Charcoal Drawings of Wedding Photos

Commissioned Charcoal Drawings, $100 each

In June of 2011, my best friend got married to the love of her life. It's hard to believe that now over a year has gone by, and even harder that she's not around. She has since moved to Texas, and I'm still in Boston - so between student loans and her moving expenses, it's been tough not seeing each other for so long.

The year she got married, I saw her a good 3 times in a year period - which was awesome! Now that we have gone back to the distance, I miss not being able to hang out. So on their anniversary, I picked out one of their wedding photos (their hands with their new wedding rings) and did a sketch in charcoal of it. I matted and framed it, then shipped it off as a surprise wedding gift / housewarming gift for them about a month ago.

Commission your own drawing - Add Matt + Frame for extra $20

I really do love working on these pieces, with thought and meaning behind it. If you think about it, your wedding photos are memories that will last forever. They are beautiful images, and are great resources to use after your wedding as special gifts to family members or to use as thank-you notes.

For wedding calligraphy brides, another unique way that you can your images is to have one of significant meaning translated into a piece of art. It's a great way to add another perspective to your big day, through the eyes of an artist. This makes a great piece for your new home, and with the charcoal technique, the classic black-and-white charcoal look will match any decor - and look great in any room!

Not the bride? These charcoal wedding drawings make great gifts for bridesmaids or the maid of honor to give to the bride as a wedding gift, or make a fabulous and thoughtful 1-year anniversary present for the couple. It's a great way to say how you remember their big day: how much fun you had, an how meaningful it was for you to be a part of it.

Above is the original image, printed off and bit creased from working on it. Any .JPEG file or link will do for this project. Commissioned charcoal pieces are a flat $100 each, for a standard 8"x10" image, unframed. You can also do a framed or matted only option for an additional cost (approx. $20), and I'd be happy to ship right to the couple with a note from you!

Just some food for thought - the holidays are right around the corner, and you'll need something for the new Mr. & Mrs.! Contact me to get started :)

Charcoal Drawings: White Rose and Feeling Trapped

Charcoal Drawing, "White Rose" 8"x10"

I took a sick day about a month ago. It was snowing, and I was feeling really conflicted. I felt like after a few frustrating events in my life, that I needed a minute to reconnect what I loved doing and feel some reassurance. I started first with the image below, which I had been thinking about for a while and finally just did it (maybe I'll do a series - I do think it's a cool concept).

Do you ever look around and just feel trapped? Maybe a huge doctor's bill put grocery shopping off another few weeks, or that car you pictured owning after graduation took a side seat because of the constant battle between your rent, student loans, and current paycheck. I guess this feeling of entrapment stems a bit from money - like all the possibilities before and during college are no longer possible because my sole mission now is to make money in order to pay off that education and to support myself. That art career won't pay for it: at least not now. And definitely no vacations for a while - at least last year I had my best friend's wedding in Florida as a fabulous excuse. So I'm stuck.

"Trapped", Charcoal 11"x16" on white paper

I needed reassurance and I needed it fast. After a frustrated attempt at painting two months ago, I busted out what I could find for charcoal supplies (and amazed how little I had - in school and before I always had a "kit" of essentials nearby), Googled an image of hands on jail bars, and started sketching. The simplicity, ease of blending, and quick buildup of charcoal made me feel better immediately. I felt like I really captured what I was feeling on paper, and felt so satisfied once it was completed.

After that weight had been lifted, I didn't want to stop. I wanted something that would last longer, that would be a challenge: so, with the same paper but cut down to an unused matted frame size, I Googled images of White Roses. Do you have ANY idea how difficult it is to sketch out, let alone DRAW a rose?? There's each petal, that has to make sense with the petals surrounding it, then each of those petals has to have the right shading for the whole image to make sense. But I sat there, with Grey's Anatomy in the background in my studio, and sketched lightly, then re-sketched, then finally filling in the darks. When that image was finally complete (see above) I felt immensely satisfied.

Sometimes it's not about where you are in your life when you look around - and sometimes there's only so much you can do. What I do know, is doing what you're good at once in a while (think riding-a-bike-skill) can really make you smile. And we all need that to keep going.

Guest Post: "Inspiration" by Kiss Me Creations

I am an artist.

Many of you can say the same. Painters, performers, dancers, poets, jewelers, singers, actors, novelists, crafters...they're all artists.

Or, if you're not an artist, maybe you are an art appreciator. You're moved by a still life photograph. You can decipher meaning in abstract art. You find the perfect piece and want to share it with someone. Maybe the art finds you.

I love crafting. Ever since I was little I've loved to create my own projects, ranging from collecting sticker books to painting wood cut-outs. Even now, in my spare time I make paper beads, and then string them together to make bracelets and earrings. I take photographs, sometimes editing them on my computer. I've also been experimenting with polymer clay.

One great resource for me has been etsy.com. I officially joined last month, but I frequented the site often before opening up shop. Like I said, I love to craft, so in order to fund my hobby I decided to try selling my crafts. Even though I would like to make some money so I can keep crafting, Etsy has been great in other ways. I find myself posting in forums, connecting with other artists. I keep browsing through the different sections, looking at the items other sellers have listed. There are so many wonderful creations that have been so inspiring. I love to see what other people make, what they put effort and love into. Each piece has a story to tell. And you don't have to become a member to experience these stories. You can browse through the pages, or search for anything you have in mind. Another idea is to stop by a local craft fair. As the weather warms, they will become more common, and you can search your local paper for different locations. Art inspires me to create my own, so I love to see what people are trying to convey in their crafts.

