How to Draw a Nose

Hi friends, are you ready to level up your portrait game?

Well that is super duper because I’ve got a 5 Part series coming atcha that is sure to help you out:)

Today I’ll be going over how to draw the nose from three angles, then every other week I’ll have a video on drawing eyes, lips, ears, and finally how and where to place them all on the head.

Make sure you are subscribed to the Birdie Blog so you’ll get a weekly roundup of my blog posts and YouTube vids so you won’t miss any of this series:

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12.13.2019

What To Do With Used Oil Paint

Aloha folks, I hope you find today’s video especially useful around the studio because I’ve had a surprising amount of questions regarding what to do with used paint, either as a way to extend its life and keep using it, or as how to properly dispose of it.

Lucky you because today I’m gonna cover both!

Shout out to Mike Cleland, amongst a few more, for this video idea :)

As a side note, let me please emphasize again that it is very important to dispose of oil rags + old paint properly and not in your household trash. Unfortunately, that stuff is not good to seep in the soil no matter how ‘odorless’ or inoffensive it may seem. Let’s all do our part to clean up after ourselves and love our Mother Earth while we create amazing works of art, ok?

10.11.2019

Own Your Instagram :: Part 1 :: How to Choose Great Hashtags

Welcome to Part 1 of my four part series on 'Owning Your Instagram for Artists.' I know we have all been seeing our engagement drop so while I'm trying to show my own page a lil extra love I figured I'd share some tips with my lovely YouTube fam.

The key to using successful hashtags that will actually get you noticed in a veritable sea of other extremely talented artists is doing your research and getting specific. Trust me, tags that have 5 million posts are going to get you nowhere... but with just a little patience you can find your best possible, and totally personalized, hashtags.

Tune in for tips on how to lock into your specific type of niche art subject and style to attract genuine fans:)

Tips:

• Research related hashtags (smaller is better!)

• Research a variety of themes related to your artwork specifically

• See how other similar artists are tagging

• Save multiple hashtag sets in your phone for ease of use

Here's a vid by Girl vs. Globe I found especially helpful for my own IG page:

https://youtu.be/mC7_Rr45YXs

8.17.2019

How to Write a Newsletter

Today we are going to tackle a task that every serious artist should be doing on a regular basis: writing a newsletter. I know it’s easy to think that social media posting is enough and is the best way to connect with your online audience, but it’s only half the battle.

Tune in to see why it is soooo essential for any pro artist to put out a regular newsletter, and then learn a super simple formula for engaging your readers every time. A good newsletter is like a fun lil present in your audience’s inbox so don’t look at this as bullet points of your finished ‘to do’ list, try to figure out how to make it an exciting lil story of your recent artsy adventures.

Check out this newsletter here and sign up to receive mine every month here!

Choose 2-3 Exciting/Interesting Topics

• New piece of art or product

• New venture in your art biz (ie, teaching, new social media platform, new service offered, upcoming exhibition or collaboration)

• Recent achievements

• Recent difficulties

• Recent adventures (that fit in with your audience)

The Details…

• Expand each topic into 1-3 concise paragraphs and include photos and links as needed

• Break things up into bite-sized chinks to make it easy for your audience to read and digest

• Don’t make too long/ too long winded or they won’t read next time

• Include a CTA (call to action)

• Include a PS

Tips

• Be real! Be yourself and upbeat

• Use a friendly conversational tone in 1st person

• Turn any shared difficulties into a positive learning/teaching moment

• Offer exclusive content

• Occasionally offer an exclusive deal or sale

• Include clear pics of you in action or at work on a project

• Use consistent branding throughout (more branding info here)

• Have website and other pertinent info in your footer

• If you can, gather locations of subscribers so you can tailor email blasts to them about upcoming local shows or events

I use Mailchimp for my email service, but Mad Mimi and Squarespace also offer newsletter platforms as well.

It’s as easy as that folks! And if you ever need help with your own small art biz, just fill out this quick application to see if we’d be a goof fit for a little one-on-one art mentoring via webcam.

And here’s last week’s vid all about branding and looking like a pro.

8.9.2019

Big Announcement - Workshop Teaching!

I’m super duper psyched to share that I’ve been accepted to teach an intensive figure drawing workshop this fall at the Honolulu Museum of Art School - Yay!!

I don’t have solid dates yet, but it will be a two day intensive with 6 hours each day and featuring a live model. We’ll be going over different types of light sources and the various shadows they form. For this session we’ll be using my fave toned paper to really bring the light out from the dark.

If you want to be kept abreast of this and future workshops drop me a line here.

7.31.2019

How to Paint Anything Realistically

Ok friends, I hope you came here ready to learn today because this video is chock full of tons of info that you can apply to basically any painting you’re working on that will help you depict a wide range of subjects more realistically. Yay!

