In the Home Stretch (Art School Series)

So, here I am four weeks away from the end of my first semester of college (one week away from Thanksgiving break, but who is counting right? 😉)! Here is some more of my art work from the past few weeks.

Drawing 101

For the past couple of weeks, we have been going to different museums to draw. We have also started working with the model.

Design 1

We have been doing various greyscale and depth studies. For the first we created a composite photo in Photoshop and then recreated it in three different mediums - ink, acrylic, and pencil.

(Three pics on google drive)

The next greyscale study we did was based on spaces. We took photos of various interesting spaces and then created a sculpture of them. We took the sculptures and photographed them using our iPads. After picking our best composition, we drew the photograph in the media of our choice.

Visual Thinking

The second prompt was the Self. I decided to use an animal metaphor in the form of the owl. The color of the owl in each of the panels represents my personality at the time. The feathers in the piece represent the legacy I have left behind.

The next prompt is Systems. I'll give you a little teaser of my plan for that project. My project is based off of the food chain.

I've also had time to do some personal art. One of the most exciting things I have got to see was a program provided by the Academy of Natural Sciences. They brought in a paleoartist to draw a life size dinosaur. My roommate and I went to watch and worked on our iPads to sketch the Dino ourselves.

I'm going home for Thanksgiving break next Wednesday. There will be some new items uploaded to my etsy shop (some originals!) at that point. Starting next Wenesday, the coupon code HAPPYTHANKSGIVING will be valid through the 30th for 30% off of your purchase.

Long Time No Blog (Art School Series)

Hey guys! I can't believe it's October already! Well anyways in the last post I promised you pictures of some of my projects I've been working on.

Design I is a 2D design class. During the first half of the class we work with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. The second half of the class is dedicated to hands on work. Our first project involved making repeating patterns.

Hand drawn repeating patterns

Created with Illustrator 

Created with Illustrator

Created with Illustrator

Drawing I is a class where we learn about all the intricacies of drawing from value and shading to perspective. We start out with still lives and near the end of the semester will begin working with models.

Garlic
Graphite

A drapery study
Vine Charcoal

Visual Thinking is a class that prepares us to create our thesis when we become upperclasswomen. We are given a prompt and from that prompt we have to create a piece of art. We also have to do research to support our piece.

Wilderness/Wild
oil paint and pastel

I've also had time to create some art for myself.

Owl Eye Study
Colored Pencil
3.5"x2"

Owl Beak Study
Colored Pencil
2.5"x2.5"

Riptide (photo by Kelly Cosby)
Black and White Charcoal
9"x12"

Some of these will be up on my Etsy store in November so keep an eye out!

Two Weeks In (Art School Series)

It's been two weeks since I packed up and left for college. I've been to all of my classes and enjoy them all. I've also been exploring around our campus and have found my favorite place to relax and sketch - The Academy of Natural Sciences.

I'll post some of my completed assignments when I get a chance!

New on Etsy!

I have two new listings on Etsy. One is for a model and the other is for a downloadable coloring page.

This traditional foal's color was created in oils and his details were created in acrylics. His eyes and hooves are glossed for a more realistic look. Click here for his Etsy listing.

The newest listing in my shop is for a downloadable coloring page that depicts a sea turtle and a school of fish. Click here for the Etsy listing.

Playing with Illustrator

When i was a sophomore in high school, I took a graphic design class where I learned how to use Adobe Illustrator. Fast forward a couple of years and it was recommended that I get a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud for college. To re-familiarize myself with Illustrator, I decided to create a cover for my planner.

 

This is what I came up with. What do you think?

In a Week...(Art School Series)

This Saturday I will be moving into my dorm at Moore College of Art and Design. Needless to say, I'm thrilled! Throughout the summer I've been getting stuff for my dorm. Yesterday my mom and I went through all my things to see what I still need.

The Art School Series will chronicle my experiences at Moore as an Art Ed student.


