I've created two 2021 calendars. Each offers a year's worth of wall art. Here you'll find a bit of backstory, plus all 24 images and plant IDs. Enjoy!
Why Do I Do Calendars?
As a garden photojournalist and succulent book author, I have photos worth sharing for their beauty alone. So every year I'd pick the top 12 for a calendar. They became a handy way of thanking people I'd worked with, as well as PR for my brand. At Zazzle, an online fulfillment company, I upload images into a template and they do the rest. Zazzle keeps 90% of the sales price, so it's hardly a money-maker. But the quality is excellent, and they do have great sales.
Why watercolors?
I wanted to showcase the plants' beauty in a new way. Like photography, watercolor is all about light (it comes from the white of the paper). It's as much about what you don't paint as what you do. When I interviewed watercolor artist Diane Palley-McDonald for a San Diego Union-Tribune profile, I loved her work and later took her classes. I learned how to use a light table to trace a photo onto watercolor paper, mask the "whites," use and select colors, and create washes. And because I need deadlines to get things done, a calendar means I'll do at least 12 paintings a year.
Cactus Calendar cover
New for 2021: Cactus Photo Calendar
A painting takes two days, and if I'm not thrilled with the results, I doesn't make the cut. Photos, however, need only brightening and cropping (if that), which take mere minutes. I have photos that show how astonishingly beautiful cactus can be.
My new Cactus Calendar is selling so well, I wonder if I should simply do photo calendars of succulents. But then, I might never pick up a brush. A bonus is that painting allows hours of inspirational listening. (A current favorite is a New York pastor known as a modern-day C.S. Lewis: Tim Keller.)
Have you, too, found unexpected benefits to staying home? Started a hobby? Have book or podcast recommendations? Share in the comments!
2021 Calendar Images
The Easy Way to Paint Watercolors
Is there really an easy way to paint watercolors? Yes, if you go straight to painting and don’t spend time laboriously drawing the image first. I learned the technique described here from San Diego watercolor artist Diane Palley McDonald. Step by step: Select a photo that inspires you. Print the photo on 8-1/2 by 11 paper.…
My Succulents 2020 Calendar
Every year I create a calendar so I have to do a dozen watercolors. Painting is a cherished hobby, but—maybe you can relate?—I need a deadline to do it. In August, I hadn’t picked up a brush for nearly a year and had lots to relearn.
The post Two 2021 Calendars: Cactus and Succulents appeared first on Debra Lee Baldwin. Copyright © Debra Lee Baldwin.
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