Watercolor + Liquid Gold

So I experimented with a few new things yesterday:

1. Fredrix Watercolor Canvas (one of the excellent finds from the studio sale I attended way back in February).

2. Liquid Gold Leaf + Watercolor

The Watercolor Canvas I LOVE.  I've got two more to play around with still, and I'm thinking of continuing use of the liquid gold with watercolor - the effect is pretty cool.  

Spring is here!

...Well, almost.

After a sunny weekend, we got another storm Sunday night, and woke up to a few inches of powder Monday morning.  But already it's on its way out.  As I write this, I can hear the drip-drip-drip of snow quickly melting off the roof. 

Still it's an overcast day, so I decided to brighten it up by pulling out my watercolors and trying my hand and painting some spring flowers.

I love this time of year.  The little buds on the trees are near bursting, and fresh green shoots are poking their way out of the earth.  I can't wait for all the colors to arrive!  They will be well worth the wait :-)

Nesting for Creativity

As I mentioned last week, I recently did a little spring cleaning around the office.  Now my art space - my first, real, all my own spot reserved 24/7 solely for my creative work - is feeling much fresher.

Or at least it was up until I got back to work the following day.  At the moment, my desk is again cluttered with papers, pens and projects in-progress.  Does it help that it's at least all organized into separate piles?

My mind tends to reflect the state of my surroundings, so I generally try my best to keep my space neat and clear.  In fact, one of my favorite morning rituals is sweeping the floor.  Maybe that sounds hopelessly OCD, but it really enhances how I feel and think.  It's like wiping down my mental and emotional chalkboard and starting with a clean slate, first thing in the day. 

But sometimes I get lazy, things get messy, and my mind starts to feel a little scattered or sticky.

For this reason, I am currently working to cultivate a space that feels neat, nurturing and inspiring.

Just as we make nest for our baby-babies, this ritual is equally important in the rearing of our creative-babies.  My goal is to surround myself with colors, images, and textures that nourish my heart and creative spirit.  My hope is that putting a little love into my studio will both motivate me to keep it consistently clean and organized, and also enhance my process and productivity.

I haven't got much to work with starting out, but a quick trip to the Goodwill provided adequate fodder.  For less than $2, I brought home a couple of cute and colorful frames, complete with hangers and matting.

I just wiped down the glass and frame, made a few little snippity snips, and in no time at all had some cute, original artwork to perk up my otherwise bare walls. 

I never seem to get tired of foxes. 

I love thrifty deals and making old things like new :-)

Best Day EVER!

Yes, the sun is out and the snow is gone (for now) and it's the first day of the year that really feels like spring!

But that's not the only thing marking today as so monumentally awesome. 

This morning I drove down to Front Royal where an entire art studio was being cleaned out, and all items being sold for just A DOLLAR.

The last time I scored such an incredible $1 deal was back in December when I found an awesome vintage chair at the Re-Store in Purcerville.

I'm so thankful right now.  Paper, canvas, sketchbooks, so many pencils and fountain pens and nibs and ink and it's all pretty amazing!

I even documented my haul.  The box below and its entire contents were sold to me for $1.

The slides (which are of French Impressionist paintings), bottles of ink, set of brushes and pencils were all purchased for an additional dollar each.  I also brought home canvases, pads of watercolor paper, nice drawing paper, a big sketchbook, and a box of neon acrylic paints (not sure what I'll use those for).  I spent $24 total.

Thank You!!!

I'm ready to get to work :-)

Just a little something.

These two showed up on my desk today.

Spring is coming!

Free Paper Cut Template!

I dunno about the rest of you, but birthday season is coming up for me.  

Which also means: It's card-making time!

As you may recall, a few months back I decided to dabble in paper cutting.

After a brief hiatus, I am back at work with blade in hand!

Today I thought I'd share this cute template with you so you can give it a whirl for yourself.

Once finished, the paper cut may be adhered to the front of a blank card.  And voilà!  Handmade sweetness sure to brighten someone's special day.

Gnome update: I published a book!

And it's available now on CreateSpace!

Here are a few previews: 

 

"Gnomes have a particularly

long history of friendship

with members of the avian kingdom."

"...If you happen to meet a gnome who can carry a tune, 

rest assured that what you are witnessing is the result 

of countless hours of dedicated study."

The process of creating this book was a great experience for me.  I learned a lot, and found out just how easy self-publishing can be!  Most importantly: I realized that there's nothing stopping me from putting out into the world anything my heart can dream up.  It's a pretty powerful revelation.

It's really amazing to think that a few weeks ago, none of this existed at all.  And that the whole journey began with a little spark of inspiration and few ounces of leftover clay I dug out of the closet.

Thanks to everyone who has cheered me on in my creative adventures.

Your support and kind words are more valuable than you may know :)

Like I said, the book is available now on CreateSpace, and should be up on Amazon in about a week. 

So check it out!

Snow Day!

