30 Days of Gratitude - November 3rd

Day 3 - Thankful for Family & Friends & the courage to Create

Have you been following my Cindy Rippe - Artist page on Facebook?  I have challenged myself to sketch and post something I'm thankful for each day in November. It's kind of a big deal for me.  2 years ago I passed out here at home (Dr over-prescribed a medication) and sustained a concussion near my brain stem.  Post Concussion syndrome (as well a few Auto Immune issues) has been interesting to say the least. Things are SO much better.  I wasn't prepared for the loss of my Creativity though.  There's this "fear of failure" thing that I've been fighting for the last year.  So, again, sharing my sketches with my facebook fans is a huge step for me.  My family and friends have been so encouraging and keep telling me that I just need to get started and it will all come back! So this blog post is dedicated to Lee, Jon, Jason, Sarah, & Bella, Bev, Alice, Lauri, Jeanette, Kelly Hoernig & Madeline Faiella.   Thanks everyone!   LYM

“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.”  Desmond Tutu

Sketching Orchids - Flora's Art Adventures

Flora gets up close to check out the details of the orchids.©CindyRippe2014

Today I took Flora with me to the Chicago Botanic Gardens.  It's the last weekend of their Orchid Show and I didn't want to miss it.  There were thousands and thousands of flowers and even though the March winds were chilly today,it was nice and warm inside the greenhouses.  Flora and I want to thank Amy Litner for helping us get up close to the flowers and take this picture.

Relaxing by  the greenhouse where it was nice and warm. ©CindyRippe2014

Actually this is just one of my 15 minute sketches.  When you sketch a flower it makes you look closer at the details and you learn more about the plant. Why don't you try making a few sketches?  They aren't meant to be a perfect, finished, drawing.   Just a way to "see" the shapes that make up an object.  No pressure, just fun!

Great art picks up where nature ends. Marc Chagall

Bella's Fairy Flying School

Bella's Fairy Flying School ©CindyRippe2013

As part of a Design Challenge we were asked to create a design that was inspired by playground equipment.  I had just spent the afternoon at the park with Bella and she loved swinging on her tummy as she pretended she was flying.  I can still hear her saying "I'm Flying!" with each push.  The swings were made of soft rubber with really long chains.  She could really "take off" each time.  

I wanted to keep the look hand drawn and a little "sketchy" (since that is a design trend I see growing). Of course, I wanted to include flowers (that's my design style) and even thought about the current Woodland trend. When I put it all together it added up to a little fairy child learning to fly.  The butterflies are there for encouragement and the swing is made from the morning glory vine.

I didn't move forward in the GTS Design Challenge but Bella is really happy with the finished design.  I was even able to add the pink streak in her hair, as requested.  She named it Bella's Flying School and we've decided to continue the story about that little Fairy girl someday.

Spread your wings and let the fairy in you fly! Author Unknown

Finding Flowers - part 2 - Playing with Paint

Finding Flowers ©CindyRippe2013 - quote by  Henry David Thoreau

As I promised in yesterday's post, Life's Canvas, this is what I ended up doing on the painted background layer.  Once the paint was dry I found areas that could be flower centers.  All I did after that was to sketch a few daisies with a fine point permanent pen. I thought it might be finished but then I decided to soften the background with a layer of translucent white. (the bright colors were a bit much for me)

I added the frame and quote with PicMonkey.  Don't you think the black frame pulls everything together? Yep, I think this one is finished.

Have you ever created a project like this?  It's a challenge sometimes to let yourself make a mess and just let the paints flow.  It's really fun to discover shapes that you can turn into a completed design though.

Delight in the beauty that surrounds you.  Author unknown

One of my "almost" Daily Devotional sketches - Daily Guidepost inspiration

May 7th Devotional Sketch - Inktense Pencils and Black Pen in Daily Guidepost book - sketch and photo by ©CindyRippe2013

You might remember that I try to sketch in my devotional book "almost" every day.  It gives me a few minutes to think about the bible verse and message after I read it.  Sometimes I sketch something that the message reminds me of and other days I just draw something that's currently blooming around here. Lately, it seems, that it's the only painting/drawing that I get to do.

I like the translucent coverage of the Inktense pencils.  That way I can go back and read the message again if I want to.  They also blend beautifully with very little water which means  I don't have to seal the pages to prevent bleed through on the other side.

The devotional message today in my 2013 Daily Guidepost book was about 3 good friends and their plans.  Things didn't seem to work out the way they wanted them to.  It wasn't easy but Sam Adriance, the author, tells how God made it so he could fit the pieces together himself and make it work.  It reminded me of my struggle to figure out my design business and how I've let life's craziness keep blocking my path.  I'm so grateful that I'm figuring out how to work around things and move forward with my creative and business goals.

