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!

Wildside Art Tangled Up....Zentangle start

Hello!
It has been far too long.  I still have an eye condition related to Trigeminal nerve damage, so I have been searching around for something to catch my eye.....Zentangle was just the thing. 
What I am working on is a template to organize my tangles....you can download for free.
Basically, it is six 1.5" squares, a rectangle for the title, a larger 3.5" square, and a few lines to write notes.  It is a word document and easy to use.  I think you will love it.
I will keep you posted on the Zentangles artwork.

Deb

Work in Progress

Oil Rose Floral

36x30

Progress has been a little slow this week due to the 4th of July holiday and my work schedule.  I am hoping to get some time in the studio today.

I love the pinks and purple-blues in the shadows.  The center of the flower will have a warm glow and I will warm up other shadow areas after putting the initial layer down.  The overall flower has a cool look, so I will wait to add the warms to help with the flow of the piece.

Please follow me on my artistic journey and take time to stop and smell the roses along the way.
I will have to post a picture of this finished painting.  I finished it after my brain tumor.  It was very hard to paint.  My left eye would not register where my Brush was and I had lost my depth perception.   I had to teach it to my brain again.   That was why I took up digital art for awhile.
Now I am back to painting a lot and happy about it!  
Email me if you have any questions.
View my works of art here.

A Mothers Love

Close Up

Finally finished!  This piece took forever to complete.  It required a lot of detail and many glazed layers of color to give dimension and form to the sweet pair.

 

I really enjoyed painting the baby's face, capturing the sweet, trusting expression that is part of the love and bond between all mothers and babies.

I want to thank my friend Nic for support on this piece.  If I had not struggled, we would not have met and become friends.  Even though we live so far apart I cherish the time I do get to spend with you, and the great phone conversations catching up on art, family and everyday life.  I am so grateful I have you in my life!
You can email me if you have questions.
View my artwork here.
Thanks for stopping by ~Deborah Boyet ~ Wildside Art

Rose Oil

Floral In Progress

I am so excited to be posting again!  I have  contnued to paint sporatically and completed some lovely pieces, but the blogging fell by the wayside.  I am sorry to those of you who had started following my work and I will try to be diligent in posting from here forward.

This is a lovely pair of roses I photographed at the Washington DC botanical gardens.  The warm late afternoon sun highlighted the pair beautifully.....these are just the start to a new series of large florals I have planned.   This one is   x   in size.

I paint a lot of my oil florals in a manner similar to watercolor.  I start off with most areas lightest to mid range in color, always at least one level lighter then the finished color area....except of course the white.  I complete the entire painting and let it dry.  I use glazes to complete the rest of the layers, by deepening the mid ranges and also include another glazed layer to the darkest areas.  Often times I use a warmer color in this layer.  I keep adding layers, only workiing the areas that need deepening.  Last comes the details, and brighest thicker white for interest, and sometimes an insect or dew drops for interest or to lead the eye to a certain element of the painting.

For those of you not familiar with this technique, a glaze is a thin, transparent layer of color that lets the layers underneath glow through.  Every layer deepens the color and creates depth that rivals all other techniques.

As you can see this one is off to a great start.  I hope you will continue to follow the progress of this flower as it unfolds, and as always enjoy your journey in life my friend.

Cheryl's Camellia Still Life I Card

Camellia Still Life I

Camellia Still Life I - Cheryl's Card

Bravo Cheryl, this is so pretty, and cheerful. I love the lacy edge that accents the delicate flowers. This design can be purchased here.

Stop by Cheryl's blog get the scoop on this softly sweet card, and many other beautifully made cards!

Christmas Words - digital stamp by Deborah Boyet

I am getting in the Christmas spirit, and inspired to make holiday digis. So here is the first of my new designs.

$3.00 Size 4x4 inches total

These are easy to resize, and would look great with some of those beautifully elegant holiday stamps. I will have more words and holiday digis out soon. I hope you enjoy these.

Please remember, these are copyright designs, and may not be shared. Pleasee refer your friends and customers to my site, they may download the free designs, or purchase those that are no longer free. Thank you for your support.

Subscribe to receive notice of new designs so you won't miss out on the free designs!

Please visit my blog for other digital designs.

Email me with requests, inquiries, and questions. Thanks for stopping by.

Tulips - New Digital Stamps by Deborah Boyet Artist

New - Digital Images!

Tulips I

$3.oo Size 3.5 x 2.5

Tulips II

$3.00 Size 3.5 x 2

I am offering all of my new digital images free for a very limited time. Every new image will be posted. All you need to do is click on the image to enlarge it, and then right click and save it.

Please don't miss this limited opportunity to have these images for free.

Note - These are copyrighted images, and may not be shared anyone.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your journey in life, my friend.

Visit Blackberry Lane Designs Blog for other images.

Email me with requests or questions.

Snowflake Paper by Deborah Boyet

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let is snow! I know it is still fall, but I have already had so many Christmas requests that I decided to work on a few designs. First up is a square design with an opening for a photo, or other stamped image to peak through. I love all the different colored snowflakes on this grey-blue background. I hope you enjoy them too!

What if this is not the correct size? For those of you who know how to resize, great! For those who are still learning the beauty of digi stamps and paper.....stay tuned. I will be adding tutorials with a lot of screen shots to guide you step by step in learning.

Let it Snow!

$3.00 Size 5x5 inches

Please remember, this is a copyright design, and may not be shared with others. Please direct others to my site so they can download their own free designs, and purchase those that are not still free.

This is the only way I will still be able to offer free designs to those who sign up for the new postings. Thanks for your help!

Please visit Blackberry Lane Designs blog to view other designs.

