Multitasking Monday - Ill. Friday, Mixed Media & Music

So, what do you get if you mix Musical Monday, Mixed Media Monday & Illustration Friday into one post?  Something like this....

Blogging with Amanda has revived Musical Monday's (yay!). What are you listening to today? Click the button to visit Amanda & link up your tune-of-choice.  I've got Ramona Falls Russia splashing around in my head again.

This piece I'm submitting for Illustration Friday's latest prompt, Old Fashioned, as well as the new Mixed Media Monday challenge, Art.

still naive, Polaroid transfer on marble

I took a Polaroid of my original charcoal, color pencil & conte' drawing. Trimmed it down & then made an emulsion transfer (more about the process in this post) which was adhered to a 4" sq marble tile. Once that dried, enhanced with a touch of watercolor pencil & white paint. Finally protected with a layer of UV-resistant spray.

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By the way, your comment enters you into the 10/14 random drawing for artist Myke Amend's "Spooky Steampunk Bag of Awesome". Click here for details & info on Myke's latest project, the multimedia collaborative event, Cirque Acirca.

Wordless Wednesday - Blue Angel

Blue Angel - Polaroid Transfer tweaked in Photoshop Elements

October Country - Polaroid Transfer on Marble Tile

October Country

Having fun with another Polaroid Transfer on marble tile. The photo was originally taken on a rainy day walk in Ormelle, Italy. (same town where the bicycle tile photo was taken)

I love playing with Polaroid transfers. To create this piece, the polaroid is heated in a hot water bath until the emulsion comes loose from the paper backing. The transparent image floats in the water & you can then place it on your choice of surface. In this case, I laid it upon a 4" piece of marble.

This was one of my older pieces that needed some reworking. So I went over the image with markers, paints, colored pencils & ink. It still needed something until I pulled the Italian Script stamp from Judikins. (Definitely my favorite stamp lately).

close up

October Country measures 4" sq and has hanging hardware attached to the back. It is available at ArtSnark.etsy.com - just click either photo for details. All of these reworked tiles are priced to sell at $10 each. (I'm trying to make some elbow room around here)

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Have you entered the random drawing for a custom printed vinyl banner yet? Ends 5/13. Click here for details

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By the way IllustrationFriday.com has a new prompt this week - Fearless. Click the link to add your own or see what great stuff others have come up with.

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Oh... in case I don't make it back here tomorrow - Happy Mother's Day!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Transfer on Tile BEFORE & AFTER

Polaroid Emulsion Transfer on Marble Tile - BEFORE coloring

Italian Bicycle - Polaroid Emulsion Transfer Tile

AFTER coloring with
markers, micron pens, watercolor, colored pencils & white paint pen.

Ready to hang. Available now. Click either photo for details.

The Messenger - Polaroid Transfer on marble Tile

The Messenger

A few years ago I was really into making Polaroid transfers. I recently came across a box of emulsion transfers on marble tiles & and decided to rework them.

The tiles measure 4" sq and have hanging hardware attached to the back. Each is one of a kind. At $10 each, they are priced to move (I need to make some space around here). They are available in my ArtSnark etsy shop. Just click the photos for more info.

The Messenger tile started out the mate to this angel

Angel

First I went over the image a bit with watercolor & colored pencils. Then I coated an Italian Script stamp from Judikins with 2 colors of cat's eye chalk ink. After stamping the front, I wrapped the text around the sides & sprayed the whole thing with several coats of UV resistant finish.

I haven't had any time to work on major projects lately so I'm glad to have something to dabble with. I get cranky when I go to long with out my "art therapy."

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By the way:

Linked is the IllustrationFriday.com prompt this week.

Miniature Art is Theme Thursday's challenge

Icecream is for Mix it Up With Melange (which changes every other Wednesday so you have almost 2 weeks to do this one).

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If you missed yesterday's post, click here to read about the amazing Steampunk artist Ramona Szczerba (aka Winona Cookie). You can also enter her random drawing for a steampunk art magnet (winner's choice).

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And now I'm off. Time to take the Little Dude to dinner and his first art opening. He's so excited. I have to chuckle, he was telling his kindergarten class about it & insisted on bringing invite cards to his teachers this morning.

If you're in the area, be sure to pop by. And if not, I hope you have a fantastic evening anyway!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Polaroid Transfer, watercolor & colored pencil.
Angel found in The Pantheon, Rome.
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Couple of quick notes:

The new Mix It Up With Melange Challenge is "Secrets". Click through to submit your take or see what others have come up with.

Last chance to enter random drawing for a $10 Gift Certificate to GardenDelightsArts on Etsy. Leave a comment here before 1 a.m. (EST) on 12/17 to enter. Click Here for details.

Monday's Muse - Art On The Darkside

Popped over to Art On The Darkside to check out the new challenge .... Oooh, Mirrors! What fun!

Mirrored Angels

This is adapted from a piece I sold a while ago. It actually started out as 2 Polaroid emulsion transfers on the inside of a plexiglas frame. It needed a little something so I backed it with a print of an antique postcard. (Nice to be able to use something from my collection now & then)

The postcard is from Mother to Billy Boy and has no picture. Just the words - If a man can write a better book, preach a better sermon, or make a better mousetrap, than his neighbor, though he build his house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door.

Some trivia for you, while Googling to make sure that this was an Emerson quote, I found out that in 1855 he really wrote - If a man has good corn, or wood, or boards, or pigs, to sell, or can make better chairs or knives, crucibles, or church organs, than anybody else, you will find a broad, hard-beaten road to his house, though it be in the woods.

Funny how all that eventually morphed into: Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.

