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.

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.

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!

Lotus Kanji -Completed by Deborah Boyet Artist

Lotus Kanji

8x12 Watercolor on Arches Board

Original $300

Giclee $50

Original or Giclee

Original $300.00 Giclee $50.00

I have completed numerous Kanji paintings in the past, mostly with Koi fish in them. I enjoy the Japanese beauty in their words, and their culture. They enjoy magical beauty in their environment. I hope you enjoy this as well.

I will post some of my past Koi and Goldfish Kanji paintings that are still for sale, either in print or original.

Thanks for stopping by. Please visit my website or my blog galleries  to view other work for sale.

Email with questions or inquiries.

Lotus Kanji - Work in Progress Update by Deborah Boyet Artist

Lotus Kanji

8x12 Watercolor

Work in Progress

This piece is close to being finished. I still need to add detail to a few petals, deepen some shadows for depth, and deepen a few background areas for effect. I have not decided if I will tint the Kanji "lotus". I am going to test it in Photoshop first. This piece will be offered for sale, as well as Giclee' prints.

I have a few other pieces started including a butterfly, before I can start on some of the photos from my trip. It is a shame we had a tight schedule traveling, and there was no time for plein air. I am thinking about taking a travel nurse contract in the NE next year so I can paint on location.

Thanks for stopping by. Please visit other works for sale on my website and my blog.

Please email me with inquiries or questons.

Take time to enjoy your journey in life, my friend.

"Walking above water like a fairy

Wearing a red hairpin

Fresh from a bathe in the Hua Quing pool

With a rosy cheek from drinking."

~ Caixing (Zhang Cuiying)

Lotus Kanji - Work in Progress by Deborah Boyet Artist

Lotus Kanji I

Watercolor 8x12

Work in Progress

Lotus and waterlilies have elegance and vibrant colors. The petals are semi-translucent, which produces such beautiful shadows and the veining is attractive.

This is the first in a series of Kanji paintings with lotus and waterlilies. A few years back I did a series with Koi, and will likely do some more soon.

As always thanks for stopping by. To view other works for sale, please visit my website,

or my blog, galleries.

Please email me with inquiries or questions.

Today is a perfect Indian summer day, with the cooler nights, and warm days. I am enjoying them while they last!

Cotton Watercolor Painting by Deborah Boyet Artist

Dixie Delight

Cotton Series I - Art for License

5”x5”

I love the way cotton in a field looks when it is ready for picking. We often joke about our "Southern snow". The hard shell covering the cotton, and the leaves turn beautiful colors of brown and gray.

This is #1 in a series for license. There will be a minumum of 4-6 in this series. For information on license please email me.

Please stop by my website and my blog galleries to view other work for sale.

Happy Birthday to Me! More New England Pictures

I am happily typing this in the fabulous room my husband booked at the Sun Spree Resort in Bar Harbor, Maine....rather I should say a suite! Poor fellow suffered horribly with either food poisoning, or a stomach virus, and still made my day. We went to my favorite falls on White Mountain, and made it to the resort early evening. We will be spending the day tomorrow in Acadia National park, and then will start slowly making our way home on Friday.

I hope you enjoy a few of the photos I have taken on this trip, and once again, I have to thank my sweetie, for making this trip so wonderful.

I am having a lot of fun, but I am equally looking forward to returning home and starting on new paintings, and challenges.

Thanks as always for sharing my love of nature and art.

Please stop by my website, my blog, or my AIG or DPIAG galleries for available art.

Or email me with inquiries or questions.

Bluebird Watercolor Painting Completed by Deborah Boyet Artist

Visitor In My Garden

6x10 Watercolor on Arches Board

Original $175

Giclee $50 (edition size 150)

Original & Giclee'

Original $175.00 Giclee $50.00

I love painting birds. They are one of my favorite animals of God's creation, with their cheerful spirit, and chatty sing-song in my yard. I love to watch them splash in the birdbath, and feed from the feeders.

Below is a close-up of this sassy, little bird.

Thanks for stopping by. You may view other works for sale on my website and my blog.  Email me if you have any questions.

