'run-, roll-, gain control!' by myra anderson...

Drawing the ballet has been a real friend during this pandemic.  Unfortunately I have become overly acquainted with too many snack friends especially sugary delicious big bag o' jelly beans.  Now I have two new friends and constant companions 'clumps to the left' and 'rolls to the right'.  I need to formulate a plan! More to come...
Anyhoo...I bought these little paint cups from Michaels (you can also get the pack with a palette).  Of course I think they are so cute!





I was thinking that you could make your own custom made set of paint pots for your current project! Perhaps you need a set of flesh tones or perhaps a floral set right at your fingertips!

My favorite artist quote of the week taken from one of her 'how to' videos...

Below is a beautiful painting by artist Katrina Linn...

 

'ballerina! blue! da Vinci! two!' by myra anderson...

'ballerina blue' by myra anderson...

Part 2 After my last post I realized that I didn't know how beautiful an original 'paint by number' painting can be.

Paint by number

A little bit of 'paint by number' history(CLICK)...

'Paint by number' still enjoys popularity today leading some to wonder if an artist can learn anything from  'paint by numbers'.  I say yes lol! I think we can!

Just for fun, I decided to get a sense of how it was to 'paint by number' during its heyday! Naturally I decided (next week) to paint a 'vintage' ballerina (see below).

How could I benefit from painting the ballerina series?  Well, I could use a refresher course on how to paint clouds or trees or drapery or buildings or pillars and other scenery.  
 



Below is one of two ballerinas that I have decided to print and paint (see previous post).   Then I would like to see how I can incorporate some of the above mentioned elements in my own ballerina paintings. 

You can buy these from Amazon

In the last post I also mentioned being crafty.  I think it would be a lot of fun to assemble your own little kit and fill your own little paint pots with color.

my project for next week!

'painting the numbers' by myra anderson...

ballerina painting by myra anderson

perhaps you may love working on complex works of art

'Paint by number' may also be a perfect way for you to re-imagine your previous artwork!  So that you can see the process a little better, I chose a ballerina sketch with a limited color palette.  The top painting shows the completed painting and below you can see the 'original' color palette.

Here the painting is turned into an outline. You can color the sheet with pens, pencils, or markers.  Or you can print the sheet (with or without the numbers) on canvas paper for HP Printers - and paint.
  
You can also print the sheet and transfer it to the canvas using 'mod podge' or homemade 'mod podge' (made with a combination of glue plus water).

mix your paint to match the colors on the side!

Above is a ballerina where I combined the color sheet and the color palette in a photoshop program.  You can use little dabs of paint to match the colors you see on the side. If you are going to transfer your photo to a canvas don't forget to reverse the image before printing. 
Here (click) is a link to another method showing 'how to color by number' with a tutorial, a video, photos, a template to this free painting of a flower and more...by artist Lindsay Ponta.

I mentioned being 'super crafty'! Yikes!!! I've printed my sheet but I have yet to apply it to a canvas and paint it!  I would like to say that I will show you a completed painting soon...

'ballerina! cake! degas!' by myra anderson...

Above is me 'focusing on my own art' lol! You know...to me being an artist is like making a cake - you blend a combination of ingredients together - and then you add fire - in order to create something beautiful and delicious!
One of my personal ingredients is to admire and examine the artwork of others including the masters. 
Degas has nearly 2000 drawings and paintings of the ballet! (I also love to 'treasure hunt' the beautiful ballerinas of Degas!  Even now - after years of surfing the web - I have found works of Degas that I have never seen before.)
As a self-taught artist  I have come a long way from my initial ballerina scratches!  Why would I dare to copy Degas?  Well, it's thrilling to see if I could duplicate 'a ballerina of Degas!?!' It's thrilling to see if I could walk in the same footsteps of the great ballet master!

Above is the beautiful work of (1)Linda Apple and  (2) Karin Jurick.   Below is the artist Gillian Collins seen here at The National Gallery of Art. My final ingredient for today is that I would love to develop the technical ability to accurately translate what I see onto the canvas.  Just like Gillian I would love to be able to train my hand to draw exactly what I see!

Gillian Collins

I hope that everyone is well.

It's a blessing to be able to talk about art 

for a few minutes each day! 

'the ballet, the ballerina and the ballerinas!' by myra anderson...

So here I am looking back at some of my earlier pen work! You know, I think the secret is out that 'I love the artwork of Degas!'  Perhaps a lesser known secret is that I love the artwork of Francois Gall (1912-1987).

Also looking back...it may be hard to believe that I used to draw and paint EVERYTHING -  from the apple seed to the applesauce! Like many other artists Francois Gall has a magnificent portfolio of work including portrait, still life, floral, landscape, cafe and ballerina paintings.  Below are a few of his beautiful ballerina paintings.

 

Ahhhhh! So lovely!!!!! Truth? If I could...if I had the technical ability...I would copy his paintings lol!!!! (I saw an artist who makes lovely copies!)  To me it would be very exciting! Right now I am working on my own version of 'dancer with ballerinas'!  And there's nothing more exciting than that!!!!!!

Also...I don't know how you are making it thru the day...

maybe it's one drawing at a time!

 Love and peace to you! 

'I kid you, I kid you not!' by myra anderson...

I did this little drawing (above) some time ago but I HAVE been drawing lately so it seems as if I am on the mend from my pinched nerve.   As you know...I'm always looking for interesting ways to improve my art.   Sometimes I look at a Degas and other artwork and I ask myself...what exactly did the artist do and how in the world did the artist do it!?  There are two ways I plan to explore this matter.  One way is to use...
COLORING BOOK PAGES
I uploaded this 'Degas coloring book page' to my ipad in order to paint it.  Below is the original painting and I must say that I am having loads of fun trying to 'copy' (not exactly duplicate) the beautiful colors and textures that I see here.  (I'll show it to you soon!)

Also, I will print the coloring book page and either transfer it to a canvas or 'practice paint' on the paper itself. So, for learning or just for fun you can explore your favorite subject or google how to turn your own personal photo into a coloring book page.  (FUN FACT: Degas would go to the museum and copy HIS favorite artists as well and he would add his own creative changes to them!) I will tell you the other way I intend to explore my subject matter later!!!!!
 
In our modern times...I absolutely LOVE the work of artist Sergey Bakin. He paints many, many subjects that I love.  I think his ballerina art is delicate, powerful, beautiful and lovely!!!!!

'the fashion, the passion, and the lights that were flashing!' by myra anderson...

'computer fashion' by myra anderson

'computer ballet' by myra anderso

Well...at first I DIDN'T do what I said that I would do!  I did NOT rest my arm.   What did I do?  I did a whole bunch of things and then I did a whole bunch of other things and at the end of the day I just HAD to draw some ballerinas! 

What happened? That night I woke up in such terrible pain that I called 911 just to make sure I wasn't having a heart attack.  My niece later told me that if I really WERE having a heart attack I would not be able to wash up, brush my teeth, comb my hair, put on some clothes and sit in my rocking chair until the ambulance came! Anyhoo,  after the paramedics ruled out a heart attack they still would have taken me to the hospital as a precaution because my blood pressure was pretty high. However,  because of the virus, both parties agreed that we would go with the second option!  That I would calm the heck down, stop with the arm shenanigans and call my doctor!  And I did!  Above is a Degas ballerina I attempted to 're-create' on the computer and a fashion illustration both done with my OTHER hand! 

Artwork by ed marion

As you know, I love fashion artwork.  Here is the work of artist Ed Marion.  When I saw these beautiful fashion pieces it made me want to try my 'computer fashion' chops!