Leaving My Bungalow Nest + Giveaway Surprise!

Welcome to the sneak peek of my new spot here on O'ahu as well as a special surprise Giveaway for my YT fam! I know it's sad to say good-bye to my tiny house bungalow, but I'm excited to move on to a peaceful place that will be even better for art and video creating.

My lil bungalow and outdoor bathroom experience will always be a part of me that I will remember fondly, however I am too excited for the future to be hung up about the past. You know what they say, ‘Don’t be sad it’s over, be happy it happened.’

If you would like more info on getting your own handmade-with-love toned (or white) paper sketchbook pop over here to get in on this sketchbook release: https://www.caleighbirdart.com/sketchbook-release

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

How to Enter:

1. Be subscribed to my channel!

2. A. Sign up for my monthly Birds of a Feather letter (where I discuss all the ups n downs of being a working artist in a more personal space) here: https://www.caleighbirdart.com/birds-of-a-feather

OR

B. Share one of my YouTube videos on your Facebook page along with making sure to tag + message my ‘Caleigh Bird Art’ page here: https://www.facebook.com/caleighbirdart

3. Comment on this video whether you would like the drawing or the sketchbook along with how you entered. Please include the first 4 letters of the email you signed up with if you took option ‘A’ so I can verify. Do both for two entries! Yay!

4. Two winners will be announced! One for a handmade toned paper sketchbook and one for an original life drawing from my own sketchbook. See below for details.

5. **If you are already signed up for my monthly letter, let me know along with your winning choice and first 4 letters of your email and that’s an entry right there!**

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Rules + Eligibility:

1. Must be 18+ and a US resident to enter (Sorry! Shipping abroad is too expensive!)

2. Winners will be chosen at random via random number assignment upon entry using a selection through an impartial app. Enter twice for two chances!

3. Winners announced upon reaching 1005 subscribers in a subsequent video

4. Winners will also be notified however they entered, via email or Facebook.

5. Sketchbook winner will have their choice of two different covers on a hardback toned sketchbook (just like the ones I use!) which I will be handmaking over the coming weeks.

6. Drawing winner will get their choice of an original life drawing from a selection of four drawings right out of my own personal sketchbook which I will sign and ship flat.

7. Each winner can only claim one prize.

8. Privacy: Any emails collected will solely be used for my Birds of a Feather monthly letter. No emails nor Facebook names will be shared with any third party and will only be partially announced/partially censored for the sake of announcing a winner. No last names nor personally identifying information will be shared during or after the Giveaway.

This is not a sponsored video. This video is not affiliated nor endorsed by YouTube.

YouTube is not a sponsor of this Giveaway. By entering this Giveaway, you release YouTube from any and all liability related to this Giveaway. All items in my giveaway are handmade/hand drawn by myself and have not been provided by any third party.

Giveaways on this channel are held in accordance with YouTube Community Guidelines and YouTube Terms of Service. Any entries not following the YouTube Community Guidelines will be disqualified. Personal data sent to me is for the sole purpose of sending the item won and will not be shared with any third party nor used for any other purpose.

Giveaways are void where prohibited by law. All Hawai’i and US laws observed.

Photographs by Amanda Leigh of Bee Leigh Images

5.3.2019

Exclusive Sketchbook Release Happening Now!

Alrighty folks, I know some of you have been waiting a month or more for my handmade sketchbooks so I am so happy to announce that I will be taking pre-orders all week. Yay! 
Once all the orders are in, I'll purchase the supplies and start making the sketchbooks the following week.  

Plus you get to pick out your own cloth cover for hardback binding! 

I hand make each one-of-a-kind hardback sketchbook from beginning to end using archival textured art papers and a variety of cloth for the covers. The long layout of these books make them ideal for both right- and left-handed artists to draw in either a portrait or landscape position, and the hardback covers are sturdy enough to press on.

Available with either a variety of toned paper (just like the ones I use!) or with all natural white paper. These are high quality art papers that will last a lifetime either in the book or framed on the wall.

Both papers are textured, but the toned paper has a slightly higher tooth. The toned paper is ideal for chalk pastel and charcoal pencils, while the white can be used for pastels, charcoals, and graphite pencils.

