New animated tag I worked on today.  I had a few problems with a couple of the layers not working out as I wanted them to, so it's back to the drawing board so I can see what went wrong.



Hugs,

Animated Winter Sig Tag

So I was having a little fun and took a tutorial on a blog I found so I could learn how to do animation, check blog out here and she had a really cute one for winter with animated snow.  I changed it a bit and used a different tube.  My tube can be found at PSP Tubes Emporium and the artist is Maxine Gadd.  I thought it was really elegant.  The scrap kit used is by Butterfly Blush Designs and it's called Winter Tenderness and can be purchased here.  In order to use the snow image you need to contact the owner of the image at her blog which is where the tutorial is taught, by Horesplay's Pasture Tutorials.  I've been learning alot about digital media and practicing making my own.  I will hopefully have some images that I have created that I am happy enough to share soon, in the meantime I rely on other's and then do my own tweaking.  All of them are for Personal Use Only and I cannot share or sell them, so if you like something let me know and I will let you know where I got it so you can get it too.  I hope you enjoy the design.  Thanks.

Art Challenge Friday

I have became more and more enamored with digital scrapbooking, collaging, photo manipulation and photo montages.  I'm still very new at it, but I've learned so much; especially since I started participating in more online challenges for example Art Creations Friday.  This is my first time taking part in this challenge so I hope you like what I have created.  The original photo is:

and here is my creation:

Check out the blog Art Creation Friday to see all the lovely creations.

Finished Painting

Well I finally finished my first mixed media painting on a canvas today.  Actually it's my first painting all together.  I've done watercolors in my art journal, but never anything on a canvas.  I'm going to sketch my next painting that is going to go on my 24 x 32 canvas.  I'm truly intimidated by the size, but I will feel great when I finish it.

Finished Sketch on Canvas

Well I finished up the sketch of my "goddess" in my sketchbook and now I am sketching her onto the canvas.  I added a bit more shading and used my Derwent graphitint pencils to add a touch of color.  The one photo didn't turn out so well.

On the canvas I will have more detail for the background and the dress will be "Klimt" like.  This is the small portrait and then I will begin the full figured large painting I have planned.  I need to do some sketching in my sketchbook for that.  I am very inspired by Klimt's work and some of my favorites of his are the following:

I hope to one day be able to paint with oils, they still scare me a bit though.  I am very  much in "baby" phase with my art, but it brings me so much joy.  I hope to take the family to the Art Museum one of these weekends soon, especially  now that the weather is getting better.  I'd also like to spend some time in their library.  Well on to the canvas.  Stay tuned....

Added Shading

I'm still working on my sketching and added a bit of shading, but it didn't really show up too well.

Sketch for my first painting on canvas

I've been taking an online art class and one of the projects is to do a full figure painting on a canvas size 24 x 36, which is very intimidating to me.  So I have decided to work on an 8 x 10 canvas and have sketched the face of the "goddess" I want to paint.  I've never painted on canvas before and I'm a bit afraid of it.  Here is the sketch of my intended painting.

I'm going to begin the sketch on the canvas and then get started painting it.  Another project I will be working on is painting a Mermaid on wood.  This should be fun and I can't wait to share it with you.  I've only be drawing for a few months, but I really enjoy it.  I hope to learn more and I've been working on some basics that I'm learning through books I checked out at the library.  Someday I hope to take some actual courses in Fine Arts, but it will be a while before I can do that.  I'd really like to get a degree in Fine Arts.  Funny that it took me 42 years to figure out what I truly love!!

Shading With Colored Pencils

In my art journal I have been working with learning how to shade with colored pencils.  I finished the shading yesterday and then finished up the project late last night.  I will post pictures of the finished project later today after I get some good photos.

I was looking through my first art journal that I started earlier this year and I am quite pleased to see a significant improvement from my first attempt.

here is where I have just begun to start to shade, showing the light coming from the left side.

much more shading, the color of the paper is already a buff color so I generally used cream, different shades of browns and peaches, white, red for the lips and indigo for the eyes.

stay tuned for the finished project! 

Happy Creating

Summer Sig Tag

I haven't blogged for what seems likes ages.  Things have been crazy with so many things going on.  Family illnesses and a death along with raising orphaned kittens have kept me so super busy.  I have barely had a chance to breath let alone create something.  So today I sat down to play with a new software and made a tag. I know it is a summer theme, but I wanted to play with it before I sit down to do a Halloween one.  I haven't even had time to change my blog theme to a Halloween theme.  Here is my new tag.

Just An Update

Just an update to the new art journal page.

Start of a New Journal Page

So when I can't sleep these days, I sketch!  It probably isn't the kind of activity that will lull me off to slumberville, but I find it relaxing none the less.  Late last night was one of those nights, when no matter what I did, I could not fall asleep.  I've had a lot of family/personal issues weighing on my mind these last few months which doesn't help a person all ready fighting chronic insomnia.  Instead of reaching for a book to become engrossed in, just finished Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris so now I have to wait until next year for the next book, I grabbed my art journal.  I did some sketching and have the beginnings of a nice page started.  I hope you like it.

I can't wait to get some color to the girls.  Oh and by the way, if you haven't read any of the Sookie Stackhouse books by Ms. Harris they are a definite must read!  I enjoy them and often re-read them.  I'm also quite addicted to True Blood and enjoyed Season 4 Premier on Sunday.  Well off to try and get some sleep.

New Tag from Breakfast at Tiffany's

I found this lovely new scrap kit by Sweet Cravings scrap called Breakfast at Tiffany's you can find it here.  She has some really adorable kits.  I bought a few others and can't wait to make some tags with them.  I also used a tube from PSP Emporium here and I am using a design by Anna Liwanag. You need to have a license to use their tubes and I will be adding mine to my image as soon as I receive my license number from them.  As I'm learning to use the different softwares that I have I hope to add some tutorials to my blog.  So without further adieu here is my new tag.

I've also added a navigation bar to my blog and have new blogs solely dedicated to my recipes, canning and other healthy eating tips.  A new blog for my art and a new blog for my art swaps.  I hope you will check each of them out.  I am currently making ornaments for my ornament swap being hosted by the Bloggerette Society.  I hope you will visit them here.

Animated Halloween Sig Tag

I am so excited as I completed my first animated tag and I'm really happy with it.  I hope that you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it.  One thing I've learned with making animation, make sure and resize as this is too large and part of it is cut off.

Fall Digital Media Sig Tag

I finished my Fall Tag and will hopefully get my background done sometime today.  I have a few other projects I need to finish and photos that need to be taken so I can post them to my blog.  I have several ATCs I need to get finished up and sent off along with my Tags for my tag swap.  So many projects, so little time.  Hope you like the Tag.  I hope to get good enough so I can start making some tutorials.

Halloween Digital Media Sig Tag

Finally I finished my Halloween Tag.  I'm very new to making these and I have had so many problems with my plugins not working and I am really beyond frustrated with them.  I had hoped to have had this done much sooner, but I guess better late than never...LOL.  So here it is.

May Willowing ATC Swap Theme "Owls"

I finally am posting my ATC cards for the May ATC swap on Willowing and the theme is "Owls", which is one of my favorite birds.  They are such a beautiful, strong bird.  My swap partner lives in Australia, how cool is that to connect with someone in another country.  I've met so many wonderful artist/people participating in these swaps.  Art truly is therapy for the soul.  Some day I hope to become talented enough in my drawing and painting to actually hand paint one of these tiny ATCs, but for now I used mixed media and hope that the receiver enjoys what I have created.