Pacific Citrus: An Art Blog

I'm at Scribbles and Books at Wordpress for 2013!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 15:15:00 +0000

Check out my recent art at Scribbles and Books.wordpress.com. Unless I notify otherwise, I'll be there doodling away!

This blog has moved to:

http://scribblesandbooks.wordpress.com

Truth Be Told...

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Fri, 18 May 2012 02:22:00 +0000

I miss this blog. It's the honest to high heavens truth. I think the crazy nonsense title is part of it. I love the Pacific. I love orange trees. I love making art and not having to feel so responsible for it. Pacific Citrus is a place I miss. Here are some doodles that I did this afternoon after a hectic time with this little dear baby of mine! Who, just in fact, is calling for me now! So if you dear strange reader that has bumped into this nonsense blog has found this post, please keep reading. You can also check out only sketches here. Oh and what a lovely baby! I love her so much!! Nite nite!

Vintage Children's Books: The Art of Frank Hill

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:08:00 +0000

I love drifting through the Children's Book section at my local Goodwill because I tend to discover illustrators that I would otherwise not find at the bookstore or library. Last week, I happened across a book titled Winston's Red Boots (Sea Buddies) {available at Amazon for a penny, no joke}.

I was enamored with the vintage style of drawing. I'm finding it hard for me to describe what it is exactly I like, but it includes the use of line, the coloring of the image, and the bold volume that hints at an illustrator's background in drafting (everything is in perfect perspective). It took a bit of time to dig up info on the author's and illustrators. Actually, I didn't find anything on Carol Hill, but I did manage to find Frank. It turns out Frank is big time!

Frank has illustrated Snoopy, Dennis the Menace, Felix the Cat, Short Ribs, and Bugs Bunny! I was blown away when I discovered this! Good art, can't be denied! I love his drawing of the lion. He illustrated the lion, cut it out, and placed it on orange paper. It has big impact without the modern means of using the computer. The most exciting aspect is that Frank is still drawing. I want to post a few more of his lovely images, using mostly black ink, from his website. Frank Hill rocks!

{All images via Frank Hill Illustrations}

Happy 4th of July!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 17:38:00 +0000

{collage & ink drawing with digital color.}

I'm wishing America a day of rememberance, beauty, relaxation, and good BBQ fun! Let us never forget our amazing history and be proud of those that have served and serve our nation! Make today sweet!

PS: Note on the doodle. I cut out pieces of a newspaper and white pieces of paper and glued it down. After it was dry, I used black Indian ink to outline the area. I scanned it and imported it into Corel Painter Essentials and digitally inked the red and blue. I learned in Corel Painter today that I can use the lasso to highlight a section and then use it like a stencil. The area remained highlighted when I switched to the brush tool so that I would color within the area I selected! What an awesome new way for me to play digitally! If you have any tips, please share them or link your blog via a comment! Happy art on a such an awesome day!

10 Minute Doodles: Digital Color Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 17:14:00 +0000

{Ink drawing on Bristol Paper. Digital Color.}

This is really a lost & found doodle. I drew the image quite some time ago. I rediscovered it while flipping through a pad of paper. I felt like doing a super quick digital color before heading off to the pool. Well...it's not such a summer palette! This looks like autumn! When you give yourself only 10 minutes, sometimes you just go with the flow! I let this be what it wanted to be. Now I'm going with the flow...right to the pool! Have a beautiful Saturday!

Happy Canada Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 15:43:00 +0000

Happy Canada Day! A super quick doodle! I wanted to do more but my husband is freaking that we have to go enjoy the day. Ta-ta! Make your Friday fabulous!! I'll probably edit this picture properly later!!

Cheers!!

Look at Things Differently...Broccoli Treehouse!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:26:00 +0000

{Created by Brock Davis}

A Doodle of My Mom Doodling..

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 15:27:00 +0000

{3x5 Pencil Drawing of My Mom Doodling at AGO, Toronto}

It's doodle mania whenever my mom is in town! She was in Toronto this last May and I rediscovered this drawing I did of her. I think this is the best drawing I've ever done of her. To me it feels authenticate, perhaps not flattering, but real. Sometimes you have to put the pretty aside to see the real. In the end, I feel this picture perfectly captures the concentration of my mom making art and of that brief moment in the cafe! After we were done doodling, we had our own showing at the Art Gallery of Ontario, cafe level!

My Mom laughing after catching me doodling her!

Our First Showing at the Ago! Thanks to the leftover dishes for holding these doodles up!

I'm wishing my Mom a safe trip back home. She has just traveled 5 countries in the last month and is ending in Austria!! XOXO-MOM!!!

Night Doodles

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 21:41:00 +0000

{Portable Art Studio}

Last Saturday, I was invited to attend a play that was part of the Luminato Festival in Toronto. The play was about mothers and daughters and looked more like a performance piece than a play. My instincts were right and this "play" was totally the sort of art that made me wonder how much could I endure. It was awful. After an hour, I had to make a dash to the restroom. What I didn't know was that I wouldn't be allowed back to my seat! There was 30 minutes left and I had to sit out in the lobby! Thank god for my portable doodle studio or I would have been lost!

