Modern Folk Art Painting ~ Maya on Canvas

Maya on canvas is the 5th in a series of modern folk art paintings I've done over the past 3 months. With each painting I learn a little more and I seem to be getting better and better at blending my acrylic paint.

"Maya"
Purchase Original & Prints

Maya was created in mixed media collage style using acrylic paint, decorative papers and rubber stamps. The orchids are individually hand cut from watercolor paper, folded sculpted and assembled into a 3 dimensional element. Orchid centers are embellished with a tiny faux pearl.

Gesture Drawing: How to Draw a Mermaid

Gesture drawings can help take the fear out of drawing the human form. If you ever thought that you can't even draw a stick figure, I've got great news for you folks! I don't consider myself to be Michael Angelo at drawing mermaids or the figure in general but I can tell you that gesture drawing helped me more than I could have imagined.

Serafina mermaid as stick figure gesture

I went from drawing this simple sketch above to the drawing you see below. One thing to keep in mind is that this drawing was pieced together using several drawings. Hey, that's why they invented tracing paper but you'll learn more about that later.

Serafina mermaid final drawing

Kell Bell studio is pleased to present a short series of videos on how to use gesture drawing to draw a mermaid. The only things you'll need to get started are a pencil, sketch book and a little imagination. Let go of your fear and have fun, it's just pencil and paper. Erasers are optional!

Mixed Media Art ~ Creating a collage painting on wood panel

Mixed media art has been such fun for me especially the creation of this collage painting on wood panel entitled "Sabine." The creation of this piece was all about the process and for the first time I was not in a hurry to get to an outcome. I took my time, learned, played and most of all, I had fun!

"Sabine"
Prints Available on Etsy

I put together a video of the progression of the piece. You can watch various stages of both the drawing and the painting process. I hope you enjoy.

Artfest 2011 Part IV ~ Drawing Pretty Girls

Sunny Carvalho is such a delight and sweet as can be. She welcomed me like a sister and even procured me a name badge when one was not included in my welcome packet. This may have been due to the fact that I signed up for the event so late.

smiling Sunny just before class began

 On Friday Sunny taught us how to draw beautiful girl faces. I am impressed that Sunny can draw her faces so accurately without the use of rulers or a grid, something I have taken to an almost painstaking level.

original drawing from Sunny's journal

I think the most helpful technique I learned has to do with how to get that marvelous almond shape to my eyes. The solution was so simple I had to slap my forehead and say "of course, why didn't I think of that."

Sunny demonstrates a painted background technique

Sunny explained two of her approaches to faces. One approach has a more realistic look while still being folk art and the other results in a more whimsical look to the doll. The second approach is one that has eluded me until now.

a very cute student drawing

I'll be applying what I learned in Sunny's classes and move forward with my art in eager anticipation of what I'll create next.

a few more beautiful student drawings

Some of the photos shared in this post are examples of the work created by my fellow classmates. Although we learned from the same instructor, all represent a wonderfully diverse range of styles.

Artfest 2011 Part III ~ Iron Chef Artist Challenge

On Thursday evening something called the Iron Chef Artist Challenge was held.

Clarissa Callesen immersed in the creative process

18 of the Artfest instructors received a kit with various items ranging from a barbie, rubber bugs and pipe cleaners to a small, wooden box, an artist board and plastic balls to name a few.

Melissa Callesen's altered doll

The instructions were that each artist had to use a minimum of 5 items from the kit plus whatever items or supplies of their own that they had on hand.

a lovely collage piece ~ I love this

 The artists had 45 minutes to create their pieces which were auctioned off in a silent auction later on during Artfest.

a shrine goddess, I liked this piece

 Tables were set up around the outer perimeter of the room, one for each artist. This allowed those of us onlookers to more easily work the room and watch the artists' progress.

Jesse Reno dances to the beat of his own drum

 Instructors who participated included Michael DeMeng, Melissa Manley, Clarissa Callesen and Jesse Reno to name a few.

