Da Vinci Artists Gallery

I live in a small town, just north of Houston, with a population of around 10,000.  I was pleasantly surprised, when I moved here, to discover that not only does Tomball have an Art League, it is also home to the Da Vinci Artist's gallery.

Da Vinci's is a delightful, member-run co-op of artists. On the first Friday of each month they host "First Friday" from 6 pm to 9 pm, where they have a reception for that month's featured artists of the month, complete with snacks, beverages and live music.

During the spring and fall, often coordinating with other events and festivals that are happening in Tomball, the DaVinci Artist's Gallery holds sidewalk sales.

I'm not sure if they accept digital artists, but I would certainly be interested in joining their co-op.  When I get back from our trip to England I plan to see what is involved in applying. 

Wish me luck!

The Making of The Easter Bunny

A few weeks ago, I wanted to create a 3D scene in Vue that I could use for Easter products. After struggling to get the exact scene I wanted all in Vue,  I ended up doing a mixed media piece.

I started out by rendering a scene with a cluster of Easter eggs, nestled in some long grass and dandelions, with a background of tree-lined fields, and a nice hazy spring atmosphere.

I played around with the angle of the camera, and aspect ratio to give me a portrait format image, suitable for cards, and with a nice amount of sky at the top where the greeting would go.

My final render looked like this:

Once the render was complete, I opened the resulting image file in Adobe's Photoshop Elements, created a new layer and added a sweet Easter bunny, which is a png file from Bez Boardman and Antje Darling's ABC's Hi-5 Springtime kit at Renderosity.

I'm really happy with the resulting image (although now I look at it critically, I see the lighting on the bunny isn't the same as on the eggs).

Happy Easter! Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs card by 3DDesignsByJayne

Then I had fun with it in my Zazzle store and used it on cards, postcards, gift boxes and I just love it on this plate:

Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs Party Plate by 3DDesignsByJayne

It was a creative project that I really enjoyed - the first time I have tried to layer one of my original 3D renders with a 2D graphic file.  I think I learned some things (that lighting, for one!) and I look forward to improving in the future :-)

Introducing Mockingbird Studio

For some time now, I have wanted to come up with a name for my art studio.

OK, so it's not like a traditional art studio, with easels bearing half finished oils or water colors, tubes or pots of paint and brushes standing ready in a jar.

It's actually what was billed as the formal dining room by the builder, set right in the middle of the house, separated from the living room and kitchen by a half wall topped with arches.

Since my husband and I are the only people living there, and since the breakfast nook very comfortably accommodates four people for meals, which is the most we ever have at dinner at one time, we decided to convert the formal dining room into an office/den/studio.

And since I'm a digital artist and photographer, the only requirement was room for a desk and a computer (although I actually also have a craft table as well as some bookshelves and wall space for artwork).

So I set my computer up facing the living room and I can sit and work on my art, or any other projects, while looking out over the half wall, through the back windows at the garden and wildlife habitat I'm in the process of building. (You can read more about that here.)

We seem to get a lot of Northern Mockingbirds in this area and in previous years, we've had them nesting in the young Live Oak trees in the front garden. This weekend I was sitting indoors in my studio and realized I was being serenaded by a mockingbird.

It was out in the Live Oak tree and I was surprised that I could hear it indoors, so I had to step outside and check -- yes, that's where it was, I have the photo below to prove it :-)

 It's beautiful song went on and on and suddenly, I had the name I'd been looking for, for my studio!

How did you find the perfect name for your studio or art business?

Expand Your Artistic Horizons Online

I'm what is known as a "self taught" artist.  That is to say I never attended art school, although I did take art to "0" level at school in England.

When I worked in traditional media, I learned by doing. I had a bit of natural talent, but it was pretty much touch and go, to say the least.  If it worked, it worked.  If it didn't, it looked crappy, LOL.

When I transitioned into digital media, I discovered that digital artists of all types are accustomed to honing and increasing their technical skills with whichever program they are working in using free online tutorials.  These range from how-to essays with screen shots so you can see how to get a particular effect, to video tutorials.

Floating Orb by Jayne Wilson 2005

It was a great learning experience, allowing me to progress from one of my first renders in Bryce -- the quintessential "floating orb" beloved of so many digital artists (I'm not sure what it is about floating orbs, but we all seem to go through that phase at some point!!)

Winter Mountains by Jayne Wilson 2006

I first discovered LVS Online when I wanted to learn more about how to use Adobe Photoshop Elements. I was thrilled to discover they offered two classes which interested me:  Introduction to Photoshop Elements and Photoshop Elements; Photos in to Art.