It's been coming down steadily all day.  Thankfully I've been able to appreciate the snow storm from behind my studio window.  I've been busy photographing and editing and brainstorming since breakfast - and man, does it feel good!

I built a makeshift lightbox the other day for photographing my ceramic figurines, and am pleased to report that it's really getting the job done.  It wasn't hard to make at all - all it took was a blade, an empty cracker box, a few pieces of printer paper and some tape.

As you may have guessed, that's one of the gnomes in there.  His name is Jonas.  He's from Sweden, and is a voracious reader.

I know I said just the other day that I would be putting these little fellows up for sale on my Etsy shop soon, but I've since been inspired to undertake a new project involving the gnomes - which is still super secret, but I will say that I'm VERY excited about it!

I'll be sure to update again soon.  Until then, I'm going to crawl back under the electric blanket.  Brr!

Fun With Ceramics and New Shop Items!

I've had such an exciting weekend!

Saturday was a red-letter day for two reasons: First, because I got to read to a bunch of cute kiddies during storytime at the local children's museum.  And second, because the clay figurines I'd made a few weeks earlier had finally emerged from their final firing in the kiln!

The idea originated after I sculpted a few gnome friends out of polymer clay.  Evan had just repotted some of the plants my dad had given him back in August, and I thought it might be nice to have a groundskeeper around to keep an eye on things.

But of course I couldn't stop at just one...

So then came the traveling gnome.

The polymer clay was very easy to work with, and it afforded some great texture and detail.  But the pieces felt too fragile, and the acrylic paint and finish just not fit to withstand life in moist dirt, let alone on the road.

What I really hoped for was a gnome better suited for a life of adventure.  Durable enough to tag along in a pocket, and with a waterproof glaze that could tolerate the elements.

Thankfully, the nice lady at the paint-your-own pottery shop in downtown Winchester was kind enough to indulge my gnome fantasies by selling me a pound of clay and tediously loading and firing all of my tiny creations (twice!).

I now have eight, one-of-a-kind ceramic gnomes, ready to venture out and see the world!

There are, however, a few minor details to which we must tend before I can send them on their merry ways (personal identification cards, travel documents etc.) ...But I'm hoping they'll be ready for their Etsy debut by the end of the week!

In the meantime, you can take a look at these other ceramic friends I made.  They are available now at my Etsy Shop!

Here's Bonnie Bluebird.

 

And this is Sprinkles.

 And here's a tiny house.  Just because :-)

Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to check back soon for more gnome updates!

Valentine's Day Linocuts

The past few weeks have felt so stressful.  

It's been 3 months since I packed my things and flew across the country to make a new home in Virginia.  I'm really in love with where I live, and feel so grateful to be here.  But it's definitely proving to be an adjustment.

My life has undergone so many dramatic changes over the past few years, I think it's easy for me to underestimate sometimes just how challenging these big transitions can be.  

So when the adrenaline from the move has worn off and I still find myself struggling to find work, make friends, get my life together! - I sort of freak out and get down on myself for not being more adaptable, self-sufficient, completely perfect and awesome in every way...

It's good to pause and take a step back to notice these things.  Especially since my tendency to expect super-human performance from myself can really hinder the creative process!

Last night I was able to let go for a few hours and just surrender to the flow of creation.

 I love carving block prints.  It's such a meditative process.

These cards and more are available for purchase at my Etsy shop!

Drop by sometime and take a gander :)

The little things

 I found a pink-petaled mug covered in Siamese kitties at the hospice thrift shop down the street.

It might be my new favorite thing.

Or at least its' currently tied for first with homemade dark chocolate peanut butter cups. 

The cold snap hasn't been good for much, but it's certainly made hanging around indoors easy.

I've been working on some doodle illustrations for a fun new project.

Here's a little sneak peek:

Last night I sat drawing at the kitchen table for hours, wrapped up in an electric blanket.

So I guess winter isn't so bad :)

And in case you're eager to give them a try...

Here's my (highly unscientific) "recipe" for peanut butter cups:

- Unsweetened Baker's Chocolate

- Coconut Oil

- Sugar

- Vanilla Extract

- Salt

- Peanut Butter

- Paper cupcake cups

1. Chop/shave chocolate and place in small sauce pan

2. Add about 1 tablespoon of Coconut oil for every ounce of chocolate.

3. Add about 1.5 tablespoon of sugar per ounce of chocolate. (All I had in my cupboard was sugar in the raw, so I ground it very fine using a mortal and pestle.  Store bought powdered sugar would probably also work, but I can't recommend a dosage so you'd have to just add to taste).

4. Add a pinch of salt.

5. Place pot over low heat and stir until all ingredients have melted.

6. Remove from heat and stir in a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

7. Pour a thin layer of melted chocolate into cupcake cups (it may help to place cups in a cupcake pan if you have one, but I didn't and I managed just fine).

8. Add a dollop of peanut butter to each cup

9. Cover peanut butter with remaining chocolate, and place cups in freezer to cool.

Enjoy!