Brand New Channel Intro

Just uploaded a brand new intro for my YouTube channel! I hope it gives a really full view at the value of my channel, please have a lil looksy and tell me what you think:)

The Spiel:

Are you an artist or creative with goals of perfecting your craft while furthering your artistic career? Do you enjoy being inspired by the amazing natural world around us?

Well then welcome to the Nest, you're gonna fit right in!

I am extremely passionate about helping fellow artists and since I've been practicing and teaching fine art skills for a number of years all while steadily growing my own art biz, I've got loads of helpful tips and advice for anyone ready to become a fully actualized professional artist.

Thanks for checking out my channel! I hope you learn a whole lot!

6.26.2020

Real Time Skull Painting Demo

Enjoy this real time painting demo of a skull today. I am using oil paints on a homemade linen-faced painting block. It's great practice to draw and paint the human skull because it helps break down the structure and components of a face for portrait drawing that you normally wouldn't see.

Here's Part 2 of the live painting Skull demo: [It’s also a great place to jump right in just before I do major work on the facial structure]

Materials:

Any supplies purchased through my special links help to support this channel. Thank you!!

Oil Paints:

Titanium White: https://bit.ly/2Uqiugo

Naples Yellow: https://bit.ly/2UKShbB

King’s Blue Light: https://bit.ly/3denDhW

Napthol Red: https://bit.ly/2WO7DP7

Raw Umber: https://bit.ly/2xrsAF5

Payne's Grey: https://bit.ly/3arumV1

Odorless Mineral Spirits: https://bit.ly/2vhDrA1 \

Brushes:

Da Vinci Trio Brushes (size 1 round, 4 bright, 4 filbert): https://bit.ly/312TCiO

Da Vinci Size 2 Round Brush: https://bit.ly/3diLEEK

Da Vinci Size 2 Filbert Brush: https://bit.ly/2NdkwMv

Da Vinci Size 0/2 Round Brush: https://bit.ly/2CqUxiK

If you’re curious how I made this linen painting panel, check out this older vid that details my process.

And make sure you’re subscribed to my channel because I have two other skull paintings coming out in timelapse video style!

6.20.2020

How to Get Over the Fear of Sharing Your Art

Are you afraid to show your art online? Facing and overcoming your fear of sharing art is important in order to grow as an artist and creator. Even though the risks of sharing art online (such as no likes/comments or someone stealing your idea), the benefits of sharing artwork online far outweigh them.

Everyone has to start somewhere, and no one is great off the bat, so take today's artist tips to help you break out of your shell and begin to share your gift with the world!

Resources:

How to Photograph Artwork Using Natural Light: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSQJWVlTDvg&t=2s

How I create my figure drawings: https://youtu.be/qUcnWwKL59g https://youtu.be/OlMi5izeBaM

Original drawings available in my Shop

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.

Croquis Cafe Figure Resources (18+): https://modelindexdatabase.smugmug.com/

My Drawing Supplies (any purchase helps to support my channel, thanks!)

Kneaded Eraser: https://bit.ly/2VC4qBB

Map Eraser: https://bit.ly/2wgzoop

Mono Zero Eraser: https://bit.ly/3885Fej

White Chalk Pencil: https://bit.ly/3d3COLh

Steel Grey Carbothello Pastel Pencil: https://bit.ly/2YIvbED

Deep Purple Carbothello Pastel Pencil: https://bit.ly/2XTkGPk

Raw Umber Carbothello Pastel Pencil: https://bit.ly/30zLfL8

6.12.2020

Using a Resin Mold for the First Time

My first time using a resin mold and I’m sharing the experience with you! Since I already had collected and pressed plenty of lovely ferns and leaves, I decided to mainly focus on casting the resin with dried plants, which is one of my favorite ways to accent my 3D layered resin paintings in general anyway. Using this resin mold for some of the extras was just a bonus in every way!

If I can ever find an excuse to collect and dry more ferns I am more than happy to do so!

I hope you enjoy learning about how to use a resin mold today, I was really delightfully surprised at just how easy and straightforward it turned out to be:)

Snag some original layered resin art from my Shop!

My fave resin brand: https://www.artresin.com

And the silicone mold I just found on EBay; there are about a thousand different brand-new molds all ready to ship from China on there if you look around.

How to Pour Layered Resin Art: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxmP_I9gEvM&t=415s
5.29.2020

Elevator Pitch for Artists

Do you know why it is important to have an elevator pitch as an artist? Do you have one prepared right now?

If the answer to either question is no then pull out your pen n paper and get ready to spend some of that quarantine time practicing being your best, most exciting, artsy self in front of a mirror!

This is important because you want to make sure that when you have the opportunity to talk with someone who could help boost your art career, or show your work at a gallery or art fair, or maybe even offer you a grant or artist residency, you sound confident, capable, and collected enough to make an excellent first impression in a super short amount of time.

Elevator Pitch Steps

1. Your name + main medium

2. Your mission + how you perform it

3. Why they should care

4. Ask lead-in question

5. Develop contact plan

Tips + Strategy

• Be concise but exciting

• Speak conversationally but with a few interesting adjectives

• Remember it’s a pitch, not a monologue

• Practice, practice, practice until it sounds totally natural

• Have a business card + art examples ready

• GIVE THEM A REASON TO CARE!!!!

Happy pitching friends!

Hey, if you’d like a career artist to help get started or to run your pitch by and help brainstorm improvements, I’m always here for one-on-one mentoring. Check out my super low temporary pandemic rates here.

5.15.2020

Mirror Self Portrait

Now this mirror self portrait was a fun one to create! It is a serious exercise in really trusting in yourself to please your toughest critic - yourself!

