Belinda Lindhardt

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

My new website and Blog

Hi all,

Ok so i have done it, i have created and new website and blog.
Its all integrated over here at:
www.belindalindhardt.com.au

So why do you ask? well more will be posted on that in the future but in short, i wanted to have my website and blog all in the one place. I wanted to upload images to my gallery which i could also upload and use in a blog post all on the one system. I wanted to be able to have a system which is easy to update which will save me time. Plus i was forced to as my old website was no longer working.

Blogger just didn't allow me to do all those things. Sure there are certain things that blogger does well that wordpress doesnt, but my tradeoff is all the other things i now have.

Please go along check my new site out, update your email subscriptions and your bookmarks with the below information. I love my old blog but i think its had its dash. i am considering to try and import my old posts but not sure whether i need that headache right now. Might wait a while.

Thanks for your understanding and your following :) :)

Art Journal and Website: www.belindalindhardt.com.au
Just the blog: http://www.belindalindhardt.com.au/?page_id=141
New RSS feed at: http://www.belindalindhardt.com.au/?feed=rss2

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

MIA - A bit lost


Sorry for the lack of posts of late, i am having issues with my internet connection which means browsing, posting, checking emails and anything to do with the internet is taking me forever and frustrating me to no end :( Made even worst at the moment as i am in the process of trying to redo all of my websites and get that sorted. I am thinking of redoing everying with wordpress but thats another story. Hopefully the internet should be sorted sometime in the next week so bare with me.
In the midst of this, I am trying to use my time wisely and get things done that i don't need the internet for, which is good in theory but to be honest i feel a bit lost, I seem to be jumping from one thing to another and "organising" everything without actually doing any work if that makes sense.
Hence the above two pics, i recently reorganised my studio and moved my main computer up there and added more space with an extra table, pinboards etc. I know some of you would be turning green by looking at all my space. I trully trully love having this space, it's also so good for my own mental wellbeing that i can close the door at the end of the day and put the work stuff behind me and move into family mode. The situation is a bit frustrating if i want to do work at night, but i still am getting my head around the idea that this was the reason why i moved it up here so i couldnt do too much at night as i am just not getting a break and need that time to do household chores and spend time with the family.


Along with all my studio organising, i had some task organising to do. I realised that there are lots of art and illustration competitions coming up that i really would like to enter, as well as my general tasks for the end of the year that wish to accomplish, and that i dont have any way to track these long term goals and projects. I keep a day per day, week by week view task list and calendar around at all times plus a monthly calendar on the wall but these do not allow me to schedule in my long term goals that i need to work towards.
So i decided to print out some month per view sheets from outlook and stick them on my cupboard.

On these i am writing out any comp deadlines or goals i have coming up so i can see how much time i have if i wish to enter them. Not sure the system would help anyone else but thought i would post in case your interested.


Also today i wanted to talk about this book:

http://www.sproutthelifeyoulove.com/
I am a follower of sarah prout on twitter, when i heard this book was for sale i snapped it up. First up, what an inspiration, i am only a few chapters in but i am really enjoying it. It's also challenging my thinking as i am trying to move forward to work out for myself what i want out of life and art and business as these women have done. I have to admit its a little daunting to think and how much work i have to do to get there. I think its partly responsible for my strange mood, and not being settled on tasks its seems my bigger picture is all over the place and its affecting me. Best go try again to get my head down and try to do some artwork.
ps. its taken me over 2 hours to get this blog post up! grrrrr

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Rose Sketch


Here is a sketch of some beautiful Roses i received on the weekend. :)

Thinking about websites and blogs at the moment, trying to suss out where to go my website is still broken and will cost me ongoing money to keep up, so looking to start again with new alternatives. Which is great but hard to find the time. I'll get there eventually :)

Friday, March 27, 2009

Pink Rose

"Pink Rose" - By Belinda Lindhardt, oil on canvas

Here is nice little one i have done for a family member's birthday. i hope she doesnt see this post and ruin the surprise, i dont think she will :) She loves roses, and we saw a painting recently that she really liked in this style, so i thought i would do one for her.
I know she will love it :)

This one i completed in under a week :) pretty proud of that effort :) Here is a pic that i posted on tweetpic, which you would have seen via twitter if your a twitter follower, and if you are .. are you following me ? www.twitter.com/steelkey.

I have had a very busy week this week, getting on with all sorts of things, i think i am finding my path but just sitting on it all for now and getting on with what needs to be done.
Part of that is working on my new website design. My current site / gallery is broken, i think i am going to rework things and start again.

My youngest also turned 3 this week, wow 3 years gone by, we had fun celebrating his birthday with some friends. A bit nostaligic for birthdays at the moment so many things changing its hard to work out where my feet are at, but as long as the kids have fun thats my ultimate goal.

