27/10: Hunting in South Dakota
Craig & Me (Craig used a 45-70 trap door buffalo rifle)
Craig and I just returned from a buffalo hunt in Custer State Park, located south of Rapid City, in South Dakota. We were also there on a vacation last May, when Craig asked a park ranger if hunting was allowed. He got the information, applied for the hunt over the summer, and was drawn in the lottery in August. He was one of about 25 hunters allowed to take particular bulls and cows during herd management hunts, staged in October and November. Craig's bull was only about two years old but already weighed about 1000 lbs.! It was an exciting hunt with herd master, Chad Kramer (shown with Craig below).
I was the "camera crew" and filmed everything with our new Panasonic digital movie camera, a Canon AE-1, and a Canon digital. The meat was processed at the Black Hills Meat Company in Hot Springs. We packed it in large coolers with dry ice. The head and hide were placed in a chest freezer with dry ice. Yes, Craig's truck was large enough to accomodate all of this, plus our luggage and hunting gear!
While waiting on the meat, we spent three days sight-seeing. We wanted to revisit Spearfish Canyon (including Roughlock Falls shown above) and Deadwood, where we saw the graves of Wild Bill and Calamity Jane. We also spent time in downtown Rapid City, enjoyed the warm weather outside Seattle's Best Coffee, and spent the day discovering gift and antique shops. I especially loved the Sioux Trading Post, Prairie Edge Gift & Art Gallery, and the Staple & Spice Store (great organic, bulk food and teas!). Rapid City has a sidewalk sculpture on almost every corner. Some are inspired by the local native American heritage, such as the sculpture below.
An on-going project is all the US presidents. They try to add a new one as their donations allow. George Washington is shown below. It was a great trip, and I would recommend this area of South Dakota as a "must see" for anyone!
10/10: 80th Birthday Party
Category: Up Close & Personal!
Posted by: debra
My mother-in-law, Pat Henkener, turned 80 on September 30 and we threw a surprise birthday party for her at our place (inside Craig's mancave) on October 3rd. Had all the goodies (including cake and ice cream and pie), decorations, and most of the family. Thought I'd share some photos, especially for the benefit of other family members who could not attend. (And you know who you are!)
L to R Standing: Gene & Arlene Miller, Dawn & Keven Kelly, Tim Kelly
Sitting: Pat & George Henkener and Joann Kelly
Pat & George with Great-Grandchildren: Chase Soliday (age 5), Taylor Elshoff (age 17), Gage Henkener (age 8), and Emmitt Henkener (age 5) (Two more...Vincent & Anthony Babu are in Texas!)
Pat & George with their children, L to R: Craig & me and Kim & Melanie Henkener
Pat & George with Grandchildren, L to R: Brian Henkener (Kim & Mel's son), Mike Henkener (our son), and Angie Elshoff (our daughter)
Brian Henkener, Libby Henkener (Mike's wife), Lance & Kris Soliday, and Angie Elshoff.
L to R Standing: Gene & Arlene Miller, Dawn & Keven Kelly, Tim Kelly
Sitting: Pat & George Henkener and Joann Kelly
Pat & George with Great-Grandchildren: Chase Soliday (age 5), Taylor Elshoff (age 17), Gage Henkener (age 8), and Emmitt Henkener (age 5) (Two more...Vincent & Anthony Babu are in Texas!)
Pat & George with their children, L to R: Craig & me and Kim & Melanie Henkener
Pat & George with Grandchildren, L to R: Brian Henkener (Kim & Mel's son), Mike Henkener (our son), and Angie Elshoff (our daughter)
Brian Henkener, Libby Henkener (Mike's wife), Lance & Kris Soliday, and Angie Elshoff.
10/10: Perfect Bug Holes
Category: Free Lessons
Posted by: debra
How the heck do they do that? Have you ever asked yourself that question when you're trying to figure out how someone painted something? Isn't it funny that "Bug Holes" could easily qualify as something we really want to learn how to paint! And it's also funny to realize that an ugly blemish can be the key to enhance, create interest, and make your leaf painting more realistic. And it should help you to know that big holes are really fun to paint! I'm sure there are many different ways to paint them, but I've found these steps to be quick and easy:
1. After you have finished painting a leaf and it is dry, use a damp round or ultra-round brush (Loew-Cornell) to remove a small spot of paint. Dab the spot with a dry towel to lighten the area even more. (Try using a small stencil that has tiny leaf shapes or just interesting, natural shapes in it. Lay the stencil on the leaf and use the damp brush to loosen and remove the paint inside the stencil shape. Lift the stencil and dab with a towel.)
2. Pick up a little dark value Burnt Umber and outline the little spot. You can make the spot perfectly round, but I prefer to add a little indentation here and there. (If you use a stencil, your shape might already be irregular, which is good.)
3. Wash out your brush, dab on a towel until the brush is damp, then soften the outside edges of the Burnt Umber. Sometimes I soften all the way around and sometimes I only go half way. It's up to you. Both ways will look fine.
