maple leaf artistry

IF - layer - 2/18/2011

2011-02-24T22:08:00.005-06:00

a page from my personal calendar, which i am trying to focus on drawing things in that have to do w/ life or w/ my interests. this is my entry for http://www.illustrationfriday.com/ for the 2/18 topic of "layer."

i really enjoy the challenge of illustration friday, where interested parties are typically sent a 1-word prompt and encouraged to illustrate it. the topic is completely open to interpretation. the completely different responses to these prompts just show how differently our minds work. i always try to throw out the first few ideas, figuring these will be something that everyone else will think of. i would like mine to be individual or at least not look like i was caught in a rut or mooching someone else's ideas! plus, i don't look at other postings until after mine is completed!

this week, i've been home w/ a lot of papers to grade, a couple days of flu bug, and a continual desire to work on my personal health and weight loss. these overwhelming ideas were bumping around in the creative stages w/ the prompt of "layers". plus, i LOVE to watch cooking shows, so i'm sure that's where the layer cake came from !

the idea here is that m-m-m-m, those lovely layer cakes could lead to extra layers on a woman's body, that would in turn lead to layered clothing to hide the layers of fat on the body. in my mind, they all seemed relatedl

this drawing was done w/ a green ink pen and takes up about 1/2 a day space in my personal calendar. maybe it will help me keep my mind on making better eating choices, avoiding those things that are not helping me, and the new little stamp can help me record my exercise routine.

red envelope exchange

2011-02-21T22:39:00.001-06:00

i have joined in a couple of envelope exchanges for a yahoo group i am in, called calligraphy exchange. the idea is to hand letter your envelope and include a personal hand-written note -- both following the rules of the exchange.

this example of 2 that i did were for "red". the top example is a folded page from a magazine that was predominantly red, so i used silver sharpie for the lettering. the other envelope was folded from scrapbooking paper in a red/white design. i wanted the letters to look something like asian-style lettering, but it didn't quite work out the way i saw it in my head. first i lettered the stuff all out in dark red pen, which i was afraid would not be easily readable when it go to the post office. to make sure it was readable, i used a black pen to do some outlining of the letters. they are definitely more noticeable now, but i'm not sure i like them as much.

i've signed up for 2 more envelope exchanges coming up in this group, so i guess i'll start working on those ideas. i think i have it fairly nailed down on what i want to do, but will need some time to work on it to get it to where i want it to look.

feel free to make comments, suggestions, or throw ideas!!!

IF - sweater

2011-02-16T09:50:00.004-06:00

this drawing was inspired by www.illustrationfriday.com on 2/11/11 with the word "sweater".

as soon as i heard the word, i knew that i was thinking of someone who was sweating instead of someone wearing a sweater. after all, once a woman reaches 40s, anything can be a hot, sweaty business!

i used this picture as a guide for the picture i drew. while it was based on a sumo wrestler, i'm not sure that my drawing doesn't look like an italian mafia dude.

regardless, i'm sure he's a sweaty person to be around and i definitely wouldn't want to be sharing space w/ him!

this was done w a brown fat prang colored pencil on 70# white sketchbook paper. A brief spray of fixative will keep the colored pencil from smearing more from wear and tear in the sketchbook.

IF - surrender

2011-02-01T22:58:00.003-06:00

the topic posted on www.illustrationfriday.com on 1/28/11 was "surrender".

the first thing i thought of (after the stereotypical thoughts of white flags and gunpoint) was something to do w/ food, sneaking something that i/we couldn't or shouldn't have. so, my "surrender" was a bite out of a cupcake, like finally giving in a tasting it after looking at it sitting there.

this sketch is just done in ballpoint pen in my calendar. my calendar has become my motivation for doing something artwork each day. it's a motivation, addiction, determination right now. we'll see how long this lasts!

planning out my life

2011-01-30T17:56:00.003-06:00

this page was inspired by the purchase of my new calendar, in an attempt to get my life and my artwork more organized. i took the label from the front of the calendar, glued it to the journal page, and made my notes on there.

the pages were painted ahead of time, so i chose this page b/c of the purple color matching the label (and the calendar was purple!). i used a silver sharpie marker to list out my resolutions and then i drew silver snowflake shapes relating to the design on the calendar label.

this page was created the first week or january, 2011.

egyptian inspiration

2011-01-30T16:52:00.003-06:00

another journal page made in advance -- pages painted w/ excess paint in various colors or patterns. i happen to like blue/green/purple together, so i ended up w/ a purple and green layout.

when i wanted to color one night, but didn't feel like the stress of actually doing a picture, i decided that something "egyptian" inspired would look good on this page. i used purple colored pencil on the green backgroun and then green colored pencil on the opposite purple page.

i started on the right side of the design and worked my way to the left w/ no idea or pattern in advance -- just doodling. i decided to leave the right side open and use it for future journaling. w/ that in mind, i lettered the word "reflection" up the left side of the page. i plan to do some journaling in purple ink on the green page. in response to what i might use to write on over the paint -- sharpie marker if the gel pen or ink pen doesn't work.

the background is painted w/ cheap acrylic paint, the drawing is done w/ prang colored pencils, and it's sprayed w/ kumar fixative to keep it from smearing over time in the book. this journal page was done (so far) in june, 2010.

to cut? or not to cut?

2011-01-30T01:21:00.003-06:00

anyone who is a girl, who has girls, who hangs out w/ girls, or deals w/ girls in any way -- these people realize the importance of these decisions. my hubby, who raised 3 boys, was not aware of how important the issue of "bangs" might be in a girl's life! (not mine -- but other girls close to me!). the questions -- do i cut them? what if i don't like them? what if no one else likes them? what if they make me look ______ ? will they ever grow out to the same length again?

these thoughts recently came to mind to me as my daughter took assessment of who needed hair cuts for school to start. well, oldest one needed some cut. middle child didn't need any cut but she wanted it done. so, when not being closely monitored, she cut her own hair. youngest one didn't seem to care yet (she doesn't feel as much need to do all that the other two do).

mommy freaked about the self-imposed haircut that needed a trip to the salon to fix, but it all worked out! i guess mommy forgot that she cut her own hair when she was 2!

this page is done on a pre-painted composition notebook page. the color matched the idea and color i wanted to work w/. the artwork was done w/ a brown sharpie marker. there has been no protectice covering or spray protective put on this page.

IF - dusty - 1/21/11

2011-01-25T21:33:00.000-06:00

this is a picture of the back of my van. i live on a gravel road and have a 3 mile drive each morning before hitting the highway. needless to say, my car is always covered w/ a fine to heavy coat of dust unless it's raining. my students at school tease me about it b/c they can always spot my car in the parking lot -- it's the one w/ the dusty back window. amazingly, the people who live in the country and on gravel roads seriously consider what color of car to get b/c of how it will "show dust".

a couple years ago when i went to see lee greenwood in concert (proud to be an american), there was a young up-and-coming country star there as the opening act -- brian mccomas. he was so much fun and so talented and so memorable. he sang a song, which has now been released, about the things that happen in "the middle of nowhere". having grown up in the country, i could totally relate to that song the second i heard it. if people only knew what kids/people do "out in the middle of nowhere" and on "those old dirt roads" -- they would be much more careful about where their kids go.

anyway, i've had plenty of messages left on my car for me before, but i have to admit that this one was the funniest. and to think that some people worry and/or get all upset when a cat walks on their car!

originally posted here -- http://mapleleafartistry.blogspot.com/2006/01/middle-of-nowhere.html

cultivate your garden

2011-01-24T23:59:00.002-06:00

this is another piece in my randomly painted and arranged composition notebook for journaling. when i'm ready to work on something, i flip through and find a page or color that inspires me and begin.

jerry and i have been spending lots of hours and money in gardening for the last few years. we are striving to get better as we get bigger. we have plenty of improvements to make, but this quote from literature came to mind. we all have "gardens" to "cultivate" regardless of what we do in life. i think this means that we can always make our lives and ourselves better and make connections where we are.

this page starts w/ a painted background, the drawing done w/ fat prang colored pencils, and then a white paint pen used to put white petals on the flowers. in this drawing, i tried to use white on the flower petals to bring out the brightness/lightness of color rather than using darker colors to focus on the darkness and shadow. this page has been sprayed w/ kumar spray fixative to protect the colored pencil from smearing. i started this picture in 10/09, but didn't complete it to my satisfaction until 6/10.

dandelion dreams

2011-01-24T23:47:00.003-06:00

this journal page in one that i did in a composition notebook w/ painted pages. i just go through painted pages randomly, using up old paint or paint that i'm just about out of. then when i want to work on something, i flip through and find a color or color combination that seems to motivate me or match an idea i had. then i can start work on my new idea and play w/ it.

one of my favorite spring/summer activities is playing w/ dandelions w/ my little granddaughters. we pick the beautiful yellow flowers and make bouquets of them for the table, plus we pick the puffballs and blow the seeds into the wind.

this page background is done, so this spring/summer when we do this activity . . . i'll get some current pictures of the girls doing this and post on this page. something about these little activities that just seem to carry so many memories w/ them!

on this page, the background is painted in various shades of greens. i used fat prang colored pencils for the dandelion puffball drawing and the lettering. it has also been sprayed w/ kumar fixative to keep the colored pencil from blurring. picture created 11/2010 over thanksgiving weekend. this idea came to me as something i was thankful for having in my life.

topic posted - graceful envelope 2011

2011-01-23T23:10:00.001-06:00

ok, the 2011 topic is posted for the graceful envelope contest, sponsored by the washington calligraphers guild. the current flyer is posted here --

http://www.calligraphersguild.org/PDF/2011GracefulEnvelopeFlier.pdf

i am planning to create an envelope for this, and i would like to challenge anyone who likes to be creative to join me. all the expense would be a stamp and your creative time/energy. who knows who might have the winning idea for this topic!

anyone interested in participating can see more information here --

http://www.calligraphersguild.org/envelope.html

there are also several years of winning submissions posted for all age groups!

black pen zentangle

2011-01-23T22:55:00.003-06:00

often while we are sitting and watching television at evenings, i am doing some sort of drawing or artwork to keep my mind occupied. this zentangle is one of those very situations -- something to relax the mind and boost the creativity level! even with the "meditative" mindset these are supposed to provide, i still fee quite pressured while doing them for them to be perfect!

this drawing is done in a wire-bound journal on white paper with a black ballpoint pen. the date of the drawing is 4/2009, knowing that i worked on it 3-4 different evenings. it has not been sprayed with any sealant or protectant.

2011 hand prints - family

2011-01-02T23:58:00.000-06:00

well, we've missed a couple years of getting our handprints stamped on new year's day . . . but we got back on it this year! we had scott here and summer/lucas/raven/riahna/rain as well as jerry and me. i will get these "autographed" by the participants -- probably on superbowl day.

i think this is such a neat way to document and visualize how much the kids (including my own grown children) have grown and how our family has grown in size (inclusiong and reproduction)! i have a few other pages of these where we all fit on the one page. we could've squeezed it all in this year, but it was more easily created and viewed w/ being a little spread out.

INVITATION - mail envelope art swap!!!

2010-10-09T13:49:00.004-05:00

due to an overwhelming reaction and response to the envelope art examples that i posted thursday on my blog and announced on some of my online groups, i am hosting a "MAIL ENVELOPE ART SWAP."

my example that i have just created and sent in can be viewed here -
http://mapleleafartistry.blogspot.com/2010/10/envelope-swap.html (10/6/10)

my previous envelope swap example -
http://mapleleafartistry.blogspot.com/2007/03/envelope-swap.html (3/11/07)

if you want to see some fantastic examples and contest winners, check here -
http://www.calligraphersguild.org/ - winners of the 2010 graceful envelope contest
(click on the red letters that say "view winners")

http://www.calligraphersguild.org/envelope.html - former winners graceful envelope contest

Here is YOUR invitation --

Please join the fun in our mail envelope swap! Create or decorate and send in 5 envelopes in return for 5 different ones or send in 10 envelopes in return for 10 envelopes. Please do NOT send in more than 10 envelopes per swap.

Decorate your envelopes with whatever media you prefer or enjoy -- collage materials, digital art, rubber stamps, paint, colored pencils, pastels, etc., OR you can make your own envelopes from calendar pages, magazine covers or cool paper. BE CREATIVE!!!

Put your name and email on each of your creations.

Your envelopes do not all need to be alike. All sizes are acceptable as long as it will fit into the USPS Large Priority Mailing Envelope (probably 8" x 10") for return to you!

NO glitter use please.

Be sure to include your name, address, and email address along with $5 to:
Jill Campbell
PO Box 256
Asbury, MO 64832
jacks_friend_jill@yahoo.com

Deadline = November 30, 2010

The $5 fee is to pay for the USPS Priority Mail postage to return your artistic envelopes to you. By using Priority Mail, I can monitor the progress and delivery of the package back to you with your envelope "treasures."

Anyone outside of the United States who wants to participate, contact me by email and I will find out the appropriate mailing fee for your return envelope.

Any questions or problems on this, please email me personally and not to the public posting to jacks_friend_jill@yahoo.com .

Thank you!

envelope swap

2010-10-07T20:09:00.009-05:00

well, finally some new artwork, so that calls for a blog update and post!

here are pictures of some envelopes that i stamped to send in for an envelope swap. these are white envelopes, stamped w/ yellow, green, and burgundy colors. the 3 colors were used to blot color on the background before stamping the leaf pattern.

this picture shows the back of the envelope where the addresses go -

this is the flap side of the envelopes -

this swap is really cool in that the participant can send in 5 or 10 decorated envelopes and $3. then the swap hostess sends the participant back 5 or 10 envelopes from different artists. i will now receive 10 envelopes back from the swap to use in my future mailings.

pattern - IF - 9/25/09

2009-10-27T21:51:00.004-05:00

well, "pattern" was the word for 9/25. i had an idea immediately, but didn't get it started immediately. then the other problem is that i can't seem to work in small sizes. i might think of it small, but it almost always turns out larger than i originally planned.

the original idea is the paisley shape, but also that a paisley is filled with design and pattern, too. so, it's a paisley pattern filled with a group of other patterns making a pattern of patterns. hopefully it worked out to some extent.

well, oboviously, i didn't get this finished in time to post it to illustration friday, but i DID finally finish it and want to post it here.

this is done in a barnes & noble hardback notebook of white paper and drawn w/ a ball point pen. the finished size is 8" x 10".

castle ATC received!