I am touring NE for two weeks, gathering photos, and ideas for new landscapes. The weather is gorgeous, and we will be in Vermont tomorrow. The fall season passes so quickly, and before we know it, there will be snow flurries and the flurry of holiday activities, and gatherings. So I can honestly tell you that I am taking time to drive the side roads, whereever they lead, enjoying the scenery, and taking brief moments so I may lock them away in my memory, to enjoy on a cold, or lonely day...I am enjoying my journey in life. I hope you do as well, my friend.

Magnolia Watercolor Batik by Deborah Boyet Artist

Southern Beauty III

Watercolor Batik 14x18

Original $300

Open Edition Prints $20

Original or Open Edition

Original $300.00 Print $20.00

I love to paint watercolor batiks! They are magical, soft, yet they have an unsurpassed vibrance, due to the translucent rice paper. And the rice paper is so attractive with the fibers that absorb more of the color.

The beautiful white blooms of the magnolia are long gone, but there is one more attractive gift they leave behind. The buds are fibrous, and produce brilliant red seeds when they burst open, giving the magnolia exceptional beauty into the fall.

I hope you enjoy this rare view of a magnolia, and as always enjoy your journey my friend.

Please stop by my website, my blog, my AIG or DPIAG galleries to view other works for sale.

Please email me with inquiries, or questions.

"Every good painter paints what he is." ~Jackson Pollock

Photoshop Copyright Brush Tutorial by Deborah Boyet Artist

Copyright Brush Tutorial by Deborah Boyet Here is the Copyright Brush tutorial I promised. I can, and will make these brushes for others for a fee. You can email me if you are interested, but you should try this. I have put a lot of screen shot pictures with notes to help visualize the steps. Please note that this is a copyrighted article. I do not mind sharing this article, please ask for permission to use it. Email requests to dboyet10@gmail.com Thank you. First I need to say that I have only worked in CS3, so I am not sure about earlier versions working with the following, but it is likely similar with all of the Photoshop CS’s. You can email me, and I can try and research the difference, if you can’t make it work. A copyright is essential to protect your artwork. A brush with your signature trademark or whatever you want to use, and with the ability to adjust the transparency, and color is unique to your work, and in my opinion a great addition to your already beautiful piece of artwork. There are a lot of wonderful types free for download, and look really cool. I will list those sites at the bottom of this tutorial. I will also cover in the next tutorial how to make an embossed watermark, either one works well, it just depends on your preference. Play with them both. You can find what you like, and develop new Photoshop skills…..and we artists in this day of computer and internet and newly developing ways to make art, can always use the additional skills. Ok, here we go! 1. Go to File>New File, to create a new document. You will want to use a transparent background, but the size is not of importance. You can use the default. I tend to vary mine. Resolution only needs to be around 96 or so. 2. Select the text tool and the font you want to use. You also want to select regular, italic or bold, if those options are available for that font. I have downloaded and used Bleeding Cowboys for one of mine. Choose your font size. I usually set mine to at least 72, so I can see how the lettering looks. 3. Now choose your font color. Black is a good default. You want to see how the lettering looks while you are making the brush, and you can change the color, and opacity when you use it.

4. Next type what you want your brush to say (copyright, year, name, etc). To use © symbol – Mac type Option+G Windows – hold down the Alt key while pressing numbers 0169. Note-you must use the numbers key not the numbers above the keyboard. On a laptop you will have to access the onscreen keyboard. It can be found in Start>Control Panel>Control Panel Home>Appearance and Personalization>Ease of Access Center>Start On-Screen Keyboard

5. Ctrl+click/ +click the text layer icon to select text. It is in the Layers panel on the right.

6. Select the brush tool and make sure the hardness setting is set on 100%.

7. From the menu at the top choose Edit>Define Brush Preset or whatever your similar Photoshop menu indicates.

8. Name your brush and click OK You did it! No need to save your document. Close it, and open a picture of your painting. Now you can use your brush….here’s how. Also, here are a few of the websites with 1000’s of free fonts for Windows and Mac users alike! You can donate with PayPal to the creator of the font if you like it and want to donate a few dollars.