{Front Street, Toronto. Watercolor in Sketch Book}

I have to say that I loved sitting here in this quiet lobby. The windows were beautiful and I got to watch the sunset. What could have been better? I took this negative and flipped it to a super-duper positive! My doodle watercolor sketch in the end...it starts with the night sky!

{Front Street, Toronto. Watercolor in Sketch Book}

Art Challenge: Draw a Gesture in One Minute!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:18:00 +0000

{Figure Quick Sketch. Image by Chris L.}

The Besotted Brand Blog is my favorite daily read. It is filled with imagination, hope, and creative adventures.

Today, the lovely Miss B, posted on the adventure of watercolor and posted some links to great resources on the web. Inspired by Miss B, I went on my own YouTube adventure and discovered Matthew39arch, as posted above. He has uploaded over 100 videos to YouTube and runs an online art school and blog at Drawing Tutorials Online. His blog is fantastic. You'll find tons of resources to inspire your own art adventures. In my own watercolor & art experience, drawing is the fundamental element in any work of art. Sometimes when you tighten up the reigns and put restrictions on what you're looking at, you'll get fresh results. It is also beneficial to move your eye away from specific details like eyes, hands, or even clothes, and see the entire subject at once. Here is an awesome video by Matthew39arch to get your juices flowing!

Art Challenge: Draw 5 gestures in 5 minutes.
Time each gesture & drawing for one minute.

Use images from the web, magazines, or visit a local hustling place like a park or mall to get this challenge done. Please post links in the comment section to your blog to share!

I also recommend that you check out Figure Quick Sketch. It is an amazing website that will help you to think differently about what is possible in a one minute sketch.

{One-minute poses at Figure Quick Sketch}

Update: Do I have an eye for talent?! It turns out that Matthew39arch is teacher at The School of Visual Arts, NYC! So he totally rocks! I also wanted those that aren't interested in drawing people to also think out of the box. Draw dogs, cats, birds, moving things, etc. One of Matthew's students at SVA is Lindsay and she adores dogs {me too!}. Here are some quick sketches that Matthew posted on his blog. I love these sketches!!

The Seven Deadly Sins

Want a live look into Lindsay Caitlin's sketchbook? Thanks be to Matthew! Just another reason why I love the internet so darn much!!!

Happy Father-to-Be Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 14:58:00 +0000

{Pencil Drawing with Digital Color. }

My husband and I are only two months away from welcoming our first child into the world! We are so excited and started the tradition of Mother & Father's Day early! I surprised my hubby this morning with this handcrafted card to celebrate the day! I choose neutral colors so that the card can be used for boys or girls! I added a second image for inside the card and used Pages to print the card. He was delighted to get the card, but I know he liked his gift better! LOL!

{Up & Away!}

I hope your Father's Day is filled with love, joy, and peace!

Doodles on the Go: Paddle Festival Toronto

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:35:00 +0000

Family on the Board Walk at Sunnyside Pavillion, Toronto. Watercolor.
{PaddleFest is a waterfront festival dedicated to kayaking, canoeing, SUP boarding-my favorite, and all water sports}

One of the things I love most about hot weather is that the heat dries up watercolors so fast. It makes the medium amp up for portable doodles. If things get way to hot, then you can add medium to extend drying times, but I like to roll with what I've got. Speaking of that...did you notice my portable watercolor tin? You can't find that one in stores and that's the point! I created a totally customized watercolor tin. I was at a the Style at Home Design Show Convention where I was given this tin by Beaui-Tone paints, supposedly so I could carry around paint chip tiles. Ha! Instead I took the top of a yogurt container, cut it into pieces that fit this metal box, and hot glued it in. I added my favorite colors and voila! Doodles on the go! I've done this with an old Altoid box too. Look around, think out of the box, and then make your own watercolor box! The bonus is that I promise that after you've done it you'll feel really crafty. Have a beautiful day.

Nursery Art: SoCal Beach City Paintings

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 14:59:00 +0000

SoCal Beach City No. 1 {Left Panel}. Acrylic on Wood. 36x36.

If you missed it at my other blog, Modern Girl Style, then I've awesome news to share! My husband and I are preggers! We are so thrilled and delighted to announce that we are expecting a baby at the end of August. To celebrate have a summer baby and my SoCal roots, our nursery has an ocean theme! I painted these two paintings to hang above our crib. I need to take a more respectable photo because these iPhone shots aren't cutting it! But I had to share!