2009-05-21T09:25:00.002-05:00

yesterday was my lucky day -- i received this beautiful ATC from tonia. it was done w/ a .25mm ballpoint pen, which she said was rather like working w/ an injection needle! the was done from a picture in a book of the castle of sully.

i am so proud of my few ATCs i've collected! i think i have 4 or 5 by now. it also really puts the pressure on to perform and make a wonderful ATC to send to someone else!

thank you so much to tonia!

spice

2009-04-16T22:15:00.002-05:00

the www.inspiremethursday.com prompt for 4.09.09 was "spice" and this was the idea that came to mind. fishnet pantyhose and black high heels certainly spice a situation up, no matter the wearer or the situation.

this drawing measures 5.75" x 7.75" on 9 x 12 white 70# sketchpad paper with fat prang colored pencils and sprayed with a krylon workable fixative to protect the colored pencil from smearing.

altered spoolie swap

2009-04-07T23:59:00.009-05:00

this altered spoolie (the spool that holds the ribbon) was done for a swap for a myspace group, scrapbook rink in the lowcountry. the instructions were to take the cardboard spool that holds the ribbon and create a container with fold-out pieces that can be used to put pictures and/or journaling on.

the swap participants were to list 3 things below their names, and the partner was to look at that info and create a spoolie that the other person would/could like. my recipient liked "little girl" stuff and w/ granddaughters -- i could do that!

this is the top of the spoolie that is attached w/ fiber through the top and botton, passing just inside the ring of the spool. the bow is glued in place, but the ribbon has enough slack in it so that the top can open up and lay flat while viewing the inside.

the papers are glued together w/ the ribbon running down through between the layers. there were 8 circles w/ front and back surfaces for further altering or scrapbooking. the 8th circle was glued down to the bottom of the spoolie to anchor the pull-out pages to the bottom. the ribbon sticks out of the spoolie on the other end for easy pull-out viewing.

each surface has some decoration, but still has room for putting pictures, journaling, or other altering paraphernalia. since one side of the 8th circle is glued to the bottom, that leaves 15 cirlces (plus area on the inside and outside lid) to use for more creativity.

this project was made w/ the cardboard ribbon spool that was cut apart and covered w/ cardstock paper, glued bottom piece back to spool ring, and tied top to bottom to create the opening lid. various stickers, brads, silk flowers, cardboard signs, fibers, inks, and artwork were used for decorating. the main color was pink w/ accents in various shades of pinks/purples/yellows.

altered easter egg swap

2009-04-07T21:32:00.010-05:00

this project of an altered easter egg swap was done for my myspace group, scrapbook rink in the lowcountry. the swap included the altered egg plus a list of items to include for the other person to use in altered projects or scrapbook projects. as an added bonus, the egg was to contain a creative surprise for the receiver.

the instructions were --

You will need a JUMBO plastic Easter Egg (they’re bigger than the basic plastic egg) and can be found at most dollar stores OR you can use a LEGGS Panty Hose Egg :]

You alter the egg and fill it with the following: (The egg must be decorated)

Theme: Easter/Spring/Pastels
10-Brads
10-Eyelets
10-Buttons
1-Yard Patterned Spring Ribbon
1-Yard Pastel Fiber
10-Primas
10-Rhinestones
1-Surprise (Please be creative with your surprise!)

my egg was a large green plastic easter egg that i used white w/ green polka dots tissue paper to cover. mod podge worked to easily attach the tissue paper to the plastic egg. then another coat of mod podge on top of the tissue paper to protect it. i used clear paint w/ silver glitter sparkles for 2 coats to add some more "finish" to the color. the last outer decoration was to glue some white rick rack w/ pink flower buds and green leaves around the center of the egg to hide the opening seam.

i received my swap egg from my partner, and that was a real treat -- both to see how the decor had been done and to see what all precious treasures were hidden inside! it was a lot of fun to get back to creating something and trading w/ someone else for fun. now i just wish i knew where all of my art supplies were that have been packed for moving to a new spot in the house (and of course, that spot it not yet ready for the supplies to be unpacked!).

loved

2009-03-24T19:26:00.005-05:00

the "inspire me thursday" prompt this last week was "i am . . . " with instructions to fill in the blank w/ a one-word description. i was still busy working on the elvis picture, but i had time to think of words that describe who i am. after i thought of several words, i would realize that i was so much more than THIS word or THAT word.

after much time of consideration, i realized that i am all the things that i am because i was and am loved. this security and nurturing allowed me to develop into the person i am today and all the facets of my personality. whether good or bad -- that's who i am and i know that i am loved by those special people in my life. knowing that i have that safe harbor to return to any time makes it much easier to venture out into the world.

this piece measures 6" x 9" and is done with prang colored pencils on white 100 lb. strathmore bristol vellum. i spray my work with a working matte finish to protect the colored pencil from smearing until it is framed or otherwise protected.

legendary - IF - 3/13

2009-03-19T21:33:00.005-05:00

illustration friday's theme this week (3/13/09) was "legendary," and i was inspired to create this picture of someone i feel has been legendary in the music industry and pop culture in american society. this picture measures 15" x 22" and is done on stonehenge natural 90# paper w/ a prang #23 sepia colored pencil. it will be sprayed w/ a working fixative for protection until framing.

this was supposed to be just a small picture to encourage myself to get back into doing artwork, but my daughter said she would love to have a picture of elvis to put in their bedroom with the lyrics of "love me tender," which was the song played at her wedding. because of that stated wish, i felt compelled to make this picture big enough to be used for what she wants to use it for. this picture fulfills 2 things -- it gave me an inspirational project to work on and will hopefully provide a piece of art for my daughter's enjoyment.

MUMS the word

2008-10-24T18:09:00.004-05:00

i've been playing around w/ the MACRO setting on my camera and snapped this picture of blooming mums at the pitt state homecoming parade. it's amazing the close-up focus that this setting allows, and it's also amazing what can actually be clearly noticed at this close level!

february DT2 ATC received!

2008-03-24T21:17:00.004-05:00

dt2 ATC received - graphite dog by debbie byess

we arrived home from spring break to have this little jewel waiting in the mail for me -- an original graphite drawing by debbie byess. i've added it to my growing collection of original ATCs from the dt2 group.

thanks debbie! it's actually 2.5 x 3.5, but my scanner wanted to cut off the white part. i didn't have the patience to fight it any longer, so just posted it in this shape.

dec ATC received

2008-01-21T12:30:00.000-06:00

dec ATC from DT2 trade came from vincent whitehead and is done in ballpoint pen. this original ATC is called "looking out". it is absolutely gorgeous. as i hold in my hand, i can tilt it side-to-side to try and see the pen marks or the shine on the ink, but no luck. it's just SO good it's hard to believe it's an orignal piece of art.

on top of getting the ATC, it arrived in this beautiful card that was also drawn by vincent, titled "oliver planter". it's like a double prize -- an ATC and a card that were both done by the artist.

honestly, i had to promise my husband to have a mat made that would show both the ATC and the card. that way, we can frame them both and put them up for display. he really likes this artwork, too.

octopus killing shark

2007-12-27T22:41:00.000-06:00

this piece really started out as a doodle while my students were working on an all-hour in-class writing assignment. i'm kind of stuck there monitoring them, but i can't interact w/ them in any way -- so i was doodling in my journal. the page was blue, so i thought of a water theme. i did the waves during class and then wasn't sure what to put under it.

originally i thought of a shark, and as i was looking up shark pictures on google, i found this story about an octopus caught killing the sharks in the tank. i found that extremely interesting from a philosophical standpoint -- the mean/tough bully of the ocean (which happens to have a very small brain compared to its size) is taken down by an intelligent creature with no backbone. h-m-m-m, sounds like some things in life that i know. those people who are bullies and try to force other people to bend to their will are not always going to win and will eventually be taken down by someone or something that has more intelligence and/or a better use of resources but is maybe not seen or thought of as being as "strong" as a shark.

this picture is done in a comp notebook w/ cheap acrylic paint for the background. the drawings part is done w/ a blue gel pen and the shark picture was cut out and glued in place. i was tired of working on the picture and didn't want to mess is up by drawing the shark wrong or something! no protective spray or covering was used on the page as gel pen doesn't smear unless it's wet. if the book gets that wet -- probably protective spray wouldn't save the picture anyway!

jimmy and digging worms

2007-11-18T20:22:00.001-06:00

this is a picture of jimmy, jerry's middle grandson, from our father's day fishing experience of 2006. jimmy was scooping worms up and dumping them out as fast the rest of us could find/dig/pickup the worms, so he wasn't mr. popular for that! other related drawings posted from that day are girls can fish, too and father's day -- 2006 -- fishing.

when jerry was in the hospital recently for knee replacement surgery, i needed something to do and only had this old picture to work from -- so this is what i drew. i had never done hatching in my artwork before, and it was amazingly stress-relieving to sit and do crosshatching to pass the time. plus, it gave me something else to focus on other than listening to jerry breathe and "jumping to attention" every time he wiggled or made a noise.

this picture was done w/ a black prang colored pencil on white 70# paper in a 9 x 12 sketch book. the finished picture was sprayed w/ matte sealant to prevent smudging.

tiger lily - ATC for DT2

2007-11-11T23:00:00.001-06:00

my latest serious art creation (or attempt at one!) is this tiger lily ATC for the DT2 exchange. i was going for an artistic impression of a realistic picture -- more adept than a typical coloring book picture, but not real enough looking that someone might mistake it for a photo. it almost seems to me to have a stained-glass quality, and i like that.

overall, i'm very happy with the creation and really sad to part w/ it. every time i work on a project like this, jerry always watches w/ interest. he never asks for a picture for himself, but then he makes comments later like "i wish you weren't getting rid of that one" or "that would look good on my desk".

i think if it were up to him, he would have all of my artwork framed and hanging all over the house. i'd feel like i lived in "the shrine of jill"! since much of it is artwork of our family, it would probably be ok, though.

this ATC was done on white Bristol Vellum paper with prismacolor colored pencils and sprayed w/ krylon workable fixatif to protect the colors from smearing. Being an ATC, this piece measures 2.5" x 3.5".

copper "family" tip-in ab page

2007-11-10T23:00:00.000-06:00

the double page spread was done in response to the color "copper" for a tip-in swap. i used the theme of family, as family is extremely important to me. the outer edges of the paper have been stamped w/ ink and then sprinkled w/ embossing powder, which melts when heated w/ a heat gun.

the tag on the upper right says "family" w/ the letters stamped on little copper "coins" and is sewn together in layers. the lower left is just a brown block of paper to be used as a mat for a family photo of the person who received my page in the swap.

on the right side, the quote says "the voice of parents is the voice of gods, for to their children they are heaven's lietenants" taken from shakespeare's work. on the lower right, i punched the year 2005 into a sheet of copper and glued on to the page.

when this person received the pages, then all he or she would have to do is glue on a picture of the family and have a completed and personal page. i was happy w/ it and intended to make one for my family, but just didn't get around to duplicating the page for myself.

emerald city pop-up ab page

2007-11-10T22:30:00.000-06:00

this altered book page was done in a children's story book round robin and the technique this month was pop-ups. i couldn't imagine what more exciting to see pop in front of me as a child than the emerald city, so that's how i chose my page topic. well, that and i was born/raised in or near kansas -- so wizard of oz has always been a part of my life.

the background is just covered in green grass scrapbook paper. i had a calendar w/ beautiful pictures of poppies on one page, so i scanned that page in and printed out more poppies and cut out to glue on to the page. the yellow brick road is just made from yellow scrapbook paper and shaped to look like it is receding toward the city.

the pop-up part was the hardest, though, as i didn't have a pattern and just had to figure the folds out by myself. i knew i wanted it to be of the emerald city, but had to play around a little to figure out what size it could be and still fit in the book and still pop up when the pages opened. after a couple of tries, i had the right fit and a working design -- so i glued it in and was done.

sealant nightmares

2007-11-10T20:09:00.000-06:00

i've had a few incidences lately where the sealant that i've been using has created a problem for my artwork. in fact, it has been such a problem that i have quit using it and purchased something else. i have used this several times before and on many projects and haven't had a problem that i could specifically trace to it, but now i have had a few very specific problems.

the first example, who is watching journal, was covered in full, vibrant colored pencil on top of acrylic paint. the silver/purple of the dragonflies and the various bright colors of the water's edge just disappeared when i sprayed the page w/ the krylon matte finish. once the spray hit the page, the vibrant colors just melted away. i thought they would return after the sealant dried -- but no such luck. i even tried to pencil them back in after the sealant had dried, but the colors will just not adhere and/or show up on these pages now. the dull colors are the best i can get to "stick" to the pages.

an even worse situation happened on pow-wow dancer, and i was so disappointed that i was almost sick. i had worked several hours on drawing, coloring, shading, blending, adding in last minute details and more. this was the first ATC i had ever made and i didn't want my trade partner to be disappointed in the ATC he received. i stayed up late to finish the picture so i could spray it w/ sealant before going to bed.

in the morning when i went out to check the ATC, i found that it looked like i had sprayed it w/ silver spray paint instead of sealant. i checked the bottle to see if i had grabbed the wrong can or something, but basically my beautiful (in my eyes, anyway!) ATC looked ruined, w/ "blobs" of silver covering the picture. the blobs of silver wouldn't scrape off w/o pulling off bits of the paper behind it, so i just decided to work on top of the problem.

i started coloring the picture again, and after about 5 hours or reworking the details and losing some other details -- i was able to save the piece. imagine my disappointment, though, to see what had happened to my picture and the time/work/effort i had put into it.

after these events, i was afraid to use the same stuff on my tiger lily picture that i had just finished. i really liked the picture and hated to invest the time/effort into a picture that would/could be ruined as soon as i sprayed it w/ sealant. i went to the art supply store and talked w/ the owner about what to do. she said she had had some of the same problems using the matte sealant, especially when she worked on a dark background.

she suggested that i use the krylon "workable fixatif" and that she had been very happy with her projects and successes with that product. it doesn't have the same finish as the matte sealant, but i didn't really want or need that finish. plus, it doesn't seem to have a problem w/ leaving residue or silver specks on my artwork -- and i really like that! what i need is protection from smearing and smudging, so it looks like i'm sold on "workable fixatif"!

