The Process: Creating a Storefront Mural for the Holidays in Lebanon, PA

Over the weekend I painted a holiday mural on the 7' high storefront windows at the Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce. It is part of a downtown awareness project of the Community of Lebanon Association and the Lebanon Valley Council on the Arts. The windows will be photographed and put out on the council's Facebook page for voting next week...and may the most "liked" window win. (Details to come.)

Folks are always interested in seeing "how did you do that?". So, here is a bit about the process.

The Final Windows:

The Challenges on-site:
* Painting in reverse on glass! The final mural has to be readable from the outside, yet painted from the inside.
* Flaking black paint! Working with tempura, school grade paint can be a challenge.
* Tinted windows!...means we had to mix colors lighter than original planned.
* Working around the logo! The chamber logo had to be incorporated since it was already permanently fixed on the storefront glass.

The Good News: two amazing people were there to help me make it happen. Many, many thanks to Cheryl Batdorf, from the Community of Lebanon Association, and Sharon Zook from the Lebanon Valley Council of the Arts, who didn't hesitate to pick up a paint brush.

Sharon Zook from the Lebanon Valley Council on the Arts

The Sketch:










Roughed In: Using a grease pencil, I sketched the mural onto the outside glass to serve as guidelines for everyone painting in reverse from the inside.

More Good News: the holiday parade was in full swing. We had entertainment! See the marching band in the street?!

Almost there...

 

The Final (from the inside):

VOTE! Place your vote by clicking HERE.
 
Thanks for stopping by the blog!

Sketch for Painting Storefront Windows in Lebanon, PA

So, I'll be painting the storefront windows for the holidays at the Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce. It's part of a downtown awareness promotion for the town over the holidays. Votes will be taken for the favorite window via a Facebook contest.



More information about the contest will be forth-coming. Check my artist Facebook page for more updates.

Thanks for stopping by!

Children's Story Illustrations: Finding a Locket

Yesterday, I finished up illustrations for a sweet story for Sparkle magazine.

Most folks wonder "how did you do that?" So, here's a bit about the process.

First, the sketches:

Then, the under-painting:

And, then the drawing re-applied in color as the last step.

#illustration #childrensbooks #art #painting

Thanks for stopping by!

Which plate will your apple pie be served on at Christmas?

Which festively fun plate will your apple pie be served on at Christmas?

Also, great for serving Santa's special cookies when he comes down the chimney on Christmas Eve. Find these Kugler-art plates here:

Pastel pine: http://www.zazzle.co...m/pastel_pine_tree_plate-115159395264608827

Santa and hound dog: http://www.zazzle.com/shelby_and_santa_plate-115100657406133462

 

#holidayhomedecor #homedecor #santa #dogs #pine #pinetrees #christmastree #christmaseve #plates #dinnerware

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Gorgeous Green Hedge Apples

Yippee! These gorgeous greens arrived on my door step last night from a true woodsman. I've been searching around for these beauties - an interesting painting subject perhaps??? - and he delivered. They use to be popular in our area and now not so much.

Anyone know the name of the tree from which they fall? 

"Yucky"ness to Rockin' Beachy Blue Kitchen Cabinets

These finishes ROCK!!!

(have I told you lately how much I love using decorative finishes by Caromal Colours?!)

 

Today, I reinstalled these beautiful babies for a client. 

 

A breath of life is poured back into this crazily outdated kitchen by decoratively finishing them with the soft, pale blue of Versailles. And, it gave my client the fresh, cozy coastal feel she was looking to achieve. 

 

 

Want to see them before? Well, here they are in all of their "yucky"ness...

 

The kitchen didn't need to be ripped out, nor did the cabinet doors and faces need to be sanded and stripped down to bare surfaces (forget that stinky mess!). The best part -- the client didn't need to buy a brand new kitchen!

We can bring your kitchen back to life. So, when do you want to get started? Let's talk!

www.cherylkugler.com

Thanks for visiting Creative Time~

Cheryl

Birds - The Sunflower Gardeners

Winter's bird feeder feast has blossomed into bird treats for this Fall. They know what they are doing when they flip seeds to the ground. 

This one will surely bloom tomorrow...

Thanks for stopping by!

Donkeys. And, Where's the Good Camera When You Need It?

Why is it that when you are out and about (like on a bike ride) and come across the most adorable scene that you don't have your good camera with you? So, yesterday morning I relied on my iPhone to capture a sweet Momma and baby donkey.

Today, I stopped back with my good camera, captured the sweet Momma and baby again....and a few other cuties.

All of them will make for great reference photos for an upcoming illustration.

Thanks for stopping by!

C

Using a Smart Phone to Develop Painting Compositions

Finding the ease of taking photos with a Smart Phone enables me to play around with ideas for painting compositions. 

Here are a few thumbnails from yesterday morning's walk: 

Have you found a Smart Phone helpful in creative concepting?

Thanks for stopping by!

C

Fresh Off the Easel! - Bus Ride Illustration

Have to admit that I always get a kick out of creating illustrations for the super cute stories in Sparkle magazine. This one, fresh off of the drawing board, is for the October issue. 

The Sketch:

Gouache Underpainting: 

Building Color: Triad blue, red, yellow

Thanks for stopping by!

C