Making Things with Art

by 5 Comments

i love art on my walls. But after a while, the walls are full and some practical applications for pretty artwork are much appreciated. Here are a few things i made this past week featuring my art ….made useful : )

Hand-painted pillow i stitched up.

Screen Shot 2015-11-24 at 4.55.50 PM

A buddy for the hand-painted pillow; this watercolor girlie i printed onto fabric with my inkjet, then sewed into a huggie.

Screen Shot 2015-11-24 at 4.56.05 PM

Finally, this batch of hand-painted mini canvas ornaments, just in time for Christmas : )

Screen Shot 2015-11-24 at 4.56.37 PM

What do you like to make with YOUR art?

 

 

 

Painting on Periscope

by Leave a Comment

FlowerBundleGirl-Color-WMTrying new things is scary. And that is especially true when the new thing is broadcasting your artwork in progress on Periscope. Have you all tried Periscope? It’s a new app that you can use to show live footage of anything you are doing or seeing. You can walk down the street and take folks “with” you. You can share footage of something cool or funny happening around you. Or, if you like, you can share things about yourself, and your business, and do live painting and sketching demos. Guess which i picked?

So last week and this week i’ve been sharing little glimpses into my process, my favorite art supplies and some rambly, chattering away about whatever i’m demonstrating. The image above is the result of my past few short periscope broadcasts. First i showed how i sketch using a photo reference. Then i showed how i use a lightbox to paint without outlines. Finally today, i showed how i add final touches with pencil and gel pen.  i always post the finished art on my Facebook and Instagram feeds.

But here is the kicker. You have to watch LIVE, or view the replay within 24 hours. After that, it’s gone like the wind…evaporated into thin air. i sort of like that part best – its fleeting. Some folks use Katch.me or other capture apps to save their videos, but i don’t think i will. i like it just how it is.

Now, because its the internet, Periscope has its share of mean, nasty and BORED/BORING trolls who like to throw awful, irrelevant comments into the feed and ruin your day. i had a bad experience last week, so i’ve changed my settings to only allow folks i follow to comment. So sorry if that means any of you may not be able to join the convo – but i find it much less stressful this way.

As a consolation prize to anyone whose lovely comments are being unceremoniously blocked due to my troll force field; i offer you this printable coloring page so you can make your own girlie with a massive bundle of flowers. Just click the image to download.
xo, s

BeYourself-CityKid

 

Painting Frida Kahlo

by Leave a Comment

Hey everyone! i painted a portrait yesterday for the first time in a long time. It was a request. i don’t think i would have done it otherwise. But i ended up having the most lovely afternoon/evening working on it. It was so relaxing and fun. I instagrammed the progress and thought i’d recap here on the blog.

Step 1: printout some photos of the subject (Frida Kahlo) that i found online so i could make a pencil sketch right on the canvas. i always start by drawing the overall face shape, then mapping in a center line and eyeline. Scribbling in the decorative elements quickly is the best way i know how to come up with a balanced composition, even if i don’t follow them EXACTLY in the painting stage.

Frida-SKetchIG

Step 2: Begin painting in large solid areas. i start with the part of the painting that is most challenging. That way, if i stink it up, i haven’t wasted any time on easy parts i could do again without problem. In this case, i started in on the face and hair, then worked in some background.

FridaStep2-IG

Step 3: Finish with the fun details. i saved the floral headpiece, jewelry, clothing and background doodles for last because to me, those are low-stress, easy fun. i’m not worried about symmetry and shading like with the face. i took the painting off the easel and laid it flat for the background swirls so i could turn the canvas as i worked. This part took a while, but was very relaxing. Near the end, my patience was wearing thin and i just wanted to see it complete!

FridaStep3-IG

Step 4: Final Scanning and Digital Editing. When i started this, i had an image of lots of floral layers, very decorative. By the time i got as far as step 3, i was a bit tired and had that “temporary art blindness” we all get. i felt i couldn’t be objective about whether or not to add the flowers to the sides, all around, or what. SO!! i cheated. i scanned in what i had and messed with extra flower placement digitally. This way, i didn’t potentially ruin my hours of work, but could still play and work toward the vision in my head without fear.

Corfee-Frida-IG_smAfter some hours away from it to get “fresh eyes”, i reviewed and made a few tiny tweaks this morning, then sent it off for a client to review.

Standard, classic, oil portraits may not be my “thing”, but i sure did love doing this highly stylized portrait with all the fun decoration. Hope you all enjoy! xo, s

Kids ARt Gallery Wall

by Leave a Comment

KidsGalleryWall

A couple years ago, my husband and i had a whacko Christmas Eve where our younger selves hosted a big family get together, cleaned up, got the kids to bed LATE, then made “ready” for Christmas morning. After that, we transformed part of the kids’ playroom in the basement into a little art room. We had pre-assembled a bunch of IKEA furniture that would hold art supplies and finished art. We got a large round table and chairs, tabletop easels and paints. And we painted this back wall with chalkboard paint, then hung the cables with clips (also from IKEA) to display art.

But we never got to chalking up that big ol’ wall. What can i say? We needed sleep.  What a coupla Bah-Humbugs. … 

Read More »

CityKid Style + Me

by 1 Comment

citykidstyle_OL-22 copy

photo and styling for all CityKid model photos by Gina Brown of Phoenix Street

When i first started to work as a full time artist, i was lucky enough to begin designing screenprint graphics for some super talented indie clothing designers for kids. One of these AMAZING clients is the uber-talented Claudia from CityKid Style. Do you see those kids in that photo up there? Do they look great or what? Claudia has a great eye for styling. She also has a pretty gorgeous muse in her skater-chic young daughter. Claudia initially contacted me to do a sketch of her daughter! That was our first interaction. We worked so well together, that we just kept doing it. Since then, i’ve designed her new brand logo, hang tags, some web graphics. … 

Read More »

Be Brave • Be Kind

by 2 Comments

Corfee-BeBraveBeKind

i doodled this little painting in my sketchbook last night. It is no more than 4×6, a teeny little frame with words. But the words have been repeating in my head since i put them down. i was talking to my oldest son about being brave in his choices and about being kind and compassionate. He noted to me that sometimes you “kinda have to BE brave to be kind.”

Yeah. He’s in 4th grade. It’s an interesting year of transition for the kids so i hear. We have noticed a bit of exclusion beginning to rear it’s head. It’s not all happy sunshine all of a sudden. i mean, it’s not AWFUL. But you can feel the shift. I think i will make a nicer, neater, LARGER version of this one and hang it on the wall by the front door. A good reminder to start each day.

Color Forever – Free Coloring Page

by 2 Comments

CORFEE- ColorForever_Chair

Hello and happy Tuesday everyone! Here is a sweet little coloring page for you to print, color and keep. Just click the image for your instant download. i’ve made it so you can trim at the dotted lines and have a perfect 8×10 for framing in a standard frame of you like. Color the chair to suit your decor, or to be a happy statement piece full of bold color. Have fun! xo, stephanie

Cold Hands Warm Heart

by Leave a Comment

Corfee-ColdHandsWarmHeart-WM-blog

I wanted to make a hand-lettered painting to coordinate with the “Miss Winter” artwork i shared with you a couple posts back. Her fingerless gloves were my inspiration for this timeless phrase that totally applies to me. My hands are ice cubes all the time! i sure hope the warm heart bit is true of me as well. I added a little floral piece to round out this coordinate set. These pieces are available for licensing!

ColdHandsCoordinates-Photo-Blog