Sketching Faces Class

Hello Friends!
I have been taking another class....think I'm a "class-a-holic"!! This class is pencil sketching the face. We just got done learning eyes and next are going on to noses. Then next week, we'll go on to mouths. I suppose that the week after that, we'll go on to the full face with all of the features.
This class is given by Monica Zúñiga of http://monicazuniga.blogspot.com/ and she is in Mexico. She is a very talented mixed media artist and her work is just beautiful. When I found that she was offering classes, I immediately signed up. She is also offering classes on how to paint faces and backgrounds. I think that I will sign up for one of those when this class is done.
Anyway, I just wanted to show my latest efforts. I am having fun with my sketchbook!!
Have a great day!
hugs, Sue

By the Seashore

Boy this is sure where I'd like to be!! How the heck did I ever get all the way out here in Nebraska, in the middle of cowpattyland??? LOL!!! Originally being from California, I do miss the ocean so much! I lived in what is now called Silicon Valley/lived in Sunnyvale/Mt. View area. When I grew up there, it was laid back, with lots of small fruit orchards all over the place. My family would load up in the car on weekends and drive through the Santa Cruz mountains over to the shore. We'd spend of day playing on the beach, swimming in the ocean and eating french bread and dry salami! Oh yeah...and Granny Goose potato chips. Ah...those were the days!!! What great memories!!

Anyway, here is my latest creation. It is a Ros Stallcup design that I have loved for years. I finally got it painted. I am going to get it framed and hang it in my bathroom, where the theme is Seashells by the seashore!!

I have signed up for a new class that starts next month. I am so excited about it. Martha Lever is going to be offering an online calligraphy class with brush markers. She is a very talented lady and I can't wait for it to start. Here is her blog http://marthalever.blogspot.com/ if you might want more info. The class is reasonable $$$ and offers many videos and class material. Go and sign up...you won't be sorry!!!

Have a great day!!!

It's been awhile since I posted again. This time of year, on the farm, things are very busy. Crops to get in, gardens to plant, and cows to take care of. We just came in from moving our cows down to the pasture for the summer. All went very well....with no crazy cows of calves running the wrong way and not following the rest. They went into the pasture all together and we are done. The pasture is beautiful now. Full of tall blue grass and will keep them all fed until fall.

I finished my last lesson in Module C (Traditions). I have posted it below. I hope to spend this summer painting some others pieces that I have in mind and I will post them here. I have quite a few pieces in different stages of applying all of the mixed media on them. I want to get the ones I've got started finished and then start some new ideas. I will be opening an Etsy shop for my artwork and will announce it here when some items are for sale. I am not sure what my Etsy shop name will be, but might just stick with "Beyond the Cellar" for now.
Thanks for looking! Hope you are having a wonderful warm Spring where you are!

A day on the Farm!

No paintin' for this old farm gal today! I had to put on my "other" hat today and herd cows. LOL!!! Well, we had 22 calves penned up in the yard...last years calves. We had an appt. with the vet to get them vaccinated and the bull calves turned into steers. (OUCH) These calves are NOT the cute little wet nosed, big brown eyed cows that you are thinking of. They are over a year old, and needing to be sold soon. We have to have the vet work on them first.

So the day started out pretty good....I was trying not to get stressed about it, but I always do. I mean, I was raised in the city and the biggest critter we had was a dog. So I get stressed out everytime we have to do this. But, I built up my courage, and helped out as much as I can. Hubby keeps me out of the pen with the cows while we are sorting and loading them for safety. We have two horse trailers that we load them into...two pickups that we haul them with. I get to drive one..the smaller one. Well, anyway, these calves are about 700 lbs each!!!! Hubby gets them into the upper pen where we load from...and the stupid dog decided she wanted to be protective and gets all the cows worked up and crazy, of course. So we have some of them in a small pen that narrows down into an alley and they are suppose to calmly walk down this alley and into the trailer. NOT!!!! Some of them get to the end and decide to turn around and come back out....all the while the others are going the other direction....and get all stuck and get more crazy. After about 30 minutes of this, we get one trailer loaded.....move it and back the other trailer up to load the rest of the calves. Well, the same thing happens again....the dog, cows going every which way......but finally do get them loaded up.

