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I have been having an absolute BLAST mixing and matching certain mythical references and combining them in new and exciting ways to produce new, unique works of art. I think what's even more fun is that I'm not even playing this fun game by myself, no sireee. My Friend, Artist Jenny Manno and I, have enlisted the help and fun of our respective Facebook Groups to play along with us and the results are sooooooo so much fun! Here are the references this week! The first one is my the amazingly talented folks over at thepicsees.com. If you don't know them you ought to!! They are amazing!!
The second reference (both chosen by Jenny this week, is this sweet bird sketch she found on Pinterest.  Personally, I needed a bit more to kick start my creativity so I added two additional references...and here are my results!  I blame my Daniel Smith Watercolors for her success, along with my giant 15" x 22" watercolor pad of Strathmore Paper. Who ever said bigger is better was RIGHT! If you'd like to see what other references I used and watch the entire process unfold I made a sweet video of the process, voiceover and timelapsed for your enjoyment (and so that it doesn't take up too much of your precious time). I hope you enjoy!
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As you may or may not know, every Friday I release a new tutorial or inspirational art video on YouTube. Today I am posting something quite different. Today I talk about a much deeper topic, what art means to me and what it means to you. Does the act of doing art take away your emotional or physical pain? Allow you to escape for a short while? Help whisk you away to your happy place? Remind you of what it feels like to be a carefree 8 year old again? Me too. Watch this week's video to learn more about how I'm hoping to use art that I teach through the Mixed Media Society to address these very important issues for the thousands of students I meet through my school. What is the Mixed Media Society? Watch the video below and find out. At 48" tall I say, "Close enough!" I love to share weekly tutorials because I know how much they can help to:
Well TONIGHT I am showing you a crazy fun mashup project I did with my friend Jenny Manno. We each pick out 2 references and then try to mash them together! Here are the reference pictures from Pinterest:  AAhhhh!! I KNOW! And...  And after splishin' and splashin' around with my spray paints for a bit I whipped out this long and lean underwater mashup of the two!!!  She is HUGE!!! I KNOW!  But I had soooo much fun making her, I didn't for a second regret piecing together those two canvases to create her. My favorite part by far was using glitter Mod Podge (like an 8 year old) WITH actual glitter, on her shimmery tail!  I mean, she is a magical mermaid after all!!! Want a peek into my process? It's as easy as clicking the play button below! This week I'm sharing my secrets making amazing, sparkling, gorgeous, LUSCIOUS LASHED girls!  Wondering about how I get the illusion of depth and sheen? Highlights and shadows? What materials I use? This week's video spills it all in entertaining 13 minutes and in just 10 easy steps!!! Watch and learn now by clicking the video below! This week's second lesson will roll out tomorrow night (and it's a HUUUUUGE and LOOOOONG, practically LIFESIZE) surprise so you'll just have to subscribe to my channel to make sure you don't miss it!
It's free (as always) so, hopefully it won't be a huge bother. You'll just be getting access to over 300 free art tutorials. Just sayin! See you there! I had so much fun running the #100funfabfaces challenge that ran for 20 weeks in the winter of this year that I'm coming back for more! I'm so happy to announce that MONDAY/MYTHICAL/MAGICAL/MASHUP has begun! This is a Fantasy Art Collab between California based artist, Jenny Manno and myself . Here's the skinny: We give you two references and we all have to mash them together to create a new Fantasy Masterpiece!!! To help you along, Jenny and I will also be filming our process so you can get different ideas of what to do or how to do it! I had to bring in a third reference to help me mash these all together and here's what I came up with! Here's what week 1 looked like!  I had so much fun I made a video so you could see the process unfold! I also made this a full length lesson in my Fun Fab Drawing Club if you want to learn how to make this while literally drawing along with me in real time! Click here to join and get access free for 30 days! And here is Jenny's!!! Isn't she insanely talented?!  HOW FUN IS THIS?!?!?!So then last Wednesday I spent completing a NEW drawing for Magical ~ Mythical ~ Mystical Mashup! This week we start with this cute little Hedgehog...  And this adorable fairy from thepicsees.com. If you haven't checked out their page you must! There art is off the charts!!!  And this ridiculous thing is what I came up with!!!  Wait, why are you laughing so hard?? Is it the bandage bra??!? My 12 year old was editing the video for it, I was desperate to cover up her you-know-whats!!!! And here I was thinking I was all clever, having it match her head wrap and all, sheesh. Here's the video if you wanna watch (and laugh along with me!) Wanna see Jenny's??!?! IT IS SO COOL!  Her drawing skills are OFF THE CHARTS!!! What do you say, are you going to give this exercise a try? Is it hard, um...YES! BUT IT IS ALSO SOOOOO SO FUN!