so, if you're looking for something to protect your work, consider the "workable fixatif" rather than the sealant. from the name of the product, it's obvious that even though it has been sprayed, it's still a workable surface, so you can work/spray/work/spray, etc. sometimes i need that protection in one area of my work to continue on in other areas of my work w/o smudging one area to another.

any other ideas, suggestions, or stories of similar incidences and what you did to solve them would be welcomed here. after all, the comparison of products helps us all out in the end!

raven's wedding dress shopping day

2007-10-27T22:44:00.001-05:00

a special page from my comp book journal, as colored and decorated by my granddaughter, raven, and myself on the day we went to have mommy's wedding dress fitted. we needed something to keep "us" busy after we were done checking out the special toy room there for children. the book and colored pencils were just the ticket.

mommy was standing on the podium, looking like a fairytale princess as she was getting her dress all pinned up, while raven and i were frantically working on our journal page. amazingly, we got done at just about the right time, too. obviously i've had this page for a while and just forgot to get it photographed and posted, as the date on this page is nov 2005.

page background was painted w/ cheap acrylic paints and colored w/ prang colored pencils.

cafe del rio journal

2007-10-27T22:42:00.001-05:00

this comp book journal page was done in honor of one of our favorite places to eat -- cafe del rio. since this restaurant opened in the mid-90s, we have spent many many hours of fun family enjoyment around the tables here -- dipping chips in salsa and cheese dip and sharing time together and talking about our lives and our events. everyone special in our lives has been to cafe del rio w/ us, too.

the decor is done as a mexican cantina, w/ buildings and designs painted on the walls. the colors are stereotypically bright, and that's what reminded me of cafe del rio when i opened up to this bright orange page and wondered what to do here. plus, a couple trips to "chips and cheese" with "the girls" (summer, raven and riahna) gave me plenty of inspiration and reminders.

the page background is painted w/ cheap acrylic paints, drawings in prang colored pencils, and writing w/ red gel pen. the page was then sprayed w/ matte sealant to prevent smudging.

plaza lights 2005 journal

2007-10-27T22:40:00.000-05:00

recently i noticed that i had several journal pages that were "all done except for _______". a final detail or a few little things, but it has kept the page from being done. so i went through my comp book and marked the pages and made notes about what i needed to finish these up. on this page, i needed to have the picture printed and then write the journaling (which couldn't be done until the picture was placed!).

this is one of my favorite pictures of our trip to kansas city for the 2005 thanksgiving lighting of the country club plaza. it has taken forever to get this journal page done and posted b/c i couldn't seem to get all the things i needed together at the same time! this page is a part of my comp book journal where i just journal/create pages of events/feelings/designs for enjoyment. another journal page entry from this weekend can be seen at give thanks 2005.

the background was first painted w/ acrylic paint. then i drew an outline of the buildings on the plaza and used elmers glitter glue to dot on the outlines of the buildings to represent the christmas lights. it took forever for the glue dots to dry, and then even after drying -- the dots mashed flat in the book after is was closed for a while. black sharpie marker provided the black writing and black windows on the buildings.

the picture was taken by my son (scott) w/ my sony 5.1 megapixel cybershot camera and cropped to the size i needed to fit on the page. there is no protective covering on this page, as nothing requires it to keep from sticking together.

the fog pop-up ab page

2007-10-27T11:00:00.000-05:00

this altered book page was done in a book with the theme of "cats". this was a techniques round robin, so we had to work with the owner's chosen theme while incorporating the assigned technique for that month. this particular month -- the theme was "pop-up pages".

i chose to use carl sandburg's poem "fog" to be able to incorporate pop-up pages that had buildings and fog on them. i painted the background pages black, to represent night in the city, and glued down a picture of a cat to represent all the stray and homeless and loose cats that run free in an urban environment. i also used a cat-toy mouse for the cat to have to show that cats do help control the environment from the diseases spread by too many rodents. the mouse was positioned and attached by the tail so that it hung outside of the pages when the book was closed.

for the silhouettes of the city and the fog in the background, i used stickers that looked like city skylines and stuck them to white sheets of vellum. i left about 1/4" of vellum below the stickers so that i could make folding tabs to glue to the book. i made 3 different layers of vellum/skylines so i could cut the outlines and edges to be different to add more volume and depth to the pop-up section.

next i had to figure out how to fold my pieces so that they would automatically stand up when the book was opened and automatically lay back down properly as the book was closed. this took more time and effort than i figured that it would, but overall it turned out well. i'm sure there are patterns for these things, but i'm more of a trial and error type person. of course, that means that i make errors and spend time fixing things!

Fog

THE fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

who is watching journal

2007-10-27T10:43:00.000-05:00

this comp book journal page started out as a page painted in a mixture of blues and greens. i thought it would look good to have a scene from the water's edge drawn there, w/ tall reeds and dragonflies and a dryad watching. the colors were bright, even on the grasses and dragonflies, but faded to almost invisible when sprayed.

the background was done w/ cheap acrylic paints and the drawing was done w/ prang colored pencils. when completed, the whole page was sprayed w/ krylon matte sealant, which dulled the colors of the pencils against the background. even w/ going back over the design in pencil again, i couldn't get the pencil colors to show well.

the idea behind this page is that a person should always be careful in life because many times others are watching and a person may never be sure when this situation could come back up to create a problem.

ATC exchange - received from bonny

2007-10-13T02:20:00.000-05:00

"Remember Summer" ATC received from bonny racca - my october 2007 ATC exchange partner through DT2.

this beautiful and original ATC was waiting at the post office for me today from my friend, bonny, from canada. it's done in watercolor and sepia ink on a creamy tan colored background.

it's just beautiful and i'm so happy to have been the recipient of such a card. getting a piece of original artwork in the mail is such a treat -- but this group of artists is just amazing!

imagination tip-in

2007-09-22T20:16:00.000-05:00

this tip-in page was done in response to "imagination" and i chose to focus on the works of leonardo di vinci. i found pictures of his drawings from his inventions and sketchbooks and cut/pasted them together on a page. then i printed the page out on paper that looked like aged vellum -- to make it look like paper from his journal.

i used a quote from albert einstien that says "imagination is more important than knowledge." that quote encourages me to believe that a person's knowledge is limited or finite while a person's imagination, if stimulated, is unlimited or infinite. if a person can imagine it, he or she can create it and/or make it happen.

i think that quote fits in perfect w/ di vinci, who had designed and documented things far ahead of his time, such as a helicopter or a robot or airplanes. he was intelligent, creative, and uncensored in his creations. i wonder how different the world would be if di vinci had not created the things that he had done and/or had not kept notes of the things that he imagined?

the difference of macro

2007-09-13T19:31:00.001-05:00

in the time that i've used digital cameras, i've been disappointed in that i couldn't take "close up" shots of my subjects. every time i tried it, the pictures turned out blurry and were not useful. rather than "waste" my pictures, i took pictures from further back and then spent time on the computer editing. i always ended up w/ good pictures, but not as good or as easy as i would've liked!

the amazing difference that macro photography provides is just shocking at first notice. this pictures was taken by my sony 10.1 megapixel cybershot at about 10 inches from this leaf. this was just a snapshot with no tripod used, but many nature or natural shots will not have the time for a tripod. live things don't stop long enough for tripod placement and adjustment!

the leaf is obviously blurry and basically not usable for a scientific drawing or closeup study of the leaf. if this were a picture of someone's face, where i wanted details to show, the blur would've ruined the picture.

by learning how to use the macro function on the camera, the same picture from the same distance taken as "macro" looks totally different. the blur is gone and now this picture is usable as a reference photo for a scientific illustration, a record of growth, or a part of your photography collection.

macro is definitely a function on your camera that you NEED to learn how to use and should use in your photography sessions. it makes a huge difference -- especially when you can compare the pictures side by side to see the amazing differences!

MY first ATC created - pow-wow dancer

2007-09-01T02:04:00.000-05:00

my first ATC created for the ATC exchange at drawingtogether2 yahoo group.

i was mainly enticed into the project because i saw the wonderful examples of artwork that these artists in this group are capable of -- so i wanted to get into the exchange so i could own a beautiful piece of artwork.

to do that, i had to create a piece of artwork to put into the exchange. i also signed up for the "prints exchange" where artists make prints of their own original works and send them to the other people on the list.

it turned out to be a great experience, but i was very intimidate by the quality of art that i had seen produced by these group members. i was afraid that whoever were to get my ATC would be disappointed in that my artwork wasn't as good as everyone else's artwork -- but it all worked out good.

this ATC was done on white Bristol Vellum paper with prismacolor colored pencils and sprayed w/ matte finish sealant to protect the colors from smearing. the picture was based on a photo that i had taken at a pow-wow near miami, ok a couple years ago.

ATC exchange - raccoon from rita

2007-09-01T01:59:00.001-05:00

first ATC received, done in graphite by rita from the drawingtogether2 group at yahoo.

each month, the members have an ATC exchange where you can sign up to create an original ATC and exchange with another member of the group. you can also sign up to make prints of your original and exchange with other members of the group for prints of their original works of art.

this was the first ATC i have ever received and i just LOVE it. the detail and the quality of this work of art are just amazing overall. i can't wait to shop for a special frame for it and put it on display at home!

what color crayon would i be???

2007-09-01T00:34:00.000-05:00

You Are a Red Crayon

Your world is colored with bright, vivid, wild colors.
You have a deep, complex personality - and you are always expressing something about yourself.
Bold and dominant, you are a natural leader. You have an energy that is intense... and sometimes overwhelming.
Your reaction to everything tends to be strong. You are the master of love-hate relationships.

Your color wheel opposite is green. Green people are way too mellow to understand what drives your energy.

What Color Crayon Are You?

if i had my choice, i think i would be a purple crayon -- as purple tends to be one of my favorite colors. but, red is not far from purple, and i guess my personality tends to be "red"! h-m-m-m, we'll see about that!

moon - IF

2007-07-27T11:27:00.001-05:00

moon - IF - july 27, 2007

in drawing 1 class this summer, one of the first concepts we studied was negative space. this is a drawing that i did from a picture i had taken of the night sky and moon through the tree limbs. we were only to shade where the negative space was and to show depth by using darker and/or heavier lines.

drawing by studying negative space really made a difference in drawing. i would've never tried to draw this picture otherwise because all of "the stuff" was overwhelming to try and draw. by drawing what "was not" -- that made it much simpler.

this was done using 2H, HB, B, 2B, 4B, 6B, 8B, and 9B pencils on Canson heavy white drawing paper and sprayed w/ matte sealant to prevent smearing.

everybody . . . dies famous . . . in a small town

2007-06-13T20:59:00.000-05:00

i'm not dead yet -- but this might be my 15 seconds of fame!

thought you guys might like to know that i made the front page of the local paper (and no, it wasn't in the "arrests" section!). the picture of "jerry's bins at sunrise" was pictured on the front page with the article and a link to the hydrangea picture titled "a moment of rest" was given.

you can view the article here --

in case you can't follow the link -- here's the article copied and pasted --

Box of Colored Pencils Changed Nature Lover's Life
By Andra Bryan Stefanoni
THE MORNING SUN - June 13, 2007

A garden's blooms and birds may be fleeting, but Jill Campbell, Asbury, has turned a way of preserving what nature puts forth into a passion.

It all began with a box of colored pencils.

"I am an English teacher at Pitt State, and one day a few years ago I found a box of colored pencils, evidently abandoned by the teacher or students who used the classroom before me," she said. "I began experimenting with them to see what I could do, and in no time found myself really drawn to it."

No pun intended.

As an English teacher, for many years she has focused on the arrangement of words. Now she has added to her creative repertoire things like shadows, color, textures, and light.

"I didn't have art in high school, but I have always been a fancy letterer or doodler. I came across an online group called Illustration Friday in which they send you a one-word prompt and if you illustrate it you can post your link to their page," she said. "I thought, surely I can do that."

Her first one-word prompt was "strength."

"I had a picture of my husband's new grandson, only a few minutes old, and I thought, 'What more strength is there than that?' and I drew him and posted it to my blog. I posted it to my other groups, asking them to be gentle on their critiques, but got good feedback."

She is particularly drawn to the natural world, capturing flowers and natural scenes. One of her works, "Hydrangea," ["A Moment of Rest"] was chosen to be part of an exhibit at Powell Gardens in northwest Missouri under the direction of Cynthia Padilla, the owner of the online Botanical Art Group of which Campbell is a member. Her work also is featured in the online version of the exhibit, which can be seen http://orchidsandhydrangeas.blogspot.com/ .

In fact, Campbell was instrumental in getting Padilla, a well-known botanical illustrator, to Powell Gardens this spring for a workshop. There she learned techniques like flower petals, stems, rubbings, and tracings.

"Once you start drawing things in nature, you start taking notice of things more than before," she said.

Campbell always draws from photographs, because it makes the drawing process portable and not hurried. "If I'm working from a picture, it's no hurry to get it done. The flower won't wilt, the moment is captured. If you're drawing a strawberry and using an actual strawberry, after a while it starts to change color and not look quite so pretty," she said.

A Sony Cybershot, 10.1 megapixel, is her camera of choice, which means she doesn't have to be right on top of subject - she can be 100 feet away - to get what she want. Her photography skills are equally good, and earned her a third place finish in the Crowder College Quill contest for her entry, "Jerry's Bins at Sunrise."

Campbell finds plenty of natural subjects in her garden, where last year she canned 70 quarts of tomatoes and 60 quarts of green beans, and where she planted sunflowers for a granddaughter.

"One that reached 11 feet was our biggest one; we took lots of photos and that provided inspiration for my drawings," she said.

She offers these tips to beginners or those striving to improve nature-related illustrations:

o Turn the piece you're working on upside down so you are just looking at shadows and light, instead of the subject matter.

o Do your original sketch on tracing paper, then once you've got it, darken your lines. Keep this as an original, and transfer the image to good paper lightly, where you can then complete the shading, color, etc. This saves time and effort if you make a mistake, because you still have the original on the tracing paper and can reproduce it again easily.

o Use paper designated specifically for the art medium you are using, such as watercolor paper or color pencil paper.

o Invest in a good set of colored pencils for home - Prisma Colors are great and include 120 pencils on four trays - as well as a simple student set of 24 (such as Prang) to throw in a backpack for portability while traveling or outdoors.

