Blog

So you ask...
What Is Squidoo?
Think of it like this.  When you look through the lens of the magnifying glass, everything you see within the lens is bigger, sharper, and more defined.  This is exactly how it is with my Squidoo Lenses... they are about very defined topics and those topics are explored in full detail. 



You Can Squidoo Too...Squidoo is a website hosting hundreds of thousands of "lenses", or pages.  Your lens is your take or opinion on any subject you like.  You are the authority.  The lens is easy to build and it's free...yes, I said FREE!  You can link back to your website.  If you have a blog, Squidoo will even grab your latest postings and display them on your lens.  If you are an artist or in business do a squidoo search, see what others are doing.   If you simply have an opinion and enjoying writing...you can do that too.  You can even make a little income while doing it.  The possibilities are endless.  You will see why I say there is more to come.


PS...make a "Point"...leave a comment Read More

Let Me Introduce Myself:
Hello, I'm Marsha Robinett, and I'm from Lincoln, Illinois...right in the middle of corn country.  I am a working hairdresser and started my career as an artist later in life...at the age of 57, to be exact!  As a self taught artist, I work mainly in carbon pencil with accents of graphite and charcoal. 

I enjoy drawing still life and doing commissioned works of most any subject...from your grandchild  to your grandmother, your antique car or your daughter's first ballet slippers, your son's baseball uniform or even "Gretchen," your ten-year old basset hound.  Working mainly from photographs, I strive to create a realistic image that reflects the essence of the subject while projecting my own unique style as an artist. 
View my complete profile.

Be sure to visit my other sites:
         Marsha Robinett Fine Art
         My Starving Artist Portfolio
         My Squidoo Lenses:
                  1. Drawing  Techniques:  using carbon, charcoal, and graphite.
        
            
Enjoy your visit and please contact me if you have questions.
Marsha Robinett       Read More

So...What is a Blog anyway? 
Darren Rowse of Problogger says it perfectly.."Blogs are usually (but not always) written by one person and are updated regularly.  Blogs are often (but not always) written on a particular topic.  There are virtually blogs on any topic you can think of.  From photography, to spirituality, to recipes, to personal diaries, to hobbies...blogging has as many applications and varieties as you can imagine.  Whole blog communities have sprung up around some of these topics...putting people into contact with each other in relationships where they can learn, share ideas, make friends with and even do business with people of similar interests from around the world."

A Blog is a Type of Website:
After I started my blog, I started telling my customers and friends about it.  I soon discovered that many didn't have a clue about what I was talking about...they had no idea what a blog was.  Darren Rowse, in his article, "What is a Blog", says it like this..."A blog is a type of website that is usually arranged in chronological order from the most recent 'post' (or entry) at the top of the main page to the older entries towards the bottom".  Just for reference, you might like to take a look at these blogs.  They are each quite different, yet all are aimed at the same audience..."The Artist."

Four Examples of an Artist Blog:
1.  The Extraordinary Pencil...I am going to start with my own Blog.  If you'll recall from the previous article, my blog is integrated into my website and powered by FineArtStudioOnLine.  The blog is listed as one of my web site categories on the upper left side of the page.  When you click on "The Extraordinary Pencil", my blog page opens.  On the left side of the page, between the Categories for my website (at the top) and the TOPICS list for my blog (further down the page), you will see an orange RSS feed icon (which we will discuss later), and icons for My Yahoo and Google, (used to add my blog to your favorites)...and then the Archives for my past blog entries.  Each blog entry includes at the bottom of the page a  list of topics for further reading and an opportunity to leave your comments.

2.  Karen Hargett's Fine Art Journal...Karen's Blog is listed on her website as "My Art Journal".  Although this is another example of an integrated blog, this one is powered by Blogger...signified by the large orange 'B' found in the upper left hand corner of the page.  As you look at other blogs you will see many different styles of  "Blogger" blogs, most are free standing.  I like the style of Blogger.  Karen has kept hers clean and uncluttered...it's easy on the eye and user friendly.  You see a short biography, a list of her other websites, and an archive of past articles on the left.  Her articles for the current month are well presented and easy to read...with each containing an area for your comments.