Thats it for now :)

Monday, March 23, 2009

Shells by the beach

"Shells by the beach" - By Belinda Lindhardt, Pen

During the holiday / christmas period the boys and I spent a bit of time at the beach and collected quite a few shells :) They have been sitting in a bucket and I have looked at them from time to time knowing there was inspiration there. So many wonderful colours and shapes and textures, also an nice happy feeling that comes from going to the beach and summer.

On the weekend, i was setting some shells up for a still life coloured pencil piece and decided to start on this pen drawing while i was there :) I don't have to be as disciplined with these pen drawings as i would with a cp artwork, i can just start drawing and let it evolve.

Good fun :)

Hope you like it :)

Virtual Sketch Date - March

March Virutal Sketch Date

Here is my entry for the March VSD. It was a quickie but at least i did it :)

This is in between acouple of other works i am working on at the moment. More to come soon.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Illustration 20-3-09


Watercolour and Pen on Illustration Board by Belinda Lindhardt

This just started evolving into what you see above. I had envised a few things different, but just went with the flow of it just an experimented and a bit of fun.

I have had this piece of illustration board in my cupoard for a while and wanted to give it a try. It held up the watercolour surprisingly well as i tend to be heavy handed with watercolour. The pen was a little harder to work with on this than on the paper i had used in my last peice. I think i would use it again just maybe a little differently.

I think i could keep going on this one if i really wanted but i think its done its dash :) i like the girl i might do her again in another piece.

Just trying to relax on a few things at the moment, until i work out some direction. I have moved my office from my house to my studio, i cant begin to tell you want a difference this had made mentally. Previously, I was always being pulled to getting work done, even if it was just checking emails. Now when i am in the house, its time to do household chores and learning and quality time with my boys. There is now a distinction between work and personal which needed. I still have drawing area in the house to do artwork and illustration early mornings and at night and a computer to browse the internet but i have no software for emails, graphics etc so i physically can't do it when i am down there. I am a better mother and person for it :)

I will be a bit sparse the next few days my youngest is turning 3 on Tuesday have to do a cake and wot not :) How the time is flying by trying to make the most of every moment i can :)

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Somethings Dont Fit - Fee Shipping at Redbubble

Some Things Just Don't Fit

Here is an illustration inspired by my pen illustration on the weekend. I made it into a t-shirt which is available for purchase on Redbubble here along with my greeing cards and calendars.

Redbubble is having a promotion of free shipping which ends on Sunday ! To get the free shipping:

Simply enter ticktock in the "Gift Certificate or Promotional Code" box and click "Update Total" at checkout on RedBubble.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Pen Illustration


Here is the weekend's illustration.
I love doing these i think i will begin to do these more regularly.

Sorry about the lack of posts, i have been around, i am busy, busy with stuff as well as having another session where i am sorting out where i want to go from here. I think sometimes we stretch ourselves too far, sometimes its good just to pull back and work out what is really important and also just to get on with getting a job done.

I sorted and reorganised out my studio last week, i think i need to seperate my work from home life a bit more so i am forcing myself to work up there rather than in my house. I might have been sufferring from a bit of burnout. I love the new studio tho it looks great, will post a pic soon. It was also my 33rd birthday last week, i got spolit by all my boys :) had a great time, a am a very lucky woman. :)

Friday, March 06, 2009

Willy's Bubbles and Willy :)


Thought you might all apreciate this :) All 3 works are now off at the International Womens Day Exhibition at Gosford, so go along and see it for yourself.

Thursday, March 05, 2009

Which one will i choose? Framing Drafting Film Artworks

Click photo to view larger

Following on from my previous post on Willys Bubbles, on framing drafting film, i thought i would investigate a little further to work out which backing option i am going to go with when framing this piece. When doing a drafting film piece its always important to consider this, as your final result will be impacted by this and will mean that you will need to push or pull colours or highlights to compensate.

Its really hard to see the differences in these crude photos but you can slightlyso let me start. What i have done is display the artwork with different coloured card / paper behind them. You can see i have indicated the colour underneath each one.

The most noticable difference happens if you look at the ones with the light and the dark colours. eg. On the white one you can see the highlights on the face look quite exaggerated and harsh, kinda makes him look angry especially for a child where you dont want this look, whereas on the black or dark colour the highlights are not as obvious they seem to blend together more, its softer. In real life the differences are more obvious and the trade off is that on dark backgrounds the skin tones are a bit grey and colours not as vibrant (which is why i made them so bright as i was working) so its important to note that if you are going to do a piece like this and going to have it on a dark backing card you will need to make sure you make your whites white by working on the back and the front of the film, otherwise they will look grey. But if your artwork is prodominately a "light" coloured piece you may opt for a "light backing" so as not to make it too hard for yourself, use it to your advantage.

