Salt Shaker 10 minute Sketch and New Art

 

Here is my 10 Minute Sketch for the day....a salt shaker.  I used a blue ball point pen and some illustration markers (that smelled very strongly like chemicals by the way...must be careful using them around baby girl!)

I also finished the artwork " Water Bird" which I will be posting in my etsy shop today.  It is actually sunny here in Ohio so I took advantage of the natural light by photographing my artwork.  

 

Have a lovely Friday!

Books that Inspire

Just wanted to quickly post about 2 amazing books I just purchased through Amazon.  I bought these because I felt like I needed some more inspiration in my life and these books totally did the trick! 

The first book I bought is Print and Pattern by Bowie Style.  Bowie Style has a sweet blog as well called..of course...Print and Pattern.  I am obsessed with patterns right now and find them so inspiring!  This book is FILLED with tons of pattern ideas and awesome color combinations. 

The second book I got is called Drawing Lab for Mixed- Media Artists: 52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun by Carla Sonheim.  There are some amazing ideas in here for people of all ages.  As a high school art teacher I am totally going to use some of these ideas!  I have been neglecting my drawings recently because I have not had time to make them as "perfect" as I want them to be.  This book is more about being creative and really coming up with interesting and innovative drawing ideas...not about making something look totally realistic.  It is SO what I need right now!

So if you get a chance check out these books and the authors' blogs, it will totally inspire you! 

Also I have decided to start my 10 minute sketches again.  I am hoping to stick with it a little better this time...I stopped last time as soon as I started my masters class...blah...I will do better this time I promise!  I really miss creating and find that I am not as happy when I don't do art...do you know what I mean?!

So here is my NEW sketchbook that will hold my 10 minute sketches...it is pretty small..perfect for this type of project!

Look at all of these blank pages!

I have started doing some doodles in here though...so inspired by the Print and Pattern Book!

 Can't wait to add more color with some watercolors and watercolor pencils:)

Well here is my 10 minute sketch for today:  

 

It is of my sneaker!  I used a black ball point pen and my watercolor pencils.  For all of my 10 minute sketches I am allowed to use any medium BESIDES a pencil!  If you would like to play along and do the 10 minute sketch everyday with me let me know and I would LOVE to check yours out!  Just let me know in the comments section:)

Well I am off to get ready for the day!  Have a lovely one:)

xoxo

Trying to Fit Art Back In My Life...

 The one thing I really have missed since having my daughter has been being able to work on my artwork...I really took the time I used to have for granted.  My little Isla is one month old (wow time has flown!)  She pretty much likes to eat, sleep and have me change her diapers.  The only thing is that when she sleeps she usually likes to sleep on me:)  I LOVE this, however it makes doing other things kind of hard if you know what I mean:)

Today my husband had the brilliant idea to put her in her car seat when she was sleeping because she actually LOVES to sleep in there.  Very strange daughter I have!  So I was actually able to take her into my studio and get some work done.  It was marvelous and lasted about an hour...better than nothing!

Here is a little tour of my studio:

My crazy messy work area and most important item: my mug of green tea!  Normally this would be coffee but I am trying to watch my caffeine intake especially with nursing Isla.

I even did a quick sketch about my tea...I didn't get finished though! 

Here are some of my finished artworks that can be found in my etsy shop.

And finally here is my latest artwork that I am currently working on:

There is still so much to work on but I am hoping to get some more time this week!

I hope everyone is doing well and I am going to try a lot harder to blog more!  I will write more soon:)

xoxo

Favorite New Art Toys

Did I mention that I have been interested in papercutting?  I bought myself some essential new art toys to use for cutting paper better:  A self-healing mat and new x-acto blades for precise cuts!

The self-healing mat is amazing!  A recommend one for anyone who uses an x-acto knife!