But enough about me. What inspires you?

 Your friends?

 The images in your dreams?

 That special someone in your life?

To honor the beauty that surrounds us every day, I've created my very own "Inspiration Collection". With the help of polymer clay, paint, and rubber stamps, I've made these charms that feature words of inspiration to me. Just one word can get you thinking. These charms will all be up for sale at my Etsy shop. Some will be added to jewelry, and some will be sold just as the charms. There will be more styles available than just those pictured above.

So while you're browsing through my shop, or even just glancing out the window, think about what inspires you, and be thankful for that inspiration.

I would like to thank the Ash Tree for giving me this opportunity to share my thoughts with all of you. It has been a pleasure writing this post.

Sincerely,

Kissy, Kiss Me Creations

*If you would like to write a guest post for The Ash Tree, contact me today to get started.

Commission Drawing for Birthday

Remember my charcoal drawing I did of Papa and I last month? Well, after seeing it at my graduation party, (mom framed it. And I think stole it.) a family friend commissioned me to do a drawing of her two daughters for their father's birthday. I've known the girls forever, so I have to admit I was a bit nervous drawing them - would I be able to capture who they were? Could I make the drawing actually look like them? The last drawing was for fun: this one meant business.


I loved how this came out. Better yet, I loved having an excuse to draw again: I haven't too much since I graduated: and even then, my last semester of art school I didn't take any drawing classes. I also LOVE drawing people!

So here is the original picture (it's very hard taking a photograph of a photograph, P.S.) Do you think I got close? On the day I started working on this, I lost power in my apartment. At 4:00 pm. So it was fine, as I had window light. Then it got dark. I tried the ye-olde drawing thing with a candle, but that didn't last long. But I'm sure it would have been funny to watch if I wasn't so pissed about it that I had to stop what I was doing.

Anyway, this really is a cool, unique gift idea, and I've been doing drawings like this (commissioned and for fun) for years. If you're interested to find out more or to talk about pricing, email me!

Oh yeah - and for those who roll their eyes at those who go to "art school", I seem to be doing a damn good job now that I'm out. And I had a delicious breakfast this morning: not even starving at all...;)

Making Art, Staying Creative: Handmade Jewelry

Ugh I've just had this nagging urge to create things recently. Maybe it's the closing of the summer, and I usually have to get creative when going back to art school: but now I've graduated. Hum. These next few months are going to be weird.

I started making jewelry by accident, actually: and still have to learn some basics of metal work and saudering. It started two years ago when I had to take full academics at Tufts University, and no art classes. Yeah, I was nervous about basically starting over my junior year at college, and after a few weeks I began to miss that creative challenge. Mostly I just needed to make...things. (I'm gesturing with my hands a lot as I write this. And yes, typing too. Call THAT skill.)

Lately, I've been doing most of my jewelry work when I go out on the boat. Maybe because I've become obsessed with keeping busy all the time. Also, I find that being away from the computer gives me a great opportunity and time to be creative, and the boat functions as kind of a "studio".

This is me working on the boat, (modeling my own pair of really cool Chandelier Earrings, $12, with freshwater pearls, I may add! Below is my current offering of earrings on my earring rack) and I'm going through a ring sizer that I have. This is basically a chain with different size hoops and determine your ring size, and this is especially helpful when I'm making my Sea Glass Rings. I find some sizes are more popular than others, but try to at least include one of every size.

I've also had this overwhelming need to paint, and I haven't done that for about three years. I sort of got "painted out" after sophomore year, as after high school I wanted to do and perfect the only thing I knew how: paint. So I took basically every painting class offered at the Museum School of Fine Arts, and as a result I got frustrated: not really sure why. My palette was becoming muddy, and I couldn't get the colors I wanted - or, the colors everyone else wanted. 

So I think painting will make a comeback. Maybe some small canvases, then working bigger to maybe paint some Italian landscapes to hang in my new apartment. Let's see how it goes.

Charcoal Drawing

I'll admit it - this has been a tough week for me. I feel stuck for some reason, and I know it's the restless artist in me that is not being creative or challenged enough. I have to admit also that I was freaking out after going to art school and then getting a job that I go to every day that couldn't be farther from art. So I went to Blick on my day off yesterday to buy a pack of charcoal pencils.

I needed to draw. I thought I'd go through some old pictures I took in Italy and make a sketch of something. But after several years of figure drawing and portraiture, I needed to draw a face. And who better than my grandfather, who passed away last September.

I have a couple photos of him that I keep in my shelf along with one of his hats. I saw it and knew I had to draw it. I'm about 2 years old in this picture on Papa's lap, him pointing at the camera for me to look at and smile at the bottom. I have to admit I was a little scared as well - what if after all this time I couldn't do the one thing that I loved so much in this world? What if I couldn't give Papa what it was that made him so special?

You can check out the photo and the drawing and see for yourself. I am so happy with the way it came out - and I have to say, it really was like riding a bike. After the first few lines of suggesting the forms, I got right back into it. I sketched out all of the forms, became obsessed with the shadows. This is what I had gone to school for. This is what I had taken loans against to develop: there's no question in my mind at all that I truly followed my passion. Now I just have to reconcile it with my everyday - if that means squeezing in drawing between my calligraphy jobs, work, and the gym, so be it.

I guess that's all we can really do in life: find what it is that makes us happy, then follow through.