I haven't decided 100% as yet but i think i will go with the mid-tone backing, most likely the brown or grey. The black looks actually not too bad but i think it might just be pulling the colours back a tad. I will take the final photo once i decide :)

Willys Bubbles Final Touches

"Willys Bubbles" by Belinda Lindhardt, Artists Coloured Pencils on Drafting Film, 420 X 280mm

This artwork is just about there, as usual i am content with it, of course there are lots of things i would like to correct but for now i think i am done, barring a few minor fixes in between sprays of fixative.

The next question for this one is framing, i have a frame already set to go to match my "Maxys Bubbles" frame, so the frame itself is ok, however, with drafting film as its see through you need to include some type of coloured backing board which shows through. The colour of the backing changes the final output of the artwork. This photograph is taken on a tan background, when i placed it on a dark background it changed the "look"alot, and on a white or light background it changes again. i am not sure which route to take yet.

For the matt, i am thinking of framing this one with my signature under the drawing and the matt cut so that it shows the edges of the pencil onto the film, but it might look a bit funny. The reasoning is so that it shows off the materials used for this artwork ie. the film and the pencil, otherwise many people overlook these qualities and think that its just paint. :)

Anyway lots to do today this framing is just one of them. I framed my Gathering Strength last night for the exhibition. Its looking fab ! more photos to come !!! stay tuned.

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

International Womens Day Exhibition 2009 - Gosford Highschool this weekend


This weekend i will be entering 3 coloured pencils artworks in the
International Womens Day Exhibition run by the Multi Arts Conferation.

The 3 pieces on display are "Gathering Strength", "Maxys Bubbles" and my newly completed "Willys Bubbles".
The exhibition is open to the public from 9.30 to 5pm on Saturday & Sunday 6/7 March 2009 and is at Gosford High School, Gosford.

These artworks won't be forsale at this exhibition, however, greeting cards can be purchased for $4.20 each or 3 for $12- via me directly, or from the redbubble website. I have in stock "Gathering Strength" greeting cards as well as various cards of other artworks. Email belinda.lindhardt@gmail.com for details.

If your from the central coast area and happen to go along please leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts on the exhibition itself and works from the various artists.

For those of you who are looking at my website at the moment i appologise, its currently down, i have changed my website hosts and having a few issues with my rellocating my website. Hope to have it up ASAP.

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Willys Bubbles WIP4, Coloured Pencil on Drafting Film


This one is getting there.. I can see some things which are showing up on the photo aren't quite as prominent in real life so theres a bit more to do. This one has to be done by the weekend so i best get cracking.!!!
The drafting film is frustrating me a bit at this point, as i can't put down as many layers as i would like, and i can't blend as much as i like to. So it means lots of light layers, rubbing and then more light layers. more to come :)

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Sometimes there are hiccups :)

Willys Bubbles WIP

Yesterday i had one of them, i am too embarrassed to show you the eyes on this one, right now they are actually erased and show nothing but holes :) I just couldn't get the gaze and the pupils right on this which was noticeable when I came to do the second eye (serves me right for not working on both eyes at the same time).
Anyway so my pic for today is that i thought i would show you the progression of the mouth.

For all the artists here, i just wanted to highlight (briefly) the much debated issue of tracing your reference. I am not going to attempt to detail all the ins and out of why one should or shouldn't trace a reference, everyone has their own view points, some educated some not. Obviously my belief is that tracing is ok, its a method/tool in the art creation process much the same as a grid or any other numerous ways, they are all just methods, there is much that goes in the creation artwork beyond whether you trace or not. Just because you trace something doesn't mean that you are able to capture the essence of it and make it work, in fact its the opposite.

This latest hiccup demonstrates it entirely, just because i have traced the eyes to get positioning etc, doesn't mean i am able to render the eyes correctly, the eyes just don't look right. To start with the lines on the reference are dark and flat they don't quite represent the 3D aspect of the eyes correctly and therefore look "off".
For example: it doesn't really show how the eyeball sits within the eye socket, how the skin wraps around the eye, it briefly shows there is a shadow, but the shadow is flat instead of curved in certain places, in real life the eyelid wraps around your eyebrow / socket but in the photo it just looks like the one shade. If you have studied drawing eyes you will begin to understand a bit of how this works. I have only studied it briefly in the past which is i think why i am running into problems right now :) tells me that i need to do more sketching and life drawing... never mind i will get there :) What this means is tho, artists need to undertand and study how anatomy in particular works in order to draw or paint it correctly. You are making decisions throughout the process about what goes where if you dont understand it then you are going to struggle to get it right.

For now though, just wanted to point out how there are hiccups along the way keep plugging away you will get there :) practice practice practice its ALL part of the process :)

Friday, February 20, 2009

Willys Bubbles WIP3, Three things I love about drafting film

"Willys Bubbles" WIP - coloured pencil on drafting film

Here is a photo of this is progressing and while i am here i thought i would post

3 things I Love Love Love about working on drafting film

  • 1. You can erase back to the original surface with no deterioration of the surface in seconds, so unlike if your working on paper, if its not working just erase it with a normal eraser and start again no evidence, even 6-7 layers of pencil (drafting film doesn't take much more than that)its just too easy.

