Start SOMETHING

Willie Study in watercolor and colored pencil...I posted this on facebook  
 a few days ago. A scribbled study for my student "A....", who took a good photo of Willie at a concert. I was showing her how to see color in her "tonal" photo......and have you heard
Willie's new song "What'll I Do"?.... CLASSIC WILLIE!!
Below, I mention a DIFFERENT painting of him...

One good thing I learned in my art was to just START something!..I might only have 30 minutes till the kids needed me. So I would START.... and when I had to leave, that little "start" would call to me..."HEY! Here I am...come baaaaaack"....Whereas, when I stayed up all night to finish something, then there would be such a feeling of "DONE", that it was hard to start something new, later! I once stayed up for 72 hours STRAIGHT, to finish a job for Willie Nelson...(a promo poster for one of his albums)

 My best efforts have been projects that had lots of little pieces. An idea written on a napkin. A doodle in a doctor's office scribbled on a magazine subscription card...these were taken home and tossed into an "idea box"...the 1980's version of Evernote was a shoe box :)  Eventually, the little ideas would repeat themselves and I would take the little notes out of the box to put together! SO! My advice is to "doodle" at it...START something...it will be calling to you!!! ..."come baaaaack"!

On Facebook, I am "Virginia Pedro Vaughan"

Vijay

 

Vijay  aka  V....J

This handsome man was my first model at last night's art event at Joel's Coffee House! I've been talking about this event, "Chocolate and Chiaroscuro", and invited people to brig a "life" for some "LIFE Drawing". My friend, Priti brought in her son, Vijay, who I have known since he was a newborn!  He was real fun to sketch, because he never sat still or stopped talking! I LOVE that about Vijay...he is FULL OF LIFE...just perfect for LIFE Drawing!

It is not natural for a little guy to sit for something like this, so when I finished, I honored Vijay by "dotting" him!

His name is now "V....J"

With four dots!

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Below is  my "signature" chocolate bar, by Austin Truffle Company, the chocolate company housed at Joel's Coffee House. Brad, the owner, created a special label dark chocolate bar for last night's event!

Let me know if you want one...$3

 



Maria del Presidio

Maria del Presidio___5x7 watercolor for Chocolate & Chiaroscuro

Wednesday is my first open "studio" event...if you want to call Joel's a "studio"...I DO!!!
Joel's is where I go several times a week, just to get out of the studio and the classroom. To sit with my artist buddy, or sometimes alone with a sketchbook. Robin Cheers and I solve all the world's problems over coffee, chocolate and sketchbooks...Come see some of our "coffee shop works" and enjoy a casual evening in our "studio". info below.

 



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UPCOMING EVENTS

***

NOW thru Nov. 24 -  AWA Show, RS Hanna Gallery, Fredericksburg, TX

Wednesday, November 20 - Chocolate & Chiaroscuro....and Holiday CHEER
4 to 8 pm at Joel's

an open studio event featuring V....Vaughan and Robin Cheers...and CHOCOLATE

at Joel's Coffee House, Austin
 

Solemn Shadows - Goliad

Solemn Shadows - Goliad___5x7 graphite wash__available at

 

Chocolate & Chiaroscuro

My first Open "Studio" event with artist friend Robin Cheers is WEDNESDAY.
Robin and I meet each week at Joel's to sketch, and paint and share artist life. That's how this event came to be...We always have coffee (me) and hot chocolate (her) and some of Joel's wonderful artisan truffles (both of us). PLEASE JOIN US for our first studio event!
We will be sketching anyone who wants to sit for us! An original, personal sketch makes a nice gift...we are keeping this event focused on affordable, smaller works and sketches, just right for unique gifts...We hope you can drop by

 



***

UPCOMING EVENTS

***

NOW thru Nov. 24 -  AWA Show, RS Hanna Gallery, Fredericksburg, TX

Wednesday, November 20 - Chocolate & Chiaroscuro....and Holiday CHEER
4 to 8 pm at Joel's

an open studio event featuring V....Vaughan and Robin Cheers...and CHOCOLATE

at Joel's Coffee House, Austin
 

Maestro

Maestro___ Watercolor pencil sketch

Last Spring I went to a live painting event with painting buddy Robin Cheers who had a commission to paint at the Houston Symphony. We stayed backstage and while Robin painted the symphony from peepholes and monitors, I wandered around and found a peep hole of my own to sketch from. It was so small I could only see the conductor.

