Please vote for my Sandcastle pattern in this week’s Spoonflower contest! Thank you!

June 4, 2015 | Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

I would be so grateful if you took a minute to vote for my pattern “Sandcastles on Long Island.” Just click here: http://www.spoonflower.com/contest_voters_temp/new?contest_id=306

Uploading a pattern to Spoonflower is something I’ve wanted to do for years, since I first read about Spoonflower in Country Living. I used their Sandcastles contest as extra motivation to finally upload a pattern. I’ve ordered a yard of the fabric and can’t wait to show you when it arrives!

Thank you so much for the support you have given me all along, and for casting your vote for “Sandcastles on Long Island.” 🙂

Sandcastles (My May Pattern)

May 30, 2015June 2, 2015 | Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

Sandcastles is the theme of my May pattern (I know, I know it’s already June). I’ve been working extra hard on this pattern because I’m entering it in a Spoonflower contest. This week’s theme is sandcastles and it’s so fitting this time of year!

With Memorial Day behind us, I can’t help but think of beach days! We are counting down to the end of the school year and making our Summer plans. We are lucky enough to live 10 minutes from the ocean. I grew up in a nearby beach town and as a kid, I spent my entire Summer on the beach. When I was old enough to work, it was as a ocean lifeguard.

When I saw that Spoonflower’s pattern contest was a sandcastle theme, I had to give it a try. You know I’m obsessed with creating patterns these days! This would be my first entry into a Spoonflower contest.

Below is my first draft. I made some edits, because I felt there was too much sand and it needed more details. Voting opens Thursday (spoonflower.com). 🙂

Revisiting an unfinished painting.

May 26, 2015 | Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

girldiggingnew
I’ve been playing around with what I’m calling a “practice canvas” (see below) – a painting I never finished, didn’t like where it was going, and recently started mindlessly dabbling with (on). I’ve enjoyed this. While I’m comfortable with watercolor, acrylics still feel new to me. Playing around with this “practice canvas” has pulled me back to acrylics and to another unfinished painting.

Here’s the practice canvas, although now it is unrecognizable!

Looking through my other canvases, I found an unfinished painting I call “Little Girl Digging.” Even though, I was happy with progress on this painting at the time, I set it aside. Probably because after “sketching” out the figure I wasn’t confident on how to proceed.

So this past weekend, I decided to work on it again. I wanted to see if I could get the little girl to pop off the sand. I had some success (first picture in this post), so I’m motivated to continue working on it. We’ll see! 🙂

Easy Acrylic Beach Painting

April 20, 2015May 28, 2017 | Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

I needed something to hang on the bare wall over the couch. I had the idea to create an aerial view of the beach on two canvases. I wanted it to be very simple – 2 areas of solid color. The area where they meet would have a little more detail to hint that it is a beach shot from above.

Here’s my sketch and the acrylic paint colors I selected – Buff White and Cobalt Teal. Similar paints Windsor & Newton Buff Titanium and Liquitex Cobalt Teal. You’ll also need a small amount of white.
beachacrylicaa
I put two 20 x 24″ canvases together to sketch where the shoreline would be and to ensure the canvases line up.
beachacrylic1
I painted each of the solid areas.

Then, I added a thin layer of the blue over about 2″ of the sand nearest the shoreline. This is the shallow area of the ocean. At the edge of this area (and the sand) I added a thin uneven line of white for the ocean’s foam.

I was really happy with the results! Let me know if you give it a try.
overcouch

This contains affiliate links to products/brands I use and recommend. I earn a small commission whenever you buy using these links, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Have you read:

Creating fades (Gradations) with Watercolor

February 22, 2015 | Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

I’m looking forward to the warm days of Spring and Summer. The weather this weekend was a combination of extreme cold (4 degrees), followed by snow and rain. I’ve had enough! I tried to stay busy, which included painting. 🙂 First I painted some blobs, with the intention of adding ink and turning them into feathers.

Then I painted the sunset above. I was inspired by a watercolor heart I created a few weeks ago, where I blurred the edges of the heart so there was a soft edge. To blur the edges I let the paint mostly dry. With a wet brush, I pulled up some of the color at the edge of the shape. Then I soften the edge into the white area to create a fade.

I wanted the sun to have the same soft effect as the heart and I wanted to keep the sunset simple. I painted the sky part first and let it dry before painting the bottom. I didn’t want the bottom bleeding into the sky! In addition to softening the edge of the sun, I added water (to the water) to soften the blooms.* (This word was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t remember what they are called. Thank you to this link for the definition below.)

*Blooms or blossoms – are cauliflower looking marks created when extra moisture creeps back into a damp or partially dry area of a painted. As the excess water levels out it will “push” the tiny pigments of paint to the outside edge of the watermark. A back run can totally ruin a smooth flat area of a painting, unless you add the excess water intentionally. (also known as back runs, back wash, and water blossoms)

I’m not sure what my next project will be, but that’s part of the fun, right?

