Celebrate International Artist Day

October 25th is "International Artist Day" and to celebrate, I am having a 20% off sale at my ArtFire shop now through October 25, 2009. You don't need to be a registered member to purchase anything. My 5x7 prints are on sale for $8 each (regularly $10) and my 8x10 prints are on sale for $14.40 each (regularly $18). There are 29 paintings to choose from!

Aloha and Have a Warm and Sunny Day!
Marionette

Facebook Art Competition Entries

Feeding Time Original Watercolor with Pen & Ink

Autumn in Paradise Original Watercolor with Pen & Ink

I was recently invited to participate in The First Annual Autumn Arts Painting Challenge and Competition on Facebook by my good friend and amazing artist, Jean Levert Hood. I knew this would be a challenge for me since we don't really have an "Autumn" here on Kauai. So, I decided to interpret this challenge in my own way. I painted "Feeding Time" using fall colors like yellow, orange, and violet, and "Autumn in Paradise" is my version of a quaint little beach cottage that one may visit during the fall months. We do have pumpkins here on Kauai and plenty of chickens!

More about this event: We invite you to enter the excitement and the artistic adventure of October's autumn season of colors. Art works may be representational, impressionistic or abstract. Capture your chosen subject with the media of your choice.

All paintings MUST BE NEW & ORIGINAL WORKS of ART painted during the month of October, 2009. They also must be created without the aid of a teacher and not done in a workshop or any usage of someone else's photographs or magazine/book photographs. They must be totally of your own idea & concept from beginning to completion.

You will have till October 31st to post your entries, although you may post each piece as completed throughout the month. ONLY three (3) submissions per artist.

It's totally free to enter and they have some fabulous prizes lined up. You do need to be on Facebook in order to participate. You can find me on Facebook at http://artist.to/Marionette .

Happy Autumn and Happy Painting,
Marionette

One Hour Pastel Demonstration

Aloha! This is a little painting demo that I would like to share from my September newsletter.
This painting of my secret fishing spot on Kauai was done using one of my reference photos, and it took me roughly an hour to create once I had my supplies set up. Speaking of supplies, this is what I recommend: Pastels - I suggest using the highest quality (meaning highest priced) soft pastels that you can afford. I used Rembrandt pastels in this demo, but I also often use the lesser expensive Faber-Castell brand. Paper - I use a hard-to-find Hahnemuhle velour paper because I love the soft/fuzzy texture that allows multiple layers of pastel. The final painting will be a little fuzzy, but I like this effect! Soft Pastel Pencils - I use Gioconda pencils for fine details as well as a very soft (6B) charcoal pencil.


Next, I cut and tape my paper down to a masonite board using masking tape and overlap the edges of the paper by about 1/4". I then study my photo and start picking out my main colors and place them on a plate or container for easy access, and I am ready to start my next work of art!


I paint with my pastels very similar to how I paint with acrylics. Since they are opaque and take layering very well, I start by blocking in the main areas of the painting with the desired color. I don't worry about details at all in this stage. I just want to get the main design of the painting worked out. Once this is done, I can start layering in more of the details.

As the painting comes closer to being complete, I get out the pencils and add the final details. Next, I add my signature and then a few light coats of a fixative spray and I'm all PAU (means finished in Hawaiian)! Hope you have enjoyed this demo.

Prints (5"x7") of this painting can be purchased online at my Etsy Gallery for $10 each plus s/h. If you are interested in purchasing the original painting, please call me at (808) 631-9173 or send an Email to Marionette@kauai-artist.net.