Join Robin and I on November 20 for a live sketch event with lots of goodies! We'll also be sketching from life, so think about whether you would like a sketch portrait of yourself or a child...great gifts!

PETS, too!

 



***

UPCOMING EVENTS

***

NOW thru Nov. 24 -  AWA Show, RS Hanna Gallery, Fredericksburg, TX

Wednesday, November 20 - Chocolate &Chiaroscuro....and Holiday CHEER
an open studio event featuring V....Vaughan and Robin Cheers...and CHOCOLATE
at Joel's Coffee House, Austin

 

Young Artist

G....All About the Blue__10 x 8 Watercolor Pencil__$150

He is the COOLEST kid in art class! Every teacher enjoys a student that contributes... "contributes" can mean a lot of things! In this case, it's all good, because this guy, G.B. makes 2nd period art a fun class. He is not too proud to ask a tough question or to model for the art teacher! AND, he was more than willing to pose with the artwork...though I couldn't get him to smile, and that's my favorite part about G....!

 I was teaching about highlights and shadows on mid-toned paper, and G volunteered to be my subject. My sketch is "all about the blue" light coming through our windows and creating the blue highlights on his face.

When this one sells, I promised my model that he gets half for his college fund, so, I hope someone will buy it for G....!

 

 

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Below is a fun tee shirt that is only available for a couple more days!

Tee Shirt A Day is offering this one till Wednesday.

Read why this is PERSONAL for me!

ORDER a shirt from

http://www.shirtaday.com/shirt/missing-elderly/2118

Mi Mariachi

Mi Mariachi__water soluble Graphite sketch__12 x 9

Along with the watercolor pencils, this water soluble media is becoming my favorite

"doodle medium"...

I was at the San Antonio Missions (San Jose) not long ago, when the Mariachis came out of the chapel and played...loud and awesome, and the whole place (including ME!) sang along to "Cielito Lindo"...aka, "Ay, ay, ay, ay, Canta y no Llores!"

 

 

Mission Sketch and Cheery Birds

Mission San Jose Sketch

 

A few weeks ago I spent some time in San Antonio....mostly photographing, but I managed a QUICKIE sketch with a water soluble graphite stick (above)...Click image to see this one BIG...it's better bigger :)

 

Below are a couple of BIRD WORKS, by my first "guest artists" for the birdseed project!

Please let me know if you are interested in purchasing either of these! You will recognize the famous artist's name - Robin Cheers....the other artist is her mother! That explains Where R.... got her talent!!!

Please contact me if you would like to purchase one of these for the benefit of the

Birdseed Project.

 

Robin by Robin___By Robin Cheers__6 x 6 oil___available for the Birdseed Project

  

 "Sparrow" by O....Cheers__6x6___available for the Birdseed Project

 

 

 

Rhino Lounge

Rhino Lounge

Today I took my high school artists up the road to the cameron Park Zoo in Waco, for a sketching trip. Here is a quick one from my sketchbook...a lazy rhino. She had just strolled by "fast enough" that I couldn't finish a first sketch. When she turned and lay down, I did this one....Sketching sleeping figures is "cheating" in life drawing, don't you think? 



Based on Daniel

Based on Daniel

Here is a sketch from a lesson I taught this morning, while preparing some high school artists for a sketching trip to the zoo. It often makes artists uncomfortable to draw from life, because they think that the outcome is only "good" if the drawing looks like the model! I remind them that this is NOT a portrait...Daniel is my reference, but not the "story". I use him to see shapes of values, and to put parts together, but as a FAST SKETCH (this one took less than 5 minutes), I am not too concerned with the likeness....SOME of the parts (mouth, left eye...part of the nose) look like Daniels parts, but the whole only bears a distant resemblance! Given more time, I could measure and evaluate the proportions and have a better likeness, but for a reference sketch I want the students to bravely put down lines and shapes and values only!

Join me in a sketch class sometime!

 

 

Boatyard Gone By

Boatyard Gone By___10 x10 watercolor pencil sketch__$250

 

Before I get back to my BIRDSEED PROJECT tomorrow, I will post another one from my recent trip to the Texas coast...if you look real hard, there are a couple of shore birds flying here, but it doesn't count for my Birdseed Project!

 

Monday I say goodbye to my college son, Sam...I sure have enjoyed having him under foot for these weeks! He has to head back to college in Kansas...I guess I will take down the Christmas stuff and start the new year's diet!...I look forward to seeing my high school art students, as they start their second semester Monday, too!

