Roy, Simmons, Jean Haines and me. Notice Jane's reaction when I gave her some of my prints :)

Yes, I know, you envy me now very much. I had the chance to go in London and meet 2 great watercolor artists: Roy Simmons and Jean Haines.

Roy Simmons is an old friend with whom I collaborated many times in different projects, including PaintMyPhoto website. I am glad I had the chance to meet him in real life, and spend with him a day in London in art galleries. He is a funny guy with an urge to always discover new things related to art. As you know (or you will know now) he created his own technique of painting in watercolor, which he calls it roughbrush technique.

Jean Haines is one of the greatest watercolor artists nowadays. She made a very nice watercolor demonstration at the Mall Galleries, organized by Society of Women Artists, trying to explain her artistic vision. It was nice to see her working live, and I wish that the presentation lasted more.

The best part is that after the demonstration, Jane had a cappuccino with us and shared some impressions. She is such a calm and friendly person. Seeing her work live was a pleasure, and trust me, your monitor can not render that magic feeling of her watercolor paintings ;) . I offered her as a gift some of my prints. She was so delighted, and so was I :)

Now I know that the world is not that big as we think, and that everything is possible, including having a coffee with Jane Haines and Roy Simmons :)

Watercolor demonstration by Jean Haines at the Mall Galleries in London

Roy Simmons, Jean Haines and me, Jullia

This is the little bracelet I received from Pinar Sondal, after the Art Swap for Handicrafts organised last month on Swap Art. This is called “Gold coated Silver Lady In Red Heart Bracelet” and is hand crafted with pure and sterling silver. If you like it you can also buy it from her Etsy Shop.

Because it was a swap, she received my handmade journal :) .

Pinar Sondal, or Toosis, is a jewelry designer from Turkey. You can find her gorgeous work on her official website toosis.com, at Boticca, Etsy, or you can read her blog.

In her designs Sondal uses fresh-water pearls, semi-precious faceted stones such as quarts, amethyst, peridot, jade, aquamarine, citrine, and onyx combining them with sterling silver and findings that she designs with several techniques. See below a nice presentation of Toosis for Boticca:

Yes, this handmade journal is my entry for the Art Swap for Handicrafts. It is 22 x 15,5 cm, with hardcovers, ~40 pages, it has an inside envelope for storage, and I used the Japanese binding :) Like it?

Now here I want to show you some other handmade things I did last year: another handmade journal, a jewelry box, a box with drawers for my pencils and other drawing instruments.

The new exciting project that I’m working on is Swap Art. It’s going to be an online community of artists where you can swap and collect art. We are launching soon. So go ahead and enter your e-mail to join our invite list.

Meanwhile you can read the Swap Art blog , where we will write articles about art, about how you can take advantage of online media and how you can use it to advance your artistic career.
You can also find Swap Art on Facebook and Twitter.

We have already started to do a swap art on Paint My Photo, which is available only for members, who are really excited about the idea. We will not use the Swap Art website this time, it’s just as an exercise to make people familiar with the swapsies.

This doesn’t mean thought that I quit drawing. I’m doing a new commission for a young couple who is getting married and want to use the portrait on their wedding invitations. Can’t wait to see how they will look like :)

I would also like to inform you about my new Facebook page. Why a new one? Because I have accidentally deleted the old one :( and it seams like I can’t recover it.

Thank you for your time!
Regards,
Jullia

As I promised, each of them will receive a free portrait commission. While you are reading their wishes, I go and let them know about the portraits =)

Merry Christmas everyone!

PS: as I said only the blog posts/Facebook posts were taking into consideration, and not the emails/comments you directly sent me. I wanted you to share with everyone your wishes. Telling them aloud is the first step in making them come true.

1. Laura Lynn Strain on her PMP blog

MY CHRISTMAS WISH

I want to tell you a story about me and my Christmas wish last year. I belonged to someone but ended up outside in the cold one day. How I got there I don’t know but I did and it was very, very hard. I am a very short haired cat and the cold where I live is relentless so needless to say, I had to find a warm place with food and water.

