Appreciating the beauty around us

 

Photo by Marla L. Niederer

I’m very fortunate to live in a place that exhibits beauty wherever you look.  Sometimes when you live in a place for a while you start to take the beauty of your surroundings for granted.

 

Watercolor sketch by Marla L. NIederer

 But ever since I started painting, I’m always on the lookout for, and finding beautiful scenes to paint.

 

Watercolor sketch by Marla L. Niederer

I’ve spent a bit of time this past summer Plein Air painting but have little  final products to show for it.

 

Watercolor sketch by Marla L. NIederer

I did a lot of quick sketches in watercolors.  Even though the paintings are unfinished and not what I consider my best work, each one captures a memory. 

 

Watercolor sketch by Marla L. Niederer

A memory filled with the warmth of sunshine, the whisper of the wind, the way the light shimmers through my surroundings.

 

Watercolor sketch by Marla L. Niederer

I’m learning how to let go.  How to let go of artistic expectations, let go of the end product, and just focus on the process of creating art for the sake of art.

 

Watercolor sketch by Marla L. Niederer

I hope you enjoyed looking at the watercolor sketches I have shared with you and hope they inspire you to have a very creative weekend.

You can find out about my self-study classes by clicking on the picture below. 

 

Self Study Classes by Marla L. Niederer

You can find out about all the free tutorials I offer by clicking on the picture below.  It will also bring you to my newest free video tutorials on my OrsinisAngels YouTube channel

 

Free Tutorials by Marla L. Niederer

If you want to find out more about me click on my picture below.

 

About Me

Until next time…….

 

warm hugs,

 

Marla

 

DIY Needle Book

 

Handcrafted Needle Books by Marla L. Niederer

I just love creating all kinds of things and thought I would share with you a free video tutorial on how I make stamped cloth needle books.

 

Handcrafted Needle Books by Marla L. Niederer

You might know someone that you may wish to make this as a gift for.

 

Handcrafted Needle Books by Marla L. Niederer

I used vintage lace and an angel rubber stamp to decorate the front cover.  It was such fun to make them I couldn’t stop at one!

 

Handcrafted Needle Books by Marla L. Niederer

You can view the free tutorial on my OrsinisAngels YouTube channel by clicking on the picture below.

 

Free Needle Book Video Tutorial by Marla L. Niederer

I also just added Bear and Raccoon Magic as a self-study instant download PDF class to my OrsinisAngels shop.  If you would like to find out more about it just click on the picture below.

 

Bear and Raccoon Magic Self-Study Class by Marla L. Niederer

You can find out about more of my self-study classes by clicking on the picture below. 

 

Self-Study Classes by Marla L. Niederer

You can find out about all the free tutorials I offer by clicking on the picture below.  It will also bring you to my newest free video tutorials on my OrsinisAngels YouTube channel

 

Free Tutorials by Marla L. Niederer

If you want to find out more about me click on my picture below.

 

About Me

Until next time…….

 

warm hugs,

 

Marla

 

 

Bear and Raccoon Magic is now a new Self Study Class!

 

Bear and Raccoon Magic by Marla L. Niederer

Just thought I would share that I just added Bear and Raccoon Magic as a new Self Study downloadable PDF class in my OrsinisAngels shop.

 

Bear and Raccoon Magic by Marla L. Niederer

Bear and Raccoon Magic are needle sculpted cloth dolls with unique hidden ball joints.  The skin tones and facial features are created with watercolor paints.  The hats are made out of wool felt.  The costumes are hand beaded.  They were so much fun to create!

 

Hand beaded shoes by Marla L. Niederer

The hats that the Bear and Raccoon Magic wear were inspired by the many adorable hats my granddaughter wears and also what bear and raccoon symbolize in various cultures.

 

Bear and Raccoon Magic hats by Marla L. Niederer

Bear, to me, symbolizes a strong and healing force.  Bears are fierce protectors.   Bears are also often associated with the healing energies of the earth.  Bear is often associated with hibernation, taking the time to go quietly within and letting new ideas grow before putting them forward into the world.  Bear medicine can help one achieve balance within as the trees that they are associated with symbolize balance between earth and sky.

 

Bear Magic by Marla L. Niederer

Raccoon, to me, symbolizes creativity and curiosity. They are very protective of their families.  They are very adaptable to their environment and are good problem solvers. They wear masks at all times.  Raccoon medicine can help one to adapt in times of transitions, in times of change.

 

Raccoon Magic by Marla L. Niederer

To find out more about Bear and Raccoon Magic and how to sign up for the class just click on the picture below.

 

Bear and Raccoon Magic Online Downloadable Video Class by Marla L. Niederer

I have shared a video on how to create both the Bear and Raccoon Magic felt hats for the dolls on my OrsinisAngels YouTube channel.  Just click on the picture below to see the video.