Andra Bryan Stefanoni can be reached at andra.stefanoni@morningsun.net

the hydrangea picture wasn't shown in the newspaper article, but the online link was given to the orchids and hydragneas show blog. here is the picture that was displayed at powell gardens --

you can see the full-blown version of it at flickr

a bit of an explorer

2007-06-09T10:45:00.000-05:00

inspire me thursday -- 06/07/07

"This week let’s be inspired by world travelers. Nomads, wanderers, adventure seekers, gypsy souls. Are you a bit of a nomad… or perhaps someone you know? Find inspiration in never ending wanderlust, exploring the world, journeying through different cultures and geography."

i had created this piece to show the place of my dreams -- a great street bike and the peace/solitude to ride it through interesting and mysterious places. the freedom to not plan in advance where i'm going, but just see where the road and the adventure takes me. i'm such a planner, though, that i don't know if i could actually leave on a trip and not have plans made!

i have a terrible time w/ spring fever and wrote about it on my other blog -- wanderlust. now that my children are grown, i could technically get started on this adventure. but now i have jerry and the little granddaughters that seem to keep me tied to home where i wouldn't want to be gone for the summer. this dream, though, of taking off on my bike and exploring for the summer is what kept me going through many years of single-parenting.

this page is composed of 2 photos -- 1 of the road and 1 of the motorcycle. i put the pictures together using paintshop pro 8. wish it were just 1 picture of MY bike headed down the road and me ready to get on it and go!

summer sundays ab page

2007-05-12T01:01:00.000-05:00

for this altered book project, the topic was "dining rituals" and i was totally stumped on this one. my family had dining rituals, but i didn't really feel they were special enough or decorative enough to put in the book. then i remember eating in the car at 1106 and that inspired this page.

i used red and white plaid scrapbook paper for the background because i thought that was most like a picnic blanket/tablecloth. i found a picture of the type of car we had at that time and then made a special trip to 1106 to take pictures of the building. obviously it hasn't changed any in the last 30+ years!

the picture of the building, the signs, the menu, and the logo were all special parts of this business. under the flap on the lower left of the page, i wrote about my experiences at the 1106 and the family memories that places brings up.

since nothing needed sealed, i just used mod podge for the paper gluing and it works wonderfully. the tag is attached to the page w/ mod podge on the back flap. the string tie on the tag is just for show and does not tie the tag to the page.

3rd place in photography

2007-05-07T07:48:00.000-05:00

one of my resolutions this year was to enter "something" into a contest each month. well, i haven't kept up to that resolution, but i have entered about 1/2 of the time. i'll have to work double-time this summer on creating and submitting things to get caught up on that goal! i don't think buying lottery tickets counts!

i had my colored pencil piece accepted into the orchids and hydrangeas show at powell gardens, curated by cynthia padilla -- and that was a first! before that experience, though, i had submitted 4 photographs to the crowder college quill contest for the arts & literary magazine that the college puts out, mostly in full color -- it's a beautiful collection of art, photography, and literature.

i submitted my pieces and then waited anxiously to hear who the winners were and when the ceremony would be. i was honestly just pretty sure i had submitted a winner, but i wasn't sure which one of the pictures it would be . . . . so i waited very impatiently for the news. the pictures were mailed in by february 1, but i didn't receive news of winning until about april 15-ish. at that point, i only knew i had a winner, but i didn't know what i had won or which picture(s) had won . . . . so i just had to wait until the ceremony on may 6 for that news.

well, may 6 finally arrived and we went to the ceremony at 3 p.m. to pick up our entries and find out the results. i had won 3rd place for this pictures, called "jerry's bins at sunrise".

last school year, jerry and i rode to work a couple mornings a week. it meant we both had to leave a little earlier than normal, but we had 45 minutes together in the morning and evening that we didn't normally have.

one of the things we most enjoyed was watching for beautiful sunrises and great scenery places. this place happened to be jerry's favorite place to see the sunrise on our trip to work. one day when i was driving on my own, i just pulled over and snapped some pictures there when i saw an awesome sunrise -- just so he would always have that view that he loved.

that picture has been his screensaver ever since, so i know that he likes it. since this is the first photography contest i've ever entered, i was thrilled to have a winner! of course, i was hoping for "gold" and the "center spread" -- but there's always next year! i'll be looking and working for that winning piece all year!

music - my round robin ab theme

2007-04-28T03:21:00.000-05:00

one of the altered books that i did for a round robin was "music" and participants could put in their feelings about music, their favorite music, their favorite artists, and more. before sending the book out, i did a few pages to get it started. this helps the other participants to see what your art style is like, to see maybe what you are expecting from them, or to provide ideas on what you might like them to do. you can always send a list of requests, too, such as "no smoking, no perfumes or incense, no nudity, etc". some people put very detailed lists of instructions and other people are more open to see what they get back.

after doing my first round robin, my main request after that was to not smoke and to not use perfume or incense in my book. i can understand how people who are used to that might like it, but you never really know what smell is going to be offensive to other people. there were a couple books that smelled so bad that i had to leave them in the garage to air out before bringing into the house to work on them.

in any round robin book, it's good to put a list of the players for that round robin. that way, in case anyone get confused or the book gets lost, hopefully it can be sent on to the next person or back to the owner. this also helps the book owner to remember who the participants were when the book returns home. usually each book has a sign-in page where participants somehow leave info on where their own artwork is located and this is commonly done w/ some sort of tags and/or tag art.

i used just a plain piece of brown paper for the background and then used gold ink to make a swirling pattern on the page. then i printed out the info i needed and the titles on natural parchment paper (to look like old sheet music pages) and glued to the background. for the players' privacy, i have blotted out their addresses from this project.

another page that i did in this book before sending it out was to resemble the old-fashioned juke boxes that were located at each table in diners. people could peruse the list of available songs and then make their choices. this juke box has pages to flip through, but the middle pages contained the name of the players in the round robin and the theme of their book.

inside the front and back covers, i papered them to match and used the front one as a title page. the background is just a piece of scrapbook paper patterned with music. the title of the book and other info is printed off on gold parchment paper to match the pattern on the background paper.

the last page that i did before sending the book out was a random page of quotes concerning music. it really is amazing the famous quotes and inspirational sayings about music. i used and piece of scrapbook paper for the background that looked like it had been dyed in a random pattern. i printed out the quotes on the natural parchment paper and then tore them so they would have ragged edges.

the most exciting part of being in an altered book round robin is waiting for your own book to return home so you can see what other people have done in your book. it's amazing the amount of very talented artists who participate in these round robins and the fantastic artwork that is shared. it's very inspiring and pushes each artist to keep up to the level of the other people who have been working in the book.

i haven't done a round robin on anything in the last two years, though, because it got to where it was fairly common for someone in a group to disappear -- usually while they were in possession of someone else's book(s) and artwork. it's very disappointing to have your project lost, especially since you are so looking forward to it's safe return back home.

this didn't happen to me, but it did happen to my daughter. the really bad thing, though, was that it was the group leader who disappeared and was never heard from again. she didn't return phone calls, couldn't be found, didn't return mail or email -- the book was just gone. even worse -- she was the last person to work on the book before it was to come home to my daughter, so my daughter was getting really anxious to see all the neat stuff in her book . . . . . only to find out that it was lost. that situation was the final deal for us in doing round robins.

but, i decided to do something similar but even better. i'm going to start a neat journal and pass it around to my immediate family members and have each of them regularly contribute some artwork to it. they don't know this yet, but they will know it soon! i think it will create a really neat keepsake, too!

alice in wonderland ab page

2007-04-28T03:03:00.000-05:00

this altered book page is one that i did in a round robin where the book's theme was "children's stories". i chose "alice in wonderland" because i had recently watched "the matrix" and was comparing all the similarities of the stories in my mind. amazingly similar in many spots!

in thinking about "alice in wonderland" as a story, images came to mind of the most memorable spots in the story to me. i printed off images to match those things, including a picture of the disney version of alice, the cheshire cat, tweedledee and tweedledum, a clock (representing the rabbit who was always late), and all the heart cards in a deck w/ emphasis put on the queen of hearts.

the quote at the top says --
"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said that Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."

this was a quick and fun page to do and really worked out nice because of the long area to work on. i liked this quote specifically because it so relates to the whole world at times -- sometimes it seems that we are all mad. some people know it and some people don't -- that's the only difference.

IF - polar

2007-04-26T22:10:00.000-05:00

IF - 4.20.07 - polar

of course there were many things that came to mind w/ the word polar, but the most obvious one to me was that of a polar bear. i've been wanting to try doing something on colored background paper w/ colored pencils -- so this was the perfect chance.

the paper was cheap brown craft paper, so i think i would've been much happier w/ it on better quality paper. i didn't realize that it would be so hard to get the color to show up working on the darker background, either. anyway, next time i'll try something on better paper and when i have more time.

this drawing was done using prang colored pencils in a 8.5 x 11 piece of brown craft paper (feels like paper sack). finished picture was sprayed w/ matte finish sealant to keep it from smearing.

first art class ever!

2007-04-26T13:54:00.000-05:00

last week, i attended my first ever art classes since grade school. everyone in my school had art in grade school, but in high school there was no time for art if a student was on "college track".

i actually took 3 days of classes, but the first day was still life drawing: fruit, flower and insect. the official description is listed on the powell gardens website. i wasn't sure how interested i was in this topic, but i was interested in getting better at drawing what i see and learning to draw from life and not just pictures.

i was really nervous about a lot of things on attending the class. what if everyone there was SO much better than me? what if i couldn't do what i was supposed to? what if my skill level just wasn't there? what if i didn't like it? what if i felt trapped? what if i was bored? what if???

well, it turned out great. the class was great, the teacher was great, the classmates were great. i had a blast and learned many new things. the most time-saving and expense-saving thing i learned, though, was to sketch out my project on tracing paper. sketch w/ NO erasing to make sure the lines were correct. i had never drawn from real life before -- i always work from photos! amazing how different this is when it comes time to do it!!!

once the still life was set up and our initial sketch was done, then we had the instructor (cynthia padilla) check our perspective and our lines before moving. the next step was to darken all of our lines on the tracing paper. this became our "original" that we used to work from.

we transfered the tracing paper sketch to a good piece of paper by taping the tracing paper on the window and tracing the lines on the good paper. i was amazed at this b/c i felt like i was "cheating" by tracing something -- even if it was my own work to begin w/.

now, after the image was traced onto the good paper in very light pencil, we could begin the next steps. if we happen to mess up at some point, then we didn't have to do the whole drawing phase again -- we just traced our image onto another good sheet of paper and moved on.

this would've saved me a tremendous amount of time and money to have known this step BEFORE now!!! i restarted the moment of rest picture 6 different times because i messed up at some point. each time i had to re-draw the picture and start from scratch. plus, each time i restarted on a "good" piece of paper, which obviously became expensive after a few sheets.

so, i now have the original to my still life and i can always start over at any time that i want/need. in class, we were to get a couple different sections done to show that we could match the colors just right. i got the left orange and the left apple done, but i haven't had time to finish any more of it since class ended.

i did take pictures, though, so i would have a good and true reference to work from later. i will finish this picture eventually because it was from my "first art class"and i'll want to have that to keep.

i can't wait to see how much difference the things i learned in the still life workshop will benefit me in my artwork, both in technique and in time-saving and money-saving ideas. it was a definite great day to be in class, too.

the second class i was in was a 2-day class of botanical art essentials. it was also fantabulous, but i'll be sharing work and lessons learned from that workshop in a later post.

indian paintbrush

2007-04-07T17:32:00.000-05:00

the april challenge for the botanical art group is "something red and/or something native to your area" -- so i have incorporated those 2 things into my drawing of an indian paintbrush plant. most meadows have many of these plants growing in them throughout the summer, but the flowers are really beautiful in the months of may/june/july.

this drawing was done using prang colored pencils in a 9 x 12 sketchbook of 70# white paper. finished picture was sprayed w/ matte finish sealant to keep it from smearing.

rosie the riveter ab page

2007-04-02T03:00:00.000-05:00

this altered book page was done in a "topics round robin" and this book's topic was "special women in history". i chose rosie the riveter because "she" is one of my daughter's favorite characters.

the idea that a woman (or a group of women) could make so much of an impact on american culture as those women who stepped up and filled the workforce while american men were off at war == totally amazing.

two pages on the right were glued/rivited together to allow the bottom of one to fold up and make the pocket to hold the tag. then the pages were painted yellow for the background and dabbed red, using a piece of wadded up plastic cling wrap dipped in the red paint. nice thing about this painting tool is that there is no clean-up. just use and throw away!

the picture of rosie was printed out on photo paper on my home printer, cut out to just the image of rosie w/ no background from the poster, and then glued in place. after the glue was dry, i finished the page by coating it w/ future floor wax.

the tag was printed out on red cardstock and tied off w/ colorful yarn through a hole punched in the end. the information on the card was the basic history of rosie's character and how her image was designed.

i liked this design so much when i was making this one that i went ahead and made all the things needed to make my own page just like it -- i just haven't assembled it yet! some day, when i have time to play w/ those things again, i'll get back to it!

wizard of oz ab pages

2007-04-02T02:59:00.000-05:00

these altered book pages were done in a "colors round robin" and this book was "yellow". being from kansas, what more associated to yellow could i get than the yellow brick road and the wizard of oz?

for this page, i used a map of the state of kansas as the first layer on the book page. then i printed out the wizard of oz figures in front of the emerald city on yellow tissue. the tissue was glued down to the page using mod podge. no final finish was put on the page because i didn't want it to stick together when the book was closed.

the sign-in tags for this book were various shades of yellow paint tags from the hardware store. to associate my tag w/ my page, i printed out the characters from wizard of oz on yellow tissue and glued to my paint chip. then i finished off the ship w/ some colorful yarn through a hole punched in the end.

purple ab pages

2007-04-02T02:58:00.000-05:00

these pages were done for the "colors round robin" in the purple book. the "flights of fancy" page was started w/ a pretty sheet of scrapbook paper. next, i stamped dragonflies all over the page in a random pattern. the writing was done w/ a silver sharpie marker. a small silver dragonfly charm was glued to the page on the right. the final touch was to glue purple beaded fringe down the outside of each page.

the tag shown was completed w/ all the same materials, but it would be used in the front of the book as my sign-in tag and connected my tag to my work. all of my personal information was included on the back of the tag, too.

we were encouraged to do 2 spreads in each book, so my second spread had to do w/ the poem that says "when i grow old, i shall wear purple." the first layer on the page was a pearlescent tissue paper glued to the open page spread and trimmed to fit.

i printed out a picture of a old women in a purple hat on vellum and attached to the page on the left w/ purple flower rivets. i chose this picture just because she has a look that says she's having fun regardless of how she looks!

the page on the right has the poem "warning" by jenny joseph printed out on vellum and attached to the page w/ a bow and a knot made from many shades of purple embroidery floss.

both of these pages were fairly quick to do, but both ended up looking very nice. i'm glad i took pictures of these pages, too, so i can recreate them some day in a book to keep for myself.