You'd be amazed at the fun things that people are coming up with every week!! Hope to see you in the www.facebook.com/groups/awesomeartschoolFacebook Group soon! If you don't feel like participating, that is totally cool!!! You are always welcome to simply scroll through the art - it will be sure to put a smile on your face!!! Tag me while you're there and say hello! I'm sitting here at my desk sipping a well earned Corona after spending the day at my local IKEA with 2/3 of my crew. Did I mention that my local IKEA is 2.5 hours away? I'm a glutton for punishment, I KNOW! But if you're an IKEA lover like I am, you'd probably drive 6 hours one way if that's what it took to get your paws on all that wonderfully designed Scandinavian magical plastic. I LOVE IKEA! Just sayin. I was so proud of myself for even having room left in my car after leaving!  My 3 boys are on break for 3 weeks so I'm not working as vigorously as I normally would but that being said I have a huge surprise for my Fun Fab Drawing Club Members. In addition to the new Fashion Fairy Project this month, I also added a full length tutorial on how to make this adorable Granny Fairy! Wrinkles and All! Are you thinking...what the HECK is that?!  Well, believe it or not, she came about after I polled my people in my wonderful Patreon Community and on Facebook and asked them directly what they wanted me to teach next and overwhelmingly I was told: OLD LADIES WITH WRINKLES! And I thought, "What? WHY?!" But like a good girl I do as I'm asked and the strangest thing happened while drawing this sweet beautiful lady. I LOOOOOOOOVED her!! I loved drawing all those lines! They were telling the story of her life and it was remarkable all those lines! Some were in the same direction as her eyelashes, some echoed her laugh, I loved drawing them all and I'm so tickled at the end result! This creature thingy is actually a compilation of 2 separate references, one of a Picsee, and one of an ADORABLE older lady! Want to see how they came together to form this funny creature? You can watch the making of her for yourself in the short video below! WRINKLES ROCK indeed!!! Who knew? Clearly a lot of people! lol! And now I do too 😘 To get the long version of this project, complete with PDFs of the references and 18 minute commentary and instruction, you can simply click here to enroll into the Fun Fab Drawing Club and dive right on in. You'll get this lesson, the previous original Fashion Fairy Project (pictured below), along with a 7 other complete face and figure drawing courses pre-packaged and ready to make YOU and awesome artist starting TODAY.  So what are you waiting for?
Had a CRAZY week last week!!!! Lots and lots of bad stupid stuff (broken everything: computer, shower, dryer) came crashing together with some amazing stuff as well (we got a new kitty!!!!!!!) Meet TILLIE!!!! 🐱So now Rosie and Zoe have a new sister!  and I published not one tutorial (as usual), not 2, but THREE! My apologies for sending out 2 emails in one week, I try really hard not to over-email anyone but I thought, I really do need to let you know or how else are you going to, well, know?! So here's the skinny and in case you missed it: Last Thursday I published a really free, fast and fun tutorial on how to draw a shade a fun, fab, face in 5 minutes! Then on Friday I sent out this funny how-to video for those wanting to work on their faces with LOTS of expression!!! And then today I shot out yet ANOTHER video/demo about how and why layering is CRUCIAL in your portrait work!!! That's plenty for one week, don't you think?!
