Watercolor Heart Video Process

I cannot believe how long its been since my last post!  A year has flown by in the blink of an eye.  As I get older the time seems to go so much faster.  Looking toward the future for the blog I hope to post and share more of my process with tutorials including videos.  

What has not seemed to change with me is that I continue to bounce back and forth between digital art and traditional.  Over the past year I have created a lot of new work and my style continues to evolve.  It does however continue to include grunge and of course lots of hearts. 

I am excited to share  my first video today!  Recently I have pulled out the watercolors again as they really help to calm me besides being just so darn fun!   

Supplies

*Dr. PH Martin Liquid Watercolors 

*Strathmore Watercolor paper - I love the 6x6 artist tiles

*Palette knives in various sizes

*Spray bottle of water

I have lots more to share so stick around!  In other exciting news I have a new article coming out in the Autumn issue of Somerset Digital Studio.  If you are on Instagram you can catch up on my recent work over the past year.  Follow me @cathybueti 

xo

Simple Fun Sketching

Fun sketch done with just a black Stabilo pencil and some water.  

I sketched her out first on watercolor paper.  Then grabbed a spray bottle with water that I keep nearby when I am creating.  Gave her a spritz and let the water drip down the page.  That was my favorite part!  

Not sure yet if I will leave her as is or go back in with some collage and paint.   

So go grab a pencil or crayon and have some simple fun!

xo

How She Came To Be

A watercolor background was sitting in my journal longing for something else.  

Using a Stabilo marks all pencil (everyone should have one!)  I sketched out this face.

With a q-tip dipped in water I started to wet the pencil marks and it became a back and forth dance between the water and Stabilo.  

The whites of her eyes were added with a liquitex paint pen.  A sharpie would work just as well or even a dab of white acrylic.

As always my work never feels quite done until I add some words.  

This reminded me of how much I love watercolor and miss drawing faces the old fashioned way off of the iPad.  ;)

What I've Been Up To . . .

Hope everyone is enjoying a great start to the year.  And yes I do realize January is nearing the end lol.  Time is picking up speed at rapid rates which continually makes me anxious! I spend way too much time looking behind me or worrying about what is ahead which of course distracts me from the present moment.  

In my art world I have been creating digitally in Artrage.  Its a great app for digital painting and sketching.  I have it on my desktop Macbook Pro and have been trying it out with a Wacom tablet.  It is taking me a little getting used to but so far I am enjoying it.  

Each of these pieces was created in ArtRage.  As you can see hearts and Love continue to prevail in my work no matter what the medium.  

I am getting the itch to get back to some cardboard art and play with paint.  Its been some time now.  I am also toying with the idea of shooting some video tutorials for you guys.  That of course will be a work in progress but what I hope will be a fun new step for me!  I will keep you posted!

You can check out more about ArtRage HERE!  

xo

Back To Paper 53 . . .

This is a simple fun little sketch I worked up last night on my iPad.  I used Paper 53 which is one of my favorite art apps.  One thing I love about this app is the watercolor effects you get with the paintbrush.  

As always hearts show up in my work.  I couldn't resist adding them to the ends of her hair.  Sometimes whimsical is so much fun!

 Check out the Paper app
HERE!

xo

My First Haiku

Many years ago I wrote poetry.  I have always loved putting words together.  You will often find some words incorporated into my art.  

Recently I decided to dabble in it again. I have never attempted a haiku.  One day last week standing at the kitchen counter with a pen and the back of a grocery store receipt I penned the words you see above.  

As I read through them over and over one of my sketches turned digital art popped into my mind.  I felt that the image was fitting for these words.  Working on my iPad, which is what I use for most of my digital creating, I added the haiku text to the image in the Phonto app.  Super easy to use and its free!  

Hope your summers were lots fun in the sun!  As always it  has sped by way to fast.  Behind the scenes in my studio I am starting to figure out a set up to record my mixed media process.  So hopefully I will be sharing some art videos with you soon!  

Love Art

"love should be"

Here is hoping you all had a lovely Valentine's Day.  I created this heart art on that day I suppose feeling inspired by all things Valentine.  Then again I never need a reason to create hearts, they often are the subject of my art!  

This piece was created digitally on my iPad in Procreate.  Upon discovering some brushes I somehow had missed in Procreate I had fun using them to paint this heart.  I also used an ink pen to scribble the words across the canvas.  