 

Free Video Tutorial How to Make Bear and Raccoon Magic  Felt hats  by Marla L. Niederer

You can find out about my self-study classes by clicking on the picture below. 

 

Self Study Classes by Marla L. Niederer

You can find out about all the free tutorials I offer by clicking on the picture below.  It will also bring you to my newest free video tutorials on my OrsinisAngels YouTube channel

 

Free Tutorials by Marla L. Niederer

If you want to find out more about me click on my picture below.

 

About Me

Until next time…….

 

warm hugs,

 

Marla

New Free Video Tutorial: How to Sew Really Cute Felt Bear and Raccoon Hats for a Small Doll

 

Cute Felt Bear and Raccoon Hats for a Small Doll by Marla L. Niederer

I just wanted to share with you my new free video tutorial that I just posted on my OrsinisAngels YouTube channel!   It demonstrates step by step how to sew your own bear and raccoon felt hats for small dolls.  The dolls in the tutorial are 9 & ¼” tall cloth dolls. 

Bear and Raccoon Magic Dolls by Marla L. Niederer

 Below is the pattern template for the hats.  Just click on the picture below and print it out.

 

Really Cute Raccoon and Bear Hat Pattern for Small Dolls by Marla L. Niederer

To use the template pattern trace it onto freezer paper.  Cut the freezer paper pattern template pieces out.  Iron them, shiny side down, onto the felt you are using for the hat in the colors that you choose.  If they have sewing lines don’t cut out the felt until you have sewn the sewing lines.  Then cut around the sewing lines leaving a seam allowance.  The video will show you exactly how I do this so you may wish to watch it first.

 To view the video just click on the picture below.

 

Free Video Tutorial:  How to Sew Really Cute Felt Bear and Raccoon Hats for Small Dolls by Marla L. Niederer

If you liked this free tutorial you may wish to check out the online video class I am getting ready to teach called Bear and Raccoon Magic. In the class you will learn how to create the two dolls (from head to toe including all costuming and hairdos) that wear the hats in the free tutorial.  You can find out more about this class by clicking on the picture below.

 

Bear and Raccoon Magic Online Video Class by Marla L. Niederer

You can find out about my self-study classes by clicking on the picture below. 

 

Self Study E-Classes by Marla L. Niederer

You can find out about all the free tutorials I offer by clicking on the picture below.  It will also bring you to one of my newest free video tutorials on my OrsinisAngels YouTube channel

 

Free Tutorials by Marla L. Niederer

If you want to find out more about me click on my picture below.

 

About Me

Until next time…….

 

warm hugs,

 

Marla

 

Step by Step Watercolor Painting of Two Girls

 

Two Girls watercolor painting by Marla L. Niederer

I thought I would share the step by step process of the watercolor painting I did of two girls recently.  I started out with doing a detailed pencil sketch.

 

Graphite sketch by Marla L. Niederer

I then added a watercolor wash of amazonite genuine to both the skin tone areas and the background.  On the background I added salt.  I let the salt dry and then brushed it off.

 

In process watercolor painting by Marla L. Niederer

I then started to add some shading with raw umber.

 

In process watercolor painting by Marla L. Niederer

After the first layer of raw umber was dry I added a second layer of shading with raw umber.

 

In process watercolor painting by Marla L. Niederer

I then used burnt sienna to start to add some details and a bit more shading.  I love using layers of watercolors in my paintings.

 

In process watercolor painting by Marla L. Niederer

After that was dry I added more burnt sienna and some rose madder.

 

In process watercolor painting by Marla L. Niederer

I added more rose madder and used quinacridone purple for the dresses.  I used salt for the dresses.

 

In process watercolor painting by Marla L. Niederer

I used brilliant orange and cerulean blue for the hair.

 

In process watercolor painting by Marla L. Niederer

I continued shading the painting with amazonite genuine, burnt sienna, paynes grey, and ultramarine blue.

 

In process watercolor painting by Marla L. Niederer

I added more depth to the hair with quinacridone purple.

 

In process watercolor painting by Marla L. Niederer

I let that dry and then added a second layer of quinacridone purple.

 

In process watercolor painting by Marla L. Niederer

I added a final layer of brilliant orange and paynes grey to the hair and last but not least, my signature. 

 

Two Girls watercolor painting by Marla L. Niederer

It’s not too late to sign up for my class Moulin Rouge Dancers online on AforArtistic.  You can find out more about the class and or sign up for it by clicking on the picture below.

 

Moulin Rouge Dancers Online Class with Marla L. Niederer

You can find out about my self-study classes by clicking on the picture below. 

 

Self Study Classes by Marla L. Niederer

You can find out about all the free tutorials I offer by clicking on the picture below.  It will also bring you to one of my newest free video tutorials on my OrsinisAngels YouTube channel

 

Free Tutorials by Marla L Niederer

If you want to find out more about me click on my picture below.

 

About Me

Until next time…….

 

warm hugs,

 

Marla