Have a WONDERFUL WEEKEND!!! Three jumbo pieces of news to share with you today, ALL OF WHICH involve making YOU a better artist. So let's get right down to it. 1. Have a super fun drawing video for you today (cuz after all, every Friday I do!). In my constant effort to get us all away from the dreaded boring dead-eyed looking girl, today you'll be drawing a sultry face!!! So fun! I know! Just click HERE or the photo below to watch the free short video now! 2. The Fun Fab Drawing Club over at Awesome Art School is hopping with new drawing lessons starting TODAY. In addition to a billion projects already loaded up for you in the classroom, March's full length drawing lesson is to make THIS girl. Yep, that's right! I'm going to teach you to make this amazing Alturo Elena, Fashion inspired Fierce Fashion Fairy!!! I should maybe also mention that the Club offers a full length version of today's Sultry video as well, in case the YouTube version is a bit too speedy for you!  3. Last but not least, I STARTED MY 6TH DRAWING BOOK THIS WEEK!!! I know! I can't believe it either!! This book is going to be MAMMOUTH - a literal giant compilation of how to draw females in 4 completely different styles!!! First up? Realistic! The hardest by far which is why I'm tackling it first! Here's a little sneak peek!  And of course Rosie says helloooo to you too!! I hope this week finds you healthy and happy and well and that with all of these lessons you are having a blast while you become a better artist!!!
I don't know how the weather is around you but here in normally sunny North Carolina it is WET and COLD and RAINY! OOOOOOh so rainy! Like for 8 billion days in a row! To calm my nerves I've been doing drawing after drawing! So many in Copics, and ALLLLL of these tutorials I have lined up for you for the next many Friday's are sure to bring new skills to your fingers, new tools into your toolbox and hopefully more smiles on your faces too! Somehow my car ended up driving itself to Jerry's Artarama on Friday and buying all these Copics for future fun days, naughty car!!!! Does your car do this too?  But before I delve into some more marker drawings, I want to give you a chance to watch yesterday's YouTube tutorial on drawing this gorgeous watercolor portrait! My dear friend Claudia Finelle guest stars in this episode and shows us how to draw this beautiful smiling girl, teeth and all!! And somehow manages to make her look NOT like the Chicklet face (like the ones I draw) but sweet and pretty! P.S. Wishing you could watch ALL of my YouTube videos right away? Days, weeks and MONTHS before they are posted to YouTube? You actually can if you join my Patreon Community for as little as $5/month! For more information just visit Patreon.com/karencampbellartist
For those who have already joined, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT, IT MEANS THE ABSOLUTE WORLD ❤️ Happy Drawing!!! Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day! My husband and I celebrated by eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! He in his office on a conference call, and me, munching mine with the kids at the table.  Aaaahhhh love, ain't it grand?! Hahahaha no worries, I think since we just had our Vegas trip, we weren't too keen on spending anymore money on love! 😂We're good! This week I am continuing to have a blast practicing and teaching how to draw EXPRESSIONS!!! Cuz frankly I'm in love with drawing beautiful faces but in hate with all the dead-pan expressions that they normally wear!! What the heck is up with that! lol! If you want to learn how to make your girls have better/more/different expressions, then come join me for a fun and easy 6 minute tutorial you can watch by CLICKING HERE or on the photo link below. But grab your pencil to draw along, it's the bestest way to learn! And don't forget to have fun!!!
See you all next Friday for some more fun expression lessons as guest artist Claudia Finelle will be joining us to be teaching how to draw a smiling girl with TEETH!!! THAT LOOK AWESOME!! I KNOW! See you on YouTube! |
Karen CampbellFounder of Awesome Art School. Mixed Media Artist. Author of the How to Draw Fun, Fab Faces series and Mixed Media Magic! Archives
April 2019
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What Fans Are SayingKaren, you are absolutely fabulous! You make me feel like I can draw anything. I have recently retired and finally have the time to do some of the art that I have loved since I was in school. I am really at the beginning of my art journey and I hope to learn as much as I can. Thank you for all you do. |
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