Monday, May 14, 2018

Pet Portrait - Lulu


Today, I will be working on this cute little Boston Terrier, Lulu. I started painting her over a month ago, but I have had so many irons in the fire. 

I was upfront with my client about how long it would take, because I knew I didn't have a whole lot of time to dedicate to watercolor painting right now. 

Sure, watercolor painting AND cute dogs are some of my FAVORITE things, and I love these kinds of commissions, but when you are self employed, there are a whole lot of not-fun things that need to get done too.

Which brings me to a question I have been asked many times... How do you keep track of everything?

Honestly, it has been trial an error the last few years. When I was in the corporate world, I didn't go anywhere without my Franklin Covey and Palm Pilot...hahaha remember those? Then came Blackberries... But, I digress. 

Running your own business, and keeping track of your own schedule can make a person crazy. I tried Google Calendars, but printing them for when I was "off-line" didn't work. 

I love the beautiful, new, planners that are available on the market today. Erin Condren, Create 365 Happy Planners, and others. They were beautiful and kept my creative juices flowing, but they just didn't work for me. They may work for you, but I am very peculiar about visual planning. For example, the week HAS to start on MONDAY so that I can see my week before me, AND the end goal --> THE WEEKEND! I know silly, right. But it is my motivator.

Two of my favorites specifically made for "the creative entrepreneur" were Leonie Dawson's Shining Year Workbooks, and The Makers Yearbook Toolkit. 

Again, both of these had awesome planning advice, and organizing tips, but they just weren't perfect for me.

So, I took ALL THE GREAT INFO, and designed my own planner that worked for me. (You can kind of see it in the foreground of this picture, but had to blur the client info and other calendar appointments.) Maybe, I will sell my own planner in the future, but not right now. I printed out a year's worth of my weekly page design, and 3-hole-punched them. I use color coded highlighters (I like Sharpie Accent), pens, and sticky flags to block work times, and schedule projects.

** Sharpies are recommended when writing on non-paper flags, tags and tags. I love gel pens, but gel-ink does not dry on the non-porous surface of the plastic. It SMEARS right off and onto your hands!

Some of the sticky flags I use:
Post-it Arrows 
Florescent Sticky Note Tabs

I still use Google Calendar to keep my appointments, mostly for calendar alerts. I review my G-Calendar every few days, and make sure that my appointments have been hand written into my physical planner. 

I use Google Suite and Workep to keep track of my many projects, brake them down into manageable time/task chunks. Workep is free for the basic "Lite" package - perfect for me. (But they offer monthly subscription upgrades for when your business grows, and needs more advanced tools like multiple teams and time tracking.)

As a former Executive Assistant, things like time management and scheduling are in my blood. The problem is, I kept track of MY BOSS's TIME. It's a little harder now that I AM THE BOSS LADY. 

Staying organized in a creative "mess" is a favorite subject of mine, and I'm sure I'll post more about it. But, my advice to you, is find what works for YOU! 

But for now... I gotta go paint Lulu!

