Wondering About Colored Pencil

A year or so ago I bought some new colored pencils. Blackwing manufactures something called “Blackwing Colors”, and I am a sucker for new pencils. With the box of 12, I did this 5×7″ drawing.

Melon, Gourd or Squash? 5×7″, colored pencil on paper.

I posted it on Instagram (if you like Instagram and want to follow my very occasional posts, I am JanaBotkinArt) and also emailed it to Pencils.com (where I bought the pencils). Someone from there emailed and asked if they could use it on their blog. I said okay, and then nothing happened.

Last week I got an email from someone at a magazine called “Colored Pencil Magazine” (How’s that for over-the-top creativity? I think they were going for easy-to-find-on-Google rather than cleverness, which is probably smarter than being cute and calling yourself something like “Cabinart” which no one can remember.)


I am writing to let you know that we are interested in using your Pumpkin piece as an example of Blackwing Colors in the June 2019 issue of COLORED PENCIL Magazine in the Spotlight section. 

Being a sensible person (in spite of making a mistake in naming my art business something that no one can remember), I said yes. Then I looked at their site and see it is both online and in print. I’ve never heard of this magazine before.

I wonder if it will be wise to show colored pencil work when I am now primarily an oil painter? I wonder if it will be wise to show colored pencil work when using colored pencils hurts my wrist? I wonder if it will be wise to show colored pencil work when it rarely sells? I wonder if it will be wise to show colored pencil work when I prefer graphite (ArtSpeak for regular pencil)?

Life is full of unanswered questions. I think this falls in the categories of It Never Hurts To Try, and We Regret More of What We Don’t Try Than What We Do Try.

As usual, more will be revealed in the fullness of time.

Keep Thinking

One of the many pencil drawings from The Cabins of Wilsonia

Yesterday I told you of some good ideas that came to me while I was organizing my storage shelves. Today I will tell you of two that aren’t complete. They are good ideas in terms of how to spend my time and energy with my art business, but will take more thinking on how to bring them about.

  1. The Cabins of Wilsonia came out in December of 2014. Many of the 200+ drawings have sold, but many remain available. It is time to offer them at a deep discount, and then shred the remainder. They are doing no one any good in storage. Now I need to figure out how to best reach the people who are most likely to want the drawings. Keep thinking.
  2. Sequoia Natural History Association used to be the name of the outfit that stocks the ranger stations and visitor centers in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The name changed, the director I knew retired, and now I don’t know who to talk to about buying my prints and cards to sell in the Parks. They are doing no one any good in storage. Keep thinking.
Crescent Meadow, 11×14″ reproduction print, wildflowers colored one at a time, one after another after another. . .
Redbud Festival is coming soon!
The kittens are getting quite busy at 4 weeks old. They tried canned food and spent a fair amount of time walking in it. It was too gross to photograph. You’re welcome.

Good Ideas

Lately I have preferred to work in silence instead of listening to podcasts, music, or the radio. I seem to need lots of quiet in order to think. I don’t have an agenda; instead, I just let the thoughts roam freely, and sometimes good ideas show up.

When I photograph my paintings on the easel in the painting workshop, I am often appalled by the state of the storage shelves behind the painting. What am I storing? Why is it such a mess? If the things aren’t useful, why I am keeping them?

Last week I went through those shelves, moving things that seldom get used to the upper levels, consolidating things, and evaluating their usefulness. I had some thoughts while doing this task, some new, some old.

  1. Many of my art supplies and materials have been given to me. This makes me want to give things to other people, to be as generous and helpful to others as people have been to me. A cautionary thought occurred: I should be careful to keep mental boundaries in place, so that I don’t start just handing out my work. Good idea!
  2. The 4×6″ paintings that I have been doing recently usually are priced at $50. I will be calling them “Show Specials” and offering them for $40 at the Redbud Festival. I’m not splitting with a gallery or a gift shop at that event, so why not? It is fun to offer something new and learn the response. Good idea!
  3. After making an ordering mistake several years ago, thinking I was getting 12 2×2″ canvases and instead of getting 12 packages of 5 each for a total of 60, it is time to be finished with those. They are hard to paint, because I have to hold them in my left hand, and the opening in the back is much smaller than my fingers are able to squish. So, I will be painting quick Mineral King scenes, and offering them as a Show Special when I do the art show and sale at the Silver City Store this summer. Good idea!
There will be 4×6″ original oil paintings at the Redbud Festival, priced for $40 each instead of $50. SHOW SPECIAL!
3 of the kittens at 4 weeks of age.

Thoughts on Plein Air Painting

Long post ahead deserves a photo first.

A friend wanted to hear my thoughts on plein air painting, so I wrote to her about it. Several other friends said they hadn’t known what the words meant until I started my detour down that road. (Or maybe it will become my main road. More will be revealed in the fullness of time.)

Plein air means “open air”.  (Thank you, Dan!)

