I have been wanting to give away a free Calligra-FUN class so here it is. I will "random. org-it" so if you think you might like a chance to will a Calligra-FUN online class just leave me a comment and on Thursday, October 1, at 8:00pm EST I will pick a winner. You will then receive an email from Gail at Creative Workshops inviting you to join the class. Thanks!!!
In our drawing class today we drew this apple still life and I decided to brave it and color them with Copics. Copics are very different from watercolors or acrylics and you have to really think about highlights, color blending and layering. It's extremely fun but challenging, especially since I have not had my beginning Copics class---but I have watched many Youtube videos. This one looks better in person ---and from a distance! So in viewing this---please back up! I'm learning---and Hobby Lobby is having a 30%off sale on these very expensive Copics. Unfortunately, you need lots of them and you have to understand the letter and numeric label system. If you buy any, start off with the light ones and build from there because if you just buy several random colors that you like you will be disappointed with the results. Gradations of color value is the key.
My blog friend, Gina Lee Kim, is giving this painting away! Isn't it just beautiful!? I love her work and I do hope I win this one. She will enter your name 3 times if you announce it on your blog. I wish I had two blogs! Or you can just leave her a comment.
Yesterday I had very much indecision finalizing the pieces that would go into this upcoming show at the Women's Center. The pieces that are due for delivery today were finished but... which ones should go? ...and what price?... and do I really want to sell that even if it sells (a big IF there) ...and what represents me most as an artist---and so on and so on. So I finally settled on the 10 that I thought would be the best for this show. The name of the show is;"From the Studio Of..." So anything goes. I have some calligraphy, some poppies and some girls. I think that represents at least some of me. I have several shows coming up in the next few months and two that overlap so I guess I need to produce a few more if I can. This is new for me....yikes....putting my babies out there...
For me the Copics seem easy but it's deceiving. You really have to be careful because they layer so well that if you have picked up the wrong color then your little picture is non fixable. I had that problem with the purple flower. That's why you need so many colors---gradual gradations and shades of color. Hobby Lobby 40% coupon here I come. For me, this is a good way to create a little colorful eye candy piece when you don't feel like pulling out the acrylics or watercolors or if you have a new manicure and you are in need of a quick color fix. (Like I ever get manicures!) 
I am beginning a bible study soon on prophesy with a wonderful Bible teacher here named Cindy Zeigler. She is an artist too and makes wonderful things. As I was reading about the time with the Lord will return I just wrote this calligraphy, very quickly with my Parallel Pen , scanned it and put it on this background I had. It is enhanced with some digital brushes and the calligraphy has undergone a color change from it's original red to gold. I tried white, light blue off white and settled on gold for the contrast. I haven't printed one of these digi works but I am planning to do that at some point. I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Sunday!
Really, this is the last one I created. I think I have said all I can say about the digi-collages--they're just fun and it kinda like a creative computer game.
I have tried to resist... yes, I have... tried and tried with all my might but I guess I have given in to my weakness for trying something new---can you guess what I colored this with?? Now don't read any further...can you guess? So, before I tell you (have you read down further yet?) I wanted to first say that these are the calligraphic letterforms that I am teaching in my new upcoming online "Italic Calligraphy" class coming November 2nd. We will learn this basic letterform and a few little variations.
Well, maybe this will be the last one. I think maybe I will see what these look like printed. I think it is a really good practice for making colors, shapes and my lettering work together. Maybe this has helped me with "real" collages. I will try some like this with real paper when I get home. Have a nice Monday!
Here is the diaper cake Macaulay and I made. It was really cute. I sure some of you just might guess what those are on the top. Actually Macaulay and I decided we should take them off. It was a really nice party. A good time was had by all.
Here is another one I have created here while baby and mama are taking a little nap. When I make these collages it is totally intuitive and is a great exercise for just making things work together in a collage format. The problem is---when to stop! This one may have gone just a bit too far but I do like the colors. I have all sorts of digi-stamp brushes (I just call them digi-stamps they are really just different brushes) which I have downloaded from various sites 
Well, yes it is just a number isn't it? And I am getting where I think mine will be unlisted also. 
I made this little video today while I actually should have been filming Lesson 3 of my online class. I really did want to see how my new light and background would look. I like the green so now I will use it for the rest of the lessons. Then after I made this video and was all ready to start filming I decided that I would be really smart and organize my files that come from Movie maker in the Imovie events. Apparently you can't do that because I lost all of my editing and had to export all of the clips back in one by one and still I didn't get them all---so that required refilming of some parts. I knew things were going just a little bit too smoothly. Well, maybe tomorrow I can get to lesson three. But hey, I just thought of something, if I had filmed lesson 3 then I would have lost that one too. Actually in a strange way, God is looking after me! Of course He always is.
Lesson Two is in the can! Hopefully lesson 3 will be finished up and edited by Saturday. This is been great for me--it's made me practice which is something I need to do much more often. If you don't use it--you lose it! And that a fact! Y'all have a great day!
I am trying to use my stuff---got lots of stuff so I decided to do some monoprinting.
This original watercolor Poppy paper quilt is actually pretty large and would be 10 x 20 framed--if I framed it. I am getting so many paper quilts now that I need to decide what will be framed for the show. What I probably should do is print these three squares on inkjet white cotton, punch up the color if needed, find some material for the background and make a wall hanging quilt. I was a little afraid to do some thread painting on the original but I can try is when I print it on cotton.
