This is Modern Art!

Being an artist is a lot more complicated than it used to be. If only it was as simple as just creating a piece of artwork. That's the easy part. It's the blogging, the networking, the promoting... Facebook, a website, Instagram, Twitter, HOUZZ, Thumbtack, Google, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube... Ugh! I just want to draw and paint!
So here's my plea-
Follow me on:
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/MicheleLevaniMurals
My website:http://www.michelelevaniart.com/
Instagram: #MicheleLevaniArt
Twitter:https://twitter.com/levani_murals
HOUZZ:http://www.houzz.com/pro/michelelevaniart/michele-levani-art
Thumbtack:https://www.thumbtack.com/-Summerville-SC/service/2087672
Pinterest:https://www.pinterest.com/MLevaniArt/

Thank You!

There's More to Life Than a #2 Pencil!

I've been drawing a lot more lately, between children & pet portraits or graphic designs for a T-shirt company. Drawing with graphite pencils has to be one of the most relaxing things for me. It seems so simple, but there's more to life than a #2 pencil!

When children begin school, they're instructed to have plenty of #2 pencils. Whether they're doing class work, homework or artwork, the faithful #2 pencil is what they use. I was definitely that child too. In art class, I learned how to shade with a #2. In fact, I  didn't know that pencils came in anything else except a #2. Then I entered high school and had the most awesome art teacher who taught me the difference. I learned about soft and hard leads. I learned to "lift" highlights with a kneadable, gum eraser. I learned the miracle of blending with stumps and tortillons! Oh, and don't even get me started on all the paper choices! 

So if you're interested in getting back to the basics of drawing, make sure to explore your options. Remember, there's more to life than a #2 pencil!

Grandpa's Pencils

While I sit here sharpening my pencil to draw, it brought to mind a treasured memory of my Grandpa Bull. Grandpa was a very tall man with long arms and giant hands. He was a Texan and always wore his Stetson hat and cowboy boots, not the fancy ones, but the working man's boots. I loved him. I spent a lot of time with him on his farm feeding animals and watching westerns on TV. At this moment, though, I remembered his hand sharpening pencils with his knife and handing them to me to draw. He'd say, "draw me something good." Those were always the best pencils. I can't seem to get my pencils to come to as sharp of a point as he did. I miss my Grandpa's pencils...

Here's what I've been doing with my sharpened pencils, though not the same, these days...

Work in progress!

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"Old MacDonald" Nursery Mural by Michele Levani

Well, I'm back again...

This is my client's third child in three years. We began with "Snips & Snails" for their firstborn son. Last year, they welcomed a beautiful baby girl into their family. So logically, "Sugar & Spice" was the next nursery theme. Then I got the call again... another addition, a new baby boy. Several creative ideas were bouncing back and forth in my mind... and they finally chose "Old MacDonald" from my array of options. So, I booked my hotel, packed my bags, loaded up my supplies and left town for three nights. All total, this mural took me about eighteen hours.

 Here are just a few photos, but this time I composed a YouTube video with some time-lapsed photography. Enjoy the tour of Cason's "Old MacDonald" nursery!

Be sure to check out my past two murals, "Snips & Snails" and "Sugar & Spice" from their other two children as well.

 

Before

 

My Concept

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

"Sugar & Spice" Nursery Mural by Charleston Muralist- Michele Levani

Two years ago, I was commissioned by a client to do a nursery mural for their little boy. They wanted me to design a mural around the nursery rhyme, "What Are Little Boys Made of?" or "Snips & Snails". So I created a room with life size little boys at play including puppies and snails all around the room. (You can check it out from a previous blog- http://michelelevani.blogspot.com/2011/03/snips-snails-baby-boys-nursery-mural-by.html )
They loved it! So, they commissioned my services again, but this time for their new little girl, Sophie. They left the theme up to me this time, which I felt was a "no brainer"... I wanted to paint a "Sugar & Spice" Nursery Mural. They were enthused at the idea.

Here it is from blank canvass, sketched design and finished product. Enjoy the transformation!

I usually buy a small gift for my client with a thank you card-

Here's their little boy, Bentley, enjoying his "Snips & Snails" Nursery Mural today. He plays with the puppies and his fish! This is the part of what I do that brings me overwhelming joy!