Christmas in October?

Just wanted to pop in and say hello! I have been so crazy busy with things lately, I have barely been able to get online! I just wanted to post some Holiday collages I just completed this weekend. They are up on my etsy site and hopefully will be Christmas cards also! It is weird to think Christmas is 2 months away! Where does the time go?!

I heart cross-hatching

I am trying to make it a habit to draw and sketch for at least 30 minutes a day. I try to do this in the morning before school because I am so tired by the end of the day! To make it more fun I have been playing around with colored pencils, water color and ink. After using these materials I have come to the conclusion that I adore cross-hatching! Cross-hatching is basically any time you criss-cross lines in drawing or painting.

What is your favorite shading technique?

Grisaille Paintings

Grisaille is a French term for painting all in a monochromatic color such as shades of gray or brown. Many times grisaille paintings were used as sort of an underpainting for glazes of paint to go over.

My painting class completed a grisaille painting for their first project in my class. Students were able to choose their own subject matter and completed a black and white grisaille painting. Students were encouraged to practice glazing over areas of their painting with matte medium and colored acrylic paint. A lot of students ended up liking their paintings black and white and chose to keep them this way!

The whole point of this lesson was to teach students how to look for values when painting or drawing a subject. It does not matter what colors you use as long as your values are correct!

If you get a chance try to paint a grisaille painting. Choose your subject matter and then paint using only black, white and all of the different values you can make with these two colors. When your painting is completed try glazing medium ( i prefer matte medium) and a color on top of your grisaille. Notice how your grisaille changes your color immediately! If you do this send me a link so I can see your work!

Garage sale finds!

Well I never really do this....buy things at garage sales. I have nothing against buying anything at garage sales...I actually think garage sales are super cool. You see I have this little car and can never fit anything into it. Well this all changed yesterday.

I was out jogging through my neighborhood and saw a garage sale with all of this furniture! I had to stop. My husband and I have our first house but are slowly filling it with furniture we like...which takes time! I found a huge table and two chairs for the lovely price of $10! Where there is a will there is a way....I ran home and got my car and somehow was able to drive my finds home! The table was sticking out of the trunk but luckily I lived two streets away!

So today I painted my table and one of the chairs with white paint. The table is going to be my new art table and the chairs will find a home somewhere in our house! I am going to find some new fabric this week to upholster the seats. I can't wait! Here are some before and after shots of the furniture. The table was HORRIBLE...so many dots! I had to scrape those babies off before painting...yuck!

Meanwhile I never got to finish my Christmas cards that I was going to do this weekend....oh well at least I have some new furniture:)

Autumn Art

Happy Friday! Hope everyone has had a great week! I cannot believe it is the middle of October already! This month is going by fast! Now until New Years is my favorite time of the year! I just love all of the holidays! My husband and I are already planning ways to decorate the outside of our house for Christmas. He is kind of like Clark Griswold from National Lampoon Christmas Vacation. He goes all out for Christmas…. I just love that about him!

Well I have recently completed 3 painting/collages that I hope to put on Etsy this weekend. These artworks are inspired by the changing seasons and my love of decorative patterns. Hope you like!

I am currently working on some Christmas card designs and hope to have some completed by the end of this weekend…we shall see!

Have a great Friday night!

Intro to Art Projects

Good Evening! Hope everyone had a wonderful Tuesday! It was beautiful in Ohio and another warm day! Love it!

I just wanted to quickly post some projects my Introduction to Art students just finished. There are a ton of great ones to post but I only had time to take a couple of pictures today! The project required the students to draw anything they wanted and then grid over their drawing with 2 x 2 inch squares. Each square and shape had to be different but unify the artwork through color. We have been focusing on the Elements of Art (CTVFLSS- color, texture, form, line, space and shape ) and the Principles of Design (CBUMPER- contrast, balance, unity, movement, pattern, emphasis and rhythm.)

Students did a great job and hopefully learned how to unify a work of art and use different media (students had to use at least 2 different media…most used more!)

To introduce this project I had students look at the artwork of Chuck Close (the more abstract artwork.) I gave a powerpoint presentation on his artwork and we did some art criticism on one of his paintings. Fun stuff!

This project is always a great starter project for my Intro students. It is pretty easy, fun and they get to draw what they want! Always important in motivating students to work hard!


Well have a good night, I need to get some sleep! I am exhausted!

