Posts

Showing posts from 2022

Halloween Portrait Challenge by Paintable!

Image
Hello friends! I found this challenge and thought of you. How about joining me on the Paintable website to improve our digital painting and make some scary paintings for this Halloween? I'm not affiliated, and I don't gain anything from this, I just thought it would be a lot of fun and that's why I posted the announcement of this initiative here. Join me! ---> Paint your best or cReEpiEsT- portrait EVER in just 5 days! Get the FREE portrait masterclass and learn the complete process of painting a digital portrait, from sketch to polished masterpiece. I’ll walk you through each step over the course of 5 days: DAY 01: Sketching Quickly and Effectively​ Learn how to think geometrically, improve your anatomy, and how to sketch quickly & effectively DAY 02: Picking Perfect Colors For Your Paintings Learn how to use the "L Recipe" to avoid muddy colors in your portraits DAY 03: Hard vs. Soft Edges: How to Render Like a Pro Learn how to avoid "blurry" or

Farewell to Queen Elizabeth II

Image
 

A Tragic Update to The Sketchbook Project Community

Image
"With over 60,000 sketchbooks from 30,000 different global creative people, we have grown over the past 15 years to be the largest collection of sketchbooks in the world. We have reignited art careers, inspired first time creatives and even helped a few marriage proposals. We have connected long lost friends, sparked creativity in young minds and created a space for art to live on, indefinitely." On Monday, February 28th, the moving trailer that was transporting the entire Sketchbook Project collection from Brooklyn to St. Pete was in a devastating accident and caught fire while driving through Baltimore. We are incredibly thankful that everyone involved in the accident is safe and not hurt. We are lucky to report that around 70% of the The Sketchbook Project collection was saved through the heroic efforts of local volunteers, firefighters, and community members from a nearby church who so kindly moved each box of books one by one into their parking

The House of Ukrainian Polina Raiko

Image
  "Polina Raiko (May 15, 1928 – January 15, 2004) is a Ukrainian self-taught artist in the style of naive painting. Polina Raiko had had a stressful life. The woman survived the death of her daughter in a car accident, the death of her husband, and the several years of beatings from her own son. When the son was sentenced to a prison colony, Polina Raiko began to paint on the walls of the empty house in the age of 69. She had spent almost her entire pension on paint until her death in 2004. Polina Raiko had no art education. The artist’s imagery combines Christian, Soviet, and pagan symbols. With simple colors she painted her own house, the summer kitchen, the gates, the fences, and garage doors, portraying her own life, the lives of her relatives and pets, pictures of nature. After the death of Polina Raiko, her works of art became a subject of interest among art lovers. In 2005, Totem Center for Youth Initiatives published a catalog of Raiko’s works entitled The Road to Heaven.

Forty Shades Of Green, a song about Ireland, by Johnny Cash

Image
Forty Shades of Green  Performed by Johnny Cash and friends I close my eyes and picture the emerald of the sea From the fishing boats at Dingle to the shores of Donaghadee I miss the River Shannon and the folks at Skibbereen The moorlands and the meadows with their forty shades of green  But most of all I miss a girl in Tipperary town And most of all I miss her lips as soft as eider down Again I want to see and do the things we've done and seen Where the breeze is sweet as Shalimar and there's forty shades of green I wish that I could spend an hour at Dublin's churning surf How I long to watch the farmers drain the bogs and spade the turf To see again the thatching of the straw the women glean I would walk from Cork to Larne to see the forty shades of green But most of all I miss a girl in Tipperary town And most of all I miss her lips as soft as eider down Again I want to see and do the things we've done and seen Where the breeze is sweet as Shalimar and th

The US strong Irish heritage

Image
  As we're approaching the 17th March, which is Saint Patrick's Day , I will post several considerations about this festive date and, of course, Ireland. While I was researching its popularity in the USA I found this infographic. What caught my eye was this particular line: "32.3 million US residents claimed to have Irish heritage in 2016. That is more than seven times the population of Ireland. " That was back in 2016. What about today, I wonder? Women's American Apparel Fine Jersey T-Shirt - Made in the USA To buy or to personalize you must log in to the store. Magnet-backed bottle opener. Opens standard beer and soda cap bottles. Made in the U.S.A. To buy or to personalize you must log in to the store.  Irish is ranked within the top three ancestry groups people report in the census. Irish heritage is strong in America: More than 31.5 million residents claim Irish ancestry, second only to German (43.0 million). U.S. presidents, including current President Joe

How I got interested in Ireland's culture!

Image
I've always held a deep affection for Ireland. My initial introduction to this enchanting land occurred during the 1980s when I tuned in to an epic television series known as " Manions of America ." As a teenager with a penchant for historical television dramas, I was captivated by the storyline and found Pierce Brosnan, one of the leading actors, to be the epitome of male beauty. "Manions of America" weaves a compelling narrative of a family's journey from destitution in Ireland to affluence in the United States. This 1981 miniseries starred Pierce Brosnan and Kate Mulgrew, who would later portray Captain Katherine Janeway in the "Star Trek" TV series. The saga commences in Ireland during the midst of the 19th century, against the backdrop of the devastating potato famine that inflicted severe hardship on Irish farming families, including the O'Manion clan of Galway. I distinctly recall scenes of Rory, the protagonist, leading a rebellion alon

Saint Patrick's Baby First Birthday Personalized Party Invitations with green shamrocks

Image
  Return Address Label Envelope Round Sticker Envelope Seal Square Invitation   - Square Shape Portrait Invitation - Rectangular shape. You have six shape options to choose from. (The same illustration is available for 2nd and 3rd birthdays.) Made and printed in the USA For more details, or to buy any of these products, you must log in to the store.