Eclectic Studio - Tammy Morrison-Koenig

Thank you for stopping by for another step-by-step tutorial on how I drew this African girl in a turban.  I am not a traditionalist when it comes to drawing. I don't use any fancy tools or grids, gosh I don't even use a pencil, actually using a pencil or eraser has become a hindrance instead of a help. I start and finish all of my work in pen and upside down. Most of us have read or should have Betty Edwards Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain on their to-read list, well one of the most valuable lessons she teaches is flipping your work upside down. You trick your eyes into actually seeing what is in front of you and not what you think you see. Your mind is much better at picking up spatial changes, angles, and values much better when your mind doesn't label an object.   As you see from the following example I keep my lines loose and flowing and I develop the overall shapes and form of my subject.  At this stage, I am not worried about the details just the of the ...

Add caption How do you know when a sketch or painting is finished? Well, that is the age-old question that has plagued many of the even seasoned artists and the answer really lies with the artist itself. These portrait sketches are good examples of portraying age, through eyes and hairline rather than exaggerated wrinkles. Sometimes less is more.

I try and pull my sketchbook out every chance I get. Whether it is to create a background for later use or to create a study or painting from the pages that are "in waiting".  Using my sketchbooks regularly gives me the opportunity to intuitively paint. I grab whatever I have at hand and just let myself go. Because I work in a lot of portraits I find that these images just appear, others may find that this happens when they work with animals or landscapes or even abstract arts. This painting started with a background of stamps, dictionary paper cuts, stencils and wound up with very little if anything of that background showing through after adding some hard and soft pastels to finish it off. I guess it is what it is.

How quickly an idea can change. I have an art journal full of unused Gelli prints and some basic supplies that have been calling my name, so when I get 5 minutes to unwind I use what's in front of me to do something wild and crazy. Today I grabbed some cheap chalk pastels and just started to play. As I get to the hair you will see that the pastels are a little weak in value and saturation so I sprayed with a fixative added some sewing tissue and paper to cover the red pastel and turned her hair green. I added some contrast in the background and pumped up the color with little touches of acrylic and oil pencil. Don't be afraid to layer and think outside the box. Use crazy colors, don't be a perfectionist, use items that are completely out of your comfort zone. Grow. This painting is one of those ideas that went off the rails and turned out pretty good. It has all the characteristics I personally look for in my art. Value, Composition, Contrast, and Interest. Hope this ins...

This painting is an example of recovering from a major disaster. Everything was going along wonderfully and I was using my black paint pen to add some details when it exploded - see the viewers left eye - and when I was sopping it up I touched the paper towel on the shoulder area. Ugh. As I had originally intended, this is a little demo on how I achieved the final painting even through adversity.   This art journal is nothing fancy, a plain lined paper notebook, it's about 5*8, with a tough vinyl cover, that I picked up from the dollar store. Some of the pages I have gessoed, some have been decoupaged, and some papers are Gelli print one-offs - like this one. The only reason I like to use this one is that I like the size of it.  I didn't have any idea when I started on what I was going to do with this sheet. I try and use the most patterned part of the paper as the focal point. So I took my blue watercolor pencil and sketched out a basic cat shape. Even when ...

Once upon a time I was a little nut and the older I get the more this quote couldn't be truer. This is another page in my inspirational art journal. My journey of what keeps me going from day to day. This piece is done on a gelatin printed background with some collage, ink and oil pastel.

Happy Groundhog day. For those of you that don't know what the meaning of this day is. It is the mid point of winter. YEAH!!!! And to celebrate we bring the groundhog (an oversized gopher) out of his den (cage) to see if he sees his shadow. If he does it means 6 more weeks of winter and if he doesn't than spring is supose to come early. For this part of the country it is gaurenteed we will have 6 more weeks of winter and it has been a very long winter so far. lol  Finally we are getting some beautiful weather but as the snow disappears the brown lawn emerges. I am in desperate need of COLOR. :D  So I drew out a couple of Macaw parrot profiles and am working them up 2 different ways. This is the first one and he was done with a combination of  tangle patterns and brightly colored watercolors.  So much fun. Hope you enjoy.   