IF - i spy

2007-03-29T22:59:00.000-05:00

IF - i spy YOU spy

this is dedicated to those few people who read my blogs to spy on the happenings and events of the family that they are not allowed to be a part of because of their actions. by reading my blog, this is their main supply of information, which they then try to use against us for different purposes -- anger, jealousy, guilt -- whatever fits their needs at the time.

what they don't understand is that they are not allowed to be a part of our lives because they aren't capable of acting respectful or respectable. they have nothing positive to add to a relationship or to a situation; therefore, they are left out.

things will not change until they mature and change themselves and then it will only be a "maybe" and not a promise. do not count on the fatted calf being killed and a banquet prepared in your honor just because you have decided to act in an appropriate manner.

you have mistreated many people, most of whom do not care to see you return. you chose to burn the bridges -- do not count on them rebuilding themselves and do not count on the people you mistreated helping you rebuild them.

you have chosen to give up a lot and have no one to blame but yourselves. be careful that you do not put blame in the wrong place.

a moment of rest

2007-03-28T02:49:00.001-05:00

i did this piece and submitted it to the "orchids and hydrangeas" show (curated by cynthia padilla) for powell gardens for the months of march and april.

i really stressed more over the piece than i have any other piece i've done -- probably because i promised it before it was done. that put extra pressure on me to have a product that turned out good enough to be shown instead of just enjoying working on a project!

i think i started this piece about 5 times, in different sizes and on different kinds of paper. nothing "felt' right. even the piece that i finished didn't "feel" right while i was working on it, but felt right when i was done. this was the first time i had ever used the prismacolor pencils and the first time to work on stonehenge paper. i guess i shouldn't have started 2 new processes on a piece that was promised before it was done.

this is a colored pencil piece, measuring 6" x 9", and done w/ prismacolors on natural white 90# stonehenge paper. i sprayed a light coat of clear matte sealant over the finished piece to prevent any smearing in the framing process.

janus -- looking back and looking ahead

2007-03-28T02:48:00.001-05:00

this comp book page was inspired by the typical beginning of the year analysis and comparison of what happened last year and what's going to happen this year. i liked the picture of janus, the face looking back and the face looking ahead.

the page was painted w/ acrylic paint, picture of janus printed out on my home printer and attached w/ mod podge, and the writing done w/ green sharpie marker. i did spray the page w/ a light coat of matte sealant before writing on it w/ the sharpie marker b/c the paint felt very dry and chalky. if the page/paint is very dry, it makes the markers not write well at all. a quick think spray coating on the page makes all the difference in the world when it comes to writing time!

pink flamingos to count

2007-03-28T02:47:00.000-05:00

this comp book page was inspired by a conversation/debate i had w/ my kids several years ago about what i would do when they were grown and no longer needed a "mother". i was somewhat joking at the time, but sometimes those things that are said begin to take on a life and meaning of their own that increases their importance in life.

if you want to read the whole story, you can find it at my personal blog.

this page has an acrylic painted background, flamingos printed out on photo paper from my printer, flamingo legs penciled in w/ a black prang colored pencil, and writing done w/ a ZIG pen. the painted page was sprayed w/ a thin coat of matte sealant, which made it hard to get the ZIG pen to write on. i ended up writing over it w/ a black sharpie marker b/c i felt the ZIG pen wasn't going to stay put. after another coat of spray matte sealant, i then used future floor wax on the page as the final sealant.

the 60s - woodstock and moonlanding

2007-03-26T09:56:00.000-05:00

here are a couple more altered book pages that i did in a "retro" round robin, where people had to choose topics from the 50s, 60s, and/or 70s. well, this book's theme was "things i remember from the 60s". that was a little tough for me, since i was born in november 1965!

but, 2 things stuck out in the 60s for me specifically -- woodstock and the moonlanding. for different reasons, of course, but who can answer for what a kid remembers and why?

i remember woodstock mostly because my parents wouldn't let me see anything on the news or on television about it. suddenly when a topic becomes taboo -- it becomes really interesting! so, i wanted to see more about it just because i wasn't supposed to see it!!!

this page is made w/ a 12 x 12 piece of scrapbook paper w/ flowers as the background. pictures found on the internet and printed off become the main part of the page. sticker letters were used down the left margin to spell out "woodstock". mod podge was use to glue all items down. no final finish was put on the page.

the other main event that i remembered of the 60s was the moonlanding. it wasn't a positive experience for me, either. i was 3 1/2 years old and more interested in watching cartoons than watching a man in a marshmellow suit bounce across the surface of the moon. especially after they had shown the same news clips several times!!!

this page was done using a 12 x 12 piece of scrapbook paper w/ a red, white, and blue flag design on it. i printed out a picture of the moon landing on white tissue paper and then used mod podge to glue that down on top of the "flag paper". i knew that the white tissue would allow the patriotic theme from the background to come through, so it had a really neat look to the whole page overall. no final finish was put on this page.

it's amazing as i look through these old pieces of artwork that i traded off and realize that i really wish i had these back. i think i'm going to have to start an altered book of my own and just keep all my stuff in it!

somebody's dummy

2007-03-25T04:07:00.000-05:00

everyone knows someone like this -- that "child" who wants to be an adult when it best fits and not when it doesn't. then this same child doesn't have the nerve to stand up on his own two feet, but must continue to be tied to his mother's apron strings and spouting all the same ricidulous accusations and demands that she does.

it's almost like "i AM an adult . . . because my mommy said so!"

this "child" is continually mouthing about being an adult, but demands that his way be paid in life. he wants extra money sent for other things he wants that his few hours of work each week won't cover and he considers it someone else's responsibility to pay for his problems. yet . . . he can afford vacations and mission trips and other luxuries.

no, no, no, i won't go to a doctor covered by health insurance and you can't make me. i shouldn't have to change doctors just because insurance doesn't cover this one and i've moved out of the area! i should be able to run up whatever health bills i want and someone else should have to pay for them!

you can't make me play by the rules and you can't expect me to be respectful or respectable -- after all, i'm an adult and i don't have to do those things!

yeah, whatever!!

when this kid gets in the real world, he'll learn a few lessons quick. when this kid has kids, if he ever does, he'll learn even more lessons. then i'm sure he'll expect them to treat him w/ respect even though he hasn't shown respect himself and hasn't earned it through his actions. hopefully he'll be the perfect parent, knowing that if he's not . . . his kids will throw it in his face for the rest of his life.

i'm glad he's getting a good college education, too, so he can get a good job and make lots of money. after all, i'm sure he'll support his children until they are 22 AND pay for their college as well. it'll take a very good job to be able to afford that! i'm sure someone will tell his children they don't have to worry about paying for college b/c that's what parents are for!

what goes around . . . come around. sometimes its harder than what we were expecting . well, be expecting it, because it's coming your way all too soon!

this comp book page has an acrylic paint background, prang colored pencils for the dummy, and sharpie markers for the writing. the finished page was sprayed w/ clear matte sealant to keep the colored pencils from smearing.

60s and 70s music - altered book pages

2007-03-24T02:22:00.000-05:00

i was once in a round robin altered book group where one of the books was featuring music of the 60s and 70s. other than the request to not smoke and not use frangrances in/around the book -- there were really no other requests of limits on the creativity. if possible, we were to do at least 2 - 2-page spreads in each book.

i decided to do a page in remembrance of the infamous plane crash -- the day the music died. for this page, i printed off a page w/ some lyrics on it from the don mclean song "american pie" and glued into the book using mod podge. the i found a picture online of the actual place crash and printed it on light pink tissue paper (*** read warning below about printing on tissue paper!***). i used mod podge and generously coated the book pages and then laid the pink tissue down onto the wet pages.

tissue is so lightweight that it can't handle being moved or stretched or repositioned -- so you pretty much have to get it right the first time or be stuck w/ it. i have found it helpful to fold the tissue to where it will fit into the fold of the book to help me get it positioned right. the gently smooth the tissue out, making sure that it is pressed down against the mod podge all across the page. after the page is dry, trim the edges of the tissue to match the egdes of the page.

the page of elton john was more difficult to decide on, because what can a person do that portrays ALL that elton john has done music-wise and do that on a 2-page spread? so, i decided to put his name/info, his picture, and a list of his most well-known songs (which was about 1/2 of his hits!) and focused on the songs from the 60s and 70s.

this background is just a regular piece of scrapbook paper, measuring 12 x 12. i chose the bright green color because i though it matched his flambouyant personality and performances. then i used bright green tissue paper to print out his name, his pictures and the list of hits. these i glued on top of the background paper, using mod podge. the picture i trimmed around before glueing, but the other pieces i just glued them down and then pulled the excess off after the mod podge had dried. this gave the edges a nice frayed and textured look.

there is no "final finish" coat over these pages because anything (like mod podge) would smear the printer ink. i've since learned, though, that i should print everything in reverse so that it goes on the side of the tissue that is laid down against the mod podge (or glue) and that way it won't smear and it won't be on top and need protected.

***warning on printing on tissue paper***
printing on tissue paper is NOT recommended for you printer, so you take a risk by putting this material in your printer. tissue paper is not strong enough by itself to go through the printer, so it must be attached (taped) to a regular piece of typing paper. the tissue must be larger than then typing paper, as it must wrap around to the back side of the paper to keep the printer from getting hung up on the edges of the tissue paper in the printing process.

i have printed on tissue paper about 30 times and never had any problems, but it is rather tedious in attaching it to another piece of paper. i use the tape roller from scrapbooking, fold my tissue around the typing paper, and leave quite a generous margin. this helps specifically if the book you are working in is larger than a regular piece of typing paper OR if you tear your edges getting the tape off of the tissue.

notice -- now, any time i print something out on tissue, i print the picture or words in reverse so that the ink side is down on the mod podge. then i can still put a finishing coat on the top w/o worrying about smearing the words or designs. if anyone has questions, feel free to ask. suggestions are also welcomed, too!

my valentine

2007-03-21T10:54:00.000-05:00

this comp book page is dedicated to jerry, my husband, for our first anniversary on valentine's day. i've always loved the song by martina mcbride "valentine," so i used the lyrics from the song in the shape of a heart on this page.

the page was already painted various shades of pink w/ acrylic paint. i very lightly free-handed a "loose" feeling heart shape that spiraled inward w/ a white prang colored pencil. then i decided to use the white prang colored pencil to write the words on the page as well. i worked with paper under my hand to keep from smearing the writing as i worked.

when i was done, i sprayed the page w/ matte finish sealant. once that was dry, i painted the page w/ future floor wax because i like the shine and protection that it offers in the finished product. plus, the pages never stick together after using future floor wax, even if the book is close tightly for quite some time.

soul searching -- tape transfer altered book

2007-03-20T23:37:00.000-05:00

i've been looking back through picture files and finding samples of altered book pages that i've done and thought i would post the artwork here.

this is a collaged page made from pictures from national geographic and W. the national geographic was doing an article on our troops, the picture of the eagle was from another issue of national geographic, and the words on the left were from ads in W magazine.

this page was done in a round robin "techniques" project. that's where several people sign up for the project, trade their books around for the assigned time, and try out new/different techniques as we worked through the project. this particular assignment was a "transfer" project. i chose the "tape transfer" method, so the eagle is a tape transfer and glued onto this page.

this is probably one of my favorite pages that i did using an unfamiliar technique, but i did learn a lot of things from trying new/different techniques. the most important thing that i learned was that i could probably figure our a quicker/cheaper/easier way to do the technique than the way it was presented. some people just make things WAY too difficult!

another important thing that i learned was to make sure that someone in my group wasn't a "fragrance junkie"! you can see on the edges of the book where someone else had taped/glued bottles of fragrances/oils, which usually stunk, were really strong, leaked out of the bottles, made messes in the mailing containers, and were just generally unpleasant to me! there were times that i had to leave the book out in the garage because the fragrances were SO strong and unpleasant.

i wish this page was still "mine," but i'll always have the picture to show of it. i even have similar pictures that i could try and re-create it, but the recreation never seems to be as good as the original to me.

wishful thinking . . .

2007-03-20T23:05:00.000-05:00

this comp book page is one that i did back in early january, 2007. i had heard that meatloaf was going on tour and that his newest album was out. i got his album for my birthday in november, so i was anxious to see when he was going on tour and where he would be.

obviously, you can imagine my disappointment when i found out that he wasn't coming anywhere near us. he only had east coast, canada, and europe set up for concerts. the only one not located near the others was one in california! i figured that he would be coming through the midwest and i would probably have a chance to see him, but i guess not. he must be too big for that now!

the background of the page was painted w/ acrylic paints. the writing was done w/ sharpie markers. the album covers, usa today article, and concert schedule were all printed out on my color printer and glued in place. the finished page was sprayed w/ matte finish sealant to protect any of the printed material from getting smeared.

all by myself

2007-03-19T10:54:00.001-05:00

december was a hard month, w/ the back injury and loss of the holiday activities w/ my family. i was pretty much just left alone, lying on my stomach while other people went on w/ their lives, and i wanted certain people to just leave me/us alone totally, saving us the trouble of dealing w/ their drama and idiocy.

this comp book page has an acrylic painted background with a couple of colors mixed together for variation. the picture was taken from a national geographic and glued on after painting. the writing was done w/ sharpie markers and the final finish on the page was done w/ future floor wax.

if you want to read more of the story, you can find it over here.

first altered book tip-in -- purple

2007-03-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

about 3 years ago, when i first headed into creative pursuits for personal pleasure, i became interested in altered books. i didn't have "experience" doing altered books, but i figured "how hard could it be?"

so i signed up for a tip-in swap, where each person makes a certain number of pages in the assigned topic and sends in to the swap hostess. the hostess then sorts out the pages, swaps them out, and mails them back to each participant.

the rules are to leave a 1/2" space on the left of the page where the receiver can glue this page into an existing book. the topic was "purple".

on the first side, i found pictures of beautiful purple things and then found words associated with the color purple. i created a collage of the pictures and words and scanned it into my computer. then i fed the book pages thru the printer and printed out copies of my collaged page on each of the pages i was going to submit.

on the back of the page, i printed out a beautiful sunset w/ purple colors in it and glued to the book page. then, i cut out and glued pictures of the "most famous hug/kiss" from the cover of life magazine, glued more words associated w/ purple and passon, and then tied a small metal heart to purple string to dangle from the kissing couple.

i was very happy w/ my first attempt at altered books and couldn't wait to get back my swapped pages to see what every else had done. it was a great experience and lots of fun!

there you sit . . .

