Colored Pencil Portrait Complete

Colored Pencil Portrait Finished

     I am working on finishing a lot of my unfinished projects and this is one of them.  She is my niece and this was taken at the St. Louis zoo.  She was so photogenic!  She just loved to pose for the camera!  I will compete with this piece and then I will send it to my brother where it will have a permanent home.

This piece is mostly done with neutral colors.  French grays, cool and warm grays and a few other colors as well.  I used a couple brands of colored pencil.  I have the full line of both Prismacolor and Derwent Coloursoft.  I am looking at adding the Luminess full color set next month.

I want to a little bit about cameras.

     With cameras the way they are nowadays, it is so easy to take a change, take a lot of photos, and take your time going through them.  You should also try to get the settings right and check the focus.  Do a test shot to check your settings, unless you have a scene that is rapidly changing.  Doing a test shot and checking it can save you from disappointment when you get home.

In the world of cameras, it is important to understand that having a high megapixel doesn’t necessarily mean you will have a great picture.  The quality of the glass used in the lenses, and much more goes into a great camera.  I found that out the hard way.  I received a new camera as a gift.....higher megapixels, so I gave my old camera away to someone in my family!  Well it does not take as great of pictures, and she won’t give me my old one back.....even though I am doing free

paintings for them.  I am just trying to save a little and hopefully get the same camera again.

Lots of learned lessons there.

Email me here if you have any questions.

You can check out my website here to look at my other art.  Human and animal portrait commissions accepted.  Wildlife art, floral, still life and scenic paintings for sale. 

Shipping available worldwide.  We are experienced shippers.

PayPal accepted 

“Logging the miles on your brushes (pencils) is the only way to really advance as an artist.”

                                                                                                    ~ Deborah Boyet ~  
                                                                                                 Wildside Art

Camellia inWhite

I love to paint in white but a bug eaten camellia is a tedious and puzzling piece of art work if you paint in a realist style as I do.  So it is a labor of love that continues.

Email me here if you have any questions.

View my other work on my website.

Thanks for looking and don’t forget to stop and smell the roses....or whatever flower may come your way.

                                ~ Deborah Boyet ~

Brush Flush Revitalizes Brush Washer

Love my Brush Flush!  Have used it for years but put it to the test today.  Took my old Holbein brush washer that held turps and had been sitting in a corner for years.  Opened it and WOW I was blasted by a smell and greeted by scummy build up at least 1/2 inch of paint and reduced turpentine.  Yuck.        Cleaned out the gunk and then started washing it with Dawn. No luck, so then I took my Brush Flush and before long it were free of all that build up!!!

I have had this one bottle for a long long time but now it is time to reorder.  Worth every bit of $15.95.  This bottle is more than 10 years old!

      At the end of my oil painting session I wash my brushes in Gamsol, then take them to the sink and start washing them in Brush Flush and cool water.  It is amazing to me every single time, how much paint remains in the brushes.   This is one product I take with me everywhere I paint.

     This is a reminder to never use water that is very warm on your brushes.  You will loosen the glue that holds the bristles/hairs/fibers in place.

Email me if you have any questions.

You can view my artwork here.

 ~ Deborah Boyet ~

Wildside Art

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Showing My True Colors! An Idea To Chart Watercolors

     I have been looking for a way for a very long time to chart my wartercolors.....Hey, a chart works great........until you add new colors.  Then what?  You have to start all over if you want to keep your color families together.
     Now I am sure that none of what I am doing is new.  In fact, I started with this idea years ago, but the materials were not very good and they still may not be.  Time will tell.  I have ordered plastic coin holders that fit the swatch stamp made by Danielle Donaldson.   You can stamp and quickly cut a bunch out and have them ready to paint and write the info on.  Very quick and they are cute too.   She has a lot of different styles.  You should go check it out and order something from her market here.  You really have to see more of these cuties!

Go to Danielle Donaldson’s website and go to her Market section.  She has a lot of interesting stamps to choose from.

     So I have decided to showcase two watercolor-colors that I own as often as possible.  That means talking about my favorite company.....Ta-da-da-da!!Daniel Smith and their fabulous, beautiful and earthy colors as well as a few other companies that have colors that are simply beautiful.  So here goes......the first two colors I want to show off and talk about.  I made my own swatches until my stamps come.  I am going to make these two swatches again.  I don’t like how the “notes” section looks.  At least I will move the letters closer together, but I may leave a small amount unpainted on the right side and write them after turning the swatch 90 degrees to the left......just not sure yet but I know I don’t like the way it looks currently.  But the information about granulating and transparent and staining are very important to me.  

Egret Swamp Family ~ a few from my past

Egret Swamp Family

Email me if you have questions.
You can view my other art here.
This is a colored pencil drawing on board

that was immensely fun and difficult for its

size to complete with accuracy.

The photo was from a small sad zoo who’s 

prices were much too high, however the zoo

backed up to a marsh, and you could hear the

din of a thousand or more birds squawking 

before you even got near.

At this time this may be the only bit of memory 

that exists after a bad computer crash.

