Lisa Ullrich - Pencil Art and Photographs

New Blog...

2011-01-23T13:01:00.002-06:00

Hi Everyone...Please visit my new blog Think.Write.Create. Thank you for following me!

...Lisa

Christmas card 2009...

2010-02-10T21:23:00.002-06:00

I am finally getting around to posting my Christmas card from 2009. The beginning of this year has been very busy for me. I have had parties to go to practically every weekend and it is continuing through the end of February. I am also working on my psychology class, which is much harder than I thought it would be. I hope you all like the card.

Christmas card time again...

2009-10-25T13:10:00.002-05:00

I have been trying to decide what I will draw for my Christmas card this year. I wasn't very happy with last year's card, so I want this year's to be much better. I have previously drawn ornaments, snowmen, and a gingerbread house. I was thinking this year I might do something more like Santa & his reindeer flying through the sky, a snow globe, or mistletoe. I need to get started so that I have enough time to get them printed and mailed out.

A look back in time...

2009-07-15T08:56:00.004-05:00

This drawing, of what I imagined as being a building in an Italian or Greek village, was my first attempt at drawing anything since art class in elementary school. One day, back in the fall of 2003, I found this reference photo, I believe from www.wetcanvas.com, and decided I would draw it. It took me a very long time and a lot of erasing before I felt like I gave it a good go. You can see that there are many imperfections in this drawing, the values are not really there, but at the time, I was very impressed with what I had done. I had actually sat there for many, many days and drew this freehand, no tracing involved at all, no rulers or tools...it was all me!

That is one thing that I love about drawing. I get frustrated when my drawings don't go the way I envisioned them, but if I keep at it, I end up with a piece of art that totally impresses me. I'm not really that concerned if other people are impressed, although I feel really good when I get compliments and I appreciate them, but the most important thing is the sense of accomplishment that I feel when I sign my name to a piece of art that my hand drew.

Wishing I was there...

2009-06-30T17:41:00.003-05:00

I took this photograph last summer when I visited California. My brother, his soon-to-be wife and myself took a drive up Highway 1 from LA and ended up in Monterrey and back again. The scenic drive was just gorgeous, there were many beautiful pictures to be had. My one disappointment is that the MOST beautiful scenes were located in places where there was not a spot to turn off to capture the beauty. We also stopped along the way and took a hike at Big Sur. It was a very hot day, there were forest fires nearby, but it was very nice, even though if you heard us during the hike, you might have a thought differently.

Anyways, this year there is no vacation in sight for me, so I am flipping through my memories on my computer and I thought I would share. The 4th of July is coming upon us and the weather here is supposed to be spectacular. I have a 4 day weekend, which I am thrilled about. I hope to have some fun, but I don't really have anything planned at the moment.

Do you have any vacation plans for this year? Or are you like me and just daydreaming about one?

Perfect day...

2009-06-28T19:55:00.002-05:00

Today really was a perfect day weather-wise. The bright sun woke me up at 6 AM and has been shining ever since. The temperature went up to 81 degrees and at almost 8 PM is is still 77 degrees. There was also a nice breeze today that just created a relaxing, calming effect. I wish we could have so many more of these kinds of days. This past week was really hot and humid, requiring the AC, but I prefer to have the windows all open.

I did some weeding in my gardens, as they really needed it, and have been working on my homework for most of the day. I am on lesson 7, so I have 3 more to go before the final exam. About 1 month left and I can't wait to have it all finished so that I can enjoy the summer. All my time has been put into this class, as it is very time consuming.

I plan on starting up my drawing again at the beginning of August. There is a contest that I would like to enter in September and that will give me time to complete whatever it is that I decide to draw. It will need to be a mixed media, which I really haven't done before, so it will be interesting.

Time, where does it go?...

2009-06-17T20:55:00.003-05:00

I have been very busy the past few months. I am on my way to completing my Bachelor's Degree and currently am enrolled in an Environmental Conservation course. The course is very interesting, especially now with the whole world talking "green", but it is also eating up ALL my extra time. The assignments consist of 10 questions each requiring a 1-3 page answer, so the total assignment is a minimum of 10 pages, usually more. I have 4 more assignments to go, a research paper and the final exam. I plan to be completed with this course at the end of July. At that point, I am going to be able to get back into creating art, but for now, I have to concentrate on school.

Free artwork?!...

