Illustrated Stories - the Scarlet Tanager

Hi there. How are you?

I've got two trunks full of original artwork, just sitting in my studio. As I'm no longer doing art fairs, it hasn't seen the light of day in a while. It's time for this artwork to be up in someones home!

Each week I'll be sharing and selling one of my original pieces that I have in stock. The work will be priced to sell, so if you like something, grab it quickly! Original art makes an excellent gift for that hard to buy for person in your life.

First up: The Scarlet Tanager

Scarlet Tanager - an original mixed media illustration. Click through to purchase.

The Story

On the advice of my husband, I started illustrating birds and they became wildly popular. For a solid two years, I drew nothing but birds. This is one of my favorite bird illustrations in the series. I love anything red and I'm so drawn to the eye on this birdie.

This is not the first scarlet tanager I illustrated. I did an entirely different version of this pretty red bird, but I was never very satisfied with this piece. Let me show you....

I was never quite satisfied with this initial version of the Scarlet Tanager.

Yes, I know it's fine, and some might even like it better than my second attempt. There's just something about this illustration I didn't like. Maybe it's the eye, there's just no life in it. After sitting with this piece for a year and still feeling unhappy with it, I removed it from it's cradle and started anew.

So there you have it.

Now go and buy this heavily discounted feathered friend. The listing is right below.

sale

Original Mixed Media Illustration - Scarlet Tanager

Sale Price:$75.00 Original Price:$150.00

Featuring a spunky scarlet tanager, this is a one of a kind mixed media work.

THE DETAILS: This work measures 5" x 7" and is mounted on a 2" deep cradled wooden box. With a small sawtooth hanger on the back, it comes ready to hang or can sit on a ledge or shelf.

Collaged red paper, black ball point pen and Prismacolor colored pencils were used the creation of this work. It is finished with a protective UVA/UVB coating and clear varnish, so that the papers won't fade over time and it is water resistant.

The piece bears my initials on the front, and is signed and dated on the back.

THE SHIPPING: Your piece will be wrapped in a handmade fabric bag, carefully packaged in a sturdy box, and is shipped to you FREE via USPS mail with insurance and a tracking number. I take great care to make sure my pieces are wrapped and shipped securely.

Please contact me with any questions.

OTHER INFORMATION: Please be aware that while I do my best to photograph the colors true-to-life, all monitors display colors differently, please allow some variation between what you see on your screen and what you see in real life.

Copyright © Jennifer Mullin
All Rights Reserved.

Add To Cart

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More next week. Ciao!

Bird Alert!

Hi there. How are you?

I've been neck deep in art fair prep. All studio time has been spent pumping out new work for my first show of the year. (If you're in the St. Louis area, do come see me at the Art Fair at Laumeier Sculpture Park over Mother's Day weekend.)

I've made a flock of new birds. Well, maybe not a whole flock, but some! I've been having a tough time capturing the actual look of the graph paper on these pieces. It either shows up a little too strong or drops out entirely when I try even out the white balance. Even so, I'm still really liking working on gridded paper and have done most of my new work on triangular isometric paper.

This new collection is a bit more minimalist than those I have done in the past. I'm trying to simplify in my art these days. I have to constantly fight not to over-do things. To read about how I create these birds, click HERE.

All of these new pieces are for sale, but are not listed on Etsy. If you are interested in purchasing, do give me a shout!

Hope things are well and springy in your world. Ta-Ta for now!

P.S. Do you Pinterest? I've got a great "Bird Nerd" board going there. Go see and follow along!

The Evolution of a New Illustration

 

Hi There. How are you?

I had a very successful weekend in the studio and created this lovely little Red-Breasted Nuthatch illustration. I thought it would be fun to share some of the pics I snapped as I worked on this piece,  and walk you through my process.

First off I made a simple drawing of the bird on aqua paper. I worked from a photograph.....I am not one of those artists who can work out of their head! I applied a sheet of sticker paper to the back of the drawing, and then cut the whole thing out and adhered it to the graph paper.

The first bit of ink I add to my bird illustrations is always the eyes. That very quickly brings a drawing to life. I used a black Bic ballpoint pen, a white Prismacolor pencil and a dash of white Sakura Gelly Roll ink in the highlight of the eye. 

I continued to add detail with the ballpoint pen and Prismacolors. I added a little bit of a golden brown to give this cutie his "red belly."

After a spell, (I have no idea how long this took.....I don't really pay attention to the clock when I'm in the art zone) the bird was fully formed. I drew in a branch to have him perch on. 

Once all of the inking is complete, I started playing around with my signature collage elements. As I've mentioned before, this is sometimes the most difficult part of the process for me. I tense up and worry about overworking things. Even now, I second guess...This was kind of cute like this....Why did I change it? 

And voila! All that is left to do now is give the whole thing a few coats of a satin varnish to seal and protect it. This original 8"x8" is available for sale in my etsy shop.

Have a great week friends. Until next time. Ta-ta!