this little guy....

©the enchanted easel 2015

i "heart" him! :)

{having a bit of a love affair with some mice this week....}

pumpkin painting....

©the enchanted easel 2015

in February.

that's what on the easel this weekend! :)

woodless graphite....

is a beautiful thing!

this is how EVERY painting begins....for me, anyway. well, except for my abstracts. (yes, i do fine arts as well.)

i draw/sketch out my idea in my sketchbook (sized at the same size the painting will be). in this step, i am extremely detailed and precise, making sure i have everything drawn/sketched out EXACTLY the way it will appear on the canvas. the more exact and precise i am in the drawing/sketching stage, the easier it is for me to execute the finished painting.

once the drawing/sketch is perfected, i then re trace over my own drawing/sketch with tracing paper....every line, every detail, everything...completely re traced. once that is done, i will take a piece of woodless graphite OR, if i don't have a piece laying around, i will use a VERY soft lead pencil (usually an 8B...6B at the very least). with that, i *scribble* very methodically on the back of my tracing....being sure to cover every line i have just traced so that i can transfer the drawing/sketch exactly as it appears in my sketchbook.

then, i lay the tracing (paper) with the graphite on the back over the canvas and press down with a 4H lead pencil to transfer the drawing to the canvas ever so perfectly.

and that, my friends, is how Nicole rolls...old school. that's how i worked in college...and that's how i work today. keeping it real and true to myself. 

i am a traditional painter. ALWAYS a (traditional) painter. :)

*charming* little companions....

©the enchanted easel 2015

©the enchanted easel 2015

in progress. :)

{snow white, truly the fairest of them all...coming along nicely.}

lips red as the rose....

©the enchanted easel 2015

guess who? ;)

{hint-she truly is the fairest of them all...}

©the enchanted easel 2015