"Water" Wonderful World!

Do you have a favorite art medium? For the last several years, I would have had to say that my favorite was alcohol markers. I have quite a few Copic Sketch alcohol markers, and I have produced numerous pieces with them.

But 2024 has been a year of discovery. I have expanded my artistry through graphite pencil sketching, colored pencil, gouache painting, watercolor painting, and wash and ink (watercolor painting combined with pens). I must say, that's so much more than I ever expected.

Here are a couple of recent paintings. Remember, I'm still a beginner, so if these don't seem like anything great, that's because I've only scratched the surface so far! 

This one is a watercolor-only painting of birch trees. It has a lot of dry brush to it. This was one of my very first watercolor paintings, so I was really pleased that it was even recognizable! Yay for a great start!

The wash and ink images below are from a garden (PowellsWood) near Federal Way, Washington. I wonder. Which do you like best? Plain watercolor? Or watercolor combined with ink?

I can't say that I've made a firm decision about that, yet, but I know that I will enjoy my journey of discovery immensely. I am SO BLESSED to be able to pursue art right now. I hope that it will prove to be useful both to me and others. 

I wish you the very best holiday season. Remember to LOVE on those around you! And always remember "water" wonderful world we get to share. (Corny? Yes, but true nonetheless.) Be blessed! 

Honored to be a Featured Artist

One year ago, if anyone had told me that I would finish 2024 as a featured artist in an Artist's Gift Guide, I would have told them they were crazy!! Yet, here I am! 

I started taking online art classes last December from Sandy Allnock at art-classes.com. Many of you may remember Sandy as the founder of the nonprofit Operation Write Home, which sent millions of handmade cards (yes, millions!) to our military troops over several years so that they could write home to their families and friends. Today, Sandy is a full-time professional artist and amazing art instructor! 

I started my art journey with a lot of high expectations for myself, and I am meeting those expectations by creating a little bit of something every day! I have already completed about 10 of Sandy's classes in various mediums, and my art skills have SOARED with Sandy's excellent, step-by-step instructions! 

Here is a small selection of my completed art class projects. (Please forgive my photography. The artwork is much better than the photos.) If I can do this, I think there's a lot of hope for anyone who has a desire to make art!  But you be the judge. Remember, it's my first year as an artist!

From Whimsical Sketching class (pen and ink): 

From 30 Days to More Confident Sketching (graphite pencil) class:

From Drawing 101: Form, Depth, and Volume (graphite and charcoal pencil) class: 

And, finally, a mash-up of classes, (including Bible journaling and Pencil Pups 1), plus my own creations from Inktober 2024 :

So, what's today's take-away? In these uncertain times, I am following my dreams of becoming an artist. I have a few supplies, some great instruction, a great art community where I can share my work and get feedback, and family and friends who are cheering me on! What more could one ask?

If the time seems right for you to get started in art, continue past efforts, or even gift someone else some art supplies for the holidays, I encourage you to follow the links I've offered in this post. 

Did I mention that art is a great stress-buster?!? It is! Come on. What are you waiting for?  Let's make this world an even more beautiful place! 

Going to the Dogs with Graphite Pencils!

Hi! Thanks for stopping in! I'm so glad you're here.

As my title suggests, I've gone to the dogs! With drawing, that is. 😉

I've been a dog lover from way back. I love to look at different breeds and learn more about them. Today, I've drawn a couple of dogs in graphite pencil for your enjoyment.

The first of them is a Jack Russell terrier. Many will recognize this breed as one with high energy and a sharp, terrier bark. I've never personally owned a Jack Russell, but they're very popular on TV. Remember Eddie who belonged to Martin Crane on the TV show Frasier? He was so cute - and so smart. 

Isn't she adorable? I'm assuming she is a female, as her anatomy is not quite right otherwise!

I used several graphite pencils to draw this sweet girl. I used 9B for the darkest values, an HB for the lighter values, and a few things in between.  

My favorite pencil brands are Staedtler Lumograph and Caran d'Ache Grafwood pencils. I get most art supplies from Dick Blick online, but on occasion I also order some from Amazon. Currently, I do NOT receive any commission from these  recommendations. They just happen to be my favorites. 

For those who just love to draw, but don't wish to invest in a set of art pencils, a trusty #2 pencil (USA) will do. A #2 is the American equivalent of a 2B in an art pencil. It produces a midtone with normal pressure. And you can lighten or darken the values by changing your hand pressure. 

My second "pup" today is a Silver Labrador. Just look at that sweet expression! 🤩 Labradors are also a very popular breed. 

I used the same pencils to draw this cutie, too. The photographer for the reference photo made an artistic decision to foreshorten the dog's body. The emphasis on the face gives it center stage - and makes the body seem tiny. I really do love it, though!

While I managed to do this dog justice, I learned a lot about drawing eyes, teeth, and noses. The hardest part was actually the tongue. I found that it needed varying values (amounts of light) to look like a muscle. Then, I had to change some of the surrounding values to give them enough contrast.

Well, that's it for today. I hope you enjoy the dogs, and please stop in again. There's more on the way! 

Welcome to Summey Arts!

Hello, and welcome to my Summey Arts blog! Today, November 1, 2024, is launch day. 

As my favorite season of the year gets into full swing, the leaves are starting to fall in earnest here in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. It's a season of gratitude, festivals, and dreams of my favorite holidays. 

Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Karen, retired from higher education, and currently a wife, daughter, sister, aunt, and  friend. I also work as a part-time project manager for a nonprofit organization providing free family caregiver education. 

As my blog's name suggests, I am also an artist! I've spent 2024 gaining new skills and experience in a variety of mediums. I've dabbled in graphite and charcoal pencil sketching, ink, watercolor and gouache painting, and more. And even after a long history with alcohol markers, I've been learning more about color blending. What fun! If you're interested, I can highly recommend my art instructor, Sandy Allnock, who offers the most fabulous art classes online. 

I have so many exciting projects on my art table now. I'll be sharing some of those in the coming weeks, but for today I'd like to introduce you to a couple of my online sites.

First, I have an Etsy shop called Karen's Blue Ridge Stamp. The site is currently heavy with cards and cardmaking supplies. I'll be revamping my listings soon to offer better shipping prices to all my customers - especially now that the US Postal Service has imposed its recurring holiday surcharge. Yikes! This calls for creative solutions for sure. 

My current Etsy bestsellers are my Copic alcohol marker swatch decks. These are digital downloads for both Copic Sketch and Copic Ciao markers. Customers love that they can download, print out on card stock, cut the sheets on the guidelines, color in any swatches for markers they own, and quickly see how to match colors with papers, photos, and other things. All Copic colors are represented, so it's also a great way to visually see one's inventory! 

Coming up this fall, you'll also see digital download listings for:

• Art to color and other fun activities (for adults and children)
• Wall art in various mediums 
• 2025 calendar and planner pages

In addition, my husband and I have curated some special collectibles for lovers of die-cast model cars. These models are beautifully made and so nostalgic for car lovers. 

Second, I have a well-populated Pinterest site. As a former (and possibly future) Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, I have lots of cardmaking ideas posted on my boards. I also curate famous and interesting quotes, favorite watercolor paintings, and much, much more. Feel free to hop on over and take a peek. Be sure to follow my account if you want to see more. 

Here's a brief list of what you can expect from my blog in the near future:

• Tidbits I've learned on my art journey
• New artwork from yours truly
• Helpful resources for budding artists
• Product recommendations
• Artists I follow in various mediums
• What's in my Etsy shop

What else would you like to see? Leave me a comment and I'll see what I can do.

For now, thanks for stopping by! I hope to see you again soon. 

Take care!