Cool Website

I love everything colorful (as evidenced by a majority of my work) and now I have found a website that could either be reeeeally useful or a huge distraction to actually getting anything done!

www.colourlovers.com is just a fun way to play with how different colors work together. You can create a color, a whole palette, or a pattern very easily and in a variety of different ways. You can start from scratch or use photographs for inspiration.

Even if you aren't an artist I would suggest checking it out and playing around with it, you never know what you might come up with!

Oldies but Goodies!

This is an artist trading card that I did awhile ago, and it keeps getting lost and resurfacing. so I figured while I had it found I would scan it to share with everyone! I tend to do more little illustrations for ATC's rather than the usual collage--but then again who is to say what is usual!

This is an oooooold piece from highschool. My assignment was to paint a still life, which I did--I just thought it needed more color that's all...hehe!

Owl Table

New Bookmarks!

Just a new batch of bookmarks! Personally I like the hot pink one and the blue rosebud but that is really hard to say a I like all of my bookmarks in someway or another. These will get laminated and some will get tassels and if I get off my lazy butt and get my camera unloaded of pictures I will stage a little photoshoot! Woot!

I finally got the software for my scanner installed on Nymphadora so that I don't have to keep dragging out Mundungus all the time. It is much easier to be motivated to scan things when I can use my pretty shiny new computer!

Hope everyone had a great St.Patrick's Day! Spent mine reading some great bits of fiction!

Onwards and Upwards Once More...

Well, Charlotte's Web closed yesterday.

I am so proud of all the kids--they put soooo much hard work into this show. It is always bittersweet.

One of my favorite parts of the day was giving the three little girls who played the baby spiders their puppets to keep. I have one that I am going to photograph this week and get back to her so that I have something for my poor neglected portfolio. I really need to work on that thing--I have all the pictures just need to organize it.

Anyways! I am having a meeting today to work on some new projects one of which is a few new lines of bookmarks/journals/stationary. Until the meeting tonight I am not really at liberty to disclose much else, but I think it will be exciting

I am working on some pretty colorful spring bookmarks in an attempt to will warmer weather into being--it may be working, high today is 64!

I am also experimenting with color, and watercolor paper. Usually I detest watercolor paper in favor of ye olde Bristol, but I have a ton of it someone gave me so I think it is work seeing if I can do something with it.

Other than that check out STEAM Fest as it get's going there will be some interesting artwork and artisans there! And a costumed staged reading of my original steampunk work The True History of Henry Rayne and the Airship Pirates! Woot pirates and airships and goggles oh my!

Back to work!

New Projects!

This is a new project I am working on. I am getting the pocket size Moleskine notebooks with the cardboard covers, some watch gears, and some watercolor and colored pencil and voila! I really like the flowers and my robots are always my favorite so I can't really say too much. The notebooks are only 7.95 for three of them so I think more experimentation is in order!!!

I have always liked embellishing things, especially notebooks, and now that I have found jewelers glue there will be watch bits all over everything--muhahahahaaaaa!!! Ahem...

These are for sale by the way if anyone is interested!

[Sorry for the not so great photograph!]

How To Become a Better Artist

Theatre business...

So I have disappeared for a few weeks because I have been busily working on props and various other sundries for Charlotte's Web at the Greenfield Hebrew Academy.

We will return to our regularly scheduled program next week, once we open!

There have been some interesting props to build for this show, the biggest of which is the spider web in which Charlotte writes her words! Still a little tweaking to do but it is getting there. I get to decorate fake cakes this morning! Woot!

More regular artwork to come!

New Show!

I will have four of my watercolor pieces from Snow Dragon in the show The Heart of Winter at InsideOut Sautee There is an opening night reception tonight from 6-9 that alas I cannot attend because of rehearsal [silly job!] but if you can make it you should! The show runs through March 7th so if you can't go tonight please go see it at some point. Not only is there my fabulous work [hehe!] but many other great artists, and it is a great excuse to run away to the mountains for a bit!



This is also for sale at InsideOut Sautee. It is a small oak table and chair painted with owls! Hand painted, and finished and is great for small children boy or girl! Great colors and a durable finish that will stand up to anything a kid can dish out!

Now onwards and upwards! One more cup of coffee, a shower and off to the theatre to finish baby spider puppets!

Ciao!

Feeling Moderately Successful...

The Rail Arts District Tour was Saturday February 13th at The Academy Theatre, and despite the wind and rain and blowing snow it was in fact moderately successful. We only had a few artists that couldn't make it, and had descent crowds despite the melting slush and the newscasters telling people to stay put.

