Sibling Portraits

Custom Child Portrait 11x14"

I hardly know where to begin with this portrait. These three kiddos are so full of personality with their kittens and chickens and cute little outfits that it made my job pretty easy. I just love it when kids and their pets are painted together. It's my first sibling portrait actually, and since I enjoyed it so much I've now made custom sibling portraits available in my shop! I do hope to paint more of these soon.

Other than painting and cleaning which seems to be the bulk of my day to day tasks, I've been catching my breath from the SCBWI conference I attended this past weekend. It was truly amazing. If you've ever been curious about writing or illustrating children's books, visit back here in the next few weeks as I'll be sharing some of the best and most current information about the industry. I learned so much and was overflowing with excitement that I had to rest most of the day yesterday just to regain my strength and composure!

I can't wait to share more, but for now I wanted to just drop in and say hi and show you something new.

Baby Deer PRINT GIVEAWAY!

Baby Deer
original watercolor & mixed media 6x6" round

WIN THIS!
Baby Deer PRINT
8x8" on 10x10" paper

I wanted to do something special this month to celebrate Christmas and to say "thank you" for all of the support and generosity I've experienced this year because of all of you!  Having a blog and Etsy shop have changed my life and enabled me to meet many new friends, collectors, and fellow artists.  I thank God every day for the life He's given me and for the ability to paint for a living.  Your support is so valuable!

Now for the giveaway!  Do you remember my little deer friend?  I'm actually planning an entire set of fawn paintings, but for now, I've painted him in the woods with his little cardinal friend on a half-inch thick round wooden panel.  Isn't he adorable?  My giveaway this month will be the 8x8" PRINT of this new "Baby Deer" illustration (not the original).

Here's how to enter:

Simply leave a comment here, on my blog, by clicking the "comments" link at the bottom of this post.  Please include your name and your contact information (email or phone).

OR

Leave a comment on my facebook page.

Contest ends December 16th at midnight (central time).  Anyone may enter, only once, and only one winner will be chosen at random by me.  The winner will receive the print by Christmas!

THANK YOU and good luck!

(original painting available here)

A Winter House Portrait

Our Winter Home
Watercolor on paper, 8x10

It's still a little early to be thinking about snow, I realize.  But we had this empty spot on our wall that really needed filling, and seeing as Christmas and winter is right around the bend, I thought I'd try to envision our house engulfed in thick smooth layers of soft snow.  I love snow!  And twinkle lights.  And red cardinals.

Any ideas where I can find a good wreath for our front door like the one in the painting?  Full and piney with little red berries or a gold ribbon tied into a bow at the top?  Any Etsy shops you know of that sell handmade Fall and Winter wreaths?

Here's an example of a winter house portrait for all those curious minds wondering what painted snow looks like...mostly just white paper huh?  I've officially painted houses in all seasons now!  Feel free to browse the collection here.

Zebra Swallowtail

Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly
12x12" Watercolor and music sheets on paper

Swallowtails are some of the prettiest butterflies, aren't they?  I mean, if I was a butterfly, I'd want to have those striking stripey wings!  What I love most about butterflies is that they defy science.  Honestly, I've watched butterfly documentaries, read books, studied diagrams, and science just simply can't explain what happens from caterpillar to butterfly.  There's no other word to describe them except miraculous.  It's like these tiny little beautiful miracles gracefully and quietly prove the hand of their Creator, just by stretching their wings out and flying.  It reminds me of this verse in Scripture:

"But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong." -1 Corinthians 1:27

I've made my new Zebra Swallowtail painting available in my Etsy shop and have paired it up with the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (painted earlier this year).  Don't they make a lovely duo?

weekend images

My weekend in images include...

1&2. my brilliantly beautiful English roses I've been dreaming of for months

(practically a steal at 70% off) 

3. purpley and pinkish hued stained glass from a local artist- now hanging in my kitchen window (kind of matches the colors of my roses!)

4. our kitchen with a new light and new window art (painting the ceiling is next)

5. the start of a bathroom makeover

6. three new projects in the studio- Ulia, whales, peonies

7&8. studio inspiration boards include bright and playful colors next to neutrals- a nice balance.

The temperature has dropped a bit this morning thanks to a nice thunderstorm this weekend which means I'll be spending some time outside today.  Then, it's back to the studio for painting, packaging prints, sending emails, and doing laundry- all the essentials before my next show.  Hope your week is off to a great start!

(Go team USA!  I am loooooving the Olympics and losing so much sleep.)

