Tag Archives: amy heyse art

Illustration Opportunities

Growing up, “illustrating a children’s book” was on my dream list (probably right under “workin a Disney”). I loved the work of illustrators like Jan Brett, Chris Van Allsburg, Mercer Meyer, and more. I used to write and illustrate my own stories. In fall of 2020, I got asked by Our Sunday Visitor (OSV) to create the cover illustration for a new Catholic kids magazine called OSV Kids. The January cover was to depict a family inviting home a new baby, so I had my daughters model for photos with an American Girl doll wrapped up in a blanket.

I created the cover illustration with the help of my new iPad Pro and the app Procreate. It was a dream come true. Seeing my daughters holding a copy of the physical magazine bearing their image was definitely one of the coolest experiences I’ve had as an artist.

It was such a positive and rewarding experience, so I was extra excited when I was asked to create another illustration for the centerfold of the June 2021 issue (I’ll try to share that one later when it comes out) as well as the artwork for a new book on the Jesse Tree by Colleen Pressprich (which will also be published by Our Sunday Visitor).

The cover illustration started off as a line drawing that I shaded using dark brown tones. I tried to create all of the tonal values with this brown shade to make an “under painting.” On a separate layer, I added the colors for the girls on top. You can see what the different stages looked like in the above photo (cover image copyright Our Sunday Visitor).

We Shepherd Together

Sometimes a project is just meant to be. My dear friend, Elizabeth Zelasko, got me in touch with a lovely lady named Anne who felt called to commission an artist to create an original piece of artwork. The idea for this image was of a priest holding a lamb and Jesus guiding the priest. She knew the title would be “We Shepherd Together.” The image had been on her heart for years, but not being an artist herself she wasn’t sure where to begin. Elizabeth was one of the artists she got in touch with, but when she was unavailable to create the image, she got Anne in contact with me.

On the phone, I had a pretty clear idea of the direction I wanted to take for Anne’s piece and the sketch came together very quickly. In my personal experience, I have always found that there is a certain rhythm and flow to a project when it’s meant to be. It’s like my hand is drawing or painting faster or with a skill level I shouldn’t have. Though it’s hard to know for sure, these moments definitely feel guided by the Holy Spirit.

We Shepherd Together sketch

After I sent Anne the final image for her to approve, I can remember the feeling of elation I had when she said, “You nailed it!” It felt good to be part of the process of collaborating together to create a piece of art meant to inspire our clergy. If there’s a will, then there’s a way, and God always will find a way to make it happen.

Prints of “We Shepherd Together” are now available in my Etsy shop.


Holy Family Sacred Hearts

I had been listening to a podcast last spring about Eucharistic miracles. In the interview, they talked about the scientific testing that has been used on Eucharistic hosts. Under a microscope, the host looks like the heart of someone who has died from severe trauma.

The Holy Family aren’t bland, emotionless statues. My purpose with this series is to highlight that they were people who experienced severe trauma and were emotional beings.

Prints and stickers of each heart can be found on my Etsy page.

Wedding Season

I’ve been busy creating a lot of portrait pieces to celebrate weddings and other occasions. I even had the opportunity to paint some custom cornhole boards for a reception.

I love it when I’m asked to create portraits whether it’s for a wedding, anniversary, or other occasion. I truly believe that art is a ministry, so being able to paint something beautiful to be shared in the home of a family is really a blessing.

Many of the podcasts I have been listening to lately have discussed the theme of beauty. It is so important to be surrounded by beauty because it shapes our souls and it shapes our culture. I’m so thankful that I get asked to be a part of the process

Watercolor, 5×7”.
Watercolor, 4×6”.

Mayumi

A goal of mine had been to paint close-to-lifesize portrait paintings of my two daughters, Holly and Mayumi. In 2018, the completed painting of my daughter Holly was finished and was accepted into a regional fine art show. I started working on the painting of my youngest, Mayumi, a little over a month ago.

The painting depicts 18 month old Mayumi in her velvet and tulle Christmas dress. You can practically hear her saying “Cheese” as you look at her toothy toddler grin. A lot of nights were spent painting chubby toddler fingers, her sweet little face, and the different textures of her dress.

Even when the painting was in the early stages, just a sketch on a piece of paper, Mayumi recognized herself. She would proudly point to the painting and say, “Me” throughout the process. She was excited to see the finished product which I will be hanging up on the wall next to Holly’s portrait. I’m hoping to enter it into the National Fine Art Show at the same gallery later this season.