2007-03-11T04:04:00.000-05:00

here is another comp book journal page that i made back in december, 2006. while i wasn't posting much art (because of the back injury), i was still making some art. i saw this picture in a magazine and just knew i had to use it on a journal page.

while these birds are necessary to the environment, the really stink up the air (situation) where they are. these are the only creatures that rely totally on dead and rotting meat for their nutrition. these birds do not hunt -- they merely wait for something to die and then feed on it. their only effort in "hunting" is to find something that died or that is almost dead. much easier that having to find something, chase it down, and then kill it -- i'm sure!

since these birds have their total diet made up of carrion, they have a horrid odor that permeates from where they nest or rest. they sit in the branches of the trees w/ their wings held out as if to allow the breeze to blow the stench off of them. but no matter what -- they still stink.

i did this page at that time because it reminded me of some people who are people-users -- parasites feeding off of other people but offering nothing beneficial in return. the ones who look around like the world owes them a living -- just like the world owes the buzzards their next meal. these people, just like these birds, are oblivious to their own stench and unaware that others find them repulsive and disgusting.

so they sit there . . . . waiting for the opportunity to dive in for their next free meal.

envelope swap

2007-03-11T01:53:00.000-06:00

one of the first art projects that i tried as i was getting into altered books and comp book journals and things was an envelope swap. each participant was to make or alter a certain number of envelopes and send in to the hostess, who would then redistribute them back out to the members of the swap.

i knew i was a fairly creative person, but i hadn't ever been in a situation where my artwork/creativity was going to be measured and compared to others in the group. there were really no rules on the project other than to submit the specific number of envelopes, a return self-addressed envelope and a certain amount in postage.

as typical for me, i stressed and worried about the project. i came up w/ the idea of "pandora's box" for the decor. i always liked the story of pandora's box and the implications that the decision had on the outcome of the story, comparing the unopened envelope in the mail as similar to pandora's box.

i found a beautiful picture to alter and use as pandora, filled w/ blues and greens (my favorites!). then i thought about and came up with my own envelope design. i drew out the envelope template, then cut it out of thick paper (not cardstock but not regular paper either). i folded and glued the envelope and then glued the pandora on the front.

the neat thing about the envelope was the silver key and lock -- made w/ silver embossing powder on pigment ink and heated w/ a heat gun. the lock was threaded through an small opening on the flap and glued in place. the key was then glued in pandora's hand.

i also made a brown envelope w/ another picture of pandora on it, so i'll have to see if i can find another one of those to make a scan of and submit. the were definitely different in style from these!

i sent my envelopes in for the swap and waited w/ anxiety for my envelopes to come back to me to see what others had done. i had a note in the box from the swap hostess stating that there was obviously no reason for me to worry about my envelopes in comparison to others and that i deserved the "most work and effort" award on the project.

that's the only envelope swap i've ever had the opportunity to be in and it was great fun. i still have some of the envelopes left from that because they are just so beautiful and unique that i hate to use them for just regular mail!

night mares and charlie horses

2007-03-09T16:03:00.001-06:00

this piece represents the time i spent in december and january dealing with a pinched nerve in my back. i continually had charlie horses, running from my waist to my toes on my right side.

this is done in a composition book w/ acrylic paint as the background and prang colored pencils for the landscape. the landscape was sprayed w/ matte finish to keep the colored pencil from rubbing off. the horses were done w/ a black sharpie marker.

i decided not to write on the page, but just to let the picture tell the story.

if you want to read the whole story that goes to this picture -- you can find it at hand in hand.

she sees -- he sees

2007-03-09T14:23:00.000-06:00

last year as jerry and i rode to work together, we watched this new warehouse being built. jerry was SO interested in watching the progress that he couldn't hardly keep his eyes on the road as we went by. every day, i would look and look at that jumble of steel, equipment, and supplies and wonder what he found so interesting about it.

i even studied it -- was it the way it looked in the sunrise? the way the building was shaping up so fast? the rumors that it was going to be a totally animated warehouse? the patterns the steel beams made as we drove by? what???

i just couldn't see it! what i could see was that what used to be a beautiful meadow filled w/ grass and wildflowers was now gone and this ugly mess of steel/metal, equipment, smoke, and noise was in its place. i hated to see the building put on a place that was beautiful, but now i felt it was ugly. why couldn't it have been put on a piece of land that was already in use -- like tearing down a useless building and putting it there?

jerry is different, though. he can look at a mechanical project and see what it can be and how beneficial it can be. jerry is the type who can build anything or fix anything that he puts his effort into. plus, they'll probably be added business for him in his line of work. the added business that this facility will bring to the area will probably be helpful, too.

i felt like it was another careless business decision to destroy something fresh rather than clean up something old and decrepit. i despise urban sprawl. i grew up in the country, and i love the wide-open spaces there. to see people building subdivisions out of town and crowding houses in-between other houses just to get out of town just makes me sick.

i wonder how long it will be before i feel like i have to move because town is crowding me too much. i guess it makes it nice in that some really big farmers own the land surrounding mine -- so i don't have to worry about those turning into housing divisions! i wonder if that's enough space?

new hatching

2007-03-08T16:52:00.000-06:00

remember last fall when i was curious about all those woolly worms that we had all over the porch and everywhere? i was so excited thinking that we might be getting some huge batch of beautiful butterflies in the spring or something. i requested info from the group.

well, i learned that was not the case. everyone was so helpful, but i was rather disappointed when i found out the truth about these caterpillars. they weren't really going to be butterflies, but moths. well, they were kind of pretty moths, so i wasn't really that disappointed.

we met our first moth two days ago. he flew in the house so fast i couldn't catch him, but i knew i would be on the lookout for him. i recognized him immediately! he was one of the transformed woolly worms! from the number of woolly worms last summer, i'm sure we're going to be infested with these moths very soon! i managed to catch him after he had a go-round with the cat, but he was still in pretty good shape.

i have full-resolution pictures if anyone wants to use one for a drawing. this one wasn't quite as pretty as the example one that i found a picture of, but he's not too bad!

IF - hide

2007-03-07T10:18:00.000-06:00

IF - 03/02/07 - HIDE

the first thing that i thought of was those people who use their religion to hide behind. they are not really living the life they are preaching and claiming to live, but hiding behind their positions of power to point out faults to other people. some examples include (but are not limited to!) ted haggard, jim and tammy faye baker, jerry falwell, jesse jackson, pat robertson, and more. these are exactly the kind of christians who make other people hate christians. they put themselves into a position to help others, but in reality . . . . . they only cause destruction and make it worse on the true and sincere christians in their work.

this post in no reflects my views or personal beliefs towards christianity -- it only points out that i don't like hypocrits (those people who do what they preach against or who are what they say is wrong!) and have little tolerance for people who lie.

this drawing was done in a 9 x 12 sketchbook w/ 70# white paper with prang colored pencils, sprayed w/ matte finish sealant to keep it from smearing.

the new logo -- it's official!

2007-02-19T21:34:00.000-06:00

it's official and here's the new logo! we've been talking over the last year of setting up a business to do picture restorations and more. on the back of the card, i've listed the services available and can easily discuss with people what options and price ranges are most beneficial for their individual situations.

on the back of the business card --
Services offered include –
· Scan pictures, slides, journals, or documents to digital files
· Store file back up for emergencies
· Restore damaged or aged photos
· Provide photo cleanup on current photos
· Create slideshow presentations on CD or DVD
· Original farm photography
· Silhouette photography, painting, or drawing

Prices vary depending upon assignment. Contact me for an estimate on your job!

this all started since our experience w/ jerry's mother's 80th birthday party last year. at that time, what we found was a huge box of photos that she had taken (torn) out of her photo albums and was dropping into brown paper baggies that were labeled w/ her kids' names. this was over a hundred years of family history!

once people started seeing the changes i could make in a picture, they started requesting that i fix a picture that was important in their collection. we knew that there had to be a market for this type of service, but so far we just hadn't had the time to take care of getting it off the ground.

well, it's off the ground now. the logo is designed and copyrighted, my business cards are printed and getting out, postcards are printed to mail out to special people, and i donated 3 certificates to the KKOW radio auction for promotional purposes and advertising is set up for the next 60 days.

more and more people are hearing about the business and what i can do for their picture collection -- which means that more and more people are checking into their personal collections to see what they need to have done. more questions/inquiries means more answers and more curiousity means more business. it's SO exciting!!!

i'll be doing some major networking in the near future and attending a couple/few very large trade shows and business expos -- so that should also help the business get started. now we'll see what works out!

we all had input on the logo and the business card, but lucas is the one who did the actual hands-on creation of the logo and card. looks great, lucas!

colored pencils -- "fat" prangs & prismacolors

2007-02-19T13:15:00.000-06:00

here is a comparison of the pencils laying on the scanner. the prang "fat" pencils are at the top and the regular prismacolor colored pencils at the bottom. it may not look like much difference in circumference at this angle, but the feel in the hand is very much different.

to show the true difference between the pencils, i took the handful of each kind and put them on the scanner bed where the viewer can see the end of the pencil. the lead is obviously much larger in the prang pencils compared to the prismacolor colored pencils.

now, there are prang pencils that come in a smaller size (the same size as the prismacolors regular size) and i have a set of those as well, but i don't use them or care for them as much as the "fat" prang pencils. the "fat" prang pencils seem very much more durable than other pencils i've used -- and probably because of their size!

stan herd -- the landscape artist

2007-01-29T14:16:00.000-06:00

i have attached a picture of the global flyer landscape art that stan herd, the landscape artist, did for display when the global flyer took off and landed from the world record flight in salina, ks.

this is a picture from the drawings of leonardo da vinci, who actually drew plans for a flying machine in the 1500s, to celebrate the long-desired need or urge for flight.

i had written about stan herd and his art way back on my personal blog at world record flight and kansas art . he recently saw that posting, and he sent me a personal email with this picture attached to it.

i was quite impressed that he took the time to thank me for writing about him and his art on my blog. since then, i've checked out his personal web site again, just to see what all he's doing and i've posted the notice to all my art groups to check him out, too.

hopefully, he'll be doing art for a long time to come and will continue to create many famous pieces that will make an impact on people worldwide. i'm so much more impressed with him after the email that he sent, just to see that he's still approachable and caring as a human being while still being a famous artist! impressive!!

dryad => forest fairy

2007-01-19T15:41:00.000-06:00

watching tv one night, i needed something more to do. not something serious, though, like grading papers . . . but something fun, like drawing and/or coloring.

this is just a picture out of my head and not based on a photo or another picture. rarely can i get something on paper the way i see it in my head, but this one turned out really very close to what i wanted.

this drawing was done in a 9 x 12 sketchbook w/ 70# white paper with a terra cotta prang colored pencil, sprayed w/ matte finish sealant to keep it from smearing.

updated picture - jimmy on the train

2006-12-06T04:21:00.000-06:00

okay guys -- after several great suggestions and ideas on what to do to make jimmy's picture better, here's what i have to show for it. i darkened in the background and created it over completely behind jimmy's face. that seemed to make a huge impact on seeing exactly where his nose and chin ended. overall, i'm MUCH happier w/ this picture now that the change is made.

i've also included the actual reference photo used for this drawing. not so much so you can see how well i did compared to the photo, but to show how "tied" i was to putting the background in just as it was in the picture. in the real photo, it truly does look like the tree and shrubs have "allowed" room for jimmy's nose and chin to interfere in their space. i also added a little more shading behind his jaw line -- maybe too much -- but i'm going to wait and see how i like it and if others comments on it.

summer took this picture on the way to the pumpkin patch, but i've alwasy been drawn to it as if there were some ethereal feeling to it. trust me, though, there was nothing any more angelic about this little demon today than there was any other day -- making him fit right in with the other little demons present!

jimmy on the train

2006-12-02T17:13:00.000-06:00

i drew and colored this picture of jimmy, riding on the train to the pumpkin patch w/ us, w/ colored pencils. the picture is actually darker in person, but colored pencil seems to lighten up during the scanning process. that's what happened on the last picture i did, too -- the one of jerry leaning on the porch railing.

anyway, the pictures was taken of jimmy as he watched out the window on the train, so just the side of his face (hardly even any silhouette of his facial features) is visible. i had a hard time doing his skin, as he is so pale-complected that i didn't have pencils that light to work with! i even added in some shadows that weren't really there in the picture, just to show that he does have a jaw line.

i was happier w/ some sections of the picture more than i was the overall picture -- but it was definitely a learning process. i'm still working on trying to force myself not to draw every tiny detail -- so this picture w/ the blurred background helped me to focus more on the focal point of the picture and then blur the background in. it's coming a little easier to me now to do a picture w/o drawing in all the little details. maybe someday . . . . .

feel free to comment or make suggestions. i'm always open to learning more and getting better.

this drawing was done in a 9 x 12 sketchbook w/ 70# white paper and prang colored pencils, sprayed w/ matte finish sealant to keep it from smearing.

latest drawing attempt

2006-11-07T10:38:00.000-06:00

this is a drawing that i did of jerry, my husband. while he might look like he's in deep thought, he's really just checking out the flower garden right below the front porch. he was leaned there on the railing taking a break from playing w/ the children (22, 22 & 26) and the grandchildren (5, 3, 3, 16 months and 4 months) in the front yard. after a good deal of kickball/soccor, tag, chase, ride/pull the wagon, and ride the lawnmower (or in the lawnmower wagon) -- it's exhausting for everyone!!!