The size is 10 L x 3W x 4H
Well, I just had to post this because I just got back from my sewing class and can you believe it...??? I put in a zipper---of all things--put in a zipper!!! And I made a button hole (actually the teacher had to practically do that one for me). And we embellished the ribbon and did a gusset and ----I am impressed with myself as you can see! Could I do it again?---probably not because I don't have all the feet involved and Sherry, thanks so much for that button hole foot because I needed it! You need feet for everything and actually my Bernina fund is drained for now. I really wanted that zipper foot but I asked myself, "how many times are you gonna put in a zipper?" Not too many at this point. Oh, and we quilted it too--but do not---I repeat---do not zoom in to this picture unless all my quilter buddies might want a good laugh. I actually quilted it on the wrong side so the bobbin thread quilted it---then I went back and free motioned it on the right side so it is pretty much a mess. But that's ok--it was fun and I love to sew. I had a hard time cutting my fabric and now I know why I didn't sew as a child. I never have been a good measurer---even measuring twice and cutting once. I measured 5 or 6 times and still cut it wrong. But the teacher was patient with me and came over and cut my fabric for me. I'm learning.
I have been doing some practicing. This has been scanned and a gradient overlay added in Photoshop. This distorts the integrity of the thicks and thins somewhat but that's ok. There are so many gradients to choose from---each more fabulous than the other and finally you just have to settle on one. Ok getting closer to filming...
These are little 3x3 images of some watercolor pots of flowers I have painted in the past and I was thinking that maybe I can make a series of paper quilts with them. These turned out to be about 8x8 and I would frame them for that "Piece by Piece" Show that is coming up. It's not until January but I am into the paper quilt thing so I thought I better go with it while I am in the zone. I would frame with white mat and plain black frame. I am into the plain black frame thing for art. My new found framer can frame these at an affordable price and if they don't sell then I could swap them out and put something else in them. Most of the pieces will end up being about 12 x 12 framed.
I do know that to be a good teacher of calligraphy I need to be practiced up before I start. It has been interesting for me because my Italic "go to" calligraphy that I use most frequently is a variation so I have had to hunker down and practice the classic Italic shape all over again. I haven't started filming any classes yet but I think I am getting there. My goal is to teach people the correct letterform and to try to guide them into learning these letterforms with patience, determination and with a critical eye for holding on to always keeping the integrity of the Italic letterform. In other words, learn the rules first---then make it your own.
Well, I must say that I am a happy mama! Zach, our 26 year old, son just got back from his trip to Peru---the last hurrah before he shaves the beard, puts on his suit and heads downtown to be a lawyer. He won't hear from the bar exam for another month--eeeek. I think Bucky was just about as excited as his Dad and I were to see him. It'll be nice to have him here in town. He's living just a few blocks from us. Not to be close to us, mine you, it is just a very cool neighborhood for young people to live in. But never fear, I can lure him with food!
I had to turn the image so you could see the silver hope. I am making some paper quilts to put in an upcoming show called "Piece By Piece" and actually they chose this to use for their advertisement promotion. That was nice. I might put in some of the flowers too. The only bad thing---I need to frame them. $$$$
As you know I have been having fun dyeing fabric and I have some Lutradur--(the tag says Pellon) and I painted some stripes of color directly from the Dye-na-flow dye jar that I am using. This fabric has an interesting organic texture to it but you can't tear it. I cut the Lutradur in pedal and leaf shapes and made a cone flower, stitched and added some calligraphy lettering. These little flowers are fun and easy and Bernie does a great job too!
Well, if you quilters had seen me put this thing together you would have either laughed or cringed --probably cringed. I had all sorts of problems pop up that I didn't know how to solve so I am the queen of camouflage. I surely won't show you the back even thought it does have a fabric backing. I tried to use my new walking foot so the fabric wouldn't move and apparently I don't know how to use that because it wasn't walking. I guess that will be trip to the quilt store for instructions. I had such fun making this though. I did the lettering then printed it on inkjet fabric by Jacquard. This is for daughter, Macaulay.
If you know me by my blog you have probably figured out that I will surely try anything once and my last several posts have shown that. I should have a special blog category called, "I'll Try Anything Once!" My daughter sent me an email today showing me some darling ribbon flowers and that lead me to this. This is just a pink tee shirt that I bought for $1.49 at Walgreens ---actually I bought two--and followed the simple instructions to make this precious tee shirt. This is a youth XS so I will give this to my grand niece, Jane Lowry.
For this post I surely want to give credit where credit is due. The top image you might recognize from my post from yesterday and today I printed it out again and punched the colors and stitched. The 2nd image is one of Kelli's images and I only printed it just to see how the colors would punch on it. Those envelopes are very cute so this is what I learned from this fun exercise---Kelli uses fun everyday objects that are more simple in design when allows for fun punchy colors to be used. I love this fun colorful look. I also think it is very cute stitched so maybe I will try to fine some fun and simple things like shoes or pocketbooks or maybe even a fun chair. She says in her blog that she takes images from magazines and modifies and simplifies them to make them her own. I actually used Hydrus watercolors because they are so bright. Fun! Well...hummmm...I wonder where the art du jour will travel next???