I then scanned & tweaked in Photoshop Elements. Just playing around.

So what's inspiring you today?

The folks over at Maternal Spark want to know.

And I wanna know too!

Leave a comment on this blog before noon (EST) Thursday & be entered in this week's random giveaway. There will be 2 winners. Each will get a set of ACEOs from Melanie over at Studio27. Click HERE for details & pics of prizes. Plus an interview with the artist.

IF - Poise

For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone - Audrey Hepburn

Poise ... another stimulating prompt from the folks at
Illustration Friday.

My 1st thought was to draw Audrey H., but I got distracted by some new ideas for the stagnant blue WIP canvas. I've got most of it sketched out now. Hope to have some time in April to bring it all together....

Due to the time-crunch, I've gone archive diving again. This lovely lady seems to fit. She is a life size drawing in lithocoal & chromacoal on thick etching paper.

By the way, I love D'uva Lithocoal products! Comes as stick, powder or liquid & is fully erasable until you heat set it. Then it is permanent without fixative. Not easy to find anymore though.....hmm...what is it with my favorite products going extinct?

I was sooo sad the day Polaroid announced they were eliminating film 669 (among others) It's my fave for transfers. Here are a couple more on marble tiles that are now available at ArtSnark.etsy.com . Click on the pic to go straight to the details :

Sorrow

These are both emulsion transfers of charcoal drawings

So Naive

On the plus side, I heard a rumor that Fuji has a film similar to 669 on the market. Has anybody heard anything? I'll have to get googling. The last of my film stash is expired & temperamental but still works okay most of the time. I'm down to 3 boxes tho...

The Butterfly Charmer & Faux Frescoes

Cleaning out some shelves & uncovered these wonderful teeny frames

Decided I needed to make a little something.

And I do mean little. The frames are 3"sq & almost 1.5" deep.
So made this tiny Butterfly Charmer

It feels good to create something...anything. Too many days without making stuff & I get cranky!

Hope to really dig my heels into something meaty soon.

Till then, I added 5 Polaroid Transfers to my etsy sale at ArtSnark.

These are emulsion transfers on marble tile.* Ready to hang
Fun to make The final look reminds me of old frescoes & ruined walls.Just click on any pic for details
* If you'd like to read more about the different steps for making emulsion vs. image Polaroid transfers click here. The photos I posted yesterday were image transfers. Friday's post featured an emulsion transfer

Giant Polaroid Transfer Sale

The studio cleaning continues! It's a tiny space but so cluttered I'm having trouble working.

Deep discounting a bunch of Polaroid Transfers from a few years ago.
Just click on any pic to see the detailsThey are all originals (no prints) and have been enhanced with watercolors & colored pencils. Most are framed & ready to hang. Please keep checking back at ArtSnark on etsy
I 'll add 3-4 new pieces every day,

including some emulsion transfers on marble tiles.

IF- Subtract

Polaroid Emulsion Transfer of original sketch

Digging into the archives again to satisfy Illustration Friday's prompt, Subtract. The email came with a wonderful quote by Leon Batista Alberti: Beauty: the adjustment of all parts proportionately so that one cannot add or subtract or change without impairing the harmony of the whole

Back in the early 90's I lived down the street from the Carnegie Museum of Art where I spent hours just wandering and absorbing all I could. Managed to squeeze a bit of sketching in too. The original drawing is a charcoal/pastel sketch of Antoine-Louis Bayre's bronze sculpture Tiger Attacking An Antelope

I love playing with Polaroid transfers, especially the emulsion transfers. Once the image has been heated & lifted from the substrate, it floats in the warm water bath like some kind of funky jellyfish. You can then stretch & fold it (carefully though as it easily tears) before removing & sticking to your choice of surface. In this case, I used canvas paper. While the emulsion was still wet I had fun tearing into the edges. I think the subtracted bits finish out the whole predator feel

3......2......1.....It's Monday's Muse time!

3 New Listings.......2 In The Bush......aaannnd 1 W.I.P

The studio spring cleaning trickles on... And Inspires! I keep finding stuff I forgot I had - cool random things, nifty supplies & finished artwork... Over the next couple of months, I'll be adding some older pieces to Artsnark's Artifacts on etsy (in addition to my current creations). Many are Polaroid transfers that have been framed & are ready to hang.

For the curious: A water bath is used to separate the image from the Polaroid backing. The flexible image can be stretched or altered. It is then adhered to the paper (or other surface). I like to use a nice thick paper so I can embellish with watercolors & pencils. Once it dries, the final piece is then treated with a UV resistant finish.

Here is a pic of Red Bicycle in its shadowbox frame. For more info just click on any picture.Next up is the Apprentice Box. Just messing around. It's been sitting on a shelf since December. Figured what the heck, might as well list it. Lots of cool stuff on the outside: antique pocket watch parts, misc gears and metal bits, original drawing & photo, the words inspire, strength & discipline and a red feather. The inside is lined with a maroon felt-type material

The Saga of Little Red Continues.....

Finally finished & listed the WIP I posted 11 days ago: 2 In The Bush

And this saaaad & lonely canvas has been clogging up my easel for maybe a year now. I'm selfishly posting this crummy picture as incentive to finish it! Hoping that I won't be able to turn my back now that it's "out there". Love to complete it by the end of April, but in the words of the great Lyle Lovette:

It was a fact of life that no one cares to mention. She wasn't good but she had good intentions...

Speaking of good intentions, if you have a few minutes please pop over to Maternal Spark, the inspiration for all Monday's Muse posts. She's been taking care of a sick little one the last few days & I'm sure she could use some blog-love :D