I am..

...a daughter of the King

My current Work in Progress is one of great scale and testimony to myself. With the state fair right around the corner (work due June 17th) I knew I wanted to do something "special" just for it.

I knew:
-I wanted it to be larger than 8x10
-I wanted to show more play in watercolor
-I wanted it to be fantasy oriented
-I wanted it to be a self reflection of some sort

I spent a day going through photographs and concept phrases. What am I going to paint?!

The phrase "I am Eve" was my starting point. I am of Eve, she was the first woman, and I come from her. I am also fallen like she is. So I had to find an image that said "I am Eve". Once I found it, I sketched out my concept.

Concept Sketch "Daughter of the King"

Find it available here ->  http://www.etsy.com/listing/74335410/original-daughter-of-the-king-sketch-in

As I sketched her out, the title changed. Although I am of Eve, that wasn't what was most important. That isn't the point. And that certainly isn't the end of the story as to who I am! The Spirit said I am more than that, I am more precious than just a daughter of Eve. 

I am the daughter of the most high KING. I am a daughter of God. 

I was ready to move onto the watercolor paper. A very scary task. I loved the sketch so much that I was actually afraid to go on, to try drawing the portrait again. I was also afraid her size would not be what I wanted or planned. The paper was 20x16, and I wanted most of it to be play with watercolor. Which meant she wasn't to be too large. I was also preparing to draw in colored pencil only, so erasing was minimal. 

I started...worked so hard to make sure the emotion and spirit was there...that I didn't realize I drew her too big. :/ I prayed.

I had two choices: let this drawing go and start again (which meant buying another $10 sheet of watercolor paper); or continue on and work with the challenge presented to me.

I always teach my students to problem solve when their piece doesn't go as they planned. Here's a perfect opportunity to practice what I preach. I also believed God was working with me. 

It was time to solve the background. I knew I wanted it to be loose, fun, and experimental. Garden like, and I had my colors already in mind. I used to squirt watercolor paint out of tubes onto large sheets of mat board then add water...allowing the paint to do what it wished. I wanted to do something similar but with a mature level of control and purpose.

Once that was in place I had Brian come in to help me figure out the butterflies. He's awesome at composition and placement of objects!

Background and butterflies solved.

I traced my butterflies and began to add greens into the shadow areas of the skin. I wanted to switch my focus to the skin and face. One of my biggest inspirations of all time, and to this day, is Mucha. I wanted this piece to reflect how much his work inspires mine. So the face is pretty important, as Mucha would put much attention to it and not the rest of the skin of the body. Nor the values of the clothes.

Everything is to a point where I can't determine what needs to be pushed or left alone until the hair is finished. The hair is a pretty loud part of the piece. Confident with the face, time for hours towards the hair, my style of course! :)

This is where I am today. After working on the hair for a while I can now see that other areas of the piece need pushing. The fabric will be more navy as well as the tones in the skin. Stay tuned for more updates!

P.S. "Where did the wings go?!" You ask...well...composition wise they didn't work since I ended up drawing her too large for the paper. Also, fairy wings for me denote "Earthly" or "Eve", but the change of title...although I am earthly and human, I wanted to emphasize the relationship to the King.

Love Birds Finished

It takes two to tango.

There is currently only one other set in all of my work that belong to one another as much as these two do. I am excited to see them finished and together.

 "Perched at Dawn" & "Perched at Dusk"

{ watercolor & colored pencil | 2011 }

view sketches for paintings here!

It's hot here in Des Moines, record high of over 90 degrees F. The studio is packed with humid air, so this post is short. I think I might take a nap till Brian get's home to pass the heat away.

But I wanted to share and let you know...

The limited edition, yes Limited Edition, prints of these two WILL be out THIS week. Keep your senses about you and look for them. ;)

hint: check my facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/sarabillustration

The Vault

There has been some talk about opening the vault.
It's scary.
It's old.
It's saturated.
It's outlined.
It's purple.

What's in the vault?
{ Right Image: "Lady of the Lake" }
 
The vault means surfacing work from 2007 and back. There may be a piece here and there from those years still floating about on my etsy page or website, but those are rare. I've had several requests/comments to bring the old work back.

Why open the vault now?
 
In 2007/2008 I began to change my way of painting, which has been in constant change till about now. That's natural, I believe, but my past work personally doesn't do it for me. 

I have adored the concepts, compositions, colors, etc. always, but relying on black lines is not something I teach. It was a way to make sure my lines showed up, and to clean up the pencil from sketching. The black lines were used as default, without any real purpose. I thank one of my college professors for pointing that out. And I took him seriously.

I moved onto sepia pens, but that still...in my opinion, restricted my work. 
Placed up against my work today, there is a drastic difference in style. Tho you can tell it's still my work, I have moved away from the anime/Disney look to a more realistic. Maybe it's the challenge that I'm after, or that I want my work to be more high end fantasy. Not sure yet as to why the switch. 