Drawing a self portrait is something I haven't done since grad school and I am quite excited to share this process demo, including not just a timelapse of my drawing, but letting you in on how I had things set up in order to get the up close camera shots that are literally between me and the mirror.

Here are the materials I use to draw. If you purchase anything through my special links (even if you choose different colors!) it helps to support my channel so thank you!!

White Chalk Pencil: https://bit.ly/3d3COLh

Parisian Blue Carbothello Pastel: https://bit.ly/2KNxmjD

Pencil Extender: https://bit.ly/2uCRQqC

Kneaded Eraser: https://bit.ly/2VC4qBB

Map Eraser: https://bit.ly/2wgzoop

Mono Zero Eraser: https://bit.ly/3885Fej

And I don't remember the brand of this paper but this is my other fave kind for use with pastels or charcoal: Canson Me Tienes in Steel Grey: https://bit.ly/3f8uqff

Make sure to tag me on Instagram if you create your own mirror self portrait - I'll share it in my story!! @caleighbirdart

5.1.2020

My Artist Residency During the Coronavirus

What a time to be alive right?!

I've recently returned from a five week artist residency on a small farm in rural Tennessee, and while I had a wonderful time with the miniature donkeys and generous chickens, it was a very strange feeling knowing that the Coronavirus was just beginning its unprecedented infiltration of the entire world.

Camp Wonder Wander, hosted by artist and entrepreneur Val Sloan, provides a quiet and beautiful space for artists, writers, and musicians to come and focus on their craft in a an environment not bogged down with the complications and distractions of normal everyday life.

As part of the artist residency, we help out with the animals and find ways to add to the enchanted experience of the next residents by leaving a piece of ourselves here in the form of whatever art we choose. I decided to entirely repaint the shared bathroom with a potted plant mural. (See the full mural vid here. )

Even through the current state of affairs I had a really wonderful stay and was able to explore many different art forms in a short amount of time. It was also really delightful to watch spring come in everywhere throughout the rolling hills of Tennessee.

4.19.2020

Potted Plant Bathroom Mural

My first full room mural! As a part of the artist residency at Camp Wonder Wander in Tennessee, each artist is asked to leave a piece of themselves behind in whatever form inspires us. In the artist quarters the walls are all painted very colorfully and feature lots of beautiful silkscreens and photographs, but the bathroom felt a little unfinished compared to the rest of the house.

After brainstorming for a few days on what I could do with all the little nooks and crannies that this adorable room provided, I decided I could open up the space with a few trompe l’eiol shelves and lush potted plants. If you’d like to see still shots from this mural, as well as what the space looked like before, pop over to this blog post from last week.

If you enjoyed seeing this mural come to life, make sure you are getting the Birdie Blog sent to your inbox because I am actually working on two more murals concurrently right now (one’s a beach scene with a little jungley bit and the other is for a music room) and I’ll be coming out with videos for both of them soon!

4.11.2020

Quarantine Couch Collaboration

Aloha friends I've been working on a big collab for you! I've asked five of my super hardworking and inspiring sister artists to talk about how this global pandemic and social distancing has affected their art business and what they are doing to push through and stay positive.

These women are seriously skilled artists who make part to all of their income through their art-making so they have real world experiences to share and super valid (and luckily bright!) points that can really help keep the rest of us afloat as well. Enjoy!

Definitely find my sisters on social media and give them a lil Hooray, great job! shoutout :)

Find them all here (in order of appearance):

Alithia Gomez @artbyaligo Art By Ali Go YouTube

Sarah Sweeney @sarahannsweeney Sarah Sweeney Designs Etsy

Dané @jetheadedgypsy JetHeadedGypsy.com Jet Headed Gypsy YouTube

Seana McCarthy @theillustratr The Illustratr Etsy

Vee Stein @stephaniesteinphoto Vee Stein Photography Patreon StephanieSteinPhotography.net

Coronavirus :: Artist Tips for a Global Pandemic

Well folks, I would have to say we are pretty much smack dab in the middle of the most uncertain of times... who would have thought that the biggest enemy of 2020 is shaping up to be human contact?!

The good news is that you are absolutely not alone and so many other artists are having to brave and navigate this strange new COVID-19 world right along with you. You know I've firmly believed that we can all work together as artists to come up and now it's imperative we do so to rise above as well.

You've got this. I promise.

Go learn some new skills! Free Skillshare membership for two months here!

Get 20% off my entire Shop while supporting this lil Bird:) Use code PANDEMIC

Helpful Resources:

https://www.varsitytutors.com/

https://www.makingsenseofcents.com/2019/11/online-tutoring-jobs.html

https://www.fiverr.com

https://onairvideo.com/model-index

Own Your Instagram for Artists: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEiBtAnS58WG2Mz2vPsOkSp1IYMGld_a7

Real time painting of part of this hand: https://youtu.be/8kfUf7CnjWI

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Yep, I'm available for art mentoring via webcam! I'm happy to help fellow up-and-coming artists with anything from technique to small business advice, as well as with perfecting your portfolio or thesis. **See my lower pandemic rates**

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Art supplies purchased through these links help support my channel:):)

Golden Taklon Brush Set: https://bit.ly/2JiEfIH

Canvas Pad: https://bit.ly/2UM5C3c

Titanium White: https://bit.ly/2Uqiugo

Naples Yellow: https://bit.ly/2UKShbB

Yellow Ochre: https://bit.ly/2vTIlE8

Cadmium Orange: https://bit.ly/3dAtRdl

Napthol Red: https://bit.ly/2WO7DP7

Burnt Sienna: https://bit.ly/39qVu5s

Raw Umber: https://bit.ly/2xrsAF5

Turquoise: https://bit.ly/2QQ84EU

Payne's Grey: https://bit.ly/3arumV1

3.28.2020