Includes my art process, art shows, new ideas, products that are released into stores, artists I admire, and printable art that is free to download (free printable coloring pages, etc.). Your feedback is always welcome.
Just shipped out a new collection of analog collage portraits for the upcoming show at Tiny Gallery, Montclair, NJ. This exhibit will be even more special as it was invited to be a part of the Garden State Art Weekend!
Save the date for this very special art show featuring over 100 works by Tiny Gallery artists. Saturday, April 20, 12-6pm. 8 Stanford Place, Montclair, NJ
This piece is part of a brand new body of intaglio etchings that I’ve been experimenting with, focusing on memory, memories, and the grasping to keep hold of one’s story.
The show runs from January 16, 2024–February 18, 2024, with an Artist's Reception on January 21 from 12pm to 3pm. Please reach out to me or Kelly at Arbor Gallery for more information. I’d love to see you there!
The show opens this week with a reception on Saturday, August 5 from 4-7 pm.
www.touchstonegallery.com/people-and-the-planet
www.touchstonegallery.com/gallery-events/people-planet-reception (Eventbrite, Facebook, email RSVP options)
*Please note that my collage is part of the virtual exhibition at Touchstone Gallery. The physical piece is for sale at Ghost Gallery in downtown Seattle. Feel free to reach out with any questions!
It's an honor to be part of this exhibition, juried by the incredible artist, @valeriesavarie. The show is up through July 30, 2023 @coreartspace.
If you're in the Denver area, please grab a friend and check it out.
This piece is also FOR SALE. Printed on fine art glass by the incredible team at POV in Los Angeles, this collage portrait is reminiscent of the ambrotype, with layers of antique papers and fleur de lis, to tell the story of The Storyteller. The glass is 11”x14” and is inset in a ornate frame.
To purchase, you can contact me or get in touch with the folks at Core Art Gallery. Priced to sell at $400 and ready to ship or pick up after July 30th.
The event showcased an array of stunning artwork by local artists, attracting a large crowd of art enthusiasts. It was truly heartening to witness such overwhelming support at an art opening.
I proudly contributed two pieces from my latest Transformations series, specifically my "printer's proofs," to this remarkable exhibition. In the following paragraphs, you'll find the statement I prepared for this weekend's local show...
In the collage portrait series, “Transformations,” my goal was to evoke a sense of hidden secrets beneath the surface. While deeply personal in nature, I hope these portraits inspire introspection, speculation, and a connection to the enigmatic past.
During the creative process for this exhibition, I experimented with two distinct techniques to explore the essence of antique portraiture. The first piece, titled “Octopus,” was crafted on fine art glass, reminiscent of the classic glass plate photography found in antiquity. (Subsequently, the entire series of sixteen portraits was produced using this method and is on display in Seattle, WA.)
In the case of “Collar,” I employed a traditional etching process combined with photogravure. The piece was inked with sepia inks and printed by master printer, Kathy Caraccio, on an intaglio press. (Keep an eye out for an exciting spin-off series this summer that will exclusively feature this exquisite technique!)
“Collar” from the Transformations series. Photogravure etching, Copyright Kendra Shedenhelm 2023.
“Octopus from the Transformations series. Collage on glass, Copyright Kendra Shedenhelm 2023.
If you’re in the Montclair area, be sure to stop by the Tiny Gallery Montclair and check out my work. You can also visit the website at https://www.tinygallerymontclair.com/artists/kendra-shedenhelm.
Please let me know if you get a chance to see it in person!
This one is a holiday-themed drawing, with a hot drink, mittens, cookies, and the like. Below is a preview, but be sure to grab the high-resolution version by clicking here.
As always, I love it when people share how they’ve used my art. Please feel to reach out and tag me on Instagram @kendrashedenhelm
Another online shop where I sell my art is TeePublic.
TeePublic has extraordinary customer service for its artists. I’ve received the most personal outreach from TeePublic’s team than any other online seller by far.
My current best seller is this Dog Faces drawing, and the Cat Faces drawing is a personal favorite.
I’m from Nebraska, so you’ll see a couple of nods to the Cornhusker State in here as well, plus drawings of other cities I’ve lived in, like Chicago, New York City, and Brooklyn.
Please check out my shop and tell me your favorites. I can also customize ink colors and take special requests. (:
Redbubble is another one of my favorite shops to sell my art.
They make it incredibly easy to upload artwork AND I can set the background color with a hex code AND they provide a patterning option. So helpful!
Check out my Sailboat Drawing art on these socks. I used Redbubble’s pattern generator to create this repeat pattern.
Here’s another example of using Redbubble’s patterning tool for my art. Brushed ink winter flora in blue and cream on an apron…
I’ve been selling on Redbubble for many years. If you’d like to learn more, please comment below or reach out via my Contact page.
