Barnes Foundation | Anyone Can Draw

June was a fun and busy month that I wanted to share two things. First, I am slowly earning credits towards an art history certificate.  I received a credit by visiting the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.  The Barnes Foundation has a large collection of Degas, Cezanne, and Picasso.

Barnes Foundation

Second, I saw an encouraging Ted Talk on YouTube that focused on how we set limits on ourselves including the belief of our drawing skills.  In actuality, anyone can draw!  Here are my drawings I did from the video. The link to that video is here.  -JM

 

Swan Pond

My favorite winter decoration is the swan pond in the 1st picture.  The swans swim around the pond by a magnet underneath.  I am always sad to pack it away, even though I am happy when Spring arrives! This year I had an idea to try to transform the pond into a spring/summer atmosphere..this is what I came up with..I think I will add a park bench and some bigger trees..but I am so happy to keep my swans swimming all year round :)

Art Deco

A year ago I posted an entry about Art Nouveau which has a curvy, swirly style.  Art Deco occurred afterwards in the 1920s and 30s which focuses on straight lines.  When in Miami recently I saw a plethora of Art Deco buildings.  With a template of Art Deco typography I wrote the alphabet and my name.  I also drew a Macintosh Rose which was popular in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements.  I also sketched two Art Deco design I saw on Pinterest.  -JM

Art Deco buildings in Miami, FL

Art Deco typography and design examples

Polymer Clay Pen

I learned how to make the marble look with the clay that I baked onto pens.  I think it looks more like camo :)  The pens feel very comfortable and are fun to make.  I found this idea on Pinterest.

Portraiture

The National Portrait Museum always has wonderful displays. Portraits are works of art that record the likeness of people. Below is a picture from the museum.  My goal was to draw portraits.  The internet had many tutorials.  The second picture uses a technique of squiggly lines.  The last picture focuses on proportions and lines to use as guidance when drawing a face. - JM



Display at Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery



Squiggly Technique

Proportion Guidelines

Paint Night

I have been wanting to go to a paint night for a long time and then a friend gave me a certificate to go and we went together. It was harder than I thought, but fun.  This is supposed to be my hubby and I on a romantic canoe trip watching the northern lights :)

Good Friday

At our church we were given the opportunity to make a piece of art having to do with Holy week. This is mine, representing the time when Jesus died and the temple curtain was torn in two. Before praying and reading about this in depth...I had never fully understood the significance of this.  What an amazing thing!