I guess it's gonna rain today

I'm testing a new printing co. & hope to have some fresh digital art in my artsnark etsy shop very soon,  including this one which needs a new name. Any suggestions?

-----

By the way, you have until 1 am (EST) on Nov3 to leave a comment & enter Black Baroque's fantastic random drawing. Tomorrow I'll pick 2 winners from those who have kindly commented on this blog since Oct. 20th. The lucky duo will each take home their fave print from BlackBaroque.etsy.com. Click Here for  a visit with the artist behind this fun shop, Alexandra Wolf.

Musical Monday - Night Music

Night Music (work in progress)

Loving this week's Musical Monday prompt from Xmas Dolly! The theme is a "song about an animal or their breed." With Halloween just around the corner it seemed like a good excuse for one of my faves:

...and that got me playing with some digital art. It still needs some more shading & blending. But I've got to get to work, so sharing what I have so far.

Special thanks to these talented & generous stock providers:

http://forsakewolf.deviantart.com/art/Wolf-28-50009393

http://mizzd-stock.deviantart.com/art/Raven-Priestess-3-112531500

http://ashensorrow.deviantart.com/art/Premade-Background-1162-200109785

Want to play along this Musical Monday? Post your animal tune & link up over at Xmas Dolly's place. While you are there be sure to click around and listen to what everyone else is sharing today.

Hey, have you entered my new random drawing yet? Keeping with the Halloween theme, 1 lucky winner will take home a cool pen& ink skull print from StevieScratchpad on Etsy. To enter just leave a comment on this blog before 1 am (EST) on Thursday 10/20. To check out this fun prize and an interview with the artist, click here.

Well, I'm outta here - wishing you a creative week!

Illustration Friday - Hibernate

hibernate

Once again loving IllustrationFriday's new prompt- this week it is the evocative Hibernate. Many thanks to stock photographer/model daylight-calling for sharing her wonderful images on deviantart.com. Anybody who pops over here regularly knows that DeviantArt is one of my top go-to spots for models. I was super happy to stumble onto daylight-calling's stock tonight.

Dredging the itunes library for some torpid inspiration led me to Jude's No One Is Really Beautiful.  (The only clean version of "I know" that I could find for sharing is from the City of Angels Soundtrack)

I've also been mulling over a line from Wilde's Dorian Gray, which I'm rereading for for the Etsy Time Travelers Team book club: "The world belongs to you for a season.... The moment I met you I saw that you were quite unconscious of what you really are, of what you really might be."

Toss in an uninvited visit from my regular muse, Little Red, and you've got today's digital illustration for Hibernate. Click the pic to enlarge.

Want to see some more grand yet sleepy art? Check out IllustrationFriday.com. 

Feeling inspired? Post your own & link up before next Friday.

---------

Technique & Tool chapter from The Pulse Survey

It was great fun participating in the 5th incarnation of Seth Apter's ongoing Q&A project, The Pulse. 130+ artists answered a variety of art related questions . The latest chapter, Techniques & Tools, asks what technique or tool the artists couldn't live without. Some great answers can be found now on Seth's blog, The Altered Page, with links to each artists creations.  (yep, shameless plug - I'm in this round). Click here to check it out - it is interesting to see the mix of responses & styles. Be sure to visit The Altered Page each Sunday for a new installment of The Pulse.

Seth Apter's The Pulse artists' survey

------------

Entered my giveaway yet? Yep, changing topics on you again. If you answered "no" then leave a comment & your name goes in the hat. I'm drawing 1 random winner next Thursday from anyone who has commented on this blog in the last 2 weeks. By the way, I've been a lazy blogger so comments are light & your odds are good. Winner gets 1 ACEO of their choice from my Artsnark.etsy.com shop.

Well, gotta fly. Hope you are feeling inspired & wishing you a creative day!

Halloween digital doodle

Stay out of the woods on Halloween night - WIP

Funny to be thinking about Halloween in the heat of summer. I've signed up for some spooky swaps & promotions on etsy, so it is time to start thinking about my favorite holiday. Just playing around a bit before bed. Think I'd rather draw this one... hmm.... & maybe print on metallic paper to pop the background? What do you think?

