Salon de Maria Blog

• The eyes are halfway between the top of the head and the chin.
• The bottom of the nose is halfway between the eyes and the chin.
• The mouth is halfway between the nose and the chin.
• The corners of the mouth line up with the centers of the eyes.
• The top of the ears line up with the center of the eyes.
• The bottom of the ears line up with the bottom of the nose.
  

I also came across this video tutorial over at YouTube on how to draw the profile of a man’s face.

What I eventually would love to do is learn how to draw and paint digitally…like this artist who painted the Mona Lisa in MS Paint…

Other resources to look into:

• How to Draw What You See
• How to Draw Lifelike Portraits from Photographs
  

Posted by Maria Palma at 11:22 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I’ve never done a contest before, so I thought it would be fun to do one and give away some of my beaded jewelry!!

It’s a simple contest!  Do you knkow how many beads are in this cup?  The person who guesses the closest will win a $50 gift certificate to use at my Etsy jewelry and handcrated greeting card shop! 

Contest ends on June 1st.  Email me with your guess at maria [at] salondemaria.info or leave a comment below. I will post the winner here on June 2nd.  Happy counting ;) 

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Photoshop Elements is my new best friend!  I’ve been discovering new ways to digitally alter photos.  On my daily walk with the dog, I found these little things that fell from a tree.  I have no idea what they are, but they have an interesting shape. 

I took a picture with my digital camera.  This is the original…

Very boring and dark, right?

In Photoshop Elements the first thing I did was rotate the image 90 degress. ("Image">>"Rotate">>"90 degrees left")  Next I lightened the photo (“Enhance”>>“Adjust Lighting”>>“Brightness/Contrast”)  Then I went to the “Filter”>>“Artistic”>>then chose the “Poster Edges” option.  Voila!  Something totally different in less than five minutes…

I printed it out and may add it to the new painting that I’m working on…
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I was browsing some photography websites tonight and came upon the Edwardian Delights website.  These vintage postcards of women caught my attention…and I thought I’d share one in particular - just for fun and giggles.  What this lady needed was a San Jose laser hair removal specialist ;)  

I wonder if people back then found underarm hair to be ok to photograph?  Or maybe it’s just a shadow?  If I was the photographer, I would have probably just had her keep her arms down…

For great photography tips, check out Digital Photo School.  I also discovered these groovy (aka "awesome" or "off the hook") Photoshop video tutorials over at Luv2Help.

I use Photoshop Elements which is great for those just starting out, plus it's much cheaper than regular Photoshop!  Too bad they didn't have Photoshop back in the days, huh?

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Finally!  I couldn't stand not painting any longer.  I took out the paints and brushes, listened to some oldies on my mp3 player and simply slapped up some paint on a canvas. 

This is just the first layer of the painting.  I don't know exactly where I'm going with this one.  I was drawn to green and brown today.  The brown actually looks black, though.  Most likely it will turn into something fun and abstract.  I'm using oils for this painting, so I have to wait a day or so before I can start painting again.  I'll be posting more pictures as I go along...stay tuned!  

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I was laid off a few days after 9/11 and although I was a little sad at first, I came to realize my true passions in life. One of those passions was art. 

For the first few months after my lay-off I sat in front of the TV and watched HGTV all day long.  My interest grew in creating a beautiful interior for my apartment, however, I was on a very tight budget.  I loved paintings but didn’t have the money to buy original art paintings.  That’s when I decided to create my own art!

If you’ve always wanted to create art for your home, here are a couple ways that you can:

• Paint your own abstract art.  Abstract art is the easiest way to create a painting - especially if you feel that you don’t have “a creative bone” in your body.  Can you paint a circle?  How about a square?  Well, my friend, you’re on your way to painting your very own masterpiece.  Start with abstract art and just get a feel of working with a paintbrush.

• Create a photo collage.  Who doesn’t like taking photographs, right?  You can either group all your photos together within one frame or frame each photo and create a wall grouping.  Photoworks is offering a special - 25 free prints!