Watercolor (Throwback Thursday)

February 19, 2015 | Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

After taking drawing classes, and falling in love with colored pencil, I decided to try watercolor. My teacher was the same woman, Eva, who I loved and who was very encouraging and supportive. You need that when you are starting out (or maybe always) – someone to recognize that you have something, a little bit of talent, that merits nurturing.

Imagine my surprise when I created my first watercolor piece and she didn’t like it. “No, no, no, you are drawing! You need to paint with watercolor.” Here it is:

I didn’t really understand what she was saying – that there is an unexpectedness and beauty when you let watercolors “do their thing,” when you add paint to a wet surface and let something magical happen! Shortly after, I created this painting below, of the elephants. I was especially proud of how the clouds came out. I let it “happen” by picking up the paper and letting the paint roll around.

It took me awhile to let go and loosen up. During the drawing class, I was trying to be perfect, to draw perfectly. Now, years later, I’m loosening up more and more and I’m finding that “not perfect” has a style to it. A style I’ve been aiming for, for years. Now, I enjoy letting the watercolor do something unplanned and then creating a piece around that.

As the years went by I started using watercolor pencils in some areas, to add detail. The first painting in this post, of my kids at the beach, is my favorite watercolor to date.

Click here to see my favorite watercolors.

Cutting away the mistake

January 15, 2015 | Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

and I cut my first mat too! Mom’s painting is finally done. I’ve been struggling with it since Thanksgiving, when she requested it. I love the beach and feel so inspired by it, but I often struggle with trying to paint it. She requested a landscape. Sometimes I think I’m more of a “zoom in” and paint the details type of person. When things are so far back – you can’t even see the details. My attempts at beach paintings often look a little flat and boring. But she asked for it, so what could I say?

I decided this time I’d add ink to the painting and try to incorporate my “still developing” style. I was so nervous to add the first ink marks! You can’t get rid of them or cover them up, the way you can with watercolor. Another challenge for me – perspective! The photo I chose was perfect for my mom, but the perspective was a challenge for me. After I added the lamppost, I knew I’d messed up. It was way too tall. To be honest, if the painting wasn’t for my mom, I would have ditched it.

But I persevered. I pulled it out every so often and continued working on it. I already bought a frame. This week I measured the frame and decided to cut the painting and get rid of the too tall lamppost. In doing that, I’d need a custom mat. About 3 months ago, inspired by the Frugal Crafter, I bought mat board and a mat cutter. It was the first time I’d seen a tool that wasn’t an expensive table top cutter. The Logan 2000, has a line that you line up to prevent you from cutting past the corners. Since I already have a cutting mat and a straight edge, and am used to trimming with an exacto knife, it seemed perfect for me.

Isn’t it amazing how something sits for months and then in two days, you’ve completed the job. (It only took 2 days, because on the first day I mistakenly thought the Logan 2000 didn’t come with the blades. I was so disappointed! Eventually I realized I had everything I needed.) I found it a little hard, especially the corners, but I was happy with the outcome! I think with practice it will get easier.

I posted Mom’s painting on Instagram (mycreativeresolution) to see if she’ll notice. I hope she likes it! Wait, breaking news: She saw it and she likes it! 🙂 And it feels good to be done and to finally have used my new cutter!

My Steps:

See the start of this painting in the post “Pressure and Painting,” and the middle in the post “Mom’s present has entered the ugly phase. Can it recover?”

Cutting off the lamppost.

Figuring out the correct height of the lamppost, before drawing a new one.

Logan 2000

Where I’ve been inspired lately.

January 12, 2015 | Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

The beach on a snowy day. Long Island, New York. I’ve been sharing my “Where I’m inspired” photos on Instagram. Come visit me @mycreativeresolution

The Catskill Mountains, Upstate New York.

Passing the Manhattan Skyline on a beautiful day.
nyc

The Winter sky. Bare trees up against so much color. It’s so pretty! (This picture doesn’t do it justice.) I’m working on a painting inspired by this. wintersky

Mom’s present has entered the ugly phase. Can it recover?

December 24, 2014 | Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

The picture below is what fear looks like. The pressure is on, as I mentioned in a recent post. I want to add ink, but I’m afraid I’ll ruin the painting. Once the ink is on, it can’t be erased. So I do a couple of practice benches and go for it. Immediately I regret it, but I keep working. I continue to add benches. Did I mention I hate working in perspective? The benches look more like Chinese characters, but I keep going. I add ink to the boards of the boardwalk. I was terrified to add the lightpost. It’s too tall – maybe I can use a mat to crop it out and lower it? I add more detail to the benches and they start to look less like Chinese and more like benches.

Fear:

Where I started from:

Where I am now:
After I soften the water (by wetting the watercolor pencil) I start to think, maybe I can get this to work. I have to keep working at it. Mom’s Christmas present may be a little late! Next steps – add watercolor to the benches and shadows. Add the rail.