Tree bookmark

Well...I've just finished the sample piece for the Nature Challenge at my art site for the month of Feb. It'll be posted on Monday. This time it's going to be a bookmark done in a tree theme.

The sample I've done here was first done on bristol with a drawing in ink and the neg space done with watercolor pencil and colored pencil. On top of that it had been layered with clear acatate treated with alcohol inks. I kept the tree white when I drew it so that the colors of the inks would be the tree's main color. I've backed it with a nice decorative paper and gave it a bit of a yarn topper. I like the final effect quite a bit. Hope the players will as well!

Cupcakes....again

I must be dealing with a sweet tooth right now. I've just posted a new swap in my art group that is called "Sweet Treat"...says it all.....and now I've just finished another cupcake paper piece!!

A triple header yet...lol !!!

I need cake!! Luckily it's my husbands birthday in another week and I get to make and eat cake and not feel at all guilty about it!

Yay!! Thanks honey ;)

a few more

tags for the tag book swap.

These are such fun to do and I'm looking forward to the next theme.

From what I can tell...that'll be "houses"! Yay.

Tag book

On my art trading site we're doing a trade for tags that go inside the little booklet we make for them. Well...this was a whole new idea for us and as it turns out...waaay too much fun.

This first (of many, I'm sure) has the theme of "Birds in Pointy Hats".

I cut out my first couple of tags and have gotten a start on them today. Thought I'd share!!

Ancient Travel

Well....it was time for another "envie" swap at my art group.

The theme for this months envelope was "travel".... whatever came to mind. Oh yes...and there had to be at least 3 rubber stamps used.

I couldn't for the life of me figure out what to do until I suddenly remembered some Egyptian stamps I've had for ages!!

Yep...a bit of ancient travel.

Used marker and colored pencils for the color in this one. I like the way it came out.

I'm going to have to remember these stamps in the future!

The beginning

2010, the beginning of a new year...new decade. A fresh start once again.

I'm feeling positive about this one! I think everything is looking up and that this is going to be the beginning of many new and wonderful possibilities.

Cheers!!!

On the art site I trade on it is also a new year of doing "monthly challenges". I've started a new one that will be a "nature" challenge. It will change in themes from botanicals to animals each month as well as the format.

For the start of this new year it began with an artist's choice of flower in 4"x6".

My piece for this was this yellow iris.

I did the whole thing first in layers of watercolor then added in some small color changes in colored pencil. I added to the yellow a bit of "twinkling h2o's" but they aren't visible from the scan.

The background became a bit of an experiment for me. Since I wanted the other members to feel comfortabe in using whatever medium they felt best with, I needed to take it out of the purely watercolor stage. I decided to go with a rubber stamp. Using a random swirly stamp with a gray ink I stamped it with different pressures all over the background.

I'm honestly liking the end result even more than I first imagined. I think it's good for all of us to step out of our comfort zones now and then.

Happy New Year to all of you. May you step out of the old norm and shake it up a bit.

Never know what new and wonderful things lie ahead!