Blog 751 - Painting A Two-Toned Portrait In Oils
"When painting a portrait, I find it important to find a quality that sets it apart from the norm and makes it universally appealing, instead of being only appealing to the people familiar with the subject. When painting today's portrait, I managed to achieve this by creating tension between the subject and its surroundings. I also made sure to focus all of the attention on the single eye. Let me walk you through the steps of creating such a dramatic picture."
Blog 752 - A Summary with References of Blogs 701-750
"A number of people have mentioned that they find it difficult to find specific blogs among the growing list of published blogs. This gave me the idea of publishing a summary of previously published blogs, with links and photo references. This way you only need to save a handful of blogs which can easily be accessed to navigate to the blogs you are looking for. This is the fifteenth of these Index Blogs."
Blog 753 - Making Your Own Butter At Home
"I have mentioned before that I have been invited to visit some friends in Botswana who stay on a dairy farm. This means that they have access to lots of milk and cream. My friend, Louise, being a really good cook, who loves experimenting in the kitchen, it did not take her long to start trying out all sorts of recipes and delicatessens with the milk and cream. In today's blog I show you how she makes butter the old-fashioned way. You can also do this at home!"
Blog 754 - Painting A Cat In Oils
"When entertaining small children, we often find ourselves painting the most unlikely of subjects. For me, cats fall neatly into that category, although I am led to believe that it is the most commonly painted subject by artists. Perhaps because they remain stagnant for such long periods on end? However it may be, I found myself painting a cat to amuse a little girl and recorded the steps. This one is for all the cat-lovers out there!"
Blog 755 - Baking Magwinya's In Botswana
"I love discovering new foods when I travel and my recent travels to Botswana did not disappoint. Upon arrival in the country, barely a kilometre from the border gate, we stopped to buy Magwinya's from the cafe. The best way to describe this local staple food, is call it a sweet vetkoek. However, it is perfectly round, like a ball! We had these a few more times before I became determined to learn how to make them. Where to find an expert? The answer was closer to hand than I would have expected. Learn how to make Magwinya's with me in today's blog, while I entertain you with the inspiring story of the young girl who taught me how to make them."
Blog 756 - Painting A Deconstructed Buffalo In Oils
"There are times in art when painting an actual subject simply does not satisfy. This is a great time to consider abstract art. In today's blog, I use a photo of a buffalo as reference. I then decide which aspects of the animal appeals to me on this particular day. Then I use only these aspects of the buffalo in the painting before painting it in the playful colours of my mood. Let me show you how to deconstruct a buffalo in order to render it in a completely unique manner."
Blog 757 - Painting A Graded background In Oils
"There is more than one way of creating a graded background when using oil colours, but the method I share with you in today's blog, must certainly be one of the easiest. In a graded background, you want to achieve a gradual change of colour with no visible line where darker and lighter tones meet each other. I do this in both the ground as well as the sky in this small painting."
Blog 758 - Summary of Art Blogs 51-100
"I have thought it a good idea to try and organize the blogs a little to make them more accessible to myself and my readers. With this in mind, I have started grouping blogs that have a common theme together in a summary blog. This blog is complete with links, headings, descriptions and photos. This is the second of these blogs on art."
Blog 759 - Learning To Make Cottage Cheese
"When visiting friends who own a dairy farm in Botswana recently, my friend Louise agreed to share some of her cheese-making tips with me. In today's blog, I show you how she makes cottage cheese. This is so easy that you can effortlessly do this at home as well."
Blog 760 - Mix An Alternative Black To Paint A Sunset In Oils
"Having shown you how to paint a bright sunrise in a previous blog, I thought it would be a good idea to paint a sunset as well. With the light coming from behind the vegetation, the foreground of a sunset often appears as dark silhouettes against the bright light behind it. The obvious solution is to paint the foreground in black. However, black can easily seem dull and lifeless. That is why I mix an alternative black to paint today's sunset, allowing the silhouettes to sparkle and have a life of their own."
Blog 761 - Paint An Expressive Giraffe In Oils
"One can not travel through Africa without being inspired by its animals. The giraffe has always held a great fascination for me, as for many others. In today's blog, I paint a fairly normal giraffe, but I make use of more expressive brush strokes so that the painting does not become simply another tranquil nature scene. Instead, I force the viewer to take note of the subject. I also create slight tension between the giraffe and its surroundings by allowing it to run off the canvas."