  • 2. It's fast, so much faster than paper, this sized artwork would have taken me probably about double the time at least to get to the same stage on paper.

  • 3. I can double check my drawing on my original reference at almost anytime by placing it over the top of it, during the production, so for things like eyes and fine details in portraits you can refer back quickly and easily. its amazing how often the original drawing and even your shadows etc get out of wack as you go along.
Drafting Film Supplies
Note to Australian Residents, especially in the Central Coast area, i have noted there are two different versions of "drafting film" available in my local area even though they are still called drafting film. The drafting film i am using for this artwork is (i think) equivalent to what they call "Mylar" in the US, its slightly opaque and very silky / smooth.
The supply I am using I bought on a recent visit to Sydney. My local art shop supplies a version which is a little more "papery" if that's a word :) a texture a bit like tracing paper. The latter does not give the same effect. The cost different is usually also an indicator the papery version being about $2- an A2 sheet where as the better version about $6-.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Internations Womens Day Exhibition

Gathering Strength - Belinda Lindhardt, coloured pencil on Stonehenge

I am a little annoyed, well alot annoyed but at myself which is even more frustrating.
Part of my inspiration for the above piece "Gathering Strength" was instigated by the fact that i wanted to do something for International Womens Day which is March 8-9. Last year really wanted to enter something which "said" something and so this was my result.

I had been planning to enter it into Gosford Art Gallery - International Women's Day exhibition which was under selection criteria this year. I have had the application for a few weeks. It was required to have statement about the event to go along with the application which i have spent a good part of the morning doing (also putting it off for weeks not sure what to say).
I for some unknown reason had written down the date for the application to be in by the 29th or the 19th Feb (which is today). So as i am filling out the form i see that the date was actually on the 9th of February and so i have missed out !!! I am so annoyed, i was planning on entering another exhibition also for the Multi Arts Society (this application date is the 29th Feb, hence the confusion) so looks like i will only be entering in that. GRRR!

Anyway, with the view not to waste a mornings work i figured i might as well post here the statement for International Womens Day i wrote regarding this piece. So here you go!

International Women’s Day 2009
Last year after hearing about International Womens Day, I remember thinking that I would like to create a piece for International Womens Day 2009. I remember thinking about what it was to be a woman and what it meant to me.

For most women becoming a mother is time when you usually change to some degree, some more than others. From the moment a woman becomes a mother she is forced to start making decisions and sacrifices for her children so they can have the best start possible.

I knew I wanted to do piece about becoming a mother as it’s had such a profound effect on the woman I am. I am a mother of 3 children 1 lost during pregnancy at 5months in 2002, and today i have two wonderful healthy boys 3 and 5 years old.
During 2008, I was challenged by events that were occurring in my own little family, I was going through a separation and an unexpected change of life. During this difficult time, the love and need to look after my children gave me strength. It was through and for them I was able to pull through and just get through each day moving forward. I remember thinking that it would be the same for all of us, especially during difficult times that our children give us strength, they weren’t doing anything directly they were just there and needed protection and love and that is what spurred me on and still does continue to inspire me everyday to help them grow and learn.

So my piece “Gathering Strength” was created. It was to challenge me artistically by being my largest coloured pencil piece to date. I wanted to explore various ways of laying down colour in a way that loosened my style up but also wanted to experiment in new techniques to help cut down on some of the time involved in creating large coloured pencil pieces. It was also to challenge me composition wise as I wanted to convey a story and pull the viewer in to try to see something happening in the piece rather than a standard portrait.

Here is what was written in my online art journal during the works in progress stage:

” I don't choose to see it as a sign of weakness but a sign of strength, that you can come through something difficult with your head held high. The truth is, although this is good in theory its not always easy to find that inner strength. This piece is about how I have been gathering my strength, its through the wonderful support of friends and family but especially through the love of my two boys.

So, for all the mums out there i am sure at one point in your lives you have had to pull yourself together and find strength from somewhere. This piece is about being a mum and the strength that loving your children and them loving you without them knowing it can give you.”

This artwork took over 70hours and 2.5 months to complete.
This International Womens Day I am in a much happier place and more settled place. I know I have an inner strength to deal with all the unexpected changes that life continues to throw up and I will come through doing what is right for me and my children.
This day is exploring and showcasing individual’s journeys and what being a woman means to them. This piece all is about what it means to me in 2009.

“Gathering Strength” – by Belinda Lindhardt.
Prismacolor and Polychormos coloured pencils on Stonehenge paper.
Frame size = 71 X 83 cm
Artwork size = 41 X 55 cm


Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Where will my art be in the future ?

http://www.news.com.au/technology/gallery/0,23607,5037070-5014321,00.html
I just came across this article in todays paper, it showscases all types of new technologies being developed. There are examples of phones, computers, screens etc all ways to communicate in the future, its amazing. Many of these things being developed i imagine wont be too far away relatively speaking. Just look at the development in recent years, I was only just thinking the other day about my first pc which my dad bought when i was a kid(which was a "VIC 20") which was before commodore 64 it didnt have a harddrive and didnt have a mouse. I had to sit and program lines of code for ages just to get it to flash colourful hearts on the screen. I am sure it cost a bomb at the time.