The Specs:

• 40 pages total

• Internal binds sheathed in tracing paper to protect drawings from touching each other

• Cloth hardback bound exterior with machine sewn bound interior pages

• Pages measure approximately 6x9 inches; book measuring 7.5x10.5 inches

• Bound on the short side for ease of drawing for both righties and lefties

• Paper is acid-free and archival

• Toned Paper: 98 lb. weight Canson Mi Tientes Pastel Paper in a variety of warm and cool greys, light and dark blues, lilac, rust red, and green earth; high toothed and textured

• White Paper: 123 lb. weight Canson Dessin Drawing Paper in a natural white tone; low tooth and medium textured

• Choose your own exclusive cloth cover after you place your order

One Sketchbook for $38 or Two for $68

Happy Sketching!

4.30.2019

Capturing the Light :: Real Time Figure Drawing Demo

Today I've got a real time figure drawing demo + tutorial using chalk pastel in my favorite homemade sketchbook. I've been drawing a few figures as speed demos for you in the last few months, but to really discuss how I try to capture the light I wanted to invite you to my easel while I'm actually creating the piece for a change.

Capturing the light is the most essential thing we can do as artists. It helps make our subjects pop and come to life while adding depth and perspective to our compositions. Learning how to see and express a variety of tones will create realistic forms and figures with even the most simple methods of rendering.

This is a technique that has taken me a number of years to feel successful at so think if this as more of an intermediate to advanced tutorial, however I think less experienced artists can still take away a lot from this video.

Details about the materials I use to create my figure drawings:

https://youtu.be/qUcnWwKL59g

If you would like more info on getting your own handmade-with-love toned (or white) paper sketchbook pop over here to get in on this current sketchbook release happening until May 4th!

Image Source: Croquet Cafe

4.26.2019

Are You In the Know?

Aloha friends, just wanted to drop a quick note to let you know I’ve got some big changes about to go on in the Nest (and no, it doesn’t involve hula hooping per se, although there is always a bit of that involved;)

If you’re someone who likes to know all the details first and uncensored, you should pop your email below because once a month I send out my Birds of a Feather letter discussing all the up close n personal goings-on in my Nest. You can learn a lot about a Bird from her Nest, ya know?

And just for fun here is a progress shot of one of my recent paintings. Her arm will come up in a subsequent 3D resin layer. See more completed 3D works here and follow my Instagram @caleighbirdart for lots progress shots.

[Hula Hoop photo by Stephanie Stein Photography]

4.23.2019

Sketchbook Tour No. 2

I have a brand new sketchbook flip through tour for you today friends! My last sketchbook tour has become one of my most popular videos to date so I figured I'd share the joy of another completed book with you.

These live figure drawings are all done in a variety of pastel pencils on my favorite toned paper. If you'd like to know more about the materials check out this vid.

And if you would like more info on getting your very own hand-made-with-love sketchbook by yours truly pop over here and I'll show you how I make them plus will keep you in the loop on my next exclusive release.

4.19.2019

Newwww Tattooooo

So I got something very meaningful created on my body this past weekend….

A finger tat is an idea I’ve been flirting with for a couple of years now, but I could never settle on a design that I felt was meaningful enough until my fantastic day of hiking and plein air painting with Zee on Saturday. All throughout the day I could not stop staring at her brand new Celtic knot finger tat. Something about it rang true for me, but I knew I needed something a little softer.

To me this knot symbolizes somewhat of an infinity sign, but more so reflective of the actual journey of life. I am one who believes you get out of life what you put into it (for the most part / barring tragedies) so this knot makes me think of life going around in circles, and what goes around comes around, even if it’s not always obvious where we will end up.

I was not actually slated to get this tattoo that day, but we had already arranged to finish the beautiful bouquet on my leg - the 4th sitting, which wound up totaling about 20 hours to create this masterpiece!

I don’t have a good picture of it yet as it is still in a protective covering so my clothing doesn’t mess it up, but here are the happy honeybees about to have a feast

Thank you @zeezytat for your incredible permanent artwork, but more importantly your friendship. I’m so lucky to have someone so inspiring to adventure and create with!! Love you sister!! 