Images adapted from this great stock-
Model: Stock 179 Dark Fae by Jaymasee
Background: AshenSorrow premade background 1277

"One Color" ATC swap

Alchemy ATC - digital art

Finished my Art Trading Card for the DigitalWhispers swap. The theme was "1 color", which made things very interesting. If you like to play with digital art and are not a member of DW, hop on over there and sign up. It is a free ning site with a great group of talented people working at all levels. Everyone is super helpful and there is always a fun challenge or swap going on. If you do join, look me up - my page is here.

Many thanks to the DeviantArt stock providers for use of their fantastic images:
Kristhania - Dark Widow 

SpyHawkStock - Ice Ice Baby

Jenna Rose - Stock-Frost Texture1

There is also an original photo & medieval alchemical drawings tossed in for kicks.

The Hatchling ATC by Fiona Randall

Lucky me! The Hatchling is the card I will be receiving from the talented Fiona Randall. Here is the link to Fiona's Digital Whisper page, where you can enjoy more of her fabulous creations. But I think you have to be a member of DW open the link - like I said it is free, so why not sign up today?

Tomorrow I'll share the dimensional ATC  from my partner in the Creative Souls Greek Mythology themed swap. It is really really cool!

By the way, have you entered my 7/28 random drawing for a free ACEO? Until now I have only sold originals, but recently decided to carry prints in my ArtSnark etsy shop. They finally arrived and I have started embellishing with markers & inks (since I can't leave anything alone- haha). Leave a comment on my blog before the drawing date & you are entered. I will have about 20 - 30 Art Cards in my shop by then to choose from. The winner takes home their favorite one. For a sneak peek check out these blog posts: 1 & 2

Illustration Friday - Gesture

Gesture

"Drawing is like making an expressive gesture with the advantage of permanence. " ~Henri Matisse

I had fun with the new prompt from IllustrationFriday.com - Gesture. Click on the pic for larger view.

Many thanks to these fantastic free-use stock providers:

LetzteSchatten-stockfor use of image Stock4

Mjranum-stock for image That's the spot -2

Do you feel inspired by this week's challenge? If so, make something cool, post it online and add a link on the I.F. site. If not, skip over there anyway & check out what everyone else is up to.

------------

By the way, I am holding a random drawing on 7/28. Winner gets their favorite ACEO from the new prints I've ordered. To enter, leave a comment on my blog before June 28. For details & to see a few of the new art cards, click here

Illustration Friday - Stay

Stay - mixed media on cut paper - click image to enlarge

Stay, the new IllustrationFriday prompt, hits close to home this week. I don't tend to get too personal on this blog & have debated sharing TMI this week. I don't do emotional very well in the real world (let alone the virtual one) so that is why I have been scarce around here. (who knows, I may come back & delete this later).

About 10 years ago my Dad was diagnosed with a nasty case of cancer. It did not look good.  Luckily he was accepted into an experimental study with some new heavy-duty treatments, and he beat it.  Now he has another kind & has surgery today. Needless to say, we are all hopeful & worried.

I wasn't worth a damn today so  drifted over to DA and trolled through my stock photo faves for some inspiration. Then played in PE9 for a while. Since I have no time to paint anymore, I've been mocking up some digi-sketches in case the calendar clears someday. 

Stay - digital sketch - again, just click to enlarge

I've still got a way to go on this one but it includes my thoughts on "Stay", crossing over, and of course a version of Little Red. I went too faded,need to tone down the white light & give the wolf a bit more ooomf. But as a sketch it is a decent start, I think....

Many thanks to these talented DeviantArt folks for sharing their fabulous stock images:

xCrystals: Arctic Wolf 17

MyBluelight-stock: Cold Winter

AshenSorrow: Premade Background 1277

But I still felt a need to wrap my hand (& mind) around a pencil. On impulse I challenged myself to make something using only a handful of items from the pigsty on my desk. So, there is a scrap of torn patterned paper (it has typewriter-style text with words like -  "sudden", "alone" & "I remember", which seemed apt). Then 2 Pitt Pens, red & blue; a pigma micron brown 05; Plus a handful of Derwent Pencils - metallic Red#7; my go-to Lemon Cadmium watercolor pencil; & a Chinese White Drawing pencil.

