Musical Monday - How Come My Dog Don't Bark When You Come Around

Yep, it's Monday again!

Grab a button & share what you're listening to today. Click through to add your link or just visit the other players & catch whatever they are humming. Remember to say hi to Diane, the Grande Dame of MM while you're there. In the meantime, here's a peek into my world today:

Stole some time to play with my new pencils. These are Derwent Inktense. I like 'em. They go on nice & creamy. The color is bold & stays vibrant even if you add a touch of water. I dug up an old charcoal drawing from '99 that I'd added some light colored pencil to a couple of years later. It was still kind of meh. So popped the whole thing with the Inktense pencils, a touch of marker & metallic gel pen just for kicks.

But then the sad news..... I took a break to pick up the little guy from school. Got him settled with some Legos ....and then I just couldn't leave well enough alone. Got this idea that I wanted to call it "The Hunting Party" so I added a couple of figures.

That was still ok. But then Fool That I Am I got this weird idea of adding some kind of primitive airship. Probably would have been ok if I had stuck with a grey foggy feel. Decided to try some new metallic pencils and then used the wrong paint pen - oops. Big smeary mess. So here is an example of Not Leaving Well Enough Alone.

Blech - at least I have the before scan.

I wasn't going to post this version but figured what the heck. I talk about peeking behind the scenes. Sometimes focus is lost and a project is destroyed. So it goes.....

NEXT!

Studio Tour #20 - Margie from Bookcrazzzy

Welcome Back to another Studio Tour Saturday!

Last fall I was contacted by an artist/crafter named Margie. She doesn't have a blog or sell her work online but she does have an amazing studio to share.

Margie states that "It is teeny tiny but has some good ideas for making the most of a limited space." This compact studio is full of fantastic perks like a sink, ventilated spray station & light table. It also has some of the most interesting storage ideas I've seen yet!

There are so many great ideas packed into 1 space that I had a hard time choosing which to share. I've posted a sampling. You can find all 20 photos of her creative space on flickr - click here to visit Margie at Bookcrazzzy. The following text is from her flickr as well (with notes in parenthesis by me).


Margie: This is my art/craft space. It was a major challenge to make it work because the room is a tiny utility room and has the furnace in the middle of one room and it is about 3 x 4 feet. My husband built it all and did a great job.... (Shown here is the) main work area before I put metal on the cabinet above the desk.

Margie: My work surface with the light box on.

(Note the sink on left. Many artists tell me the #1 item on their studio wish list is a sink)

(to the right of this station is this round cabinet)

Margie: The round cabinet opens up. It holds an amazing amount of stuff and is loaded with gallons of paint but you can turn it with one finger.

Margie: Round cabinet closed.

(note the vertical drawer on this photo's right side- it is actually a sliding bookshelf)

Margie: The key to making (the studio) work and having enough storage was the huge sliding bookshelves. There are three of them, each 4' wide, with the one in the middle divided to have shallow shelves on each side, which makes a total of 16 feet of bookshelves in a 4 x 4 foot space.


Margie: This shows one of the sliding shelves open. They hang from the ceiling on barn door tracks and slide in and out quite easily. With all three slid out, it gives full access to the furnace.


Margie: This corner of the room is dedicated to spray painting. The little metal square in the work surface is a handle. The work surface lifts up, wings fold out and there is a grid for holding the thing to be painted. A fan is mounted below which pulls the air and overspray down and out of the house.


Margie: The door on the right leads outside. The top part of this section is a cabinet with sliding doors. My husband designed and cut a scene into the doors to allow ventilation. Under the wall-hung cabinet are three wheeled carts that I can pull out for additional work surfaces and, of course, storage.


Margie: The cabinet with the sliding shelves open. Those things hanging up are shoe organizers cut to a shorter size. There is a hook near my main work area so that I can take one of the organizers out of the cabinet and hang it close by for easy access while I'm working on a particular project.


Margie: This is the cart that I use for one-of-a-kind type embellishments and such. The "drawers" are cafeteria trays and are held up by simple strips of wood.


Margie: This shows the small cart in place with the tools on the pegboard.
(She is talking about a different storage cart here but I love the pegboard & had to sneak 1 more picture in)

Many thanks, Margie, for sharing your studio space!

Also a hearty congrats to your clever husband for building so many ingenious storage & work spaces! Margie, if you happen to catch this post, I'd love to share some examples of your artwork as well. If you send me an email (address is in my blogger profile), I'll be sure to add photos of your work to this post.

