I just wanted to take a moment and say that I am so thankful to have friends, family, and supporters who fill me with inspiration and determination every day of the year. The words of encouragement and positive reception to my works mean just as much as every commission or sale, and I want to tell you how grateful I am for each and every one of you.
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originally published December 25, 2017
Aloha friends! Today I am bringing you my very first video from inside my new art studio - woo hoo! My little bungalow has such lovely natural lighting and I'm looking forward to so many more videos to come... Yay!
I am drawing 'Sunshine' timelapse-style for you, plus I got some really cool French-inspired music for this vid too. You can see Sunshine in real life through her IG @sunshine_iino and make sure you visit mine @caleighbirdart while you're there too :)
PS If you're about to go on freak-out mode looking for the perfect last minute gift I have Gift Gertificates for my custom pencil portraits here
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originally published December 19, 2017
Ahhh yes, we creative types sure can tweak and redo and improve and polish up damn near everything a thousand times - and then still find a reason to be unsatisfied - ha! Well my quest for the perfect logo rears its time-consuming head about once or twice a year. Fortunately for my sanity I usually ignore the inner complaint, but recently, especially since getting more serious about branding etc. on my YouTube channel, I have been feeling more and more dissatisfied every time I see my logo.
I mean, don't get me wrong, its strong typeface and breathable spacing has served me well for maybe 2+ years now (along with its $10 price tag on fiverr!), but I was approaching my art career in a different way back when I commissioned it. You see, I used to think that in order to be taken seriously as a fine artist I had to be a silent and invisible creator behind my work. In order to play into that perceived-as-necessary role my earlier websites were much stodgier and formal, almost to the point of coldness.
I thought I needed a super modern, sophisticated, straight-laced logo to garner respect for my work, but I think it began to glaringly clash with my vibe after a while. Here's one of my earliest logos: Pretty vanilla, huh? ;)
And here's my more recent logo from fiverr that I'm sure any one who's looked at my site will recognize: (An improvement for sure, but still kind of cold and unremarkable.)
Words cannot describe how much I love my new logo though. I think it's snappy and contemporary and I love that it includes the number 3, which is my favorite number. PLUS.... not to toot my horn, but.... I created it! So I'm feeling very accomplished on that end too:)
Normally I'll just use the black and white version, but when I'm feeling like taking it up a notch, or for my YouTube videos, I made this fabulous color edition. And if you're really checking my branding game, you'll notice that I have changed the accent colors on my website and blog to coordinate with it too! Like a pro, baby!! ;)
Have you ever felt like there was just one little thing in your life that you could not stop tweaking? Essentially spending WAAAAY more time on it than it should have ever entailed? Well misery loves company so leave it in the comments for me!!
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originally published December 16, 2017
Cleaning your oil brushes properly will help even the least expensive brushes last for years, and it only takes a few minutes. Grab some solvent, soap, warm water and a dish glove and let's get started!
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originally published December 12, 2017
Hi friends.... I know what you're probably thinking... 'what a weird combination to have in a video...' but, simple answer, sometimes life is weird.
I've been living in this quaint, sunny, breezy, tiny house in the back of the Palolo Valley on O'ahu next to an Ornate Buddhist Temple for almost two years now, and have been toying with the idea of doing a house tour ever since I started my YouTube channel. The timing was never right or other things took precedence (yada yada), so wouldn't you know it when I split with Tim, the boyfriend I moved out here with, I suddenly felt the need to document the adorable space I had spent so much time in since early 2016 before I have to move on.
I talk a bit more about the breakup in the vid, but bottom line is that it's thankfully amicable and Tim will remain one of my closest and favorite people indefinitely. We have a deep love and respect for each other, even if we make better friends than partners.
And my house and the neighboring temple are freakin' awesome! Enjoy!!
And here's a few snapshots of the temple - check out that detail! Everything is hand painted all over the building in such vibrant color!
Friends, I am beside myself with gratitude for the video that Danae Reid made about receiving her portrait in the mail. She gets so excited and is so appreciative and has been so great helping me get new eyes on my work.
Danae, who is a fellow YouTuber as well as a Radio DJ and blogger (and all around amazing woman), is someone I connected with through her Instagram and asked if I could draw her portrait in exchange for her sharing my work with her audience. I've been doing a lot of collaborations like this lately and it's been fantastic for growing my portrait drawing audience.
So check out this unwrapping vid and see why my cheeks turned bright pink and all my insides overflowed with mushy grateful-loving-goodness vibes. Danae is charming and amazing and I'm sure is destined for greatness (because she will work at it 'til she achieves it!) :):):)
PS You can still snag a custom portrait (starting at $85) before Xmas until December 12th (or December 15th with Expedited Shipping) but don't wait too long if you're thinking about it because if I get full I may not be able to take more commissions. Have a looksy here
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originally published December 2, 2017
Well, sometimes the title really says it all... this is a roundup of my very most favorite and totally essential pencils for drawing my trademark custom pencil portraits. It's actually not a very big collection, which is great because minimalism makes life so much easier.
I use a small variety of regular graphite pencils, woodless pencils and a white conte pencil for the highlights on my favorite smooth Strathmore toned paper.
And here is lovely 'Danae' who I used as my drawing demo muse today. She's a really cool radio host and and YouTuber and can be found living life to the fullest at @duhhnay_
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originally published November 28, 2017
Me oh my Nyeema was a fun one to paint! Between those bright eyes, pretty pink smile, and fabulous stitching on her scarf I had a blast pulling out all the stops!
Nyeema, a self described Moonflower, is an amazing space-cadet-earthling-flower-child-flow-artist, for lack of a better word ;) She brings love and light to everything she does, and uses her social platforms to advocate for greener living and care for the planet. Nyeema is a very expressive muse, from her green hair and thrifted fashions to her hula hooping style and deeply personal prose on her Instagram (@indigomoonflower). She's the kind of person who has a lot below the surface, and is always up for adventure!
'Nyeema' measures 12x16 inches and is oil painted on oil primed Belgian linen mounted on birchwood. This painting is available for purchase, and prints are coming soon, and you know she's on my 2018 Bohemian Goddesses Calendar too!!
If you notice, I added my paint mixing into the video this time. Do you find that helpful? Let me know if you like that in the comments below, of if it just added too much time to the beginning. Thanks! And....
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originally published November 12, 2017
I asked and you answered folks: a resounding 'Yes, I should make calendars' featuring all 12 of my Bohemian Goddesses! Thank you all so much for the feedback through my Instagram and Facebook pages! I will definitely be taking more polls on future art projects because hearing back from my biggest supporters made me all warm and fuzzy inside;)
You can watch my goober-y self get all wide-eyed while I unbox and see the calendars for the first time! Excitement!
Get some close-up views and snag one for you (and your BFF for Xmas) here:):)
Aloha friends! Today I've got something a little different for you. I've made a speed demo of my latest pencil portrait, Isabella, and during the vid I talk a bit about what perfection in one's own art means to me.
Salvador Dali has a fantastic quote that I share in the vid as a kicking off point to discuss 'perfection.' I find it helps me me avoid getting too caught up in minutiae, but I'm also curious if any of you wonderful readers have a quote, mantra, or standard that helps you continue to grow in your own craft, be it art-making or otherwise, and not get bogged down with self-doubt or self-critiques? Leave it for me in the comments!
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originally posted November 14, 2017