Now, when we are doing all of this...the cows get kind of stressed and they SHIT all over the place!!!! (excuse french, but it is the only way to describe it) Now it is kind of hard not to get it on you no matter how hard you try....YUCK!!!
We drive over to the vets place and all of that goes smoothly...we load the two trailers up with the darling little calves again and head for home. I am starting to feel relieved as we head for home....Almost done now!!! Whew...
..
Hubby is in the pickup ahead of me....everything is going okay...I haven't had a coronary yet.......then all of the sudden....BANG!!!!!!!!! What the heck was that???? I stopped in the closest place to sort of pull over....get out and look. I have blown a tire!
Now here I sit....out in the middle of nowhere, with 9 lard butt cows on the trailer, and a flat tire!!!! There are two tires on each side....but do I continue on???? Wait for hubby to notice I'm not there anymore???? I decide to wait for him to come back and get instructions as to what to do.
All the iced tea I've been drinking all day starts to build up in my bladder and I am getting very uncomfortable. I think about just peeing there...but there is a farmer on either side of the road working and it wouldn't have been very private. So I decide to just hold it!!!
All this, and I haven't shed a tear yet........

Hubby comes back FINALLY, and says......just drive it on home....doesn't care about the tire...lets just go home. So I head out and travel about 8 miles to home. My bladder is about to rupture, I'm about to cry, and the damned cows decide to play musical chairs in the trailer while we are going down the road.
About 30 minutes later, we finally get home.....oh thank you Lord!!!!! I get out and make a run for the potty......just in time and sat there forever!!! Oh relief!!!!! Not just for my bladder but for being home.....
I walk out and look at the trailer and check out the tire......well, where the tire used to be...LOL!!! Nothing but the rim left now!!!! Thank God the other tire didn't blow!!!
Hubby starts to move the trailer and I notice something under it.....I tell him to stop and we look and the whole tail pipe assembly is laying down on the ground!!! JEEZ!!
Anyway, we get all of the cows unloaded....and are done!!! Thank GOD we only have to do this once a year or I'd probably check myself into the "HOME".....I sure don't remember anything in our wedding vows stating that I would have to become a cowgirl.....we should have had a prenup done I guess......
Anyway....how was your day????? LOL!!! Sorry for the rant, but had to get it off my chest!!! I'm taking a shower.....And NO, we aren't having BEEF for dinner tonight!!!!!

My latest lesson! I have always been rose challenged. I have books, videos...etc.etc. on painting roses. I could NOT for the life of me, paint a rose. These roses aren't the best, but I am so proud of them! I practiced and practiced until I felt confident to add them to this picture. With our Traditions lessons, our teacher sends videos of herself painting the actual painting. We can watch them as many times as we need to before attempting the lesson. We also get a long written copy of the lesson, with some art history thrown in as well. It is a wonderful program. If you find that you might be interested in taking these lessons, email me and I'll send you info. about them.

I have two more lessons in Module C to paint. I am working on Lesson 9 right now. Once I am through with Mod. C, I plan to go on to Mod D when it is available. This should be in the fall.

Meanwhile, I plan to paint some of the other works that I've been planning on for a long time. So watch for more posts in the near future!!!

Another lesson finished. I took my time with this one as it was very involved with lots and lots of layers. I am very happy with the way it turned out. I learned a lot with this lesson too. Now I am ready to tackle something less stressful. I ended up with a stiff neck today from stressing too much while working on this. I must learn to relax while painting.....just breathe!!! LOL!! I think I will work on some watercolor lessons that I am taking from Michelle Brown. One class is learning to loosen up while painting.....I definitely need to study this one MORE!! The other class is Spring Flowers. I've got a link to her blog on the left and you have got to go and check her out. On her blog, she has several videos of her painting that you can watch. The first time I saw her painting I knew I had to take her classes!!

I've spent several days last week cleaning out my studio. What a mess it was and so disorganized. I sorted, and sorted and threw piles of old junk away. It really felt good. I've got my cupboards organized...paints stowed away on shelves and my table cleaned off. Now I'm really ready to do some serious ART!!! It feels good to have it done!!

Just finished another Lesson yesterday. I really do like the way this one turned out. It was a very difficult lesson for me to paint. I lost some of the transparency in my colors on the last layer, but still do like it. This was painted on an old tray I had and never used. The tray is about 12x18" and I will hang it up on a wall. This is my first venture with gold leafing. It wouldn't have been so hard if the tray edges hadn't had all of the curves and edges it does. I spent most of an afternoon applying it to the tray edge. All in all, I finally got it so that it looked okay and I'm happy with it. I don't think I will try that again....unless it is an edge that is square and plain.
I'm going to take a few days off from my lessons now and chill out. Think I'll work on something that is less tedious to paint. Maybe some watercolor or a mixed media collage.
I will post whatever I come up with. I've got some new watercolor brushes ordered and hope that they show up today. I can't wait to play with them!!! A girl can never have too many art supplies!!! LOL!!!!