September catch up

I realised yesterday that I never completed my posts for the September 30 day Creative Gathering. I was posting every day on Facebook and neglected to blog. This time around I worked on a mixed bag of masks, furniture makeovers, photography and iPad drawing. I suppose that is very reflective of my work at the moment. 

The first 12 days

The second 12 days

The whole 30 days (one somehow managed to get in twice)

As usual it was lovely to gather and share. Most of us completed far more work than we would otherwise. Shiela Delgado kept us on track with regular inspiration and the artists created an amazing selection of art.

Thanks to all.

DAY 5 of 30 - ROLLING VINEYARD with Butterfly - THE CUTE FACTOR

ROLLING VINEYARD WITH BUTTERFLY by Sea Dean

DUCKY by Sea Dean

COUNTRY MOUSE by Sea Dean

I find myself doing this too, I skim through hundreds of artworks on the internet and stop at very few. What stops me and makes me take another look could be an interesting composition, a curious technique or a stunningly real portrait, landscape, or still life, but what really gets me, is cute. And I constantly see this with my own work when I take part in a show, drifters remark on a variety of work, but what they are really compelled to buy are my animals, birds and butterflies; the cuter, the better.

by Sea Dean

MONCHO by Sea Dean

I totally admire artists that create cute effortlessly. With my animals the form is no different to painting or drawing any other subject matter, but the cute factor takes me forever to produce. Cuteness is often conveyed by elongating or squashing the body or humanizing by adding clothes or accessories like a human being. Beatrix Potter and A. A. Milne were experts at this. Often the cuteness is in the expression and particularly in the eyes. I find that with all my pet and human portraits I spend at least 10 to 20 times longer on the eyes than I do on the rest of the painting. A tiny speck of reflected light can make the difference between boring and interesting.

A FACE ONLY A MOTHER COULD LOVE by Sea Dean

KITTY by Sea Dean

Some of these originals are still available by clicking on the links. As with all art the artist retains the copyright, so once I have sold the original, I create limited edition prints. Therefore if you love my work there are opportunities at every price point. I am gradually adding limited editions to my Artfinder collection here, but if you don't see the one you like please contact me by commenting or clicking my email link. Or simply commission me to paint your own pet.

30DCG2020 - ODP

30 in 30 COLLAGE - SEPTEMBER 2019

30 in 30 Creative Gathering September 2019

The final 10

The second 10 days

The first 10 days

GOLDEN LIGHT - DAY 30 - 30 in 30

Another of my dawn images. A gloomy day, but for a split second the sun came through the low clouds and illuminated these Canada Geese on their morning parade. It was chilly out and although I wrapped myself in a throw I caught a chill. Luckily its only a light cold, but I must be more wary.

And thats a wrap! The 30 Day Creative Gathering is over till next time. There’s talk of possibly February 2020 for a second meet. Its a great way to get organized and focused on creation. It helps to have a plan, which this time I didn’t but as photography was allowed and I take at least 50 a day, it made it easier for me.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to follow the link to my blog and even better, those that chose to follow me. Thanks also to all the wonderful comments I’ve received over on the Facebook Group. I look forward to next time.

Tomorrow I will show all the work I created this month, so stay tuned.

ALIEN WORLD - DAY 29 - 30 in 30

I spent some time sketching rainbows using a digital image as a model and this was my favorite, funnily enough I almost erased it and then luckily decided to keep a copy. I slept on it and in the morning I decided the other versions were too busy. On the way, however, I did learn a new way to use the eraser tool, it’s just like waving a wand and things you touch disappear. Fun!

ECHO - DAY 28 - 30 in 30

I started this as an exercise in finding the color in the image of a rainbow. I like it so much that it now has a catalog number and will appear in my Artfinder Gallery Shop. It has a mysterious feel to it don’t you think? I tried a version without the ghost rainbow, but it definitely lost something.

I didn't enhance the original image, merely cropped and rotated. I then went in with Markup and tried all the tools until I hit on the colored pencil. I love that you can change the width of the line and the transparency of the tools, but the colored pencil can be used in such a way that it mimics pastel. No wonder Degas was enthralled by this medium, it’s simply yummy.

I purchased some simple white frames today and I will be mounting some of these one finger drawings in them for the upcoming U100 show ay Lake Country Art Gallery. I can’t wait to see how they will look.

GLORIANA - DAY 27 - 30 in 30

This magnificent bloom came from my friend Tammies garden. It is about 5” across. Currently it is gracing our table with a couple of less showy friends.

I’ve painted many flowers in my time and they’re never easy. Photography is no easier, especially with the pretty basic digital camera on my iPad. The background is the top of my great grandmothers’ sewing table. I love the way the flower seems to float in lilac light.