Blog 762 - Recognizing Your Own Voice In Art
"One of the things that I enjoy most about art, is the fact that it is so comprehensive and widely diverse. I find it thrilling to experiment with different styles, mediums and art movements. I believe all artists should do this to challenge themselves and to keep growing and developing as artists. I Often, when trying out new things, you will find yourself understanding other artists and their art better. Simply working through the process, is enlightening in itself. This practice will also help you to find your own voice in art. Art is a way of expressing your thoughts and ideas to the world. In today's blog, I show you how such and experiment helped me to discover more about myself and my own voice in art."
Blog 763 - Painting A Naive Pot Of Flowers In Oils
"I love naive art and when I absolutely have to paint a still life, one of my least favourite subjects to paint, I rather opt to paint it in a naive style, than in the more traditional realism. Naive art is playful in nature and strips life of its complexities. It reminds of children's art and evokes feelings of nostalgia in the viewer. A vase of flowers can convey many serious messages, such as deep love, loss or congratulations. Rendering it in naive style, robs it of its seriousness and reminds the viewer not to take life quite so seriously. Still, there are certain rules that the artist must keep in mind when rendering naive art believable. I walk you through a naive art painting in today's blog."
Blog 764 - Making Yogurt At Home
"Louise, my friend on the dairy farm in Botswana, was gracious enough to share her secret for making yogurt at home with me when I was visiting. I photographed the process to share with you in my blog. I show you this relatively simple process in today's blog, before taking it one step further in tomorrow's blog."
Blog 765 - Making Labneh Balls At Home
"Labneh balls are made from soft cheese or yogurt and has middle eastern origins. It is a delicatessen that can be found in most well-stocked deli's, but it is also something you can make quite easily at home. My friend in Botswana, Louise, showed me how she turned her homemade yogurt into Labneh. Now let me share with you what she taught me."
Blog 766 - Paint A Male Figure In Oils
"When painting a male figure with his back turned towards the viewer, one is already communicating a great deal. Adding movement to the figure, and placing him in tension with his surroundings, by allowing him to run off the canvas, even more is added to the visual story. I show you how to paint this figure, all the while exploring what the painting is attempting to communicate to the viewer."
Blog 767 - Paint Impressionist Dog Walkers In Oils
"I have always been impressed by how impressionist artist manage to create a complete story with a few random brush strokes. I replicate this in today's blog when I paint a couple of dog walkers against an empty background. Notice how casually careless the brushstrokes seem to be, and yet they manage to create two figures and dog, interacting with each other."
Blog 768 - Secluding A Lonely Figure In Oils
"Simply painting a single figure on a canvas, is not enough to convey loneliness. How we use colour, line and shapes, all combine to tell the story the artist wishes to convey. Today's painting is a lovely conversation piece as it certainly has a story to tell. My friend and I had different interpretations to the same painting. See who you agree with, or perhaps you see something completely different?"
Blog 769 - Free Painting In Oils
"It was time to put the brushes away after a lovely painting holiday in Botswana. All this time, I had been working from a single palette, simply putting new paint on top of old paint, and carrying on as I progressed from one painting to another. It seemed a shame to throw all of the lovely paint left over on the palette away. This was when it occurred to me that it was a brilliant excuse to do a free painting. In a free painting, all the leftover paint is used randomly on the canvas. The artist then stands back to allow a picture to emerge from the canvas. A few lines are added to allow others to see the picture as the artist saw it. This is a truly fun exercise which you are bound to love replicating in your own studio."
Blog 770 - School Holiday Project: Baking Lemon Squares
"Having returned from Botswana, I had a lot of lost time to make up with the kiddies in my life. They were quick to remind me that it had been ages since we'd done anything together. I had my work cut out for me! My ten-year old niece is actually already fully capable of baking on her own, but she still enjoys my company in the kitchen while she bakes. I show you how she made these delicious Lemon Squares in today's blog."