His message at the end "Thank You, Lord, for always showing me how to create what I want."  Had me thinking about how lucky I am to have the skills and opportunity to combine my love of nature and art.  What a wonderful way to start the day!

 The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; Psalm 37:23 (NIV)

Have a Cup of Mrs. Olson

Finding Details in the Background - Daylily Study and Botanical Illustration Class

Botanical Illustration-Daylily Study ©CindyRippe2012-13

I prepared the background images for the Botanical Illustration class that I'll be teaching next month at the Society of Decorative Painters Conference.  It's an important part of the design and helps to frame the finished Daylily Study.  It was trimmed out of the catalog image, which was a little disappointing, but that's life I guess. The class still has plenty of students that are planning to draw a daylily and they'll get a nice surprise when the background photo is included in their class supplies.  If you haven't signed up yet, check it out at; Society of Decorative Painters Conference Special.  There are still a few spaces left.

I love to take pictures of flowers and leaves that can be used for a background, a frame, or even a repeating pattern.  Even if I never do anything, other than use it for my own reference material, it becomes an important part of my body of work. It's another excuse to study the details and I guess I think there's beauty in those details.

Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it.  Confucius

Crocus Flowers for my Daily Devotional Sketch and Reminders from my Friends

Crocus Flowers for my Daily Devotional Sketch March21, 2013 ©CindyRippe2013

I think most artists have moments of self doubt, self criticism, and procrastination.  It's a part of our personality I guess.  Well, I've sure been working my way through all of the above lately.  I do these sketches in my Daily Guideposts Devotional. Sometimes every day (which was my plan) and sometimes not as often as I'd like.  This is today's sketch, crocuses that I sketched from photos taken last year at Lake Katherine.  The plan is to create a loose sketch while I think about that day's devotion. It's not supposed to be a finished design but every time I photograph a page I see all of my mistakes. It takes lots of will power to just let it go and not fuss with the details. Then, by the time I take the picture, I feel that it's better not to share it.

I'm posting this one today for my friend Kelly Hoernig.  She said that she misses these little drawings and encouraged me to start posting them again.  As I started to type this, my friend Laurie, sent a text message with a picture of a painting that I did for her a looong time ago.  She wanted to tell me she was thinking of me and that she was glad to have a talented friend.  I'm so blessed to have both of these incredible women as my friends and support team.  If either of you are reading this, THANK YOU for the reminders. I do have a gift that just needs to be shared. (and it doesn't have to be perfect)

Today's Devotion, written by Erin MacPherson, was about reminders too.  It was exactly what I needed to read today.

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.... Romans 1:20

A Peek into my Creative Process

I found this picture in the archives today and thought you might like a peek into my creative space.  This is actually a table at an artist retreat I attended but it looks a lot like my own painting table in the studio.  (Minus the water fountain, floral arrangements, vintage turntable filled with terra cotta pots of brushes and much more.  I should probably take a picture of that space too some day.)  We spent the weekend working on our own projects and pretty much just had uninterrupted creativity time. Whenever I'm working on a design I tend to spread out in as much space as I can and end up with a sort of organized clutter.

I bought a potted hyacinth and miniature daffodil on the way to the retreat and spent time sketching different views of each.  I then created the "Daffodils in a Row" design by painting it with acrylic washes, pen and ink details and then layered on the colored pencil accents.

From left to right:
- Hyacinth and Daffodil pots in front of my water basin and behind the pencils I was using.
- My colored pencil case behind the Daffodil painting on Bristol Vellum.
- 3/4 inch Wash brush that used to paint all those tiny leaves and petals.
- Blending tools, sanding block, erasers and sharpeners
- Ott Light, acrylic paints, camera battery case behind my cd player.  (Still use this one once in a while) and loose batteries.  I go through a ton of batteries for my camera and usually use the rechargeable kind.
- on the far right is my basket of brushes and tools with my original sketches of the daffodils in front.
- Usually my camera is sitting right there since I take step by step pictures as I work..... oh! I was using it to take this picture!

A picture is worth a thousand words. Napoleon Bonaparte

Happiness - Mixed Media Daisy

Happiness Daisy in Mixed Media ©CindyRippe2013

As I listen to the wind howling tonight, and know that the outdoor temperature is dropping like a stone, I think of how lucky I am to have learned to draw the flowers that I enjoyed in warmer weather.  And how happy I am that it's my job to do that.  I just don't do it often enough!