Thanks to all of you enjoy peeking behind the scenes! Remember to visit Margie's Flickr for even more photos. It is your interest that keeps these tours coming. If you have a creative space you'd like to share, please drop me an email. I am currently scheduling May onward. (For anyone who hasn't heard, tours are now posted every other Saturday.)

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By the way, have you signed up for the 2 new random drawings?

On 2/11 one lucky winner takes home 5 Curious Hearts faux vintage papers from stton.etsy.com - Click Here For Details

On 2/15 hundreds of bloggers participating in the One World One Heart giveaway will be picking random winners. I'm giving away my Original Watercolor Climbing. Click Here for Details

IF - Muddy

post vita

Illustration Friday's new prompt Muddy called to mind a giant newsprint pad from the early 90s I've recently unearthed. It is full of insomnia scribblings & foolish rants. The crispy papers curl at the edges. I've added a touch of digital-crackle to this memento of youthful angst.

Got Mud?

Splash it onto your blog or flickr, go visit I.F. and add your link. While you're there, check out who else is muddying up the blog-o-sphere this week.

Theme Thursday - Pink & Black

God gave us our memories so that we might have roses in December. - J. M. Barrie

Remembering Roses

This digital collage combines a cropped charcoal drawing & a photo of roses - both were created during a visit to Northern Italy many years ago. I found these while cleaning up today & thought they'd be fun mixed together for Themed Thursday.

If you have some pink & black, come join the fun. Post it to your blog & add it to Themed Thursday's comments. Or just pop on over & see what other things folks have added.

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Just a reminder, I'm trying out a new format of posting a giveaway every other Thursday.

So the next lucky winner will randomly selected on 2/11. To enter, just leave a comment before 1 a.m. (EST) that day. The prize is set of 5 Curious Hearts Faux-vintage papers from stton.etsy.com. For prize photos & details, click here,

I'm also participating in the One World One Heart Blog Giveaway on 2/15. For details & to enter click here

Almost Wordless Wednesday - Octopi

Octopi

Recently unearthed hundreds of slides I shot back in 2000-2001. A lot of fun pics to play with. Supposed to be cleaning but I keep finding more "toys" ....

Can't believe I used to ride this thing - now I'm the one who holds everybody's stuff.

Musical Monday's Muse - Games People Play

Welcome!

I'm a bit late today
but it is still Musical Monday
so grab the button & play along!

What is moving you this week?

I'm having fun with last week's Mixed Media Monday prompt, Games People Play. Trying to think of some apt music when this little earworm gave my brain a tickle.

I have to agree with spyspace666 - pirates do make it better!

Want to share your tunes today or listen to what everyone else it up to today? Click the MM button & visit Diane over at Good Mourning Glory.

Games People Play WIP part 2

Here is the next phase of my GPP. Should be done soon.
Can you guess where I'm going with this?

Sunday Secrets

Do you like participating in online art challenges?

Some venues post the upcoming prompt ahead of schedule, so peek in the day before & get a head start.

Mixed Media Monday posts on Sunday - they even give a heads up on the following week in the margin. Click Here for a sneak peek but hurry back - I'll wait.........

Last week's prompt was Games People Play. I got a head start but had to set it aside till today. Still waiting for stains & glue to dry. Paper part is done though:


The fun vintage images are from quaddles vintage stock on DeviantArt & the sheet music is from Chrysti Hydeck's "Free For You" flickr stock. I've added misc watercolors, marker, colored pencil & ink.

By the way, have you tried these Cat's Eye fluid chalk ink pads? Got this tip from Nancy Lefko. She teaches some fantastic online classes over at Creative Workshops.

Do you ever visit The Altered Page? It's the blog of Mixed Media artist Seth Apter. There is always something wonderful to take in over there: striking photos, collaborative projects, and my favorite:

image borrowed from The Altered Page

Secret Sunday features artists' tips on all things creative. Click the above button to check out installment #11. This post is extra cool - it is an "Open House". All visitors are encouraged to leave an artsy secret in the comments section.

Check it out & find new uses for shoe polish, teabags & other unusual art supplies. Plus lots of tips for keeping The Muse happy too.

While you're there leave a secret of your own. I left a couple tips from my days in the restoration biz that I still use in art (& around the house) today.

But before you go, have you signed up for the newest random drawings?

On 2/11 one lucky winner takes home 5 Curious Hearts faux vintage papers from stton.etsy.com - Click Here For Details

On 2/15 hundreds of bloggers participating in the One World One Heart giveaway will be picking random winners. I'm giving away my Original Watercolor Climbing. Click Here for Details