The original piece was completed in black and white.  Of course I had to put it through a few filter apps and was happy with this red toned heart as the final image.  Pixlromatic was used for the filters.  

Do you use Procreate?  If not its a great app for drawing, painting, and even layering images.  Lots of fun to be had in this app!  Would love to hear if you have tried it!

xoxo

Full Circle With Misty . . .

I cannot remember the last time I took pencil to paper.  I used to sit with my drawing pad and graphite for hours, always keeping it close by.  That was quite a while ago.  I am talking maybe 2 years.  Since I got an iPad last summer that has been replaced with digital drawing.  

I signed up for my 3rd class with Misty Mawn, an artist who inspires with her amazing, raw, soulful artwork.  If you have not yet experienced a workshop with Misty it is definitely worth it!  There is always something for everyone from drawing to painting to photography to writing and more.  I am always amazed at how much she packs into a class!  Check out her latest class HERE.  

I worked on this charcoal sketch last night upright on the easel.  I forgot how messy charcoal can be.  I tried not to think to much as I went along.  Tried to silence the inner critic who is ever present threatening to ruin my art!  She is messy, a bit dark, but has a message of love.  

Sharing today over at Sunday Sketches!  

Click HERE to join 

xo

The Girl With The Crazy Red Hair!!

Ok, so I know I said this about my last painting, but I LOVE this girl!!  She is based off of a sketch I did about a year ago and as with the angel I omitted the open eye and nose.  And I think it fits somehow.  The idea of using red for her hair was very scary for me.  I went with golden's pyrrole red.  I think that shade just goes so well with black and white. 

As always  I like to show a few pics of how she came to be . . . 

First I used black and white paint very thickly applied to the canvas.  This is another 16x20.  Surprisingly I am enjoying going large with these faces.  

I use a stablilo marks all pencil in black to sketch her out and also use a faber castell gelato which smudges really well dry for the eye details.  The hair I squeezed right out of the bottle of the fluid acrylic.  Scary indeed!  It reminded me of scribbling!  

Here is an upclose shot so you can see some of the detail.  I stamped in her hair "you are loved"  which I hope you can see in this pic.  I still love stamping.

This gal is available and headed to my etsy shop soon but you can email me if you fall in love with her too! ;)

Today I flipped through my sketchbook and picked out another girl.  I started a new black and white background.  I hope to get to sketching her out on it soon!

Sharing at Paint Party Friday.  

Hope you are all enjoying a great and safe  holiday weekend.  I will be back on Sunday with some new digital sketches to share!

xo

Love Just Shows Up :)

Every morning I make a chocolate drink for breakfast.  I use rice milk, unsweetened cacao powder, and sometimes a bit of hazelnut creamer.  I head it up just to warm and it is yummy!  I am not a coffee drinker so I like to think of this as my morning cup of joe!  lol

Yesterday when I was almost finished I happened to glance at the foam around the edge of my cup and low and behold there it was.  A heart!!  Sometimes its the small things.  

So I grabbed my iphone and snapped.  I couldn't resist!  I just love hearts and I love when they surprise me.  They show up where I least expect them.  And that is the best!  

Hope you find some love today in your part of the world!

xo

Painting My Girls And Going Bold !!

For those of you who have been following my blog for awhile you may already know how much I do not like painting faces.  I love to sketch faces but when it comes to painting them I get too anxious and I end up with a stiff neck from stressing out trying to be perfect!  Last week I saw a link someone posted on Facebook for an art video by artist Karrie Evenson.  I was not familiar with her or her work so I decided to check her out.  And boy am I glad I did!  Her work is amazing!  She has many videos up on youtube on acrylic painting.  She is all about being free and being bold in life and in your art.  One of the videos I watched was from her tv show "karrie on canvas".  She was painting a woman with wild hair.  

Watching her paint and not get all caught up in the perfection of it inspired me to give it a try and paint one of my girl sketches.  I am still on a black, white and red kick so I thought I would continue with that palette.  I went big and bold choosing a 16x20 canvas no less!  I added molding paste for texture.  The first image is how she started out.  I was so inspired that I took a small bottle of black craft paint and drizzled her hair on the canvas right out of the bottle.  Then I scratched into it.  I was shocked at how much I enjoyed it.  I decided to not get crazy with her face.  I drew on the face with my Stabilo pencil and smudged with a brush for the details.  She has no nose cause lets face it, they are really hard for me to paint!  lol  And besides, I kinda like her face this way.  

