A Tribute to Francis...painting completed!

What's on my Easel...

Let's start at the very beginning... I met Francis one year at my friend and mentor, Deb Festa's Open Studio Art Tour. Francis was out in Deb's courtyard, greeting everyone and making them feel welcome. I didn't know Francis well, but I know that he was a warm, generous man with a huge heart. Over time, I got to know him better, as Deb would share with me about her Dad. Francis was a very creative man -- he was a photographer, writer, gardener, and he loved making and improving upon things.

Francis is no longer with us on this earth, but his memory lives on today in a single flower -- an iris. Francis evidently had a love for irises, because he had a huge iris garden. After his death, his daughter Deb, dug up some of the irises from his home, and brough them to her home to plant. Deb in her typical generous way, shared some of the irises with my husband and I, and we planted a special iris garden in the front of our home. When the first iris bloomed, it was a beauty. It's funny how a simple flower can spark so much thought and emotion, but it did and I was prompted to paint a special tribute to Francis. I'm thankful for my friend Deb, for her open arms and open heart. I'm thankful for Deb's family -- they truly are an amazing family, and I'm thankful for Deb's Dad, Francis. I think of him and I feel lifted up. He lived fully, encouraged much and was so very warm and kind. This painting is my tribute to Francis...

It was painted on the computer using Corel Painter 11 and a Wacom tablet, following traditional painting methods. the painting started with a line drawing, followed by basic color choices for the finished painting...

Once I had the basic design and color choices made, I started on the background -- yellow, to allow a nice glow to the finished piece, followed by some random squiggles...

I then blended the squiggles, added more color, and blended again to make it look like undefined flowers and leaves in the background...

Then, I started sketching out and detailing the leaves...

The next step was to block in the yellow iris and start detailing it out...

With the yellow iris in, I then blocked in the purple iris and started adding details...

With the background, leaves, yellow and purple irises painted, it was now time to tie it all together. I added some yellow to the purple iris, some purple to the yellow iris, color to the leaves where needed, and darkened the background just below the irises (to ground them).

The completed painting follows:

Memorial paintings are quite an honor to paint, and it was certainly an honor to know Francis and paint this tribute to him.

From the Jewelry Box...

I had fun making this pair of earrings for Samantha, in honor of her 30th Birthday. I needed something special to package her earrings and painted this earring card with watercolor paints on 140# Arches watercolor paper, outlined the painting with a black waterproof marker, then punched two holes to hang the earrings. Happy 30th Samantha!

©2009 Deborah Jeffrey

Today's Quote...

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." ~ Anne Dillard

It's Tuesday -- Time for Another Update...

The U.S. celebrated Labor Day yesterday. I enjoyed the holiday and tried to labor as little as possible = )

Over the holiday weekend, I set up my new computer. Yes, I am one of "those" graphic designers who uses a PC and not a MAC. I purchased a Dell Studio XPS 16 laptop with a high-def. screen, extra memory and a beefier processing system. It is powerful, fast, and is managing my software programs (Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign; Corel Painter II, etc.) quite well. I enjoyed setting it up and my first painting session leads to...

What's on my Easel...

The Tribute to Francis painting is coming along. I now have all of the primary color in and will now start to refine and work towards completion. Deb Festa, you will have your painting before the month is over!


From the Jewelry Box...
My new toy (computer) took all of my free time, so there is nothing new in the jewelry box for today. My husband's niece, Kim, is getting married Saturday, so I'm certain I'll be creating something new to wear to her wedding!

Cover to Cover...
The book is progressing nicely. I met with the author yesterday and we are in the process of deciding on a printer, (there are a few more questions that need clarification before we can make the final decision). We have decided a few things, though: the page size will be 8-1/2" x 11", the format will be landscape (wide), and the illustrations will be drawn and painted on the computer on watercolor textured paper.

The next step is to contact the printers and obtain their layout specifications. Once I have that information we can finalize the overall content of each page and I can start laying out the book and roughing out the illustrations -- yea!

Quote for the day...
"What we learn to do, we learn by doing." ~ Aristotle

Joy is an Inside Job

I've come to a bit of a realization -- while I was in the gallery in Morro Bay, I painted things that I THOUGHT (hoped) would sell to the "tourists", however I lost somewhat of myself in that. What I love to paint are what I call "Portraits of Life -- of people, pets, places and favorite things" -- in other words, things that are important and special to me and those that commission my paintings.

What's on my Easel...

It is an absolute joy to work on the "Tribute to Francis" painting. As I paint I am able to focus on Francis' life and the impact that he had. I am thankful for the beauty that he graced us with -- for the irises that fill my front garden with beauty, and for the legacy of a family in which he can be proud.

As a reminder, this is where we left off...


