Tag Archives: drawing

What’s your sign, Babe?

February 12, 2020 roxannebaldwin Leave a comment

For those of you who weren’t around in the 1960’s, or weren’t paying attention, astrology was a big thing. At parties, in classrooms, on jobs, “What’s your sign?”, was the big question…yeah, pretty lame, but it was a good icebreaker.

For those of you who are interested, I’m a Pisces.

For those of you who are really, really interested, I’m a Pisces Sun, Gemini Rising, Moon in Capricorn.

Conversationally speaking, of course….

But signs are sometimes signatures…….you knew I was going somewhere with this, didn’t you?

There’s a website I used to follow which had a business section. People seriously had questions about signing art.

Like, where do I sign the painting? (My answer: Anyplace your little heart desires, sweetie)

Can I just use my first name? (Not unless you’re Van Gogh)

What color should I make it? (Any color you want. Please, no chartreuse on lavender)

Yeah, I decided it was a better use of my time to make artwork, than perusing artist chat boards.

My signatures have evolved over time. This is what my father would say was my “Artsy Craftsy” signature. I realize that my signature really dates the artwork. Speaking of dating artwork, you can legally copyright your work by signing it, putting in the date with a @. Yes, but no one will want to buy anything because they perceive it as old.

Yeah, I went through a time when I just wanted to sign my work “Roxy”.

Then I came to a place where I boldly declared that yes, this is my name.

Then I went through a period of time when I didn’t sign my work. Like calling a picture “Untitled”, it was just plain laziness on my part.

Then I got around to hiding my signature. Just happened somehow.

So, back to the soap opera…..

When we last saw Roxanne, she was flipped out about the greeting card she had designed. It reminded her of this;

So, she decided to redo this less than perfect one, above.

To this:

Clearly and proudly signed!

Next Episode……….Same time, same place

February 11, 2020 roxannebaldwin Leave a comment

When we last left Roxanne, she was in turmoil as to what to do next………..then she took a nap, had some coffee, and watched an old episode of “WKRP in Cincinnati” on YouTube. Her mind was cleared with an ethereal sense of purpose. “I’ve got it!” She cried.

In the meantime, getting back to here and now….I realized I only had one sheet of paper left. I certainly didn’t have any idea, either winter or spring that I could commit that seriously to.

So, I figured out I’d do holiday cards, until some inspiration came along. So, I did this:

If it looks familiar, it should….it’s a revision of last episode’s drawing.

Then I did this:

And then all Hell broke loose in my brain. Not that it doesn’t occasionally anyway.

This picture reminded me of this:

And then this:

(Let’s lose the crappy houses though)

And this!

All sorts of music concerning the Moon came to mind.

So, I have an idea.

Buzzing

February 10, 2020 roxannebaldwin Leave a comment

Ever have one of those damn bugs, buzzing around your head in a threatening manner? You don’t know whether to swat and kill the damn thing, or steadfastly ignore it. Ideas in art can be the same way.

The drawing I’m referring to is based on this photo:

Trust me. It was a lot more exciting when looked at by real human eyes.

So, I started playing around with the idea, and came up with this:

Er, not quite. In all honesty, I was trying to create something when I still was dealing with a major case of artist’s block.

But the idea would just not die. Sort of like Rasputin.

So, a couple of years late (Like just last year), I decided to try again. I was working on little stuff, in hopes that I would create something saleable. Didn’t succeed, as you will see…

And this….

As you can probably tell, the photo I was working with was taken in late May. There is no fast rule that you can’t change the season in the drawing.

So, back to winter, my latest drawing of a robin, aside:

This is the small sketch:

It’s a greeting card. I like the was it turned out, although a little Kinkaidish. Not sure if I will do a full size yet.

But I may, and also try another spring picture…who knows? Maybe a group of four season ones!

But then, maybe not.

The Bronx is up……….

February 6, 2020 roxannebaldwin Leave a comment

Yes, I promised birds…………BUT.

I changed my mind again.

I found the files of old work, which was this woman’s treasure. There’s a lot of stuff that I don’t think I put on this blog…was on my old Blogger Blog that still exists somewhere in the vast Universe of the internet, probably. Maybe not, and I don’t give a……… something to do with a rat’s backside.

For instance this:

Turns out I like it..wasn’t sure it was any good when I painted it. I did this when I was living in NYC, and missed nature.

I’ve got a lot of nature here. Somehow, when I do a drawing of it, I feel a need to put in a hint of humanity …..

or else I get mighty bored. Remember me ranting about foliage?

So, sometimes I still think about New York City and wonder if I was happier there. Mixed feelings, six of one, and half a dozen about the other. I still wonder though.

It seems my artwork though, has gotten weaker, since I moved here. The NYC work seems bolder.

and cleaner.

Anyway…..I’m changing my mind again…..here’s my latest bird. Which is also taken from a NYC theme. Not to mention, it’s also a spring picture. How’s that for three in one?