Seeing all the photos in the article leads me to think about my art, where will it be in the future? People today and especially our youth are bombared by so much imagery and with the technology in cameras, phones etc almost everyone is a "photographer" or a webdesigner.
Even just in my 12 years of doing graphic design, not many people knew about graphic design when i first started and in particular things like editing photos, setting up webpages. Many would not have even considered doing it themselves. Yet today people, with the advance of technology do it everyday for both private and business use. (doesnt mean they should just because they can - but thats a different post).
So what about your / my art in the future, how will it compete all the imagery that even today is going on around it? Why would people pay to have your art rather than a photo or a cool pic on their screen ? Would they really care about the skills/techniques you have learnt in order to make that art?
How will people view art? With so these "screens" and technology available everywhere would people really have space for a pictuure on the wall ? Or would it be viewed via a screen ? But then how is your "art" different from just a photo which has been edited in photoshop? (apart from the physical presence of it rather than a computer file).
hmmm lots of things to ponder and i am just blabbering, i am not sure what the answer is but i know its something that i have tried to do with all my recent pieces is to make it tell a story or present a circumstance or emotion. Maybe emotions is what will pull it through rather than being like everything else out there!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Willys Bubbles WIP3, Coloured Pencil on Drafting Film


More WIP (works in progress) on this one. Thought you might all like to see how the background is coming together.

Here is a detail shot of the back of the film as you can see i am quite rough with this area.

I have included a shot so you can see i am working with a brown paper underneath the work so you can see the colour better, but this shot also shows you what it looks like on the white of my drawing table.



The other shot here shows the "front" side after i have completed filling in all of the back. Doing the squiggles like this is surprisingly quick you can fill in large areas. :)


Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Willys Bubbles WIP2, Coloured Pencil on Drafting Film


Here is an update to this one :)

It's coming along, started on the ear, i also started on the other side of the background, its looking a bit different than the first part.hmmm.. but it will get there :) thats the glory of cp.. as the pieces take so long, you are in a different mood each time you do it.. strokes etc vary :) i will match it up tho :)

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Willys Bubbles WIP, Coloured Pencil on Drafting Film

"Willys Bubbles" WIP, CP on drafting film

Here is a teaser of my newest one. Its of my youngest son Will. He is such a cheeky boy i hope to capture a bit of that in this one.

It's 420X280mm, Coloured Pencil on Drafting Film.

I have tried to be quite round with the background using lots and lot of squiggles and colours. (click on the image for a larger view) this technique i think works a little bit better on paper than on drafting film, but its still progressing nicely i am happy with the way its going.

For those new to drafting film, its great for coloured pencils as you are able to colour on both sides of the film. Shadows and highlights can be encouraged by adding these too the back, giving off a really nice effect. Sometimes when applying details it can get a bit tricky as you are working in reverse, but its actually not too bad.
Will post more soon.

Friday, February 06, 2009

Sketch


I havent been keeping up with my sketching of late. Yesterday i did and it felt good :)
Here is my little quick sketch.

Thursday, February 05, 2009

New Blog Update

As you can see i have updated my blog !!!
Updating my blog was one of the things on my list of Tasks to do for January/February so i feel great for having achieved it.
I conducted my "research" ( basically recorded what i liked about blogs i visited over the January period) with the view to update my blog in February. As my regular readers would know my blog design was updated not too long ago but in this update i was concentrating on the content and functions and being specific about things i should and shouldn't include and why.
I still have a few things to do mainly the external links and my art website /selling stuff to sort out but for now the blog is updated ready to cater for all that stuff.
Let me know what you think, any suggetions or comments i am happy to take all onboard for thinking :)

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

In some weird funk

Sorry for not post this past week, i am in some weird funk, i cant seem to get going on my art. I have a really strong urge to do a portrait and a coloured pencil piece at that but cant seem to find the right subject or story. I havent been doing my sketching, i just cant seem to quieten my mind or sit still long enough to do it.

I have been absolutely FLAT out this month with my sons 5th birthday, preparations seemed to be lasting for weeks... I have also been helping my mum move after selling her house after 33 years (so yes kinda a big deal). I also FINALLY recieved my new computer which means that i can now work on things without it suddenly shutting down on me at random moments but that has also meant i am busy installing software and sorting out files etc etc taking up my time.

Something I have learnt to deal with about myself recently is that i seem to need to "build myself up" to large social events as well as major events that occur in my life. When there are big things going on they seem to absorb all of my energy, Really! by the end of the day i have no strength left and just roll into bed no space left in my mind. When the events are over or a milestone is reached because i put so much energy into them i need time to just gather myself again, take stock and just quieten myself before i can start going again. This month has been one of those busy months and while i still have alot going on i seem to be just gathering my foundations again to move forward.