Plugged in a Monoral Mix I haven't listened to in a while - it includes this great tune that anime fans will recognize - seemed to fit my mood....

Then I shut out the world and doodled away. Lucky for me, my wonderful husband covered for me in the kitchen and with the kiddo for a couple of hours. Little Dude came in about 3/4 of the way through & declared the illo "meh" - I had to agree. But plodded on & then had a go with some scissors. The cuts seem to let some of the fun texty paper show through without being too dull a background. 

The final is at the top of this post - I had to scan it on black , sorry if the background is distracting. It measures about 5.5" x 12". I was going to just add it to the never ending stack of dusty drawings but am thinking about matting & framing for the ArtSnark etsy shop. What do you think?

Are you inspired by Stay today? Pop on over to I.F. & see some other fun takes on the topic. Please add your own too - come out & play!

A Flood Of Love

A Flood Of Love digital collage

A Flood of Love

I lay supine,

your grace washing through me

like a flood of love divine

knowing only the moment of surrender

as the gates open to a light reborn,

soft, and tender.

Awash in a flood of love

that fills even the darkest spaces,

banishing the harsh word

the truculent grime,

so that for a time

not even pain can enter here.

A release of each anxiety

every darkness washed from the core of me,

as we swim into this dazzling sea,

I in thou, thou in me;

And in that place,

where the light surges through the gates

flowing into every memory I have known

soothing each space into which I've grown

I find myself dissolving into a unity of you

that spreads through out my universe

my subtle inner view

until all that is left of me,

left of this vestige of you,

is a splash of luminescence,

painted upon a canvas of dazzling hue.

You do not come from without

you do not echo in some doubt

you do not flood me through my eyes

or ears, or nose,

but through the deepest sighs.

An eruptive eminence of delight

streaming from within

born to some second sight,

a flood of love

caressing me with light.

And there in that place,

I open my eyes

and see the world once more

turn upon its tide

a remnant of the vision

of the radiance inside.

       - RPM

I snuck away from family stuff, glanced at facebook & found this lovely poem from Richard at CreativeSoulsPublishing. It made me want to draw like mad, but with relatives orbiting my time is limited today. I tossed together this digital sketch. Not thrilled but hope to come back to it someday, so decided to save for later.

Woman is PurpleStock6 from Chamberstock on DeviantArt

The house, tiny figure & man are from my 3-D house: Where ever you are I am home

I wish I had more time to play with this digital doodle but the festivities are calling ( I will confess that I am far more tempted by my studio than fireworks & bar-b-que... and feel quite guilty about it...)

Best wishes to all & hope you enjoy the week ahead.

Illustration Friday - Midsummer Night

Midsummer Night - digital collage

The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve;

Lovers, to bed; 'tis almost fairy time. 

- from A Midsummer Night's Dream

Midsummer Night - Another fantastic prompt from IllustrationFriday today. While I felt like drawing, I couldn't find the time. So instead here is a digital doodle - click the image to enlarge

All the stock used in this collage is from DeviantArt.com. You may know that Deviant is one my favorite sites for inspiration. If you aren't a member yet I highly recommend it (basic membership is free). And if you are ... look me up & say hi. I'm here: http://artsnarks-artifacts.deviantart.com/. 

Many thanks to these talented folks for use of their vision & visage:

• Sleeping girl is from Sinned-angel-stock's photo Ethereal Quiet 

• Fairy model is from Chamberstock's Fairy Attempt 3

• Texture is wchild's Snowing Texture. (Want to see some amazing photographs? Run, don't walk to wchild.deviantart.com.  Jari Mäntylä is freakin' brilliant. Lucky for us, he also shares stock images - just click on his "resources" link after you've browsed the gallery pages.)

Have you been inspired by Midsummer Night? Post your piece and then hop over to IllustrationFriday.com to make a link. Be sure to check out the wide variety of work while you are there. Fun times.

