed to ask if I had this view available; turns out he wants it to be 16×16″, not 6×6″. Good thing I have practiced this view many times.
This is a popular size and shape, so my last canvas of this size became Sawtooth #29.
Finished? Sawtooth definitely fits this shape of canvas nicely.

Then I moved into the studio. It was a sunny day, so I raised the blind and saw this:

Hi Mike, the carpenter (not to be confused with Michael, the Trail Guy)
Here is another drawing in progress for the 2019 calendar.
The plan is to put a little color into this drawing of oranges. Can’t be considered an authentic Tulare County artist unless I include oranges in my rotation of subjects.

And thus we conclude another workday in the life of this Central California artist.

Shedding More Light on Those Lanterns

The lanterns languished. Finally, I reminded myself that I am the Mayor of Realville, the lanterns were too hard for me at that size (a paintbrush will never quite behave like a pencil), and it was time to make them go away.

So, I turned the painting into one of pomegranates.

Five Poms, 6×18″, oil on wrapped canvas, $160 including tax

Still, I wanted to do something with those charming little lanterns. If it was too difficult a subject in oil, then surely I could draw them!

This time I had to change the format, because my intention is to use them in the 2019 calendar. I squished them closer together, eliminated a board at the bottom, and began.

When they were in progress, I took them to my students and said, “Do to me what I do to you – evaluate this drawing honestly!”

They told me to forget all the grass and turn the entire background into boards. Being confident that I have taught my students well, I followed their directives. You can see that the grass on the left side is boards; the grass of the right side is still grass (or hair or a weird texture of something?)

I also hadn’t yet decided how much color to include, so the lantern on the far right needs more blue. The shadows aren’t dark enough, and the drawing isn’t finished yet in the top picture.

Now it is finished, photoshopped for best reproduction, and I really really like it!!

P.S. The 2019 calendar will be called “A Touch of Color” and will be pencil drawings with a little bit of color in them, probably all Tulare County subject matter.

The Barn Drawing

Remember the pencil commission of the Michigan barn, drawn from some barely adequate photos? I think the grass and sky took as long as the barn itself. When I finally finished, I scanned it to email to the customer for approval.

He saw right away that the 2 tall doors were lighter than the others. Why didn’t I notice that? Because I was in the weeds! I mean the grass! (. . . don’t get weird on me; I’ve never tried an illegal substance in my entire life and that is the shocking truth)

Doors too light

Here it is with the large doors darkened a tad. 

The next step is to do the prep in Photoshop Elements so it can be reproduced. Can you tell the difference?