I am posting both of these today because I have come down with the flu and don't know if I will be back for the next few days. :( UUG. They are both 4.75 inch square and were created with micron pens on cotton. Hope you enjoy. Im going back to lay down.

Well I finally finished up the order of tangled quilt blocks, so please check back over the next few days to see them all. I cant wait to see what my client does with them. She is a fabulous sewer and crafter so Im sure the piece is going to be a fabulous. :) This one was started with 3 circles in varying sizes and then I just filled in the spaces. This block is 4.25 * 4.25 inch micron pens on cotton. Hope you enjoy.

I really like the spontanious nature of pulling these prints, the texture you get is even more unpredictable than watercolors. This one of the old man in glasses was created with Golden Open acrylics and detailed with ink on AF cardstock. Hope you enjoy.

Finally we get a reprieve in the weather. It has been so cold and snowy here for the past few months that we really haven't been able to enjoy all the special things winter has to offer.  So today I shipped everyone out and while the kiddo's were building snow forts in the back yard I got my pens and sketchbook out and came up with this.  Hope you enjoy.

Managed to get one painting done and another one started. Unfortunatly I can't post them till after Christmas. But in the mean time I thought I would post a new tangle. Unlike the last few done on fabric this one is done on paper and measures 8.5 * 10.5. Hope you enjoy.

I have no idea when the past 2 weeks have gone but looking at my work schedule I have 3 paintings and another quilt block that have to be done in the next 10 days. umm Does anyone have a time machine they want to lend me? So without further ado here is quilt block #7. Hope you enjoy.

This is #5 block out of 8 and I can't wait to see how this project turns out when its all assembled and quilted. Hope you enjoy. 4.75 * 4.75 inch pigment pens on cotton fabric.

Hi everyone and Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends and family. We have been busy getting ready for the Christmas season, decorating, sewing, baking. It just seems like it is never ending, just when you think you are ahead of the game another project pops up. Well, this project is a collaboration project. My aunt (a major inspiration in my creative life) has asked me to design a couple of zentangled quilt blocks to be used in one of her famous quilting projects. These are the first few, hope you enjoy. They measure 4.75 * 4.75 inch and are done on cotton fabric with micron pigment pens. fish, button, flower and recessed blocks cupcakes, braids and beads flowers and leaves tracks, tentacles, wovens

My daughter needed a lunch bag for school and so I went shopping, but anything pretty was incredibly overpriced for what you get, and being in kindergarten I know we will be going through at least 3 during the year. So while I was at the dollar store I found this "blank canvas", grabbed my fabric markers and turned it into what looks like a designer bag. My girl is so happy, even though it's not pink. ;) Hope this inspires you to turn something boring into something beautiful.

My DH doesn't like it when I throw out any paintings, so when he took out the recycling the other day he came back into the house with 3 that   I didn't think were really up to par. He asked me if I could tangle up these paintings. ** actually it was more of doodle wiggling his finger - saying can you do that to that. ;) ** LOL So this is what I can up with. It is WAY better than the original painting. :) Hope you enjoy Tammy

Good Morning Everyone. The mother-in-law is gone now and I have a few days before my BFF is here so I thought I would get some work done. This is a 9 * 12 abstract tangle featuring Kilroy. It was done in an assortment of Micron Pens on 105 gms AF paper. Click Here For Auction! Hope you enjoy!

I am so excited about the way this one turned out. I think he is just adorable. :) 8 * 10 Micron pens on AF sketchbook paper SOLD Have a great day!

Well whatever I had for the past week has finally hit the kids. I was kinda hoping I gave myself food poisoning - or something better then this -  and it would not hit them, :O But no such luck and now we have a steady stream of company for the next month - starting tonight. :O *eek* A Special Note Into the Depths A Song in my Heart So I thought I would try and get these up before I get really distracted. LOL They are all 4 * 6 ink on AF sketchbook paper . Hope you enjoy.