So lately I've been working on a few different art "series" -
1) Colored pencil drawings. Usually 5"x7" in size, usually on black paper, usually using flowers as a subject matter. I have literally hundreds of photographs of flowers I've taken over the years - from bouquets of flowers to gardens in Massachusetts, Virginia, Upstate New York, California, Michigan, Monaco, France, Italy, Greece, Croatia, etc. I use these photos as a basis for these colored pencil drawings.
Lately I have also started to branch out from that 5"x7" black paper medium, and have been working on 8"x10" drawings on black paper, as well as 5"x7" drawings on tan-toned paper.
2) Small watercolor paintings of patterns. I have a large collection of patterns I've created on my computer (in Adobe Illustrator). I print these out, trace them onto 4"x6" or 5"x7" or 8"x10" pieces of watercolor paper, choose a color palette (i.e. "blues and dark greens" or "oranges and yellows" or whatever), and paint them.
You can find several examples of these two types of artwork at my Etsy shop. Indeed, I've created these smaller pieces with Etsy in mind. They're cheaper than my larger works and easier to ship. They're great for home decor. They're not overly laden with meaning. (Yes, I think of my thesis and other previous works I've done that have used flowers and patterns when I create these new pieces. But no, that is not *necessarily* the interpretation I'm going for - nor do I usually intend much of an interpretation at all.) I'm just trying to make things that look nice - to help me hone my craft, to make a little bit of "quick money." (It's not really quick.) They're fun to make. They're fast to make, so I don't have a lot of time to get all bent out of shape about whether something is working or not.
3) I'm also working on those 2 larger watercolors of roses that I talked about in a previous entry.
4) I recently purchased some 12" square canvases that were on sale at Michael's and plan to make some acrylic paintings with those soon. I have compositions already for that size that I created with scrapbook paper designs in mind, and I think they'll look great as paintings instead. I haven't done much acrylic since like freshman/sophomore year of college, but I did always enjoy it, and I'd like to get back to it.
5) I also have the idea swimming around in my head about making a memoir/graphic novel type thing. A book that combines artwork with my words - perhaps words taken from the journals I write and have written over the years. I have about zero experience with graphic novels, but there are some I've stumbled upon that I really enjoyed reading, like Marbles. I'm thinking of something like that, but not really cartoons and more of small-scale watercolor paintings or colored pencil drawings that capture the essence of what I'm saying - maybe by using flowers as metaphors for myself.
But that's still in its conceptual idea stage, and probably will be for some time, while I work on all those other projects I already have going.
Because ALSO, in addition to all that art, I've been writing a series of novels. So I'm a little busy. ;)
1) Colored pencil drawings. Usually 5"x7" in size, usually on black paper, usually using flowers as a subject matter. I have literally hundreds of photographs of flowers I've taken over the years - from bouquets of flowers to gardens in Massachusetts, Virginia, Upstate New York, California, Michigan, Monaco, France, Italy, Greece, Croatia, etc. I use these photos as a basis for these colored pencil drawings.
 |
| "Yellow Rose" by Andrea Arbit - 5x7 Colored Pencil Drawing on Black Paper |
Lately I have also started to branch out from that 5"x7" black paper medium, and have been working on 8"x10" drawings on black paper, as well as 5"x7" drawings on tan-toned paper.
2) Small watercolor paintings of patterns. I have a large collection of patterns I've created on my computer (in Adobe Illustrator). I print these out, trace them onto 4"x6" or 5"x7" or 8"x10" pieces of watercolor paper, choose a color palette (i.e. "blues and dark greens" or "oranges and yellows" or whatever), and paint them.
 |
| "Pattern Encarta in Blue, Pink & Purple" by Andrea Arbit - 5x7 Watercolor Painting on Paper |
You can find several examples of these two types of artwork at my Etsy shop. Indeed, I've created these smaller pieces with Etsy in mind. They're cheaper than my larger works and easier to ship. They're great for home decor. They're not overly laden with meaning. (Yes, I think of my thesis and other previous works I've done that have used flowers and patterns when I create these new pieces. But no, that is not *necessarily* the interpretation I'm going for - nor do I usually intend much of an interpretation at all.) I'm just trying to make things that look nice - to help me hone my craft, to make a little bit of "quick money." (It's not really quick.) They're fun to make. They're fast to make, so I don't have a lot of time to get all bent out of shape about whether something is working or not.
3) I'm also working on those 2 larger watercolors of roses that I talked about in a previous entry.
 |
| 2 Rose-Themed Watercolors in Progress by Andrea Arbit (each 15"x22" in size) |
4) I recently purchased some 12" square canvases that were on sale at Michael's and plan to make some acrylic paintings with those soon. I have compositions already for that size that I created with scrapbook paper designs in mind, and I think they'll look great as paintings instead. I haven't done much acrylic since like freshman/sophomore year of college, but I did always enjoy it, and I'd like to get back to it.
5) I also have the idea swimming around in my head about making a memoir/graphic novel type thing. A book that combines artwork with my words - perhaps words taken from the journals I write and have written over the years. I have about zero experience with graphic novels, but there are some I've stumbled upon that I really enjoyed reading, like Marbles. I'm thinking of something like that, but not really cartoons and more of small-scale watercolor paintings or colored pencil drawings that capture the essence of what I'm saying - maybe by using flowers as metaphors for myself.
But that's still in its conceptual idea stage, and probably will be for some time, while I work on all those other projects I already have going.
Because ALSO, in addition to all that art, I've been writing a series of novels. So I'm a little busy. ;)
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