I sketched this daisy in pen and ink, then layered acrylic paints, colored pencil and added the digital quote to finish it off.
The daisy is such a happy flower.  Probably because it smiles at the sun and the petals dance merrily in the breeze. I hope that it gives you a moment to remember something happy in your life.

I came that you may have and enjoy life and have it in abundance, until it overflows.  John 10:10

Sketching Flowers - Learning to Draw

Botanical Art/Sketching ©CindyRippe2013

I listened to the weather forecast this morning (bitter cold heading in), checked the calendar (exactly 4 months until my Daylily Class at the Society of Decorative Painting Convention) and watered my Amaryllis plant (the stem has grown 4 inches this week with a new bud peeking out from the base) then I sketched a few apple tree flower buds in my devotional book (working on the stages of fruit growth this year).

Yep, flowers are a big part of my day. Never the most important - family comes first, but they are a lovely addition.  I decided to share a quick collage of the drawing classes that I'm teaching (or have taught recently).  Maybe you've made plans to improve your drawing skills in 2013. This would be a step in the right direction and it's not too late to sign up for the Daylily Sketching class.  It's designed for beginner to intermediate students. (After drawing techniques and "how to's" beginners can use my pattern to practice their shading skills - Intermediate students can draw from reference materials) I'd love to have you join me in class.  Click HERE to register.

Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. Luke 12:27

Art Journal - Playing with Inktense pencils

©CindyRippe 2013 - Inktense Watercolor pencil for Mixed Media background

I'm participating in Kelly Hoernig's Art Amusement Journal challenge on facebook and decided to journal based on the word I chose for this year.  My word is ACCOMPLISHED. It's who I am and what I do. (That's my positive affirmation - right now it's who I want to be and what I want to do!)

Kelly let me borrow her set of 12 Derwent Inktense pencils so I thought it would be fun to experiment. I have almost every brand of colored pencil (including the other Derwents, but haven't tried these yet.  They are watercolor pencils but after you wet the color it dries permanently which allows you to layer other wet media without causing to move.

I created the background by filling in heavy strokes of color across the top of the page (about 1 1/2" sections) that overlapped to create addition colors between.  I then took a 3/4" Wash brush to really wet the color and let it drip down the page.  After that was dry, I did a free-hand sketch of leaves and flowers with an fine Pitt Pen.  (They aren't based on any real plant - I was watching TV and just played)   The dry ink wash was really easy to draw over.  The wax that holds the pigment had dissolved and the pen didn't skip at all.

©CindyRippe 2013 - Inktense Watercolor pencil for Mixed Media full page

I painted the leaves and flowers with the regular Derwent Watercolor pencils and added a few white highlights with white acrylic paint on the flower petals.  I went back to reinforce some of the line work and decoupaged a bible verse that I tore out from last year's Daily Guidepost book.

I'm not sure what I'll put on the rest of the page but it will be a nice background to work on.  Thanks for letting me play with those pencils today Kelly!

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.  Proverbs 16:9

Quiet Moment - Mixed Media on Digital Image

Quiet Moment -©Cindy Rippe 2012

Registration has started for the Artist Expo Houston, The Woodlands, TX. It's my second year to attend and I'm happy to be returning as one of their teachers this year.  I demonstrated and sold my Mixed Media with Colored Pencil packets and Drawing Botanical books in Janelle Johnson's booth last year.  It was a great show! I hope you'll join me.

I took the picture of this little fairy during the Annual Garden Walk in Kankakee one year.  She was sitting in a wooded area filled with blooming Hosta plants.  As usual, I tend to get a little lost behind the lens of my camera and the rest of my group had moved ahead to another area of the garden.  It was so peaceful and quiet.  I could imagine myself enjoying a rare "Quiet Moment" reading something inspirational and listening to the birds and bees buzzing from bloom to bloom.

After I played with the image in Photoshop to add a frame and embellishments I painted the Hosta with Acrylics and added details in ink and colored pencil.  I'm really looking forward to teaching this class and inspiring the students to try something new.

I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.  ~George Washington Carver

Sweet Pea for April's Flower of the Month

The flower of the month for April is Sweet Pea or Daisy.  I chose the sweet pea for my daily devotional sketch today.   In the Victorian Language of Flowers the sweet pea represents shyness or blissful pleasure.  The latin name, "Lathyrus odoratus" means 'pea' and 'fragrant'.