Awake

Awake
12x16in Watercolor on paper, mounted

"Awake sleepy rose buds

Breath deeply of the sun

Awake little bunny white

Stretch your legs, now run

Awake sleepy dreamer

Hear now of His love

Awake your sleepy soul

Think deeply of above

Remember ceaseless toiler

Not by works, but grace

Remember spotted sinner

Christ came to erase

Awake now sleepy dreamer

Bought with His blood, made clean

See it with your own two eyes

See in the dark, you gleam."

-Original poem by Michelle Schneider

I always like to include a little something with each of my larger works, for they truly are inspired by so many different things...pattern, mood, Scripture, the contrast of white and red, portraiture, God's grace.  In this instance I wanted to somehow illustrate the Easter story, not in the shallow cultural sense of the word, but in the true spirit of Easter which is new life in Jesus Christ.  The dirty are made clean, all things made new in Christ ("See in the dark, you gleam").  I've been made clean!  With so many other voices in our heads all day long, I just wanted some way to say that.  So, I painted it!  The little white rabbit represents the white, clean peace I feel in the arms of Christ.

It was more than Easter, though, that worked it's way into my heart.  This year was my first year in my new home during Spring!  I got to walk through my own little neighborhood as the birds came back and filled the trees with singing, the rose bushes in front of my house finally bloomed, and the rabbits hopped around everywhere.  Each day seems like a sweet blessing from the Lord.

Anyways, hope you liked the video!  My first one!  I'm pretty sure I listened to "Field and Flower" a million times while I painted.  Oh and can you hear the birds singing through my kitchen window in the background?  I think that just might be my favorite part...

Original painting available here.

Watercolor on paper, mounted
not yet for sale

I intended to wait before sharing my latest painting, but I just couldn't!  After all, I'm still thinking of the story I'd like it to tell, still writing the poem, still editing the final image from the two scans, still getting all my process pictures together to make a video.  Not to mention she still needs a title! I guess I'm just afraid that if I didn't post it today, I'd move quickly on to my next project without giving her proper introduction {not that this is, in any way, a proper introduction}.

So there you have it!

My busy weekend forced me into the studio upon my return, cleaning, unpacking, assessing the damage, organizing.  The show went well, but it always takes me several days to recover.  Maybe tomorrow I'll get my feet back on the ground running, but for now, this painting is nearly all I have to show for myself!

Hope you like her.  {She's who I had in mind with this previous post.}

More to come.

Rainy day painting class

Blue Tail Feathers
6x12 in. Watercolor on paper, mounted

I had the great pleasure this weekend of taking an amazing watercolor class by Cynthia Kukla at a little local gem (good word Sarah!) known as Sugar Grove Nature Center.  In spite of my shyness and apprehension in walking into a classroom by myself, I was so blessed to be able to be a part of such a friendly and talented bunch of local artists!  The Lord really answered my prayers and helped me overcome my timidity in connecting with my local community.  It was so good to spend the rainy Sunday afternoon in such a beautiful place and among such lovely people!  I'm so looking forward to Cynthia's summer class and learning her summer palette.  

In the meantime, I think I could spend just about every day in the Nature Center's bird watching room.  My favorite part: the live speakers that enable you to sit comfortably inside while listening to the beautiful bird songs outdoors!  You can literally walk right up to the window and watch the birds flit and flutter around as they nibble on all the treats.  I got the sense that the birds were quite used to admirers...

Check out the Sugar Grove Nature Center's Facebook page for more pictures of local birds, native flowers, and other amazing events.  I think sometime soon I'm going to head back for an afternoon of drawing nude models...eh hem...nude bird models, that is.  ;)

More roses!

Three Roses
4x8 in Watercolor on paper, mounted

Here's my "Roses Square" twin as promised!  Turns out, painting flowers really isn't that difficult for me.  It's so funny how long ago memories can really influence what I choose to paint at now.  For some reason flowers have never been an area of real interest for me...which is odd considering my huge floral affinity.  What I mean to say is that although I find them breathtakingly beautiful, I've really never wanted to paint them until now.  It's all I can do to get red and pink flowers out of my head!

I think what I'm trying to say is that you just never know where the inspiration will come from.  I barely know from day to day what will strike me as beautiful, and what idea I'll toss in the trash, even though the day before I couldn't stop seeing it as a painting.  And although that can seem a bit haphazard and unpredictable and disorganized {as my husband nods his head in agreement}, I think that's what I love {and sometimes hate} the most about being a painter.  It's so completely unpredictable.

Like today for example.  I saw this sweater in Garnet Hill's summer catalog...

here

I intended to start a painting today of an African boy riding a lion, but now I can't stop drooling over this sweater and thinking about how wonderful it would be to paint a portrait of a girl in this sweater using my black acrylic ink and bright Grumbacher Red.  Maybe she could hold a rabbit in her arms?  Oh!  I've been wanting to paint a rabbit!

I think the lion can wait until tomorrow.