I hope this happy flower makes you smile.

SUNNY - DAY 26 - 30 in 30

This did have a base of a digital image, but it has many layers of Markup on top, so you probably don’t see any of the original. Red can be overwhelming in quantity, but yellow is always a good choice for monumental art. I can quite see me using this as a study for a large painting.

Below are the original image and a black and white version.

RIVER - DAY 25 - 30 in 30

An image taken while photo walking a trail beside Mission Creek. I enhanced the color to make it look more like a painting. The reflections remind me of some of Monets later works painted “Plein Air” at Giverny.

DRAW THE LINE - DAY 24 - 30 in 30

This time a twilight shot. I’m always torn between keeping images natural, by gently erasing such things as cell towers, power lines and jet trails, or allowing them to intrude on the scene. After all they are part of our modern world and they could become a trendy part of the composition if allowed to be part of the scene rather than an intrusion.

What do you think?

LEAF LIGHT - Day 22 - 30 in a30

Started with a digital photograph and enhancd with various digital Markup tools. The original image is below.

NILE - Day 17 - 30 in 30 Challenge - One finger drawing

Sometimes it takes a while for a title to come. Sometimes it takes sitting with the art and creating a story. I love this sage colour, rich yet strangely refreshing. It reminds me of the river Nile in flood lazily making it’s way to the sea. The yellow dots could be a flock of birds floating in the heat of the day. Aha!

THE RHYTM OF LIFE - Day 16 - 30 in 30 Challenge - One finger drawing

I took a one finger drawing that I thought lacked punch and embellished it with Markup inside the Photos app. I’ve discovered that not all Markups within iPad apps are created equal and some have the quirky trait of creating a larger line if you press harder. With practice this can produce some amazing results.

Another drawing destined for my Artfinder gallery I suspect. After this 30 day challenge I will really have to get on with adding some new work. I also think I’m birthing my next solo exhibition here.

Do you prefer a warm background or white?

LISTENING - HEARING - Day 15 - 30 in 30 Challenge

Another in the fluid line drawing series.

ORIGINAL

HEARING

 

LISTENING - RESTING - SEEING - LOVING

QUO VADIS - Day 14 - 30 in 30 Challenge

My friend Sheila asked if I was going to make SMOOTH from a few days ago into a series. I didn’t plan to, but when I sat down today to create my submission for 30 in 30, I thought why not? This is what happened.

Simplicity is fabulous and for some reason it’s easier for me to capture with iPad drawing. I often mock up ideas on my iPad for commissions, but it is also a wonderful art form in itself. Once I have created a one finger drawing I sometimes like to turn it around to see if it looks better configured differently. I usually end up thinking that the way I drew it in the first place is best. Here are a few versions of QUO VADIS ... what do you think?

I like that the original version is placed off center. And I like the second version because it has a human form.

POT OF GOLD and RAIN - Day 13 - 30 in 30 Challenge

I couldn’t choose, so here is a selection of my recent digital images. Some are enhanced, but mostly just cropped for composition.

POT OF GOLD by Sea Dean

RAIN by Sea Dean

SMOOTH - Day 11 - 30 in 30 Challenge

I was about to delete this line drawing when I took a closer look. Sometimes I spend hours trying to loosen up enough to draw a simple expressive line. This was a squiggle I did within Notes to try out the Markup. This took less than a second and its beautiful. Go figure!

With the first simple image I merely added a neutral background. It has an organic perhaps even human form. I’m glad I took that second look.

With the second version I created a modern textile design by twisting and turning the pattern in a four up block. I could see this made into a chic designer dress.

Number three is also a textile design, bold and bright for the person that loves to stand out.

DOTTY LANDSCAPE - Day 10 - 30 in 30 Challenge

I fell in love with the clouds in this image, again as I was driving. So many good shots whisked by before I could find a place to pull over. Sometimes you just have to grab it while you can.....

When I had saturated the color and played a bit more with contrast it needed something more, so I kept on going. I love dots in fabric and Australian indigenous art, so that was a no brainer. A whole picture of dots is too hard on the eyes, so I did some outlining and then went in with a transparent highlighter tool. I’m very happy with how this turned out. It feels a bit like a country quilt.

This one will probably make its way into my Artfinder gallery for sale.

Original digital image before enhancement

FOR SHEILA - Day 9 - 30 in 30 Challenge

I just had to stop the car and capture these sunflowers. Can’t look at a sunflower without thinking of Sheila Delgado of course. This is for you my friend.

Feel free to use this image for inspiration everyone, all I request is that you send me an image to show on my blog. Such happy flowers.