Thursday, March 21, 2013

"Blue Eyed Princess"

Here is my second entry in the Colored Pencil Magazine March 2013 Art Challenge.  There were some areas that needed improving on the first submission so, rather than reworking that piece, I chose to start fresh.  This piece is about 7.75" x 5.25", done on Stonehenge Paper with colored pencils and art marker pens.

In this version I was able to capture more of the subjects likeness and I am very happy with this second attempt.  Hope you like it as well!  I call this version:

"Blue Eyed Princess"


and here is the original photo...


Hope you are having a great day!  

Karen Anne aka Ireland Brady

PS  I am loving my "Orbital Artists' Easel"!  In fact so much so that yesterday afternoon I ordered the smaller easel top (13" x 17") for the small pieces I am working on.  To my delight, it arrived around noon today!  Now THAT is outstanding service!  And I was able to complete this piece on the new top.  The large size (19"x 20") is perfect for pieces 8.5" x 11" and larger, the smaller size is perfect for my ACEOs and smaller sized pieces.  You know, even with 2 tops and the table top base ... this easel is reasonably and affordably priced at less than, or about the same as, the cost of a complete set of top of the line colored pencils.  This is honestly the best investment in art equipment I have ever made. 

Monday, March 18, 2013

March 2013 Colored Pencil Challenge


This drawing was done on a 5" x 7" sheet of Stonehenge paper using Prismacolor Verithin colored pencils and a LePen technical pen for fine line details (about 5%), in the hair and eye lashes.
This is my interpretation of "Veiled", this month's subject photo by Sally Ford.   The subject is so pretty I decided to eliminate all the jewelry, thereby removing distractions and focusing the viewer's attention on her beautiful face. I am not a portrait artist but I really enjoy working on illustrations of people, I use the photo merely as inspiration and a starting point. In this piece, I gave her a bit of a smile and thickened her hair. My intention was to give her a more "dream-like" quality as opposed to a photographic realness; which, quite frankly, is beyond my skills and capability.
The most challenging portion was the veil, in the beginning I had applied way too much color and had to carefully remove most of it. The end result was that it does somewhat have the appearance of veiling.
This was a good learning challenge.
Here is my interpretation of "Veiled" which I have titled
"Look of Love"















this is a copy of the 
photo "Veiled" taken by Sally Ford

If you would like to join in on the challenge, here is a link that provides details and information:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/coloredpencilmag/8495249165/in/pool-cpmchallenge

Take care and hope you are having a productive and happy day!
Karen Anne aka Ireland Brady

Friday, March 15, 2013

"Bald Eagle"

Paper work for taxes: Done!   Time to create a new ACEO: Done!

"Bald Eagle"

Things are getting semi-organized and I was able to take a bit of time to get in an ACEO today!  Yes!

You can find the original on eBay at:

And Open Edition ACEO art prints at Etsy:

Wishing all a great St. Patrick's Day weekend!

Karen Anne

Sunday, March 10, 2013

"Easter Egg Bunny #3" a New Zentangle Inspired piece of art!

I am loving my "Orbital Easel" more each time I use it ... it is truly the dream easel of all easels! Another plus, because of sitting in a more comfortable drawing position, I find that I now have more stamina and am able to continue working longer with no distracting aches and pains.  Thank you Orbital Easel!  It is also much easier to get things in perspective, eliminates a lot of erasing.

I really had a lot of fun creating my latest ACEO ... he just makes me smile!

"Easter Egg Bunny #3"

If you would like a chance to purchase the original, it is now up for auction at eBay:

Authorized Open Editions ACEO Art Prints are available to you through Etsy at:

Hope you are all have a "Hoppy" day!
Karen Anne aka Ireland Brady

Friday, March 8, 2013

My new "Orbital Easel" & "Easter Egg Bunny #2"

I have been checking out the "Orbital Easel" for the past two weeks and finally on Tuesday I decided to go ahead and order one for myself, the 19" x 25" easel with the table top base.  Imagine my delight when it arrived on Thursday!  So of course I had to immediately unpack it, rearrange my art area and start in on a new ACEO!

My reaction to my first use of the "Orbital Easel"? .... TOTALLY AWESOME!