4. Pick up a little Burnt Umber mixed with Ultramarine Blue (makes black or very dark blue). Add a few touches of this to a couple of areas around the spot. You can soften this a little with a damp brush or leave it sharp. Use your own judgement.
5. I sometimes add little dots around the hole (with Burnt Umber or black) and in other areas of the leaf, to create interest. If these appear too harsh, just dab them with a towel to soften.
6. I also fill the hole in with black occasionally. It becomes a black blemish on the leaf.
7. You can also use the technique above to create a dead edge on a leaf. Or maybe your bug hole is half-moon shaped and located right on an edge. Get your creative juices flowing and experiment! Let me know how your leaves and bug holes turn out!
Next Lesson - Painting with Sponge Bob!
1. After you have finished painting a leaf and it is dry, use a damp round or ultra-round brush (Loew-Cornell) to remove a small spot of paint. Dab the spot with a dry towel to lighten the area even more. (Try using a small stencil that has tiny leaf shapes or just interesting, natural shapes in it. Lay the stencil on the leaf and use the damp brush to loosen and remove the paint inside the stencil shape. Lift the stencil and dab with a towel.)
2. Pick up a little dark value Burnt Umber and outline the little spot. You can make the spot perfectly round, but I prefer to add a little indentation here and there. (If you use a stencil, your shape might already be irregular, which is good.)
3. Wash out your brush, dab on a towel until the brush is damp, then soften the outside edges of the Burnt Umber. Sometimes I soften all the way around and sometimes I only go half way. It's up to you. Both ways will look fine.
4. Pick up a little Burnt Umber mixed with Ultramarine Blue (makes black or very dark blue). Add a few touches of this to a couple of areas around the spot. You can soften this a little with a damp brush or leave it sharp. Use your own judgement.
5. I sometimes add little dots around the hole (with Burnt Umber or black) and in other areas of the leaf, to create interest. If these appear too harsh, just dab them with a towel to soften.
6. I also fill the hole in with black occasionally. It becomes a black blemish on the leaf.
7. You can also use the technique above to create a dead edge on a leaf. Or maybe your bug hole is half-moon shaped and located right on an edge. Get your creative juices flowing and experiment! Let me know how your leaves and bug holes turn out!
Next Lesson - Painting with Sponge Bob!
Ohio Heirlooms of Tomorrow of Wapakoneta (in conjunction with Potpourri of Painters - Lima, OH), is hosting a Mary Wiseman Fall Still Life Seminar on Saturday, November 6, 9 AM - 5 PM. We meet in Suite 2 at the Auglaize Co. Educational Services Center. If you are interested, e-mail me and I'll send you the contact information.
This leaf design was the first project I taught in the Autumn Quarter, at Riverside Art Center, in Wapakoneta, Ohio. We are in the middle of a beginner watercolor series, called Art & Coffee. We have a great time every Tuesday morning - 10 AM to Noon. It's more like a few friends getting together to share our art and enjoy each other's company. It's light, easy, and relaxing...a great stress-reliever! I'm so blessed and inspired by this group every time I teach!
08/10: FYI - I'm on Facebook
Category: What's New!
Posted by: debra
Look for me on Facebook, under my name...Debra Henkener.
08/10: Arts Place St. Marys, Ohio
Thanks to Arts Place (St. Marys, OH and Portland, IN.) for hosting a free seminar at the library in St. Marys, Ohio, Wednesday evening, Oct. 6. The seminar was titled, "Competitive Advantage: Taking Your Booth To the Next Level". It included valuable information on how to be successful entering artwork into galleries, shows, and festivals. Heidi Meade, Director of Arts Place (St. Marys), opened the seminar by relating experiences she had while living and working in Chicago. She then introduced the featured speaker for the evening, Charles Shepard III, Executive Director of the Ft. Wayne Museum of Art, Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Approximately 20 local artists attended and were the beneficiaries of Mr. Shepard's knowledge and experience. It gave me a lot to think about in my future goals.
08/10: A Renewed Vision
Category: What's New!
Posted by: debra
Well, I'm still trying to keep up with the times, but finally making a little headway! And I feel pretty good about the progress and the process. Marian Jackson of PaintWebs is helping me revamp a few things in the blog and the website. So, you will see some changes for the better, in the next few weeks. You'll also see new pattern packet designs in the website Shop. I was surprised to see how many new packets I have to download and that I hadn't done much in there since 2007! Time certainly does fly when you're having fun! And I certainly do have lots of fun working and playing in the art field!
There is a new addition to the Frogblog: free mini-art lessons! I'll add a new lesson every two to three weeks. The first two will be added within a week because they are related to each other. So, check these out!