1001 Free Fonts Urban Fonts Dafont.com Free Font Downloads Fontspace

9. Select the brush tool from the tool bar menu on the right side of your screen 10. Go to the Brush Presets in the tool options bar. Choose the copyright tool you made. It will likely be at the very bottom of the list. 11. Next create a new layer in your document and then use your brush to paint your copyright in that layer. Using layers allows you to dump the layer if you make a mistake, and allows you to change the opacity, color, and size as you see fit by simply choosing in that layer. See below for views and notes IMPORTANT - Make sure to save the document as a new document or copy of the original. You should never alter the original, as you cannot undo any changes made, and you may want to do something else with the original photo at a later date.

Figure 10 Choosing Colors

Figure 11. Make a New Layer

Figure 12 Change the Opacity of Your Brush

Grape Watercolor Painting Completed by Deborah Boyet Artist

Wild Grapes I

12 x 16 Watercolor

Original and Giclee' (edition 150)

Original & Giclee'

Original $300.00 Giclee' $55.00

I have added some green to a few of the grapes, deepened some shadows and added a strong magenta in some of the grapes shadows to add vibrancy. I painted over two of the large stems and finished the details on the others. The grapes breaking the border were completed with less vibrancy, and detail, yet they add a nice balance to the border breaks.

This kind of painting looks wonderful with a mat and frame. The right mats will bring out the color and enhance the areas that break the borders.

Please visit my website, my blog, and my AIG and DPIAG galleries for other available works.

There is a definite change in the weather. The days are growing shorter, and one of my favorite seasons is fast approaching. I love the feel of the nip in the early air and the warmth the sun brings in the afternoons. The leaves begin to change and fall, and the birds in my yard are quick to eat up the seed. I leave in a week for New England for my annual Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire trip my husband plans for us. I am so excited, and hope I catch the peak of the leaves, and that they are beautiful this year. I will start looking tonight at the foliage forecasts and keep my fingers crossed. Being a photography buff, I have gotten some of the most beautiful shots in that corner of the U.S. I have so much to look forward to and be thankful for. As always thanks for stopping by and enjoy your journey, my friend!

Work In Progress - Use of Figure 8's in Design by Deborah Boyet Artist

Ready for Picking!

Work In Progress

12 x 16Watercolor on Arches Art Board

I have added a lot to the grapes in terms of depth and layers, and they are close to completion. I filled in the lower right corner to balance values on the left side of the painting, and to keep it from drawing too much attention away from the grapes. I will need to complete the stems and grape details and will likely fill in the stem on the lower right of the painting. Right now it is very distracting. The completed painting will be one for my series I am submitting for license.

I like to break the borders in my paintings. It adds interest, and is a great way to lead a viewer into a painting. However, if you are not careful, it can also lead a viewers eye right out of the painting. To prevent this, I keep the border breaks lower in contrast values, and often use figure 8's in my design to keep the viewer moving through the piece. In a copy of the image below I have put in the general figure 8's to show how they make movement. Go back to the one without the figure 8's and see if you can now see the movement and how it helps keep your eye from leaving the painting. The grapes on the right are incomplete and will stay that way until I finish the main painting. I will then complete them. I want to be able to keep them balanced and slightly less attractive, again to keep them from being too much of the focus of the painting. If the contrast is too high, they will become the center of attention. I will also need to add some sort of path from the main grapes to the ones in the border break on the right.

Design is so important in a painting. I don't always succeed in getting it right, and quite frankly, I often break the rules if it feels right, but it is a very important piece of planning, and remains a focus while I paint.

Figure 8 examples

There are three sets of figure 8's in this painting. Many more can be found and used, and it is easy with grapes to visualize this. As the painting continues to develop, I plan on using a cruciform or X as my main design pattern. This will be accomplished with the darker greens in the leaf/background area. I have not decided yet where I will cross the grapes.

I work slightly different in that I have a general plan, but also look for alternate ideas as the painting develops. Being flexible with my plan helps me get through difficult passages, and allows me to easily change my course.

Please stop by my website, my blog, my AIG or DPIAG galleries to view other works for sale, or to check out my use of design.

Please email me with any inquiries or questions.

Thanks for stopping by.

This is "World's Best Friends Week" so take time to stop and give your friends a hug, or if they are far away, then a virtual hug and a kind word will do!