• 50% off framed art at BestArt.com

• 10% off your first order at Brushstrokes Fine Art (Use coupon code: BFA1010)

Posted by Maria Palma at 08:03 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I love to listen to classic rock radio stations.  It keeps me in a relaxing mood as I make jewelry or greeting cards…  Well,  yesterday on one station the DJ was telling a story about a man who passed by a nursing home, but something in him decided to stop, turn around and go into the nursing home.  He asked the receptionist for the names of a few people who never had any visitors.  After he got the names, he started sending these people gifts and such.  Pretty soon he this man became pretty popular around the nursing home and the people were so grateful for his thoughtfulness and generosity.  

I was so touched by this story that it brought tears to my eyes. It caused me to realize how precious it is to connect with another human being and to just let them know that they’re not alone in this world.  

In case you didn’t know, in celebration of this spirit of giving, I’m giving 10% of the proceeds of my jewelry sales to the Idol Gives Back campaign.  If you do purchase a jewelry piece but would like to give the money to your favorite charity, please let me know by emailing maria [at] salondemaria.info
Visit my Etsy shop and find a unique gift for that loved one...

What are you doing to give back to the community?  Whether you’re visiting people in Brooklyn nursing homes or giving money to the less fortunate, every little bit counts!

Posted by Maria Palma at 06:19 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I think it’s so important for people to discover their own creativity - after all, we are all creative individuals.  Every time you have an idea you’re creating, right? 

As for me, I haven’t been feeling the full creative energy that I’ve been craving for.  Perhaps it is from writing all day every day.  My writing mojo could be running on empty.  However, the cure for that was to take a walk first thing today instead of hitting the keyboard ;)

I came away with some gorgeous shots from the garden and the neighbors’ gardens.  It’s something about looking at nature that is truly inspiring.  The flowers - especially the yellow daisies - are so colorful and full of energy.  It’s funny, I’ve noticed that whenever I take pictures of flowers, they always start dancing in the wind - like they’re so happy to get the attention and having their picture taken!!  Check out all of the individual photos at my Flickr album.

What is your creative passion? Have you discovered it yet?  What kinds of things do you do to get inspiration and creative energy? 

One book that has helped me discover my creative side is The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron.  This book will definitely challenge your beliefs and attitudes toward the creative process. 

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As you may well know, one of my hobbies is photography.  My favorite subjects are things we find in nature…flowers, trees, landscapes, leaves, etc.  However, I do find beauty in just about anything.  Inspiration is constantly out there and sometimes it comes when you least expect it. 

One website where I have found inspiration is Mark Oristano’s photography website.  Mark is a Dallas photographer who has been blessed to be able to combine two of his life’s passions - acting and photography - into a business that he loves.  I always say that you should do what you love! 

Mark does portraits for actors, executives and he even offers family photography.  His portrait studio is based in Dallas, Texas.  If you ever need a photographer in Dallas or a headshot in Dallas, Mark Oristano is your man!  Now through the end of May 2007 you can get two 5 x 7 prints for free…

Taking good pictures of people is something that I’m currently working on.  I like going into public places to take pictures of groups of people.  One tip I have for those of you who like doing this as well - especially if you take a clear shot of a person’s face - ask permission from that person!  Would you like it if someone was making money off of your face?  

Have a photography tip to share?  Email your tips to maria [at] salondemaria.info and I will post your tip and link to your blog or website in an upcoming post! 

**Sponsored Post

Posted by Maria Palma at 04:17 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I swear, it just seemed like yesterday that I wrote the previous post!  Time sure flies when you’re doing what you love.  As usual, I’ve been busy, busy, busy and it really dawned on me tonight how much of an overachiever I am.  I can hardly sit still for 10 minutes!

My latest burst of energy has manifested itself in the form of uploading all kinds of goodies over at my Etsy shop!  Now’s the time to buy for Mother’s Day…only 10 days left!  I’m sure you can think of a friend who has a love for handcrafted beaded jewelry ;)  Besides, you’ll be giving back to the community in the process because I’m donating 10% of my sales to Idol Gives Back during the whole month of May!

So, going back to being this "overachiever".  I can't seem to help pursuing all my passions - and boy, do I have alot of them!  My parents feel that I should be focusing on one thing at a time, but that's been a challenge for me.  What's so wrong with doing everything that you love?  One minute I'm a blogging maniac, the next minute I'm making jewelry...or working on my book...or finding real estate properties...

I think one of the most important things in life is to just enjoy every moment of it and to do what you love and brings you the most joy!

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