3/29/10 Not Much to Tell

Well, the last couple weeks have kind of flown by - and I haven't done a whole lot of artwork.  These images are from a Chunky Book Swap - the pages are 4.5" x 4" and are made for a specific person with the subject matter they wanted in their book. (angels, architecture)

I used a combination of found images, rubber stamping, marker and rub-on overlays.

I also started a digital photography class through Jessica Sprague's website and so far it's really good.  This one is taught by Candace Stringham - you get a lot of information in written form, video and audio. The first week dealt with Shutter Speed / how to set them / why you change them / different effects you get and why.  There's a Technical Assignment, a Creative Assignment and a Friday "Field Trip" along with emails five days a week.  You submit your photos and Candace sends written and audio comments back to you.

This week is about Depth of Field and it's a little confusing.  We'll see.....

3/17/10 Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day !
(Paper Whimsy Lottery ATC)

3/7/10 My "Oscar" Picks for Top Collage Sites

I started making ATC's about a year ago and have found a few sites that I really like.  While each has it's own flavor, they are all run by women who clearly love what they do.  If you're a mixed-media, collage or digital artist you'll want to visit these sites.  Collecting ephemera and other such "stuff" can be difficult at first - unless you're a pack rat.  Which I am not.  So, these sites offer lots of choices in collage materials and an outlet to show off your work through their swaps and challenges.  Most sites are now offering digital downloads of collage sheets - great if you're in a hurry and with the added bonus of being able to use the images more than once.  I've participated in challenges on all of these sites and have never been disappointed with the quality of artwork I've gotten from the other participating artists - there are a lot of really talented women out there!
(the following "reviews" are just my opinion of these sites - you should check them out and see for yourself which ones are your favorites)  And please, if you know of any to recommend to me, please send a comment.
(In Alphabetical Order)
Alphastamps  / Alpha Stamps Blog
This site has loads of stuff to have fun with.  A lot of the collage sheets have a graphic, slightly 40's/50's retro feel to them in bolder colors and lots of fun themes like Carnival/Venice, Angels and Saints, Alice in Wonderland and Marie Antoinette. They also carry a lot of findings, charms, tags, glitter, chipboard, rubber stamps, etc.
The images are high quality and printed on cardstock, transparencies, sticker sheets or fabric.  They offer swaps and challenges through their Yahoo Group.
Artchix Studio  /  Art Chix Studio Blog
Very colorful, fun website with a slight vintage feel to it. They offer collage sheets, german scrap, frames and shrines, kits and it's easy to shop by color, theme,size, holiday, etc.  They also offer stickers and  digital downloads - nice if you're in a hurry to get started on something. The images on the collage sheets are high quality and are laser printed on card stock or transparencies and there is usually a special price on 3 or more /7 or more sheets bought at one time.  They also have lots of sheets with faux postage stickers to choose from with all kinds of images including some Chixie artwork from previous swaps.  The swaps are offered through their Yahoo Group.
Collage Stuff  /  Collage Stuff Blog
This site has a decidedly vintage feel to it with a lot of the images seeming to be from the early 1900's with titles like "Lovely Ladies", "Gargoyles", "Romance/Love", and "Cemetery Angels".  They also carry german scrap, charms, rubber stamps and products from Tim Holtz and Maya Road.  They offer monthly ATC swaps through their Yahoo Group and post the calendar for the entire year in January - which leaves plenty of time for planning the ones you want to participate in.
Jessica Sprague  /  Jessica's Blog
This site is fairly new to me - it's all about digital collage/scrapbooking.  She offers several kinds of online classes (instructor led or self paced for Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced levels of students)  She carries digital stamps and brushes, embellishment sets, templates, papers, etc.  The forum always has lots of good information - I've asked questions about cameras, etc. and have gotten good responses.  Her classes are rated highly by her students.  I've registered for one called "Up and Running With Photoshop Class 1" but haven't started it yet.  (I'll review it as soon as I can get myself to set aside the time to just start it)  One bonus with these classes is that they don't "expire" - once you buy them they're always on her site for you to go to and review and continue working on problem areas.......
Paper Whimsy  /  Paper Whimsy Blog
This site is very much like it's name suggests - fanciful and feminine.  Visiting this site always feels like finding a peaceful island in the middle of chaos -  the design is elegant in it's use of pattern and color.  The collage sheets are made of images from the owner's own stash and are lightly hand colored to add just a nice layer of softness to everything.  She also carries paper flowers, fibers, ribbons, papers and lots of digital sheets to name a few.  She also offers swaps to group members - see her blog for more information.   This is a very supportive group of very talented artists.

