"Lost and Found" / Daily Index Card Art

Inspired by Daisy Yellows' "Index Card a Day Challenge"and prompt words "lost and found".

"Lost and Found", 3"x5" graphite on index card, by Cheryl Kugler

The challenge asks you to create daily works of art in the small but do-able format over 61-days. The goal is not perfection, rather instilling a daily routine of the creative process.  Visit Daisy Yellow Art's page for details and join in the fun!

Happy Valentine's Illustration

In celebration of Valentine's Day weekend, here's the creative process behind an illustration I completed last Fall for a story in Sparkle magazine.

Final Illustration: 

Valentine's Day Illustration by Cheryl Kugler for Sparkle magazine.
Gouache and colored pencil on paper. 

Thumbnail Sketch:

Thumbnail sketch.

Sketch:

Sketch.

Painting:

Painting and colored pencil.

Finishing the illustration:

Finishing the illustration.

Close up:

Close up.

Published:

Published in Sparkle magazine.

Have a happy Valentine's day! Thanks for stopping by.

Wilbur: Sea Lion Artist Extraordinaire

Some folks swim with the dolphins. I opted to paint with a sea lion - a most amazing artist experience. Yes, a sea lion named Wilbur actually paints. On a canvas. For fish.

Where? Theater of the Sea in Islamorada, Florida.

On a recent vacation, I couldn't resist the opportunity. Come and take a look at Wilbur's creative process...

THE POSE:
Wilbur poses with his masterpiece. A little abstract, I might say:



VIDEO:
A short video of the experience:
(Note: my first attempt at using Google's video editor. Timing seemed accurate in the editor, but timeframes shortened in conversion - sorry!)

Wilbur: Sea Lion Artist Extraordinaire from Cheryl Kugler on Vimeo.

THE PROCESS:

So, here's Wilbur.



First step. Picking paints:
As the participant, you select 4 colors.



A close-up of Wilbur's brushes and paints:



Wil's first strokes:



Adding color:



Pink makes it POP:



The final painting:
Love Wilbur's whisker marks in the paint! So endearing.



And, with Wilbur's masterpiece:



(On a side note: lovin' the butterfly bench inside the aquamarine park. Would look great in the garden at home. Anyone know where to find one?!)

COME TO FIND OUT that artist/animal enrichment programs are available at zoos across the country. Check out a book called "Fur in My Paint" by Tifane Grace for more information. Paint with dolphins, snakes, orangutans, elephants, SEA LIONS, and more.

Truly an experience I will never, ever forget!

If you enjoyed this post, please check out:
* Pastured, Beyond Organic at Polyface Farm
* Rejuvenating the Artist's Soul at N. Myrtle Beach

Thanks for stopping by~

Mulling Over Madison

It has taken me quite awhile to make this illustration. Not the actual drawing part - that ended up only taking a few days. It has been the "mulling over" part.

You see, this idea has been rolling around in my head since last July when my dear friend's Great Pyrenees, Madison, passed away. I KNEW I wanted to draw a picture of her. I KNEW I wanted the backdrop to be a amid blossoming rhodadendron. Madison's home is wooded acreage filled with masses of hybridized versions of them.

The idea was there....but it was stuck. I couldn't get it to come out. There is nothing more frustrating than staring at a blank sheet of paper. I'd mull over it for awhile. Nothing. So, I'd draw something else...thinking I'd come back to Madison later. Sure, I'd forget about it for awhile, but then, the idea would re-surface and I'd mull over it again. And, of course, the questions rolling around my mind: How do I create a white dog? Fluffy. A Great Pyrenees is F-L-U-F-F Y. How do I create that fluffiness? How can I bring out her loving soul? What should she be doing? How do I deal with her 'biggness'? Should I 'this', should I 'that'...and on....and on.

I'm not sure what the ultimate inspiration kicker has been this week, but it has finally started to come out. Maybe it's that the rhodadendron are in bloom. Or, the bluebirds are nesting in the bluebird house. Or, because it's Spring. Maybe the "mulling" is just done. Maybe it's a combination of all of the above. Who knows. I'm just glad that it has finally come out on paper.

I'm also happy to say that I dug out my pastels that I haven't used in over 20 years. After "mulling over" how to achieve the fluffiness, I decided on pastels. Now, as I step back and look at this first illustration, I'm already thinking of ways to tweak it. Let's hope that I don't mull over it too long!

NOTE: If you are a creative person, or every wondered about the creative process and you haven't seen Elizabeth Gilbert's video clip on nuturing creativity, be sure to take the time to view it. It may help you understand the creative craziness.

Not Your Typical Daffodil

Isn't this a unique daffodil bloom? I remember I ordered the bulbs out of a gardening catalog several years ago. Can't remember which one, and cannot even recall the exact name of the flower, but I DO remember that it was called a double-bloom. Now that these bulbs have been in the ground a few years, they are starting to multiply.

I couldn't help but share a pic on my blog of them, because, at least for me, I think they are a very unusual daffodil bulb. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I do!

Creating a Stop Sign

For anyone in the advertising/creative services field, this video will hit home.