I traveled the lonely streets and alleys looking for something, anything that might be a good place to be safe and I noticed a few other cats in an alley near this house that seemed quite happy. Because I am a shy girl, I waited until all the other cats left the place and I snuck up to take a peak. I saw inside two humans and a few of my kind and I noticed that there was something quite tasty on the deck so I carefully went up the stairs to see what it was. I had been outside for quite some time and my ears were cold, my paws were freezing and I was very thin but what I found made my heart glad. The people had left some tasty crunchy bits and I dug in, happy to have something to eat. As I was eating one of the humans must have seen me and came to the door. I was very afraid and ran away as soon as I could. I heard a voice calling out but I was too afraid because it was so dark and scary and cold.

The next night I went back after all the other cats had left that houses deck and I saw a human standing outside with something in her hand. I did not want to run away because I was so very hungry so I very carefully crept up the stairs towards that tall human. She was kind and told me it was okay so I came even closer. She smelled really nice and I knew that I might be okay so I came up to the deck and approached her telling her that I was hungry.

This nice smelling lady stepped back and let me approach the food dish watching as I hungrily ate the food. She knelt down and was talking to me in low tones and I could tell she was a very nice human. I left the bowl and began to tell her that I was cold and hungry and wanted to find a warm place to sleep because I had not had much sleep. I went into her arms which she held open and she picked me up and took me inside the warm house. I sat there stunned as I saw all the other cats staring at me curiously but I did not care, I was in a warm place with nice humans who seemed happy to have me there. I talked a lot and purred and began to clean myself and found a nice cozy chair to snuggle on and for the first time in a long time I felt safe.

I have been here ever since with my companions and I never want to go outside again when it is so good and safe here. The human who took me in named me Eve because I showed up on 22 December 2009 and I guess that is kind of an important month for them. I did lose my ears because of the cold but you know what….I think it suits my look. My human caretakers are the best and they love me very much and I love them as well as my other brothers and sisters which I share the home with. We are a very happy and lively family and I don’t want to be any other place.

My Christmas wish is for all the humans to make sure that they keep their animal companions safe and cared for. I was given a second chance and I hope that any human or animal reading this remembers that Christmas is not just for humans and their special celebration of Jesus. It is also a time to celebrate that the world we live in is to be shared and tended to by the ones who have the ability to do so. My Christmas wish is for people to remember that the world is a big place and us little creatures need protection, love, play, and most of all a place to feel safe.

Thank you for listening to my little story but now I need to go and take a nap after my supper and snuggle up with my companions knowing that I am safe and loved.

Love,
Eve “

2. Susan McInnes on her PMP blog

My day job is designing & making wedding cakes, just had to try and make one out of snow. I decided on red/white roses instead of yellow, as we all know you don’t eat yellow snow With the snow & cold getting everybody down, I thought I would have a little fun.

My Christmas Wish

As I made this snow wedding cake
I wished it would make someone smile
a smirk, a grin a hearty laugh
whatever! It made it all worthwhile

No gloves for me, icy scuptress
hands freezing, fingers numb
pink, swollen, sore
pins & needles here they come!

I thought how lucky am I, hot water
thawing didgits the lot
take a second to think of
the people who have not

to be safe & warm
I wish all living things
not hungry or lonely
but living like kings

as this cake melts
and is no longer there
it doesn’t mean
we forget to care

cats, dogs wildlife
people on the street
remember the less fortunate
as you have your Christmas treat

Susan x x “

3. Barbara Swinton on her PMP blog

Just starting his life’s journey, he has nothing but wonders going on around him each day…the mailman arriving with a “high five” to all those willing to approach his noisy mail truck, the school bus picking up and delivering the neighborhood kids, the asphalt machine re-topping the road in front of the house – all spectacular events to his inquiring eyes. This is his world. He has learned the fine art of conversation and can debate, coerce and cajole with the best…mostly his brother, sister, mom and dad…but then there are also the doctors, nurses, and therapists who touch his life.
Noah was born with a gastro-intestinal disorder, and since August he has been fed through an intravenous line for 15 hours a day. He totes his backpack (containing the “food” and the pump mechanics) around the house, and plunks it down wherever he chooses to play. There’s never a complaint, and always a devilish smile, and a cuddle for anyone who is within arm’s reach. He has many pals in different cities, where he and his family have gone to meet with specialists in the field. He’s had lots of hospital time and watching and listening for medical helicopters is a favorite pastime. In Boston, they landed right below his room. Now that was one fabulous trip! On Thanksgiving, Noah went into the hospital for a few days – this happens any time he has an infection. One of his loving parents is always by his side.
Being part of Noah’s life brings me back to the basics. Let me share my Christmas wishes for all of you, through his eyes, with innocence and honesty.
I wish you the ability to feel compassion, for it can lighten the load of others
I wish you time for reflection, for it allows you to know yourself
I wish you the desire to be kind, for it is the best sustenance for the soul
I wish you happiness that comes from within, for it has true depth
I wish for you the love of a child – for it is the greatest gift
Noah is my grandson. If love could cure, he would be well tomorrow. “