Where's the vault's work?
{ Left Image: "Truth" Limited Edition }

So I have started to list the old work up on Etsy. You'll see it clearly up against my current work. It's saturated, deep in rich color, and the lines are heavy. For those of you who have followed my work for many years may remember some pieces, and wonder why some are listed and some are not. Please remember that not only did my style change, but my faith did also. This will affect my choices of what to list.

{ View All Prints for Sale }

Perched at Dawn

 

"Perched at Dawn"

{watercolor & colored pencil  © 2011}

Pretty pleased with the turn out, but it's taken some adjustment. Is it just me, or are my paintings becoming muddier?! o.O

Limited Edition Print available soon on Etsy.
http://sarambutcher.etsy.com

Two love birds...

...sittin' in a tree...
painting finished > view final HERE!

What a fantastic 48 hours this has been. I went and visited my friend Natalie and we sat most of the day yesterday at her dining room table. Talking, eating great food, taking walks, and best of all, drawing!

It is very fulfilling, for me, when sitting with a great friend and creating artwork for hours upon hours on end. The day flew by but we didn't care. Natalie finished...what..four paintings?! And I got two brand new drawings ready for paintin'.

I'm titling them "Love Birds" as a pair. 

Not sure what they're individual titles will be. After I drew the girl first, her face reminded me of..well...me. So after much consideration and ponder with Natalie, it was agreed upon that the partner piece would be a boy...and yup, it's Brian. :)

Each is 5x8 inches, drawn in brown colored pencil on hot press arches 140lbs watercolor paper. I'm lovin' the arches block!

These are drawings I find scary to paint. 

I struggled with them. I only had references for the birds so the figures took some thought. After working so hard on them, and loving the sketches, I'm afraid I'll screw them up in paint.

Do you think any of the old master painters ever felt that way about a piece? I sometimes wonder that...

I also want all of you to welcome Natalie to the blogsphere. 

Please visit her blog Meadows to Grove, view her work and her progress leading up to where she is today, and follow. This girl is going somewhere great! Let's go with!

Oh and to finish off the night...

Brian and I went for a walk, to the store, rented "Tangled" and watched a movie together eating ice cream. On top of that, he did dishes afterward! What a FANTASTIC husband! :)

Local Bindery Saves

After Struggling with D.I.Y. postcards, they came to the rescue

Who sells the best paper for D.I.Y. postcards?

I have gone through many different papers, spending lots of money, and now have stacks that I probably will never use, just to find what's right for postcards.

I've been determined to save by making my own, but to purchase cardstock strong enough just isn't possible without spending loads of money.

I gave in and just started to make them with the best quality matte paper I could find. Unfortunately customers found this paper still too flimsy. So I moved on to the idea of having them professionally made.

Who can provide the best price for the best product?

I went to overnightprints.com, zazzle.com, vistaprint.com, and yet I couldn't find a deal that allowed me to continue charging the price I had in my shop. When I broke down the numbers, it was still too expensive...and I wasn't going to charge $7 for one postcard. You crazy?!

I almost came to just settle with the fact I would have to undercharge and pay extra to offer postcards.

Who came to my rescue? 

Bindery 1. Enough said. They're a local printer here in Des Moines, ran by the lovely Renatta and her family. Name sound familiar? She also runs Lotus Moments Event Center where I just recently had my Artist Reception.

Most large binderies and printing companies probably wouldn't bother with a small business artist who needs a handful of postcards. What a waste of time and money! They're accustomed to thousands to be printed off for one client.

Bindery 1's passion to serve everyone, large and small, makes them unique. I had a couple hundred postcards printed for the artist reception and was impressed with the price AND the quality! Not to mention the turnaround time.

After many questions and her patience, I plunged and ordered 500 postcards. HUGE order......for little 'ol me.

I can now offer professional grade, strong, vivid, and affordable postcards to my customers while staying local! Who knew a business would be so willing? The new postcards will be offered soon. :)

The Bottom Line:  
Don't be afraid to approach your local binderies and printers and get a quote from them. There might be someone out there who is willing to do the small run to support you, and in turn it will support them! And if you can't find anyone, contact Renatta at Bindery 1!

Well Huh.

I've been encouraged for years and years to submit my work to sci-fi fantasy conventions.

Of course, I submit to Demi Con every year, for over 10 years now. But as I'm making my list and checking it twice, I have noticed a common theme for all art shows:

The Display Art is only for originals or limited editions. 

Oh.

I did not realize that. Shoot.

I have a few originals left that can be hung up...but that doesn't help with sales. Very rarely do I sell an original at the con.

Secondly, I don't have limited edition prints. :/ I mean I do, like 4, from like...6 years ago. That's it.

So, if you go to the shows, don't look for my work on the display panels, I'll be over in the shuffle of the pile...in the print shop.