Blog 771 - School Holiday Project: Fingerprint Painting
"The little ones demanded that we do a painting project as soon as possible. Problem was that I was still finding my feet having returned from a three week painting holiday. The studio still needed to be put back in order and I had to think of something to do with them that would be a little more contained. This was a great time to bring out the stamp pads for some fingerprint painting. I show you how much fun this can be in today's blog."
Blog 772 - Baking Old-Fashioned Waffles
"Who does not have nostalgic memories of eating waffles as a child? I remember that my favourite used to be waffles drenched in syrup and loaded with ice cream. These days I prefer a savoury waffle to a sweet one, but the basic recipe remains the same. I show you how to quickly whip up a batch of good ole waffles in today's blog."
Blog 773 - Baking A Lemon Mousse Cake
"This year my 10 year old niece volunteered herself to bake the cake for my birthday. I readily agreed, but not wanting her to it make her mom's problem, I told her to come bake it at my house. She pitched up and the two of us sat down to decide what to bake. I decided to challenge her a bit and told her we should bake a lemon mousse cake. She agreed and then insisted I get the camera to share the steps in a blog. So here goes!"
Blog 774 - Baking A Fruit Jelly Roulade
"Finding great joy in teaching my niece how to bake, I figured it was about time she learned how to bake a Swiss roll or roulade. She was thrilled at this prospect. She paged through my book and finally settled on a cake she liked. We did not have the necessary filling, but I told her we could make our own fruit jelly filling. The result of this is that I show you how to make both a roulade, as well as a fruit jelly in today's blog."
Blog 775 - Making Cheese-Based Savoury Fillings For Waffles And Pancakes
"My niece had baked me two lovely cakes to celebrate my birthday, but I still needed to make a savoury alternative. I decided that the rainy weather called for pancakes! Then I decided that I may as well make some waffles while I was at it. The only thing left to do, was to make two fillings for the waffles and pancakes. I show you how to make the two fillings, as well as the waffles and pancakes in today's blog."
Blog 776 - Making Pap & Potjiekos
"Potjiekos, for my readers unfamiliar with South Africa, is a stew prepared in a heavy cast iron pot, usually over an open fire. It is then slow cooked, giving the meat enough time to tenderize. The stew/potjie, is traditionally eaten with Samp (crushed corn) pap (comparable to polenta) rice, or even mashed potatoes. I show you how to cook both pap and a no nonsense potjie in today's blog."
Blog 777 - Baking A Meal-In-One Pot Pie
"For today's blog, I make a pot pie that is a whole meal in one. You can prepare it beforehand and keep it in the freezer until the day you need it, or you can have it immediately as a wonderfully convenient meal. However you serve this, the family is bound to love it! I find it very convenient to make a couple of these ahead of time and to freeze it for when life gets too busy to prepare regular healthy meals. The first school term is usually filled with these days when the kids have sport activities and other extra-murals to attend to. Delicious, wholesome and healthy, this Meal-In-One Pot Pie is a winner with my family."
Blog 778 - School Holiday Project: Making Chocolate Cracklings
"On my trip to Botswana, I made friends with a cute four year old who loved playing Barbie on my iPad and then became enchanted by the fact that I painted. It did not take her long to jump to wanting to bake something in real life and I complied, thanks to the generosity of my hostess. However, just as we were ready to start baking cupcakes, the power went out. A quick rethink and browse through the recipe books, saw us ending up making chocolate cracklings."
Blog 779 - Baking An Half & Half Italian Herb Loaf
"I did not have any sourdough starter when I baked today's loaf and was forced to make use of yeast as raising agent. That aside, this delicious loaf of bread is simply irresistible with its half white and half brown bread flour, flavored with traditional Italian herbs."
Blog 780 - Paint A Sunrise In Oils
"Sunrises tend to have brighter colours than the more muted sunsets. In today's blog, I show you how to paint a bright sunrise using mainly blue and orange. The painting was inspired by the Botswana vegetation of my surroundings."
Blog 781 - Making Traditional Greek Moussaka
"Moussaka is one of those dishes that you immediately fall in love with. It has all the right ingredients for comfort food, consisting of potatoes, mince meat, and cheese. Add the lovely flavour of aubergines, and it doesn't get any better. In today's blog, I show you how to make a traditional Greek Moussaka."
