A Painting a Day - Day 35

For painting #35 I decided to illustrate an animal story. These are Bremen Musicians. If you are not familiar with the story it is about an old donkey whose master is about to do away with him so he decides to run away and go to Bremen to become a musician. Along the way he finds a dog who is in the same situation and he invites him along. In the same manner they meet a cat and a rooster who also join their merry band to become musicians in Bremen. Eventually they come to a little house which has been inhabited by thieves who are counting and devouring their loot. By now the sojourners are hungry so the decide to drive the thieves away. So they stand outside the house and make as much horrible noise as their voices will allow. Terrified, the men leave the house, running away into the night. Later, after the animals have had their fill and settled down to rest, the thieves return and send one of the number into the dark house to investigate. This creates a humorous scene with the unfortunate thief getting attacked by each animal and screeched at by the rooster. He is so terrified he tells his companions there is a witch with sharp claws, a giant with a club and an ogre with a knife that attacked him along with an angry judge on the roof shouting "Put the crook in jail!" Frightened by the "monsters" in the house, the thieves run away never to return, leaving the animals there to enjoy the abandoned farm.

In my illustration, I have imagined they actually made it to Bremen and are performing a jazzy tune in a popular club downtown.

This illustration is available for sale for $35. If you would like to buy it, please email me at lauraparkhurstillustrator@gmail.com. The first person I hear from can purchase it. Thanks again for visiting my blog to check out my work. Hope you can make it by tomorrow. I will be here, posting another fun picture!

A Painting a Day - Day 34

This painting is because everyone needs a hug sometimes.  I think this would look nice in a child's room or a nursery, maybe as a baby shower gift or a birthday gift for a little one.

So I am giving all of my viewers and fans a little bear hug tonight because I appreciate all of the encouragement and love I have received since I began this project. There are so many amazing people and I love that my art it creating a connection with them.

Painting #34 is available for sale for $34. If you would like to purchase it, please email me at lauraparkhurstillustrator@gmail.com. The first person I hear from can buy it.

Thanks for coming by again today. Hope to see you tomorrow.

A Painting a Day - Day 33

I have not been this sleep deprived since my kids were tiny. Back then it was this irregular, sleep when you can, sleep in the middle of the day, sleep on the floor beside the crib kind of sleep. Now it is the going to bed way to late and getting up way too early because I have to do all this stuff. And it is all good worth while stuff. And I had read that starting a business was like this. You have to make sacrifices. I am sacrificing sleep. Painting every day means painting mostly when my kids have gone to bed. It means squeezing sketch time in while I wait for them to do their extra curricular activities. It means planning ahead while I drive to my other job.

I am sleep deprived like I was when had babies. Now I am creating something new just like I did then. It is not the same. A business is not as important as a child. But doing something for myself that lives or dies based on my effort is something that has challenged and enlivened me in a really amazing way. Not only that it has given me an opportunity to meet new people and catch up with friends I haven't seen in a long time. That also has given me new enthusiasm.

I am sleep deprived and I can barely follow a train of thought, but I know that doing this is creating something good in me. Not only because I am doing something profitable but because it is blessing other people. There really is so much on the internet that is dark. I get to give a little bit of beauty to people everyday and that is so worth it.

Today's painting is about sleep. This little fox is doing what I need to do. And once I post this, I am going to crawl into my bed and pass out!  This 33rd painting is available for sale for $33. It is 8 x 10 and ready to frame. If you would like to buy it, please email me at lauraparkhurstillustrator@gmail.com. The first person I hear from can buy my little sleepy fox. Thanks for coming by today! Have a good night.

A Painting a Day - Day 32

A weird thing happened while I was painting this. I liked it before I finished it.

That never happens.

Usually when I am doing a painting, I go through a period of time where I hate the painting and worry that I am going to have to scrap the whole thing. This pretty much never happens, but I feel it any way. This time, I only felt that way when I was doing the shadows leading from the deer's legs across the grass and that was more worry than hate. As I filled in the colors for the background I just loved how the picture was coming together. I don't know what to make of these feelings. Is it a sign that I am really enjoying what I am doing? Or is it is a sign that my skills are improving? I am not sure, but I do know I will miss this one when it finds a new home!

Painting #32 is 8 x 10 and available for sale for $32. If you would like to purchase it, please email me at lauraparkhurstillustrator@gmail.com. The first person I hear from can buy it. I am so glad you have come along with me on this journey. I am learning so much and I enjoy sharing it with you.

A Painting a Day - Day 31

A whole month has passed and a new month has arrived. I never thought I could be this productive or determined to stay the course. I think once you give birth and endure labor, you realize you can endure a lot and persevere through the most difficult trials. That has been my test at least.

I am finding over the past few days and paintings that I have to sketch more than one drawing before I feel comfortable with starting a painting. This started as a a sketch with one raccoon in a pumpkin patch. As I researched the furry little creatures, which are insanely cute by the way, I changed course and created this composition. It is more satisfying to me because the raccoon are clustered in the center and the blues and oranges help draw my eye around the picture making the animals even more the center of the painting.

I wanted to do raccoon because they remind me of fall. I remember reading books like Where the Red Fern Grows and Rascal. I never saw raccoon around the farm I grew up on, but I was definitely drawn to them. I even had a puppet raccoon that I still own. Somethings I can't let go of.

I am going to let go of this painting though. It is for sale for $31 as this is the 31st painting. It is 8 x 10 and ready to frame. If you would like to buy it please email me at lauraparkhurstillustrator@gmail.com. Thank you so much for sticking with me on my 100 day journey. Hope you will come along again tomorrow.

A Painting a Day - Day 30

There is something about that moment when I had the color and shading to the eye that the painting suddenly feel right to me. With watercolor, you have to plan way ahead and there are parts of it that you have to leave white for a while. The eyes stay white a long time when I paint and it always makes me dissatisfied for the longest time. I start to hate a painting and think I should just trash it. Then I add color and black to the eye with a little highlight showing through and it all comes together. The eyes are the windows to the soul and until you can see them clearly, the soul is hidden. But when it is revealed it is so right.

This dachshund and grasshopper are painted on 8 x 10 watercolor paper. And since it is day 30 (I can't believe I have done this every single day for a whole month!!) this painting is for sale for $30. If you would like to buy it please email me at lauraparkhurstillustrator@gmail.com. Thanks for coming by today. Hope you can make it back tomorrow!

A Painting a Day - Day 29

Years ago I was a graphic designer. I had "settled' for that as a vocation. It made more sense than actually pursuing the dream of being an artist because I had bought into the idea that artists starve, that art is a hobby for retired people, that only rich people can be artist. Graphic designer was a job title that had a place to work and an employer.

I didn't love my job.

There were days when I would feel the frustration of working with a hard to please customer. Today I am the hard to please customer.

Even though this is not my favorite painting and the scan is not so great, this little hedgehog is cute! I wasn't sure I could paint one because they have all those spines! This was actually a suggestion from a friend and I am glad I took the challenge. I didn't have to paint every spine. Suggestion is important in art, even more so than perfect representation.

This little hedgehog is 8 x 10 and $29 for the 29th day of my challenge. If you would like to buy him please email me at lauraparkhurstillustrator@gmail.com. The first person I hear from can purchase him. Thanks for watching my art. Hope you can come again tomorrow.