3.  Jana's Journal and Sketch Blog...The art blog of Jana Bouc is a stand-alone blog.  It is well organized with everything you're looking for on the right side.  You will notice that she includes a short biography, her main website link, recent posts an archives...further down the page you see interesting reads, links (to her other sites), Flicker Photos, and her category list. As with Karen's blog, mentioned above, Jana has kept her blog clean, uncluttered, and concise...showing off her art work to it's best advantage.  Her images are nice and large and her articles easy on the eye.   Jana's blog is powered by Word Press. I'm not usually fond of the layouts that I see when people use Word Press...however, this is really quite nice, I may have to change my mind.

4.  Making A Mark...is an example of a stand-alone blog by Blogger.  Making A Mark is the brain child of Katherine Tyrrell...and is packed with information for artists.  Katherine writes about making marks with pastels, pencils, and pen and ink.  She discusses the development of both artwork and art careers.  You will find interviews with artists and information about resources for both artist and art lovers.  This is a jam packed blog...yet I find my self wanting to read it all because everything is relevant to what I am doing and I return again and again, to soak up the information she so freely gives.  THIS IS THE SECRET OF A GREAT BLOG...she updates regularly with fresh, pertinent, useful information.  In fact, Katherine has a new lens on SQUIDOO called "Blogging for Artists"  that I highly recommend. 

OK...Let's see how you did...If you checked out the blogs listed above, you should have learned at least two things;
      First...that there are basically two types of blogs, website blogs, which I referred to as integrated or dedicated...and stand-alone blogs, which function outside the parameters of your website.
      Second...that blogs, although containing the same basics, (current posts, main categories list, and archives), can be expanded using additional specialized category sections and "add ons"...giving them your own personal signature.

NOTE:  "So...What's a Blog Anyway?" is the second in a series about basic blogging.  I hope you found the information useful, please check back for more about Blogging for Beginners.

PS...make a "Point"...post a comment
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Lack of Knowledge: equals lack of direction...
I am new to blogging myself, and I will be the first to admit that I began blogging without knowing nearly enough .  The one thing that I did do was to look at some of the different blogs that other artists were using.  I was more interested in the general layout of the page, what information they included on their page besides their main article, and how easy it was to read...I didn't bother to learn how a blog functioned, and didn't give a lot of thought to what I wanted to accomplish with my blog except that I wanted to promote my art. 

What I learned was that I had two options...
I could use the Blog provided with my website or sign up and develop on my own one of the many "free standing blogs" that are out there such as Blogger and Wordpress.  My first option...the blog provided with my site was still being developed and didn't offer all the options that the "free standing" blogs did...but I was familiar with the layout and I understood how to work with the pages.  It complimented my site and my experience with the Technical Support Team had been fantastic.  My second option...was to use one of the stand alone blogs...for me this was a frightening thought and I knew it was more than I was equipped to handle on my own.  Since I know just enough about computers and the internet to cause permanent damage, I decided to use the integrated blog provided by my web hosting service, FineArtStudioOnLine.  Their Technical Support Team was invaluable...but my blog still came close to failure because I did not properly researched the complete picture, nor had I set any goals.  I ashamed to admit that I didn't even know that my blog entries would appear in reverse chronological order!

My Blogging History...
This is not something I am proud of...but it is out there for all to see, so I may as well admit to it and move on with the dedication and promise to do better!  I started my blog in April of 2007 and made entries monthly through July.   By July I was in the middle of my art fair season (my excuse) and because I had no goals for my blog (my reason) it simply dropped to the bottom of my priority list.  I finished my 2007 show season with renewed enthusiasm and commitment for My Blog.  I'm back and I'm ready to stay!

Knowledge is Power...
With my show season finished, I spent the next few weeks researching, researching, and doing more researching!  According to Sir Francis Bacon..."knowledge is power."  My research gave me knowledge, which gave me direction, which did indeed give me a since of power.  I no longer felt incompetent...I knew what I wanted to say, (at least most of the time), I knew what I needed to do, and I had a plan.  I started to seriously blog again in November 2007.

I am sharing this research knowledge with you, in the hopes that by alleviating some of your questions...you will also have the knowledge and confidence to enter this new fast growing blogging hemisphere. it is fun, it is exciting, and it makes you grow personally and professionally. 