4.17.2019

My Favorite Figure Drawing Materials

Figure drawing supplies can range from pastels to pencils to charcoal and beyond. Today I'm going to show you my favorite brands of ultra smooth pastel pencils that I use to create life drawings, along with the best erasers I've discovered.

Also I share with you my favorite high toothed, toned paper that I use to hand make my own sketchbooks. If you would like more information about how to get your own made-with-love sketchbook during the next release pop over here for all the info.

Here are the materials I use: (Any purchases through my special Dick Blick links help to support my channel. Thank you!!)

Carbothello Pencils:

Bister

https://bit.ly/2pXPKeJ

Burnt Umber

https://bit.ly/2Iio6AD

Warm Grey #4

https://bit.ly/2H3PH98

Payne's Grey

https://bit.ly/2uDWdRx

Prussian Blue

https://bit.ly/2Gtoekf

Raw Umber

https://bit.ly/2pYbffp

Caput Mortuum Violet Pastel:

https://bit.ly/2U0zeaO

White Pastels:

http://bit.ly/2Gj70Ex

http://bit.ly/2UzNgp4

http://bit.ly/2VFyeL1

Kneaded Eraser:

https://bit.ly/2WOwYWA

Vinyl Eraser:

https://bit.ly/2DfSDOM

https://bit.ly/2Sxdd6H

Mono Zero:

https://bit.ly/2DfU93e

Eraser Refill:

https://bit.ly/2SC64C0

Canson Toned Paper:

http://bit.ly/2Z5uKmY

I usually draw from life, but for these demos I use figure drawing reference websites such as:

https://www.line-of-action.com/practice-tools/figure-drawing

http://www.onairvideo.com/croquis-cafe.html

4.12.2019

First Time Plein Air Painting!

I had a truly magical journey into the jungle with my sister artist Zee this weekend., followed by relaxing and playing with some paints I brought along in a clearing by the head of the hike.

I cannot believe this was actually both of our first times painting from nature. We enjoyed an absolutely gorgeous hike through the jungle admiring a variety of ferns, listening to birds calling back and forth right over our heads (which you can hear in the vid below!), and gasping over the brightest greens you can imagine.

We are super excited to do more artsy adventures together and I can’t wait to practice more live plant painting with my gouache paints!

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Now enjoy some incredible jungle bird calls:

4.10.2019

Figure Drawing Demo :: Plum Female on Grey Paper

Aloha friends I have another figure drawing demo for you today. I use Stabilo Carbothello pastel pencils to create these works which you can find below if you’d like to order some for yourself.

And if you would like more info on getting your own handmade-with-love toned (or white) paper sketchbook pop over here to be kept in the loop for my next sketchbook release. I’ve been making these books for a few years and I love them more than anything for creating vivid and refined figure drawings.

I usually draw from life, but for these demos I use figure drawing reference websites such as:

https://line-of-action.com/practice-tools/figure-drawing

http://www.onairvideo.com/croquis-cafe.html

Enjoy the demo today!

Here are my materials (any purchase through my links helps support this blog -Yay!):

Caput Mortuum Violet Pastel:

https://bit.ly/2U0zeaO

White Pastel:

https://bit.ly/2UuPiWF

Kneaded Eraser:

https://bit.ly/2WOwYWA

Mono Zero:

https://bit.ly/2DfU93e

Add to your art collection! I have many original figure drawings available here.

4.5.2019

Traveling to Walla Walla

Had such an amazing time in quaint Walla Walla, as well as roadtripping to Spokane, WA for a fantastic Dale Chihuly + other glassmakers exhibit, and a surprise Cody Trepanier show of his monumental Arctic paintings that looked so frigid you could almost get a chill in the gallery.

Walla Walla was quite booming around 1900s-1920s so the architecture was classic and full of personality.

Plus a few jaunts through the woods in nearby Oregon rounded out the trip perfectly. Such gorgeous wilderness to behold!

Can’t wait to come back and play in the PNW again!

4.3.2019