AEDM: 17 Using your printer to simplify your art...

I decided to get tricky today and try something I saw on a YouTube video recently. The artist showed a sketch she had done, and when she got it just right, she made multiple copies in different sizes to use anywhere from ATCs to full size canvases. I thought that was a very clever idea, and tried it myself. On the left is the original sketch I posted here yesterday. I then scanned and printed it onto light weight sketch paper. It worked like a charm, fed right through! I didn't use regular copy paper, since I planned to color her in with pastels, and felt the paper should be strong and have a little "tooth". I hand colored the copy, saving the original for future color experiments, and sprayed it with a fixative. The hand colored copy can be seen in the middle. Then I scanned THAT in and played with the size. The far right is at 100%, the smaller ones are 50% and 30% respectively. Both the smaller ones fit an ATC, and surprisingly enough, they look better than the original. The printer gave them a softer color, and the reduced size hid some small mistakes. BONUS! The full sized I plan to use on a canvas, which was the plan from the beginning. I am pretty happy with the way these turned out, and here is a scan of the ATC I created using the 50% copy.

I wouldn't want to use the exact same image over and over, but it is nice to get a little more mileage out of a favorite piece. I hope this gives you some ideas on different ways to use your own work. Enjoy...

AEDM: Day 3 (11) Playing With Your Sketches...

I am not the most confident of sketch artists, in fact it is quite a challenge for me, the whole proportion and expressions thing and such. I am slowly getting better at it, but it is a steep learning curve. So when I finally produce something I am actually pleased with, I am reluctant to "mess it up". This is my way of giving myself the freedom to play. Here is a collaged and painted 12" x 12" canvas. I have used some of the background papers I created in my post yesterday. I am not quite done with it as a background, but I am close. The bird house is pretty self explanatory, and you can see, I have re-sized and cut out one of my birds from the bird page I posted about two days ago. He was a bit pale for this, so I tinted him in with a couple Inktense pencils. The girl is an enlarged and trimmed copy of my original sketch. I tried different sizes, and settled on this one. None of these elements are stuck down permanently yet, so I can move things around, audition and remove until I am pleased with the results. I will eventually start coloring in the girl, just not sure which way I want to go with that. I could use watercolors or pastels on her now, or I could glue her down with gel medium, seal her and then add acrylic paints, or maybe wait for that set of water-soluble oil pastels I just ordered.Once she is glued, I am stuck with her, so... This is how my thought process goes as I am working on a painting. I thought I would share a bit of the mystery with you, enjoy!

AEDM: First for me; I am always a late bloomer!

In my quest to create art everyday, I have certain criteria I must meet, mostly... it must be portable! My hubby wants to do the RV thing and that means I must think of ways to carry my supplies with me and be able to work in small places. So I have started to sketch more, something I rarely do, but I am really beginning to enjoy it. Perhaps these sketches will be printed and later combined into new art on a larger scale, you never know. I drew these birds last evening while watching TV, then added the color with my Inktense pencils. I love the bright blend-able colors, and I get better control than with a brush. I have already started cutting them out, so I can scan them into my computer...