Illustration Friday - Old

the lepidopterist

Exiled Princess? Retired villainess? Once famous for her wild parties, she now prefers to spend her time with butterflies and a bit of Nabokov.

Dusting off an ancient scribble for Illustration Friday's latest prompt: "Old". This butterfly collector is the third painting in the Rogues Gallery series. It is a mix of drawing & watercolor painting on patterned paper and measures 12"square. 

Feeling inspired to share your golden oldies? Ready to check out creations based on the week's challenge? Pop by IllustrationFriday.com. The key word changes every Friday. Feel free to play along! Make something relevant and post it to your site or fave social media and then link up. If you do share, let me know. It is always fun to see where the latest prompt takes people.

Illustration Friday - Danger

pigma, pitt, paint, metallic pens & watercolor pencils on paper and board

Illustration Friday's stimulating new prompt, Danger, has me finishing up this doodle I was playing with last month. These ladies look like a couple of trouble makers to me. 

Danger also brings to mind this fun little ditty from a few years ago on HitRecord.org. Peppina & Puppycat shared what has to me my favorite musical riff off the Red Riding Hood tale. I don't see a way to embed it, but you can have a listen here: http://www.hitrecord.org/records/723671  

What does "danger" make you think of? Want to play along? Share your take on your fave social media and link up at http://illustrationfriday.com. Or just pop over to see what other folks are coming up with. No judgement there - creations range from primitive to professional. Just creative folks having fun. Hope to see you there!

Illustration Friday - Summer

Sharing this mixed media reworking of an older drawing for the sunny IllustrationFriday.com prompt, Summer.

Click the link above to visit the I.F. site & enjoy what everyone is sharing. Please feel free to post your summer-inspired creations; the challenge is open all week. If you do play along, pop by and let me know so that I can check it out.

Illustration Friday - Heights

1987 doodle - recycled for IF

Deep into the studio de-stash this week, so no time for a new IllustrationFriday doodle. This week's  prompt is "heights". Here is a scribble from a comics class (I mostly slept through) in 1987. wow -  amazing how much life has happened since then. Be sure to visit the IF site to check out some more interesting interpretations of the challenge. If you are feeling inspired, grab some paper (or mouse)  & remember to share.

1987 

Just for kicks, here's a crop of a self portrait from the same class. 

Why on earth do I still have this junk? Gotta tell you: it is feeling pretty good tossing out all kinds of old baggage this week. But it sure takes a lot of time (I have a lot of stuff- haha). 

De-cluttering, family & work have been keeping me busy. I am looking at probably another week or 2 of digging deep (I am tempted to rent a dumpster). Then maybe I will be able to use my creative space for something besides digital-art!

Pathfinders Flying Pig Automata Kit

The Dude was home sick from school today, so between naps and coughing jags we put together a fun wooden Flying Pig automata from Pathfinders. I'll post a pic later this weekend once the boy gets it painted. A fun project for kids (& grown up kids). 

What are you up to the next few days? What ever it is, I hope you have a grand time! Best wishes for a wonder-filled weekend.

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!

Wordless Wednesday - Shhh....

Shhhh... available at ArtSnark.Etsy.com

inspired by Wordless Wednesday

Almost Wordless Wednesday - The Princess sketch

crop of Princess pen & ink sketch

This original pen & ink drawing is available in my ArtSnark etsy shop for $12 (includes Free shipping worldwide). Click Here for details.

Princess - pen & ink on 8.5" x 11" paper

Who won Diary 2010?

Thanks to everyone who entered to win a copy of Diary 2010! However there can be only one and according to random.org the winner is....

Lisa
(the Lisa who left comment on 11/17)

Congrats, Lisa! I'll email you today for your info.

Not Lisa? You can still get a copy of this unique diary/day planner from Fantazya, the mastermind behind of this collaborative project.

They are sold at the Diary 2010 Project site (just click through) where can also find a list of contributing artists.

You can also find them at Etsy.Fantazya.com. In the etsy shop, they are available with either blank or decorated covers.

Want to know more about designer Lucy Baribeau from Fantazya and this fun collaborative project? CLICK HERE for last week's interview.

Again, thanks for leaving your comments. Please check back later today to sign up for the new Giveaway prize. Hope you have a wonderful day!

Who will be the lucky winner....

of Amber Freeman's print The Little Gift?

To see more of Amber's art, visit her Etsy shop, Cinnaber. Click the following links to read an interview with Amber & visit her studio space.

