Weird kinda Tree

"Tree" by Belinda Lindhardt, Mixed Media, A3 29.7 X 42cms

Here is another one :) Sorry about the title but i just cant think of anything.
I have had the background sitting around for a while i wasn't sure what to do with it but i liked the colours. I really wanted to attack it with pastels but i couldn't think of what to do with it. So i just played around with the neo colours and then all of a sudden i saw the tree! So it all came together, kinda weird but it was good fun.

White Rose on Drafting Film

"White Rose" by Belinda Lindhardt - Coloured Pencil on Drafting Film
13X18cm, 5X7"

This is one i started a few weeks ago and which i put aside and never when back to. You can see the begining of it here.

It's been sitting there waiting to be done, one of the things on the list to do :). I am glad i finished it. To be honest i was fighting the drafting film with this one. I think i am getting used to moving the colour around more with the neocolours and stonehenge. So maybe my technique is changing. :)

Business Cards

So while i am at it shamelessly plugging my website everywhere i can, i thought i would also show you all my business cards i just got printed.

I really wanted something very simple for the cards. I was tempted to spruce it up and place a couple of artwork images on there, but i know how quickly my artwork changes and i didnt want to be stuck with something if i change my style or be limited by the work i am doing today.









On the front: I did want to add something a bit quirky to distinguish it a bit, i am ofcourse a creative person so i should really have creative business cards. So, in the end i opted for the paint splatter. In real life i think it looks quite good because it looks like its a mistake or something has spilt on there because of the transparency over the letters. i think people would look twice and hopefully curious to look for more.


front








On the back: I made it orange and left this relatively blank as i thought it would be good for writing numbers or notes on for myself and people.

You will notice that i don't have my address or phone numbers on there. This is for a couple of reasons for this..
1 is my mobile / address can change but my website address likely wont so it means i wont be having to reprint cards if any of these things happen.

Another one is, i previously posted my address and phone number on my website and i received nothing but spam and calls and mail from people trying to sell me something or just bugging me about something i really have no interest in. Having moved a couple of years ago they have since stopped calling and sending me stuff and i like it ! :) So i decided that i will only give my number and address out to genuine people if it is required. I am not sure what the "business and marketing" people would say about that but it works for me and i am sticking to it!

Weekly Smudge 28-8-07

For this week's weekly smudge i had a few things in my head to give you, one being to highlight the http://www.artbizblog.com/ website which i recently rediscovered... BUT.. Maggie beat me to it and posted today, basically the same thing i was going to say. Isnt it odd how that can happen?
This also happened the other week when i posted about the Remember the Milk website and Rose commented about how she was going to post exactly the same thing as i did. I just find it so interesting that we can all be off thinking that we are doing our own thing and really we are all just following the same circles round and round!!! Anywho, go checkout Maggie's post and the artbizsite and while your at Maggie's site also checkout her post re: How to Juggle and Other Parlor Tricks its an inspiration and one i regularly read if i am making excuses not to get things done.

Following your Goals

Another interesting article that i came across this week is an old article written for Creative Latitude.com which was written by illustrator Holli Cogner, In her words the article is:

... a series of journal entries I wrote for Creative Latitude documenting my self promotional process for finally taking the step to be an illustrator...

This was a very inspiring and interesting read. I do small amounts of illustration, i really would like to do more of it, reading her article just goes to show what can happen if you have a goal and work towards making it happen.
Checkout the article here.http://www.livingthecreativedream.com/becoming.html

Also this week: We made our mark on Katherine's Making a Mark blog regarding my Australian Coloured Pencil Resources website. I have made a few additions to the website as the week has gone on and had other artists contribute to the site. This is fantastic i hope it grows as time goes on.
Here is the link to Making a Mark - Who has made their mark this week.

My Website:
While we are talking about websites i have finally finished my new website. wOOT!
I am still in the process of adding images to my gallery tweaking information etc. but its now live so be sure to check it out.
http://www.belindalindhardt.com/

Thanks to the hubby for working on it for me its so fantastic it has a backend allowing me to add all my bits quickly and i will be adding more to the site as we have more time available.