2009-06-15T08:24:00.003-05:00

The NY York Times posted an article, Use Their Artwork for Free? Some Artists Say No to Google, about Google contacting illustrators and artists requesting they create artwork for no pay. The pay would be the millions of viewers it would reach. Read the article to see the artists reactions.

Updated blog...

2009-06-14T11:52:00.003-05:00

I just updated my blog. I didn't realize that my old email was being used for moderating the comments, so that is fixed and I decided to let the comments post without moderating. Also, my profile had disappeared, so I created a new profile and I gave my blog a new "look". I am really liking it.

Graffiti article...

2009-06-11T09:17:00.003-05:00

Another interesting NY Times article "Graffiti Gains New Respect". Check it out!

Interesting story...

2009-06-10T09:23:00.003-05:00

This is an interesting story from the NY Times about how the recession is impacting art.

Check it out: "Getting Creative in a Downturn"

Oliver...

2009-06-07T15:37:00.013-05:00

"Oliver"
11 x 14 Framed
Copyright Lisa Ullrich 2009

Oliver is finished and framed. I don't usually work in colored pencil, so this was a challenge. I was also told that I was brave for using black paper...I didn't realize that black paper makes colored pencil paintings that much more difficult. It is better when you don't realize things like that because then you don't have that thought going through your head while you are drawing. Luckily, I was told after I was almost finished with the piece.

You can find me on Etsy...

2008-11-15T15:05:00.024-06:00

I have listed my drawings for sale on Etsy. I have been wanting to do this for a long time and today I just went ahead and took the plunge. I won't ever know if people like my art, unless I put it out there for people to purchase. I will see how these go and I guess take things from there. Wish me luck!!

Fall is here...

2008-09-29T12:47:00.005-05:00

Our weather has took a turn towards fall. Today is raining and cool and it is supposed to be cool, in the 50s, all week. I hope that it warms up again and we get another taste of summer before it leaves us.

I have been spending a lot of time on my school. I am currently taking Environmental Conversation and it is a lot of reading and writing. I didn't realize how time consuming it was going to be.

I am also working on a colored pencil drawing of my friends parrot, Oliver. Once I complete it, I will post it.

Have a great day!

Lisa

Beautiful flowers...

2008-08-24T21:08:00.007-05:00

Today I went to the McHenry Dam to relax. It was a beautiful day and lots of people were out fishing, boating, and bbq-ing. I just sat down and drew these flowers. I haven't been drawing a lot lately and today was a good day to enjoy it.

Images are back...

2008-07-11T19:53:00.003-05:00

I uploaded my images again and now they are appearing. I am not sure why they weren't working, but hopefully they will be fine from now on.

I submitted a drawing today for Blue Moon Brewing Co. art contest. They are having a few different ones, but I submitted for the Chicago show. They select 25-40 pieces to be put in a show at the Museum of Contemporary Art on July 31st.

I am not allowed to publish my drawing, so I can't post it here. I have seen a few other people post theirs on their blogs, but I don't want to take any chances.

This is the first contest I have ever entered. Wish me luck!

Pics in blog...

2008-07-03T10:24:00.003-05:00

I am not sure why the pics that I have posted within my blog posts are not showing up. I will have to do a little investigating and get that fixed.

I hope you all have some nice plans made to enjoy the summer. I already took my vacation a couple weeks ago in L.A. It was very nice and I had a great time.

It is a very rainy summer so far. I hope that it gets a little better as time goes on. It would be nice to take off a few days and enjoy the nice hot weather.

Lion drawing...

2008-01-11T14:25:00.003-06:00

My latest drawing is of a lion....I am pretty pleased with it, although I am going to draw it a different way and I will post that when I am through.

Christmas cards...

2008-01-03T21:29:00.006-06:00

I have uploaded my 2006 and 2007 Christmas card drawings. I guess I never uploaded a pic from last year, so here are both of them.

2006

2007

Happy New Year....

2007-12-31T13:41:00.001-06:00

The holidays are ending as we are already at New Year's Eve. I hope you enjoyed your holiday season.

I have been doing a lot of thinking about my art lately. I am contemplating doing pet portraits. I really love to draw animals, it comes easy to me, so I thought maybe I would give that a shot. I just need to find the time to do it.

Last year was a very busy year for me....as was the prior year, so I am hoping to get a break from busyness this year so that I can enjoy some time to spend on my art. I did draw a lion the other day, but I have to build up the values a bit more before I post it.

I hope you all enjoy any parties that you will be attending tonight and are ready to ring in 2008....I sure am!