Michael DeMeng busy at work

I made several passes around the room, snapping photos along the way. To be able to create a finished piece in 45 minutes as hundreds of people file past you taking photographs is no small feat in my opinion. 

Michael DeMeng's demented doll

 While I haven't posted every photo I too, I did post the more memorable ones. These do not necessarily represent styles I like but I found them interesting to look at plus these people seemed to have a crowd around their table by the end of the evening so of course I was curious.

Melissa Manley's wired barbie

Artfest 2011 Part II ~ Spirit Dolls

Day 1 of Artfest was spent with Robert Smith learning how to create spirit dolls using wire and hog gut. We were given simple instructions for twisting and bending the wire to making a few simple shapes and off we went.

my spirit doll in progress

This was the first time I had ever worked with wire so my lack of creativity was evident when I set about to straight copy an example that was provided by Robert. The example I copied was actually created by Melissa Manley, his lovely girlfriend and artist with a degree in metal working. No wonder I was compelled to copy. Haha!

the lovely gals of Spirit Dolls class

I was amazed at what the other 12 gals in the class with me were able to dream up and create during the time we had. Some had more experience than others but most were able to produce something rather cool looking by the time class was over.

examples of what can be made with wire and hog gut

The top photo shows and example of a doll Robert created which is the top middle. The two pieces on either side of it were created by students in the class.  They are impressive aren't they? One gal even created a mermaid which turned out really wonderfully.

extra hog gut anyone?

At the end of class, Robert still had some extra intestine which he handed out liberally. He was determined not to fly back home with it. Thanks Robert for your time. I truly enjoyed the experience. Although I love the effect the hog gut creates, the next time I try this I may opt for using tissue paper instead.

Acrylic Painting Tips #1

Now that I've been painting for a couple of months, I am able to begin offering some tips for painting with acrylic paint. One of the biggest reasons for using acrylic is its fast drying time. Unfortunately the fast drying time is also acrylic's greatest pitfall.

 So, how do you keep your paint wet during a painting session? I found an incredible product called Sta-Wet sponges and pallet paper.

I had been using the pallet paper but overlooked the instructions for its proper use until I purchased the sponges and discovered the instructions for the sponges also included instructions for the sta-wet paper and vice versa. Go figure!

After preparing my paper and my sponge I put both products to the test and to my amazement, the paint stayed wet throughout my painting session! I even left the pallet with the paint on my table overnight. The paint remained wet and pliable even after several hours. I'll be using this stuff forever. What a god send!

If you've tried it, let me know what you think, if you haven't tried it and you use acrylic paint for long periods of time, I highly recommend this stuff. You're gonna be hooked! (tee hee :)

Artfest 2011 Part I

Artfest 2011 happened the week of April 6 - 10 this year out at Fort Worden in Port Townsend, WA. Imagine an old military base, 500 creative people and nothing but time to play with paint, clay, wood, wire, fibers and just about any other medium you can imagine. Ahhh! This is what I was meant for!

New Beginnings 5x7 Matted Print on Etsy

I spent Friday and Saturday learning to draw and paint pretty girl faces with Sunny Carvalho. If you aren't familiar with her work she does absolutely phenomenal eyes which is what originally drew me to her beautiful paintings.

Kell Belle Studio Original Drawing

I was amazed at how much my drawings could change with only a few minor changes to what I was already doing plus I learned a few other nifty tricks with the facial features that I will continue to incorporate into my work.

Kell Belle Studio Pretty Girl Original Drawing

Who would have thought that whimsical was only a matter of changing a few lines? Haha! I can't help but smile every time I look at this little girl. I want to thank Sunny for her generosity in sharing her knowledge with us at Artfest. She truly made my experience special not to mention fun, and informative.

I am Willing ~ New Folk Art Painting

I am willing to contemplate myself. I am willing to forgive. I am willing to release my fears and doubts. I do not need to know how these things will come about for that is not my job. The universe, God, spirit, that divine source within will take care of the how. All I need to do is is be willing.