I hope you will check back to read additional articles..."Happy Blogging"

Marsha Robinett

PS...make a "Point"...leave a comment


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A Merry Christmas Portrait
This portrait of Brennan was commissioned by his grandparents as a surprise Christmas present for their son and daughter-in-law. I posted several photos of the portrait on my website as I worked on it...keeping grandma and grandpa involved in the process. I have since added text, to describe the process, turning them into a tutorial. I hope you enjoy seeing the process as well.

Studio Notes: The portrait was drawn on Strathmore 100# acid free paper. Additional Supplies used wee Wolf's Carbon Pencils...2, 4, and 6B...STAEDTLER Mars Lumograph Graphite Pencils...f and 2B...chamois and felt square...stump and tortillon...kneaded erasure, BlueTack, and click erasure...small and medium artist brushes...artist tape...and my "carbon farm".

Reference Photos...

These are both the color and back and white photo references used for the finished layout. Brennan's grandmother provided some of the best photo references that I have ever had to work from. There were so many good ones that it made choosing just one quite difficult. Having so many however allowed me to acquire a wonderful understanding of Brennan's personality. He is a happy infectious child with a twinkle in his eyes, and a beautiful contagious smile...and oh my, that whispy blond hair! I just fell in love with the way those tufts on top fly up. I could tell from the photos that those willful strands of hair moved in the breeze when he ran. After talking with his grandma and discussing how his cowlick seemed to be part of his look at this age...I simply had to choose a photo that would show this. The way the light played in Brennan's hair and the little tufts standing up, the soft shadows on his face, and his "smiling eyes"...all these made for a perfect reference photo.

WIP #1...(click images to enlarge) I have just barely begun...but knew Grandma and Grandpa were excited to see the process. As you can tell, I started on the left side of the face with some shading and have done some work on the left eye. I always start on the eyes. I have to get them right before I move on. I used a 4B carbon pencil, applying the carbon directly to the paper...(applying it in the darkest areas of the eye and blending out with a stump.) I then work on the pupil (making sure to leave the highlight)...outline the iris and blend again. The shadows on the forehead were applied with a small square of chamois. The shadows under the eye and on the nose were applied with an artist brush.

WIP #2... The initial line drawing was done with an F graphite pencil. This is the most important part of the process. Carbon does not allow for mistakes. It takes me a good day, to a day and a half, to complete the precise line drawing. I do the original layout on another piece of paper and transfer it to my good art paper when I am satisfied. I am now about 7 hours into the shading and contouring portion of the drawing. I Have worked to better define the left eye, repeatedly adding and pulling color from the iris until I got it as close to the photo as I could.

When you click to expand the drawing you will notice that the eyelashes are beginning to show up on the left side and you can better see first applications of carbon to the right eye. (This perhaps better shows just how I start the eye...laying in the darkest shadow areas first.) I have also added additional tone to the outer edge of the face using a chamois square, worked on the contours of the nose by adding color with a small brush and carefully removed some highlights with a kneaded erasure. I finally started on the mouth...using 6B carbon for the dark shadows (applied directly to the paper with the pencil) and 2H graphite applied with a stomp to start the definition of the teeth. The upper lip was sculptured a little, using a stump coated with carbon. Brennan is starting to emerge!

Wip #3... As you can see, I have done quite a bit since my last post. The right eye is finished and the upper lashes are somewhat defined. I've contoured the face using an artist brush and chamois, picking up color from the "carbon farm". I worked on Brennan's ear, adding color with a stump and artist brush. I used a chamois to add a little graphite to the highlight areas of his cheeks and ear...bringing them forward. (To learn more about the natural qualities of the pencils I use, check out my squidoo lens.) The lips have had color added using the point of a stump, and highlights have been pulled out with a kneaded erasure.

Brennan's lips have a considerable amount of natural color in them, as most children's do...yet I can't make them as dark as they appear in the photo or his mouth would be all you see. I still have some work here, and the teeth need some attention.

WIP#4... I've used a piece of felt to add color and texture to the background, defining the back of Brennan's head. The blond hair, standing on end, was also defined by the added depth of color. I used a click erasure to, cut to a sharp edge, to pull out a few of the tiny soft hairs on the top of his head. Using an artist brush, I added more subtle shadings to the face, and enhanced the deeper ones with a stump. I have also used a chamois to add a some base tone to his head, indicating where the deeper shadows are.

