Art – Page 103 – Katie Jeanne Wood

Revising Halloween paintings

Revising Halloween paintings
Work in progress

Those who have followed me for a while know
I used to paint a lot of masquerade mask portrait paintings,
like, a lot, a lot.
And then I stopped.
Because, nothing lasts forever,
y’know?

Over my summer hiatus I found a stash
of 4×4 miniatures
hanging out behind the scenes.
Because I painted them so long ago,
all were in desperate need of
revision. So I figured,
why not?

Once these are finished,
it’s hard to say if or when I’ll paint more.

I’m trying to hurry,
so I can
get them revised, photographed,
and listed here in my shop before Halloween.
I’m also listing them in my Etsy shop
so these are time sensitive,
and might not last long.
First come, first serve basis.

I’ll be adding more as I finish them,
but these are
one of a kind original paintings.
If you see one you like,
get it while you can.

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It’s a long one: art journal page, supplies, traffic jam, mini portrait, video, new merchandise in my shop, and tons of links

Unfolding Layers
You can see me paint this art journal page in the video below.
Don’t miss out.
Keep scrolling.
😀

Some of my favorite art supplies are super cheap.
Crayola chalk and crayons are the best for making marks
in abstract and portrait paintings.

WIP
Norwegian girl portrait painting

Had to flip the ac back on a couple days ago. Seems as if the heat, sun, and humidity are back to stay for the next week or so.

Can someone hold the elevator, please?
Looks like I won’t be taking the stairs.
😼 😺😸😹

Traffic jam!
The princess of the house,
aka Miss Pea Doodle Doo,
refused to budge out of Chewy’s way.
She just kept growling, and twitching her legs
in a “try it and see what happens to you, mister” way.
Oh, that girl!!
How I looooove her.

Black & white oil portrait.
I like to look at my art in different ways sometimes.

Okay, here’s the video I promised you. If you’re seeing this post via email you’ll probably wonder what I’m talking about because all you see is white space. For some reason, videos have trouble making it through email subscriptions, which is why I’m linking to it on youtube.

One last thing before I go..more merchandise has been added to my Etsy shop. I’m now offering leggings, along with pillows, framed prints, and phone cases in my Etsy shop.

Shift in seasons

When the seasons shift, even the subtle beginning, the scent of a promised change, I feel something stir inside me. Hopefulness? Gratitude? Openness? Whatever it is, it’s welcome. -Kristin Armstrong

I’m goin’ up the country, baby don’t you want to go?
I’m goin’ up the country, baby don’t you want to go?
I’m goin’ to some place, I’ve never been before.

more heart shaped leaves

It’s coming up on my favorite time of year.
I’m giddy with excitement.
After 4 months of being in the high 90s to 100F+
with blazing HOT sun,
ridiculously high humidity
and no rain,
I welcome the cooler
temperatures
and how the light turns a mellow
peachy golden color in the afternoon.
Who else can relate to this?

I’m able to open my curtains,
and step outside once again.
Oh, world,
how I’ve missed you,
as I’ve been in here hiding
in my self-made
darkness.

It’s nice to appreciate daylight
once again,
and not have to recoil from it
for fear it will set my eyeballs
afire.
lol
I’m half joking
half serious.
It’s been soooo painful to go outside.

And now it’s not.
Ahhhhh.

Heat and sun cracked the earth
on this drought damaged beach.
It’s been a looong, mean summer.

If you’re getting this post via email, just an fyi, the photos are optimized, and much smaller than what I’m actually posting. You can see the full sized photos on my blog.

In other news, I’ve been slowly filling up my shop with newly revised Halloween paintings, which I’ll tell you more about soon. Also, there are new Halloween pillows in my Etsy shop..

and Halloween framed prints

Reading – Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain..this book isn’t quite what I expected. It reads very much like a textbook with lots of studies, and statistics going back to 1920. I’m nerdy, so I love that kind of stuff. Even at 370 pages, it was a fast read. I’m a bit fatigued, tho. I’ve been reading a lot of non-fiction books lately, so I’m thinking my next book should be more fun. If you have any suggestions, leave me a comment below. Let me know what you’re reading.

Listening to –
Patti Smith greatest hits
Leonard Cohen greatest hits
Mark Knopfler – Privateering

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Boldly empowered loosely painted art journal portrait

Boldly empowered loosely painted art journal portrait video.
This was fun to paint. It’s one of those
“This is for me, so I do not give a shit”
type of paintings.
I’d rather play than tie myself all up in a knot.
Messy, loose, freeeeeing.
Enjoy!

Let me know what you’re
working on in your art journal
in the comments below.

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Art and photography

Hello, and welcome to my new improved blog, and website.
I’m so happy to be back here today.
😍🙃😘
I hope you like the new look, blogging style and format.

Knock, knock, knock
housekeeping.

The overall theme going forward will be:
an abundance of larger photos,
and micro-writing within each post.
Posts may be fewer and farther between
1-3 a week
with some spontaneous
– just going to hop on here for a second –
microblogging posts thrown in from time to time.

You can now reach this site by typing in katiejeannewood.com.
If you have katherinejeannewood.com bookmarked
it will still get you here,
just might be slower because it has to redirect you.
Go ahead and update your bookmark
and subscribe to my blog below.
Every post will be emailed to you
so you don’t have to check back.

pelicans

I’m thrilled to say that after taking a few years off,
I’m once again obsessed
with making photos.

This blog will now feature my art and photography..
like it used to back in the day.

more pelicans

I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude. – Brene Brown

Perfect dog cloud, eh?

Multi-tasking: writing, planning, and snuggling with my girls.

Empty gesso jar means I’ve still been painting a lot.

Fiery red sunset

I been reading non-stop, both for pleasure and business..
when Maudie allows, of course.