It's been a while....

2007-11-06T08:23:00.004-06:00

It has been a while since I have posted or worked on any art. I just don't know where the time goes. The summer flew by. It is already fall and the weather is getting that chill in the air. Christmas will be here before we know it. I am going to have to start moving and get my drawing done for my Christmas cards before the time sneaks up on me and it is too late.

I do have some pictures that I took back in May from my trip to Ireland that I have been meaning to post. I have a handful that are quite good.

The drawing below is my first portrait drawing. It needs lots of help, but not too bad for my first try.

Happy 4th of July....

2007-07-04T12:14:00.001-05:00

It has been a long while since I have posted...so I thought I would pop in and wish everyone a Happy 4th of July. The first half of the year has been super busy for me. I am hoping that the second half calms down and gets boring...Have a good one!

Happy New Year....

2007-01-04T07:42:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year to all! I hope you all survived the parties and are getting back to reality. My holiday season was extremely busy this year and I am actually glad to be back at work. Keep up those New Year's resolutions, many people give up on them within the first week. I wish the best for everyone in 2007.

Merry Christmas....

2006-12-23T09:35:00.001-06:00

Christmas is practically here. Lots of parties to attend and busy days ahead of us. I was reading my horoscope for 2007 and it said that I will be working more with my creative side and finding alternate ways to make money. Hopefully, that means that I will have more time for my art. I really do hope so.

Anyways, I just wanted to send out my wishes for a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays for what it is that you are celebrating. Eat a lot of good food and enjoy spending time with your families.

Christmas cards....

2006-12-11T19:15:00.001-06:00

I drew my christmas card and sent off it to be printed at Shutterfly.com. I received them back on Friday and they turned out very nice. I would recommend them for printing. They used very good card stock and the cards were printed folded nicely.

I am addressing all my cards getting them ready to mail out in the next day or two. I also put my christmas tree up. It is starting to look like Christmas, but I am not feeling the Christmas spirit yet. It just seems to have popped up out of nowhere. I still have a lot of shopping to do and cookies to bake.

Cold, rainy days...

2006-11-13T19:22:00.001-06:00

Today is just a cold and rainy day. The weather people keep taunting us with the possibility of snow. I made some nice warm chili for dinner to combat this cold weather.

I was a total procrastinator and haven't done any artwork since my last post. I am going to sit down tonight, in front of the tv, and draw. There are 2 shows that I watch on Monday nights, so I will have 2 hours to be creative. I have my reference photos chosen, so all I have to do is get my paper and pencil.

Actually, I am mistaken, I did work on two drawings for my christmas cards. I still need to finish the backgrounds before I can create duplicates. I still have some time before they need to be mailed, I am glad for that.

November already....

2006-11-03T17:17:00.001-06:00

Well, November seems to have snuck up behind me. Before we know it the holidays will be here. We will be running around like crazy getting all of our Christmas shopping done and baking all the holiday goodies.

Today was one of those days where nothing worked right. My computer kept doing wacky things, I tried refilling prescriptions online without success and ended up calling it in, and not to mention I wore orange juice this morning. I will be glad to leave this day behind me and have a fresh new day tomorrow.

I am going to spend my weekend doing school stuff and I want to start a piece of art. I might try to paint, I have to decide on what I want to do. That is my chore for tonight.

First drawing class....

2006-10-26T08:02:00.001-05:00

My drawing class last night went pretty well. It was two hours long and he taught measuring, perspective and foreshortening. There were these wooden bench type chairs to sit on with a spot to hold the drawing board. It wasn't the most comfortable seat and my butt and legs were falling asleep. One lady had brought a pillow to sit on, so I will probably do the same next week.

Almost all the leaves have fallen and we change the clocks back this weekend. The days are a lot shorter and I am starting to feel very lazy. I need to just make myself do things, otherwise, before I know it the whole winter will be gone without a thing accomplished.

Halloween is right around the corner and I need to figure out my costume. We usually dress up for work and have a party for lunch. It is a nice break from the everyday.

Drawing class....

2006-10-24T07:53:00.001-05:00

Good Morning,

I have signed myself up for a drawing class. It starts tomorrow and goes for 7 weeks. I hope to learn a lot of the techniques and improve my skills. After that I am going to try colored pencil and watercolors. I need to add some color into my works, not just pencil. I will let you know what I learn.

Another cold day here and no sun in sight. We will be changing our clocks this weekend, so it will be dark when I wake up and when I go home. I always get really lazy at this time of the year and I am always tired.

