Delight (from the Indian Paintbrush Series) Giclee Print in the Etsy Shop

Etsy Shop Announcement!

Delight, Indian Paintbrush Wildflower

Giclee Fine Art Print

8" x 10" with 1" white border, 

signed in pencil within white border.

Packaged in a clear cellophane sleeve.

$45.00 plus shipping and handling.

It's not hard to fall in love with the wildflowers of Montana!

In such a range of colors and petal arrangements, each has its own unique characteristics that set it apart from the others.

These Giclee prints are created with high quality attention to

both detail and color, using archival grade inks and media.

The premium Giclee paper is thick, heavy weight and its texture is quite similar to watercolor paper with a natural white, matte finish.

This description is from the Etsy listing:  

The Indian paintbrush is a wildflower that varies in hue from pale pinks and whites to reds and oranges.  The reds and oranges are more easily spotted on the mountainside and near the hiking trails.  They love the sunny locations and they bloom from spring to fall.  

This Indian Paintbrush wildflower is a different variety than I have painted in the past.  The leaves and the petals vary between varieties.  The process from sketch to applying paint was a true delight; the progress just flowed easily throughout until it was completed.  The most daring point was applying blue and purple shadows to give it depth and form.  I was apprehensive that it would be a step I'd regret but thankfully, it worked like I hoped.

The pale yellows transition to oranges and reds on the petals and even on the edges of the leaves.

This spectacular wildflower is such a great subject and one I'm sure to paint again.

To read more about the Indian Paintbrush series of watercolor paintings as they progressed in my art studio, here's the link to the Indian Paintbrush post.

I enclose this Giclee print in a clear cellophane wrapper along with a description of the artwork as above.

I also include my card and a free handmade gift card.  It's ready to frame or wrap as a special gift.

It will be packaged with foam board and cardboard to ensure it arrives in perfect condition!

Want a peek at the handmade gift cards?  One of the special perks included with every purchase - a handmade blank note card for you!  Such a fun little detour, making these one-of-a-kind creations with a bit of watercolor mop card as an accent.  Keep it or give it away... that's up to you!  It's my pleasure to show my appreciation, believing the extra attention makes all the difference!  Each one is unlike the others, the color combinations and design are a surprise as well.  What's not to love about a free gift with purchase?  

Questions?  Comments?  Suggestions?

Please feel welcome to share!  Pin it as well!

Have a beautiful day and thank you for stopping by...

-Christy

because she must make art.

Links & Info

Etsy:  ChristySheelerArtist (Delight listing)

Facebook:  Christy Sheeler - Artist

Pinterest:  Christy Sheeler | Watercolors

Instagram:  @christysheeler.artist

Email:  christysheeler.artist@gmail.com

Roadside Views of Yucca Blooming

Montana life means

 time spent on the road.  

Road trips mean fast stops for photography!  I spend my time in the passenger seat with a camera in my lap.  While we travel down the road, I watch for interesting details along the way.  Recently we drove to Bozeman to see some of my family.  A few hours and Famous Dave's BBQ made a great Father's Day!  We didn't have much time to spend together but we made the most of it!  We spent the evening with them and then drove back home late that night.

While we made our way to Bozeman that day, I gazed out the window at the landscape.  A beautiful day was framed in with bright blue skies above and these lovely yucca blooming on the hillside.  We pulled off at the next exit, giving me opportunity to hop out of the car.  A quick 3 minutes with my camera resulted in a few great reference photos.  The blossoms are bundled in clusters on the stalk.  The shades of color vary with outer petals having more of a rusty pink tinge.  The wind was blowing (of course it was...this IS Montana)  so the petals are more open in some areas.  The roadside views of yucca blooming made for such a nice surprise that day!

Dancing Poppies Watercolor Painting

I meant to highlight each of the poppies watercolor paintings.  In the series of four paintings completed together, I shared each in a post of its own.  All except this one.

It's really no wonder; I've felt a bit scattered and disorganized lately.  My success in managing so many aspects of the art process varies with life's seasons.  I'm still learning how to keep it all together between artistic pursuits and family needs.

Bear with me, I'm finding the rhythm.  Maybe like learning a complicated dance step?


I would like to present Dancing Poppies, the completed watercolor painting!  It was completed in late February 2016.  The original watercolor painting is available on Etsy in my Christy Sheeler Artist shop.  (This post added April 2016.)  

Along the way, as the blog develops, I'm enjoying being able to share behind-the-scenes views of the process, like a virtual studio tour!  Hey, I'm so glad you had time to drop in today... Can I offer you something to drink, iced coffee, water, green tea?  Let's get started, it's just so fun to have friends stop by with eagerness to see the art studio.

Sketch It Out 

So this painting began as a simple value sketch with Sharpie fine point black marker.  You can see there's a vague and loose feel to the sketches.  Using a black and white print of the photographs helps me see the range of values from lightest to darkest areas.  This is not a regular habit of mine and I'm still deciding whether I'll use it on a regular basis.  I've got a feeling I'm already doing this subconsciously in my planning process.  The composition of this piece is not one that follows the traditional rules.  Without realizing it, I have a composition that breaks rules.

