How to Take a Great Reference Photo for Painting or Drawing

Taking a great reference photo is surprisingly simple. I have people asking me what makes for a good photo all the time through my custom portrait business so I figured I'd share some super easy tips with you today as well.

90% of your success will come from shooting in proper lighting, which I'm going to show you how to do using nothing but natural light with any digital camera. 

There are four main things to remember: lighting, location, position of the subject, and focus/ focal point. I'm going to go over all four in an easy to understand way.

Feel free to drop me a comment if you have any other questions about my portrait reference methods!

And if you'd like a little more info on getting your own portrait drawn by me check out my other website here. 

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originally published July 12, 2018

New Banners - Yay!

Just a lil post to show off the new banners I just had made for my Facebook page and YouTube channel :D 

I got them done from a woman on fiverr. If you ever need graphic design work done I recommend checking out that website. There are literally thousands of highly skilled folks that will do anything you need for great prices.

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originally published July 9, 2013

Do You Love Snail Mail?

Because I sure do!!

I love everything about Snail Mail, from the postcards or paper chosen to the words thought out enough to permanently inscribe to the tiny 'artpiece' postage stamp. In this fast-paced world of instant communication it's so nice to hold a thoughtful paper item in one's hand from time to time. Plus it's nice when at least one piece of mail in the box isn't a bill or credit card offer!

Today I am doing a lil unboxing of my new business cards featuring one of my newest paintings (the previous ones lasted me since grad school in 2015!) as well as a few postcards. It's a pretty short video but the exciting part is you can find out all about the Notes from the Nest snail mail group of art lovers I recently started....

To join in on my Notes from the Nest pop over to this page:
https://www.caleighbirdart.com/snail-mail
**Currently I am doing this for fun and for free. If lots of folks wind up joining I may have to ask for help with postage in the future, but my early signer-uppers will be taken care of ;) **

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originally published July 4, 2018

New Oil Painting :: Sage

I am so thrilled to be sharing my latest oil painting, 'Sage' with you today! This creation of this work was especially exciting, not only because of using new mixed media techniques including aerosol as well as gold leaf along with the oil paint, but because I was trying to capture such an unusual perspective in this work using the technique perfected by many Masters who have come before me - trompe l'oeil (which means 'to fool the eye').

Notice how Sage's ear and upper shoulder area are much more crisp and clear than her lower back and hip area? Just like how the human eye focuses closer objects but blurs objects that are farther away, I tried to portray that optical illusion within this painting. I really wanted her head and shoulders to pop out at you! What do you think? Did it work?

And about the name... 'Sage' is actually the name of my friend and model featured in this piece, but I felt like her name fit the mood so well that I just kept it for the title too. The word sage means one who is wise from reflection and experience and often refers to a person who uses good judgement and has a calming effect on those around them.

I find this piece to be very calming and to appear that Sage is looking down from on high in a reflective and peaceful way free from harsh judgement. (oil on linen, 9 x 15 inches) What are the feelings that come to mind for you?

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originally published July 1, 2018

How to Varnish an Oil Painting

Welcome fellow artists! I've got a super simple video for you today, but if you're anything like me you want even the simplest artsy stuff explained before you jump into it yourself.

Varnishing an oil painting is actually really easy. It only takes a few supplies, but it's important to wait until your painting is completely dry and set so I like to wait between 2-6 months (depending on paint thickness) before varnishing any of my works. 

Do you need any varnish? Using my links will help support my YouTube channel. Thanks!

Golden MSA Varnish
https://bit.ly/2KfWbXs
Golden Solvent
https://bit.ly/2yJ2GNi
 

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originally published June 28, 2018

Oil Painting Timelapse :: Sage

Aloha friends! It has been quite a while since I've created a full painting timelapse demo for you so I hope you are just as excited to see 'Sage' come to life as I am to show her to you!

This painting holds a tiny breakthrough for me too - check out the perspective of the ear/hair compared to the cloth at her waist. Do you see how it gets slightly out of focus as her body goes down? ...Just like when viewing any object in real life, huh?!?