Saturday, April 7, 2018

Samsung Android Oreo Update Disaster

If you are anything like me, you rely heavily on your smart phone being, well, smart! I have been an Android/Samsung fan ever since I traded a Nokia for a Note 2 many years ago. Since then, I have had several upgrades, the last one being the S8. It is a year old and I am eligible for an upgrade. The new S9+ comes with updated software too!
I was considering it, until… DISASTER STIKES!
Android rolled its software update out to all eligible phones, including my S8. I have had several minor updates in the past, so I thought little of it. I made sure all my essentials were backed up, and then hit the update overnight button. The next day, all HELL broke loose.
My phone was “blowing up” with alert dings every few minutes. Not only did the update change my assigned alert sounds, but now it was alerting me to EVERY NEW EMAIL received in my Gmail inbox! My spam mail catches most of the junk, but I still get hundreds of emails a day. Some are newsletters I subscribe to, some are store coupons, some are friends, and some are very important “must respond NOW” Urgent Messages.
Anyway, to make a long story short, Gmail allows you to filter messages into custom “labels”. I could then assign separate ringtones from my phone to alert me when I received an email that was filtered into that label.
The new software was supposedly designed to help make things simpler. But it only gives me the choice of setting alerts for “Urgent” emails (which I would have to assign contacts to) or ALL emails! How the HELL does this make my life easier???
For those of you who are confused about why I am so angry and frustrated, let me give you an example….
Normally, I could be elbows deep in craft glue and paint, or… IDK, hydrochloric acid for etched glass projects… from the other room where my phone is on the charger, I hear Captain Mal Reynolds ask Jayne Cobb if he wants to “Run this ship”…[Yes, I am a geek]…that ringtone tells me that I just received an email from a member of the Art League. Not exactly a drop-what-you’re-doing-urgent message. But, if I hear Vader’s Imperial March, my life might depend on how fast I respond to that email.
But now…. “ping” I just got another ambiguous email…. Must go look at my phone….ARRG! Its just a coupon from Michael’s Crafts…. Android WHY did you have to go and ruin a good thing. “ping” I can’t take this anymore!
I spent the last two days researching and found that it is an issue with the new Android Oreo OS and the new Google rollout. There is no fix, so I must “downgrade” to the Android 7 (Nougat) which is the version between the one that came loaded on my phone originally and the latest version that SUCKS and won’t let me assign alert ringtones Gmail labels. So, I can’t just do a factory reset. I must do something called “Firmware Install”.
Thank goodness for Google, and Youtube. I know this is not a Techie Blog, but if you are having the same problem, here is the info I found to be the most helpful.
What a mess! I finally have Android Version 7 back on my Galaxy S8, and I am so glad that I discovered this major bug before I purchased a new Galaxy S9 with this problem built in straight out of the box! I am going to hold on to my S8 for a while. At least until this bug gets fixed or some genius app developer comes up with a patch or work-around. Sorry Android… Love your phones… but you can’t compete with google for productivity apps!
I lost 3 days of work trying to fix this disaster and it still is not quite over. Now, I have the daunting task of personalizing all my settings and setting up all the apps that were deleted during the reboot, including adding all those social media accounts back on the phone. [All the business branding I do from my phone…so many Twitter accts, Instagram accts, google accts, Facebook pages…I really hope I can remember all my passwords!
That is my rant for the week. My advice, If you haven’t upgraded, don’t until you can be sure the upgrade really does make your life easier!

Friday, March 30, 2018

Zazzle vs Cafe Press - MHO

In January, I made a strategic business decision to close my Cafe Press and move all my POD (print on demand) designs to Zazzle. At the time of this writing, 99% of my designs have been moved over... a feat in itself since they all had to be reformatted to fit the new platform and templates... The last few designs specifically made for www.Aruba-Sunsets.com will be transitioning in April.

It was a big decision that I did not take lightly. For the last few years, I have had designs on both sites but with really needed to consolidate my efforts. I mean, with my handmade (Etsy) store taking off, plus freelance jobs, and all my other irons in the fire, my free time is precious. I work hard on all my art and designs. Listing them needs to be easy. I have no patience for complicated interfaces that are difficult to navigate and a K2 sized learning curve.

Closing my Cafe Press and focusing on my Zazzle Stores made sense for me. My store wasn't getting the traffic it needed from the marketplace shoppers, and the royalty on designs is limited and controlled by Cafe Press. So, my ROI at just wasn't cutting mustard.
After using both sites, I find Zazzle's store interface easier and more user friendly and I have more control over my designs and royalties. Also, a big selling point for Zazzle is that I can use vector images!

I did my due diligence and I compared product and print quality because I didn't want to compromise on quality products. Both sold the same or similar quality products, and the printing of both companies were very good!
In the future, I may also consider using Redbubble if I feel their demographics are a good fit for my customers. But for now, I am focusing my print-on-demand efforts on my Zazzle stores.

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Fun with Watercolor Class - Tower de Eiffel

It was an absolute pleasure to have these lovely ladies in my Fun with Watercolor Class this afternoon. Look at these fabulous artists! Thank you for sharing the afternoon with me, and creating these amazing paintings! BEAUTIFUL!!!

I hope everyone had as much fun learning as I did teaching it. Every single one of you painted a masterpiece that should be framed and proudly displayed! I also hope that I was able to inspire you to continue exploring the creative possibilities of watercolor painting and build on the techniques you learned today. Set your inner artist free!
Right to Left: Dottie Davis, Janna Scarborough and Ellen Harbin-Dabbs
at Generations Emporium and Spiritual Community Center in Johnson City, TN.