WOOT! my first art show

Woot! i have just officially entered my horses eye pic in my first Artshow!! I was in a bit of a dilemma because its a condition that all pieces must be for sale so therefore i wouldn't be able to sell anything i entered for sale at the market. And also they also take commission obviously so it had to be something that would be worthwhile if it sold and i had to consider framing as well.
Finally, i decided, entry forms closed today so "It's All In The Eye" being in horse town will be at the Scone Art and Crafts Center, Kingdon Street, Scone. Friday 14th-23rd September.

I don't actually expect to win anything but its nice just to make myself feel like a real artist and acutally enter something. :)

Also its only 2 weekends before the market so i am in a bit of a fizzle trying to get things organised, again i don't actually expect do sell much but if anything its been great just getting me a good mindset for actually "selling artwork" i create rather than just putting it in a cupboard thinking "one day". More info to come on that as we get closer.

Illustration Friday - Captain

I have decided i am going to try to do illustration fridays :) I have been a member for a while now and never got of me butt to do it. I think its a good thing so here i go. This one was a quickie but at least i did it !! :)

This week's topic was captain.

pencil sketch with digital colour :)

weekly smudge 21-8-07

Recently i have been receiving questions (which i am only too happy to answer) and reading comments from Australian coloured pencil artists regarding techniques and just general lack of interest from galleries in exhibiting cp works in Australia. Seeing as lot of my work does feature coloured pencils i thought it would be good to put together resource for us all basically to "get connected" in the hope of more and more people getting into the medium.

So i created a lens on Squidoo: Australian Coloured Pencils Resources . I have since remembered that Katherine has recently written a whole post about Do you Squidoo? So if you have no idea what i am talking about (cause i didnt) .. go check her post out.

Note: I am not attempting to infringe on Katherine's lenses she has a fabulous resource, i don't want to compete with hers, i just wanted to look available resources from an Australian perspective, and to try to get individual artists communicating together - greater power in numbers and all that.

Anywho, without further ado here is the link if you have any link recommendations please don't hesitate to send them through i am hoping this little baby will grow and grow to a lovely flower one day.

Australian Coloured Pencils Resources - http://www.squidoo.com/auscolouredpencils/

On a side note, before you ask yes my website is coming, my hubby is the slacker not me and is apparently working on it this week. *nudge nudge* if your reading this honey, hopefully it will be up next week.

It's in the eye!

"its in the eye" By Belinda Lindhardt - coloured pencil on stonehenge 5X7", 13X18cm

I think i am calling this one done. Still have to spray so there might be a few slight adjustments.

I struggled a bit during this one with the lighter values (as always). i went a bit dark to begin with with the neocolours where i shouldnt have. So just a reminder to myself to plan for the lighter values a bit better :) It would have made life a bit easier.

Happy with the way it turned out.

Sunset WIP

Ok here is another WIP of the sunset.

Sorry its not a good pic, i find it really hard to take good pics of these larger pieces.

I have to let it dry a few days before adding more. There is going to be a large tree in shadow smack bang in the middle of the sun .. i hope i can do it.. still lots to do on the actual water etc yet.

I just dont know

Today i managed to get a fair bit on my sunset pic done .. i meant to post it took a couple of pics but the light isnt great at night and the paint is wet so it looks shocking .. so i will have to post one for you tomorrow.

I just don't know what happened here.. i just started sketching and it just kinda came out. I feel better now tho :)

Horses Eye Wip

This is what i am working on at the moment. I have to say that close up fur is not my favourite thing to do. While i am enjoying it now i have actually gotten to the eye .. i much enjoy creating smoooooth surfaces :) The pear flowed really easily this one is a bit of a struggle.

Anywho with the market coming up in horse town i wanted to do another horse hence the reason for this one :) Not sure its going to work out how i want but lets see.

I have used neocolours again for this one for the underpainting :) and its on stonehenge :)

weekly smudge 13-8-07

Today, its all about organising.

I read a post last week on Maggie's blog where she was talking about her amounting responsiblities and how she was going to manage them. Blogs being what they are, various people commented discussing tips on how they managed their busy lives. While Maggie was opting for a traditional pen and paper approach some said they used calender in outlook which was their lifesaver. It was at that moment i donged myself on the head and said ... der !! why arent i using that! But then i got distracted and did i do anything about that ? ofcourse not!