Meow for Now

Okay, Boomer…

January 16, 2020 roxannebaldwin Leave a comment

Yes, I’m a boomer, for good or bad….actually it’s a bit of both. Why? you may ask.

Whether you ask why or not, I’m going to tell you, or give you an example.

When, I was first learning to compose pictures, my mother would teach me to check the drawings out in the mirror. That would give me a fresh look at it. It worked! Only problem is your head is in the way, or you have to tip it at an angle, which also distorts. Problem solved?? Not exactly.

Here I am, old school, but I found a trick for myself, which is to take my fancy, expensive, in debt for, phone….and take a photo of the drawing. Bingo, fresh look! No funny angles to look around. Problem solved?? Not exactly.

The problem is my 1980’s mindset. I had a 35mm camera, which took a strip of about 24 exposures, if I remember correctly. Not many, not many to redo, not enough to waste. Then of course I had to wait for the photos to develop.

However, my phone has 256g of storage, and pictures (or pics) are about 5 megabytes. That’s 5 million into how many billion? Needless to say, I won’t be running out of room for duplicate photos soon. With my mindset, used to 24 exposures, I’m in awe! And hard to comprehend. Instant pictures, too!

So, yes, I’m the generation who had long, straggly unstyled hair, torn bell bottoms, listened to the Grateful Dead, ate nutmegs to get high, build communes and generally pissed off our parents’ generation. So, why are we so pissed off at the millenials? Just following tradition, I guess……

So, what brought on this tirade? It’s a train of thought that started with me taking a picture of my latest, “Winter Horse Farm”.

Speaking of horses, I think I encountered more in NYC than it Connecticut. Seems odd…..but I did encounter them.

In Connecticut, I used to do drawing for a charity that involved horses.

Here’s another:

So, that’s my blog post for today. Now, excuse me while I check my email on my dandy phone.

No,No,No!!

January 10, 2020 roxannebaldwin 1 Comment

First off, a redo of “Full Moon in the Afternoon.

The original was meant to be minimalist. However, it turned out to be boring. It’s a lesson I learned long ago, sometimes what works in a small piece looks like hell when you enlarge it. So,I added a few patterns and designs that I could sink my teeth into! I think it turned out more interesting, although far from my original idea. So moving on…

I promised a look again at the boring titles of the category of not a chance. These are among the drawings for the show that I have entered to the jury. Not sure when I hear back.

This is “Number 35”,which I feel is a lackluster summertime drawing. With a lackluster title. I think I should rename it “Hidden Stairway “,which is the real subject of the drawing.

Some of these drawings I really like, but they don’t fit into the style or subject matter of my usual work. Such is the case with “Rocking Chair “. I think I will rename it “Rock, Rock, Rock!”. For no particular reason, except..it’s more interesting.

This is “Constellation “. Not a bad title, but a drawing that falls short of my usual quality. And so it goes.

“Cloudy Day ” Can you imagine anything more boring than that? Yes,the drawing itself. It was one of those drawings trying to find beauty in a sunless day. Failed miserably. But “Sunless ” is a better title.

This is “The Greening “. I like the name and the drawing. However, again it doesn’t fit with my usual style. All the advice I have gotten from career instruction is that I should be branding myself. I should ignore advice, I really, really should.

Anyway, the ayes have it. Let’s look into better titles for the ones I have chosen…next time

Full moon in the afternoon

December 27, 2019 roxannebaldwin Leave a comment

And that rhymes!

Here’s my latest.

Sometimes, coming up with a title is the hardest part of a drawing. I suppose I could go the way of “Untitled 1”, “Untitled 2″and so on. But what fun is that?

Most of my titles are pretty dull and boring, when I think about it.

Here are some pictures that need better titles:

Yes,it’s a cat. Another cat. Everyone knows how much I love cats. As a matter of fact, one of my closest friends just gave me socks with cats on them as a Christmas gift. Cat socks! Love’em!

Ok,next:

Dull name. Maybe if I change it,by giving it a destination!

Stairway to Heaven…naw,been used

Stairway to Nowhere. Obviously, though, the stairs go somewhere. Stairway to Somewhere? That’s just plain stupid.

How about “The Way Up”? Now that is a possibility.

Don’t have a clue for a better name. Not a clue.

And then there’s this:

Well,that is obvious. Something like “Hobbit Home “? Not sure everyone knows what a hobbit is. I like the home part. Something to start working with.

In other news! I’ve entered an application for a juried show. Don’t know if I’ll be accepted yet, but I am thinking.

They have to be from the last two years. Ive divided my work from that time into Yes,No,and Maybe.

I can have eight, because that’s how many frames I have. Also…

Not so coincidentally, the pictures above fall into the Maybe category. What next?

No.

Roxanne Baldwin's Artsy Blog