It is really sad for me because I actually took

hundreds of really great bird photos that 

day.   I even got permission and braved 

going down to where the two alligators were.

Yes, I did see one but only after I got to close and he saw me!

Thrashed his body in that horseshoe shaped that 

shoes me his (my grandma what BIG TEETH 

you have) and what a bad-ass tail too!!!

He blended in with the ground so well it was just bone

shaking crazy! And I am not afraid of even big bad animals

but he did take at least 5 or 6 years off my life!

But he was more afraid of me and splashed

quite noisily into the water scaring the birds I had

Been so intent on creeping up on.  Thank you 

Mr. Croc for all of the crap lost.

What? Only to be had by a bad computer crash 

and an even worse back-up system.  They

were still fairly new back then and 

I did not have need to use my system.

Lesson today for my readers......

Check that your back up is in good

working order? Yes?

No bird soars too high if he 

Soars with his own wings.......

~William Blake~

Live life with no regrets my friends,

And live as if there is no tomorrow! ~DB~

New Style of Art for Me

Hi to all of my faithful followers.  There are still a few of you left.  I am not sure why, but thank you.

The past 2 years after my brain tumor surgery left me struggling with my life and truly with my art abilities!  I have not depth perception.  I did a number of things and looked and and even tried a couple of business ventures, but it left my art heart struggling and sadly not fulfilled.  I am sure some of you can relate.  I met (in the strangest of ways) a lady who talked about chalk paints and my art and on and on.  I was a little intrigued, but once again my health issues ran interference and there I was, just, well there.....if there is anywhere but the middle of nowhere!
Ok, Ok, I will get on with the information.......I did finally get a chance to look at chalk paints and man did my art imagination run Wiiillld!!!  And Shabby Chic Chalk Paints was born.....along with the Simply Elegant Chalk line.
You can find me (around Sept. 12) at my Shabby Chic Chalk Paints home, my new blog, or Pinterest.
Currently, I am selling the chalk paint additive for the quart size paint.  This means you get to choose your color from whoever you want....and at whatever price point you choose and then go to town with the paint on your furniture!  Please check with hubby (or wifey) first.  I refuse to answer angry emails!  lol   For those of you that do not know about chalk paint, well I am going to rock. your. world.....

Here is a table I am working on.  This is it's first coat....and my own color of turquoise that I will be marketing soon, along with many others.....okay, Deb, take a breath.  lol and yes that table is veneer. I have created a product that you use on the first layer that binds to the surface and it is holding up.  It is not coming back up as soon as it dries.  Other chalk paint companies tell you that it may work if you cure the paint for 30 days....30 days?  I don't know about you, but I don't like leaving potential sales (in this case furniture) sitting for 30 days.  So, I set out with my art knowledge to create a product that would bind to the surface.  I am so excited this is working.
So back to my beginning with chalk paints and what I was so enamored with.....all the color combination possibilities, the look the chalk paint creates, and my ideas of what I could do.....let me start at the beginning of this process and give you a brief overview of how it works.  Please remember to go to my sites for more info or email me specific questions so I can help you.
- Take a piece of furniture.  Antiques with neat curves and lines that are in bad shape work great.  There is very little prep.  The chalk paint adheres to any surface!  No more stripping!  OH YEAH!  I loved that part.  And the paint is self-leveling.
- Paint your first layer color, it dries quick and you can add a second layer if you choose (I usually add 2 second layer coats.
-  Then add your top layer color.  You may need to add the second coat here.... I do.  Anyway, wait until the paint dries, at least 24 hours.  Distress to show the undercoats and maybe the wood if you have a nice piece.  Distress along areas that yours hands or feet would touch and wear the top color away.
-  Now add your clear wax in a thin layer.  Wait 24 hours and wipe any wax that may be left on the surface.  Wipe it good and use fresh cloths regularly.  Don't let your wiping cloth get gummy.
-  Now and add a second thin coat of wax.  Wait another 24 hours and wipe this coat as well.  You can stop here.
-  If you want to add the darker or white wax for antiquing here is where you do that.  Do a small area and using some of the clear wax on a cloth wipe the wax away.  This will leave the dark or light wax in the grooves and architecture of your piece.  I love it.

You won't find soft white wax anywhere that I have seen yet.  But I have it!  It will be available on my website.
You will find more in-depth how to's on my new blog or my at Shabby Chic Chalk Paints so hop over and find me there.  Tell your friends.
There will be lots of photos, how to's, and links to videos.
Thanks so much for all the loyal time you have waited.  Share you pics with me and ask me questions.  I am using all of my 25 (and more) art knowledge to make this brand successful and help you create beautiful pieces of furniture art!
Come see mine too.  Comments welcome.  I will continue to post here for a short time.
Bye for now y'all!
Deb

Challenge #147 - Boo. Kee

My first attempt at a challenge.  #147  Check it out at Diva's Weekly Challenge

I have this turned the wrong way.  I am learning how to blog from my phone and learning the Zentangles thing.

I used Boo.Kee as the primary and then Auraknot-Bunzo and a few others.  This is very new to me, but a lot of fun!