I have been playing around with my new toys and here is a project that I am currently working on:

Nothing is glued down yet...I am still trying to figure out where I want to place my designs.  I am in LOVE right now with the combination of white and Paynes gray.   It is so winter-like:) 

Well I am off to paint some more white paper (sounds kind of weird but yes even my white paper is painted!)  I am trying to get everything done soon because I have a feeling the little one MIGHT make an appearance this weekend...fingers crossed!

Have a lovely day:)

Handmade Christmas Presents

Hello!  I just wanted to post my newest artwork that I made for my best friend's twin boys!  They are about 8 weeks old and as precious as can be!  They are half Kenyan so I wanted to incorporate some of their African heritage into this artwork:

This is how I started the artwork.  I hand- painted all of my papers and my canvas and then began to cut out my shapes and patterns.  

Here is my end result:

 "Harambee" is a Kenyan tradition of community self-help events and literally in Swahili means "all pull together." It is the official motto of Kenya and is also located on their coat of arms.

I am going to give this to my friend today and hope she likes it!  She doesn't have time to go online anymore so I know she won't see this blogpost:)

I am STILL waiting for this little lady to come!  It is almost hilarious all of the things I am trying to do to get her to come.  I ate almost a can of pineapple yesterday, a really spicy pepper, Mexican food, tons of raspberry tea and I have been walking on the treadmill everyday!  Any other suggestions to get this little lady to come?!  Well have a great day!  I will post soon:)

More White!

I am thinking of doing a whole series with mostly white cutouts and a bit of color...what do you think?  I am also really into learning more about the process of paper cutting.   I have found some awesome pictures here for inspiration!  I am going to tweak this process to fit my own style somehow...we shall see how that goes.

The snow finally has stopped for now here in Ohio but it is bitterly cold out!  All I want to do is snuggle under the covers with a book or watch a movie!  What do you do to stay warm during the winter?

Winter Trees

I am kind of obsessed with this white and gold paper I made a while ago and have been using it for almost everything.  I love the simplicity of white and the cleanliness of it.  Anytime I go to an estate or garage sale and purchase furniture I always paint it white...it just goes with everything!

I am STILL waiting for the little one to make her appearance.  You will know when she comes because I might not post for a couple of days!  Meanwhile I am going to continue making art while I am not so busy and the husband and I are trying to stay warm in Ohio by making cheese dip and watching Christmas movies!  Weird combination...yes but fun:)  Hope you have a lovely Monday!

Momma and Baby Bird

Last night while watching It's a Wonderful Life (one of my favorite holiday classics!), I created this little artwork called Momma and Baby Bird.  I am currently waiting (ever so patiently) for my own little "baby bird" to come this week.   I will keep you updated!

Have a wonderful Sunday...we are getting MORE snow today!  I love freshly fallen snow as long as I don't have to drive or go out in it:)

Up in the Trees

Here is one of my newest artworks called Up in the Trees.  I will be placing it in my etsy shop hopefully later today!

Hope you are having a good week so far!  It has been snowing here all week and SO cold!  All I can do is drink lots of hot chocolate to keep myself warm:)  

Have a great day!

Winter is Here...Officially

View from my kitchen window

 Our  backyard (my summer studio is on the right...too cold to be out there now!)

Well it has been snowing pretty hard this morning in Northeast Ohio.  It is definitely starting to feel like Christmas:)  

The husband and I are complete Christmas dorks.  We LOVE Christmas and go all out this time of year!  Check out our decorations so far:

Our tree

Going up into our loft

The loft landing

Kitchen centerpiece

I hope you are enjoying the season wherever you may be!  I have just started my maternity leave per my doctor.  She thought it would be a good idea for me to rest and relax before the baby comes...I would have to agree!  I am loving this whole concept of relaxing:)

Today I think I am going to do some artwork and probably some cleaning...so much has to be done before she comes!  

I will leave you with a great song that my little brother introduced me to called Bridge to Nowhere by The Sam Roberts Band

Have a great day:)

Free Shipping until December 4th!