So life went on for the week as it does, and i was reminded about getting more organised when a whole heap of things to do came pouring in and found myself abit flustered trying to keep control of myself.

During the weekend we were visiting some friends who are in the process of moving to the US and were discussing all the things they had to organise and totally recommended a site which they said was their life saver. So i took this as a message from above and had to check it out and get myself sorted out.

Remember the Milk! - http://www.rememberthemilk.com
If your a big fan of making lists this site is for you, its really FANTASTIC ! It basically allows you to create lists! Lists which you can add notes to, share with friends, publish, print and email whatever takes your fancy.
It works in with google calender, twitter (as well as other programs) and is sooo simple and easy to use..and ofcourse is FREE. It also allows you to postpone the task, repeat it, prioritise it. It will send you emails to remind yourself of what tasks you have for that day.

In overview you can also oversee your weekly to do list, so i was thinking i can print that out and stick it on the fridge.

I have setup a finance list, an art list, a personal list, a family list, a kids list. I have also added in birthdays so hopefully when a birthday comes around i can just be reminded to pick up a pressie. I have it setup with my google calendar and google widgets so i have the calendar on my desktop with my tasks highlighted in neat little coloured tabs and can see at a glance what i have to do today. (Good when i am procrastinating looking at websites)

Now i have the tools the only excuse for not being organised is myself (i knew there was a downside to this somewhere :) Anywho, check it out !!

Yellow Rose

"Yellow Rose" by Belinda Lindhardt - watercolour & coloured pencil

Here is one you may have seen before i did a much larger version a couple of years ago and its hanging at my MIL's place. I always liked it and she is always commenting that people say they really like it. So i thought i would do another one :) This one is only a littlie A5 size (14.8 X21cm) but i thought it might do well as a print or for the market.

I ended up working on about 4 different today. Hopefully i can finish a couple of them off this week.

weekly smudge 8-8-07

Here is bit of a piece that i have started on drafting film.

Why drafting film you ask ? Well why not? i have only done 1 other peice my White Horse on drafting film and liked the effect i wanted to give it another whirl, also to have some smaller pieces for the market i am going to. So when i started i struggled at bit as i needed to adjust my style and techniques from the last pear i did on paper. So this prompted me to write a little list of 5 things i like about drafting film. ( i have to admit this is not selfless act, i will now at least have a note of it so that i can remember for next time)

5 Things i love about drafting film

1. Its faster than paper, there seems not as much effort to get the colour down ie. less layers the down side of thats is they wont blend as much and you have to confident in your strokes and colours.
   
2. You can erase sooooo easily to pretty much nothing even after multiple layers and there is no damage to the film.
   
3. You can highlight / darken change colours to pieces on the back of the film which significantly changes your work ( i find if i do some base colours for dark areas on the back before i start on the front that helps me alot)
4. Its relatively cheap.
   
5. You can continue to check your drawing pretty much all the way through your piece, good for final details as you can still see the reference pic underneath as you start new sections.

So, in light of this i wanted to highlight this week the queen of drafting film Wendy Prior who is doing a bunch of demos this week on drafting film. Check her blog and her demos out here.

Here is the begining of my drafting film piece. More to come soon i hope.

Blue sunset WIP

Ok ok i know i haven't got the most inventive of names but that title should be fine for now. I will try to think of a better one i promise.

So here is the beginning of my newest one. Its 760 X 590mm, so quite large for me and is oils. So far i am really enjoying them. I don't quite have a few of the exact colours i was after so i am off to the shop tomorrow to pick those up. Its going to have some silhouettes of trees in there not sure i can pull off what is in my head but I have to give it a whirl. Hopefully the boys give me a chance to paint this week i am so in the mood.

Thank you, to my boys and hubby for giving me some art time over the weekend its been great.

Lonely Pear

"Lonely Pear" - 8X10", 20X25cms coloured pencil on Stonehenge by Belinda Lindhardt

All done, i thought i could add more finishing touches than i was able to. So for now i am calling this done.