There is a snobbery in the art world, an attitude that real artists paint plein air. Studio artists? Meh, anyone can do that. I had a college professor who belittled those of us who signed up for photorealism studio painting; I quit at 1/2 a semester because he didn’t teach what he dismissed as “smoke and mirrors”.

Plein air is difficult for several reasons, including bugs and weather. There are no boundaries to the scene that ultimately will be enclosed by specific borders. Artists have to be able to see and decide what they plan to paint, ignore what they will not paint, and arrange those things in a pleasing manner. In order to “erase” the unnecessary details, they squint so that nothing remains except dark and light masses. When mixing the colors, the artists come up with an average color for various areas. They simplify textures, and memorize light when it appears in order to put it in at the end. And, it is assumed that a plein air painter will finish the painting “alla prima”, which means in one session. 

An aside about the art world: why the extra languages? Plein air is French; alla prima is Italian. Go figure.

In order to finish something alla prima, one has to work very quickly and finish an entire painting within 3-4 hours. Artists who are honest will tell you that many paintings are finished in the studio later. This is possible even without photos, because very little is done with tight detail. The proportions are usually in place, so it is probably just values (the darks and lights) and color correcting that happens later.

The art world loves to throw around the term “painterly”, which I have concluded simply means “messy”. Since I was 8 years old, I have worked hard to see details, to have distinct, clear edges to things, and I find it completely counterintuitive to purposely blur things. But, I am willing to learn, to try, to improve (but how will I know if I have improved or if I have added more details than are allowed?)

Painting plein air is a great skill for several reasons:

  • Sometimes I need to paint quickly.
  • There are many people who like the softer, blurrier paintings that lack detail but focus on shapes and colors.
  • I live part time in a National Park, where being able to paint quickly could be a great business opportunity.

Since taking the 3 day workshop in Georgia 2 weeks ago, I have been able to produce many paintings. (I haven’t shown them all to you.)

So, my conclusion is that the skills are very valuable and that I will practice them: painting quickly, focusing on good composition and correct colors (not entirely perfect, just colors that look right together in a scene). Some of this will be done while looking at a scene in person; some of it will be done looking at photos. I won’t be able to paint like Laurel Daniel, but I can paint more simply than I have in the recent past and still add enough details to retain my own “voice” (and some dignity).

MAY MEANS THE ANNUAL REDBUD FESTIVAL IS COMING THIS MONTH!


Fixin’ To Go

Happy Birthday, Mamacita!

Leaving for a trip involves lots of preparations. Whether or not there are specific deadlines, there is a need to finish things. This is mostly due to not knowing what else will be stacked up when I return.

Besides, if I am learning to paint plein air, maybe I’d better finish all my working-from-photos-in-the-studio paintings because what if I hate them all when I get home?

These paintings have been varnished and are drying.
These paintings are all that remain to be finished in the big goal of 32 new paintings.
These are actually finished now, but I didn’t photograph them in their final state for you.
Scout is waiting for me and I am waiting for our grandkitties.
This one is finished now, and very very wet. Will I hate it when I return because I will be completely sold out to plein air painting?

SCOUT HAD 3 LITTLE TABBIES and 2 GINGERS! THEY ARRIVED ON THE MORNING OF APRIL 5. 2 TABBIES HAVE TAILS, THE REST DO NOT.

This is the small stash of some supplies I for the workshop. The rest have been ordered and now I need to learn to pack them correctly. We have been also instructed to bring a few photos in case it rains so we can paint indoors. See? Studio painting is okay! Take that, you Plein Air Snobs (one of which I hope to NOT become)

To top it off, I discovered that I thought I had mailed 5 Mineral King Wildflowers: Common Names but I didn’t actually send them. What a goof. I am sorry, and you know who you all are because I emailed you and then sent you your delayed orders.

And, FINALLY, my business phone is working again. I wonder how many missed calls; there was no voice mail the past 4 weeks, so I’ll never know. The number remains the same as the previous 17 years. (It is on my contact page.)

I might need a secretary. Or a nap. Or some calming knitting.

Determined, Persistent, Responsible

“Determination gives you the resolve to keep going, in spite of the roadblocks that are before you.”—Denis Waitley

“I will persist until I succeed.”—Og Mandino

“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”—President Abraham Lincoln

Assembly line of Honeymoon Cabin paintings.

Listening to podcasts pulls me through painting days that feel as if I will NEVER finish ANYTHING. (This feeling may simply be a result of starting 32 paintings at the same time.)

Baby steps, back to front, the usual process.

As I worked on these paintings, I was entertained by the slightly raunchy podcast “By The Book”, where 2 women read self-help books and then live by them. I got tired of their cussing, so I switched to the fabulous motivational speaker Brian Buffini, where I heard the quotes above.

The photos have simply become guides for me as I revisit familiar subjects. This does make the process of painting easier.