IF - Journey

Work in progress - digital manip. 

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” ~Greg Anderson

I am such an art-addict. Each Friday I eagerly open my email (usually over coffee while still in p.j.s) to check out the new IllustrationFriday.com prompt. Then I pray to have some free time!

Loving this week's challenge,"journey", and the quote that came with it.

I recently finished a fabulous online workshop, Photomainpulations 3, with the always brilliant Susan Tuttle (I absolutely love her  blog, Ilka's Attic) and have been looking forward to playing with a few of the things I learned.

There are a few things I still need to tweak, including some subtle faux hand coloring which is a little too subtle. And some more blending/ shading.  I'm trying to show motion but wanted her face to be clear. This has been fun to play with... But I have to run & don't know if I'll get to work on it again for a few days - so best to post as is. By the way click on the image for a larger view.

Stock used is from these generous & talented deviant-art stock photographers:

Spectral Stock's Steampunk XII

Its All Stock's Old Airplane

If you are inspired by the thought of a journey, I hope you add your creation to  IllustrationFriday.com. You have all week to play along. Or just stop by & see what other folks have made.

--------------

And if you want to see some amazing figurative/fantasy art, click here. It'll take you to yesterday's interview with the insanely talented Bethalynne Bejema. You can also read about the 3 awesome prizes I'll be giving to random blog commenters for her

Enter to win a copy of the book Photoshop Elements 9, The Missing Manual

Photoshop Elements 9: The Missing Manual

No interview this week - I am again behind the 8 ball it seems. However, I have a giveaway that will appeal to digital art fans. Last Christmas Santa kindly upgraded my fossilized mac, installed PE 9 (I'd been using version 2.0)...and gave me this very useful book by Barbara Brundage!

But there was a catch. It turns out I was accidentally sent a misprinted copy. All the text is correct but the photos are only in shades of gray. I've since received a colored replacement. Instead of tossing the black & white version, I thought this manual might make a good Thursday Giveaway prize for the right person.

So, if you are playing with the latest version of Photoshop Elements (or are thinking about it), this is the book for you. There are a number of things that 9 can do which were not available in some earlier versions. You can read more about this fun program here: Adobe.com/products/photoshopel/.  

NOTE: you can also download a free 30 day trail of Photoshop Elements 9 HERE.

I'd like to emphasize that the book I'm giving away has only black & white photos. However, all of the other content is identical to the corrected book (which retails for around $29). It is 622 pages long and weighs a ton - now, that's a lot of useful info!

TO ENTER: Simply leave a comment on my blog in the next 2 weeks.  All entries must be received by 1 a.m. (EST) on 3/10. 1 random winner will be selected. This drawing is open worldwide with free shipping to the lucky winner.

Shiver

Shiver - digital art

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice. 

- Robert Frost, Fire & Ice

Created for DigitalWhisper challenge # 85 - Frozen. Digital Whispers is a great site on ning.com. If you play around with computer art, I suggest you check it out. I'm a couple of challenges behind (the new prompt is Introspection plus a photo of Isadora Duncan).
 

The only instruction for the Frozen challenge was to "Create an image that sends a shiver down our spine." This brought to mind wastelands, Robert Frost and Dante -  

Thereupon I Turn'd
And saw before and underneath my feet
A lake, whose frozen surface liker seem'd 
to glass than water.....thus low

Blue pinch'd and shrined in ice the spirits stood. 

-Dante Alighieri, Inferno Canto 32

So, off I went to one of my favorite sources for stock images, DeviantArt.com, where I found these lovely bits & pieces:

Model -  http://tasastock.deviantart.com

Snow Glitter - VampyriccadenceStock.deviantart.com

Rock Candy- Stock7000.deviantart.com

Blue Glitter Texture - Reno-fan-girl-stock.deviantart.com

+

 some helpful tips from Vampyriccadence's Glitter & Ice Tutorial

While I was pretty happy with things at that point, another layer was needed to pull it all together.  I  altered Jan van der Straet's Map of Whole Hell illustration of Dante's Inferno (found in WikimediaCommons) and faded it into the picture.

