Watercolor Animals now on Society6

Thanks Kristian for introducing me to this website!

Society6 is similar to the website CafePress, except it seems more geared to artists. I have recently uploaded the digital fox watercolor that I posted yesterday. I have also uploaded a horse watercolor as well.

The cool part about this website is that not only can you order various sized prints of this artwork, you can get Ipad cases, T-Shirts, mugs, laptop skins, throw pillows, and many other products.

I plan on creating more watercolor animals and will be posting them on Society6. You can always access my Society6 page through the widget on the sidebar. Check it out!

I should also be posting a new custom on Etsy by Wednesday so keep an eye out for that as well.

Some Photoshop Practice

So I decided to get in some practice with Photoshop. This is what I created -

I used this tutorial to create the watercolor effect. It's now the home screen of my Ipad. 

If there is anything you want me to write about let me know!

A Year of Art: The Ancient World

Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome...these the first few names that popped into my head when I think of the ancient world. These civilizations have a rich history and culture (I'm personally partial to the myths of these civilizations). Most have also produced a rich collection of art pieces that can be seen in museums around the world.

Some examples of art from these cultures -

Egyptian

Greek

Roman

Some ideas to inspire you:

• Create a model/drawing of a building based on Greek and/or Roman architecture
• Illustrate a myth
• Create your own cuneiform seal
• Create your own hieroglyphic tablet 

Read some myths, look at some art, learn some new historical facts and then create your piece! The sky is really the limit.

If you need some more inspiration check out my Pinterest board Art Inspiration 

Happy New Year!

So many awesome things happened this year. I officially opened my Etsy shop, I attended Pony Penning, and last but certainly not least, I began college at Moore College of Art & Design as an Art Ed major.

And while 2015 was an awesome year, I plan on making 2016 even better! I go back to college in two weeks and begin my intro to Art Ed. course. I also am organizing an art show at my high school to show off the talent of the art department.

I have made several resolutions this year but the one I want to share with is art related. Sometimes when I'm at college, it is hard to make my own art. I just do the projects assigned to me and that causes a minor burnout. So this year I'm challenging myself to create at least one piece of art for myself each month. And I'm inviting you to join me!

Each month has a theme. Where you take the theme is up to you:

January - The Ancient World
February - Dreamlike
March - New Life
April - Growth
May - Animals
June - Mythology
July - Feathers
August - The Future
September - Knowledge
October - Remembrance
November - The Modern World
December - Winter

Every month I will post a brief introduction to the theme and some examples that I feel fit the theme (or in the case of January, some art from the cultures being explored). These pieces can be created in any medium, from colored pencil to text. I will be posting my in-progress and finished pieces on here and on instagram using the hashtag #GFSYearofArt. If you participate and post your piece on instagram tag me @gyrfalconstudios and/or use #GFSYearofArt so I can see what you've created! I may even repost my favorites.

More info for this month's theme will be posted tomorrow.

So when I go back to college I won't be able to work much on models, but rest assured there will be other art and life oriented posts! Let me know if you want me to talk about anything specifically.

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!