Here is the finished piece.  I just love her!!  Adding all the details was just super fun.  I used some new foam stamps for the words.  This piece has lots of texture.  I am so happy to have discovered Karrie and I hope you will visit her website.  I think  you will love her too!!  If you want to loosen up and be inspired be sure to check her out!  

I have even started a new large canvas with another girl, this time an angel.  I will share her soon!  She is almost finished!  

Sharing this piece over at Paint Party Friday.  

xo

Love Is Enough . . .

"love is enough"

mixed media on 12x24 wrapped canvas

available on etsy 

This is the first time I tried a 12x24 canvas and really love the size and rectangle shape.  I went shopping last week and bought canvases as well as some new foam alphabet stamps and a foam heart stamp which I used on this new piece.  As  you can see I am still on the black, white, and red kick!  I may be stuck there for a while.  There is just something about black and white.  And red just fits so well with it too.  I have been using pyrrole red instead of a crimson.  The pyrrole red is an orangy red which I like better with the black and white.  When I used crimson it looks like blood to me.  Weird I know!  Ick!  lol

I added lots of texture with scrapes into the paint and drizzling black and white in scribbles all over.  Love the foam stamps.  This time the words were in my head before the painting.  I added the lines around the words with a faber castell gelato.  Its water soluble but looks like a crayon when u first draw with it.  I liked the look of that.  I needed something around the words.  They looked so lost out there alone!

I like the graffiti feel of this piece.  Lately hearts and love are the main subject of my work.  I have been feeling very out of sorts these days.  Anxious to the point that nothing even looks the same or familiar to me.  I really hate feeling like this.  Hope it will pass soon.  In the meantime I will try to just paint and get out of my own head.  Not an easy task but a necessary one.  

Sharing with Paint Party Friday.  Is it really Friday again already???  

xo

My Girls Are Back

I startled myself when I reached for my sketchbook today.  It has been a long time.  Yes I have been doing some digital sketching, and mostly painting lately but old school pencil to paper sketching has not happened.  

I prepped a 16x20 canvas with molding paste today which prompted me to quickly sketch out this girl.  I plan to try and paint her on that canvas very loosely and with bright colors.  We will see how that goes!  Painting portraits even whimsical ones stress me out.  Silly I know.  lol

The words "she lives for love"  came to me as I finished this sketch.  And then the little heart on her face just seemed to fit.  I am loving her hair! It was my favorite part to draw in.  

I am sharing this lovely over at Sunday Sketches.  Be sure and stop by to see some great work!

I have a couple of new paintings to share. Been on a black and white kick lately.  I will share them this week!  xo

Love Never Dies . . .

"love never dies"

mixed media on 20x24 canvas

I am in love with this painting!  I have to say that it is my personal favorite of anything I have done thus far.  I used a limited palette of just black and white with some red.  There are a couple of other undone paintings underneath.  I just didnt like what was happening so I gessoed over it and started new.  

Here is the first new layer done with just foam brushes . . . 

I thought I would have trouble with all the space but I am getting used to painting larger.  I used mostly foam brushes and a palette knife.  My favorite part was adding the white drizzles!  

The words always seem to come to me as I paint.  And these words fit the piece perfectly.  Last night Lou hung it up on the wall in our living room.  It will be making its way to my etsy shop soon.  

I am sharing this piece over at Paint Party Friday.  Its always a great time over there!  

I am already planning another black and white piece similar to this except I am thinking a burst of yellow hearts this time!  I do love some yellow with grey. 

Now its time for some ice cream!  lol  

(seriously though, when is it NOT time for ice cream??)

xo

Anniversaries . . .

Our Wedding 

May 31, 2003

10 years seemed to fly by in a flash.  Lots of love, lots of loss, but through it all what was constant always was our love. 

Love is something that never dies, it transcends time and space, it lives on forever.  

This photo was my gift to Lou for our 10th wedding anniversary.  The lyrics are from our wedding song "At Last" by Etta James.  Always loved that song.  I found a nice antique looking pewter frame for it as 10 years is tin, pewter or aluminum.  I love to create my own gifts and had fun working on this image.  