This evening i have been looking at my goals and while i seem to be on track for some of my plans i am behind on others but i am not beating myself up thats ok, they will just get moved onto the list for next time.

I am hoping from tomorrow things will have settled down as far as my family commitments for a bit and i can focus on getting some task done. Baby steps!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

January 2009 Virtual Sketch Date

Pen Sketch


Above is my entry for January's Virtual Sketch Date.

Thankyou to Jeanette Jobson for the reference photo and for all the organising.

This one was just a quickie and was just pen on paper when i had a spare bit of time.
It's one of the most hectic weeks of the year this week, my oldest son turned 5 and i am throwing him a big party as well as a few other family things go on so its pretty full on. I have fallen a bit behind already on my goals for sketching but i think as soon as i get all the party preparations out of my hair I will be back on track.

Anyway, again just want to say this is so fun to do ! I am so glad i did it even if it was only a quickie.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Central Coast Art Society, Summer Exhibition


"Farmor's Milk Jug" by Belinda Lindhardt,
Artitsts Coloured Pencils on Pastelboard, 9X12

The Central Coast Art Society have their summer exhibition this weekend. I will be exhibiting 3 artworks in the exhibition, i have just come back from dropping the artworks off and it looks to be a pretty good standard this year.

The 3 pieces I have there are, "Light Summer", "A Light Path" (from my last two posts) and "Farmors Milk Jug" (included in this post) i.e. two oils and a coloured pencil piece. (always try to get in at least 1 cp piece when entering a few). All will be for sale via the exhibition organisers, i would be a little sad to see any of them go to be honest but happy at the same time.
I hung the "Light Summer" up in my room last night rather than the studio so i could experience it for myself for the evening :) hehehe - definitely recommend you do that fellow artists :)

If your from the area make sure you go check it out, i will be there also checking out all the works. It's the studio right next door to the Gosford Regional Gallery, you just park at the gallery and you will see the signs.

Here are the details:
Gosford Arts Centre,(Next to Gosford Regional Gallery)
36 Webb Street, East Gosford.
Opening Night Friday 16th Jan, 6.30pm
Sat 17th Jan - Sun 18th Jan, 9.30-4pm.

Here is the website to the Central Coast Art Society .

Monday, January 12, 2009

Ever Re-visited an artwork ? A Light Path, Oils

I can say that i have too often, in fact i would avoid it at all costs, i like to move on and move forward, rather than trying to fix something that is not quite right, sometimes i have done this in the past to "save" it and you work and work and work and just never get there.

In saying that though, there is advantage in both design and art to let the artwork "sit" for a bit. Just to revisit it with fresh eyes and fresh perspective. You somehow see things that you previously didn't see and new inspiration can hit you.

"A Light Path" - By Belinda Lindhardt Oils on Canvas

The latter is what i did with this above piece, i thought i had finished it but i think i called it finished cause i was tired of looking at it not because i felt it was finished. Something about it bothered me, i didnt know what but somehow i had a feeling it wasnt done.

So this past week this painting was revisited, (and yes i have posted it before so you have seen this one before also) just about all of it was adjusted and its made for a much better job.

this painting is about a journey, a "light" path, i know in my previous version this wasnt highlighted enough. its also go a few other themes in there that i was thinking of when i painted it, but i dont want to interpret my paintings for everyone i like to see what people think of it themselves.

This one will be in the Summer Exhibition at Gosford Arts Center this weekend. Will post the details next post.

071 - Light Summer, Oils on Canvas


"Light Summer", 18 X 36", Oils on Canvas, by Belinda Lindhardt

I know i already posted this one last week or so. But i wanted to get a better photo of it and so i have. To go along with it also have included a detail shot of the grasses for Rose :) I used ultramarine blue in amongst the grasses to get the shadows and the darker areas happening. In RL the colours on it are quite subtle its really nice. I really like this one :)



This week, i am gettting a few paintings prepared for a local exhibition, so as i varnish and apply hooks, get name tags prepared etc, it always amazes me how much time these little details take :) But i also enjoy the process as it gives me time to reflect on what others will take from my work and to think about what to do in the future. It's an important part of the process. Makes me feel like a real artist.
This piece, along with a couple of others will be exhibited and for sale in the exhibition run by the Central Coast Art Society at Gosford. Details to come.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

072 - Tree Girl (Inspired)

"072 - Tree Girl" Ink and Wash on Arches, Size: A5, by Belinda Lindhardt

As part of my plans for 2009, one of the series i am going to be working on are my "Tree Girls". I really enjoy doing them, they generally arent as involved as a canvas or coloured pencil piece, i can turn them over in a relatively short time frame and i have had a really good response to them to date. I would like to be selling these at a lower price point than my other works, but i also want to develop these to produce a series, perhaps an exhibition one day or a publication at end of the year. So my goal is produce one of these every fortnight so i should have a few by the end of the year.