Blog 782 - Paint An Impressionistic Violinist in Oils
"Today I will show you how to paint a violinist in oil colours, using the impressionistic style. To paint this figure I make use of two surprising elements. Firstly, I use a huge palette knife, a no.16 to be exact, to paint with, and secondly, I mix my oils with a medium to assist in creating luminosity. I show you step by step how I went about creating this painting."
Blog 783 - Baking A Corned Meat Savoury Tart
"All of us love a savoury tart, and I am sure you must too. I do not know where today's recipe originated from, it was given to my by a friend as a photocopy. However, it is one of the quickest, easiest and tastiest savoury tart recipes out there, so I am happy to share it with you in today's blog."
Blog 784 - Painting A Lady In Red In Oil Colours
"In today's blog I once again use palette knives and oil colours when I paint a Lady in Red. I lay down blotches of paint to develop the picture and only use a brush to sign my name with. The facial features, though almost imperceptible, are done in scgraffitto."
Blog 785 - Paint An Impressionist Landscape in Oils
"In today's blog I show you step by step how to paint an impressionist landscape in oils. This time we use a slightly different technique than what we've been doing up to now. After applying the oil to the surface with a palette knife, we get our hands into the thick oily paste and use our fingers to blend the colours. You will either hate this, or love it. I LOVE it!"
Blog 786 - Cardmaking: Using An Old Almanac For Inspiration
"Sometimes you get almanacs that have the sweetest or prettiest pictures and seems a shame to simply discard them by the end of the year. In today's blog I show you how to incorporate the pictures from your old almanacs and calendars in the cards that you make, giving them a new leash on life."
Blog 787 - Art Journaling: Getting Closure Through Journaling
"I recently had to come to terms with the fact that a very close and dear friendship had run its course in my life. This was a difficult thing to accept and I kept wondering if there was something I could do to recover this lost relationship. It was only when I finally drew a picture and wrote a poem about it, that I realized it was all over. This act of creating from the ashes of a ruined friendship also gave me the closure I was lacking. I show you how to go about this in today's blog."
Blog 788 - Preparing Marinades For A Braai
"Most often when we decide to braai (barbecue), it is a spur of the moment event and there is no time to marinade the meat. However, every so often, we actually plan the meal ahead of time and then we go all out on the marinades. I share three different marinades with you in today's blog, that can be made from ingredients most kitchens will have readily available. I also share a secret for cooking pumpkin on the braai. Don't miss this one, especially if you are a true braai fanatic, as I am."
Blog 789 - Grandma's Apple Pie
"All of a sudden this morning I developed a craving for apple pie. But not just any apple pie. I wanted a specific apple pie that my grandma used to bake on occasion. I found her recipe folder and started paging through the myriad of cutouts, scribbles, tear-outs and side notes, before finally stumbling across the fading handwritten recipe that I was looking for. I show you how to bake this nostalgic recipe from my gran's folder in today's blog."
Blog 790 - Bacon & Onion Rigatoni
"I love Italian food and today's recipe belongs straight in this genre, even if it is my own. We use the bulky and sturdy rigatoni as the base for today's dish and then add the all time favourite bacon and onions to add flavour. Some traditional spices and flavourings are added to enhance the taste, along with traditional tomatoes. All that is then left to add is the surprise element that will ad both taste, an important nutritional element, as well as assisting to enhance the appearance of the dish. Let me walk you through this quick and easy dish that took me only half an hour to put on the table."
Blog 791 - Beef Goulash Crock Pot
"The weather is turning colder and it that time of the year when we start making soups and stews again. This is the ideal time to rediscover the slow-cooker, or crock pot, as it is also known. Today I show you how to make a wholesome Goulash stew that has been fortified with lentils and beans. Loads of veggies are of course essential, as well."
Blog 792 - Transferring Images To Fabric For Painting
"Today I want to show you how to quickly transfer three images to fabric, from paper. Once they are transferred I show you how to paint the designs step by step, before we will turn them into a pretty little item in the next blog."
Blog 793 - Sew A Quilted Book Bag
"In the previous blog I showed you how to transfer images to fabric. We then painted these images. In today's blog, I am going to walk you through the steps of quilting those designs on your machine, before we sew them onto a book bag. I love to hang these above the beds in the place of head boards. That way the books are always ready at hand in a child's room. Or in mine, for that matter!"
