Here and There

Wow, friends. I have been so lacking on updates here. Sorry.
But you know what, there are so many other cooler places now that share ideas that it won't hurt my feelings if I am typing now to crickets. I will continue to post random art things here that I do, just to journal my work, but no hard feelings if you stray to greener pastures. I so understand.

And as a peace offering, I at least have one little ditty to share.
It's not novel but it's something.
There's a (ahemtacky) jewelry store that opened around here recently and I had a credit there I needed to use up. I found this big gem shaped bracelet and wanted to try that matte geo-shaped jewelry thing going on, so I bought some tan spray paint and went at it. Ended up looking pretty cool. So, you know... try it! :)

Now. I'll try to be better. In the meantime, mostly my creative things have ended up in my Etsy shop so you can peek there for updates. If it's non Etsy, I'll put it here.
Hope you're having a fun summer!

Silent Movement

I apologize for my disappearance as of late. I have been busy with things I could share here but am not as motivated to do it. I need to... it is a good way for me to keep track of things I have done and what inspires me.
Lately I have been working on some new projects for my Etsy shop. I just finished making some cool new stamps that I will share soon.
I've also been trying to paint some more. Here is one I recently finished of a house in Palm Springs. The colors scanned a bit weird, but overall I'm happy with it. It was a good exercise to bring alive again. It's hard for me to leave things alone when I watercolor. I want to make each area so tight with detail but it's not always necessary so I am trying to discipline myself in leaving things alone. I love that look yet I can't bring myself to do it. I'll keep posting things to see the progress over time and see if I succeed in this.
As well as this work, I've been doing some graphic design work that I will announce when the time comes. Fun stuff!
Anyway, to anyone who may still read here, thanks for sticking around. More to come. :)

January

This month has not allowed me to do much other than finally tackle my Dad's Christmas gift. Since I was going home for my Birthday weekend, it motivated me to finish the darn project!
I had this grand idea to make a paper cut topography map of Lake Powell. An artist on Etsy (Crafterall) makes some amazing pieces using this method, which is what gave me the idea.
I found an adequate image of the area I wanted and traced all the templates in Illustrator. Then I printed them out and used them as guides for each color. I had to pull a few classic ghetto strategies but in the end, it turned out beautifully.


This is a part of the Lake we have been visiting more and more. I think my Dad liked it. :)

And more back ordered Christmas gifts... I wanted to make some small pouch/bag/purses (?) for a few of my friends and never had time to do it, so a month late is okay, right??
One of my friends recently had her purse stolen so hers contained some purse essentials inside.


Obviously it's the color play with zippers that I'm enjoying most.

Real Andrew Wyeth

We went to the museum while we were in Palm Springs recently and the exhibition on Andrew Wyeth blew me away. It inspired me more than I expected it to. His subject matter isn't something I would have a desire to capture, so I found that interesting, especially how he made some simple settings so beautiful. And his use of technique was the best part. I want so badly to practice painting more now after seeing how crisp and simple some things are.
Great work to look into if you need some inspiration.

More Screening

Check it, check it!
I made a cool custom Drums T for my awesome BFF for Christmas (and printed one for meself a'course).
Actually, I made him two and he loved them both. I think I may print a few more to sell on Etsy someday.
Maybe.
I'm so glad they worked.

Shiny Deco's

We usually get together with some friends on New Years Eve and I was asked again this year to help with the decorations. We had a fiesta theme so I decided to put a spin on traditional papel picado. Since NYE celebrations usually involve sparkle, I wanted to use Mylar and thanks to Target holiday clearance, I scored sheets of silver "tissue paper" for a dollar per bag. This decoration cost less than $10 and looked awesome.
There were five or six sheets in a package, so I left them stacked together and cut them in half. Then I accordion folded those rectangles and cut snowflake like designs in the folded edges (don't forget your scalloped/zig zag bottom edge).

Open and gently pull apart. Lay out some string (I used neon yellow from Home Depot) along the top edge of one and fold over. Tape into place. I used packing tape that I would tear into narrow strips. I wanted the flags to be able to slide so I could have flexibility on the design when I hung it up. Repeat as necessary for the length of garland you need. And you're done!
*Note- When you hang, have a stapler handy. They will all slide to the center if you don't anchor them somehow. Once hung, I spaced them how I wanted and then I just stapled them into place with one staple in the center.
Hopefully it's a cool idea that perhaps someone else may find useful. Enjoy!

And keep your scraps! They make really cool looking confetti that we spread all over the table & around the food. Happy New Year!

Book Smart

Check out these carved book landscapes by Guy Laramee. So fantastic!!