Lou surprised me with concert tickets to see New Kids on the Block who are touring with Boys to Men and 98 Degrees.  I was in old school glory last night!!  Now I know for sure he really loves me . . . he sat through a boy band concert!! lol  

Yesterday also marked my 12th year cancer free!  Now if I could just let go of the fear I would be all good!   There is just no time for it anymore.  I am still working on it everyday.   

xo

My First Commission . . . Lots of Hearts :)

A few months ago a friend contacted me through facebook, interested in a journal page I had done.  It was 5x7 and one of my favorites.  I only used white gesso, crimson paint, stencils, sharpie markers and stamps.  She loved the journal page and I offered to create the same on canvas.  She wanted a 16x20 which seemed daunting to me but I truly enjoyed creating this for her.  

I am finding that I like the larger space to create.  There was a time when that size canvas would be too intimidating and while I have to admit when I started this piece it did feel that way as I quickly filled it up it felt good.

I always enjoy the final details of a piece like this.  I decided to continue the design around the edges of the canvas.  I used my palette knife to scrape the red paint lightly along the edge.  Then I used an ink pen to scribble, add more hearts, and write "love" all around.  

I really do love this piece but more importantly the buyer loves it!  It has been exciting to be commissioned and it makes my heart happy that these hearts will be traveling to a new home soon!  

I am sharing today over at Paint Party Friday.  Lots of great art to see so do stop by!

Wishing you all a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend!  The weather here in NY is supposed to be rainy so I think we will be heading to the movie theater tomorrow.  Candy, soda, and a good flick is on tap for this weekend!

Sunday Sketches . . . Its Digital

With such an awful week in the world and so much negativity around these hearts make me feel better. Hearts and love often find there way into my work.  Somehow they bring happiness just seeing the images and words.  

I created this sketch in my iPhone using the ASketch app.  It was fun to create that way.  I still have not gotten an iPad but if I keep this up I will need too for my neck and hands.  lol  Working so small can wreak havoc on the bod!  

Sharing today over at Sunday Sketches

Wishing you a Sunday filled with love  

xo

Scratching A Portrait . . .

I tried another sgraffito portrait.  This time I painted a layer of yellow acrylic and added black oil pastel over top.  Oddly enough I had a hard time with this one.  It kept ending up looking like the negative of a photo.  I was thinking too much.  And then all of a sudden it clicked and I was able to wipe away the lights to bring her face alive.  

Creepy as she is there is something about her I like.  There is some kind of mystery to her.  I added some scribbles and stamps to this one.  I really like the scratching and wiping away.  Its good to get some angst out!  Maybe that is what shows in her face . . . my angst!  

Sharing her today for Sunday Sketches.

xo

Hearts . . . New Painting

"Love Inspired"

mixed media on 11x14 canvas

I had a canvas with an unfinished painting.  I no longer felt connected to it so I decided to create something totally different.  And I am so glad I did.  It is pretty liberating to cover over an old idea with something new.  

My new favorite colors are magenta and blue as you can see.  I was surprised I had the patience to layer!  I am slowly learning that if I can add more layers the painting has lots more depth.  I really enjoyed creating this one.  

Here is the first layer.  I used phalto blue and phalto green.  I applied the paint with my hands and a sponge brush which I have never used but love the feathery effects you can get with it .

 I fell in love with the first layer but knew I had to keep going.  

I love to add letters so I sprayed through my alphabet stencil and also added some white circles.  

In the background of this image you can see a larger painting.  That is something I am working on for Flora Bowley's "Bloom True" online course which I am in the middle of.  (more on that to come!)

I knew I wanted to incorporate hearts so I added that next.  

I also used the magenta which is transparent to cover some of the blue.  That was pretty scary for me.  Silly but true.  I get so attached to my layers that I really struggle to let go and cover stuff up.  

Once I did I liked that I could see the white peeking through from underneath.  

Initially I was upset I covered over the letters on the right side so I brought them back.  I also added a stamp on the heart which reads "when I want to see love defined I look at you".  I felt like it was a nice finishing touch to this piece.

I will be adding it to my etsy shop soon! 

Linking up today with Paint Party Friday.  If you haven't joined us yet be sure to check it out!  Lots of great art to be seen!

xo

Her Mind Is Jumbled But Hopeful . . .

I was up late last night sketching.  I miss drawing.  It immediately takes me out of my own head just as painting does but there is something different about it.  And the faces come out of my own imagination never knowing what they will look like or what their expression will be.  

It felt good to use the pencil again.  As always I try not to get caught up in being perfect.  My favorite part to draw are the eyes even though hers are closed.  When she felt done I spilled some words over the page.  

"dreaming of better days, always love forever, always hopeful, let us see light"

Wondering if those are her words or mine . . .