Okay... I HAVE been productive

Hello again! After my last post, well... all my bent-up productivity broke free. I have been creating my little Halloween art.

Thought I would post a few pictures of the results.

Thanks for looking!!

Pardonnez Moi

Shame on me! I have been away from posting for way too long.

No excuses -- none -- but I do feel I should offer an explanation.

I took a trip to Europe and I fell in love with Paris. Thanks to the Icelandic volcano I got to stay a bit longer than planned.

Such a beautiful city... truly, stunningly magnificent. The Parisians were a bit unpleasant and haughty and so I decided to become one for a day.

I don't smoke, but to complete the transformation, I made little rolled up paper pretend cigarettes and colored the end and placed them in a discarded Galouse wrapper. The beret was borrowed from my sister, who joined me in adopting the Parisian attitude for the day.
Anyway, back to the explanation...
I came back from Paris a changed person and I don't understand why. I have been in a creative funk ever since my return. I just don't feel creative or inspired. My husband says my desire to create art will come back someday, but I wonder...
... maybe I need another visit to Paris to search for my muse. I think she left me, became a Parisian herself and stayed there. And, I don't blame her!

A Couple of Sneak Peeks...

I, and a bunch of my very talented Halloween artistic friends, will be debuting a new Halloween Art marketplace around the stroke of midnight tonight. It is the Halloween Queen's Castle Bootique. This is my first venture outside eBay, I am pretty excited!

I am so excited that I just have to show a tiny peek at one of my two artworks.

I really hope you will join us in our Grand Opening tonight!

Thanks for peeking!

Copics - I can't stop!

Hello, again. This is just a quick post to share glimpses of what I have been busy doing lately.

Yup, more Copic marker ACEOs. I really love these alcohol ink markers now. In fact, after I finish this post, I am going to try coloring on some fabric!

Truly, I cannot stop. Is there an Alcohol Inks Anonymous? ;-)

Thanks for stopping by!

Copics Witch

I have been busy playing with my new Copic markers, again. I wanted to try them in my ACEO artwork, which is why I finally bit the bullet and ordered them last month. I am really liking them, especially since my last order for additional colors was the Original Copics -- these come with a fine tip instead of the brush tip.

So, in case some of you are interested in Copics, I thought I would share a few tips from me, a new user.

First, Copics are expensive. So before you buy, I suggest you go to YouTube and type Copics in the search box. I learned alot there about how to best blend and color.

Second, through trial and error I learned that Verithin Prismacolor pencils work well with Copics. They don't seem to be disolved by the alcohol inks so you can draw lightly first, cover with Copics (which are transparent color), and then add additional Prismacolor pencil on top. My only cautions are that you use only Verithin under Copics. You can use the softer Prismacolor pencils over Copics once they are dry (quick drying) if you do not intend to add additional color with your markers in that area. The softer Prismacolors will smear and could stain your Copic tips.

Third, I have found the paper that works best for my artwork. It was available at Paper Zone stores (not sure if it still is, sorry). It is called Conquerer CX22 Diamond White Cover Sub 118.3# 42.51M. It is super smooth, has a nice stiffness/weight, and is relatively inexpensive. I bought a box of 200 8.5"x11" sheets a few years ago for just over 15 cents a sheet. This box should last me a lifetime.

Fourth, I currently own about 30 Copic Sketch and 12 Copic Original markers. I have nearly every color I need, but there are about 5 more I wish I had. At about $4.50 each, you can see that this is a serious expenditure, so choose your colors wisely. A mix of very, very light and their darker shades in the primary colors, plus the same in earthtones and grays should give you a good starting set.

These are just my opinions/observations so far -- freely given, but not guaranteed :-).

My latest ACEO witch shown above is titled "Hobbles" and will be on eBay tonight. If you wish to view the auction... click here.

Channeling Cindy Lou Who from Whoville

I headed out to shovel the walkways and decks this morning, but my hair wouldn't stay under my jacket hood. I gave myself a very high ponytail and felt just like Cindy Lou Who from Whoville (from How the Grinch Stole Christmas). This backlit shot shows it in all it's spikey glory. Now, I am afraid to take in down since it has become kind of set. Think I'll wear it this way all day. LOL!
Of course, now I see hairdos everywhere and felt that the walkway lights had on pompadours!

Hope you are having a good hair day and remember the lesson from Whoville...

it's not what you get that brings happiness, it's having friends and family.
Oh, and a good roast beast helps. ;-)

Exploring something new - Copic Markers

It all started a few months ago.

I saw a YouTube video tutorial showing Copic markers. Copic are alcohol-based markers used most recently by Manga artists in graphic novels, but scrapbookers and stampers have been using them for a few years now.The above doodle is my first attempt at using Copics. I used the wrong paper, but finished the piece in less than 2 hours.

If you are at all familiar with my work, you know I like to work with colored pencils and ink. However, I frequently have wanted to be able to fill in areas with saturated color without having to apply many light applications of pencil and risk burnishing too soon. Even though I work small -- tiny really -- my finished pieces took many hours.