And here is my initial review ... I am taking to this new easel like a duck to water! It provides a new freedom and flexibility when using watercolors, colored pencils, and ink pens. It is truly a modern miracle for today's artists! I got so lost in the piece I was working on that I didn't even realize how much I was moving it ... just feels so absolutely natural.

My arms love it! My eyes love it! It provides the perfect angles! Makes application of watercolors easy, colored pencils just love it, ink pens are captivated by it!  No more constant turning of the piece I am working on to achieve the right angle, I don't have to worry about a glass of water tipping over and ruining a piece (cuz I can't very well place a glass on an angled surface), this easel is definitely going on vacation with me this year!  The table top base works quite well for me, it is sturdy and with grip pads on the bottom it stays in place and does not move.  They also have a clamp base that I understand can be used on a heavy duty tripod as well.  The working area of the easel is laminated with light weight aluminum on both sides and is quite rigid so that if you happen to lean on your work, like I do, it does not flex or bend.

The only body part that rebelled a bit was the back ... it was so used to hunching over a flat work area that it is having a bit of a time adjusting to working in a natural upright position! LOL! I am totally IN LOVE with the "Orbital Easel"!   I would actually go so far as to call it an artists' third hand!

I started the new ACEO yesterday and was so excited to get back to my "Orbital Easel" that first thing in the morning I was back to having fun!  I like it more today than I did yesterday!  And today my back didn't rebel ... guess it only needed one night of good sleep to accept a better drawing position ... 8)

I just finished working on "Easter Egg Bunny #2", I think I worked on him longer than I expected because I didn't want to leave "Orby" (yes, I name inanimate objects that I fall in love with) but I had to get him (Easter Egg Bunny #2) scanned and posted on eBay and Etsy.  

Without further ado, here is my new ACEO and the first piece to be completed with Orby's assistance!

"Easter Egg Bunny #2"

He has just popped out of his shell and seems to be quite delighted to see the new world around him!  It is filled with beautiful bright colors and wonderful smells but he seems to be looking up with loving eyes at someone very, very special.   Could that very special someone be you?

The original of "Easter Egg Bunny #2" is now listed on eBay at:

And Open Edition ACEO Art Prints can be found at Etsy:

Hope you are all having a grand a day as I am!

Karen Anne aka Ireland Brady


Thursday, March 7, 2013

"Easter Egg Bunny"

OK ... as you can tell ... I'm not avidly "gleaning" as I said I would!  Keep walking past my art area and  those darn colored pencils, marker pens, and water colors just keep enticing me over ... then I sit down to just straighten things up, next thing I know I have a pencil in hand and a few hours have just slipped away!  Figure mole hill gleaning will work just fine!

Here is a new little ACEO I just finished this morning ... thought an Easter theme to be appropriate for this time of year so here is ....

"Easter Egg Bunny"

He has just popped out of his shell and doesn't know quite what to make of the world around him!  It is filled with beautiful bright colors and wonderful smells but he is so very used to the safety and security of his little shell.  I'm sure he will be enticed to venture out and explore before too long!

You can find the original ACEO at eBay:

And Open Edition ACEO Art Prints at Etsy:

Hope you are all having a GREAT day!
Karen Anne aka Ireland Brady

Monday, March 4, 2013

"Hare Holmes"

I started out "gleaning" (new word for cleaning and getting rid of) the house today and thought I'd start by cleaning up my art area.  BIG mistake!  I found a piece I had been working on for the "Mad as a March Hare" contest for the team, ACEO~Art Card Editions and Originals on eBay, but hadn't had time to finish.  Well of course I couldn't put away a piece that was nearly 50% complete ... so I sat down and really enjoyed finishing it up!  Since it is too late to enter into the contest, I just renamed they little guy!  I am happy to introduce you to:

"Hare Holmes"

The original ACEO of "Hare Holmes" is currently listed in my eBay Store at:

Open Edition ACEO art prints are available in my Etsy Shop at:

So that I won't feel so guilty about backsliding on my "gleaning" I'll now go out and clean out one wee cupboard!  Hey ... I'm starting with baby steps!  LOL!

Happy day all!
Karen Anne