The painting is still in process. As I paint small sections, I see other sections that need additional attention -- like the yellow iris. Now that the purple iris is blocked in and partially painted, I see that the yellow iris is too light and doesn't have enough contrast to complement the purple iris.

I will continue working on this painting and provide you with an update next Tuesday.

From the Jewelry Box...

Since I started posting about jewelry making, I have received some requests to share my newly acquired wire wrapping skills. I have to confess, I am still pretty "green", but I love to see that "aha" moment as people learn new things, and am happy to share what I know...or what I think I know... with others. Robin was one who recently asked if I would teach her how to wire wrap. We set up a time and she came to my home, learned the basics of wire wrapping, and she made a lovely pair of reddish orange earrings. Robin is one of those creative sorts, so I can't wait to see what she will create!

I have always loved the ocean and am VERY thankful that we live on California's central coast. My latest necklace and earring design is based on the shells of the ocean and reflection of the sun on the water...


Cover to Cover...
When I started "making art," I learned that there was so much more to it than just standing in a museum or gallery and appreciating the work that someone else had created. There was the inspiration, the planning, the making the work itself. Then there are a multitude of background activities and processes involved in getting the artwork ready for presentation or sale. Well, just as I learned there is more to the artwork than just the finished product, I am learning that there is more to a book than just going to the bookstore, pulling one off of the shelf, reading it, and then setting it aside.

When asked to illustrate a children's book my mind immediately went into process mode and asked...How many illustrations? How many pages? Full color or select colors? Portrait (tall) or landscape (wide)? What is the page size? Will the illustrations go to the edge of page or will there be a margin?

Never having worked on a book before, these are questions the author and I began researching. We contacted publishers and book printers, and the information we received from them caused our heads to spin. Not really, but we realized that there is a lot involved in publishing a book.

At this point, we have determined the number of pages and the page size -- the other questions are yet to be answered. As we continue down the publishing road, I will continue to share what we learn along the way.

Until then, remember...

Quote of the day...
"Joy is not in things; it is in us." -- Richard Wagner

Cover to Cover

Happy Tuesday to you! I am very excited about today’s posting because I get to tell you about a project that has been on the backburner for a little while now, but it is now something I can share…to a degree. I will be illustrating and formatting a children’s book!

The author is local and this is her first book. The book will be a self-published, 32-page, hardcover, children’s picture book.

Since this is the first book that the author has published, we have been learning about publishing together. Because this is a totally new endeavor for me, I thought I would share the research and process involved in illustrating, laying-out, and publishing a children’s picture book… Starting with my next posting = )

At this time, I would like to thank the individuals who have offered great advice on how to approach this project. Deb Festa, for introducing me to the author of the manuscript, Fay Sirkis, for teaching me how to paint digitally, and for sharing your layout, design and illustration experience; Susan Harrison-Tustain, for teaching me how to paint watercolor portraits and for the advice about how to approach the project and publishing; Karen Sperling, for your advice about self-publishing; Stephanie Roth Sisson, for your advice about illustrating books and publishers; David, Mom and Dad, for your unconditional love and support – THANK YOU!

And now, What’s on my easel…

I have completed the dog portrait. I mentioned before that it ended up being a digital portrait, but I printed it out onto Arches 100% cotton rag watercolor paper and added watercolor paint to it. It is the first time I have attempted this, and I must say, I like it! It added that special touch that makes this a one of a kind portrait!

The Tribute to Francis painting is coming right along. The yellow flower is there, but still needs refinement and finishing touches – these will be done AFTER the purple flower is completed. The purple Iris is started and here are a couple of photos showing the progression…



From the Jewelry Box…

In my last post I mentioned a necklace idea that was inhabiting my brain. Well I must confess, the picture in my brain is not at all how the necklace turned out. I don’t have a photo of it (in it’s current state), but suffice it to say that it WILL be remade!

So as not to leave you wondering if I accomplished anything in the jewelry-making area, I did throw together a pair of black and white earrings to go with another black and white outfit.



I’m not thrilled with the design, but as Thomas Edison once said…

Quote of the day…
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." ~Thomas Edison

Give me an "E"...Give me a "T...S...Y"

Yes, I have set up shop and am now on ETSY. For those of you who are unfamiliar with ETSY, it is a website which provides small business entrepreneurs with a way to buy and sell handmade items, including art, photography, clothing, etc. If it is handmade…or vintage, it is eligible for sale on ETSY.

My shop is located at http://www.debjeffrey.etsy.com/ -- Please note that I still have much work to do to my shop – resize photos, add items, etc., but I imagine it will be an ever-evolving site. So, please stop by and let me know what you think – Thank you!

What’s on My Easel…

Well, the dog portrait has become a digital painting. I am almost done and hope to complete it tonight. If I do get permission to share the painting with you, I will include with my next post.