I have another order in for more Copic markers already. I really like them!

My Personal Holiday Card - Ho Ho Ho

For the past several years I have been hand-making my holiday cards. Thanks to a super crafty sister, who introduced me to card making and to what materials to use, I have all the supplies in my art studio -- the most important one being GLiTtEr!!! I truly love to glitter, so every holiday card has some glitter added to it before it ever leaves my house.

This year I started with something different and very traditional.

I hand painted this tiny miniature of Santa. The painting is only 3.75" x 2.50"

I placed it in this vintage ornate metal frame.

Then, I scanned the completed assemblage and used my editing program to change the color of the frame. This was really fun and it was difficult to decide on just one color!...

... so (of course) I chose two.

The frame part was then finished with glitter in a tiny bit of gold and a lot of white-ish clear.

I think this is my favorite holiday card... so far, that is.

Happy Holidays!

It's True

Hello everyone! Sorry, I have been a bad girl... blog-wise lately. My only excuse is that I have been super busy with way too many holiday art ideas.

One of my eBay art groups, BWBA (Because We Believe - ART) is having a First Anniversary celebration and a big ornie giveaway drawing on their blog. I've placed a button to the right that will link you to the blogsite. There you can get the details and view all the ornies that will be given away soon.

Below, is a peek at the ornie I made for the giveaway. She is a tiny miniature original art piece that I have placed in a 3" diameter vintage ebony wood disk. I created a table-top stand for her, but she also can be hung if desired.**********

I also completed another bat ornie. He is currently listed on eBay. This one, a Chihuahua, is probably going to be the last one for this year. Too many other holiday ideas and not enough time to complete them!

Ay Carumba and Happy Thanksgiving!

I've gone batty...

This Halloween season I have been stitching bats. Lots and lots of bats! I've shown you a few of the previous ones in prior posts here. This current bat has to be one of my favorites...

so far.

I call him Frank N. Bat. He carries a banner that says "BwaHaHaa" and he can be hung either from his little blackened toes or upright. Frank even has the required neck bolts that Dr. Frankenstein suggested might be helpful ;-)

He is currently up for auction on eBay. Click here if you are curious.

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I have continued to create ACEOs this year, too. These are tiny artworks and one thing I have discovered about myself is that I love working small. ACEOs are only 2.5" x 3.5" in size. Like I said... tiny.

I have 2 ACEOs current up for auction on eBay this week.
This one can be viewed by clicking here.

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Click here for viewing this one.

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Thanks for visiting! I need to get back to work, so bye for now!

Oh so busy!

I have been stitching and drawing --- trying to get a few things created for Halloween.

Halloween is my most favorite holiday when it comes to making art pieces.

Recently, I have been making BATS! These are soft wool hanging ornies and true to their nature, most can hang upright or from their toes. I handsew them and even hand-dye the wool yarn I use to embroider and embellish them.

***

And, then of course, I name them. You are looking at Mr. Cal C. Um here. He is currently up for bid on eBay. Click here to see more pictures and details.

Lastly, I got out the Prismacolor pencils, inks, and paper the other day and created the first ACEO I have made in well over a year. ACEOs are very small - they measure just 2.5" x 3.5"

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She is on eBay too. Click here if you're curious!

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Thanks for visiting.

I've been busy creating

I have spending delightful amounts of time in my studio finishing some of the WIPs from previous posts. Feels good!

I even managed to list these finished pieces on eBay this week.

Please check them out by clicking on the links to see all the details.

The Madder Hatter

to see his details, click here.

My 1st ever witch sculpture from a couple of years ago. I decided to list her on eBay this Halloween season. For more pix and to read about her, click here.

And, lastly for now...

Hector the Spector.

To see him and read his sorry tale, click here.

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I am going to list this little guy soon. He is my Cheshire Bat, another from the Malice in Wonderland theme.

Sneek peek...

Now, back to work. Thanks for visiting!

A little Bat Ornie

I thought I share a picture of this little bat ornie that I made for a Halloween swap I am taking part in. It is made from wool, Grungeboard, Lutradur, beads, paper, inks, wire, and embroidery. The bat body measures about 5" with a wingspan of about 7" -- the whole thing measures about 10" from the hanger attached to his toes to the bottom of his banner.

He was so fun to make, I have started on another. This next one is planned to be a Cheshire Bat for the Malice in Wonderland challenge, if all goes well!

Malice WIP Update

Hello again! Just another little peek at my Mad Hatter. This time he has his paint job, but I am still working on him and it is still early in the process. Anything can happen!

Malice in Wonderland WIP

Just a quick peek at the Mad Hatter I am working on for the AHQU group theme for August. We are creating a slightly different version of Alice in Wonderland -- developing the characters' darker sides - for Malice in Wonderland. I am working on creating a sculpt of the Mad Hatter a number of years later.

This peek is just the beginning and very early in the project.

Enjoy!