Mommy and Mayumi
“Mayumi.” Watercolor, 16×20”

Mr. + Mrs. Lowry

Happy one month anniversary to Hannah and Zach Lowry who were married on November 1st at a beautiful ceremony at the Tapestry House. Hannah was a stunning fall bride. It was fun attending and seeing a bunch of my former co-workers and celebrating their marriage.

Both Hannah and Zach have ridiculously kind families (no wonder they both turned out to be such great people). It was really nice meeting everybody.

My go-to wedding gift in always a handmade portrait of the couple. This little watercolor of the happy couple measures 4×6” and I’m glad that the bride and groom said I did them justice! Below is also a start-to-finish time lapse video of the painting process. Enjoy!

“Hannah and Zach.” Watercolor, 4×6”.

Wedding Commission for Nicole

I recently got the opportunity to work on this fun watercolor commission for Nicole. Since it was her “paper anniversary,” she wanted to gift her husband a watercolor painting of one of their wedding pictures.

After she sent me a couple of pictures for reference, I combined elements from her two favorites to create this painting.

Fun fact: we both have the same anniversary date, June 25th, just a couple of years apart.

An in progress picture of the painting in the early stages.

Watercolor, 5×7”

Kristy

The first time I met Kristy was through our church’s religious education program, but I’ll always associate our friendship with our high school marching band where she played flute and mellophone. Speaking of marching band, when I think of Kristy I think of the phrase, “March to the beat of your own drum.” She is very passionate, and when she finds something she cares about, she throws herself into it with full enthusiasm. That gung-ho attitude balanced with sensitivity and intellect is something I’ve always loved about her. She’s a voracious reader, loves her dog, and has a very caring family.

The painting of Kristy is all done in watercolors on Arches hot press watercolor paper. I’m especially happy with how her eyes and hair turned out.

“Kristy.” Watercolor, 8×10″

The Portrait Project

Back in December, I was wanting to start a new series of artwork. The goal was to create a consistent body of work to build up my portfolio with the intent to eventually apply for a local gallery opportunity. I had a couple of ideas for potential themes to explore, but wasn’t sure which idea to follow. I brought it to prayer, and the word “ordinary” kept banging around in my head.

I was in need of models for my artwork and asked my friends and family on Facebook if any of them would be willing to let me use their photos or likenesses for future artwork. I honestly thought that I would be lucky if five people volunteered, but I ended up with over thirty people who were interested. As I went through the list, I thought about the different ways each person came into my life and how they are all unique, albeit ordinary, women. I knew I wanted to create a series of portraits featuring ordinary (but extraordinary) women.

I’ll admit that I always get an urge to add something to the portraits to make them more surreal or like a fantasy illustration. Though this wouldn’t be uncommon, especially in my previous portrait work, I knew I wanted to be true to the spirit of the subject. I don’t need to add anything to their portraits to make the individual more unique or interesting.

So far, I have done five portraits (Raven, Sarah, Lauren, Rachael, and Chelsea) and there are many more to come. As I work on the portrait, I try to use the process of painting as a form of prayer. I try to pray for their intentions and thank God for the way he has brought these individuals into my life and how they have influenced me. It’s been very special for me to hear the feedback from the people who I’ve painted. I always hope that I do them justice.

All of the portraits are done primarily with watercolors, though occasionally I use acrylic or other mixed media to finish the pieces. You’ll be seeing many more portraits to come over the next few months!

Sarah

My new piece, “Sarah,” is an acrylic and watercolor painting I made as part of a new series of portraits I’m developing. Sarah and I first met our freshman year of high school while working on the school musical, “Singin’ in the Rain.” She is extremely generous and has a heart for adventure and being out in nature. We’ve been friends ever since.

I always love seeing what new adventures she’s on whether it’s snowshoeing with her adorable husky Mochi, climbing 14ers, paddling down the Amazon, swimming with sharks, or running races in Utah. I really liked this photo reference of Sarah because I felt like it was a good representation of her in her element. She also likes Elsa from Frozen, so y’know… snow ❄️

Sarah’s face is painted with acrylics, but everything else is watercolor. While working on this portrait, I struggled with the background. I ended up painting over the entire background with white acrylic and starting over. I recently started using a new product called Daniel Smith watercolor ground. You can paint it on any surface to make it watercolor friendly. I’ve used it a lot on Bible pages when Bible journaling. It’s not as great as real watercolor paper, but it definitely did the trick in this painting!

“Sarah.” Watercolor, acrylic, and mixed media, 8×10”.