i'm trying to force myself to learn and practice the fact that every single detail does not have to be in the picture to make the picture look realistic. for example, in this picture, the background is just blurred together to help put the focus on jerry in the foreground. my normal tendency would be to try to accurately include every weed and bean stalk in the background. while doing that -- i've often messed up my whole forefront drawing b/c i just couldn't fit it all into one piece! also, instead of including every single detail on jerry, i tried to focus on getting the essence of his personality instead.

this drawing was done in a 9 x 12 sketchbook w/ 70# white paper and prang colored pencils, sprayed w/ matte finish sealant to keep it from smearing.

draw a sign challenge

2006-10-23T11:55:00.000-05:00

last weekend was a very busy weekend -- so busy, i haven't even gotten all of our activities that we did posted to my blog. but one of the things i've wanted to do for a long time was to go over and see my friend's house she had built and take a picture of a junction near her house where F hwy and U hwy meet. something about that just struck me as funny!

after a morning of soccor, lunch out, finding friend's new house, visiting, and more -- we headed off for this somewhat famous junction near her home for my picture. for the curious, this junction is located near la russell, missouri.

the EDM group challenge lately was to "draw a sign" -- so here it is. my version of the junction of F and U highways. hope you have a laugh out of it, too.

this drawing was done in a 9 x 12 sketchbook w/ 70# white paper and a black prang colored pencil, sprayed w/ matte finish sealant to keep it from smearing.

meeting at powell gardens

2006-10-20T01:28:00.000-05:00

last summer, i drove on a bus trip to powell gardens, about 25 miles east of kansas city on highway 50, and found that it was a lovely place that i would like to take jerry back to at some point. i also stated on one of my groups that focuses on botanical artwork that it would be great if some of us could meet up there for a sketchcrawl or if cynthia padilla, the list owner, could come here and teach a class. i guess cynthia got online, checked out powell gardens, and decided it would be a place where she could teach some classes on creating authentic botanical art.

about 2 weeks before her scheduled classes to teach at powell gardens, she announced on our list that she would be in the area and would love to have anyone from the list come to her classes or drop in and meet her. i would've loved to have gone to the class, but i just couldn't afford it on that short notice -- so i settled for traveling there while she was there so i could meet her and jerry and i could explore the gardens.

here is a picture of cynthia and me together in the beautiful atrium area as the garden areas begins. i had stepped into the class she was teaching when i first got there, but she was busy explaining a process and all the students gathered around her so i didn't want to intrude. i just wrote a note and left for her that said, "jill was here. i'll be back after while to say 'hi'." she was looking for me before i got back, but i didn't want to interfere w/ her class time. we scheduled it just about right to arrive back in the main building about 30 minutes before her class was over, so students were very busy trying the techniques that they had learned and were trying to get finished up on things before departing.

here is a picture of cynthia rearranging a plant so a student could get a better view of the part needed to draw. cynthia gave many important details during the class to make the sketching/drawing go much easier, and one of those was to not try to draw the plant while looking at it straight on. looking from an angle usually provided a much better drawing view.

here, cynthia is working w/ her student (marsha) and showing her a technique on getting the right look at the right angle. sometimes it just takes having someone point out another technique or assure the student that it can be done a certain way and it's okay to use that method.

after the day of class time for these students (who had not taken art classes before), they were hanging up their works of art and some of these were absolutely amazing. throughout the class, the learned new techniques, heard new ideas, tried new things and probably felt the class was a great overall success.

if you want more information on taking a class from cynthia padilla, you can contact her at botanicalart@ev1.net. she told me that she'll be back to powell gardens to teach more classes in april, 2007, and i intend to be there to take one. meeting cynthia was a fun experience and it's so neat to meet the person and put a face to the "personality online".

if you want to explore Powell Gardens more to see if you want to make the trip there, it's well worth your time and effort.

IF - quiet

2006-10-11T11:18:00.000-05:00

the illustration friday word on 9/29 was "quiet". even though i haven't been keeping up w/ the IF drawings, i have been keeping track of the words for a day when i have time and inspiration to catch up. as soon as i read this word, my first thought was a sleeping baby, but they are only quiet and angelic for certain length of time. the next thought i had was of my father's grave.

then i realized that i didn't have a picture of it, so it took me a week to get myself out to the cemetary to take some pictures. i don't go there often (maybe 5 times since his death in 1997) and only when something is dreadfully wrong, so jerry was suspicious of my need to go to the cemetary and take pictures.

after i had the pictures, then it was another few days before i was ready to work on the picture. funny thing was, though, that once i began working on the picture -- it was a picture and didn't bother me to work on it. now that it's done, it bothers me to look at it.

my father was the most awesome man i have ever met, and my respect and love for him is unmeasurable -- so this picture is dedicated to him.

this picture was done in a 9 x 12 sketchbook w/ 70# white paper and a black prang colored pencil, sprayed w/ matte finish sealant to keep it from smearing.

the real answer

2006-10-11T10:55:00.000-05:00

as i've been going thru 3 comp books and painting all the unpainted pages, i've found a couple journal pages that i had forgotten to finish or forgotten to photograph or forgotten to post. this page is one of those "forgotten pages"!

this comp book journal page was actually painted with the pictures glued on last january (2006), but the wording was added two days after jerry and i got married (wedding on 2/14/06 and wording on 2/16/06).

we were married on a tuesday evening, and then we left on wednesday to go to osage beach, missouri, where i was presenting in the missouri state "write to learn" conference. so, we combined our wedding/honeymoon/conference presentation all into one week. i had my comp book in my conference bag for those times when i needed entertainment between meetings or during a presentation that couldn't keep my interest.

for those who are wondering, i was already scheduled to present at the conference at the time we set our wedding date -- so we just tacked on a couple extra days at the end of the conference to stay in osage beach and counted that as our honeymoon.

the pages are painted w/ the cheap acrylic craft paints, the pictures were from some junk mail i received at school, and the writing is done w/ sharpie markers.

hummingbird moths -- amazing!

2006-10-10T10:15:00.000-05:00

totally amazing information! as i was trying to find out what the numerous caterpillars are that we seem to be "blessed" with right now, one of my online friends in my botanical arts groups told me something that just totally astounded me.

these tomato hornworms (these are actually the "tobacco worms" b/c they have diagonal lines on them instead of V-shaped lines like the tomato worm), which are familiar to most all gardeners, are the most despised of caterpillars. they eat the foliage off of the plants and can strip a garden bare in no time. the goal of the gardener is to eliminate ALL of these little devils.

these picture were taken in my garden this last summer as these little devils tried to take over my cherry tomato plants. their markings and coloring make them so hard to spot that it's easy to miss them totally until the tops of the plants start looking stripped of all leaves.

same picture, but cropped in a little closer for better view.

i grabbed this big one and put him in a jar to show to raven when she came out. then i decided to lay him out on a white background and take another picture or two. the little dark things in his "feet" is called frass and is left as black droppings on the ground where they have been.

these tomato hornworms and tobacco hornworms actually morph into these beautiful hummingbird moths, which we saw a few of in the front flower garden but didn't know what they were.

the ones we saw here looked like a cross between a bumble bee and a hummingbird, but so similar to a bee that raven didn't want it near her "because it might stung me!" if i hadn't posted the question about the caterpillars, i might not have ever known this amazing tidbit of information!

alligator snapping turtle

2006-10-09T12:48:00.000-05:00

last may, jerry picked this little alligator snapping turtle up in the road for us to share w/ raven. i thought someone might be interested in these pictures for their artwork.

if you want to read the whole story, it's on my personal blog as checking out a small armoured tank.

if anyone wants high resolution pictures of this little turtle for artwork, send me an email request and i'll send them to you. i have a 7.2 megapixel sony cybershot camera, so you can blow them up pretty big and still have excellent definition.

caterpillar mystery solved

2006-10-08T02:49:00.000-05:00

special thanks to everyone who offered help and ideas on the identification of all the caterpillars that we have been having in our area. while they are great fun for "the kids" to play with, they are causing an environmental problem with the farmers as they strip the leaves off of the soybeans and may cause an even more harsh problem in their later phases of life.

i was hoping that all these caterpillars were headed toward "butterfly-dom" some day and imagining how thrilling that would be to see (and to share w/ raven), but instead have found our that they are going to be moths instead. sandy, who left the info on my blog as a comment in the previous post, supplied the name of "yellow woolly bear caterpillar" -- with the scientific name of "spilosoma virginica" -- and after checking several internet sites, that seems to be what we have.

according to the websites, these caterpillars are searching for dark places to hibernate as larvae since the weather has started to turn cool/cold. that would be why they are all on the porch, around/on the doors, around/on the garage doors and so easily underfoot. after hibernating through the winter, the caterpillars will become active again for a short time and feeding before making cocoons out of silk and body hair. then after 2-3 weeks, the tiger moth emerges from the cocoon to begin the new phase of life. at that point -- this is what we'll have an overabundance of . . . . . . . .

caterpillars everywhere!

2006-10-07T10:14:00.000-05:00

we've been taken over by caterpillars here. they are EVERYWHERE!!! in some places, they are so bad that farmers are having to spray their fields to keep them from eating all the soybean leaves. other places, so many caterpillars were squished while crossing the road that the highway looks a different color.

at our house, it's not a problem but more of an adventure for raven. she loves to see how many caterpillars she can find and put on herself to come and show me. she's very careful in handling them and then takes them all back outside to the porch/flower garden so they can "go back to their mommies" when she lets them go.

i'm wondering -- what type of caterpillars/butterflies-to-be are these? should i be expecting to be bombarded with a certain type butterfly soon?

also, is there some old folk wisdom, wives' tale, or native/nature relation between how many of these there are compared to what kind of weather we've had or will have?

any help would be appreciated. if anyone wants up-close pictures of some of these to draw, i can send you full-resolution photos from a 7.2 megapixel camera if you want to have big pictures to look at. just send me a request by email and i'll send them to your email.

page painting technique

2006-10-02T18:04:00.000-05:00

i had the urge to paint the other night and work in a comp journal, but didn't really have a plan of what to do. i decided to take my paints and my journals to my night job and work on painting some pages so they would be ready to work on.

unlike some people in my groups, i can't seem to plan ahead and paint the page in the morning w/ the intention of journaling on it that night. i like to have several pages painted ahead, flip open my book and find a color i want to work on or will work well w/ my topic, and go from there.

the other problem i have is getting paint on other pages, the back of the page i'm painting on, or various other places that it shouldn't be. as i was putting plastic down on my work area to begin painting, i realized that i should put my whole journal into a small trash bag, cut a slit to pull a couple pages through, and then paint could only get on those 2 pages.

pull the pages through that i'm going to paint on and leave the rest of the book protected inside the plastic bag.

now, clean white pages ready for painting. with 4 books set up this way, painting pages went really fast. i could put the paint on, go do a couple things for work, come back and switch pages to paint, and paint some more. it also helped that the work table i was using for painting was located right under and AC vent -- so pages dried very quickly, too.

overall, i was pretty happy w/ my idea of painting my pages while protecting my books. i couldn't decide if i had thought of something other people hadn't thought of OR if it was so obvious that everyone but me had already thought of it!

anyway, that's the news on painting journal pages here. i'm working on getting a bunch of pages painted so i can just have fun on doing journal pages then.

the dying day

2006-09-20T19:40:00.000-05:00

to add to the beautiful sunrises that i've been taking pictures of, here is a picture of the sun setting into the clouds in the west. the sunflowers that are left in the garden are silhouetted against the sun, but the sunbeams coming from the cloud cover really add to the pretty scene.

almost every evening, jerry and i walk out and check the garden and walk around the yard together. this night, jerry yelled in for me to bring my camera out w/ me and this was what i found waiting on me. he definitely has a good eye for what looks pretty.

the purple heart

2006-09-19T19:34:00.000-05:00

this drawing just started out as a stress-relieving doodle session. i had no idea of where i was going w/ the design or what i was going to do w/ it -- i just wanted to color/create something and have some time to think about things. i went to my (our) bedroom, got out the colored pencils and my journal, and started doodling.

i worked slowly, thinking about the shapes and what would look good and coloring in the solids to look consistent. not because i couldn't work faster, but because i needed something to occupy my time so my mind could think things through. i wasn't in a hurry to create, just creating to channel/focus some energy.

i ended up working on the design over about 4 sessions, and on the 4th session decided that i should "square" up the design to a nice square or rectangle shape so that i could print it on the front of a note card. i started "squaring" in one direction and then in another, but when i turned the page the other way to work i saw "h-m-m-m, that makes an almost perfect V on the bottom of a heart."

so at that point, after the whole bottom half and the middle section clear up to the inner point was done, i decided to make the doodle into a heart shape. i traced the point of the heart as i had done it on to typing paper and cut that out. then i folded the paper in half and cut the rounded parts for the tops of the heart so they would be symmetrical.

i lightly traced the outline of the upper part on the paper and then doodled in the same style shapes until i had reached those boundaries. once i saw where i was going w/ it, i was obsessed w/ getting it done and seeing the final product. funny thing, i wouldn't have ever thought to make that into a heart shape from the beginning -- but it works.

this picture was done w/ a purple prang colored pencil on white 10 x 10 journal paper w/ the consistency and texture of heavy cardstock.

several people have commented on this "doodle," which ended up being almost 10 x 10 inches when finished -- so it's a rather large "doodle". the edges of the heart were a little crimped b/c i ran out of paper! the size does explain some of the intricacy, b/c if it were only a tiny doodle -- that would be some small work!

another beautiful sunrise

2006-09-18T19:21:00.000-05:00

another in my growing collection of beautiful sunrises and sunsets. this is a farm scene silhouetted against the rising sun that i often enjoy seeing on my way to work. on this cool, crisp morning, i decided to stop and snap a few shots of it.
unfortunately, those ugly distracting power lines in the forefront really detract from the picture. so i cropped the picture to get rid of those and force the focus on the tree and barn and bins against the rising sun. as i studied the picture more, though, i saw that there were power lines in the far background, but just in the lines of the tree and barn and bins.
by enlarging the picture to work on individual pixels, i touched out the power lines by using the eye dropper tool to match the paint to the color nearest the lines. it was a slow process, but the more i worked on it, the more sure i was that i wanted those lines out of there.
with the power lines out, the farm against the rising sun set a clean silhouette that i thought was just beautiful. i used this print to have postcards made for my september postcard swap, so if you're on my list -- this picture will be arriving soon.
next, i wanted to shift the focus from the overall scene to the beautiful old tree on the left. i recropped the picture to just include the tree and part of the old barn, and i think it turned out very well. it certainly changes the feeling of the picture for me.