O.K. - Random.org has spoken & today's winner is......

BETTY!

Congrats, Betty!! You also get a custom cut mat in black or white. I'll contact you this afternoon with details on how to claim your prize.

Many thanks to Amber for taking part in Thursday's Giveaways. And thanks to all who visited & left such kind comments on this talented young artists work.

Want to play again? Pop back later today. I will be posting a new prize generously donated another talented etsy artist.

The New Giveaway Prize Is Up - Just Click Here For Details

I'm also hosting a random drawing on 10/22 for a custom printed vinyl banner from Uprinting.com - CLICK HERE for rules & banner details

Saturday Studio Tour #6 - Artist Amber Freeman

Innocence by Amber

Welcome back for another behind the scenes peek into where artists create. Today our tour guide is Amber Freeman of Cinnaber.etsy.com. Skilled with a pencil, Amber also creates with photoshop and paints. To read Part 1 of her interview & see more of her beautiful drawings click HERE. I'll step aside now so Amber can tell us a bit more about her art & work space.

Amber: I have been drawing all my life, but it was not until my freshmen year of high school that I got serious. It was during this time, I could no longer draw simply for my enjoyment. Drawing became something my grade rested upon. I had to push the boundaries of my comfort zone to get an A. It was during this time that my art cocooned. No longer was my art in its paper-munching, caterpillar phase. It was time for it to mature into something new and beautiful.

The Fruits Of Your Labor by Amber

Amber: Now, I am a college art student sophomore. College is considered to be a time of letting go of one's past in return for heightened understanding and adaption. I can confess to this especially in the realm of art. While abandoning the house I grew up in, and taking up residence in a university dormitory, I all but signed away my privacy, space, and personalized zone of retreat.

Amber's Home Studio

Amber: At home, my father and brother were kind enough to carve away a studio space for me in the garage. If our house were a human, our garage would be the intestines, the buffer zone between useful and used-up material. Under the course of twenty-four hours, I watched the storehouse of junk and debris be transformed into a creative grotto. In which, I spent many afternoons, painting the hours away. It became a tradition to have friends and family paint on the room's walls. Today, it is filled with a spectrum of creative footprints sketched by loved ones.


Amber: In college, I work with a much more limited space. My portion of the dorm room is sprinkled with pictures from my art collections. I keep my art supplies tucked inside my desk drawer. I use a slide-out tray to draw on which I line the edges with as many supplies as I can make fit. When I draw larger than my standard 8.5x11, I use a large clipboard.


Amber: This clipboard is stored between my unreasonably tall bed and a wall. I keep it and an assortment of other art supplies inside my portable studio, also known as my big black bag of wonder. This bag is waterproof, large, and study. It is the perfect vessel for a roaming artist.

"bag of wonder" portable studio

Amber: Despite the “cozy” living conditions I have been exposed to in college, I am greatly enjoying the submersion into art it has created for me.


Amber: I have always had a love of art, but only recently have I begun selling it. I've sold at several anime conventions across Florida and done well. I hope to find a job as an illustrator and illustrate children's' books. But so long as I can find employment as an artist, I'm happy.

Feets by Amber

Many thanks, Amber, for showing us your workspace - a perfect example of how an artist will make the best of a modest situation in order to create magic. Even if a space is small, if the imagination is large, wonderful things will happen! My goal is to feature all types of studios & artists here on Saturdays. Readers, if you would like to share your space & art, please send me an email (address is in my profile).

Amber's art is available through her online store www.cinnaber.etsy.com where she sells prints as well as stickers and custom portraits. You can view more of her art at http://cinnamonsoldier.deviantart.com/. You can also read Part 1 of her interview, where Amber shares about her first art experiences HERE

Little Gift by Amber

Would you like to win a free print of Amber's drawing, Little Gift? If so, just leave a comment on this blog to be entered in the random drawing at noon (EST) on Thursday 10/1.

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By the way, I'm also hosting a custom vinyl banner giveaway for Uprinting.com, click here for details. 1 winner will be randomly chosen on 10/22.

Art of Cinnaber, Thoughts by Amber + art print giveaway

Cinnaber is a new Etsy shop featuring the work of talented Florida artist, Amber.

I first met Amber in the Etsy Forums when her Avatar caught my eye.

Yuna Falling by Amber

I really admired her line & shading, as well as the unusual upside down portrait composition. So off to her shop where I bought some lovely prints. The only question now is whether to give them as gifts (my original intention) or keep for myself...

