Portrait Successes - Hooray!

Oh my goddess you guys, I feel all sunshine n rainbows over how many holiday portrait commissions I got this year! I did just about twice what I did last year! That is so huge for such a small biz artist like me!! Can you tell I'm bursting?!?!?!!! 

I'm really pleased to be at the point where I get somewhat regular sales, with pretty busy holidays, but am nowhere near quitting my side hustle (yet!).

I know it's kind of weird for artists to talk openly about financials, but I always wonder how other creatives are doing. Like, for example, does the bottom line currently match the output on some of these prolific artists that seem to be everywhere at once? Right now, mine does not, but I'm okay with that because I'm consistently getting more and more eyes on my work all the time so it's worth it to keep working, producing and creating. Right now, my only goal is to show my pencil portraits (as well as my oil paintings) to as many people as possible, and to let the pieces fall where they may.

Quality and consistency are the keys to getting recognized as an artist so as long as I keep those things up to the best of my ability I am fully confident in a future as a career artist. I remind myself that patience is a virtue and just keep painting. Like my super inspirational, documentary film-making, popular ukulele band front man uncle said to me many years ago, "Well someone has to make it as an artist. Why not let that be you?"

Of course you can ask any artist and they will probably agree that self promotion can be the hardest thing to do, but it's the only way to 'make it.' Like I told a few classrooms of highschoolers when I went in to talk about being a professional artist, "If you don't get excited about your work, no one else will. Pump it up!" 

I guess my ultimate goal this year (aside from the worksheet I shared last week) will to be a continuation of that desire to just have as many people see my work, and hopefully decide to connect with me, as possible. And I'll be looking our for other artists to reach out and connect or collab with too! 

So cheers to a New Year with new connections and new eyes on my work! And cheers to you, dear reader, for joining me on the ride!

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originally published January 7, 2017

Mixing Caucasian Skin Tones in Oil

Hiya fellow artistas! Today's vid is kind of a double whammy because you get a sneak peek of my latest artistic venture as well as a very informative lesson (uh..... not to mention, BOOTY!). What can I say, I wanna start 2018 off with a bang:)

I go into detail on my palette and mixes and then do a little demo showing how even after I mix my skin tones I continue to accentuate certain areas of the figure with warm or cool tones as needed. Hope you learn a lil something! And if you do, a 'Subscribe' on my channel would be fantastic! 

Here's how I start my palette:

And here's a tiny sample of my reference photo (you'll just have to wait 'n see why I'm only sharing a tiny piece of it [squeeee!]:

Enjoy the show!!

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originally published January 2, 2018

Jump Start Those 2018 Goals!

Aloha, my ambitious and hard-working compatriots! I'm sure you are as ready to get a jump on 2018 as I am! I was actually just working on a random project in my studio while brainstorming how to prepare myself for the coming annum, and, although I'm not usually one for new year's resolutions in the traditional sense, I do like to at least attempt to put forth a plan of intention for my art career. As I was trying to sort out what things I need to focus on in 2018, I remembered this handy dandy lil worksheet I put together last year. 

I figured it would be a great tradition to start filling it out every year and sharing it. Here's last year's goals of mine. I was able to keep most of them, but one or two I've fallen a bit short (guilty as charged - I'm still pretty lazy and uninterested when it comes to my bookkeeping!). 

I feel like constant self-improvement is key to living a thriving life. I know I'm happiest when I spot an area in my life that needs a bit of TLC so I slowly chip away at the issue one baby step at a time and then before too long - viola! One more component of life is optimal and bringing happiness instead of grief.  I have a bit more about my reflections on self-improvement here. 

So get inspired!! Decide who/where you want to be in one year from now!! Download this worksheet and use it for your own 2018 grand ambitions :)

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Here are my resolutions:

1. Self-promotion is what I need to work on that I can be really bad about. I spend so much time in my studio creating artwork, and I should be spending almost an equal time promoting what I'm creating as well. I'm pretty regular posting on my basic social media, but there is so much more I know I should be doing to get my art out there. My 2018 goal is to promote my artwork in two different ways every day.  

2. There is a big art opening party on the first Friday of every month and I have been meaning to go at least 5-6 times this past year and something has always come up. However this year I will go at least 2-3 times for sure! I just need to update my Honolulu Museum of Art membership and I'm totally there! It should be a great way to meet other local creatives which is also a goal of mine.

The Honolulu Biennial was the most memorable art event I attended in 2017. Check out some very thought-provoking pieces from the show on my blog here. 

3. I would love to figure out a way to donate my time drawing portraits for a worthy cause somehow..... I really need to get the gears churning to make something like that work out. 

4. I need to be better about following my lists more closely. I've always been one to make 'To Do' lists on an almost daily basis, and I'm pretty good about following them but sometimes I get off on a tangent and wind up tweaking or redoing something that is less important than what is actually planned for me to do that day. It always seems so important at the time, but often I wind up fooling myself - ha! 

5.  At this point having just moved into my new studio my entire life is finding better ways to organize so this is one thing I can wholeheartedly check off the list!

6. I've honestly wanted to get back into doing more creative modeling for artistic photographers, or perhaps even other types of artists too. A few years ago I kept being invited in front of the camera by various talented folks and I really grew to love being a muse in someone else's vision. I've worked with four photogs since being out in Hawai'i but I think I'm ready to put myself out there and work with more on a regular basis.   

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What kinds of improvements will you be working towards this year? Let me know in the comments!

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originally published: December 30, 2017

Happy Holidaaaze from Your Favorite Goober!

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. 

So eat, drink, and be merry and I'll see ya in 2018!! Woo Hoo!

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originally published December 25, 2017

Portrait Drawing Timelapse :: Sunshine

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

The Art of the Logo, ie. My Never-Ending Quest

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.

And if you've ever met me or listened to about 30 seconds of my vlogs then you know that 'stodgy, formal, and cold' are not words that anyone would ever use to describe me!

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

How to Clean Oil Brushes Safely

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

Tiny House Tour + Breakup Vlog

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! 

Featured on Danae Reid's YouTube! Wow!

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.

And the big bonus is I get to connect with all of these amazing and creative hard-working entrepreneurial women that know the true meaning of the creator-hustle!

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!) :):):)

Make sure to check out my last blog post here that features my drawing of Danae while sharing what I've found to be the best pencils for creating portraits. 

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

The Best Pencils for Portrait Drawing

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. 

Happy Drawing!

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