05/05/2015

TADA!!!  How 'bout a custom trivet!

i'm getting ready for the weekend at the farmers market. So I've been polyurethane eating and making art as fast as I can. I worked up the tapestry loom…

Already have the inkle loom warped with hand dyed, hand spun silk.

And of course can't forget the Firebird.

And dragon.  But I modified him a little.  Got rid of the white chest.

I think it looks more cohesive this way :-).

And then I warped up the BIG frame loom with intermesh technique.  Purple and blue. 

This is the back side.  

Front side.

They are called flowers and this will be a cuff bracelet.

Check it out!

It would be totally reversible, except for the lettering.

Back to the loom...

04/25/2015

Things have been kind of hectic… Still… But I do have a few pictures to share with you. I have been working on my drawing, especially since my other arts gave me tendinitis in my left hand. So here are a few pictures of what I've been up to.

I thought I was doing pretty well with this one, but things went horribly wrong. Keep looking further down.

His eyes are beyond weird and I can't figure out what to do to fix him. Clearly skulls are not my strong suit. But of course this is only the fourth or fifth one I've ever drawn.

But I learned a lot, and practices what it's all about.

Then I warped my inkle loom AND I FINALLY got the baltic threading correct!!!  The purple thread is hand dyed and hand spun by one of my Ravelry buddies.  Mailed to me a few years ago in a swap.  I made her a hand woven backstrap.

This warp will be for little pouch bags.

Then a friend cut me a few more boards out of my Juniper stump.  Aren't they wonderful!!!

Then a tiny drawing...too small for my liking.  Not sure how to complete it.  Maybe a car charm?

Then I drew this and HATED IT!!!  Soooooo I sanded it off.

The wood will be reused eventually.  

Then I tookmy first art instructional class. Acrylic painting.  Clearly I need a whole lot more practice. Although I will admit that I had more control of my brushes and paint than I ever thought that I would. You might remember this flower though from this drawing I did a few months ago…my first charcoal piece.

I don't know how many of you are familiar with the fact that I love dragons.  But I do so I bought a little book on drawing dragons, I've done a few before but it's been a very very long time. And this is what I got.

I was looking at this tutorial…so sorry for the sideways picture.

And here is the one that I drew.  It was the first time I had drawn on paper in quite some time and I did him very quickly. He was meant to be more skatchy than most of my art.  My art is usually tight I was trying to loosen up, he still ended up tight. But I do like it a lot.

He is an Amphitere dragon.

Then I moved onto a Phoenix.  He is on a piece of scrap lumber (think re-claimed) that a neighbor gave me. 

I have not picked up a color pencil in months and months and months. I cannot even tell you how long it has been. But I really like using colored pencils on the lumber and I think he's turning out beautifully so far.

And that girls and boys brings us to the present day and time. For now I'm going back to my color pencils.

I hope you guys stay tuned to see how things turn out with the Phoenix. 

Don't forget you can find me at the farmers market in Saint Augustine at the amphitheater on most Saturdays. Right now I am only doing every other Saturday and there is no market today and on the May 2nd, it will be closed also due to Flagler College graduation ceremonies. 

But I will be there the following weekend and every other weekend from there on. It may even be that I go back to every single weekend. So stay tuned same bat time same bat channel.

Doing a little drawing.

More like practicing drawing!

Here is the inspiration picture. I found it on the Internet I do not know who drew it.

And here is my version...

Keep in mind that I was certainly not trying to exactly duplicate that photo. This is my version of a freehand likeness of it.  

Not to make money. Not to scam anybody else's art, just an inspirational photo to help guide me in my own drawing.

I have a lot of trouble with that little part over the top lip...dead center just above it.  I don't even know what that little part of our face is called, but I'm not happy with that part of this drawing.

So it looks like I'll be drying more mouths.

Just a little FYI, I never could locate a sketchbook that I was happy with. Either it wouldn't lay flat or it was the wrong kind of paper, the wrong size, the wrong texture, I just could not find one that I liked.

So I made one. I took the pads that I had bought At the art store, to my local office supply and had them cut to fit a three ring binder.

I then had holes punched in them. So now I have a very nice firm board (the binder).  I just fold the top of the three ring binder back on itself so I can draw with a comfortable size.  Plus, when I'v used the pages in the book I take them out and put them in another three ring binder in chronological order so that I can see my progress. I can flip through the pages at anytime and see if I'm getting any better or not.  Plus it keeps them nice and safe!

Here's a picture.

Already owned the art paper. I got it with a coupon 40% off months ago. The cheapest pad I saw that I thought I could live with was around $16.  Today I spent $3.47 to get it cut and the holes punched in it and I got exactly the paper I want, several kinds of paper actually. And I have plenty of refills when ever I want also.

Easy peasy and economical too.  I call that a win-win.

July 2, 2014

Making a little more progress.

Even thinking of adding some bling, maybe some glitter, or rhinestones.  Just not sure yet where it will go, maybe some silver...or black???

A little pencil work.

January 3, 2011

Just a couple of pictures of some abstract pencil work I have been working on.  My own designs of course.

This one started out as a rose.  Not sure I am happy with what it turned into.  I do love the colors though.  This is prismacolor on Bristol smooth paper.

The one below is just graphite in multiple layers and grades.  My own design again.  It is difficult to get good pictures of graphite pencil due to the shine.  But I think you can get the gist.

January 10th, 2012

I think I am done with this one...maybe.  I darkened things up a bit, but I can't decide whether to fill in the side pieces along the center piece's at the bottom?

I love doing my own designs, all done free-hand!  I only wish I had more to show for the work than a piece of paper to hang on the wall.  I still prefer 3 dimensional art that serves a purpose other than just to look at.