08/10: Salt Effects
Category: Free Lessons
Posted by: debra
Free Art Lesson - October 2010
Salt Effects Create texture in your watercolor leaves by adding a few sprinkles of salt. Different types of salt produce different results: table salt = small sparkles, Kosher salt = larger, grainy spots, and sea salt = very fine & subdued texture. I use all three of these from time to time. I especially like to use Kosher salt for my autumn leaves because it produces large, visible results very quickly. Salt absorbs the water and paint, leaving texture in it's place. I encourage you to invest in a box of Kosher salt and try it. However, table salt will work if that's all you have. Use these steps for successful salt effect results:
1. On your palette, mix three middle value watercolors in pretty, fall colors. For example, mix a puddle of any yellow, orange, and red. Let stand.
2. Use a 5" x 7" piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper, and draw a leaf shape with a hard drawing pencil (3H or 4H). (Draw around the outline of a real leaf, if you need a pattern.)
3. With a round brush, coat the leaf with plain water, being careful to stay inside the outline.
4. While the leaf is still wet, use the round brush to apply all three colors, separately. Paint out to the edges of the leaf and allow the colors to blend and merge.
5. While the paint is nice and juicy, sprinkle it with salt. A few grains of salt produces small salt effects. Lots of salt will produce lots of texture. It's up to you how much you use. I like the middle of the road...a good amount of salt, but not enough to remove all the color. Make sure your salt grains are all on the leaf and not partially hanging over the outline. The salt may drag the pint into your white background.
6. Let the leaf dry completely. You may use a hair dryer to finish drying, only if the leaf does not look wet.
7. Brush the salt off the paper, into a trash can. (You may have to scratch a few grains off with your fingernail) Check out the texture!
8. Finish painting the leaf by glazing more of the three colors onto the tips of the leaves. Add some veins with Burnt Sienna or Burnt Umber. Let dry, mat, and frame. This technique makes a simple but very pretty leaf without too much work! Have fun with this and enjoy the results!
Next Lesson - Perfect Bug Holes!
Salt Effects Create texture in your watercolor leaves by adding a few sprinkles of salt. Different types of salt produce different results: table salt = small sparkles, Kosher salt = larger, grainy spots, and sea salt = very fine & subdued texture. I use all three of these from time to time. I especially like to use Kosher salt for my autumn leaves because it produces large, visible results very quickly. Salt absorbs the water and paint, leaving texture in it's place. I encourage you to invest in a box of Kosher salt and try it. However, table salt will work if that's all you have. Use these steps for successful salt effect results:
1. On your palette, mix three middle value watercolors in pretty, fall colors. For example, mix a puddle of any yellow, orange, and red. Let stand.
2. Use a 5" x 7" piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper, and draw a leaf shape with a hard drawing pencil (3H or 4H). (Draw around the outline of a real leaf, if you need a pattern.)
3. With a round brush, coat the leaf with plain water, being careful to stay inside the outline.
4. While the leaf is still wet, use the round brush to apply all three colors, separately. Paint out to the edges of the leaf and allow the colors to blend and merge.
5. While the paint is nice and juicy, sprinkle it with salt. A few grains of salt produces small salt effects. Lots of salt will produce lots of texture. It's up to you how much you use. I like the middle of the road...a good amount of salt, but not enough to remove all the color. Make sure your salt grains are all on the leaf and not partially hanging over the outline. The salt may drag the pint into your white background.
6. Let the leaf dry completely. You may use a hair dryer to finish drying, only if the leaf does not look wet.
7. Brush the salt off the paper, into a trash can. (You may have to scratch a few grains off with your fingernail) Check out the texture!
8. Finish painting the leaf by glazing more of the three colors onto the tips of the leaves. Add some veins with Burnt Sienna or Burnt Umber. Let dry, mat, and frame. This technique makes a simple but very pretty leaf without too much work! Have fun with this and enjoy the results!
Next Lesson - Perfect Bug Holes!
15/04: Still Learning
Well, sometimes things never work out the way you plan them...I'm still trying to update my site. Just have to nuckle down and make myself learn how to manage it. Once I do it a few times, I'm sure it will be an easy routine. I apologize to all businesses who have asked me to list links their sites, or who have asked that I make changes to old http addresses. Thanks for your patience. And to all who keep coming to my site, but never see anything new. I have a goal to learn this system by the end of May. So, you should see something happening by mid-May. Good News....new packets and items are on the way! I must have at least 20 new packets from the past 2 or 3 years...and even newer ones that I'm just finishing! You may have noticed that my designs have been in several magazines lately. That's why the site was put on the back burner...can't do everything at once and stay sane! Ha! More articles are coming...look for watercolors, acrylics, and yes, an old time favorite of mine... macrame'! You'll see more frogs, bugs, and snowmen... pretty watercolor cards...and jewelry! Keep your eyes pealed for articles in Christmas 365, Painting, PaintWorks, and Quick & Easy Painting. I will also be in the trade show at the HOOT convention in August (Booth 526). So stop by and see me! Life is good...I just need to learn how to catch up and manage it!