August booklist:
Arcadia by Lauren Groff
Florida by Lauren Groff
Stock Market & Investing by David Morales
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k by Mark Manson
The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris
Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success by Steve Harvey
Living With Less by Jessica Forrest
Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki
Visual Intelligence by Amy E. Herman

I’ve also been watching a lot of Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime videos, which I’ll share some other time.

I posted this photo of Chewy (what a cheeseball) on Twitter,
and the company Chewy.com reached out to me.
I thought that was pretty darn cool.

Adult beverage

Happy Labor Day to those in the USA.
I have missed you.
What did you do over the summer?
Let me know in the comments below.

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40 percent off sale

Acrylic mixed media portraits, birds, and abstract paintings
ON SALE NOW!!
Miz Katie’s Etsy Shop

Taking a break from my summer recess to tell you that there’s a 40% off sale going on in both of my Etsy shops. Hurry! Sale ends on the 27th, and I have no idea when I’ll be offering another one. You deserve to treat yourself today, so click on each banner to see what you can grab at a HUGE discount.

Florals, birds, abstracts, landscape paintings
ON SALE NOW!
Art by Katie Jeanne’s Etsy shop

Coming full circle – Daily Painting Day 364 & 365

A year ago today, I gifted myself one of the best birthday presents I’ve ever received, the gift of art. I vowed to paint every day for 365 days, without taking a day off. Today I’ve come full circle, and I’m happy to say, I did it! I painted every day for a year.

I’m going to leave you two pieces of my word art that sum up the 365 day daily painting project coming to an end.

Life will be returning to normal for me. Not sure I remember what “normal” means exactly, but I can’t wait to find out. I feel like a bird must when it escapes from its cage. As much as I love painting, I can’t help but want to shout from the rooftops, “I’m free at last! Woo!!” No longer tethered to the project or this blog, I’m ready to explore new avenues. Who knows where it will lead me?

When one door is closed, don’t you know that many more are open.
― Bob Marley

Lots of possibilities are in my immediate future, including selling the house, and moving to a new city. I’m also ready to get serious about a couple new jobs I’ve been working on for the past few months – my “nightshift side hustles”, which have been keeping me up too late at night. I also have fun projects that I started about a month ago. One has to do with creative writing, and the other art. I’m going to be keeping these projects private, and I won’t be forcing myself to create something every day.

Now that the daily painting project is over, I’m taking a break from blogging, probably until sometime in the fall. While I’m away, I’ll be thinking about what I want to do with this space. I’ve been brainstorming, and have some ideas, but the answer isn’t clear. All I know for sure is that the daily or near daily blogs are officially over as of today.

Below you’ll find an email subscription form. If you sign up, you’ll be notified via email when I post, so you won’t have to keep checking back. If I don’t post, you won’t hear from me..simple as that. I’ll also include links to my social media accounts. I still plan on posting on IG, Twitter, and FB frequently, so let’s stay connected, one way or another.

Artist credit

Thanks to all who have followed along on this 365 day journey. Your comments, private messages, and emails have kept me going through the rough parts. It’s been an amazing ride. Have a great summer, y’all! This freed bird will see you again when I see you. xo

This is what 365 days of art looks like. I might have forgotten a couple pieces, but I’m sure you’ll get the gist of it. This video wouldn’t be the same without music by the fabulous Josh Woodward. Thanks so much, Josh!

Some things won’t be changing. You’ll still be able to find me online here:

Etsy: Miz Katie
Art By Katie Jeanne

FB: Miz Katie FB Page
Art By Katie Jeanne FB page

Instagram: Miz Katie
Art By Katie Jeanne

Twitter

Flickr

Youtube Channel

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You don’t have to be good at drawing to be an artist/painter – Daily painting days 361 – 363

If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.
Peace Pilgrim

People have told me they don’t paint because they can’t draw. My advice is always this: you don’t have to be good at drawing to be an artist/painter. You actually don’t have to draw at all. Not today or any day. I know plenty of artists who don’t start their paintings by drawing first.

While I greatly admire the work of artists who draw well, I hate to draw, myself. Well, maybe not hate hate, but it’s not how I like to spend my time. I’ve heard it relaxes some artists, but it gives me great anxiety for some reason..probably because I know I’m not good at it. I don’t even like to doodle. If left alone with a pencil and paper, I prefer to write, not draw. This is why I keep my line drawings simple. I don’t shade or get fancy with crosshatching. It’s just not my thing, and yet somehow I’ve survived as an artist for many years now.

It takes a great deal of patience to make a good drawing, and I have zero. I figure I’m going to cover up the drawing with paint anyway, so why work that hard? I don’t like to waste time or energy, and I’m incredibly lazy when it comes to things I don’t like doing.

That said, I’m also not comfortable staring at a blank canvas for hours or days, wondering what I’m going to paint or how to begin, so that’s why I do a quick contour line drawing to get the ball moving. I don’t spend much time on these drawings, maybe 2 or 3 minutes tops. I use the lines as a jumping off point only, which is subject to change as I move forward with the painting.

A tip for line drawing: Use watercolor pencils because you can easily erase lines with a tiny bit of water, no eraser needed. When I use a No 2 pencil, as I did in this drawing, I always get black smudge lines when I erase, which you can see in the first photo.

When you’re painting with oils, as I did, the oil tends to smear the pencil lines and the smudges created with the eraser react with the paint. This painting got pretty ugly, and I had to wipe the oil off her chin a couple times because it was black smeared mess. If you’re painting an oil portrait, it’s better to use a red watercolor pencil in your line drawing because it blends in better with the paint.

Some links I found about line drawing:

Line drawing: a guide for students

Tips for Creating a Better Line Drawing

COLOR PENCIL PORTRAITS – THE LINE DRAWING

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