WIP #5...What a difference a head of hair makes! To accurately explain how I draw hair would take a complete tutorial on it's own...perhaps someday I will do just that. But for now, lets just say that in this case, I put color on the paper with with a chamois and then remove "hair like" strands with an erasure, using both a kneaded and click erasure for different effects. I then go back in and add more soft color with a chamois, (sometimes rolling it to a point), and I use a stump to add color in the darker areas. I then begin "pulling hairs" and "highlights" again with the erasures. I repeat this process over and over and over until I have the look I want.

The secret is to remember that "hair is not just groups of lines"...you have to train your eye to see light and shadow. You will notice there has again been more contouring done to the face, and I've added more graphite to the center of each tooth, bringing it forward, and added carbon to the shadow area between each tooth, making the sides of the tooth recede.

Finished Portrait: Since my post I have worked extensively on the hair, continuing the process mentioned above....added more shading to the forehead with a chamois, toned down the teeth, and the most obvious, Brennan is now wearing a shirt. I'm very pleased with the finished portrait. Please realize, with drawing, it's all about the detail...and it's the subtle details that makes the difference. There is just no way for them to show up here on the computer screen. It's a shame. The WIP pictures were taken with a camera, while the last one is the result of a high resolution scan...quite a difference. I did the scan so the grandparents could have a print.

Studio Notes: Brennan's Grandpa sent me the nicest message after the holidays...thought it would be nice to share it with you.

"I'm the grandpa. What an absolute pleasure it was to present this beautiful portrait to my son and daughter-in-law. Thank you for capturing the essence and joy that is Brennan. We look forward to working with you again soon. His new brother Liam was born 12/4."

This was a long post. I tried to be clear and concise about my process. If you are an artist, my hope is that you gleaned something that you can work into your own drawing style. If you are someone considering a portrait commission...what you see here is a good example of the type of portrait work I do.

The comment form is open! What do you say...would you like to see more posts like this?


PS...make a "Point"...leave a comment
  

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The Extraordinary Pencil
"Sponsors High School Literary Contest"

I am pleased to announce the winners of "The Second Annual High School Literary Contest".  It is always fascinating to see which pieces of art are chosen by the students and learn why they were inspired by the piece. As I have said before, there are two stories to be told...the one that inspired  me, the artist, and the one that inspires the viewer.

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First Place:  Kelsey Dallas  $50.00
Kelsey is a Senior at Lincoln Community High School and enjoys participating in soccer, tennis, and band...she is also a member of The National Honor Society, French Club, Fine Arts Club, and Scholastic Bowl.  Kelsey is also active in her community as a member of the First Presbyterian Youth Group, LAMS, Community Orchestra, and the local staff of Dairy Queen.  Kelsey was named the September Senior Student of the Month and was recently recognized as Scholar-Athlete of the Week by the Springfield State Journal Register.  Kelsey hopes to someday be a writer after majoring in English in college.

Kelsey chose "Game, Set, Match" as the subject...because it related to her athletic life this fall.  To quote Kelsey, "I was the number one player on the varsity tennis team and came just one set away from making it to state.  By writing about this particular drawing I was able to heal emotionally after the heartbreaking loss.  Tennis will always be beautiful to me no matter what my win/loss record is."

Second Place:  Amanda Podbelsek   $30.00
Amanda is a Senior at Lincoln Community High School and participates in girls tennis and softball...she is also a member of Math Club, National Honor society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and L.E.A.F. Club.  After her completion of the fall tennis season, she received recognition as part of the All-Academic Conference Award.  Amanda also holds the record for the most steals in a season for the high school softball program.

Amanda chose "Cracked on Black" as her subject...one of my personal favorites.  To quote Amanda, "I was immediately draw to the drawing because of the different textures and the dimension created by the tones of charcoal.  When I first viewed the drawing, it actually made me feel calm and peaceful.  However, I delved into the state of the egg yolk emerging into a new world and immediately made the connection to a Senior emerging into the world of adulthood."

Third Place:  Matthew Merreighn   $20.00
Matthew is a Junior at Lincoln Community High School and is a member of the Creative Writing Club.  He enjoys writing, solving puzzles, reading, TV, and video games.  Matthew will be graduating high school next year and is still undecided about his plans for college.

