Watercolor Inchie and a Background Doodle...

Today is Every Inchie Monday, the theme is "dance" and I just happen to be playing with my watercolor paints, so...I continue to be challenged by these tiny little treasures, but I do have fun with them. If you would like to see all the art work for EIM, please check out this site!

This is a doodle background I created using acrylic paint, stencils, oil pastels and sharpies. You can never have too many backgrounds in mixed media art, and they are a wonderful free playtime in your studio. Meaning I don't sweat the finished product, I just play with color and design, adding layer after layer until something tells me to stop. After this is scanned in, it can be used in many different projects, including ATC and canvas art. I love having a collection of my own papers to play with, it ensures that my own personality is showing up in my work. Until next time...enjoy!

Across the finish line...

I finally finished my 50 little pieces of art for the art-o-mat project! I am so relieved, I have spent the better part of two weeks locked in my studio, long days of learning, playing and experimenting...

It has been quite an experience, one that I would do again, if I am fortunate enough to sell most of these...

I learned a lot about leveraging my art, trying to create each block as a stand alone piece, without too much repetition, but still spending a reasonable amount of time on each one...

They are all labeled on the back, with four different ways I can be reached...

Now all that is left is to wrap each one in cellophane, pack them into a box and send them on their way. Just in time, since yesterday was the first day of spring, and I noticed the crocus are in bloom...

If you want to know more about the Art-o-mat project, Please click here!

Time to get outside and clean up the garden...it will be nice to get out in the world again. Then perhaps work on something larger. Until next time...enjoy.

Update March 22nd: I shipped the box out this morning. A medium sized flat rate box is more than big enough for 50 of these, and they were very heavy, so I saved money shipping that way...

Garden Inchie for EIM...

Happy Spring!

Yes, I know, it is a bit too early for that, but the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and my cats are shedding, so...

Today I decided to get back to doing Every Inchie Monday. This week's theme is "Garden". I have let it slide for a few weeks now, but needed a break from my other tiny art that I am working on for the Art-0-mat project. Since I am currently trying to learn my way around Photoshop and Gimp, which are both digital editing programs, I thought it might be fun to try my inchie digitally. Above are the results, a hand painted background, and a graphic that was scanned and duplicated. I love the results, and this project was fairly simple to create. However, as I prepared to submit it to the group, I realized that they may not allow digital art, I mean really, the challenge is making such tiny art, and isn't it cheating to use the computer? I wasn't sure, so I sat down again and made another, in the more traditional cut and paste method...

I think both turned out cute, though the second one doesn't scan very clearly, because of the brad in the center of the flower. I will wait to hear back from the group, regarding digital art. Now I must get back to work, I am about 2/3 way through the required 50 pieces of art. I am getting faster as I go, and streamlining some of the process, but it is still hard work. I guess the garden clean-up will have to wait for the next sunny day. Until next time...enjoy.

March Shoe Shot Blog Hop

When this blog hop was suggested, I immediately knew I what I would write about. You see, we just got home from a very sunny place, in fact, we spent the winter there, basking and exploring and shopping. I wore these sandals the whole time, and except for some evenings, and a couple rougher hikes, they were perfect! I already have tan lines on my feet in a kind of arrow shape...It was wonderful, but it had to end. I insisted on coming home the beginning of March, much against the advice of the veteran snow-birders we were visiting with.

 "Wait until April!" 

"It's still cold back home." 

"You will run into bad weather, it's dangerous!"

I heard all the arguments. But I insisted, after all, we are not yet retired, and things had been on hold long enough. So home we came, into the cold, wet and yes...snow! Every morning, Mr. How2 looks out the window and if there is anything but sunshine and blue skies, he grumbles, gives me an accusing glare, and stalks off to make the coffee. He can only be appeased with promises to go again next year. 

So here is my Shoe Shot, standing out in our cold, dead yard among last years leaves. My poor little freezing toes are still sporting the remnants of the pretty copper orange nail polish that was so much more appropriate in warmer weather. But no worries, the sun pops up now and again, the tulips are already poking out through their winter cover, and the roads are clear of ice. The worst is over, and that was our plan all along. Until next time...enjoy!

To see the other posts in the blog hop, please click here;

Gadabout Artist: Home Again!

After a rather uneventful three day trip, we are finally home, safe and sound. The last few days have been all about emptying out the motor home, getting paper work together for taxes, and just generally trying to catch up on everything, and with everyone. The kitties seem to have fared well, they either missed me or not, cats are so sphinx-like, it's hard to tell. I haven't spent a whole lot of time in my studio yet, except to unload all my art supplies. The place is a bit of a mess, but I did stop long enough to make a birthday card for mom-in-love...

My main focus, now that we are home, will be to finish putting together my submissions for the Art-o-mat project. I am still trying to learn how to better leverage my art, but haven't had as much time as I would like to learn more about digital art, so I am using a bit of both new tech and old. Here is a raven I painted, and scanned into my computer...

I then reduced the size, printed it out and cut and added it into my finished piece...

The words at the bottom read... "Tempus edax rerum"...meaning; "Time devours all things"...which is a somewhat  theatrical way of saying time marches on...

I will start posting some of the works I made during my travels. Until then, enjoy...