Good Quality Watercolor Paper

A good quality watercolor paper makes all the difference!

Both paintings were made by me, using the same techniques, same paint, same brushes... the only change was the paper. Notice how, in the bottom picture, the wet into wet pigment pools and creates uneven toned grainy splotches when dry. The water also caused pilling of the paper, like someone used an eraser too hard.

Both papers are 140 lb, cold press, watercolor paper. The top one is Strathmore 400 series. The bottom one is Canson XL (for watercolors). I won't be buying that again.


Friday, July 14, 2017

Cacti and the Caribbean Ocean

My latest painting... Cacti & Caribbean. This is one of my favorites...Designed for Aruba-Sunsets.com, it will appear on postcards, mugs and other Aruba-Sunsets brand merchandise very soon.


Monday, October 3, 2016

Fundamental Watercolor Techniques - October 12, 1-3pm or 6-8pm

Fundamental Watercolor Techniques - October 12, 1-3pm or 6-8pm

On October 12th I will be teaching Watercolor Fundamentals. There will be an afternoon class (1:00 pm - 3:00 pm) and an evening class (6:00 pm - 8:00 pm).  The evening class is no longer available.

$20 holds your seat!

AFTERNOON CLASS

Payment Options

You will follow along with your instructor, and explore, hands on, basic watercolor techniques with a local watercolor artist, whose works have been on display at several galleries in the tri-cities area.

We will also be discussing kinds of watercolor paints, different watercolor papers, and various brushes. 

On October 12th I will be holding 2 Watercolor classes. One in the afternoon and one in the evening.

You will leave with a better understanding of the medium, and your own 8x10 painting.

Space is limited for this very popular workshop. 

Young Adults Welcome.

The cost for this 2 hour workshop is $25 for instruction plus $20 materials fee. 

A deposit of $20 will secure your seat. The outstanding balance is do the day of class.

Please email me to sign up.
McCarronArtDesign@gmail.com

I accept payment via paypal
https://www.paypal.me/KMcCarron

You can also stop by ArtCurious Gallary, (2362 Boones Creek Rd., Johnson City, TN) and Aleta will be happy to assist you. Just let her know that you are interested in the watercolor workshop. Be sure to check out her other class offerings, and the beautiful artwork while you're there.



Thursday, August 25, 2016

I just have to rant a little bit to my artist friends. I am super excited about my Watercolor workshop next month. I taught art to Jr.High and HS kids back in college as an intern with a wonderful artist and mentor Jean LaChance (Her blog --> http://studiojeanne216.blogspot.com/) but, then I graduated and went on to persue other things.
I am teaching this class for a few reasons.

  1. I welcome the opportunity to overcome my glossophobia - just a big word meaning fear of speaking in public.
  2. I love watercolors. I enjoy creating with all kinds of mediums - oil, pastels, acrylics, ink, pencils, chalk, you name it, I used it! But, watercolors are my favorite and I want to spark that passion in others
  3. Watercolors are fun, easy to use, and, compared to other art forms, fairly inexpensive to get started with them.
That brings me to my RANT!
I want to keep the class affordable for everyone. But, I got a few FB messages after my event post was published, wanting to know the quality of the brushes and paint that were included in the supplies. They implied that I was ripping people off and a $20 class fee was too high for 2 hours, a pan of paints, and a few nylon brushes!!! I had replied nicely to one of the messages, that it was a BASIC class for BEGINNERS. I will be teaching some simple techniques using several styles of brushes (included in the price) and then putting those techniques to practical use by composing a painting on good watercolor paper (also included in the price of the class.) But, if he had a BETTER paint set or BETTER brushes that he would like to learn how to use properly, please bring them with him to the workshop, but he was still required to pay the $20 for the class.

For the record... After the rental cost of the space, the brushes, watercolor paper, the inexpensive paint set, paper towels, and other items no one thinks about... i.e. cups for water, plates for pallets, etc. I will be lucky to break even after this class. This is a community event that I am doing from the kindness of my heart, to encourage creativity and promote the arts in the Tri-Cities area.