SoCal Beach City Paintings above our Crib

I created the backgrounds first using spackle knifes I picked up at Home Depot. Once the paint was dry, I carefully added in the infamous boardwalk that stretches from Newport Beach to Roy Rogers Beach. After that, I added in beach homes that were influenced by the architecture of Venice Beach. The lifeguard towers are in homage to Torrance Beach, where I spent most of my high school years having fun! I was going to add in people, but my husband walked in and said NO! He loved them as they were. So ta-da! Now I need to frames these up and take better photos!

SoCal Beach City No. 2 {Right Panel}. Acrylic on Wood. 36x36.

Chair Doodles

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 14:13:00 +0000

Orange Rocking Chair Doodle

Time is rocking away and I took some time to watercolor two chairs. Rocking chairs are on the mind because its summer! Which chair are you? Traditional or modern?

Girl About Town

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:17:00 +0000

Watercolor Doodle

It is what it is! I'm not crazy about this one, but I wanted to share none the less. It was a good lesson on the fun challenge of watercoloring a person. What I don't like about it is that it doesn't have movement and you can tell I wasn't relaxed. C'est la vie!

A Royal Doodle!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:14:00 +0000

I did a quick drawing and digitally colored it. A little bit of text and I'm ready to share it! The Royal Wedding was awesome. Check out my reaction at Modern Girl Style!

Cake Doodle

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 16:02:00 +0000

Weekend Art Prompts: Create!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:26:00 +0000

Take this weekend to create something fun! Why not try a new medium or experiment with your favorite? Here are a few idea prompts:

Try a garden theme.
Draw your art tools and/or supplies.
Celebrate the season with your own take on it. Bunnies anyone?
Collage your vision of the perfect summer!
Take your art process on the road and visit a new place.

Connect with a link to your blog or your flickr account if you come up with something to share! Bonne chance!

Happy Easter: Free Screen Saver Download

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:51:00 +0000

Double Click Image and Control Click to Save as a Screensaver

It's so exciting to build my writing and art studio over from scratch. It involves a bunch of work, toting books and art supplies, but it also gives me an opportunity to declutter! The result of this process is the total enjoyment of quickly doodling new ideas. I can't say enough what it means to have my scanner on a desk! Before, I had to reach down and over to a small table to scan things. That meant I never did! It was always a chore to scan, but now it's awesome! I can take the quickest sketch and turn it into something. Here is the preliminary sketch that I quickly created as the foundation for the Happy Easter screensaver. It's pretty rough and I thought that I was just going to be wasting my time! LOL! I love the end result, as seen above.

My first sketch of the bunny

I scanned the image and colored it in Coral Painter Essentials. I used the round watercolor brush and worked with opacity levels to create my bunny. I also used the charcoal brush and filled in the original strokes that might have been colored. C'est voila! This sketch only took 15 minutes, give or take. In all, I can't wait to doodle more!

Art Challenge: Bunny Digital Color

For those looking to improve their digital coloring techniques, download my sketch of the bunny above {option click for macs, save to desktop, and open in your favorite art program like Coral, Photoshop, or Artrage}. Take 15 minutes to color the bunny. Google bunnies to get a realistic idea of color or invent your own. Play with different brushes and opacities levels.

Please post a link to your blog so everyone can check out your bunny!

Easter Egg Doodle!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 01:40:00 +0000

I've just moved my home office to our lofted upstairs den. It is quite a process, but I can't wait for everything to be final. I already feel more creative juices flowing like this Easter Egg doodle. I drew the eggs by hand and digitally inked them. Voila!

Pool Side Watercolor: I want to Siesta in OC!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 20:31:00 +0000

Pool Siesta Watercolor. 8x8. April 2011

I've been missing home so much lately! Nothing beats the pleasant weather of Orange County this time of read. I just want to grab a book and my watercolors and lounge! I'm also so disheartened by the color reproduction of my watercolors via my HP 4570c scanner that I'm thinking about adding a new scanner to my wish list. Does anyone have any scan tips or tricks? Please let me know! Now...where is my beach towel and sunglasses?

Weekend Retreat

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 16:54:00 +0000

I love doing watercolor illustrations of rooms. Wouldn't this be a lovely place to chill for a couple hours reading a great book?

Fresh Squeeze OJ

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 17:32:00 +0000

I'm an OJ fiend! I love waking in the morning and pulling out my juicer to make awesome fresh squeezed OJ. This is a little ode to the orange. Why not celebrate all the little things that make you happy in life?

Watercolor Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:42:00 +0000

The Blue Room. Watercolor and Pencil. 5x7. 2011

This weekend I've been working on a nonfiction book proposal. I wanted to give you a sneak peek to some of the illustrations that I've been working on. I think it frames up very nicely.

Jack Russell Terrier Painting in Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Kamela Mirich) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:41:00 +0000

Painting in Progress

I've been managing to sneak in time to make art. I've been working on an acrylic painting of a Jack Russell Terrier chasing a ball. You can see the faint outline of where I plan to put the ball by the rear leg. I'll post more once I've progressed. Have a beautiful day!