Hate to see the Holidays "gone by", but eager to see the new year blessings ahead!

14_Little Dove

Little Dove__8x8 watercolor sketch for BIRDSEED PROJECT

 

I posted this just before I "formalized" my little project to provide bird seed to my mom's nursing home. So I have made this the 14th bird posting (officially) with the promise to only post NEW WORKS from now on!

Over the next few weeks I will focus on "wildlife" and "farms" due to upcoming show works I need to produce, but there will still be a scattering of little bird paintings! Read about the project HERE and tell your bird loving friends! If you do a search on my blog you can see all of them at once. Search "birdseed" ...

I know holidays can be tough for many, as we remember days and years and "by gones"...Tomorrow starts a NEW DAY, a NEW YEAR, that I hope will bring encouragement to all of you, my friends. May this little dove remain a symbol of peace...

God Bless you, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!



#12 Scissor Tail

Scissor Tail Flycatcher__8x8 watercolor pencil sketch__$250 includes shipping

# 12 for the Bird Seed Project

Early summer brings these scissor tails to my part of Texas....I have many memories of seeing them at the horse stables when I was a little girl, and they loved the telephone wires at our farm. Last summer I kept my camera nearby ON PURPOSE to try to get good pictures of this bird SPECIFICALLY...It was then that I found out that they are hard to shoot, because they are very wary and fly away!. Tonight I was browsing some bird photography sites, and noticed that the other photographers had pictures similar to mine: far away and sitting on a wire....

Merry CHRISTmas!

****

Ask Santa for the adventure of a lifetime!

A Painting Holiday in New Zealand March 3-9, 2015

7-Pelican PairPair

Pelican Pair ___8x8 watercolor sketch___$250 unframed. Includes Shipping

#7 in my Bird Seed Project

 

I hope you know about this special project I am doing to keep birdseed in the nursing home bird feeders! Today was the FIRST DAY that I filled the feeders with seed provided by this project...actually, I provided the big bag of seed today, and I brought my camera there to shoot the first visitors, but I forgot to snap the pictures!...ah well...I will do it soon, if someone REMINDS ME!

 So far I have posted original oil paintings, but I also am doing watercolor pencil sketches of the birds....This pair was flying by when I painted in Rockport, TX last month...Rockport is beside the Aransas Wildlife Refuge, where THOUSANDS of birds spend the winter. It's one of my favorite places this time of yer when the big flocks return.

_________________________

AND...

How about ART for Christmas?

See my new fine art prints

 http://vvaughan.blogspot.com/2012/10/son-of-sun.html 

 

or ask Santa for the adventure of a lifetime

A Painting Holiday in New Zealand March 3-9, 2015

Skull Study__demo

Skull Study__demo with watercolor pencils on paper

The photo below this one shows "step 1". Watercolor pencils are a fun medium for sketching. We are working with these in my high school art classes, and ALSO in my month-long weekly evening drawing class "Chiaroscuro and Chocolate"...tonite is the last class, and I look forward to the "new folks" who are coming!...We have had a blast! I supply the drawing materials, and a little bit of encouragement, Brad supplies the chocolate (and coffee and teas) and the artists bring their paper...

If you would like to know about this series, EMAIL ME and I will put you on the info list...we will resume again in a few weeks...maybe!...below are the locations for my other workshops...

 

_______________________WORKSHOPS_____________________

September 27__Austin___ "Chocolates and Chiaroscuro" contact V...,. 

Oct. 28-30__Texas__Full Moon at Fredericksburg Artists School, contact V...,.

2013___New York City, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania...

2014___February 23-March 1___New Zealand

**BE SURE to tell me if you sign up! I like to send things to my students to get them ready, keep them "seeing", and thinking, and talking about it!

 

Some Sophomores from Hyde Park Baptist School, Austin, TX...on Tuesday I helped this group serve at the Reveal Ministries Food Pantry...this group helped unload, and distribute 13 tons...yes TONS of food, like potatos, cabbage, carrots, onions, cereal and other things...and they sorted thousands of childrens' clothes for distribution to some of Austin's needy people...This is the "after" photo!!!... yes, they did it with a lot of JOY!!!