This one i am cheating with a bit with in terms of my goals, as i started on it last year, but i am the boss here right ? So that's ok i will let myself off on this one :)

Oh and before you start, i also do realise that this one doesn't actually have a girl in it. It's ok for me to do that too. I have an album of them on facebook here, will update my website soon so you can see them all together :)

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Goals set and Ready to Go ! 2009 - Part2


Following on from my post yesterday Goals set and Ready to Go ! 2009 Part one - Here is Part 2 and how I came to my magnificent plan for 2009. As I mentioned yesterday rather than go into my specific goals I am going to keep this a bit broad and explain my process with the hope that it helps others.

Brainstorming
As I wrote yesterday, one of my main problems in working out my goals and vision was that I didn’t know where I want to go, I was just coping and I had nothing to strive for and whenever I tried to think about it I would just come up with a blanks and it all seemed very hard.

I knew I had to dedicate some time so I locked myself up in a room (had a babysitter to watch the kids), got out a big A3 sketch pad and in the middle I wrote the question “Where do I want to go? what do I want to do ?”. I then wrote small notes or words around the question whatever came to my head.
For example: the words security, independence, selling art, money, direction and future amoung others popped up.
Following that I then started to question and add to what the word meant or other things connected with that. ie. Art = future for me and my children, enjoyment, a direction.
Following that my process was eg. Art: Who buys my art ? Or who is likely to buy my art? What have I sold to date? What are comments about it? What art do I enjoy doing most? Etc.

Then I turned the page and went through this process for my design business. ( I realized I have two separate thought processes for both my design and my art even though they do merge quite often to similar themes they are different). So again questions like where do I want to go? what markets should I target? what has been working for me so far? What has brought in the most income over the past year? What doesn’t bring me income?

On this step it didn’t matter that this page doesn’t make sense, I know that it will later. When this started pulling up a blank again, I put it aside for a few days and came back to it. I think this was important, it allowed me to have some distance and think more about what was going on. If anything came up I had forgotten I added it, then after a few days I re- read it and repeated the process with few more questions, added a few more notes. Then I let it sit for a few more days again.

Analysing
After this it all needed to be analysed. I had loads of notes on bits of paper everywhere. I basically tried look at common themes or statements I had written, I did have the same issues that I just kept coming back to and realized these must be the important ones. I then looked at the things that could be classified as “goals” or things I wanted to do and wrote some notes on what action I could take to get to that goal. Some goals would require some steps before I could move to the next, (thanks to Joan for teaching me that one) what would they be ?

After lots of messy scribbles and writing I then decided it needed to be cut down and consolidated and record all really important stuff. So I then started a word document and titled it
“WHAT I WANT TO HAVE ACCOMPLISHED BY THE END OF 2009”


I found it easier to start with the result I wanted, and then I would work back to how to get there.

I started it with a motto for the year “Working Smarter Not HARDER”

( one of the things I realized in my brainstorming session, as I mentioned in yesterdays post, I cant work harder at this point it has to be smarter which means basically not spending time on things that don’t bring me to my end goal. My time is limited I need to spend it more wisely)

VISION
"I am supporting myself and my family."

(This is vision is something I kept coming back to. It’s something that is very important to me in this time in my life, it is something I realized that also gives me many other things such as security, accomplishment, a reason for doing what I am doing, it gives value to what I am doing and why I am doing.)

GOALS
My next step was to work out ACTUAL things I would like to have accomplished by the end of 2009.
This step really helped me sort my head out.
Some examples I came up with were:

  • have at least 3 sketchbooks completed (something I realized I really need to stick to over the year)
  • increased my illustration portfolio,
  • increased my mailing list (technically I know I should have a number or percentage here but seeing as I don’t have many atm the only way is up )

In setting these goals I was very careful to make sure that I haven’t set the bar too high but is also a challenge to work to over the year. I also included some personal ones as well connected with the kids as these are just as if not more important.
It’s also important to note here that there were some goals I came up with which didn’t really align with my vision, they would just take time away from what I really wanted to do so I scrapped them. Everything came back to my vision and the steps I need to get there.

ACTIONS
After doing all that I came up with ACTIONS that I can do throughout 2009 which if I keep at it throughout the year will help me achieve the goals.

  • Complete 1 cp drawing a month
  • Complete 1 canvas a fortnight
  • Participate in the VSD
  • Ensure I have at lease 1 extra fun activity with the boys a week (something I haven’t been able to do)
Again I had to remember to no set anything that I wont be able to meet, I don’t want to set myself up to fail. But I do have to be disciplined to meet these goals, and I do have to have a deal with myself that I am committed to achieve them.

