Desertdarlene's Art and Photo

Hello! This hub is one of the many places you can see my work. Some of those links are listed below. I work in three formats or mediums: acrylic paints, colored pencil, and photography. Almost all of my artwork is of nature themes. I enjoy doing realistic artwork, but don't shy away from abstracts once in a while. I also like modern artwork and graphic design.

With photography, I mostly do either landscapes or wildlife.

Some of my work is licensed for certain products and websites. If you are interested in licensing any of my artwork for any purpose, leave a comment below or contact me on my blog. Enjoy!

Please visit my blog for my latest endeavors: Desert Darlene's Art and Photo

The blog mostly has my artwork, but it does have a few photos on them.

I have several websites where my art is posted or sold from. I generally try to offer something different on each site I post my work to. Some sites only sell prints to specific products, some offer products for sale, others are just for show or feedback. Other than the blog I listed above, here are some other areas to see or buy my artwork:

Desertdarlene on Deviantart: Deviantart is an artist's community where we can also sell prints and get feedback. Mostly, it's social and has a lot of groups. I like it because I find all kinds of contests and events in my local area.

Darlene Luckins on Fine Art America I usually sell my very finest artwork and prints here. If you want a high quality print, suitable for framing and showing, this is the place to visit.

Darlene Luckins on Cafepress: Mostly just for fun items like t-shirts, mugs, etc. All with my original designs on them.

Luckins Artwork on Zazzle: I am brand new there and haven't put much up. I'm trying not to compete with my other store on Cafepress.

I haven't been doing as many paintings lately, but here is a photo of my set-up on a current piece of artwork. I usually work at my dining room table, which is kinda inconvenient when it comes time to eat dinner. But, I have no other place to set up. I also have a "portable studio' that I can use to paint in places where a table might not be available.

I like to work with acrylics and use a disposable palette, if possible, or the palette in my portable studio. I use water for thinning my paint and cleaning my brushes. Usually, I let the water evaporate naturally and then peel off the paint from the bowl and throw it in the trash, though I still wonder if this is a good idea. All the paint I use is non-toxic. I have had no issues with permanency with the non-toxic versions.

Most of my paintings are either done on canvas, stretched canvas, canvas paper and canvas board. Sometimes, I will do it on thick or watercolor paper. My brushes are almost all bristle because I can't afford anything nicer and softer. Plus, sometimes I'm rough on my paint and brushes and it helps to have a stiffer brush to work with. I use a combination of dry brush painting and some watercolor techniques.

Due to costs, my palette of paints is extremely limited. I usually use primary colors or only one or two pigments and mix them together. I don't buy all these different pigments and shades of blues, greens, browns, etc. only a handful of each color I need unless I'm doing a specific project and need to convey a specific look to the piece.

For colored pencil drawings, I use a variety of sizes of paper for drawing, usually Strathmore. I like to use Prismacolor pencils. I've tried other types of pencils, but I like Prismacolors the best.