A Photograph for Reference

The photo reference I used for this piece with one change:  the flower at the left is reversed and placed at the far right.  This was a bit of a challenge when it came time to paint it with the light coming from the top left.  The light striking the petals needs to be consistent for all the flowers.  Mind bending?  Yes.  I still do it to myself anyway.

Tracing Paper Has The Details

Tracing paper has become my favorite for sketching.  It's easy to draw in a detailed way and erasing is effortless.  Now, with the sketch for Dancing Poppies, clipped to the board, I can transfer it to the watercolor paper with a sheet of carbon transfer paper sandwiched between the layers.

Let the Watercolor Do Its Thing

The first washes of watercolor pigment are soft and loose.  I begin with the background for this piece.  Where I begin varies with each painting.  There are some that begin with the main subject.  Here, I had such joy in working on wet paper, allowing the pigment to flow where it pleased.  When I am concerned about pigment moving into delicate petal areas, I apply masking fluid while the paper is dry.  I applied masking fluid in stages so that stems and leaves had a soft wash of the background as their base color.  It's much easier to be free and spontaneous when I don't have to work carefully around details.

In the background, the other three watercolor paintings in the poppies series are resting on the easel.  I have them there to study at a glance.  If there are problems, I'll usually notice them in passing more than while painting on them for an extending period of time.  There will be a final critique session with that great husband critic at the end.  Dancing Poppies, on the studio table, has a background that's building with layers of watercolor pigments.  It's even taken on a golden tone in the upper left area of the painting.

For some reason, I was so busy in the throes of creativity, there are no photos of this piece while the petals were being painted.  Sometimes, it happens like that.  I get a spurt of crazy get-this-going energy and there's no stopping until it's done.  So the completed Dancing Poppies with the tools used along the way.  The value studies, the sample brushstrokes of color, and the color mixing grid all help me through the process to the finish.

A shot of the studio table while work is going on shows my typical set up.  Occasional time-outs are called for some clean up.  It seems that in the flurry of paintbrushes and pigment, things get cluttered and out of sorts.  At the end of the day, I'll bring it all back to tidy again so it won't be an intimidating sight the next morning. 

The Finished Painting

Dancing Poppies, the rule breaker for composition design.  The sunlit leaves weaving their way through at an angle seem to help it work...at least in my mind's eye.

Etsy:  the Christy Sheeler Artist shop and Dancing Poppies listing.

Well, I feel better knowing that Dancing Poppies got its own reveal.  Maybe no one will ever know the difference...but if you're here reading this, it did make a difference!

So what do you think of composition?  Do you like the more traditional or the unusual view better?  Maybe you've never really thought about it before.  This week, here's a challenge:  keep your eye on the look out for art that you enjoy most.  Look for the way the main parts are arranged.  Do you think it's traditional or not?

-Christy

she must make art.

P.S.  To see the blog post about the full process of all four poppies watercolor paintings in this series, click:  Watercolor Poppies Complete Art Process.

Art Studio Update March 2016

Let's chit chat about works in progress

I've been a busy girl, wanting to get it all done now, when there's not enough hours or energy to keep up!  There isn't a specific to-do this for each day.  That probably needs to change.  I have a mental list of tasks and goals but no real game plan for each day.  It feels like a bit of chaos.  

I'm sidetracked so easily!  In fact, I've got quite a bit to share so here we go:

1.  Etsy shop new listings

The final two poppies watercolor paintings are now listed in the ChristySheelerArtist shop on Etsy.
These are the originals, 8" x 10" in size, on 300 lb. Arches cold-press watercolor paper.  

Poppies Sunlit Blooms 2016

Christy Sheeler Artist at Society6

Another avenue for my watercolor artwork

It brings me much excitement and joy to share my artwork is uploaded and available to purchase online.

Christy Sheeler Artist on Society6:  A great selection of art design items!!!

My originals are available for purchase on Etsy ChristySheelerArtist now.  This one, titled Poppy Single hasn't been added to the Etsy shop yet...but soon.
In time, I'll have my own website and ready to have them purchased there.

How great would it be to have my art on a tote bag, an iphone case, a coffee cup...

Well, that is reality as of today!

This will be a project in the making...my work is cut out for me.  If there is a painting you've seen here and would really love to have available on the Society6 site, please comment or send me an email!  

                                      

                        Coffee Mug                          Mobile Device Cases                        Throw Pillows



                                           

                     Tote Bag                                        Rug 3 sizes                                  Fine Art Prints  




I am absolutely in LOVE with this Poppy Single artwork, as you can tell... it's the one I chose to take on this adventure.  So, now there are many more to come...

Thank you for visiting today!

You never know when I'll have something new I can't wait to share!!!

Have a fabulous weekend!

-Christy