Bedroom + Print Sale








1. My trusty computer with a girly desktop, some poster sized prints of my paintings and fabric swatches on my bedroom wall.
2. 'true love' poster print and floral halo that i made a long time ago.
3. A printed tote bag which is a one-off for sale in my etsy shop. 
4. My favourite vintage dress of all time, which used to belong to a distant relative and is unfortunately just a tad bit too small for me.
5. The way the desk looks today, with sun shining through my crochet curtain.


p.s.!!!!

At the moment i'm trying to get rid of some excess stock -
which means it's your lucky day because all prints are %20 off in my etsy shop! Just enter the coupon code HOORAY to get your discount.
Oh, and a limited number of the Audrey Grace lookbooks are back in stock too!

Monday




- twin peaks casette tape found on ebay three years ago.
- Diary.  Goodbye Dairy, hello substitutes.
- a trading card featuring the smoking man from the x-files.
- Map of Norway fabric, which i'm going to sew a dress out of.

A hierarchy of Forms

By
Armand Cabrera


A hierarchy of forms is an important step in representational painting. Keeping the big forms apparent after the application of details is necessary for a successful painting. Primary, secondary and tertiary forms must preserve their relative importance.

The idea for Primary forms is a simple one. At its root all forms have a base structure that shows the effects of the overall light and shape without any details. Painting this correctly gives a sense of volume and weight to everything. Seeing this imposed construction on natural objects helps nail down this effect from the very beginning of a painting or drawing and locks in the big idea for the image quickly. Often times this is overlooked for the details of an element which can ruin the significance of the object in the overall scene.



To quote Harvey Dunn, “You must make the main thing in your picture appear most important. If anyone tells me my hat is more important than my head –by God I’m taking off my hat.”



Secondary forms complement the primary form but never obscure it. An example in landscape painting would be a hillside of trees seen from a distance. The shape of the hill would be the primary form and the trees the secondary forms enhancing the character of the hill but not confusing its overall shape. It must always read as a hill. The way you would paint the light falling on the hill would be paramount and you would always subordinate the details of the trees to that effect.



Tertiary forms would be the individual trees on the hillside; you may choose to add enough details to some of these to create interest for the viewer but again they should always compliment the larger forms not obliterate them.This idea applies to anything- portraits, still life, figures or landscapes and is an essential tool in preserving the sense of solidity in your pictures.

Babies

A line-up of polymer clay babies, ready to be turned into brooches.
Perhaps i should give each one a name.









Théo van Rysselberghe : Lady in White (Portrait of Madame Helene Keller) 1907


Théo van Rysselberghe (1862-1926) est un peintre belge.



An assortment of pink things on my desk today.

- fabric samples on silk crepe de chine and cotton twill. Would anyone reading this like to wear a dress printed with my drawings?
- trickery in the form of paintwater that resembles strawberry milk.
- polymer clay babies which will soon be turned into handcrafted brooches.



bedroom studio





Many thanks go to Nicole from BoysWithBanjos for featuring my studio space (cough cough, paint-stained desk and dimly lit bedroom) on her blog! (more photos there.)
Does anyone else here work from the confines of their bedroom? I'm always dreaming of a large white loft with an abundance of natural light, but my bank account says a very stern 'no!' and i've not got a sugar daddy to pay all my bills. ha!

Sergei Solomko : Medieval Ceremony

Carolus-Duran : La Dame au Gant 1869


Charles Émile Auguste Durand (ou Durant) dit Carolus-Duran (1837-1917) est un peintre français.

Carl Larsson : Lisbeth Leyendo 1904

Plein Air Article

by
Armand Cabrera


This will be a short post this week after skipping last week, I will be back to my regular schedule next week.

I am happy to announce the current issue of Plein Air Magazine (February/March 2012) has a three page article about me and my work. I was interviewed by editor-in-chief M. Stephen Doherty for the piece and it includes images of five of my paintings.

Society 6


Hey Guys!

I've finally got around to setting up a Society 6 online shop.
A selection of my older works (all pre 2011) are now available as as t-shirts, framed and un-framed prints, iphone cases, laptop skins, and canvases. Print prices start at around $15 and tees are only $18!

http://society6.com/caitlinshearer

Help support me in my attempt to fund and release a capsule collection of garments made with illustrated textiles and give one of these girls a good home. ♥ (Actually, i don't know if i've mentioned that project on the blog before... i'll talk more about it later - big plans for 2012!)




Behind the scenes with Kelsey Genna

Last Thursday i had the pleasure of catching up with my beautiful pal, Kelsey Genna, on the day of her Valentines collection shoot. I snapped over three hundred photos, some of which i'm sharing here. Never having been to a photo shoot before, it was quite an exciting experience. Bright lights, cameras, makeup! Such a world away from what i'm used to - solitude and sheets of white paper.

Kelsey's new collection, which was released to coincide with Valentines day, is akin to a box of bon-bons - a fanciful assortment of romantic dresses in red, white and pink - ruffled, studded with flowers and unabashedly girly. I've already got my heart set on the red rose dress - it's just divine!

Kelsey is visiting Sydney for two weeks to show at Fashion Exposed and we've been enjoying high tea, strolling through the botanic gardens, gushing over poodle sequinned blouses in the miu miu store, losing gold coins on skill tester video games and having a wonderful time.
I admire Kelsey so much -as a young fashion designer she runs her own label from home in New Zealand, (handcrafts each piece to fit the wearer) and top top things off, is incredibly sweet and enchanting. If you aren't already in love with this girl, then hop on over to her website, where you can view the valentines dress collection in it's entirety and maybe even purchase one! I'm sure in these dresses you'll no doubt be able to capture the hearts of many.

p.s. The studio where we shot at even had it's own resident kittens! I think i got a bit carried away chasing them around the studio, trying to do my best 'cat whispering'. (Wish i could remember what breed they were - alas, my memory fails me.)