Lonely Pear update

Here is an update :) All is going not too bad, i wasnt too careful when i did the neocolors on the cloth so i have realised i have colour where i wanted it to be white, but no much i can do about that i can live with that for now.

Just have to spray a few coats of fixative and make some adjustments here and there. Then i should be done, i hope.

lonely pear WIP

So here is my work on my newest piece. I thought i would be nice and do a WIP as i go along for everyone.

This piece is 8X10" or 20X25cms piece and i have been using Neocolor II for the underpainting with coloured pencil over the top.
Neocolors and i actually go back a loooooong way. My aunty who is an artist came out to visit us when i was about 10 she had some of these with her and i remember being fascinated with the way she mixed water with crayon !! she ended up leaving me her set of 12 and this is the same set i have used to do the underpainting of this piece. I actually saw someone using them in my life drawing class the other day and thought hmmm i must get those out. Then when i opened my monthly issue of > FMP by > Ann Kulberg and read the Step bystep demo from > Ranjini Venkatachari (i am a huge fan of Ranjini's work and have been for sometime she does amazing work) i knew this was a sign i was meant to get these out.













Pic 1 is just the Neocolors
Pic 2 is when i started to mix the colours with a damp brush on the background
Pic 3 is blending the colours all over and some coloured pencil on the background
Pic 4 is coloured pencil on the background and starting the pear
Pic 5 is continuing on with coloured pencil on the pear

I am really enjoying this process its been great. I am working on Stonehenge i thought perhaps i needed Arches to hold the water but the good old Stonehenge is really holding it for me.

On this piece i am also using a new battery operated sharpener (which i picked up at office works for about $12-) my electric one is great but it just doesn't seem to get the point sharp enough this one does a fantastic job.

I found that i really used the Neocolors just like watercolours blending and adding more colours washing bits out as needed. I also just wet the brush on the tip of the crayon for a stronger colour rather than drawing onto the paper.

I also have used a bit of Zest-It here and there on the background and the pear i found i could knock a few colours back where i had gone too strong and just helped with filling in those ridges.

Anyway thats it for now will post more soon.

The fear of failure...

As my dear friend Marion said to me today "Nothing like the fear of failure to help you get your butt in gear" which in thinking about her comment is so very true.

Next month we are off to the country to have a weekend with the in-laws. They live in horse and wine country. The MIL has been talking about some new markets they have up there for a a while now and has booked us in for a stall... while she is selling cakes and biscuits i will be selling/displaying art and my mirrors. So now i have a deadline for something it actually feels like i am working in overtime to get some things done to show. I am also not milling around on what i am working on and just getting on with it!!!

Judging from reading other artist's experiences from art fairs to be honest i am not expecting to sell a whole lot at the market itself. But the town is horse town i think one of the most well known in Australia and i think i would do well for the exposure of having a few pieces there for some possible commissions or just to even get feedback on artwork to see what people like and dislike. I am toying with the idea of getting some prints done but i am not sure on that one just yet.

So the past few days my but has been in gear thinking about and planning all that ... i have started a new piece which i hopefully will show you tomorrow which i am quite happy with so far using Neocolours II and coloured pencils. I am really enjoying actually doing a finished piece as its been a while if it all goes to plan.

Anywho, not really fantastic news but i am excited about so i thought i would let you all in on my thoughts.

weekly smudge 1-8-07

weekly smudge! - things that have interested me during the week



This week will be a short one. Firstly on my current theme of TREES i have to highlight this artist Elizabeth Reed Smith. What is unique about Elizabeth's work is rather what she doesn't include rather than what she does, she uses alot of white and the outline of the trees on a dramatic background rather than drawing the trees themselves. I would like to give this type of thing a try one time.

check her work out at: http://elizabethsmithprints.com/

Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520)
In the lifedrawing workshop i attended on the weekend the teacher gave us a bunch of handouts on various artists and techniques. She highlighted he various styles of old master works and what was good about them. One of the ones she highlighted was Raphael Sanzio who is a well known a master of line and tone as an ability to make his drawings deceivingly simple.

His paintings are well known but i was interested in his drawings ... here are a few i have found online they are just beautiful check them out:
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hi/hi_raph.htm