Drawing Lab Art Show Blog Hop

As some of you may know, 2011 is my year to "Enhance".

One thing I am doing, is taking an online drawing class called

Drawing Lab 2011

And this post is dedicated to the first quarter of assignments we have had and to pick our favorites…

Drawing with Geometric Shapes. My favorite so far!

This old player piano belonged to my Grandma Neal. I used to play like this on it too!

A play on Zentangle and my name...

First Assignment - one drawing from a page full of cats...

Drawing with your non-dominant hand. Still makes me giggle at it...

Drawing Negative space. I really like this exercise!

Drawing shadows...

From my night stand table (the night before it was due of course!)

I have not been able to keep up with every weekly assignment, but I don't let it get me down.

I am taking every day as I can and pulling the most from these that time allows me.

I believe you can sign up too if you want to give drawing a go…

Want to check out some other blogs that are class participants?

Click on over to Jeanine's blog HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hi. I'm Marsha...

Just incase you don't know me…

Hi. I'm Marsha.
Welcome to my blog.
This post is part of the the Beads-of-Clay Bloggers Open Studio.

I've been involved with Beads of Clay since the very beginning back in 2004.

I write a couple of posts a month on the BOC blog & help organize these Open Studio Events.

My business is Marsha Neal Studio, LLC (yes - an actual LLC - legal protection you know!?)

I have an Etsy Shop (clay items are marked on sale 20% off for this event).
As part of this event, for every item you purchase in my Etsy shop until midnight tonight, you get a chance at winning 3 bonus drawing to win a $25 Marsha Neal Studio Etsy Shop Gift Certificate.
Yes, there will be three $25 gift certificate drawings - I'll email the winners on Monday.
Every item you buy is a chance to win. Buy 3 items, get 3 chances.
I also have a website where you can order a specific porcelain textured pendant or individual silk strand.

I'm Married to a pretty cool guy - Dave. We met in 1996.
He is actually pretty funny too - in a wise-guy - cracks me up when he is on a roll-kind of way.

We've got two kids: Chloe, 3 and Riley, 1.
Our life is quite entertaining...

I won't bore you with too much "history" about me here because I have an "about me" page on this blog.

Basically I'm into my family, nature (flora & fauna) and working with clay.

Lepidoptera in Flight taken by Marsha Summer 2010

Did I mention my obsession with photography too.
I'm quite fond of this next picture of a coneflower from my garden in decay over the winter...

Coneflower in Decay, copyright Marsha Neal Studio

This year, my word that best describes my motives is Enhance.

Marsha Neal Studio Drawing Lab Cat Drawing (copyright MNS)

I am basically stepping back into educating myself in drawing (drawing lab 2011), photography, and nature (Master Gardener Trainee).

Cat drawing transformed into decal image on my beads.

I am trying to organize my studio and my life in a way that will lead me to find that feeling of balance in every day. Refocusing on my basic skills and inspirations to see where I am going with my artwork...

I've joined a few teams on Etsy: Beads of Clay, Etsy Mud Team, and have become the Captain of the Delaware Etsy Street Team. I feel more complete (and maybe a little overwhelmed at times) to be involved in community efforts and interacting more with like minded artists.

So as you can see - there is a lot going on with me and my studio…
Stop back in a bit for the first giveaway after visiting more BOC Bloggers.

Monotangle and Geometric Shapes...

The Monotangle.

Week 11 for Laura Harms "I Am The Diva - CZT" Blog challenge.

Here is my Zentangle drawing entry:

Marsha Neal Studio "Monotangle" Challenge Entry.

I started with the four corner dots, lines, then lines back and forth to create a simple string.
Then opened up Totally Tangled and somewhat randomly picked this design to run with…

Click over to Laura's blog to see more about these challenges (you can participate too!)

And from one of our weekly assignments over at the Drawing Lab 2011 Online Course

(it's a paid class - but worth it! Lots of techniques are taught & it's not full of pressure!)

I also really like the way that this drawing came out:

It makes me giggle a bit with delight…

It was inspired by this photo I snapped with my iPhone:

The hair on this boy cracks me up!

It needs a trim, but wants to go in every direction.

With straight hair - that's funny!

I love looking at photos that I am constantly taking of my little ones for inspiration for these drawing lab classes…

I feel complete right now in this moment.

It will change soon I am sure…

As soon as I look over my to do list sitting here…

Sitting right on my peripheral right side - staring at me…

I can feel it reaching out to me...

I'm ignoring it for the moment...

Off to get a cup of tea for some warmth.

Steal a few goldfish crackers from the container.

Then pop back down here into the studio to look at that darn list.

I hope to see you all here on Sunday for the Open Studio Event!

1-4pm EST Live

Giveaways…

Also - a 20% off sale for my Etsy shop.

Details Sunday (maybe Saturday or even later today if I get to it)

Here.

New...

No picture. Just words.

Words trying to describe feelings…

Feelings of the excitement of "new"…

Like the rush of too much coffee (ok - so I am on my 2nd pot of my little 4-cupper).

Master Gardeners Accepted me into their Program for 2011!!!

I have been granted the position of Captain of the Delaware Etsy Street Team!

The Etsy symposium today was INSPIRATIONAL. I brought away from it - get your butt together, and FOCUS. Think things through. Write stuff down. Then throw everything you have at your shop. Make it you…

I am bringing all my blogs into one main blog. Bringing all those pieces of me together. Figuring if you are reading my blog, you are probably interested in me as an artist, not just my work. I know when I read other blogs - I love the funny, the inspiration, the struggle, the every day, the exciting, the weird, the truth, the stories… And I have all that. I have that to share. I don't want you to have to have a map to navigate it all…

So I've changed things up a bit here - do you like the layout so far? Any input? How is the flow? Is all in one place the way it should be?

Becoming a captain, a leader of sorts.
Woah - that is weird - a leader…
I think of the position more of a cheer leader - an encouraging, somewhat-understanding-take-no-crap-excuses, inspiring source of "fire under your tush" to get your motivated to move yourself, your art, and your shop forward by educating myself then sharing with you…
Also the person to gather ideas for the group from the group and make things happen. To encourage members of the team to step up and do things on their own for the group and for themselves. To take things forward - together...

And so far, I'm liking the group. There are a lot of busy, busy people out there. But little by little, we will be a community that becomes more like family to each other…

I would love your feedback on how you think I'm doing. And any suggestions for improvement...

Brain Overload...

This is to be a short post.

It was meant to be longer, but I have been a VERY brain busy person since I took over as Captain of the Delaware Etsy Street Team.

This picture is the insomniac inside me writing in my sketchbook last night.

I felt as if I have forgotten something there.

Then today, as a sinus pressure headache (allergy - must be mold because the snow is melting and EVERYTHING is wet now) still lingers, and I am running all kinds of late all over the place…
I thought…

Oh, wait.
That part I AM forgetting is the "me" part.

Yes it says "me" in the middle, but really - that is the business side of "ME". 

Not the personal side.
That side that needs to be nurtured so all else can function.

That personal side needs to get into the shower (a nice hot one!), then get ready for a very full evening (kid pickup, then a night out for dinner and beading and lots and lots of gabbing with friends)…

More to come on this topic soon.

I am bringing all ends of myself back onto center…

All my blogs - will become one blog again…

My ENHANCEMENT in all of this is to FOCUS...