I must go and paint this portrait now before I toss the idea in the trash tomorrow!

Looks like I'll be back next week to show you new paintings! ;)

Happy Weekend!

for your monday blues...

Butterfly Blues
 8x10 inch Watercolor on paper, mounted

One of favorite birthday gifts this year was this Acrylic Artists Ink, which I immediately put to good use painting this dark and moody background in which two of the most beautiful butterflies now sit.  I realize it is a slight departure from my typical light and airy butterfly portraits, but what can I say?  Sometimes a girl just wants a little drama.

Now, I think it's necessary to point out that although you cannot see it from your monitor, if you tilt the painting in the light, it shines.  I mean, not only does it shine because of the gloss finish, but also because of my new Metallic Silver Gouache { also a birthday gift! } in which I brushed and dabbed onto each blue butterfly wing.

Click the images to purchase in my Etsy shop.

Happy Birthday Hawk

Cooper's Hawk
9x12 in. Mixed Media on paper, mounted

In honor of my 25th birthday today { yay! }, I wanted to share my latest painting and one of my favorite birds: the Cooper's Hawk.  His gaze is so intense and feathers so beautifully blue!  I love painting birds with distinct patterns and personalities.  I like to imagine him high up in a tree top overlooking the forest floor, turning his head slowly back and forth as he hunts for a fresh meal.

Have you ever seen a Cooper's Hawk in person?

Was he wearing a hat?

I hope so.

On another note, Seth and I are off for a weekend of adventure { hopefully the good kind } riding horses!  Wish us well as we leave today.  See you next week friends!

The Riders, Part 2



Gentle Was the Goat He Chose
6x12 in Watercolor on paper, mounted



 Gentle was the goat he chose,

a sure-footed climber was he.

Up on the rocky cliffs they rose,

high above the tallest tree.

Originally when I painted High He Rode (you can view the whole series of blog posts here), I envisioned the illustration as part of a 4 piece set.  But since I tend to work best when I can jump from one project to the next and back again, it is only now that my inspiration for the set has returned.

My vision for this particular painting has been coming together for months and is partially inspired by our trip to Colorado some time ago.  Those beautiful blue Rockies haven't left my mind since my first drive through them...

 

I promised they'd make their way into a painting eventually!

Now on to the third illustration in the set of four.  I really think you'll like it.

Spring is here!



Spring Green {Plant}
6x6 in Watercolor on paper, mounted

This past weekend I came across this very mysterious herbaceous plant called Pilea cadierei among the Exotic Angel plants.

The leaves are dark green and highly textured with rigid red veins.

It looks like the type of plant you'd find in the middle of the woods among the moss covered rocks under a cluster of giant trees.

There's just something so unusual about it that intrigues me.

I've added it to my collection on my kitchen counter where I can touch its leaves and watch it grow every day.  It is seriously the strangest little plant.

But enough about my strange new pet!

Are you excited to greet Spring today?  Have you been fantasizing about gardens and herbs and terrariums like I have?  Have you been pouring over seed catalogs and dreaming about ferns and flowers?  What sort of plants and flowers and vegetables are you going to plant this year?

I've been collecting tiny bottles lately in hope of someday creating something resembling this:

I think I'm becoming obsessed with indoor plants.  They add so much character and life to our home!

And then I want to paint them all!  Emerald and sap green are among my very favorite paint tubes.  There's just no way they'll make it through this Spring alive.  I hope you like them as much as I do because you're bound to see much more bright green Spring paintings very soon.

Happy Spring everyone!



Spring Robin

Spring Robin
5x7 in Watercolor on paper, mounted

Click to purchase

Spring weather has brought the robins to our home in Minier.  To celebrate and to wish you a happy monday, I've brought my very own bright-breasted robin to life on paper.

Seeing robins everywhere can only mean one thing: Spring!

My little robin still needs legs before he's finished and perhaps a few more robin friends.

Also started a painting of a beautiful Cooper's Hawk...not sure how I'm feeling about that one just yet.

Sheep Set: Painting 2, a portrait

8x8 in. Watercolor on paper, mounted

Painting available here.

I'm creating a set of paintings (probably 4) with my little sheep character to go with my initial painting you saw last week.  I'm just enamored with this little guy and his dark, invisible eyes and plump, fuzzy body!  Perhaps in his next cameo, he'll wander closer to the sea to watch the fog roll in.

Oregon photo courtesy of Kim King (my sister)

There is something so calming about listening to the waves crash as they bring the fog in.

{ Click here to enter my giveaway from last week! }

Leap Day Giveaway!

Happy Leap Day to you!
I'm announcing a new giveaway to make your February 29 even more special.