 

Rest of the Horse

Horse Rest__Oil Pastel study

As we explore sketching in all different methods and media, I am doing demos for each lesson. This was done with oil pastels and a mineral spirit wash...The last sketching workshop (Chiaroscuro and Chocolate) is this Thursday in Austin, TX....contact me if you would like to join us!

_______________________WORKSHOPS_____________________

September 27__Austin___ "Chocolates and Chiaroscuro" contact V...,. 

Oct. 28-30__Texas__Full Moon at Fredericksburg Artists School

2013___New York City, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania...

2014___February 23-March 1___New Zealand

**BE SURE to tell me if you sign up! I like to send things to my students to get them ready, keep them "seeing", and thinking, and talking about it!

Antler Demo

Antler Demo___For Students and Chiaroscuro and Chocolate Workshop__Sept 27
My September focus has been on DRAWING. Both in my professional workshops, my high school teaching and also with contest entries.(more on that later).
Here is a quickie demo I enjoyed doing for some high school students. They really got into this one, which I did with water soluble graphite....I hope you can zoom in to see the detail, which is quite RUGGED :)
At Thursday's drawing session "Chiaroscuro and Chocolate", I have been sharing all these cool drawing materials...this isn''t "LINE DRAWING", but my approach is very different...LET ME KNOW if you want to join us for a few hours Thursday in north Austin, TX. Cost is $30...plus chocolate fees  :)

__________________________________________ 

Here are some locations for a few of my workshops. email me if you want more info on any of these...

See this SPECIAL ONE. ...I can't wait to see the water go down the drain BACKWARDS there!

September 27__Austin___ "Chocolates and Chiaroscuro" contact V...,. 

Oct. 28-30__Texas__Full Moon in Fredericksburg Artists School

2013___New York City, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania...

2014___February 23-March 1___New Zealand

**BE SURE to tell me if you sign up! I like to send things to my students to get them ready, keep them "seeing", and thinking, and talking about it!

Brad the Chocolatier__My sketch class demo__JOIN US Wednesday!

The second installment of "Chiaroscuro and Chocolate" is THIS WEDNESDAY, Sept 12, from 6:30 - 8:30 sharp at Joel's Coffee Shop (and tea and truffles and tees!) It is a great location for sketching, talking art and enjoying some gourmet goodies!

I hope this sketch is right side up...a little glitch shows it sideways, but this is Brad, our host and chocolatier! Email me if you want to come...cost is $30 and includes tea, coffee and my drawing supplies...you supply the sketchbook!

Signed with Polenta___a sketch

Took a little diversion today when I went with my pal Robin Cheers to sketch at Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School. We sketched during a couple of cooking demos. Here, Chef Shoyer prepares Italian Polenta, which, of course we all sampled at the end....I decided to "sign" my sketch with the Polenta and my fork...starting a trend, maybe???

 

Next week's Austin sketch workshop is WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12. 6:30 - 8:30 at Joel's Coffee Shop.

email me if you want to come! vvaughan8@yahoo

Young Hat

Young Hat___a sketch at the coffee shop

OK the details are done! It's time for Chiaroscuro and Chocolate! We can add charcoal, chalk and coffee if you like!...there will be a model there, doing coffee shop things, and Brad promises to have plenty of free tea and coffee there while he fills the place with the rich aromas of fresh made gourmet chocolate. Cost is $30 each session. Includes model fees, tea coffee...email me for a suggested supply list. 

My recent longhorn painting, "The Backfield" won the "Artist Retreat Award" at the American Plains Artists National Show, which opened in Midland last week. If you are in the area, go see the show which is at the Museum of the Southwest for the next month or so.....On my "retreat", I will be visiting a working ranch "Our Heritage Guest Ranch"  in a most beautiful area of northwestern Nebraska. Painting, hiking, and generally horsing around sounds like my "thing"...CAN'T WAIT!

__________________________________________ 

Here are some locations for a few of my workshops. email me if you want more info on any of these...

See this SPECIAL ONE.

I can't wait to see the water go down the drain BACKWARDS there!

September 6, 12, 20, 27__Austin___ "Chocolates and Chiaroscuro" contact V...,. 

Sept. 15, 2012___Salado TX, Contact Belinda Walker__1 or two spots open!

Oct. 28-30__Texas__at Fredericksburg Artists School

2013___New York City, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania...

2014___February 23-March 1___New Zealand

**BE SURE to tell me if you sign up! I like to send things to my students to get them ready, keep them "seeing", and thinking, and talking about it!