Photo Montage created in Photoshop Elements - Jayne Wilson 2004

Both of these courses were instructor-led, six week courses where I received learning materials and homework assignments.  I could then upload my work and have it reviewed by the instructor, who offered help and guidance where needed.

The reason I'm mentioning LVS Online is that it's still going strong.  In addition to learning all about Photoshop Elements, I also took introductory and intermediate courses in Vue -- the program I use when creating my landscapes now.  Those tutorials helped me progress from this:

Early Vue Render - Jayne Wilson 2010

To this - my first render with the full Vue 9 Esprit (versus the freebie Pioneer version I had learned on)

"Lazy River" - Jayne Wilson 2011

LVS Online offers instructor led classes in a wide variety of subjects -- not just graphics software. You can find classes in subjects such as Effective Writing and English Composition, to Medical Terminology and Project Management.

Of particular interest to artists, or wannabe artists, LVS offers a good range of art and photography classes, such as Acrylic Landscape Painting, Acrylic Pet Portrait Painting and Digital Photography, the Basics.  You can get the whole list of classes here.

Instructor led classes begin 6 times a year. Registration is open now for the session starting Feb 25th.

I've signed up for one of the photography classes, to learn more about my camera and to get more comfortable taking it out of AUTO mode!

Finding Time for Art

This post is intended as a bit of a grumble, but I'm fully aware it may turn into a rant!

The problem is time - or lack of it.  I find myself struggling to find time to do all the things I would like to be doing. There just aren't enough hours in the day!

I'm not a full time artist (starving or otherwise).  I have a full time job. One which involves a 90 minute commute to work in the morning, and another 90 minute commute in the evening.

In addition, I have a part time job on an equestrian website, which I thoroughly enjoy.  I can do it at home, in my pajamas if I so wish.

But because of my two jobs, other activities such as chores, gardening, housework and seeing my two retired horses (at least I board them, so I don't have to muck stalls each day) all gets crammed in on the weekend.

And I'm married and certainly don't want to neglect my wonderful husband, so making sure we have some "us" time scheduled is very important to us both.

This doesn't really leave a lot of time for my artistic endeavors such as working on new artwork, or creating greeting cards and other products for my online stores, as well as any marketing efforts I might pursue.

So what I try and do is juggle.

I try and blog regularly, on one of my three blogs -- 3D Designs by Jayne, Jayne's Country Garden and this one, Art by Jayne Wilson.

If I blog on a week night, (like tonight) I don't usually have time to work from scratch in DAZ or Vue, but I might have time to take an artwork that is already finished and create some products with it for my Zazzle store.

On another evening, if I'm feeling artistically inclined, I'll work on a new piece in DAZ, Vue or a combination of the two.  Or I might work on expanding my skills by following a tutorial and try out a new technique.

I try and post to my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/3dDesignsByJayne at least once a day (preferably more often, which I can do from my iPad at lunch time or on the bus going to work in the morning).

The thing I struggle most with is keeping up with the volume of posts in the online art community Fine Art America.  I belong to some very busy groups on there and while I love it when people vote and comment on my artwork, I feel that if I tried to keep up with commenting and voting on every new posting, I would be at it 24/7.

I try and set aside some time when I post a new piece myself, to at least vote and comment on recent additions.  But I admit to feeling guilty that I don't have time to do more.

I'd love to know how other artists manage to find time for family, day jobs, art and everything else.

And the Winner is....

The whole experience of participating in my first art exhibition was very enjoyable.

Everyone I met, from Show Chair, Daniel Brent, to Suzanne Buckland, President of Artists Alive and Well, Patrick Palmer, the Juror for the exhibition, and all the other artists were so nice, friendly, down-to-earth and welcoming, I really felt at ease and the nervousness I had about meeting a group of strangers completely disappeared.

Having my work recognized with an Honorable Mention was more than I expected - you could have knocked me over with a feather!

Artists Alive and Well Juried Open Exhibition

Today was a first for me. 

One of my artworks was accepted into a Juried Art Exhibition, sponsored by Artists Alive and Well, and today was the installation of the various pieces on the Upper Concourse at 1600 Smith Street, in Houston Texas.

I helped check-in the art, making sure that all the art was labelled, was correct and in good condition.  I also got to meet a lot of very talented people I hadn't met before and see some wonderful art.

I've never been involved in anything like this before  and I have to say I was a little nervous the night before.  After all, I was going to be among professional artists and photographers.

And, you know what? I didn't feel intimidated.  Everyone was very nice, very helpful and encouraging and I was made to feel that my contribution to the morning's work was valued.

The artist's reception will be on Monday when the Juror, Patrick Palmer, Chair of the Glassell Studio School and Department of Art History Faculty at the Museum of Fine Arts/Houston, will announce the awards.