Tinker Swiss Cottage Commission - 2 More to Go!

Happy weekend friends! I hope that you were able to make the most of the amazing early spring weather. Matt and I just got home from a beautiful hike in Shawnee National Forest.

Since my last blog, I've completed 2 more pieces for my Tinker Swiss Cottage commission.  It was fun to get to use a new color (green) in this last one, which I've entitled "Sitting in the Sun." It's quite St. Patrick's Day festive, isn't it?  I remember the day I took this photo at Tinker, and I loved the way the sun streamed in from the windows and lit this little vignette.

"Window Seat" comes from the same room as my last work.  Wouldn't you just love to sit here for a spell with a good book?

All 10 of my pieces will be on display in the Tinker house on during the first day of Spring Artscene, Friday April 13th, from 5-9 pm. (And I'll be there too!) The works will be displayed in the rooms that they depict so you'll be able to compare the art to it's subject.  I'm excited to see how each piece stands up to the actual space. You will also be able to view the works during the Saturday Artscene hours (3-9) but they will be on display in the Tinker Visitor Center.

Time to get back to work.  Ta-Ta for now!

The Parlor Chair

Hi! Happy Monday.

I finished up my 6th commission piece for the Tinker Swiss Cottage. This chair, along with its mate, and a matching couch are found in first floor parlor/piano room. I was really drawn to this room, as it's light, colors and patterns are so rich.  I took a lot of great pictures here; It was difficult to choose what to work from.

All 10 of my pieces will be on display inside the house, in the rooms that they depict during Spring Artscene. More details coming soon. If you'd like to see the rest of pieces I've created check out my website.

Have a great week! Ta-Ta for now.

Mary's Chair

Happy Monday friends! I'm not feeling as motivated as I usually am on a Monday. Maybe it's the gray of day.

I just finished up piece #4 in my Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum commission. This chair is found upstairs in Mary's (Mrs Tinker) quarters. I used quite a bit of colored pencil in this piece to create the highlights and shadows.

I was worried that the pink of the "wallpaper" was going to clash with the orange tone of the "wood" paper, but I think those pops of yellow colored pencil help to pull it together.

To see all of the pieces I've created so for Tinker so far, check out my Flickr page. 

I'm off to the gym to work off all of the yum food we ate this weekend while my momma visited.  Ta-ta for now!

Tinker Swiss Cottage Commission - Robert's Office Chair

This is one of 10 pieces I was commissioned to create for Tinker Swiss Cottage, a home museum in Rockford, Illinois. 

Found in the basement office of the home, this is the desk chair of the home's late owner,  Robert Tinker.  Later in his life, when he couldn't move around very well, he had a bedroom and an office built in the walkout basement so he didn't have to negotiate any stairs. 

This is by far one of my favorite chairs in the house. So detailed! It was certainly a challenge to get all of those dowels to look like spirals. 

To learn more about my commission and my process, check out this blog post. 

To get a peek of 2 of the other chairs I will be illustrating and learn a bit about the museum, check out this video from the local news. Cindy Karnitz, my pal and the museum's Exectutive Director of Administration talks about some restoration that recently happened at the museum.

Ta-Ta for now! 

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The Commish

Happy Friday Friends!

It's been a great week in southern Illinois. Sunny, mild weather and lots of productive art time!

I have been commissioned to create 10 original works for Tinker Swiss Cottage, an amazing house museum in Rockford. I was able to knock out my first piece this week.  I often have questions about my creative process and materials, so while I worked on this one I took pictures.  I thought it would be fun to share my process here.

I started off with a photo that I took in the house on a bright December day. This particular chair was found in the office.

Next I chose my papers and did some simple drawings on top of those papers. I chose 2 different shades of gray for the floor and door, a piece of ledger paper for the wall and cabinet and a honey tone for the chair.

I lined the back of each piece with a 2 sided sticker paper, cut each piece out individually, removed the paper backing on the sticker and adhered it to the hardboard panel.

Here's what it looks like when all of the paper pieces were in place. Next it's time for my trusty black Bic ball point pen.

I used the pen to add in the details, lay in the shadows, giving life and form to the room. This is by far my favorite part! It took me one whole day of working to get all of the ink details laid down, maybe 8 hours total.  I put a few finishing details in this morning, and voila!

I'm very pleased with out this turned out and I'm excited to start another! These pieces will become part of the permanent collection at the museum. I feel so honored to be chosen for this project!

If you'd like me to draw/illustrate a special chair or room in your home, please give me a shout. I'd love to do some more commissions.

Have a great weekend friends. Any big plans?

Ta-Ta for now!

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