Tag: artist tips

Expressive Flowers, Roses Project

Roses-In honesty

Mireya

I was listening to this YouTube video and the artist basically said these words. Paint a dot. Paint strokes around the dot. Begin with a dark dot and get lighter. I painted I don’t know how many roses. Not a single rose is worth a spot on my blog. That’s right, I have no picture to share. I keep layering with watercolor on the mixed media grumbacher paper. The paper is great for acrylic paint but awful for watercolor. Maybe I should practice the curves with markers? Yes, I should try a nice quiet quick lunchtime draw. Maybe I was too focused on producing something great for my blog? I forgot to have fun. Color schemes? I didn’t even have my book out. It’s ok. I’m proud of every rose that went in the trash. I practiced. I know I need to loosen up. I go this! Has this every happen to you? Any tips? Should I begin with me rose at a time? Learn color? Then move toward photos?

You know what, I am posting a sketch because I can paint. Here’s my proof. I need this right now. These flowers are beautiful! Oh my goodness. I just realized the most wonderful words. Embrace ugly work. In the beginning, your work may seem ugly. Embrace it. Keep layering and the strokes will bloom.

Blue Flowers in a Blue Vase

Now I’m going to go find videos. I have some fun Valentine’s day project ideas. I’ll probably start that Friday.

Thanks for reading and sharing this moment with me. These moments happen. I believe in my art. Don’t forget to comment below? Subscribe if you haven’t.

Siempre,

Mireya

Expressive Flowers, Roses Project

Roses-What do I want to say

Mireya

All you have to do is believe in your work. That is a very powerful sentence. And yes, I believe in my butterfly.

The hero of my palette is pink. I worked with three colors: turquoise, magenta, and white. I did use a little indian yellow to have orange for my blue. My colors are bright and joyful. The Roses are looking good too. I like referencing my favorite paintings and nature of course. My three colors were on my mind. I thought about the great day I had with my students. I painted.

Today’s bloganuary question is about procrastination. Procrastination scares me. I like to plan. I think too much. I like James Victore’s advice. Learn it. Forget it. Create. I have the skills. I believe in my work.

Siempre,

Mireya

Roses Project

Roses-failed pieces need love

Mireya

I found this incredible quote. It’s part of my momentum right now.

What every artist must learn is that even the failed pieces are essential.

Rob Bell

I mixed up blues and pinks. Did this yesterday. The strokes went from hard to soft. The petal shapes were looking good. My pinks were bright but when I layered over the warm blue…I almost gave up. Instead I took a break and painted these. Good idea!

During the creative process, there will be ugly or doubtful work. The beauty of acrylic is you can layer. You can try to make it work. Many times it will. I think I made these magenta roses work. Other times it’s just good practice. Now I know I need a detailed acrylic brush. Wait, I think I can use all these lessons I’ve learned to paint full-page roses arrangements. Sounds like an expressive abstract roses book of friendship for the spirit. I like it!

Siempre,

Mireya

Expressive Flowers, Roses Project

Roses-Color Tips

Mireya

How about applying the color tips I read about yesterday? Yes! I referenced a few photos of, you guessed it, my favorite expressive abstract floral artist, Carrie Schmitt. Instead of painting today, I will observe the tips I’ve learned.

You can download your copy at the link above. Or, I’ll share the tips with you.

Color Tips

Group your colors

How about a field of pink flowers surrounded by a turquoise background? Turquoise will make my vibrant pinks stand out.

Enhance color by adding it’s opposite

Use a dark saturated color surrounded by an unsaturated very light and slightly warm tone. How about Magenta flowers with pistachio leaves.

Make one color the hero

Use one color and make it pop! How about one orange fish surrounded by blue ocean waves? Orange roses with mint green leaves. Ooh, I like it! What color would the background be?

Use color to move the eye

Have a beautiful red rose somewhere on the page. Then add a few small red flowers here and there to bring the work together.

These are simply my notes from Nicolas Wilton’s Free PDF. I’m so glad I found it. Oh, I almost forgot the tip I’ve used. Choose a main color. Mix a little of that color with the rest of your colors to create unity. I have been looking for the missing puzzle piece. I may have found it! Tomorrow, I’ll sketch and build a color palette. I’ll be painting for my shop. Well, see how it goes. I haven’t forgotten about the turquoise roses.