2/27/10 I'm a Girl - I can Multi-Task

I finished the Venetian Fans this week for Alphastamps - here they are.  Some are totally different than the samples I posted last week, but it gave me a good place to start.  Most were accented with markers, stamp pad along the edges and two have gold German scrap along the edges.

I worked on a challenge from ArtChix Studio called "I Love......" Twinchies Game Art Swap.   (Twinchies are 2" square collages) Here are the six that I made.

I also finished a challenge through Paper Whimsy - a Tag Triptych.  The format was a center tag with two side tags that were shorter than the center.  

In the next posting I'm going to review the sites I use most that offer swaps / challenges.   

2/21/10 Fan Plan

Here are the first layouts for the Venetian Fan Swap.  I cut out the template for the fan pages and used it as a mat to get a sense of the layout.  All the images had to be cropped in some way and this makes it easy to see where pieces should be.  Using the color copies** helps to see how the colors/patterns work together.  I think I like where these are going so the next step is to us the actual collage sheets and then start embellishing them - with German Scrap, ribbon, glitter, etc.

*** color copies are for planning only - NOT to be used in actual work

2/19/10 BEGIN Again

I bought a sketch book the other day - not that I need another one - but the color was beautiful and it said "Begin" - I couldn't resist.

There are times when an inspirational word or quote just makes me roll my eyes - are people really moved by this stuff?   Do we really need to be slapped in the face by the obvious even if it is adorned with flowers and scrolls and ethereal colors?  Well, yes.  Because there are days like the one where I found this sketchbook titled "Begin" that it spoke to me.  I didn't roll my eyes or shake my head - at that moment it just made sense.  

This blog started out with the realization that I was done making excuses and just had to begin it.  Of course now I need a schedule and have to make sure I have work to show on a weekly basis.  I'd also like to show process sometimes.  I have five sisters who have all said if they could draw like me, they would do it every day.  So, that's what this sketchbook will be used for - an image a day - a sketch, a photo or a collage.  And there's an added bonus for me - now I can blame my sisters if this doesn't work out!

www.alphastamps.com has a challenge I'm working on- the Venetian Fan-Shaped Book Swap.  There are a lot of Venetian and carnival themed collage sheets and embellishments to chose from - I made color copies of the sheets I bought and cut out the template for the fans.  (I'm using The Secret, Pierrette, Windows of Venice, Masked, Botanicabella Collection sheets, and Brocade collage sheets/papers).  Sometimes I find it easier to use the color copies to find combinations that might work - to get a sense of the background and a few elements.  I've always felt that if the start or foundation isn't good then it makes the rest a lot harder.   Embellishments are nice, but they have to be on something solid.  So tomorrow I'll' be making some initial combinations and posting them.  We'll see what happens.

2/13/10 Work of the Week

I just finished Lenna's New Lotto Theme: Women, Words and .....?  It's an ATC with an image of a woman, a quote and embellished with Stickles as the third element.  The collage images are from ArtChix Studio.  The cool thing about the lotto is that a winner is chosen and they get ATC's from everyone who entered.  Here's hoping.....
The other challenge I worked on this week was from Helga's Blog Art Challenge and it was to make three "twinchies" (2" x 2" squares)  These are titled "Women in Red".

These include paper and images from ArtChix Studio and braided trim.  I also uploaded some photos of murals, sketches and books that I did awhile ago.