Blog 794 - Cardmaking: Making A Shaker Box
"Who of us do not love to play with a fun interactive shaker box? So, instead of simply making another card, why not transform it into a fun plaything while you're at it? In today's blog I show you how to make a shaker box. Burt first, we use one of the designs from my book, Designs By Miekie 1, to colour and set the theme for our card."
Blog 795 - Travel Journaling: Using Your Adult Colouring Pictures Part 1
"It is no secret that I simply love to travel. When I do, I love to take loads of photos and bring back as many memories as possible. You are probably no different from me in this regard. Being a crafter, you probably also like to journal those memories. We do exactly that in today's blog when I show you how to incorporate your adult colouring pages into your journaling. The design I use comes from my book Designs By Miekie 1."
Blog 796 - Travel Journaling: Using Your Adult Colouring Pictures Part 2
"In the previous blog, I shared some tricks with you to speed up your adult colouring. In today's blog, I show you how to take those coloured pictures and then incorporate them into your travel journaling. The design we use is taken from my book Designs By Miekie 1."
Blog 797 - Cardmaking: Colour My Love Part 1
"We are approaching Spring again and traditionally this is the time for love to bloom. Why not surprise the love of your life with an out of season Valentine's Card to remind them how much they mean to you? To add a bit of fun, we do some relaxing adult colouring before turning the coloured pictures into a card. The design I used for today's blog is taken from my book Designs By Miekie 1."
Blog 798 - Cardmaking: Colour My Love Part 2
"In the previous blog I showed you how to colour a cute love-themed design. In today's blog, we use that same picture and turn it into a card to surprise our sweethearts with. Quick, easy and loads of fun. We can never tell our loved ones too often how much they mean to us. The design used for this blog is taken from my book Designs By Miekie 1."
Blog 799 - Cardmaking: And Then There Were Three Part 1
"I love being presented with the news that a couple is expecting their first child! Today's blog is designed especially with this is mind. I show you how to colour three owls to take on the distinctive characters of Dad, Mom and Baby, merely by carefully selecting the colours used. The design is taken from my book Designs By Miekie 1."
Blog 800 - Cardmaking: And Then There Were Three Part 2
"In the previous blog I showed you how to give a design character a distinctive personality by being careful in your selection of colours. In today's blog, we use that same design and turn it into a card to welcome a firstborn into the family. The design is taken from my book Designs By Miekie 1."
Follow these links to previous Index Blogs:
Blogs 1-50
Blogs 51-100
Blogs 101-150
Blogs 151-200
Blogs 201-250
Blogs 251-300
Blogs 301-350
Blogs 351-400
Blogs 451-500
Blogs 501-550
Blogs 551-600
Blogs 601-650
Blogs 651-700
Blogs 701-750
Blogs 751-800
Melette Els (Clinical Social Work) can be contacted via the webpage www.m-e.co.za, or by email at melette.els@gmail.com, or by phone at 082 776 1536.
Melette Els B.A. (SocSc) M. (Th)
BHF Pr Nr.: 089 000 00 28754 SACSSP Reg.Nr.: 10-17310
Melette Els B.A. (SocSc) M. (Th)
BHF Pr Nr.: 089 000 00 28754 SACSSP Reg.Nr.: 10-17310
Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.
Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
You can follow Miekie's daily Bible Study blog, Bybel Legkaart, here in English & Afrikaans.
You may prefer to follow the traveling blog, A Pretty Tourist.
For more crafty ideas and great product reviews, visit A Pretty Talent on Facebook.
If you are in a literary mood, follow Miekie's musings, stories and poetry on A Pretty Author - Miekie.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making life PRETTY.
You can subscribe to any of these blogs and receive regular updates by email. Simply register your email address at the top of the applicable blog.
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.
Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
You can follow Miekie's daily Bible Study blog, Bybel Legkaart, here in English & Afrikaans.
You may prefer to follow the traveling blog, A Pretty Tourist.
For more crafty ideas and great product reviews, visit A Pretty Talent on Facebook.
If you are in a literary mood, follow Miekie's musings, stories and poetry on A Pretty Author - Miekie.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making life PRETTY.
You can subscribe to any of these blogs and receive regular updates by email. Simply register your email address at the top of the applicable blog.
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