Here are some of my faves…
My new Transformations Collection on Society6.
(I especially like the framed prints in 18x24.)
I went with a series of antique typewriter-styles of lettering, focusing on “politeness” with varying salutations and RSVPs.
Have a favorite?
This was an attempt at creating metal products with a focus on birds. I created a cockatoo with a gem for an eye as a brass lamp base + a laced lampshade (OR maybe a frosted glass lampshade). I also have a painted blue metal bird wall hanging. The bird sculpture can also be on TOP of the ring as a towel holder.
What do you think of these ideas?
Another course completed for MakeArtThatSells.com with Lilla Rogers and Margo Tantau: Home Decor Plus!
I’ve taken many classes with Lilla over the years, and once again, her style of teaching makes what might seem impossible (creating an entire collection in just a couple of weeks!) into something doable. By breaking creative tasks into bits, Lilla helps me work through an assignment incrementally, piece by piece, before my mind can get ahead of itself and feel stymied. Her courses really keep things moving.
Some of the icons I drew for the initial prompt. Copyright 2022 Kendra Shedenhelm
More drawings and color tests for makeartthatsells.com course, Home Decor Plus. Art copyright 2022 Kendra Shedenhelm
“Peacock Mashup” collection in textured blue by Kendra Shedenhelm for the makeartthatsells.com course, Home Decor Plus. Art copyright 2022 Kendra Shedenhelm
All of this art is available for further viewing on my agent’s website as well, at wains-world.com. Please reach out with any questions!
Thanks again to Lilla and Margo for another wonderful and helpful class!
Many years ago, my sister Kelli came up with the idea for “I Am! Yo Soy!” She wanted to create a kind and affirmative baby/toddler book full of pictures of other babies and simple sentences a young child could remember and soak in. Together we made a fun-to-hold, little board book that proved to be wonderful for families. We heard so many stories of babies reciting the words with their caregivers or kissing the pages “Good night.” We have been thrilled with the feedback!
Because “I Am! Yo Soy!” is a bilingual book, we have now created an ePub version with sound, so you can more easily read both languages (if Spanish or English is not as familiar to you). We’ve also added a wiggly little bee that you can bounce from word to word while you read or listen.
As of now, this free ePub has been adapted for iBooks only. You can download it to your phone, iPad or laptop via my Freebies section (name/info required, but it will skip the payment prompt). If you prefer not to fill out the download form, you can also find it with my other freebies here (this option requires a .zip reader on your device). If you have any questions about using this ePub on your phone, iPad or laptop using iBooks, please feel free to email me at kendra.shedenhelm@gmail.com. I’ll do my best to help!
Thanks again for stopping by. Kelli and I hope you enjoy this digital version of "I Am! Yo Soy!"
If you haven’t already heard of Illustration Friday, I encourage you to check them out. There is something so friendly and encouraging about their site, and I always enjoy creating art for their prompts.
This week’s prompt was “Game.” I took it as “The Game” or even “Game ON.” Below are my two variations. Have a favorite?
Another year, another round (or several) of MATS courses!
This year, agent Lilla Rogers of Make Art That Sells offered a free course to the winner of the Holiday Card challenge. The prompt: Favorite Holiday Drink.
Aside from coffee in the morning, my favorite holiday drink is red wine. I wanted to create a cozy, wintry look for this card, with a not-so-dainty glass of red wine.
Drink up!
It’s been a very long time since I’ve studied the human body in its nakedness or almost nakedness. I find myself embarrassed in front of a not fully-clothed model, and I shirk away from live sketch nights because of it.
For a recent pitch, however, I was prompted to look more at the female form, looking at her — staring! — and drawing her in all of her shapes and personality. I found it to be so much fun. Not embarrassing at all. Who knew?
Below are some of my recent line drawings…
My grandmother spent her last few years in a nursing home, and after my visits with her, I would always wish I'd listened more (wisdom! stories! life lessons! history!). Even though I cared immensely and wanted to make fulfilling conversation with her and her friends, I felt nervous about what to say and unsure how to interact. This really bothered me, and I've been ruminating since on how to be more present and at ease in similar situations.
Recently, it occurred to me that art might be my gateway.
After contacting the nearby nursing home, I arranged to go in for an hour every couple of weeks to draw quick portraits of any residents that would like to sit for me. For now, I'm choosing the all-one-line technique (drawing without lifting my pen), as it is not only fast (5–10 minutes per portrait), it does not allow for fussing over mistakes. The process forces me to stay present and allow for whatever happens to happen. It also gives me a chance to look — truly look — at the face of each person, and listen as she or he tells me stories of falling in love, past careers, and children raised.
Here are some of the people I've had the chance to work with...
The book that I illustrated last summer, The Historical Heroines Coloring Book, has won an IPPY Gold!