The technique of trying to bring real world 3D perspective into a 2D surface is actually called trompe l'oeil and the masters have been perfecting it for years. It's especially popular when doing both landscape or faux interior murals and can really pull the viewer into the artwork when done effectively. 

Do you think I achieved the perspective illusion I was going for? Leave me a note in the comments!

Would you like to snag your own set of gold leaf or grab some of my favorite M. Graham & Co paints? Any item you purchase when using at least one of my special Dick Blick links will help to support my channel. Thanks!

Mona Lisa Gold Leaf
https://bit.ly/2Jbqomp

M. Graham Oil Paint

https://bit.ly/2toymBq

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originally published June 21, 2018

Bungalow Shoot with Amanda Leigh

I am always so humbled when I get contacted by a photographer to be a muse for a day:) 

Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to have Amanda Leigh of Bee Leigh Imagery come visit my little studio bungalow and take some gorgeous shots with this incredible morning light streaming in through the palms. We had just 'met' through Instagram (I super love connecting with other creatives btw! @caleighbirdart) and I simply adored Amanda's use of natural lighting to really give her subjects a heavenly vibe. 

So when she told me how much she loved my studio tour and felt inspired to shoot me in my Nest I was beside myself with excitement! Yay!! I love to work with photographers and am especially thrilled to work with a female photog that was close to my own age. 

It's just so much fun to see yourself through the eyes of another artist! And I am beyond impressed what Amanda was able to do using nothing but natural lighting  - no flashes, no reflectors and totally spur-of-the-moment setups. 

It's hard to get a good, candid laughing shot!

To my fellow Hawaii residents,  Amanda is available to book for elopements and portraits. Seriously go check out how talented she is right here. 

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originally published June 18, 2018

Portrait Drawing Timelapse :: Bobby Aragon

Welcome to my pencil portrait drawing timelapse of the amazingly fierce Bobby Aragon! I really enjoyed creating this piece featuring the interesting upward angle and his super gnarly dreads.

And even though Bobby looks like a force to be reckoned with he is actually a big sweetie and a tender father - and a super talented jewelry wrap artist to boot! So watch him come to life today with some super fun 'n funky music.... 

And if you'd like a little more info about getting your own portrait created by me have a looksy right here

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originally published on June 13, 2018

Feature on 'Jain Says' Female Empowerment Blog

Yay! I am always so eternally grateful for folks who want to help me share my art with the world. So lucky me when just a week ago a blogger who features women doing wonderful things and showing their strengths featured me and my Bohemian Goddesses!

Jain Ravensun, of Jain Says, has this to say front and center on her blog (I was tempted to paraphrase for brevity sake, but her mission is statement is both beautiful and succinct enough in its importance that I don't want to take anything away):

"This is a safe place where women can speak their truth and be validated. Life can be tough, but life can be so beautiful if you have the strength to open your eyes and see it! We are nothing short of superhero goddesses; let's support each other rather than tear one another down. The weight of the world doesn't feel as heavy when we have gentle hands to help us hold it up."

She features women from all walks of life and I've been grateful to take part in a sharing space. Go ahead and peruse a few other posts after you check out mine ;) I promise you won't be disappointed!

See the full article here!

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originally published June 10, 2018

YouTube Video Break + Super Sale on Prints!

Hey friends, I basically made a video to tell folks that I'm not making a video this week... or something like that ;P

But what I am doing is having a...

Giclee Print Super Sale

Yaay!!

I just have a small inventory left from my big art opening in March so I've lowered the prices as a fundraising effort to purchase a better quality video editing program and harddrive to store all the amazing movies I want to create for my lovely YouTube fam!

Hear the details below and then pop over to my Shop to grab a print before they're gone! I honestly may not be getting more printed in the future so don't miss out on some high quality Birdie art!

My bright and lush Bohemian Goddess prints are printed on high quality, extra thick 290 GSM Moab Bright acid free paper. This is a gallery standard, archival print with a 100+ year life expectancy for both the colorfast ink and the paper.

Snag a print + surprise sticker here!

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originally published June 6, 2018