By the way, her prices are very reasonable - $4 for stickers, $10 - $15 for her beautiful prints and only $50 for a custom portrait (person or pet) made from your photo. She will create your portrait in graphite, colored pencil or photoshop, which ever you prefer.

She also accepts commissions for drawings of hands & feet . What a unique family portrait that would be!

Amber was kind enough to stop by and share some of her thoughts on art today. She has also donated 1 of her wonderful prints for next Thursday's random drawing.

You are very skilled with a pencil, Amber. When did you first become interested in art?

Tea Time by Cinnaber

Amber: Like all young children, I loved to draw. I remember the first time I was artistically inspired. It was during arts and crafts time at home. My two-year-old self sat on the carpet, doodling with a crayon clenched in my palm. I drew what all little girls liked to draw: hearts, rainbows, and the people and pets I loved. Only, my drawings did not look like my subjects. Instead I drew them how I imagined the things looked. My hearts were distant relatives of the marshmallow family, my rainbows were a mess of toxic bright colors, and my people more closely resembled giant bouncy-balls with sticks puncturing the sides at random angles then anything living. To a two-year-old, having never drawn anything better, these drawing were perfect. I spent many countless hours glued to a sheet of paper, mesmerized by their creation.

You have a great story about your "First artistic insight". Would you mind sharing it?

Hoback Rabbit by Cinnaber

Amber: I was soon humbled by my four-year-old brother, who had experience to double my own. During arts and crafts on that fateful day, I had drawn my usual, bouncy-ball people while my brother evolved his own bouncy ball people into stick figures. Seeing his drawing was like waking up from a daydream. Suddenly the concept became so obvious: of course people have bodies in the real world, so by giving people bodies in my drawing, I could make my image of a person more clear. At the time I was too overwhelmed with my feelings to give much thought to my discovery. I had no idea why adding the body made my brother's drawing look so much better then my own, but I did know that it looked and felt like the right thing to do. Little did I know I had gained my first artistic insight.

While visiting your cinnamonsoldier.deviantart.com gallery I noticed a number of characters from anime and video games.

Yuna Singing by Amber

Amber: Artistic inspiration struck me first through video games. When I played video games, I entered their world. As quickly as I was captivated by the games' beauty, I wondered at their mystic powers. How did the games hold me in their spell? There had to be a logical explanation. What were the game designers doing that I could not wrap my mind around?

Amber: These games were artistic masterpieces devoted to arousing human emotions. They awoke a passion inside me. I wished to harness their power over emotive beauty and express it through my own individuality. This passion broke from me through a pencil and paper.

What caused your art to move beyond video/anime phase?

Water Nymph by Cinnaber

Amber: Before high school, my drawings never went beyond the outline phase. I was too terrified to cross the point of no return by putting down color or shading. My high school art teacher made it very clear that this basic level of art would not be accepted. If I truly wanted to grow as an artist I needed to shed my old habits.

Husky by Amber

Amber: Gradually, I started looking at the world differently. No longer was a shirt a shirt; it was now a complex web of subtle values, underlined by textures, and defined by value and contract. I began to break down the world around me into artistic terms. From there, I would lather layers of graphite onto a sheet of paper until a gradation of values was finally achieved. Now, shading is all I do. I love to hint a smile through the ceases of the skin, conduct movement through every strand of hair, and speckle magic in a shimmer of light.

Love by Amber

And we love seeing the results of your efforts! You have developed a fabulous eye for detail & your love of drawing really shows in your artwork, Amber.

Readers, if you've enjoyed Amber's thoughts & art, stop back for Studio Tour Saturday. She is currently a sophmore in college & will take us on a guided tour through her modest space & great imagination!

NOW FOR THE PRIZE DETAILS! Next Thursday 10/1 at approximately noon (EST). I will hold a random drawing for an 8.5" x 11" print of Amber's wonderful piece, The Little Gift . Tell you what, I'll also custom cut an acid free mat for it. Winner's choice of black or white mat.

Little Gift by Amber

TO ENTER the random drawing, just leave a comment on this blog before the October 1st deadline. It is that easy. Contest is open worldwide with free shipping. Please make sure your contact info is in your profile or comment.

Please note I am also hosting another giveaway for the generous folks at Uprinting.com. On 10/22 one lucky ArtSnark reader will win a 2 ft. x 3ft. custom printed vinyl banner of their own design CLICK HERE for details & to enter banner giveaway.

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!