I told myself not to let it get to me...BUT IT DID! I was up last night thinking about it, and getting angry, and then pissed, and worried that these haters would convince others that I was cheating them or some other such nonsense. So, now I rant, rave and vent.... and let it go!

ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Serenity now!

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Self Portrait in Watercolors

After finishing the Heron, I needed some inspiration for my next painting. I started looking at my art history books, and paintings of the old masters. Specifically the artist's self portraits.

Almost every artist, from "great masters of the Renaissance" to Modern Artists, whether he/she was known for their landscapes, still lifes, people, abstracts or something else, did some sort of self portrait.

I had done a self portrait drawing years and years ago, Looking back on it, after I just recently rented the movie "Big Eyes", I my have been somehow subconsciously channeling my inner Margaret Keane, although I knew nothing about her or her work back then. Interesting!



Drawing and painting PEOPLE has never been my strong suit. But, I did just say I wanted to try something new, although, sitting in front of a mirror, painting myself definitely does not appeal to me. Then it occurred to me... these historical artists were simply taking a selfie using the tools of the time, before cameras or more accurately cell phone cameras.

So....

Using the modern tools I have available to me, I took a selfie....

Using that selfie...Placing complimentary colors next to each other makes shadows and highlights "pop".



And here is the final result...


This is my new BRAND Profile Picture. I love it!

Friday, December 11, 2015

Green Heron, Watercolor

This next project is being painted with permission from the photographer, Peggy Coleman. A good friend of mine saw this award winning photo on line and asked if I could paint it for her. It is a green heron. They are not very big, but from this photo and the way the wings are spread out, you would think they are enormous.

I have had several people mention that they liked seeing the progression of the painting like I did with my painting of Canal St. So, I have decided to keep doing it.

Here is what I have so far.



It took me a while to mask out all those feathers to keep those beautiful light highlights that they are know for. And the green water with the reflective ripple effect... not my strong suit. 

But, I think its pretty darn good so far. 

Update: 1/25/16

I finished this painting this past weekend. Here is the project in pictures...

I started by practicing painting feathers...


Here is the sketch with the liquid mask on the white part of the wings.

I started with the green "Swampy"water background.

First layer of color on the bird...

Darker layer of color...

Mask removed, details touched up, and signed.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Progress of my Canal Street Painting

Canal Street Trolley, NOLA

10" x 8" Watercolor



Above is the final painting. Below, you can see the progress as it is completed.

This is the progress of a painting I have been working on for the last few weeks. (In this busy world, I set aside Friday mornings to get together with some friends and paint. So, some paintings that could probably be finished in a day or two, take me a few weeks.)

In September, my husband and I vacationed in the city of New Orleans. What an amazing place. The history, architecture, music! My husband, a budding photographer, took his DSLR everywhere, and I have been helping him "process" the 2000 + photos using Lightroom and Photoshop. One of my favorite shots was a photo of the Canal Street Trolley in the distance. The sun was starting to set, and casting pink and gold glow on the buildings. The famous street lamps of New Orleans where just coming on, and the city was becoming more active after the daytime heat.

I decided to paint that scene.

I originally posted it on my Facebook page, here...www.facebook.com/KimMcCarronArtDesign

But to my shock, I found out that some of my friends (yes, people my age) still don't have a Facebook account! So, I was asked to post them on my blog too.

Canal St. Trolley New Orleans painting -01
Perspective Sketch of the trolley, buildings and lamps. I used masking fluid to protect the light points.


After drawing this composition out, I made the mistake of starting with the lamp posts since they were such a prominent feature in this painting, So I am forced to work the background around them. Not an easy task in watercolors. the black/indigo keeps bleeding into what ever I paint around it. However, I just learned a cool "hack" around this dilemma. Carefully coat JUST the lampposts with Modge Podge! It will repel water and watercolor once it dries completely! HOWEVER once I did this, I can not CHANGE them, i.e. fade them out, or add additional color to them. Such is the price for not planning past the initial sketch!

I added the tops of the trees, and people getting off the trolley. I also underpainted the shadows of the storefronts on the right hand side.
More details to the trees, and storefronts on the right.
Next time I hope to finish up the left hand side buildings, cars and people. Stay tuned!
.... DONE... See the finished painting at the top of the post.

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