9/24/09

Art of Cinnaber, Thoughts by Amber + art print giveaway


Cinnaber is a new Etsy shop featuring the work of talented Florida artist, Amber.

I first met Amber in the Etsy Forums when her Avatar caught my eye.

Yuna Falling by Amber

I really admired her line & shading, as well as the unusual upside down portrait composition. So off to her shop where I bought some lovely prints. The only question now is whether to give them as gifts (my original intention) or keep for myself...

By the way, her prices are very reasonable - $4 for stickers, $10 - $15 for her beautiful prints and only $50 for a custom portrait (person or pet) made from your photo. She will create your portrait in graphite, colored pencil or photoshop, which ever you prefer.


She also accepts commissions for drawings of hands & feet . What a unique family portrait that would be!

Amber was kind enough to stop by and share some of her thoughts on art today. She has also donated 1 of her wonderful prints for next Thursday's random drawing.

You are very skilled with a pencil, Amber. When did you first become interested in art?

Amber: Like all young children, I loved to draw. I remember the first time I was artistically inspired. It was during arts and crafts time at home. My two-year-old self sat on the carpet, doodling with a crayon clenched in my palm. I drew what all little girls liked to draw: hearts, rainbows, and the people and pets I loved. Only, my drawings did not look like my subjects. Instead I drew them how I imagined the things looked. My hearts were distant relatives of the marshmallow family, my rainbows were a mess of toxic bright colors, and my people more closely resembled giant bouncy-balls with sticks puncturing the sides at random angles then anything living. To a two-year-old, having never drawn anything better, these drawing were perfect. I spent many countless hours glued to a sheet of paper, mesmerized by their creation.

You have a great story about your "First artistic insight". Would you mind sharing it?


Amber: I was soon humbled by my four-year-old brother, who had experience to double my own. During arts and crafts on that fateful day, I had drawn my usual, bouncy-ball people while my brother evolved his own bouncy ball people into stick figures. Seeing his drawing was like waking up from a daydream. Suddenly the concept became so obvious: of course people have bodies in the real world, so by giving people bodies in my drawing, I could make my image of a person more clear. At the time I was too overwhelmed with my feelings to give much thought to my discovery. I had no idea why adding the body made my brother's drawing look so much better then my own, but I did know that it looked and felt like the right thing to do. Little did I know I had gained my first artistic insight.

While visiting your cinnamonsoldier.deviantart.com gallery I noticed a number of characters from anime and video games.

Amber: Artistic inspiration struck me first through video games. When I played video games, I entered their world. As quickly as I was captivated by the games' beauty, I wondered at their mystic powers. How did the games hold me in their spell? There had to be a logical explanation. What were the game designers doing that I could not wrap my mind around?

Amber: These games were artistic masterpieces devoted to arousing human emotions. They awoke a passion inside me. I wished to harness their power over emotive beauty and express it through my own individuality. This passion broke from me through a pencil and paper.

What caused your art to move beyond video/anime phase?


Amber: Before high school, my drawings never went beyond the outline phase. I was too terrified to cross the point of no return by putting down color or shading. My high school art teacher made it very clear that this basic level of art would not be accepted. If I truly wanted to grow as an artist I needed to shed my old habits.

Amber:
Gradually, I started looking at the world differently. No longer was a shirt a shirt; it was now a complex web of subtle values, underlined by textures, and defined by value and contract. I began to break down the world around me into artistic terms. From there, I would lather layers of graphite onto a sheet of paper until a gradation of values was finally achieved. Now, shading is all I do. I love to hint a smile through the ceases of the skin, conduct movement through every strand of hair, and speckle magic in a shimmer of light.

Love by Amber

And we love seeing the results of your efforts! You have developed a fabulous eye for detail & your love of drawing really shows in your artwork, Amber.

Readers, if you've enjoyed Amber's thoughts & art, stop back for Studio Tour Saturday. She is currently a sophmore in college & will take us on a guided tour through her modest space & great imagination!

NOW FOR THE PRIZE DETAILS! Next Thursday 10/1 at approximately noon (EST). I will hold a random drawing for an 8.5" x 11" print of Amber's wonderful piece, The Little Gift . Tell you what, I'll also custom cut an acid free mat for it. Winner's choice of black or white mat.


TO ENTER the random drawing, just leave a comment on this blog before the October 1st deadline. It is that easy. Contest is open worldwide with free shipping. Please make sure your contact info is in your profile or comment.

Please note I am also hosting another giveaway for the generous folks at Uprinting.com. On 10/22 one lucky ArtSnark reader will win a 2 ft. x 3ft. custom printed vinyl banner of their own design CLICK HERE for details & to enter banner giveaway.

47 comments:

  1. Oh Amber,
    So nice to meet you! And your art is fabulous, oh my....I am so envious of those who can draw, you are one of those artists....lol. I am off to visit your shop and see more, welcome to Etsy Amber....

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  2. OH my, I was so completely blessed by your work. There just don't seem to be the proper adjectives to describe the emotion and the awe that your work provoked in me.

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  3. Amber your work is just fabulous..your shading is superb..keep up the good work.