9x12" watercolor on paper, mounted

{ Purchase the original painting here. }

You've been watching me paint this pretty little shepherdess and woolly ram for a while now...

(click each image to read the corresponding post)

I was so excited to have a bit of time between other projects this past weekend to finish it!

These Rough Fell Rams are so beautiful with their soft thick coats and dark, almost invisible eyes.  I knew when I first cracked the spine of this book and laid eyes on them that they'd make for a beautiful watercolor painting.  The Rough Fell are tough British sheep (with lovely accents, I'm sure) and are bred mainly for meat, but are also cross-bred due to their ability to endure harsh environments and terrain.  I like to think their shepherdess carries an equal measure of beauty and toughness.

Typically, her attachments to the sheep were kept strictly at bay.  After all, raising them for meat in the foothills of northern England was her family business.  But she could restrain her affection no longer for one sheep in particular who, even in his lamb-hood, insisted on being by her side every waking (and sometimes sleeping) hour.  Instead of lounging in the tall grass with the others of his kind, he'd follow her through the hills and lay by her side as she'd find a spot to read by the gentle sea.  She finally caved to his loyalty and, as a symbol of their friendship, tore a portion of her favorite red sash to tie around his neck in a bow (which pleased him very much).

{ story and painting inspired by the Biblical story of David, which you can read more about here or here. }

*   *   *

Have you noticed I haven't named the painting yet?

As a way to express my appreciation to you, my loyal readers, I'm wanting to give a 9x12" print of this painting away for free to one lucky winner.

Here's how to enter:

- in the comments section below, write as many titles for this painting as you can come up with
{ You can leave multiple titles at a time.  Each title will be counted! }

- one title will get you in the running

- the more titles you can think of, the better your chances are of winning

- include your name and email address

- and visit here again in ONE WEEK to see what title I've chosen
{ You can now enter on Facebook!  Click here! }

*   *   *

Here's how to leave a comment if you don't have a blogger account:
-Click the "comment" button below today's post
-Type your comment in the box.
-Include the title you've come up with, your name, and your email address
-click the "Anonymous" button below the box
-click "Publish Your Comment"

{ Winning title will be chosen by me, Michelle Schneider, and announced on March 8, 2012.

The giveaway will officially end March 7 at 12:00 am CST.

Any comments posted after that time will not be counted toward the prize. }

Good luck!

in the studio some more

How was your weekend, my friend?

Mine was so typically wonderful and filled with delicious food, wonderful company, and lots of steaming coffee.  My sister and I visited a bakery nearby and sat talking for hours with the intoxicating aroma of cinnamon rolls and coffee beans.  The sun came out and joined us as we made our way through a few antique stores packed with old (and new) paintings, vintage postcards and books, wonderful little floral tins, fur scarves, and lacey clothes.  It wasn't long ago when I really didn't have time to sit around and enjoy my family and friends like I can now.  My life has a much more comfortable pace now, and I'm enjoying every minute!

This Monday morning, like most mornings, I awoke with an overwhelming urge to paint.  My head has been spinning all weekend with ideas for new paintings, new possibilites, new colors, new patterns, new textures.  So many things to discover and paint!

It might not look like much, but this sheep painting I've been working on has been somewhat of a "break through" painting for me.  I've been trying a new technique that has, honestly, always intimidated me, and I finally feel like I'm getting the hang of it!  Plus, I am loving the purples and yellows and blue-ish greens that are blending so nicely in the background.  I think this young lady will find herself and her sheep in more paintings to come.  Can't you see her sitting with her ram on a hillside with a book in hand?  Or perhaps she leads them to the sea behind her for a nice cool drink...

We will see what new ideas a brewing today.

a girl and her sheep

When the cold basement feels a little too imposing, I bring my paints upstairs and watch as it dries while Seth and I talk or laugh at our favorite tv shows.

While I was sitting in my comfy chair, I couldn't help but think of my sheep painting.  Laying in the background is one of favorite parts of any painting and seeing that clean white background was much too tempting.  Painting backgrounds gives me a chance to use my bigger brushes and play with pools of water.  See how the two colors are bleeding together there in the middle?  That happens when the paper is fully saturated before the paint goes on.  Once it's evenly coated with water, I slowly drop and brush in color and watch as the paint moves the pigments together.

Whoever thought watching paint dry could be so fun?

See the bottom left corner?  That dark line, like the one under the girl's feet, are from an excess of water.  The water actually pushes the paint to the very edge of the pool as it dries.  That may be why I like to paint in the backgrounds first, come to think of it.  The pooling water creates outlines around all my figures and sharpens edges around objects (like the one along the right edge of the mountain).

And that "new wintery painting" I posted about ages ago?

Well, I'm hoping to finish it tomorrow (it's been causing me some angst).