Dear reader,

Christmas is getting closer and closer. You might already think about presents, because I do : ) One of my Christmas presents will be 3 free portrait commissions. Who will receive them? Those of you who write the most interesting Christmas letter with their wishes.. whishes for themselves or others, for the New Year, whatever you like. Just be creative!

So, make a blog post with these wishes, or write them on Facebook, including a link to this post, till 11 December. I’ll centralize all your posts here and the most 3 creative and interesting ones will receive a 8×10 inch free portrait commission.

Good luck everyone! And be creative!

Regards,

Ready? Have you written your blog post/Facebook post yet? Leave a comment or send me an email at anca@jullia.eu with the link to your post.

Notes:
*The 8×10 inch portrait will be with only one person.
*Be sure you include a link to this post as only this way you will be part of this offer.
*Worldwide shipping!

UPDATE: see the winners here

8 x 11 inch / 20,3 x 28 cm

11 x 14 inch / 27,9 x 35,6 cm

Often people don’t know how big a portrait should be, how would it look like or where are they going to put it. Here are my suggestions about this issue.

I use to draw on 3 big size categories: 5×7 inch, 8×11 inch and 11×14 inch. They are not fixed, they can vary as the client wish. I choose these sizes because you can buy ready-made frames from the market. Let’s see where each size fit the best:

For all the sizes I recommend a thin frame, black or any other dark color. Sometimes, according to the furniture you have in the room, a colored frame goes well too. It can give to the portrait and to the room a happy feeling :)
I also recommend the mat boards. First of all because they give a nice and clean look to the portrait, and secondly because in this way the paper will not stand against the glass, otherwise this may affect the drawing in time.

Here is my price list for these sizes.

The world around us is 3D, but the photos we capture, or the drawings/paintings that we make are 2D. Among time, people tried to change the 2D surface into a 3D one, or more exactely to give the illusion of a 3D one. This is how the stereoscopy appeared, which refers to any technique capable of recording three-dimensional visual information or creating the illusion of depth in an image.

It is amazing how you can hide a 3D image behind a 2D one. The last trend in the 3D images are the 3D glasses witch allows you to see… of course in 3D. So I’ve played a little with the Photoshop and some of my drawings, and I’ve created the above collage. The objects are not 3D, but there are 2 different viewing layers. If you move around you’ll have the illusion of the cat following those 2 lovers.

Another type of 3D images are the 3d stereograms. For those of you who can do the eye cross trick (see here video explanation of how to do this) and see 3D, click on the image below and see something very familiar with this website :D So, what did you see?


*image made on five.flash-gear.com/stereo

I just discovered the BBC documentary named “The secret of drawing” – four part series, presented by Andrew Graham-Dixon, which explores how drawing has shaped our lives. I really recommend this documentary! See it in the videos bellow.

A friend from UK, Roy Simmons, recommended me a very interesting website DocuWatch – a website full with videos about art. If you are interested into art history, I would also recommend you the Smarthistory.org – which is a free multi-media web-book designed as a dynamic enhancement (or even substitute) for the traditional art history textbook.

Now, the more I learn about drawing, the more I realize I know so little..

Part 1: “The Line of Enquiry”



Part 2: “Storylines”


Part 3 – “All in the mind”:


Part 4: “Drawing by Design”

Hi there! I have started to be busy with the final exams from my master degree, but as always when I have exams I also have a huge urge to draw :D There is no time for this in the day, but there are nights.. so this is what I did in the last 2 nights. I really love the picture and how the drawing turns out. The reference is again from Paint my Photo website.

I don’t know yet what to draw in front of his eyes.. something that he is looking at so curious. I have some ideas, but I don’t know yet. Any suggestions? :)