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  4. Really beautiful work , you are very talented ! welcome to Etsy

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  5. Graphite is absolutely my most favorite medium, I could draw for hours, regretfully have not for many years. I fell in love with pencil in college too, preferring to work with the harder leads to give the slightest whisper of lines but building them up to a crescendo as I worked. Your work is exquisite for such a young artist, your eye is extremely developed and you are very very talented!

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  6. Oh my goodness, Amber, your talent is overwhelming. There are indeed no adjectives that can describe it. Thank you for sharing your talent. And Stacey, thank you for introducing us to such a wonderfully gifted artist.

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  7. I too was enamored with graphite in college, my first art love since childhood. You have mastered the medium, welcome to etsy!

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  8. Amber, you have an incredible gift. You work is wonderful. Your hands and baby feet and precious and full of emotion.

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  9. Shawna L.
    weloveourdogs@juno.com

    Breathtaking is the word that comes to mind when I see your touching art!!!! To be blessed in such a wonderful way is just proof that God loves us and if we just trust in him all gifts are brought to light in one way or another. Amber keep up your Gift for as I read what others have wrote it is plain to me how much you touch the hearts of one & all who visit and or buy your Amazing art!!!

    Thanks for this chance to win this touching Art!!!

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  10. I love the complexity she achieves with a simple pencil line. Stunning!

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  11. wow. fabulous talent! this is a very cool giveaway :)

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  12. What a talent! I love the Corinthians piece.

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  13. Good thing I was sitting down when I saw Amber's work - blew me away! Since my drawing skills leave a lot to be desired, I'm so envious. Then when I saw she's only a sophomore in college - talent and youth too - I'm slinking away in despair ... Fantastic work! What an incredible talent.

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  14. Thank you for show ussuch a beautiful works!!

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  15. An incredible new talent. Wishing you all the best as you pursue the dream. Wow.

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  16. What amazing work! Absolutely stunning.

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  17. welcome to etsy Amber, your art is gorgeous!

    http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6717943

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  18. thanks for the great interview and giveaway! very inspiring work :)

    dreamzz12{at}aol{dot}com

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  19. Amazing sketches! I'm in awe...

    aikychien at yahoo dot com

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  20. These works of art are so beautiful! I myself love to sketch, but my skills aren't this good.

    ~Evelyn~
    eggyc at hotmail dot com

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  21. "Little Gift" is divine, a perfect treasure for some new parents that I know, to display in their home, and remember in their hearts... they would adore it!

    pumpkinlady430@yahoo.com

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  22. Wow! How gorgeous! And how lucky to have a supportive art teacher!

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  23. That is so nice of you. you do beautiful work. Please enter me into giveaway.

    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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  24. What a beautiful picture of our Savior's loving hands! We are about to have our second baby girl and would love to place this artwork and the wonderful scripture in her nursery.

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  25. wow this is gorgeous!!
    love the works.. u got a magic hands on it.. its like real one..

    silverlilacc at hotmail dot com

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  26. Beautiful drawings!
    Actually, 3 couples close to me just received their respective "Little Gifts". . .It's exciting!
    ocamcaro at gmail dot com

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  27. Really beautiful work Amber. You have an amazing gift. Thanks for sharing it with us.

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  28. What a blessing it would be to have such a talent!

    Amber, your work is just brilliant and emotionally gripping!


    Thanks


    nancyrobster@gmail.com

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  29. These drawings are amazing - I'm blown away :)
    eod_army_wife04(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  30. What a great gift to give a new parent!

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  31. Such gorgeous artwork!!! I enjoyed looking at all of it!

    I love the inclusion of scripture on many of your pieces. I'd love to win this print! (I'd choose a white mat)

    Thank you for introducing us to Amber!

    ~Melanie

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  32. this would be great for my cousin's new baby

    hockiemack at hotmail.com

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  33. I love your work!! My gosh, you are so talented. Thank you for this beautiful giveaway and please count me in.

    chinook92(at)gmail(dot)com

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  34. I would love to win this for my sister.
    jswandrn @ gmail.com

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  35. Very beautiful work. I love babies feet!
    sarmil75 at yahoo.com

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  36. What lovely artwork! The detail is amazing.

    urchiken at gmail dot com

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  37. Beautiful Artwork! I would love to win the print shown!

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  38. wow-beautiful artwork-I enjoy all of them

    tiramisu392 (at) yahoo.com

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  39. I so hope I win this one! What wonderful art! And she's a girl after my own heart, too. Love the picture of Yuna!

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  40. Thanks for the chance! Your art is fantastic!
    cal_rubies at yahoo dot es

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  41. I would love this for my daughter's room! It would be perfect!

    smrtmouse at yahoo dot com

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  42. What a beautiful print. I would choose the black mat and hang it in my living room for all to see!

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  43. I would love to win this print for my best friend. She had a baby in June, he weighed 1 pound 11 ounces! He is truly a miracle! He now weighs almost 8 pounds and is 4 months old! He has defied all odds and this print would be a perfect gift for her.

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  44. I can only dream about being able to draw like you do. I really like those of your prints which are related to bible verses. Thanks.
    lubaska dot k at gmail dot com

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  45. These are more than cute. What an awesome giveaway!
    My e-mail: nowhere.else[at]hotmail[dot]com

    Thank you for the opportunity!

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  46. I love the feet of the baby. It reminds me of the Lord holding you from birth and as you grow He still holds you in the palm of His hands. WOW

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