Art Pen Pals

Good morning! Hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend so far! I thought I would just post a quick fall-inspired painting/collage I did on a watercolor postcard. I am sending this postcard out to my aunt who lives in Chicago and who has always been a big supporter of my art and basically every artist she meets! I love people like that, don't you?!!

To start this artwork I first painted the whole background a beautiful copper color (golden fluid acrylics are my fav!) and then painted the dandelions on top. Lastly I cut out a little bird from one of my hand-painted papers and collaged him on with matte medium.

This was all done on some watercolor postcards I purchased at the art store...how fun! I am almost tempted to put this in an envelope though so nothing happens to my artwork!

Anyways....if you have time today send someone you care about something arty like a card you made, a quick sketch, anything! Become art pen-pals! Have the other person send you something they drew or painted back...even if they are not an artist! I don't know about you but getting real mail...aka non bills or junk mail is a real treat and does not usually happen!

Now being an art pen-pal is not to get confused with trading artist trading cards...no! Use any format and any paper you want....I personally love decorating envelopes and enclosing drawings of whatever I am doing!

Alright, so now if you are bored you have something to do now!

I hope everyone has a great day and I will be back later today to post some projects from my Intro to Art class.

New Series??

This is an artist trading card I completed a couple of weeks ago. I was thinking of doing a larger winter-theme series of payne's gray and white collages incorporating text, trees and of course birds. We shall see....

Treasuries!

Yay! I have been featured in 2 etsy treasuries! Please check them out! CandraBoggs a fabulous artist that I teach with put me into this Treasury and another wonderful artist IreneDesign featured me in this Treasury

One of these days I will snag a treasury and put some great art in it! So far I just have not had any luck!

Well I am so glad it is Thursday! Almost the weekend:) I am going to work on some collages and then watch the Office! Have a great night!

Andy Warhol interactive website

Happy Tuesday! Thanks to everyone who commented on my collages! I appreciate your input so much! This week has been crazy busy so far! I have been busy teaching, helping out with our art club and trying to maintain some sort of social life with friends and family! I am sure everyone can relate!

I don’t know how much of an Andy Warhol fan you are but I found this wonderful art site that I showed to my students today at school. They loved it and it was a great learning tool! The site is http://www.qag.qld.gov.au/kids/online_interactives
and reminds me of a video game! If you get a chance check it out!
Well I am off to bed, I am exhausted!

After a whole pot of coffee.....

I finally got some work done today! Here are some of my collages! I am not finished with the Two Fall Trees collage yet. I am planning on adding a ton more leaves! The other collages are about finished and will go on my etsy site as soon as they are matted, cataloged, and photographed "professionally" by my husband. I am so lucky that I have him to help me out with that aspect of my art. So here is what I have accomplished today, I hope you like them! Sorry about the blurry pictures...I don't have my good camera at the moment!

Today I am making a point to get a lot of work done! The weekends seem to go by so fast and I feel like I am never as productive as I want to be. Right now I am going to put some coffee on, clear off my work space and get started on some new artwork to put on etsy. This little tree should have leaves by the end of the day! I will hopefully have some pictures to post tonight of this collage and some new ones. Here is to a wonderful work day! *Cheers* (from my coffee mug to yours!)

Yay for Saturday!

Hope your Saturday is going well! Mine has been very lovely! I received my wonderful candles from blisscandles. I ordered Pumpkin Souffle and Vanilla Hazelnut Mocha from the celebrity collection. Fancy, right?! They smell like fall:)

My plans for the evening include going out for sushi with a friend! Have a wonderful Saturday evening!

Friday night music

Here is some music to listen to if you need some inspiration....at least it gets me in a good mood! Happy Friday! What is your favorite song to listen to when you are in a creative rut?

New Look!

I have decided to give my blog a makeover...sometimes we just need a little change. It was just one of those days! I hope everyone had a wonderful week! I am so glad it is the weekend! I am just going to kick back and relax tonight. Fridays are my absolute favorite because you have the whole weekend ahead of you!

I am planning on working on many collages this weekend, I need to get some art done for myself! Here is a collage that I am currently working on. It needs some more layers of paint but here is the basic design of the collage.

Hand Drawing Assignment

Just thought I would post some of the projects completed by my Drawing class. What I love about teaching art is seeing the different approaches my students take to each assignment.

Project: Draw your hands, or a partner's hands five times. Two hands must overlap in your drawing. Use any media you would like and be as creative as you want!

These are just a sampling...some students are still finishing their drawings.

Happy Fall Flower Day

Here are some flowers that I picked from my garden the other day. Happy Fall!