Jan van der Straet's Map of Whole Hell

Some believe that Fire & Ice mirrors Dante's Inferno. You can find more about this here or here. At these links you can also read about Frost's conversation with astronomer Harlow Shapely concerning the end of the world, which may have inspired the poet.

Well, that's what I've been up to lately. How about you??

 -----------

Totally off topic, there are still a few more days to enter the random drawing for 250 custom printed business cards. Click here for details

Wordless Wednesday - Phantasm

Charcoal drawing tweaked in P.Elements

Almost Wordless Wednesday - Umbrella art challenge

Too Little Too Late

For Digital Whisper challenge #67 Umbrella we had to use this image:

I tweaked a rain texture stock image from Fear-Fixation.deviantart.com & then added figures from some of my original drawings.

Almost Wordless Wednesday - Dark Sprite

Dark Sprite - Digital Collage

Many thanks to Gail & Digital Whisper for inspiring me to pick up with digital stuff again. Today I'm feeling Halloween-ish.

Model is from MizzD's fabulous stock over at DeviantArt. Bone pile is adapted from a public domain photo I came across eons ago (sorry, forgot where from. will credit if I can find it)

--------

Before I forget, it is your last chance to enter the random draw for one of CreativeEtching's brass rulers with custom etched text. You have until 1 a.m. (EST) 9/23 to leave a comment to enter. Click here for details & photos.

Double Giveaway .... with a twist !!

1st off: sorry about the occasional wonky links (most work). I've been fighting blogger all morning to get this post up. Now it won't let me fix errors.....grrr... but please enjoy & thanks for visiting.

Welcome! How are you? Lots going on around here today….

Featuring a new artist, Felicia Kramer & her fabulous creations. Plus she has generously donated a piece of her colorful art for the next Thursday Giveaway!

Now for the Double Trouble: At the same time Felicia is featuring my art on her blog.… and she’ll be giving away one of my matted drawings!

So, after you’ve enjoyed this post and signed in for your chance to win 1 of Felicia’s gorgeous prints, visit her blog FeliciaKramer.blogspot.com and enter the giveaway that she is hosting over there.

Now, on with the show!

I met the talented artist Felicia Kramer through the Visual Arts Street Team on Etsy. Her wonderful etsy shop, Another Bright Idea, contains an assortment of colorful pieces in a variety of mediums. Felicia has been kind enough to join me for some virtual coffee and talk about her creative process. For more info on the pieces featured here, just click on the image.

So, Felicia, have you always been interested in making art?

Landscape of an Artist Soul - Digital Collage Print

Felicia: I have been making all sorts of art and crafts ever since I can remember. My mother taught me to sew when I was a child so my creations will sometimes incorporate fabric and sewing techniques. I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Michigan State University with a printmaking emphasis, during which time I developed my papermaking technique. I decided after college that I couldn’t afford to be a “starving artist” so I joined the corporate world as an event producer, where I often used my creative talents. At the same time, I continued with art projects, mostly for friends and my large extended family. I don’t limit myself to any one medium; I like to explore all types of materials and techniques and my cluttered workroom is a happy testament to that!

You work in several mediums. What are some of your favorites?

Felicia: I suck at drawing. I really do. I took so many drawing classes in college but I destroyed almost all my work, keeping just a few. I have a hard time doing very precise artwork; I’m much happier when I’m freely exploring color and line, overlapping different images and delighting in the happy accidents that result. That’s why I enjoy doing my handmade paper sheets – there are limits as to how much you can control the process, and the colors and textures and uneven edges that result when the paper dries are a lovely surprise.

Antiquities 2 - Handmade Paper Collage

I began making handmade paper while still in college and have used it in various artistic creations since. The technique I use to unmold the pulp creates a smooth surface texture much like parchment, and since any sizing have been removed in the process, the paper is very soft and delicate.

Like most artists, I’m always picking up bits and pieces of the outdoors in my small garden and when traveling, so my handmade paper collages often include nature’s bounty.

