Easter Basket

Easter Basket, by Mary Stebbins Taitt, take 7. Yes, I know it's a bit early, but I made this as a blog illo for a poem I wrote this morning. It is a digital collage/art piece I made by combining bits of art and photographs and then fiddling in photoshop with the resulting collage.

Two new paintings

These are small paintings done from books (How-to books) in my water media class today. Each was to teach a specific lesson. I'm sorry I did not get the names of the books. Each is 6 x 8.5 and painted by me with water colors from scratch (but following, more or less, the directions in the book afte a demo by our teacher, Charlie Myers.)

Fruit with Jug and Mug

Fruit with Jug and Mug, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. Graphite pencil
sketch on paper.

Attempting Biker Buddy Revisited

Attempting Biker Buddy Revisited, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. Click image to view larger. Pencil. Done in rapidly moving, bump-lurching car! :-(

I took an old sketch I had made of Biker Buddy--dunno if I ever posted it--and worked on it some more. A lot more. If it's around anywhere, I will link to the original. It's quite a bit different than this. The original no longer exists, as I changed it. But I MAY have a scan of it. (Well, I couldn't find the original--it may not exist, which would be a little sad, because the earlier image was very different and somewhat more cheerful.)

Climb

Climb, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. Sissy and Garryd, two characters in my children's novels, climb the Easy Beezy. This is the 4th "from scratch" painting (drawing?) I did on my new Cintiq tablet that I got for Christmas. I still haven't gotten the hang of it. For Illustration Friday theme, climb. (This is a brand new drawing that I just did today.) (I don't know if it's a drawing or a painting.--I read somewhere how to tell the difference, but I forget.)

Self Portrait in Mirror

Self Portrait in Mirror, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. This is my third attempt at a self portrait this week. It's an assignment for my water media class, which I have for 5 hours tomorrow--ten to three. With transportation, I'll be gone most of the day.

Water color. The scan is much yellower than the painting, I guess I should have tried to fix that on the computer.

The Crown Jewels

The Crown Jewels, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. A digitally altered photograph of some plant parts from the conservatory. For Mick Mather.

Self-portrail of the artist with a Hawk Skull

Self-portrait of the Artist with a Hawk Skull, by Mary Stebbins Taitt.
I am taking my second-ever water-media class and did this self
portrait in water color for a take-home assignment, but it doesn't
look much like me, even though all the parts are relatively similar.
I like it anyway (though it is not without flaws).

The Bluebird of Happiness IV

The Bluebird of Happiness IV, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. OK, I keep
fiddling with this same image, from a water color painting I did.

Abstract Assigment

Abstract with bandaids, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. Assignment for Water
Media Class. I'm not crazy about it. Part of the problem is, I used
crappy paper. Doesn't work as well. (The other part of the problem
is me.)

Self Portrait with Dream I

Self Portrait with Dream I, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. A take-home assignment for my water media class with Charlie. Click on image to view larger.

The Frog Meister (Sissy)

The Frog Meister (Sissy), by Mary Stebbins Taitt. I decided that since one of the reasons I started studying art was to illustrate my books, I would keep attempting to make book illos until I got it right. This is Sissy, the protagonist in Frog Haven (one of my Y.A. novels).

Pale (Tulips)

Pale (Tulips), by Mary Stebbins Taitt. For Illustration Friday.

This is my third from-scratch painting on my new Cintiq Tablet, brand new tonight. Sorry folks, I am very slow. This is meant to be delicate and "translucent."

Rain Forest Frog Art, p2

Rain Forest Frog Art, p2, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. These are in Dawn
D's sketchbook.

Frogs for Dawn D.

Frogs for Dawn D., by Mary Stebbins Taitt

The Bluebird of Happiness Revisted and other Moles Sketches

The Bluebird of Happiness Revisited and other Moles Sketches, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. The others are called Self Portrait of the Artist speaking to her muse (maybe it should be called listening to her muse) and "Surviving the Holidays." Click images to view larger.

My sketches lately have been a little sketchy, I think because of impending deadlines and insufficient time due to holiday commitments. (Not that they're ever that great.) These are my last three from this month and the books have been mailed.

These three were done by a combination of image-transfer and watercolor (and goauche and pen and ink in some cases). I created the originals in Photoshop (all from scratch) (well, the bluebird was from a scanned watercolor, posted earlier today). I printed them and transferred them to the paper and painted over the images. I had intended to do more of a collage type of thing, but this is what I ended up doing. I painted the bluebird page with gesso and the other two transfers were done with acrylic medium. The moles don't work well with water colors and I don't know why I keep trying.

More Bluebird of Happiness

Playing with this piece.

(I made the card for my friend Blue Rose--and for YOU!)

The Bluebird of Happiness

The Bluebird of Happiness, after Steve Emery, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. This is a quick watercolor sketch, shown alone and in the two-page spread in the sketchbook exchange book. Each sketch is about 5 x 8.5. I made a very quick pencil sketch on this one, and then quick-painted it. With the fruit and wine by night window, I did not make a pencil sketch, but just sketched with the paints.

I love Steve Emery's work, but am not really good enough to emulate it. This one is after his Woodpecker one, but not meant to be an exact copy (OBVIOUSLY!!).

Blackboard Girl, Take 3

Blackboard Girl, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. Trying to learn to post pictures directly from Leo, my Mac Leopard. I am having trouble learning to use my Mac and the new Tablet is hooked to the Mac. This was a quick sketch to practice posting.

Painting with a Brick

Painting with a Brick, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. (Self Portrait). Made with the mouse on Photoshop, which is like "Painting with a Brick." Revisited and reworked a piece from last year.

Various Sketches

Various Sketches, by Mary Stebbins Taitt, two each in my two current sketchbook exchange books.

1)Night Fishing, after"Shack Medicine," by Thomas Wood
2)First Light, after "Dawn of a New Day," by Tom Browning
3)The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg
4)The Kiss that didn't happen

The gold pieces are golder than they look in the scans.

Biker Buddy on the Couch

Biker Buddy on the Couch, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. This is my third attempt to make a from scratch painting with my new Cintiq tablet that I got for Christmas. I do not seem to be improving much! AK! There was no photo involved here, I just sat looking at BB and "painting" him directly onto the computer.

Biker Buddy Mug Sketches

Two new sketches of my hubby, Biker Buddy. One from tonight.

Les Fleurs incomplet

Les Fleurs incomplet, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. This is my second from-scratch original painting with the new for Christmas Cintiq which I have hooked up to the Mac. I also have the new CS4. I am having a TERRIBLE time with it all because the MAC is hard to use for me as a verteran PC user, CS4 is new and seems more difficult, and I am have a wretched time getting the hang of using the Cintiq. It doesn't help that I have a miserable cold and haven't been able to cleep because I can't breathe.

"The Canal"

"The Canal," by Mary Stebbins Taitt. A small water color (card)
painted for Nadine.

Ellie and Ollie are Friends

Ellie and Ollie are Friends, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. In Steve's
Moleskine, with all the purple pens from Andrea.

POW!

POW! By Mary Stebbins Taitt. Milo is on the left and I am the right
(Why am I always being violent when I believe in peace?) It just
seemed like the appropriate follow-up!