Sunday, February 24, 2013

I'm on Facebook!


Hey, Gang! I just made a Facebook page for the studio! Stop over and let me know you "like" me (you really like me!). We're going to do fun stuff like have giveaways so make sure you check in every now and then to see what we're up to.

https://www.facebook.com/JaneMadayStudio/photos_stream#!/JaneMadayStudio

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Waiting for Spring

Oh, I am so ready for Spring! I want to paint all the bright and pretty colors, but outside my window the snowflakes are falling. Oh well, soon it will be summer and I will be complaining that I am too hot, so I guess I should learn to appreciate the moment.
 
I have been thinking about how technology has changed my life since my college days. When I was in art school, the school only had three computers, and there was only one small class to teach how to use them. Then I graduated and went to work at Hallmark. Computer art was in it's infancy then. I was trained in using them (reluctantly) and we had to save everything on these giant discs called Bernoullis, that were about the size of an ipad today. They could only store one piece of art. (Do I sound like a dinosaur yet? You must think I learned how to draw by chiseling my art on rocks!)
 
Fast forward to today. I still paint the traditional way, but I simply must have my photoshop programs to manipulate the art afterwards. The painting above can now be placed on all sorts of different backgrounds and products with (practically) a touch of a button. And if I accidentally splash some paint, whoosh, I can erase it, just like that. But a worrying trend in the outside world seems to be that the actual skills of drawing and painting are being neglected because it is just so easy to whip something up with the computer. There are some people who create the most amazing art with the computer, and I do admire them so, but there is also a lot of slapped together work.
 
When I go for a few days without actually drawing or painting, I get a bit irritable, do you? I need the tactile feel of the brush or pencil in my hand. I need to escape to the art planet and pour out my heart onto the page. So I would encourage you, for the benefit of your heart, your soul, and your skills, to draw, draw, draw!

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Paintin' Peacocks


I am still painting away on peacocks and just loving all the colors! I thought you might like to see this painting in progress. Thank goodness for gouache paints, because the tail needs lots of layers. I have done the underpainting of the feathers with Raw Umber watercolor (Daler Rowney is my fave brand of Raw Umber as it is warmer than some other brands). Now I am using a mixture of French Ultramarine and Turquoise gouache over the top. Finally, I will use blue and green watercolor pencils to finish. It is lots of fun to have so many tools at my disposal! I love to play with different mediums. My job is such fun!

I am also lucky to have good friends to walk with me on my journey. Yesterday I was really struggling with the background to place these birds on (using photoshop). I sent out a cry for help to a dear clever friend, and she helped me see what I should do. Big hugs going out to all my art friends today, even the ones I haven't met yet!

Monday, February 11, 2013

Etsy

Hello everyone! Jane's assistant here, things have been busy here at the studio, but we just wanted to let all of you know that some of Jane's prints are now available on Etsy! There will be more added soon within the next couple days.

Are there any specific peices that you would like to see as prints in the store?

http://www.etsy.com/shop/JaneMadayArt

In the Studio This Week

It looks like a chilly week in the Studio this week, and I do have Spring Fever! Still, even though we got a little snow here in Colorado, at least we didn't get the three feet that they got in the North East. I like snow, and we are having a drought, but I do draw the line somewhere!

I'm painting peacocks this week. I love the colors, but it is proving to be more of a challenge than I thought. There are so many layers in that tail! I'm struggling with the background as well. I really want to make use of the new "color of the year": Pantone's Emerald. I am sure it will come together eventually!