 

Once in a Blue Moon 

Red Deer in Evergreen Forest

I am offering FREE SHIPPING this week in my etsy store until December 4th!  So check out some of my holiday favorites shown above:)  Simply convo me "Freeship16" and I will take the shipping charges off your order!  Happy shopping!

Artwork for Nursery

I finally finished the artwork for my daughter's nursery!  I have been having major issues with sleeping (I read this is common during pregnancy!) and woke up at 4 am this morning and decided to finish the little girl's art!  I am in the homestretch now with this pregnancy and cannot wait to meet the little one:)


So here are the finished pieces!  We will be framing them in a white mat and white frame and displaying them horizontally across the wall.

 

The top and bottom artwork are 5 x 7 inches and the middle artwork is 8 x 10.  I hope it looks good!

Anyways...I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving!  So many things to be thankful for this year!  I definitely ate my share of stuffing, turkey and green bean casserole(my favorite!)  Now it is time to move on to the Christmas season!  Happy Holidays!

50 Year Anniversary Commission

Wow!  2 posts in 2 days...I am on a roll:)  I just wanted to post a commissioned piece I just completed for a 50th wedding anniversary.  There still might be some tweaking to do but for the most part I think it is kind of fun and festive:)   It was only supposed to be in black and white which was super hard for me because I am a lover of all colors!  This is what I came up with:

It is 8 x 10 and will go in a white mat and black frame. 

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!  My family and friends are throwing me a shower tomorrow and I am pretty excited to see all of the fun stuff the little one will get:)  It is getting very close now!

Winter Wonderland- Original Artwork

Here is my newest artwork that will be in my etsy store soon!  I am enjoying the beautiful fall colors here in Ohio but am already excited for Christmas!  Is it too early to listen to Christmas music?  Probably!  Meanwhile the husband and I are getting ready for Little Lady's arrival which will be in 2 months!  Craziness!  Busy, busy, busy!  Well have a great day!

Fall Weekend

Two Pumpkins reminds me of a perfect fall day:)  

Did you have a good weekend so far?  I did for the most part except it was so rainy and cold here in Cleveland.  The husband and I did some cleaning and organizing and I worked on a new painting and some ideas for a new artwork.  I also ran on my treadmill for the first time since April.  Yuck!  I love running outside a million times better than the treadmill!  It was so rainy and cold though that I had no choice:(  

Anyways, I am off to work out and possibly work on some Christmas card ideas...yes, Christmas already!  I am hoping to have some cards in my etsy shop by November.  Here are some of my cards from last year that I will be offering again:

 Well have a great Sunday!  I will leave you with this relaxing song that I am currently listening to by Colin Hay.  Yes, he is the lead singer from Men at Work!  I just love his mellow voice though...perfect for a rainy Sunday morning.  Have a good one:)

 

Grisaille Update

Hello!  Hope you are enjoying the weekend already!  I just love Saturdays! I got to sleep in until almost 8 today!  I am enjoying this now because I know when our little lady arrives I will not get to enjoy sleep as much:) 

So, how are you?  Things with me are pretty busy especially with school.  I am having a pretty good year so far and have the best students!  I just posted some of their artwork on my classroom blog, PHS ARTROOM if you would like to check it out.

A couple of weeks ago (yes it has been that long!)  I posted about a technique called grisaille.  The technique involves in creating a complete black and white value underpainting and then glazing color on top.  Here is my painting that I started with color added to it now.  It is not done by any means but i wanted to show you how the value underpainting really comes through underneath the applications of color. 
Here are the two paintings:
                                                  Before:  Black and White Underpainting

After:  With Acrylic Color On Top

I still need to add a ton to this painting but I sometimes like to leave it looking unfinished when i show my students so they can kind of get an idea of my process.

Anyways!  Hope you have a lovely October weekend!  The husband and I are going out to buy some wonderful fall-inspired decorations today.  I am all about mums, pumpkins and decorative squash and berries.  So excited to pretend to be Martha Stewart today:)  Have a great day!