I am thrilled to share with you a list of tips that are general enough to work across a large variety of subjects, but yet specific enough that if you take a little time to hone these skills you will absolutely become a better realist painter:)

I am an oil painter but these tips work with acrylic as well. Enjoy the vid and scroll down for your handy dandy realism checklist

It’s as easy as….

• Start with a clear reference image

• Create a strong drawing

• Take time to mix proper colors and plenty of them

• Go slowly - use small direct strokes with the correct sized brush

• Pay attention to the surface of the material/subject you are depicting

• Utilize multiple layers as needed

• Continue correcting until desired look is achieved - be patient!

• Feel free to give yourself/the painting/a part of the painting a break if things go awry and get frustrating; A day/week/month break can do wonders for a technical snafu

Here are some great reference vids for more detailed information:

How to Improve Your Drawing for Painting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N2fZphjt1I&t=16s

How to Make a Painting Surface + Transfer Your Drawing to Canvas:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XozulwC3fM&t=5s

How Much Oil Paint to Use:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1noq6pwHsAk&t=16s

Mixing a Light Skin Tone:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfVn2X2NpN8

Mixing a Melanin Rich Skin Tone:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVQIncWs6eY&t=217s

How to Paint Sheer Lace Fabric:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CYXlKWXXEE

How to Paint Gold Jewelry that Really Shines:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44zBEQN5MiU&t=30s

Good luck and happy painting! Remember I’m always here for some one-on-one mentoring as well.

7.19.2019

How to Paint Sheer Fabric + Lace in Oil

Painting sheer fabric and lace in oil (or acrylic) takes a tender touch for sure, but with a little patience, love, and understanding of the fabric, getting a bright rendition should not be too difficult.

Here are the paints and brushes I use in the demo. Any purchases through my link helps to support this channel. Thank you!

Round Size 2

http://bit.ly/2VQj1Ga

Fine Liner

https://bit.ly/2vyJ9eh

Angled Chisel Blender

http://bit.ly/2WUEZx0

Titanium White

http://bit.ly/2HCSZCw

If you'd like to know how to paint gold jewelry that really shines check out this vid.

… As well as how to improve your drawings (for painting):

6.21.2019

Hand Making Sketchbooks

Handmaking your own sketchbooks is so satisfying! I like to be able to choose my favorite kind of art paper plus I find binding my books on the short side makes them so much easier to use in either portrait or landscape position.

Don't feel like you have to take a million notes while watching, because lucky for you I created a super duper detailed blog post about three years ago sharing each step right here:

Part 1: https://www.caleighbirdart.com/artist-blog/the-best-handmade-sketchbooks-part-one-repost

Part 2: https://www.caleighbirdart.com/artist-blog/the-best-handmade-sketchbooks-part-two

Also, if you would like more info on getting your own handmade-with-love toned (or white) paper sketchbook pop over here to be kept in the loop for my next sketchbook release: https://www.caleighbirdart.com/handmade-sketchbooks

5.31.2019

How to Paint Gold Jewelry That Really Shines

Painting gold jewelry in oil or acrylic can be quite challenging, but with the correct bold hues and the knowledge of how soft or sharp to make your marks you can really make the jewelry on your subject shine.

I am doing my demo with gold, but using a range of white to Payne's Grey will give you the same results for painting silver or platinum.

Here are the materials I used and if you purchase any through my special links it helps to support my channel - thank you!

Brushes:

Round Size 2/0

http://bit.ly/2EvDmKV

Round Size 0

http://bit.ly/2WnnmF4

Round Size 2

http://bit.ly/2VQj1Ga

Paints:

Titanium White

http://bit.ly/2HCSZCw

Naples Yellow

http://bit.ly/2VZF16m

Yellow Ochre

http://bit.ly/2M3OIfh

Cadmium Orange

http://bit.ly/2YN6PrG

Raw Umber

http://bit.ly/2WivsPi

5.24.2019

Capturing the Light :: Real Time Figure Drawing Demo

Today I've got a real time figure drawing demo + tutorial using chalk pastel in my favorite homemade sketchbook. I've been drawing a few figures as speed demos for you in the last few months, but to really discuss how I try to capture the light I wanted to invite you to my easel while I'm actually creating the piece for a change.

Capturing the light is the most essential thing we can do as artists. It helps make our subjects pop and come to life while adding depth and perspective to our compositions. Learning how to see and express a variety of tones will create realistic forms and figures with even the most simple methods of rendering.

This is a technique that has taken me a number of years to feel successful at so think if this as more of an intermediate to advanced tutorial, however I think less experienced artists can still take away a lot from this video.

Details about the materials I use to create my figure drawings:

https://youtu.be/qUcnWwKL59g

If you would like more info on getting your own handmade-with-love toned (or white) paper sketchbook pop over here to get in on this current sketchbook release happening until May 4th!

Image Source: Croquet Cafe

4.26.2019