Sweet Pea Mixed Media - Cindy Rippe 2012

I remember my Grandfather, Faw-Faw, proudly showing me his sweet pea vine, years ago, when I was able to visit in the spring. My favorite color was always pink but I know there are many colors available now.  I remember they smelled so sweet! Each flower didn't last very long but we enjoyed them every morning.

Perfumes are the feelings of flowers.  ~Heinrich Heine

Don't forget to click through the rest of today's DCC Blog Hop for more Spring inspiration.
 

Designer Craft Connection
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Devotional Sketch for Palm Sunday

I've already shared a few of my Daily Devotional Sketches in earlier posts and have been asked to share more of them with you.  I'll start with the one I did for today.

Palm Branch - Mixed Media - Cindy Rippe 2012

I usually sketch flowers.  Sometimes, like today, I'm inspired by the bible verse or the story in my devotional book, Daily Guideposts, but many times it's just the flower I feel like drawing that day.  It gives me a few minutes to think about the verse and get lost in the sketching process. Most of the time I used Mixed Media (acrylics or watercolor, colored pencils and ink.

You can keep up with each day's sketch by "following" this blog if you want.  I hope my doodles give you a few minutes to be inspired too!

But Palm Sunday tells us that … it is the cross that is the true tree of life. Pope Benedict XVI

Shamrocks - Devotional Sketch March 17

St Patrick's Day Inspiration - Daily Guidepost - © Cindy Rippe

"Top o' the mornin'! This is the day for the wearin' of the green and the celebration of the shamrock." *

In my Daily Guideposts devotion today Fay Angus tells how St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the mystery of the Holy Trinity and that the leaves also symbolize three great virtues of 1 Corinthians 13:13, faith, hope and love.  She says that when there's a fourth leaf it symbolizes the blessing of luck!

I enjoyed sketching these little shamrocks and, of course, included one with 4 leaves to wish you luck!

* quoted directly from page 126, Daily Guideposts 2012 - Fay Angus

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.   1 Corinthians 13:13

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Join me over at House of Hepworths for Hookin’ Up with HoH Party. Lots of great blogs to see!

Leaf Study - Ivy

Cindy Rippe copyright 2012 - Leaf Study

Today I'm working on my class prep for teaching in Las Vegas at the Creative Painting Convention.
(my Drawing class is #409)

We'll be working with several types of leaves during this class but we will have live branches of Ivy to study and sketch. My drawing classes are for beginners and are helpful to artists that work in all mediums.  Students learn the basics of using the drawing tools, how to create shapes that have dimension with shading and highlights and will sketch from live botanical specimens.  They have the option of finishing their own original sketch or may work from my pattern. 

Don't you just love this lush bed of Ivy?  I had this photo saved in my "backgrounds" folder but found it to be perfect for studying the color variations and details of the leaves. As long as I've been taking photos of plants and flowers I've enjoyed capturing the mass planting of one type of flower or plant.  Then I take about a zillion pictures of the details; the back the front, how the light shines through, variations of color, etc. Then there are the artistic shots, suitable for framing and printing.  The list goes on...  I do get lost in the moment behind the lens.  Do you?

If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere.  ~Vincent Van Gogh


I'm hopping around the blog world with:

Sketching in Color - Daily Devotional Experiment

Cindy Rippe - Daily Guidepost Devotions - Botanical Sketches

My Mother-in-Law, Alice, gives us a Guidepost Daily Devotion Book each year for Christmas.  I look forward to the Bible verse, the story that accompanies it and a prayer each day.  Of course, I can't say that I've read it daily, especially in past years. Life can get hectic at times around here. I find myself catching up, sometimes a week or more at a time, but it gives me a moment to pause and think about my blessings.

A few years ago I realized that I wanted to do more than just read the story so I set a goal for myself.  Each day (again sometimes I had to catch up) I wrote a note on the page.  The notes contained my thoughts about the verse of the day, the story, or just what was happening to me that day.  Maybe one day I'll go back to read it, maybe not.  I was just happy that I completed that goal and felt that I got a little more from the inspiration on each page.

This year, as part of my goal to sketch more often and allow myself to be creative I've decided to use the pages of the book as a Botanical Journal after I've read each devotion.  I don't have the 2012 book yet (just a mix up in shipping) but while I wait I've been experimenting with a previous edition.  There were a few problems to overcome but I think I have it figured out now.

This one is with pen and ink with watercolor. I would have added a layer of colored pencils but I don't have them with me today. I look forward to using mixed media techniques, to be inspired by the Word, and to sketch a year of flowers. 

'Tis my faith that every flower enjoys the air it breathes!
~William Wordsworth

Sketching Roses at Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL

I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.  ~Claude Monet