In spite of not finishing any paintings, it was a productive day. I WILL get to the fun parts of drawing with my paintbrush, putting in the details that make me like to paint, and then signing the paintings. Why? Because I am determined, persistent, and responsible and because I have podcasts to listen to while I push ahead.

These are not finished, but finishing them will be the fun part.

Thanks, Brian Buffini.

32 At Once

The beginning stages of 32 paintings at the same time is a rather lengthy undertaking. Why would anyone begin 32 paintings at the same time?? This Central California artist chooses to do it this way for multiple reasons, none of which are very interesting. It is more fun to see the process than to read about the reasons behind it. (This is a high-falutin’ way of saying, “I don’t know why and don’t want to figure it out right now”.)

The Oak Grove Bridge in a new size and shape from a more distant viewpoint than my usual paintings of this, my favorite subject to draw and paint.
The view from my living room, titled “Alpenglow on Alta”. Clever, eh? I left out the telephone lines that cross the scene in real life. That was wise, don’t you think?
Look at all these loosey-goosey scribbled first-pass paintings.

But wait! There’s more.

The rooster comes in 2 poses, and here is a little painting of The Lake, as we refer to Lake Kaweah around here (or is it Kaweah Lake? No one really knows.)
This is Trail Guy’s favorite tree. It is a juniper on the trail to White Chief. I wonder how deep the snow is on it right now.

That is not all 32 paintings. They are spread out all over the painting workshop, so I am only showing you the latest ones in each post. I don’t work on all 32 every day.

Now I know the likely reason for 32 at once. When I was a kid, my mom read Cheaper by the Dozen to us, and the idea of being the most efficient possible really captured my imagination. So, an assembly line approach appeals to me for 32 paintings.

Painting Poultry

Let’s look at the steps involved in painting a rooster. This is a little 4×6″ canvas, sized and priced for quick sale. This is an art business, so these things must be considered. I hope it doesn’t cause offense to folks who think artists just get inspired, create something, and voila! the money follows. (don’t we all wish?)

First, the general size and shape. I begin all pencil drawings the same way too – size and location is the first decision.
Next step: tighten up the shape.
Start filling in the shapes within the main shape (had to draw the dog before I drew the fleas). The colors aren’t really important in this step but the values are. I’m not talented enough to get this stage exactly right on the first pass so I require another layer to be accurate on shapes, values, colors and textures.
This is a continuation of the previous step, but this time I am right side up to see if I am actually painting a rooster or a freak of nature.
The rooster needs a hen. She is 6×6″ because that shape best fits her shape.
Tucker isn’t very interested in this topic of poultry.

How to Subscribe to this Blog

Whatevs, Dude. . .

This might be a boring subject. Please forgive me, and come back on Monday when I might have something more interesting to share.

Sometimes people say “I don’t know how to get your blog”. They don’t mean “get” as in “understand” ; they do mean how to receive email notifications. (Anyone can read the blog at any time by simply going to cabinart.net and clicking on BLOG in the menu bar.)

The way to receive email notifications is to subscribe. If you go to my homepage, then click or tap on the Blog button; it will take you to the blog homepage. This blog homepage only contains little teasers of the specific blog posts. From there you can click on the READ MORE to read the full posts instead of just the teasers. This is how the home page looks with the SUBSCRIBE TO THE BLOG VIA EMAIL function:


Do you see where it says “SUBSCRIBE TO THE BLOG VIA EMAIL”? Type in your email address, and you’ll receive an email (if you typed it correctly) that asks you to confirm your subscription. Follow those directions, and you will begin receiving a new email every time I post to the blog. If you don’t get the email, you might have typed your eddress incorrectly, or the email might be in your junk or spam folder or file. (Why is everything so complicated??)

Thank you for hanging in. Here is another smile for you.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. . .

P.S. You can also subscribe to my e-newsletter there. I haven’t sent anything out for awhile, so if you are subscribed and wonder if I went mute, you are correct. But, I’m gathering a list of things to tell my subscribers soon.

Boring Beginnings

The beginning of painting a new series is a very boring factory-type assembly line of assigning inventory numbers, choosing titles, and attaching hanging hardware. Then all the canvases have to be primed, or “toned” in Art Speak. I just use whatever blend of colors I find in the bottom of my turpentine jar for this task.

Actually, before I begin the boring part, there is a brain-stretching exercise. It involves looking through previous years’ sales, seeing which subjects and sizes have been the most popular, looking through my existing inventory, and then making educated guesses about subjects, sizes, and quantities of each. Then I review my extensive photo files and make more guesses about what to paint.

These on the floor have already been primed from a previous ambitious painting session.
It was too loud in the workshop for Tucker. He’s kind of sensitive.

At least Scout and Trail Guy were in the workshop with me. Trail Guy was working on a project, talking to himself and to the radio and sometimes to me. Scout was napping in the sunshine in the window.

I ran out of hardware and out of room, so I walked home.