Visual References to Final Product

From visual references to final product. Next step after painting the butterflies I will start choosing floral and decorative elements for my 2013 calendar.

Butterfly Choices for My 2013 Calendar

My choices for butterflies for my 2013 calendar. I try and mix it up each year with butterflies and design & it's getting to be a bit challenging considering this is my 10th year! Thank you Avalanche Publishing / Lang Calendar Company!!

Using Photoshop to Save Time......

• Drawing the Butterfly

 There once was a day when I painted butterflies without using any tools such as photoshop or the internet to find images.  My images came from field guide books and my tools were simply a piece of paper to make a template, a pencil and scissors.  To create an even butterfly I would fold the paper in half & draw half of a butterfly. Next I would cut it out and use as a template to draw the outer lines of the butterfly onto my canvas before painting.  

Now use the internet to find great photos of butterflies.  I put the image into photoshop and create two butterflies.  One I lighten so it is easy see  to draw another layer of black lines over the butterfly. The other butterfly I keep vibrant to print out for a visual when I paint. 

As before, I only draw half of the butterfly. I duplicate my line drawing, flip horizontally and place the duplicate wing on the opposite side. Next I delete the butterfly underneath the black line and print it out.  I no longer cut out the butterfly.  Instead I now have a light board that I place the line work on, put my canvas over the print out and basically trace the butterfly onto my canvas.

It is very nice to not draw and erase the basic designs of the butterfly wings.  This is a much faster process than before.  Photoshop is a wonderful tool in my paint box.

Welcome 2011!

I would like to know if anyone out there has any kind of creative resolutions for 2011? Do you want to try something new?  Art lessons, dance lessons, jewelry instruction classes or cooking classes? Or, do you just want to start something up again that you've let slip by? Has it been years since you've done something creative that you love?  Pick up that paintbrush or move those muscles and be creative in 2011!