Email me with requests, inquiries or questions.

And, as always thanks for stopping by!

Camelia Still Life Digi Stamp Design by Deborah Boyet Artist

New Still Life Design

Camellia Still Life Digital Stamp

$3.00 Size 3.5 x 3 inches

I am so excited about my newest stamp, and the upcoming stamps I am working on. They are based on a series of still life set-ups designed for paintings, and perfect for stamps!

I hope you enjoy this stamp. Free stamps are easy to download, simply click on the stamp, a new window will open, and then you just right click on the picture and save! Purchased stamps will be sent in a zip file format. Stay tuned as I will be adding tutorial with screen pictures on how to unzip files that are downloaded.

This is a copyrighted design, so it may not be shared. Please refer your friends and customers to my site to get their own copy.

Thanks for stopping by. Check back as new designs will be added dayly, or weekly.

All designs may be found at Blackberry Lane Designs Blog.

Email me with requests, questions, or inquiries.

Camellia & Chickadee - New Digital Stamps by Deborah Boyet Artist

New - Digital Images!

Camellia I- New Digital Design

$3.00

Blackcapped Chickadee I- New Digital Design $3.00

I am offering all of my new digital images free for a very limited time. All you need to do is click on the image to enlarge it, and then right click and save it.

Note - These are copyrighted images, and you may not share them with anyone.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your journey in life, my friend.

Visit Blackberry Lane Designs Blog for other images.

Email me with requests or questions.

New Digital Stamps by Deborah Boyet Artist

New Digital Images

Dahlia 1

$3.oo

White Flower

$3.00

I am offering all of my new digital images free for a very limited time. Every new image will be posted, and you click on image to enlarge it, and then right click and save it.

Note-these are copyrighted images, and may not be shared.

Thanks for stoppingg by, and enjoy your journey in life, my friend.

Visit Blackberry Lane Blog for other images.

Email me with inquiries, requests, or questions.

New Business - Digital Stamps

Hello again everyone!

I am excited and sad......excited because I am starting up my new business of digital stamp designs, and hopefully will also hear back from the licensing agent on acceptance to their group. I was approached earlier this year in Atlanta, and have put it off until this fall when my studio was completed. So now I am off on new endeavours. The digi stamps came about as my sister is an avid stamper and card maker. She piqued my interest, and I had to give it a try. The company has been named Blackberry Lane Designs.....this is actually an old business name for me. It is the original name I chose when I started selling paintings over 16 years ago! I changed to Wildside Art when my art turned toward wildlife and nature.

Sadly, this means a bit of a departure from my usual painting style and sales. Hopefully, I will finish enough designs and be able to get back to my norm.

Please stay with me, as I will still have a lot of useful info on photoshop, and on the licensing world, and still have some unfinished paintings that I will be working on.

The licensed art will be somewhat similar to what I have been doing, but will be designed for licensing on products.

Here is my first digi stamp. Still working out the size kinks. Human error I am sure, but still.....Dang Photoshop program!

Here is the new link to my stamp design blog. Nothing up there yet....lol.....hopefully tomorrow!

Blackberry Lane Designs

Email me with questions or inquiries

Thanks for stopping by and with the holidays fast approaching, I hope you stop, take a moment to be still in your heart and soul, and enjoy your journey in life, my friend.

International Artists Day - Wildlife Artist Robert Bateman Inspires Me by Deborah Boyet Artist

International Artist Day - I am celebrating the life and art of Internationally renowned wildlife artist Robert Bateman!

I am excited to participate in the celebration of International Artists Day. Every October 25th they celebrate artists around the world. As part of the AIG and DPIAG group we decided to pick the artist that has most inspired us. In my case that would be the world renowned wildlife artist Robert Bateman.

He is a wonderfully gifted artist, and here is my story. I had been a decorative artist for many years, as well as working a regular day job to support my family. While working for a t-shirt printing operation in 1992 I stumbled across a magazine I had never seen before. It was Wildlife Art News.

From the earliest time I remember I loved animals. My trips to the St. Louis Zoo were magical, and I lived for Mutual of Omahas Wild Kingdom on TV every week. I was enthralled, and wanted so much to be a part of that life, however I grew up in a practical family, with practical parents who had no time or interest in the whimsy of a little girl. I grew up believing that life was for someone else. So you can imagine my surprise, and excitement when I saw the magical paintings of so many wonderfully gifted artists in the magazine. I immediately suscribribed, and over the course of time one artist in particular stood out. That would be Robert Bateman.

His work is so realistic you feel like you can reach out and touch the animals, and the world in which they live. Every leaf, blade of grass, and field of snow can be felt. The animals are magically transported into my life. I read every article written on Mr. Bateman, and have been impressed as over the years he has given back so much to the world that he feels has given so much to him. He is very generous with his conservation work, and gifts of art, and is an active conservationist. I have never been fortunate enough to have studied with him, and as he is advancing in age, I fear I will never even have the chance to meet this larger than life person who has so inspired and changed my art. I do however collect the books that exhibit his art, and speak of his wonderful vision for changing how man perceives the gifts God has given for all to see and share.

So, on my first day of celebrating International Artists Day, my wish is to pass on to those around me the wonderful visions of wildlife artist Robert Bateman.

Please visit his website to view his work and conservation missions, and also stop by International Artists Day website as well.

On this special day, I hope you take time to stop and enjoy your journey in life my friend, and inspire the life of someone else as well.

International Artists Day

Robert Bateman

Please visit my website, my blog, or my AIG and DPIAG galleries to view my available works of art....including wildlife art!

Please email me with inquiries or questions, and thanks for stopping by!