Well, I will post again after my first class to let you know how it went.

Fall isn't quite here...

2006-10-08T18:25:00.001-05:00

I went today to the local forest preserve hoping to get some pictures of the beautiful fall colors. Unfortunately, I think I was a little too soon for it. I stumbled across a few wildflowers and a bee hive, but not too much caught my eye. I will have to try again next weekend.

I am almost looking forward to the winter. It is my time to not do anything, stay inside where it is warm and relax. Don't get me wrong, I hate the cold, but I like the way that life takes a bit a breather in the cold weather. I hope to be able to spend a lot more time on my art than I do now.

I just don't know where the time goes. I feel like all I do is run around everywhere, but I also don't feel like I have accomplished much with all the running. I guess that is just life, the work week is always too long and the weekends are always too short!

Fall is officially here....

2006-09-24T09:38:00.001-05:00

It seems that fall has arrived in full force, at least here in Illinois. It is chilly, rainy and damp. Today would make a good day for chili or stew. A day to stay inside and enjoy the comforts of home.

I am really excited, the forum I use, WetCanvas, has decided to add a subforum for scratchboard art. This is a really good thing for scratchboarders, which I have done some of my own. My pictures aren't very good, but I will share them anyways. I really enjoy scratchboard and this will get me to work more with it.

I do have another one, but I can't seem to locate my picture of it. I will have to add it on later.

Frankie....

2006-09-17T11:54:00.003-05:00

I have completed drawing Frankie. I might go back and add some more values at a later date. This ACEO took 4 hours to complete. There was a lot of detail needed.

The weekend is here....

2006-09-15T19:05:00.002-05:00

I am so glad that the weekend has arrived. My house is clean and most of my laundry is finished. I need to start doing some studying and I want to finish my drawing of Frank. I am probably halfway through, but so far so good.

The weather is supposed to be beautiful this weekend, so I hope to draw outside and enjoy what is left of summer. It will be nice to have a relaxing weekend for a change. Summer is always busy with parties and activities, it is always nice when life slows down a bit.

This is a photo I took while I was at a wedding. It is so beautiful and elegant, yet simple. I am going to either paint it or draw it with some color. I will start this after I finish Frank.

Horse's Eye - Final

2006-09-11T20:36:00.001-05:00

I finally was able to upload my final drawing of the Horse's Eye. I am going to try to sell it on eBay. There have been a lot of articles written lately regarding buying art online. It is very promising to hear all of these stories. I think art is becoming more reachable to the average person.

Update on Horse's Eye

2006-09-06T20:26:00.001-05:00

I have added some more tonal values to the pencil drawing of the Horse's Eye. It is finished now. It took me less than 2 hours to complete, not too bad for me. The more I draw the faster I will be, so I have to just keep drawing every day if I can. Sometimes life gets in the way and eats up my time. Winter is just around the corner and then I won't leave the comforts of my heated home, unless of course I have to! :)

Well, my image won't upload. I will try again later.

Busy times....

2006-09-05T19:42:00.001-05:00

Good evening,

I worked on my first attempt at art with color in it. I used watercolor pencils, but I think it really needs some help. Maybe the watercolor paints will be easier, or maybe I need to break down and take a class. Then again, it might just be as simple as sticking with graphite. That might just be what I was meant to create with. Here it is, so you can see what I am talking about.

I found a school near me that does art classes. I think I will take one this fall. I have been wanting to for a while. They offer drawing, watercolor and oil painting. I would really like to learn how to paint.

Back to work for me. Talk to you later!

I have finished....

2006-09-02T15:52:00.001-05:00

Good Morning,

I have finished setting up all of the preferences for my blog. This seems a lot easier than keeping up a website. I will have to see how it goes.

I have never really searched through blogs before, so I find that a bit difficult. I was searching for mine, but no luck, I couldn't find it. I hope someone can!!

I will do another ACEO drawing today and post it later on.

Have a beautiful day!

From the beginning...

2006-09-01T22:24:00.002-05:00

This is my first blog and I am still getting used to all the features. I will have to spend some more time figuring this out tomorrow, since it is getting late here.

I spent this evening drawing my first ACEO, I have attached it here for your viewing. I plan on working on it some more this Labor Day weekend.

It looks like rain Sunday and Monday, so they will be good days to get to work. Let me know what you think.

Also, remember that all my works displayed here are copyrighted.

Thanks for reading!