"A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be." ~Douglas Pagels

Still Life Oil Painting by Deborah Boyet Artist

Found Treasure

11 x 14 Oil on Canvas

$325

I love old tea cups and small plates, and collect them to use in my still life paintings. This is one of my favorite blue & white cups. It has a small crack in it, and I chose to portray that slight imperfection. There is a hidden meaning behind this, as I want the viewer to see the beauty of the cup in the simple set-up, and then with closer inspection realize it has a blemish. Yet that doesn't change the beauty of this old, once treasured item. I found this cup in an antique store, sitting on the back of a dusty shelf in a stack of mismatched cups and saucers. Once discarded, it is now a treasured item in my collection.

Please view other works for sale on my website, my blog, and my galleries at AIG or DPIAG.

As the days grow shorter, and mother nature gives us a reprieve from the long hot summer, I hope you take time to stop and look closely at the world around you, and as always, enjoy your journey in life my friend.

"Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves ~ slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future." ~Thich Nat Hahn

Arches Watercolor Art Board by Deborah Boyet Artist

Grapes Watercolor Painting Work in Progress

on Arches Watercolor Board

I have found a new love! Watercolor Art boards. I am using Arches Coldpress board.

Here is a link with an interesting article about the boards on the Artists Network (The Artists Magazine, Pastel Journal, and Watercolor Artist). artistsnetwork.com Here is the link for information by the board manufacturer

I use a good quality two sided tape to secure the middle of the board to a painting board, and then tape the edges down as well with packing tape, or artists tape. Using the two sided tape down the middle prevents the center from starting to bow up.

I have always disliked stretching my watercolor paper. When I decide on a design, I don't want to wait for stretched paper to dry. Now, I simply draw my design, tape the board, and start painting.

It is slightly different than regular watercolor paper, but I enjoy how the board handles.

Still Life Oil Painting by Deborah Boyet Artist

Oranges and Carnations

12x9 Oil

$250

I love to paint still lifes. They are soothing to my soul, with their rich character. This one was painted shortly after my workshop with Internationally acclaimed David Leffel. I love the orange reflections in the vase and the shadows under the fruit.

To view other works for sale visit my blog, my website, or my galleries on AIG and DPIAG.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cardinal Painting Work in Progress by Deborah Boyet Artist

Back to the Easel!

Watercolor in Progress

10.75 x 7

Don't ask me why such a strange size...I have been trying to work toward "standard" mat and frame sizes in my watercolors. Guess I failed miserably here!

This is just a start, as I have been busy with Photoshop tutorial editing. I hope to have this piece finished soon. Note that I have used my Photoshop copyright brush!

She is beautiful even with her muted female coloring. She demands attentions as her soft brown-orange coloring is softly enhanced by the blue-gray background sky.

Follow her as she heads into Fall weather, a welcome break from the summer heat.

View my other works for sale on my website, my blog, AIG and DPIAG sites.

Thanks for stopping by and as September nears an end, and glorious October weather foliage begins....remember to enjoy your journey, my friend.

I thought this a fitting quote for the day

"Use the talents you possess - for the woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except for the best." ~Henry Van Dyke

Camelia Painting Completed by Artist Deborah Boyet

Kalmia Gardens V-Camellia

Watercolor 6x9 on paper

Original $200

Giclee' $40(edition size 150)

Original and Giclee'

Original $200.00 Giclee $40.00

This will be the last camellia painting for awhile. I still have many, many more photos calling for me, bringing back memories of chilly days spent in the gardens...maybe that is why I like to paint them in summer!

This camellia is one of my favorite varieties. The pinks are delicate, with multitudes of color in the shadows and sunlight areas. I love capturing the blues and corals that peek through.

Camellia buds are especially fun to paint. They have great curves, hints of colors that meld into other colors and those great curvy, jagged sienna, and umber lines that outline where each petal will emerge. And a camellia's leaves are interesting, with blue shadows and reflected colors.

I hope you enjoy stopping by the camellia garden.

You can view more camellia paintings in my AIG gallery, my website, or my blog.

Please email me with inquiries or questions

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

"The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size." ~Gertrude S. Wister