on the easel....

new year. new beginnings.

("amongst friends")

this little beauty will be my first painting of 2014...and i'm so excited for her! i promised myself that i kind of wanted something a bit different for the new year...a bit of a *change* if you will, but a small one at that. i knew i wanted to venture out more into the greeting card/small gallery like venues...maybe look into placing my designs onto calendars, mugs, tote bags, things such as that. i also knew that i wanted to change the faces of my characters a bit...do more with the eyes and add a sweet little mouth....basically MORE things to PAINT (and we know how HAPPY painting makes me!) so...

while not wanting to lose the whole anime-type feel of my work, i decided to keep with the very round heads (just switching that up by adding a bit of a slot for a chin) and by adding a mouth and a little connotation for a nose. i also softened up the cheek area...not a harsh half moon shape like my older work. the eyes on this beauty (named Wimberly...because i HAVE to name EVERYTHING) are closed (just like the sweet little cardinal friends of hers flying around). but still, i get a chance to do more with them than my previous work where the eyes were represented by 2 little black ovals.

i have a *thing* for winter, birch trees, snow and cardinals....hence this raven haired beauty (to be) and her adorable scarlet colored companions....as she is surely "amongst friends".

painting tall, tall trees...

white birch trees, my favorite. (details of a much larger piece)

it's been a while since my last post because i've been working on some new pieces/sketches/paintings for 2014. new year means NEW STUFF! so excited to be able to "evolve" some more, as i'm a big believer in ALWAYS trying to better yourself, be it professionally and/or personally. so, with that being said...

so looking forward to a new year and a new start. 2013 definitely wasn't one of my better years (as april bought about a third neck fusion-NOT FUN and not a lot of painting...boo-hoo:( ) but, i've never been one to dwell on negative. taking some lessons learned and moving forward to be the best little artist i can be! :)

bye bye 2013...HELLO 2014!!! :)

it's about freakin' time!!!

just too amazing NOT to share!!! and besides, who DOESN'T know of my love for this man?!

so so happy for him!!! class and the best of the best. congratulations Peyton, you deserve it!!!

oh WINTER...how i LOVE you so!!!

© the enchanted easel 2013



ahh, the month of DECEMBER...so in love with you..and your cold temps and your snowy days. even the cloudy gray days seems to bring a bit of joy to my heart (i know, i'm odd...but keep in mind this is the girl who likes it dark at 5 o clock). the introvert for sure who could be locked in for days with a pencil, paintbrush and some paints and be perfectly content...and blissfully happy to boot! :)

the peaceful stillness of the freshly fallen SNOW and the pristine beauty of it all just takes my breath away. and while i know i'm rare, i truly love everything WINTER has to offer. i do know that if you open your mind to beauty that can be seen on the grayest and coldest of days, well, you just may kinda like it too. just a bit...;)

it's that time of year again....

CANDY CANE TIME!!! and i am CANDY CANE OBSESSED (obviously...)!!!

i've decided to sell a LIMITED number of PRINTS of this cute little guy...the mayor of my fictitious (well, it's real to me) Peppermint Bark Park...where mountains are made from yummy peppermint ice cream and and trees made of peppermint sticks and candy canes...with scrumptious pieces of peppermint bark scattered here and there amongst the snowy ground. so, careful where you walk because you may just be tempted to stoop down a grab a quick bite. ;)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/172047607/peppermint-bark-park-limited-edition

how oh i LOVE candy canes and snowmen!

a link to the ORIGINAL PAINTING can also be found in my shop through the listing posted here.

random question/thought...why do you think candy canes are so difficult to unwrap? must be packaged by a dentist i'm thinking....;)

meet Crystal...

April's mermaid based on the gemstone, diamond and...THE FINAL MERMAID in my series of 12!!!

i've actually had this done for over a week and meant to post earlier, but the time got away from me. for all of you who know me personally, you know i began this series back in January. wasn't anticipating 11 months to paint 12 mermaids, but life threw me a curve ball in April and i wound up having a third c-spine/neck surgery. (AND GOD WILLING, THE LAST ONE!). well, the c-spine affects the nerves in the hand and arm, so finishing up these beauties after April certainly hasn't been easy. and while i'm not pain free (and may never be), well, these were truly a labor of love. i made a promise to myself that all 12 of them would get done, pain or no pain. and, well here i am..12 mermaids and 3 c-spine surgeries later!

looking forward to a much better year in 2014 as well as some new art and a bit of a upgrade in style. certainly not going to lose that "anime" feel my art has, just going to switch it up a wee little bit...;)

Crystal is available here as an ORIGINAL PAINTING~

https://www.etsy.com/listing/171780697/crystal-mermaid-orignal-painting

and here as an optional personalized PRINT~

https://www.etsy.com/listing/164664474/birthstone-mermaid-print-with-optional

the rest of this month will be spent working on some new ideas/sketches for the upcoming new year!

CAN. NOT. WAIT.

WELCOME DECEMBER...

MY FAVORITE MONTH OF THE YEAR!!!

i am currently running a SALE over in my shop until monday december 2 at midnight EST...FREE SHIPPING ON ALL DOMESTIC ORDERS!!! from originals to custom work to prints. hop on over and take a peek and maybe find something "enchanting" for that special little one of yours.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/theenchantedeasel

did mention how much i LOVE DECEMBER...and WINTER?! ;)