Have any color tips? Feel free to comment below.

Siempre,

Mireya

Roses Project

Roses-No Fear Allowed

Mireya

This morning I wake up to my roses, the ones I’ve painted. These are sketches but…

viva magenta flowers in vase sketch
three roses in a ceramic cup painted with blue tempera paint.
sketching flowers with tempera paint
Blue Flowers in a Blue Vase

What if I can’t paint roses? I keep referencing Carrie. Maybe I should try the referencing a photo technique? I can loosely observe to paint how I feel. Let’s do it! I paint every single day! I love to paint. I want to grow this blog and keep growing as an artist. I’m excited about what I’ll paint today. What if I’m not an artist? What if I’m an imposter? Should I be painting roses?

Oh, fear you have come on a Sunday morning. But look at my sketches. I painted roses. I painted roses. The pink rose is gorgeous. And those blue roses, I painted them in five minutes. Ok maybe a little more than five minutes, but I just painted. Fear can be ugly.

Fear means you are out of your comfort zone. Fear can be that bully who easily influences you if you let them. Fear is OK. Fear will always be here. I can shut down in fear. Or I can acknowledge the fear and alter course. I have that power. We have that power. I’m serious about painting flowers. I am an artist and always will be! Let’s see, what else do I fear? I haven’t published a course in a long time. I’ll be doing it anyway. I believe in what I’m doing. You may be wondering, what about flow? When you’re in the flow like the kid who paints, is fear there. Fear is in the studio but it doesn’t control me.

Have you painted roses? Emai me? Tag me on social media. Comment below.

Siempre,

Mireya

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Expressive Flowers

Artist Tips of the Year

Mireya

Practice for Flow Not Perfection

Blue Flowers in a Blue Vase

Practice isn’t about getting good or great. Practice is about letting go. At some point, there’s this voice and you realize it’s there, always has been. I have sat and sat for hours trying to paint something. Nothing happened. On this occasion, I had one color, one damaged brush, and five minutes.

Paper Collage is a Great Way to Learn About Color

Collage pink flowers and lettering the words free soul in Spanish

I’m putting together a creative exploration course with a paper collage. Sometimes I go into the process knowing that I’ll be creating flowers but it’s nice to just use random tools to stamp and blend colors. Then I’ll get an idea and start cutting and arranging. The idea blooms right before my eyes. That’s what happened with the letters M and L.

Social Media needs my attention and consistency

Various papers painted with vibrant orange and pink tones

I like to experiment and paint. I occasionally post on Pinterest. When I do the results are awesome. At one point I had 80k monthly views. I had no plan but to share my work. It worked. I am still learning about SEO. I have ideas. Here’s to more traffic.

Focus on the Moment

I know I’m the artist and I get attached to my work but I shouldn’t. I should only be that spiritual connection that comes as I create. I’m not the end result of my work. Nor am I entitled to the fruits of my labor. My best ideas come when I focus on the moment. For example, I many times have the opportunity to paint with my students. I set up the paint and brushes and wonder what will come of the dried-up dollar store palettes and beyond-bent shapeless brushes. These thoughts have nothing to do with me, my spirit. What is me is curiosity? I’m always curious about what everyone will paint? And every time before my eyes, the children mix up interesting colors, and awesome textures and they are artists. No one gives them permission. They just pick up the brush and go for it.

Expressive Flowers

Fun tea cups to drink out of

Mireya

I’m still in my sketching phase. I have been thinking of these.

I’ve been archiving my work. I deleted a good amount of work. Out with the old and in with the new. And then Catcoq’s weekly prompt is to open a print-on-demand shop or add work to your existing shop. Her mug suggestions gave me an idea. I sketched my designs with a pencil. I mixed lovely shades of blue and pink. I took my time. Painting felt good…free. Oh but visions of my mad mugs danced in my head. I wanted fun mugs to drink my tea in. I like my mugs but something’s missing. So I did a little Anthropologie research. I saw tall mugs, slightly lopsided mugs, mugs with heart shaped handles, mugs with circle handles, a heart shaped mug…FUN colorful mugs.

I should have painted my mad mugs. I should have painted the ideas that were in my head. I want fun, colorful mugs that I painted. I like the idea of mad mugs. The Mad Tea Party is fun, colorful perhaps a little bonkers. It’s a party I certainly want to attend.

Siempre,

Mireya