Matthew chose "Midnight Rose" as his subject...because he likes roses.  To quote Matthew, "Midnight Rose was my favorite of your drawings.  People usually like roses for their color, and seeing a gray one was unusual, I found this interesting."


I want to thank all who took time to enter the contest.  I enjoyed reading all your poems and descriptive essays...the quality of the entries simply gets better each year...we will definitely do this again.

Kelsey's poem, and the descriptive essays of Amanda and Matthew will be published in their entirety next month.  Be sure to check back, I think you will enjoy reading them,

Congratulations To The Winners,
Marsha Robinett

PS...make a "Point"...leave a comment                              
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Orion and Yuki...
Work in Progress Tutorial
This is a commissioned piece that I did in 2006. I took photos as I worked, keeping the customer informed of my progress. I'm moving the WIP photos here to my blog from the "Portrait Preview" section of my website. The portrait of Orion and Yuki is an example of how I combine photos. I have included the reference photos used, step by step drawing instructions and a little about taking photos of animals.

Studio Notes: I used Strathmore 400 acid free drawing paper for this drawing because of its texture. Other materials used: Wolf's Carbon Pencils...2, 4, and 6B, incising tool, Graphite Pencil for layout...#F, chamois and felt squares, medium and small artist brushes, kneaded eraser, click eraser, Union eraser, and BlueTack, stump and tortillon, artist tape, and of course "my carbon farm".

Choosing Reference Photos:
Close to 100 photos were sent to me as reference over a two week period. I chose three to use as my final reference for this drawing. I also had several photos of them together, which gave me the reference needed to show how they related to each other in size. In this case Yuki, the female is considerably larger than Orion.

Orion was difficult to get a good photo of. His coat being black and close to the body washed out easily in the midday sun and the flash wasn't much better. Notice the two photos of him, the first was taken on a gray over cast day...(not nearly enough light), the second was taken either early morning or late afternoon...(you can tell by the length of the shadows), both lighting and color are much better. You can see the natural reflexions and texture of his beautiful black coat, his muscular body, and good definition of those lovely Shar Pei wrinkles. The other important thing to take note of is the angle of the shot...NEVER stand directly over your pet, get down to their eye level or just a little above. Get on the ground if necessary or put them on a table.

Working with Yuki's photos was pretty straight forward. Her coat showed up well because of it's color and texture, especially against the dark background. Notice again, the long shadows...time of day is everything.

We did have to have a little talk with her about posing. One of Yuki's most noticeable characteristics is her "large nose". Although natural for her bloodline, we didn't want her nose to dominate the portrait. In the final photo shoot she held her head just a little to the side and we got the perfect shot.

Composition Preview:
In this commission there were several things effecting the composition of the drawing. The finished size is always the first consideration and in this case how I was going to set the two subjects up was the next consideration. The finished layout ended up being 13x15, just a couple of inches off square.

When doing a composition preview, I always set it up one of two ways. I will either do a "loose" sketch or if possible I do a photo work-up showing how the subjects will be combined. In this case I actually printed, cut, and taped the sections together! You will notice that for Orion I used the body of one photo and the head of another. I wanted him looking a little more towards Yuki, yet I wanted to see his tail up.

I then photographed my composite and printed it the actual size that the finished drawing would be, and placed it in a mat for approval. I like doing it this way when possible. It gives the customer a visual of the final composition that they can relate to...sometimes a quick preliminary line drawing is difficult for them to comprehend.

WIP...#1
Absolutely accurate, detailed line drawing.
It isn't unusual for me to spend a day or two working on the line drawing. I like to set it aside for a time. When I go back for a second and third look, many times I will see small changes that need to be made...these will matter in the end.

Carbon Pencil is a very unforgiving medium to work with. When you place it on the paper, especially as dark as Orion is, it's very difficult if not impossible to remove. My line drawing must be absolutely accurate and complete as possible. You'll notice, when you click to expand the image to your left, that I've even included some of the more important shadow shapes and "positioned" the wrinkles. Before I start drawing, I lighten the area I'm going to work on first with a kneaded eraser.