I felt moderately prepared for this event [at some point I stopped stressing about it oddly enough!] and had plenty of bookmarks to sell, and postcards which is what I tend to sell the most of [and all I really sold to be truthful] and some of my painted furniture. While I got a lot of nice compliments on the furniture I had sort of knew before hand that I wouldn't sell any of it, even as much as I hoped. Silly economy--one day!

It made me realize several things about my art and what I need to do with it. Basically I have a choice to make: I can either take steps to better my artwork, and style through classes and studying which means I need to hold back on just churning stuff out for profit. Or, the second choice, is to really work out how to make my art both fun and profitable.

As for option one, I don't know that it is quite time for that other than taking a class here and there, and well; that takes money which I don't have right now. Well, that and just time to really study others work and experimenting. I am trying to make time for that but writing projects just seem to keep popping up instead. I just need to make more of an effort to find time to really draw things and study them.

The second option is something I am constantly working on, and my experience at the RAD tour gave me an idea. I think I would like to focus on creating a line of stationary products based on some of my designs. Jim, at Academy, especially said I should do something with my owls. So I guess my next step is to research and find places where I can get stationary type products printed without too much cost. Then it's advertising, advertising, advertising!

Overall, it was a great learning experience, met some really great artists and I actually made a little money on the side!

Rail Arts District Tour!

Rail Arts District Tour! Saturday February 13th 10am-2pm

Come pick up something special for your Valentine!

Milky White...

I painted a cow...hehe!

Into the Woods

Gainesville Theatre Alliance

One of my favorites...

I love lion statues, and this one in Savannah is probably my favorite--or at least right on up there. I really want to do a painting of this statue...

Paint Pens Rulz!

So I got some awesome paint pens over Christmas to help make furniture painting less time consuming, more fun, and perhaps the tiniest bit more profitable [ha!]. It was great because they were on sale too! Hooray cheap paint supplies!

Today I am working on a stool/bench type thing for my mom, that admittedly I have had for way too long and just not got to working on it because Kalin asked me to so we could get it out of our house--aaaaanyways I have gotten to use my paint pens on it and it has made a woooorld of difference! I think it will revolutionize the way I paint furniture and make it easier and quicker which is what everyone has been telling me I need to do! Hooray all around!

I know it is not a very good picture but until I can find my camera cord we are stuck with low grade PhotoBooth pictures. But you get the idea, right? That is the top of the stool for my mom's classroom. I think it turned out rather well, just a few more steps and it will be complete!

I have also been working on quite a few bookmarks. My goal was to get re-stocked while InsideOut Sautee was closed for January, but I got sick [several times!], work got busy and well, I am making up for it now! I got twenty-five ready for laminating! I think I am going to designate Sundays for bookmark days--as if it were a job so that I can keep up with the demand that will hopefully happen once the tourists start coming back in the spring. We'll see I guess...

I'm sure there is something else I was going to talk about...oh well, that is enough for now--back to painting!

Hehe!

We really do love each other!

Photography

So I do not consider myself a photographer by any means but every now and then I take a snap shot with my simple little Canon digital camera that I enjoy and think perhaps the world might too. One of my favorite subjects to paint and draw and look at is clouds, and these struck me as particularly beautiful one evening on my way home from work.

New Year...

Soo it is finally 2010 and hooray the world did not explode!

I am snowbound right now as of Thursday evening. We may try to venture out sometime this afternoon, but being stuck in the house has given me time to work on some artistic things. Nothing brilliant really, a few presents, hand bound books I am working on, and getting my bookmark groove started again. They apparently sell really well at Inside Out Sautee and I need to keep up the inventory. They are closed for the month of January so I am hoping I can get ahead with stock. That is what I did yesterday--spent several hours just watercoloring and pressing backgrounds for my bookmarks. I have it down to a process pretty well, I just got done with a big batch and was just happy they were selling NOW I h

ave to keep it up and make it part of a job if I want them to keep selling.

Anways, I also have several furniture pieces I want to get done before the end of the month to have ready for the shop once it opens as well as for the RAD tour in February that I am doing again and had quite a bit of success at last year.

Other than that I have some paintings in mind that I would like to work on and a book project in the works [as mentioned in the previous journal entry] that will be going out and around.

Oh yeah, I also got an Ipod for Christmas which as helped art stuff tremendously. I had forgotten how integral music was for painting for me, and so we shall see what will come from that! Sorry for this long rambly post without much art in it. Perhaps I will scan some stuff today after we re-arrange the bedroom! Ciao!

Wee!

Hooray Snow... now sleep and art tomorrow!