We took over my horse room and spread everything out on the table. We grouped it by dorm room storage and supplies, office supplies, hygiene, clothing, first aid, and miscellaneous. My mom and I got most of this from Staples, Target, or Five Below. Staples was running a promotion where you get 20% off of your total purchase if you could fit all of your stuff into a canvas bags provided in the store.

my favorite thing I got at Staples

Earlier this summer, maybe in late June or early July, I found my bedspread for my dorm (it was a really good sale!)

picture of the store's display

While at Five Below, I found this guy -

he feeds my owl obsession and matches my bed spread!

And I got this guy for my birthday -

So these two are going to be joining me on my college journey! While in Chincoteague I was able to go to the Blueberry Festival (if you get a chance, I highly recommend going) and was able to pic up so pictures for my dorm room.

yes...I have a birds of prey obsession

There are no art supplies in this post because we get a foundation kit when we get to school. Exploring my art kit my spawn a separate post in it's self! Six days...I can't wait!

I'm Back From Chincoteague!

As always, Chincoteague was a wonderful experience! I'm always so relaxed when I'm there. This year I attended both the Feather Fund Auction and the Pony Penning Auction.  As a gift for graduation my mom had donated in my name to the Chincoteague Legacy Group. This group was formed to buy one of Surfer Dude's buyback foals. We made history! We broke the record of the highest priced buyback at $25,000.

My mom was able to take a selfie with her.

  On a more somber note, this Pony Penning marked the passing of one of my favorite yearlings, Soul Surfer. He was diagnosed with intestinal cancer and had to be put down. He was full brother to Riptide and the son of Surfer Dude. He will always have a special place in my heart.

Just a reminder my books are now CLOSED. Once I become used to the rhythm of college life, they may open again.

Books are Closing Soon

Hey everyone, I hope you are having a nice Breyerfest week! I just wanted to let you know that my books will be closing August 1. I'm going to be preparing to head off to college and going on vacation. See you at Pony Penning!

Its Prepping Time!

So the last time we saw Swimmy was when he was getting his fins and quills. I've made a lot of progress on him since then. He's gotten his ears and mane, and now it's time to prep him!

For the purpose of these photos I stuck him on a paint brush to give him the floating effect he'll eventually have.

This one has a lot of prepping to go through, so wish me luck!

New Sales Piece and Print on Etsy

Hey guys! I just wanted let you know I put up an new sales piece and a new print on Etsy.

The sales piece is Buttermilk Buckskin Quarter Horse. He is on the new Breyer Stablemate mold and is painted in oils. He is sealed with Dullcoat to give a smooth matte finish.

The print is a piece I did for a contest at my high school. It depicts two wounded hands lifting up a dove. The print is signed and numbered, limited to only one hundred reproductions.

My Etsy store is GyrfalconStudios. I would appreciate it if you would check it out!

Feather Fund Donations

This is my third year donating to the Feather Fund benefit auction. The Feather Fund is a non-profit that helps a deserving child buy a Chincoteague Pony each year. The biggest feature of the auction are model horses that are painted as portraits of the ponies on the island. There is are also other items up for auction such as artwork and an awesome quilt with all stallions on the island along with some other favorites. Last year was the first time I attended the auction and it was an awesome experience! This year I decided to create four portrait models.

The first is Riptide. Riptide is one of the most popular stallions on the island. His father, Surfer Dude, passed away earlier this year which was a huge loss.

Chief Golden Eagle is one of the few solid palominos on the island. He has produced many beautiful foals.

Ajax is another popular stallion on the island. I personally love his unique pinto markings.

Lastly is Soul Surfer. He is a 2014 buyback and the brother to Riptide he has two gorgeous blue eyes with heavy eyeliner.

This year I also decided to donate some of my flat art. The piece is done on black drawing board and is created in colored pencil. The horses featured are Riptide and Soul Surfer.

The Feather Fund Auction is held on the Tuesday of Pony Penning Week. I highly recommend that if you're coming to Pony Penning to check it out!