Chloe

Last weekend we got to dog-sit this precious pup. She was a little camera-shy, but I was able to capture this sweet portrait of the Australian Sheppard.

Macrobiotics - Carrot Diakon Drink

It's a beautifully gray morning in February. This hot "drink" felt comforting and cleansing. I got this recipe from Jessica Porter's Hip Chick Guide to Macrobiotics. It is a powerful diuretic and IMO pretty tasty, too.




A friend just told me that it's bad to stick your chopsticks in a bowl of rice this way, and therefore possibly bad luck to stick it in a bowl of anything this way! Just passing the tip along. ;)

Coverage of yesterday's seminar from WSLS

Blue Ridge PRSA Professional Development Seminar

Today I had the privilege of attending a seminar hosted by the Blue Ridge Chapter of the PRSA. A special thanks to my colleagues, Ernest DelBuono and Betsy Parkins, of ND&P for their hard work in organizing the event.

Thanks to them, the other attendees and I shared in the experience of hearing first-hand, the sincere story of Morgan Harrington's disappearance from her parents, Dr. Dan Harrington and his wife, Gil Harrington. It was in their honest effort to reach out through the media—the right way, that Morgan's story was heard and still lives today. Morgan's Story.

Digital Strategist, Valerie Elston was at the core of managing the Harrington's online and social media presence after Levick Strategic Communications volunteered their services to the Harrington family. Valerie shared slides that illustrated strategies and tactics implemented throughout the social media campaign.

Corinne Geller, Public Relations Manager of the Virginia State Police, gave us insight from her unique perspective on the crisis communications involved in this particular case. Her energy and wit shined a light on a side of the VSP, I and many others probably never think much about. It's thanks to hard work by her and others like her that stories are vetted properly so that the public gets the right information (most of the time).

And finally, Amy Morris, News Director of WDBJ, talked about her hand in the case of Morgan's disappearance and the role the local affiliate played in relation to other media outlets, including the national networks.

Never having met in person before, it was evident that these three women shared a unique bond through their experience in working on such a heart-wrenching case. Each, doing their job effectively and knowledgeably.

It's with understanding the importance of the role played by social media in these crisis communications that I can truly appreciate and learn from their efforts.

A special thanks to all of the speakers, the Harringtons, and the Blue Ridge Chapter of the PRSA.

Demolition Day

For a while, everyday was demo day around our house and my husband often walked around with a sledgehammer slung over his shoulder. Here's a little piece of history.

Portrait Painting Process

This is my process for painting a portrait from a photo. I always follow this formula, and it works best for me.

First, make sure you have an excellent photo reference. If your reference is not good, you will struggle and it will show in your painting. It's also important to remember that a photograph is the camera's interpretation of reality and things aren't always what they seem. Your knowledge and understanding of light, shadow and color should compensate for what the photo lacks. When in doubt, ask your model to pose again and do some life studies.

My photo reference was actually a candid shot of my husband, and at the time I didn't think to check it well, so I found myself going back to get better reference and I worked with the sledge hammer in my studio.

Also, please forgive the quality of these images, I took them while I was in the middle of working and i usually had paint all over my hands. Click on the image to view its full size.



Once I get a very accurate drawing on the canvas (I draw very tightly with pencil) I go back and ink the whole drawing. This way, I don't have to worry about losing my original lines if I mess up and have to use a cheese cloth to wipe away some paint.

Then, I cover the canvas in a wash of galkyd and burnt umber. Galkyd is a fast drying painting medium. It works better than liquin for this step because it's more fluid--not as sticky, and I love the smooth surface it leaves upon drying. Once the entire canvas is covered, I go back with a cheese cloth and rub out the highlights and lighter values. You can get as detailed as you want with this step using a paintbrush and more paint. I usually just like to get the rough values down. The painting may need a full day to dry at this point.



When adding color, the most important thing is to first establish your true lights and darks. Work on the painting as a whole, in layers, always thinking about how one area relates to the next. Finally, I block in large areas of color before I add the more refined details.



Here is a close up of the first stage of the face. Again, it's important to block in lights and darks and get the flesh tones right before developing final details.

I hope you find this information helpful. Feel free to email me with any questions at monicakjf@yahoo.com

See my next post for the final painting.

Dishing It Out Contest

I had so much fun shooting these foodie photos with ND&P for our Dishing It Out Contest. The contest took place from April 28 to May 10 and was posted on Downtown Roanoke Inc's facebook page.

The photos featured here are from Downtown Roanoke's On the Rise Bakery. See more from other restaurants on my flickr page.