Jessica Crabtree

(Click the picture for full-sized view)
Bandit, 15×18 pastel on suede. A little closer to being finished (still needs some work though).

Portrait Sizes

If you’re working in pastels, the size of your matboard canvas is especially important. Too small, and you won’t be able to achieve as much detail in your painting; too big and you have a huge amount of area to cover and often some wasted canvas space. 16×20 is my favorite size to work with. It’s just right for a life-sized head and shoulders view. For a portrait I don’t use anything smaller than 12×16, which is best for smaller, close-up facial portraits.

Comanche Boy, 12×16

24×30 or 24×36 on the large end is perfect for a bust or three-quarter length portrait, and it can accommodate plenty of detail without being completely unmanageable (at this size they can be awkward to transport before they’re framed!)

Blackfoot, 24×30

Almost any canvas – including very small or odd-sized pieces – will suit wildlife paintings, since animals come in so many shapes and sizes. If I have a project that requires a special size, so that when I cut my matboard the result is several odd-shaped scrap pieces, I can always use them for my animal portraits.

February 21, 1828: The first issue of the Cherokee Phoenix is published in Georgia.

The Cherokee Phoenix was the first newspaper written and published by Native Americans. Established by Elias Boudinot, a prominent member of the Cherokee nation, it addressed topics such as cultural assimilation, tribal politics, and the US government’s removal policies.

The paper was printed in both English and Cherokee, thanks to the syllabary developed by Sequoyah in 1821 that enabled a written form of the Cherokee language. This innovation proved to be an invaluable communications tool for the Cherokee.

The Phoenix quickly developed a broad subscription base and became a powerful voice representing the Cherokee to the early American media, and keeping Cherokee across the Southeast up to date on pivotal issues. It is still in print today by the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. You can view it online at www.cherokeephoenix.org.

More on Sequoyah (aka George Guess), inventor of the Cherokee syllabary:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoyah

See also:

Archaeology.com – “Sequoyah Was Here”

From the Canadian Wildlife Federation.

Here’s a look at my latest pastel in progress (15×18). I call him “Bandit” – an obvious name for a raccoon! Click the image to enlarge:

Countdown’s Keith Olberman urges viewers to donate to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Emergency Assistance Fund to aid those affected by a snowstorm on the reservation last week.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

And from the next night’s show:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation

Indian Country Today: Winter Disaster Across Native America

USA Today: Storm Disaster for Sioux Flies Under compassion radar (continue reading…)

For my pastel paintings I use the white-core suede mat boards produced by many framing supply companies. I buy them from my local picture framer as I need them. They come in large sheets measuring 32″ x 40″ which I divide into smaller pieces using a carpet cutter (you can have your picture framer do this with a mat-cutting machine). It’s a good idea to have them cut as soon as you get them, since this makes the matboard much easier to store (which you should do by laying it out flat, and not standing; its weight will cause it to bow or warp).

Before cutting, I use a list of standard frame sizes I use most often to determine how to arrange the layout of the cut with the least waste. Over time I’ve come up with a few layouts that work best for the canvas sizes I use most frequently. Here are a few graphics made to scale showing various ways to divide a 32×40 matboard.

Click to enlarge:

(continue reading…)

Teacher, mathematician, aeronautical engineer, rocket scientist, top-secret ballistics expert, NASA Apollo project consultant.

And, did I mention, a Cherokee woman?

Mary G. Ross, born in 1908, was the great-great granddaughter of the Cherokee chief John Ross, and grew up in the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. Her mathematical talents were quickly recognized and by 1942 she was working for the Lockheed Corporation, a position she held for more than 30 years. She is regarded as America’s first woman engineer, and for decades held a prominent place as one of the country’s most valuable scientists. She used her skills to promote education among young Native Americans across the country. She passed away in 2008 just shy of her 100th birthday.

Read more about the career of this brilliant Indian woman:

National Museum of the American Indian: Mary G. Ross

Mary G. Ross (center) at the opening ceremony of the National Museum of the American Indian.