KEEPING MOTIVATED and Being Accountable
So after all these goals are defined I need to keep motivated to be able to actually do them. The biggest thing for me is that I forget, so I printed out my VISION out including my ACTIONS as well as some little affirmations or sayings that I need to be reminded of, laminated it and have stuck it next to my computer monitor so I will look at it a few times everyday.

Part of my stresses last year was not just art and work but also things like keeping up with the housework, preparing dinners and family stuff. During this whole process I realized I have not been allocating enough time to these things. Somehow I was assuming that they will get done but as there is only me to do them and my task list is long I continually put these tasks off, they become a mammoth overwhelming time consuming task which only adds to the problem.

A saying that I heard last year at the business mums conference was to “DO A LITTLE BIT OFTEN” so as part of managing my time better I am going to adopt this system.
For example: boring stuff like dishes, rather than putting off emptying the dishwasher I will make sure I do it first thing. This will save me time later on rather than the dishes of the day accumulating. For art I will set aside a timeframe for artwork so I am only spending 30mins or 1 hour and then move onto other jobs. I will also do things like allocate tasks which take less brain power for the night rather than the morning, and save my morning head for things which take a lot of my concentration.
For example: I need to sort out all my bookmarks./ favorites. This I can do at night when I am tired, it doesn’t take much brainpower. Better to do it at night than in the morning when my brain is on full steam.

I will also be concentrating on investing my time on activities that will help make me money and bring me towards my goal (for my design business). Rather than cost me time. It’s not all about the money, there are things I need to do which I enjoy which is catching up with friends or helping someone out, but at the same time I need to watch that this isn’t constantly absorbing my time as I don’t have the luxury of being able to invest too much time in other things.

MONTHLY TASK PAGE
I realized that I also have a few tasks which are one-off tasks which need to be done and allocated but once they are done I can move on. So as well as all of the above I also setup a page which is titled
TASKS FOR JANUARY 2009
.

In this list are 6 tasks which I need to get done by the end of January.
For Example:
  • Update to my blog. Before I do that I need to do some research on other blogs. So my task is: I must research at least 10 blogs, noting the designs, sidebars, tags, what I like and don’t like about them.
  • Another one is to setup and install my new computer system which is hopefully coming mid January.

The Montly Task Page is printed and placed on the other side of my monitor. I think this list will work basically based on guilt and help me with avoiding all the stresses I wrote about above. I tend to feel guilty if I am wasting time. Or if I am wasting time its because I don’t have anything allocated to do (or I am procrastinating on it). This list is there starring at me its prevents me wasting my time (I hope).

At the bottom of this page I have the result of these tasks. Or reward if you like. The reward is after I do my research I will be able to make conscious decisions and implements my findings into my own blog template in February.

ALLOCATING THE TASKS
After this step was completed I then got out my organizing system that I talked about in yesterday's post and allocated blocks of time and reminders to my days and weeks. It’s all very well to have these goals in place but they need to fit into my day. I need to be held accountable to them. Tasks and reminders have been placed on days when I am likely have time to get them done. So they will be. This is also very important step as without specifying when you are going to do it all and MAKING the time for it wont get done.
Oh and in case your wondering .. yes I also allocated some “mum time” in there 1 morning a week. For an hour, just to have time for a coffee at the coffee shop or have some peace time to myself when the boys are at kindy !! It’s the one time in the whole week its just for me to sit.


DIRECTION
So after all of this if I still have your attention the final thing I have done is to have some Directions also printed out.

Basically my DIRECTIONS are ideas, notes, broad statements or just important points I need to remember that came out of my brainstorming which helps align my activities. I categorized them into Art Direction, Design Direction, Personal Direction and listed about 5 points for each.
For Example.
Art Direction:

  • work more in a series
  • exlplore some limited palette pieces
  • continue to explore more time saving and messy techniques. You get the idea…
Personal Direction:
  • Encourage the boys to help out more around the house with tidying up, becoming more independent .

LONG TERM GOALS
During the process some long term goals came up for things I would like out of my life. i.e. For the next few months, years etc. These are specific i.e. I want to have this done or that sorted by X Month. (You thought I was going to share those didn’t you !! I have to keep some things secret! So nope your not finding out :P) These are printed and will be filed along with my accomplishments for 2008. Something I don’t need to see everyday but its there to refer to.


CONCLUSION
In conclusions my process was as follows:
  1. Brainstorming
  2. Analyzing the Brainstorming
  3. Defining My Vision and Putting It up to keep Motivated
  4. Defining Goals - What I want to accomplish in 2009 with Actions I can do regularly
  5. Creating a Month task page with results / actions
  6. Allocate your Tasks to your Daily Planning Schedule
  7. Creating a Directions page to with specific notes on directions
  8. Long Term Goals

So there you have it! I am not sure whether you made it through all of that post Congratulations if you did. One of the reasons why do my blog is that I want my help others through my journey. If your struggling with your goal setting I hope there might be something here that helps you. Let me know if it does I would love to know.