Nature Preserved 1 - Handmade Paper and Pressed Leaves Collage

My cards and photographs also offer a peek into my postage stamp sized garden and my neighborhood.

In My Neighbor's Garden

I really love the colors & movement in your Digital Collages. They are so organic! How do you go about creating them?

Felicia: My most recent passion is digital collage. I love exploring by manipulating my original photos and combining them with all sorts of ephemera to create a particular mood. And by producing limited editions, I am able to offer the prints at affordable prices for original artwork.

Hope for a New Beginning

Serendipity plays a part in many of my digital collage prints. I use Photoshop, and overlaying art pieces over each other and adjusting the opacity can result in some of the most mouth-watering effects. A perfect example are my “liquid” prints. As I was taking photos of blue iris, I accidentally over-exposed a few shots. They were so unusual and textural that I decided to work with them, layering them with other backgrounds and adjusting color and opacity. I’m so pleased with the results!

Readers will be pleased too. Felicia has generously donated 1 of her gorgeous "Liquid" prints for the latest Thursday Giveaway! Even better, the winner gets to choose their prize from a dozen beautiful pieces in the Liquid series.

Liquid Blue Iris 1

To enter this random drawing, just leave a comment on this blog before noon (EST) next Thursday (8/27). Contest is open worldwide with free shipping. It is that easy! Just make sure there is a way to contact you if you win.

Liquid Magenta Digital Collage Print

To view the selection of "liquid" prints, go to Felicia's Etsy shop, AnotherBrightIdea.etsy.com. Above her shop banner is a search box. Looks like this:

Type in liquid & click search. Alternatively you can find them by looking through her Digital Collage Prints & Floral Photo shop sections.

Special thanks to Felicia for sponsoring this week's Thursday Giveaway! Knowing how much I love peeking into studios, she's also sent several pictures of her workspace. Tune in Saturday for a virtual tour of Felicia World & see where she makes her magic,

Also, when you have the time, pop on over to her blog Felicia Kramer Has Another Bright Idea to read about yours truly and try your hand at winning this original drawing:

Ready to frame, Idle Hours is signed/dated and is mounted in an 8" x 10" acid free mat.Containing a hint of my Red Riding Hood obsession, it originally appeared in this post for Illustration Friday.

While you are there be sure to tell Felicia what you think of her creative thoughts and awesome art!

Artarazzi Challenge #21- Spring Flowers

The modest Rose puts forth a thorn,
The humble sheep a threat'ning horn:
While the Lily white shall in love delight,
Nor a thorn nor a threat stain her beauty bright.
- William Blake

This week's visual prompt from Artarazzi is the painting Spring Flowers by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema . I've added some lilies I shot a few years ago & some corner brackets from a scan of an inkadinkadoo stamp package. Pop on over to the comments section (& Mr. Linky) at Artarazzi to add your own creation & enjoy the variety of submissions.


While I'm a big fan of William Blake, I stumbled upon this poem by A.E.Houseman that also feels apt. The Lent Lily is a name that I haven't heard in years. That's what my grandmother,who spent much of her time in the garden, used to call her daffodils.

'Tis spring; come out to ramble
The hilly brakes around,
For under thorn and bramble
About the hollow ground
The primroses are found.

And there's the windflower chilly
With all the winds at play,
And there's the Lenten lily
That has not long to stay
And dies on Easter day.

And since till girls go maying
You find the primrose still,
And find the windflower playing
With every wind at will,
But not the daffodil,

Bring baskets now, and sally
Upon the spring's array,
And bear from hill and valley
The daffodil away
That dies on Easter day.

- A.E. Houseman

Pyrrha

Child of Pandora, Pyrrha was also the niece (& daughter in law) of Prometheus. When Zeus decided at the end of the Bronze Age to flood the world, Pyrrha & her husband Deucallion built an ark, survived & repopulated the world by tossing rocks over their shoulders. The rocks became the next generation.

I recently discovered the Artarazzi challenges & made this for Challenge #8 (Alter Waterhouse's Boreas & use orange)

The fire in image is courtesy of PDPhoto.org