i love traveling around and looking at old barns/houses/churches. i find them fascinating in the history that they have to tell.

jerry's bins at sunrise

2006-09-18T15:46:00.000-05:00

last year, jerry and i often rode to work together. this meant that he had to leave 45 minutes earlier than normal and i had to leave 30 minutes earlier than normal, but we did enjoy our time together in the car. by carpooling, we had about an hour and a half together that we didn't normally have.

because of the times of our morning drive, we were usually driving into the sunrise. we joked that it must be our ages, but we really enjoyed the beautiful sunrise scenes and the animals out in the mornings.

one day when i was driving to work alone, i had the chance to stop and photograph this beautiful sunrise of "jerry's bins". no, they're not really "his," but he always comments on how pretty it was to see them silhouetted against the rising sun. so this day provided me to perfect opportunity to stop and take a picture of that beautiful sunrise to save for him.

crucifix - picture transformation

2006-09-18T09:25:00.007-05:00

all of this . . .

came from this . . .

last summer, my son (scott) went to a wedding in kansas city with a friend. he saw this crucifix there and thought it was just an eye-catching beautiful piece of art -- so he took a picture to show me how neat it looked.

i did have to agree w/ him -- it does have a fascinating, eerie appeal to it. something that just makes you stop and take a look at it to see what it truly is. the problem w/ the picture for me, though, was that it had some distracting elements in it -- the dark color of the roof, the head in the front left, and something else in the front right, taken at an angle from a distance, and it was too dark.

i asked him if he cared if i tried making some changes to it and cleaning up some of that outside, distracting stuff. he thought that would be fine, so i gave it a try.

i added some light to the picture before i cropped in closer on the crucifix, leaving out the line of the room and part of the outer distractions. next, i tilted the picture just a little so that the crucifix was vertically straight. after tilting, i had to re-crop the picture to have straight lines on the edges.

i enlarged the picture on the computer screen to where i could easily see the individual pixels. i used the eye dropper tool to pick up colors of the picture to "paint" out the distraction on the lower right and keep the marbled look of the wall continuous.

because he took the picture from the right side, there is more light or showing on the right. i wanted a totally symmetrical look, with the same amount of light on each side as if he were looking at the crucifix from straight on when he took the picture.

i used the freehand "select" tool and traced around the wall space on the right, copied it to another image, chose the "mirror" button to reverse it, and finally copied/pasted it back onto the original on the left side of the crucifix -- so the light looks the same on the left as on the right.

i wanted to make sure there were no obvious lines from the copy/paste step, so i used a large, soft brush to blend the areas where the lines could possible be showing.

i decided to add just a touch more light to the picture to bring out the reflective qualities in the wall colors.

almost done, i recropped the picture to make sure that the crucific was the absolute center of the picture. then, to put more emphasis on the cross and the center of the picture, i chose to add a glow from the center, which automatically darkened the upper corners and emphasized the oblong circle around the cross.

when i was done, i was VERY happy with the outcome. the picture resolution of this photo is high enough that is can easily print out at 20 x 30 poster size or print on canvas. i think it would make a beautiful picture to hang for display or a nice post card or greeting card. scott and i have talked about listing it for sale, but haven't decided where to post it.

this picture is registered as part of the original artwork of my son's collection. i'm posting it on MY blog b/c of my work on "fixing" the picture that he took, but i'm giving him full credit for the picture.

photo kaleidoscopes

2006-09-11T19:32:00.000-05:00

here is a picture of raven sitting in front of our flowers out front of the house. we were taking pictures, so i just snapped one of her. i've been thinking to make her a kaleidoscope from a special picture, but just hadn't come across the right picture yet. when i saw this one, i knew it was "the one"!

so, i "reversed" the picture to make mirror images. then with a protractor, i figured out what angle i wanted to use to make the pictures connect where i wanted the connecting points. this turned out to be 30 degree angles, meaning that i would need a total of 12 pictures at that angle to make up the 360 degrees in a circle. of the 12 pictures, 6 must face left and 6 must face right.

i always order a couple extras of each pose in this situation, too, just in case i goof up on one. i know i can always order an extra if i need it, but the colors won't always be the same if it's printed off at a later date -- so i always just order 1 or 2 extra of each pose needed. if i don't need it for this project, i can always use it on a regular scrapbook page later OR cut it up and use it to make a mosaic picture or a border around the edge of the page of the kaleidoscope.

after measuring the angles and marking the pattern picture, i began matching that pattern up on all the other pictures. it's quite time consuming and a person must work very precisely so the angles match up exactly when finished.

here is the resulting kaleidoscope, made up of 12 - 4 x 6 pictures cut at 30 degree angles. after cutting all the pieces, i matched the pictures to a piece of 12 x 12 cardstock, measured it and marked a 4 inch X across the middle to give me good guidelines to work from. then i just started matching them up and sticking them down.

here is a picture of my son, scott, 4 years ago when he got his new car. i used this picture of him to make a pinwheel rather than a kaleidoscope b/c i didn't feel this picture would have good "touch points". it turned out to be a good thing, though, as he likes to have something different than his sister.
by taking this picture and having 8 prints made, i measured the pattern and cut the pictures all the same. then i just started laying the out and sticking them down, resulting in a perfect pinwheel pattern when i was done.
this is a kaleidoscope made from a picture of summer sitting in a wooden/rope swing. i used 30 degree angles on these pictures, requiring a total of 12 pictures w/ 6 facing left and 6 facing right. on these, i left the back part of the picture in the shape of the protractor and trimmed off a little of the picture at the 30 degree angle end.
these are all on 12 x 12 cardstock and are included within the specific person's scrapbook. they would make great framed pictures for display on the walls, but i wanted them in the scrapbooks.

now i just have 1 child and 4 grandchildren to go before i'll have one of these done for everyone in my family.

give thanks - 2005

2006-09-11T17:24:00.000-05:00

this journal page is something that i doodled the border on while waiting on raven to get out of the emergency room the evening after thanksgiving last year. she has trouble w/ "nurse-maid's elbow" and has had about 3 trips to the ER to have her arm "fixed."

the pages were already painted w/ cheap acrylic paint. the border and writing was done w/ a brown sharpie marker, and then i added the pictures in from 2005 of the people/events i was most thankful for.

upper left - jerry and me at the kansas city countryclub plaza on thanksgiving evening to watch the lights come on.
upper right - summer and lucas pose as bride and groom, the weekend before thanksgiving.
middle left - scott gives me a hug at the plaza
middle - raven dressed up like a fairy princess at summer and lucas' wedding.
middle right - raven picks out her pumpkin w/ summer, just 2 hours after the kids and i had been rear-ended in our car by a trailer truck.
lower left - raven concentrates on painting her christmas ornament at 'clay cafe' at mall of the great plains in olathe, kansas.
lower right - the view of a beautiful sunset from my house.

can you hear me now?

2006-08-13T16:06:00.000-05:00

can he hear me now? probably not! after all -- this is the picture of a teenage boy's ear. what can a person expect!?!

this is taken from a colored pencil drawing that i'm doing of my son, scott, puckered up to kiss his 2-year-old neice, whom he had just tossed up in the air -- much to her excitement and delight.

i have scott's side of the drawing all done except for some little touches i might add later. each time i start to work on it, i'm always afraid i'll do something and mess the whole thing up.

my husband, jerry, said, "well, you can't just leave it half finished like that. he looks pretty dorky standing there puckered up for a kiss and there is nothing and nobody there!"

ok, so i have to finish it . . . i've been working on getting psyched up to work on it all week, and i finally had the chance to work on it some last night at work. now i'm hooked again, so i can't wait for the house to be quiet tonight (after all our company leaves) so i can work on it some more.

who knows -- maybe i'll be finished w/ it soon!

done w/ prang colored pencils on 65# white 11x14 sketchpad paper and drawn from a photo taken on 10/31/05 as raven was headed out for an evening of trick-or-treating.

girls can fish, too

2006-08-11T06:15:00.000-05:00

father's day might have been quite an event for the fathers in the family, but little raven was along on the fishing trip (w/ her daddy) and had just as much fun as the guys. the biggest differences -- beautiful long curly hair, painted finger nails and matching toe nails, matching earrings and necklace, pink rubber boots from carters, and a disney princess fishing pole. nothing like fishing in style! i’m betting that some day she’ll “catch more fish” than the rest of them put together!

daddy – you better watch out and be prepared!

done w/ prang black colored pencil on white 70# sketch book paper. drawn from a photo taken on the father's day fishing trip, june 18, 2006.

father's day - 2006 - fishing

2006-08-05T03:11:00.000-05:00

this is a picture of my husband, jerry, enjoying "the best father's day ever" w/ his son, jacob, and his grandsons, johnnie and jimmie. this fishing event was at the little pond just to the east of my house. we often see deer, turkey, and much other wildlife around this pond and waterway area. we had a great day w/ a lot of excitement. the full story and some other pix are on my other blog -- but i'm trying to keep this blog just for the artwork that i've done or am doing.

this picture was done w/ a black prang colored pencil on white 70# paper in a 9 x 12 sketch book. i love the big pages of the 11 x 14 -- but it just gets too bulky to carry around.

a special mother's day gift for evelyn - 2006

2006-08-02T06:03:00.000-05:00

this is a project that i actually worked on in april and may, and we presented the "finished product" to jerry's mother on mother's day -- may 14, 2006. i've just now gotten around to posting this b/c i didn't think of it as "artwork" to post, but then realized that someone might be interested in this project, too. so, here is part of the reason i wasn't getting much artwork done and/or posted in the spring!

after jerry's mother, evelyn, saw that i could make changes to pictures, she called me and said, "jill, somewhere i have a picture of myself from when i was about 2 years old, sitting in my dad's chair and holding my little dollie. that has always been my favorite picture, but it has been terribly torn up and damaged over the years. i actually threw it in the trash the last time i was sorting pictures, but i just couldn't stand to part w/ it -- so i grabbed it back out of there. i just couldn't part w/ it. can you do anything w/ that picture to repair it?"

i hadn't seen the picture at the time, so i told her that i didn't know -- but when i found the picture i would try to do what i could. my "picture-fixing" skills were very limited and i was learning them as i needed them, so i didn't really know if i could do it or not.

here is a scan of the original picture provided to me from my mother-in-law. the picture measured 7 x 7 and was probably taken in 1928, i'm guessing. evelyn was born in march, 1926, and that looks like about a 2 to 2 1/2 year old sitting there.

the first step i did was to crop out the distracting edges of the picture and also that took out some of the damaged area, too.

i started at the outside edges and worked on the background areas first, working to improve my ability level before going on to more difficult things in the picture. i saved the picture after each major work session or before trying something new and difficult. that way, i could just "un-do" or "revert back to last saved copy" and scrap any screw-ups that i had made. trust me -- that happened a lot of times! and i'm such a freak about "backing things up" that i had copies save on the home computer, laptop, and jump drive -- just in case!

the damage that went right across the subject's face and body were the most difficult to fix. i would work and work and then un-do and un-do and try again.

i was making a lot of progress at this point and was quite proud of what i was getting done and learning in the process, but i just had so much to do/learn before i was done. all this time, every time i spoke w/ evelyn, she always asked me about this picture. for a while, i stalled her w/ saying that i had been too busy to work on it. then i told her that i had so many things i had to learn that i wasn't sure i could do it. then i told her that i was working on it, but it was going to take a lot of time.

to fill in the bottom of the picture, i copied and pasted other sections of the grass across there and merged those layers together. then i copied and pasted sections of the chair legs. this part of the picture is probably the easiest to tell where i fixed it b/c the sections i used were too repetitious -- but most people (well, everyone so far) hasn't noticed that. it's one of those "faults" in my art that i see and it just screams out at me, i guess.

i was almost done, at this point. i could see success dangling just out of reach. just unreachable b/c i couldn't get that damaged area in her hair to "fix" and look natural and like hair should look. it just looked like a big old smudge every time i tried something on it. i was getting very frustrated.

as i stared at the picture, trying to figure out how to "fix" the damage in the hair area and still have it look like natural hair, i saw that the back of her head/haircut looked the same as the front. so i just copied a section of hair from the back of her head, flipped it over and pasted it on the front. then i merged the layers together to hide what i had done and very lightly smudged any tell-tale signs.

by doing it this way, the hair still had that nice, natural, hair "look" and that shine at just the right level. i was thrilled w/ this method working so well and kicked myself in the behind for the hours i had wasted trying to fix it before i can up w/ this idea!

now i had reached the "finished product" -- or at least the best that i could do and i was happy w/ the results and thought she would be, too.

because of the picture's unusual dimensions in today's world (7 x 7), i put it on a solid colored background to make the picture able to print out as an 8 x 10. i didn't want to upload the picture and then try and edit or crop it online. this made it simpler to upload and order a print. an 8 x 10 print from walmart was $3.00 -- a worthy investment!

jerry made a frame for the picture out of some old barnwood that had been weathered and lost its painted color. he did an excellent job, and he's a very fine craftsman -- a definite perfectionist right down to cleaning up his tools and messes when he's done! when he does a project, it's something he'll be proud to show. (my grandmother would've loved him if she were still alive!)

when we gave the picture to evelyn on mother's day, she was shocked and speechless. she just couldn't believe that it was "her" picture. she thought it looked like it have never been damaged. she had tears in her eyes, but couldn't speak as she sat there and just shook her head in disbelief. she hugged me so tight i thought she was going to squeeze the breath out of me -- so i think she loved the picture. when we went to the family reunion in nebraska in june, she took the picture w/ her to show it off. those people who had seen the picture when it was damaged were very impressed w/ the "new" picture and frame.

another project together w/ jerry that went just perfectly! i'd say we make a great team (as long as he doesn't expect me to "build" or "assemble" anything, we'll get along just fine!).

i used my home computer, scanner, and mouse (meaning no wacom tablet lives here yet!) and Paint Shop Pro 8 (Jasc software) to make the changes to the picture.