Tonight I watched the old black and white movie Night of the Hunter, which was released in 1955. I cannot say that it was one of my favorite movies, but I was interested in the fact that Lillian Gish played a cameo part at the beginning of the movie, and when the movie was half…
A Close Look at the Watercolors of John Singer Sargent-The Master of Light
For many years, I have loved the oil paintings of John Singer Sargent, but I did not fully appreciate his watercolors until May of 2017. That was when I was brought to tears by his work in the exhibition American Watercolor at the Time of Homer and Sargent at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The…
How to Create a Text Dummy for a Picture Book in Microsoft Word
A few weeks ago, I began writing a new picture book, This is how I began visualizing that new story: You can probably see that I am passionate about this book idea. You see, this is a true story. When I was a little girl, a desk was situated beneath my bedroom window. At night,…
Let’s Take a Look at Mary Cassatt’s Painting Child in a Straw Hat: A Tour of the West Wing of the National Gallery of Art
When I lived close enough to do so, I loved to go to the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, and although that museum has a vast collection, I rarely moved beyond the rooms that housed Impressionism. The rooms might have moved around a bit since then, but at the time that I last…
Color in Photoshop – A Review of the Different Modes of the Color Panel
In the above image, you see that I am using the Colors Panel in HSB Mode. H=Hue S=Saturation B=Brightness If I click from the drop-down menu, I can select another mode. Let’s look at the Color Wheel Mode or the Color Disk Following, you will see views of the Hue Cube Mode of the…
Fear Is the Artist’s Worst Enemy – It Causes Writer’s Block
Fear is the worst thing that can happen to anyone who hopes to create. Fear prevents the painter from painting, and it forces the writer to edit himself literally to death. Barbara de Angelis wrote an excellent treatise on Fear: [image credit Amazon] “Imagine that you had a person in your life who followed you…
Write First, Edit Later – Don’t Write & Edit at the Same Time
I have talked to a number of people about what they are calling Writer’s Block, but in talking about writer’s block, I believe that many are confusing writer’s block with editor’s block. In my opinion, one of the best ways to become a writer who is blocked is to insist upon editing as you write….
What Is Bravura in Painting – What Is Painterly Painting? Focus on the Oil Paintings of John Singer Sargent
For the past several years, I have focused on watercolor painting, but I began my journey as an oil painter, and one of my goals for 2021 is to begin oil painting again. Watercolor is a fragile painting medium. If you work the painting too much, your color gets dirty, and because I really like…
Randolph Caldecott – His Early Career – Published in 1886
Randolph Caldecott: A Personal Memoir OF HIS EARLY ART CAREER. BY Henry Blackburn NEW YORK: GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & SONS, 9, LAFAYETTE PLACE. LONDON: SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, SEARLE, & RIVINGTON, CROWN BUILDINGS, 188, FLEET STREET. 1886. Art CHAPTER I. HIS EARLY ART CAREER. “Randolph Caldecott, the son of an accountant in Chester, was born in that…
A Frog He Would a-Wooing Go – Illustrated by Randolph Caldecott – 1895 Edition
A FROG HE WOULD A-WOOING GO A Frog would a-wooing go, Heigh Ho…. So he set off with his opera hat…. And on his way, he met a Rat Pray, Mr. Rat, won’t you come with me…. Pretty Miss Mousey for to see. … they soon arrived at Mousey’s Hall…. And gave a…