I am Willing 5 X 7 Folk Art Painting ~ Print

I am discovering the power of positive affirmations especially when used with imagery that inspires and feeds the soul. Magic happens and I am beginning to believe that all things are possible.

An Exercise in Blending Acrylic Paint

While I understand the concept of blending acrylic paint, the artists I've observed who are successful at it make it look so darn easy! Yes, I can do this are the words I kept muttering to myself while painting this face. I let it be okay to mess up . . . a lot! Maybe it works and maybe it doesn't just change direction accordingly.

Let it be okay to mess up

The reason she has such a distressed look to her here is because I painted her and scraped the paint off twice. I excavated more times than that around the mouth and nose but I was determined to find out what she was supposed to look like when I finished painting her.

Seek your own Truth!

There are some things I would do differently next time. Some are obvious and some not so obvious but I'll refrain from launching a full on self critique. Since this exercise was meant to be practice, the important thing is that I learned, improved, had fun and grew as an artist.

Becoming Comfortable Painting Faces with Acrylic

The greatest challenge to painting faces with acrylic is the quick drying time of the paint which can make it difficult to get the nice blended look that oils produce. I am, discovering that the effect can indeed be achieved by working smaller areas of the painting and blending your colors that way rather than trying to tackle the piece as a whole. Genius!

Mixed Media Face Painting

I am delighted with how fast my progress has been with these mixed media faces. Looking back at some of my earlier posts there is a remarkable difference between faces painted as a whole rather that being worked and blended one small area at a time as in this example. My work is actually taking on a more life like quality. Yes!

How to Release Fear

If you are like me and sometimes wonder how to release fear of anything the answer is simple. You have to face the thing you fear. You have to stare it down. Realize that its only power and purpose over you is to keep you suspended in your comfortable state and prevent you from moving forward. To help me release my fear of painting I recently made a list itemizing possible results of moving past my fear or choosing to give it power over me.

click photo to enlarge and read the list

I included things like how I felt about each choice and how that feeling manifested in my physical body. I was surprised by what I wrote. This method is helpful for clearing the mind and putting it all into perspective so that new choices can be made. There can be no progress without first making a new choice. The last thing I did before falling asleep that night was to affirm as I was falling asleep my willingness to release fear. Sometimes willingness is all the instruction the universe needs to help move you beyond what you thought was possible.

Fear of Mixed Media Painting

Is there a such thing as a painting phobia? What would the fear of mixed media painting be called? Artistaphobia? Painterphobia? Whatever it's called I'm positively, steadfastly gripped by it! The side effects of said disorder include severe procrastination and justification of sitting like a lump watching others create under the pretense that I am "observing for learning purposes." Who am I kidding? It's certainly not my aware self. It hears my pleas yet chooses to remain passive.

shading exercise in graphite - where's the paint!!

Just how deep does the rabbit hole go? I'm afraid I'll never know the answer to that question because so far, I haven't landed anywhere. The fall just seems to go on with no end in sight. How do I stop? Where's the magical "release your phobia" potion or did I miss it on my way in? Come on awareness! Where's my 12-step program to releasing fear? I guess I could start by making a list of the pros and cons of remaining in my current state. Yes! Good idea, I think I'll start with that.

Mixed Media Face Painting Progress

Ahhh! Progress at last! Today I tried something a little different with my mixed media face painting. The change made such an enormous difference in my work that I may end up assimilating it as a permanent addition to the ever evolving Kell Belle style.

start with a graphite sketch

Using graphite pencil, I created my face skecth in a more freehand style than I had been doing previously. I added some light shading in places and sprayed the piece with a fixative. Using the graphite as an underpainting I used water pencil and acrylic paint to add and blend my skin tones.

work the face in layers

WOW! What an improvement over the last faces I posted. I want to thank Monica Zuniga and her Mixed Media Faces tutorial for the dramatic change in my painting approach. I feel like I'm now heading in the direction I want to be moving and can start adding bodies and backgrounds to my practice pieces. Yaaay!