I worked a bit on the The Tribute to Francis. It is still slow going, but I’ll keep you informed of the process nonetheless.

This is where we left off…

And this is where we are now. The flower has been developed a bit more.

Once the basic shading and highlights are added, I will go back and add the veins and other detail.

From the Jewelry Box…

My last posting included a photo of a bracelet I made to help encourage my 11 year-old jewelry-designing niece. Well, we delivered the bracelet, some jewelry making supplies and the following business cards this weekend…
I have blurred her blog and email address -- As soon as she provides me with some photos and details about her jewely, I will provide you with the details about Jewelry Designs by Drina.

I have a necklace design occupying my brain, so by next Tuesday, I hope to have a new necklace to share with you.

Today’s Quote…
“I really have a lot of stuff in my head; if only there were insurance companies for that as there are for so many things.” -Edgar Degas

Another Blast from the Past...

I needed a Mom and Dad fix and spent a part of the weekend down in Southern California visiting my parents and sister. The visit was short, but sweet.

Once again my Mom sent me away with something from my past, but I’ll get to that after I share an update on…

What’s on My Easel…

First, the dog commission I have been working on is going rather slowly. There were some revisions made to the basic drawing, and I’m at the point where it will either be completed as a digital painting, or I will have to begin again to make it a traditional watercolor portrait…

I didn’t spend much time on the Tribute to Francis painting, so the progress is going very S-L-O-W-L-Y. I hid the purple flower, in order to work on the yellow one, and this is where I am.

I hope to have more to report on this painting soon!

From the Hope Chest…

I have no idea when I made these clay masterpieces = ) My Mom says there was a kiln at the elementary school I went to, so she is pretty sure I made them at some point during my K-6 years.

I have no idea why I made a dauschund…unless it was a beagle gone wrong. The turtle, I’m pretty sure was influenced by our ever present land turtle named General Patton. He hung out in our backyard and ate hibiscus flowers.

From the Jewelry Box...

It is hard to believe, but I have nothing to report today. I purchased the beads, but I just haven't made the next project yet. It is a bracelet for my great-niece, Drina. I learned that she makes bracelets, so I wanted to make one for her using her favorite light aqua color, and include one or more of the encouraging word beads that are so popular right now. I need to finish it by this weekend, so I'll be sure and post a photo next Tuesday.

Today’s Quote: “It took me four years to paint like raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” – Pablo Picasso

A Tribute to Francis II

Back in April I posted a message about the story behind the Irises that were growing in my garden. Well I am finally starting the painting entitled "A Tribute to Francis." This will be a digital acrylic painting and this is what I’ve done so far…

Step 1 – the drawing and composition stage…
First, I drew the irises…

Then I added the leaves, and where they would be placed for a pleasing composition.

Step 2 – the painting stage…
First, I filled the page with a flat wash of yellow (I use yellow as the background color so that it glows through the top layers).

Second, I added random marks on the page, using colors that will be incorporated into the painting at some point.

Third, I added another layer of marks

Then blended those random marks together, for a soft kaleidoscope of color

Next, I added more random marks, this time using shades of purple and yellow, where the irises will be placed.

This is the stopping point for today, but check back again soon for an update.



From the jewelry box…
Uh oh, this jewelry making is becoming addicting. I "whipped up" these earrings a week ago to go with the black and white outfit I wore to the office today!

Today’s Quote: A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. - Anonymous

A Tribute to Francis

I met Francis one year at my friend and mentor, Deb Festa’s Open Studio Art Tour. Francis was out in Deb’s courtyard, greeting everyone and making them feel welcome. I didn’t know Francis well, but I know that he was a warm, generous man with a huge heart. Over time, I got to know him better, as Deb would share with me about her Dad. Francis was a very creative man – he was a photographer, writer, gardener, and he loved making and improving upon things.

Francis is on my heart today, because he is no longer with us on this earth, but his memory lives on today in a single flower – an iris. Francis evidently had a love for irises, because he had a huge iris garden. After his death, his daughter Deb, dug up some of the irises from his home, and brought them to her home to plant. Deb in her typical generous way, shared some of the irises with my husband and I, and we planted a special Iris garden in the front of our home. The first iris just bloomed, and it is a beauty. It’s funny how a simple flower can spark so much thought and emotion. I’m thankful for my friend Deb, for her open arms and open heart. She drew me in and captured my heart. I’m thankful for Deb’s family – they truly are an amazing family, and I’m thankful for Deb’s Dad, Francis. I think of him and I feel lifted up. He lived fully, encouraged much and was so very warm and kind.

I will be painting this iris as a tribute to Francis. As I proceed with the painting, I will post it so you can see it.



For today, I encourage you to express your heart of gratitude to our great God who gives us life…and love.

Deborah