Studio Notes: Tricking your eye...
When I know things just aren't right, but I can't see what's wrong...there are two things I do.
1. I take a digital photo of the drawing and look at it on the computer screen. Even before placing it side by side with the reference photo I am usually able to see my error.
2. Turn the drawing and reference photo upside down. If you still don't see your error, start taking measurements of the area you are questioning...comparing them with your reference photo. If this doesn't work...walk away for a few hours.

WIP...#2
I really intended to take a photograph sooner, but I got into the drawing and didn't want to stop. As you can see, I've done a lot of work on Orion. I applied 6B carbon, with the pencil itself, directly to the darkest areas of the shadows in his coat, starting with the face and blended towards the lighter areas using a stump. Then using the stump again, I picked up additional color from my "carbon farm" and applied it in the "folds of the wrinkles" and blended outward. I used a folded chamois square and kneaded eraser to pull some highlights on the ridges of the wrinkles.

Orion's coat appears sleek and shiny but we need some indication of hair or he's going to look like a shiny black car! I used a click eraser to make the illusion of tiny hairs, blended carefully with a piece of felt and reapplied carbon with a stump. I repeated this process several times on his face and body. There is still considerable work to be done on Orion...but need to let it rest for awhile an move on to Yuki.

I've worked some on Yuki...beginning with her beautiful nose. As with Orion, I applied 6B carbon direct to the paper with the pencil for the darkest lines and shadows. I then used a stump to blend and soften, and kneaded eraser to pull highlights.

WIP...#3
Here is an update on Yuki. I spent 6 more hours on just her face. She is going to take much more time than Orion. In the drawing of Orion, it's mainly shadows and highlights, with a few indications of hair. With Yuki, it is ALL about the hair, with a few shadows and highlights. What can I say...some women are just high-maintenance!

(a)I've continued to define the darkest shadows and lines on Yuki's face, using a 6B carbon pencil applied directly to the paper for her eye and ear...blending with a stump as mentioned above. (b)Using a folded chamois square, I've developed the basic shadow shapes on her head and face, pulled some hairs with a click eraser and carefully drawn in some "shadow hairs" with the point of a stump. I will continue to add and remove color until I get the look I want...developing shadow and highlight masses along the way.

Using the chamois and carbon from the "farm", I've worked on the background some on Yuki's side of the page to help me get a feel for the tone values needed for her head.

WIP...#4
I've continued to work down Yuki's body using the same techniques as stated above in step (b). This step will be repeated many times. Yuki's collar and tag are fairly well defined and I've added more color to the background above her head. I have added more color to Orion's body, smoothing and defining the muscles. He also now has a back leg.

Notice Yuki's whiskers...I used an incising tool before I started applying color to Orion's body...making "whisker" like strokes on the paper. This leaves an indentation in the paper, and if you're careful to apply the carbon gently, will preserve fine lines like whiskers. (The color will "skip" over the top of the indented area, leaving it white...or at least close.) I also used this method in small amounts along the side of Yuki's body overlapping Orion's leg.

WIP...#5
I've worked again on Orion, deepened some of the shadow shapes, added more indications of hair on his body. I added more little hairs along the outside edge of this tail. Still not happy, will return to him later.

Yuki is still a work in progress. I've applied carbon from "the farm" using a stump and tortillon in layers, going in the direction of the hair growth. I then go back in and remove tiny hairs using both the Union and click eraser. Each time this is repeated the drawing becomes more defined and realistic. When you click to expand the drawing you will notice that parts of her coat are still in the first stages of this process.

I think there needs to be something connecting them to the ground...I'm considering adding a few of the cinder block bricks that Orion is standing on in some of the reference photos.

Orion and Yuki:
Final Preview

This is the finished portrait of Orion and Yuki. As mentioned earlier, I did go ahead and add some bricks for them to stand on. I deepened the background behind Yuki to make her stand out better and added more color to Orion. I still have a little final tweaking to do, probably only something I would notice. At this stage many times I use BlueTack in a "dabbing" motion to lift very subtle light areas.

By the way...Orion and Yuki are the proud parents of five puppies.

This was a long post as most of my tutorials are. I don't know if the process is long or if I am just "long winded"! I hope you enjoyed reading the tutorial and that you learned at least one new thing of value.

If you you would like to see more tutorials like this, let me know.

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