Showing posts with label Quirky Birds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quirky Birds. Show all posts

Friday, December 27, 2013

2013 Favorites

As I'm not sleeping I began to think back on 2013 from an artistic point of view. My word for the year was Artist - as in this was the year I would become one. Sometimes I own that, sometimes it still seems  far away, but there is no doubt I grew....as an artist. So here's my top ten of the year.

Tim Holtz issued a tattered flower challenge in March. This tops my favorites list because I really played with colors, mediums, and textures. I had never done anything on a a piece of metal either.











I used grunge board, cheese cloth, plastic, paper, and screening, with paints, stains, metallics, glue (to stiffen the cheese cloth), texture fades and some favorite buttons. The finished piece is hanging in the Fun Room. Original post.

















The next piece was a birthday gift for a dear friend who has been nothing but encouraging about my art work. Not only was it a gas to make - she loved it! Original post.


From canvas to ATC, the next project was for an ATC challenge of underwater. I had been playing around with some Twinkling H2O's and salt a couple of days before and this kind of fell together.  Original post.

I participated - somewhat - in Lifebook 2013. It's a great, year long course, but it takes a lot of time - something I rarely have. This lesson was entitled Quirky Birds. Indeed. Original post.

The tag is another Tim Holtz inspired project. He's what got me into this after all. As I recall this was either the second or third attempt at the colors and layout, but I just love how it came out. It's incredible vibrant...and hangs within my field of vision at the office. Original post.

My daughter turned 21 this year. One of the things I started doing for the kids when they came into my life was silly birthday riddles - I'm made some very unusual rhymes over the years. This year I was informed she would like a BIG card. So I made her a canvas, and turned it into a card. Based on Christy Tomlinson's style...another find from Lifebook. Original post.

Another Lifebook project by a great teacher, Kelly Hoerning. I learned a BUNCH about eyes...even managed to draw a couple. Great techniques as well. Original post.

These little notebooks were Christmas presents I made for sisters and friends. What makes me laugh about them is I started to make them with scrapbook paper and then realized, duh, I make paper....I got good and inky with these! Original post.

These are a recent project as well. Affirmation Cards for the Brave Girls Club. They make the list not because they are such great works of art, but for how consumed I was in making them. I stayed up until 1:30 am and was back at my desk at 7:30 am. Quite unlike me for a Sunday morning! Original post.

And finally this rounds out the list...because it was another first. Really the first time I played with canvas....there's going to be more of that in the new year. Plus the colors are Yummy. Original post.


Thanks for taking this little journey with me....both this post and the whole creative ride. I really can't imagine doing what I do, learning what I have, getting a fraction of the inspiration I have, without all you folks in blogland. I am thankful girl!!


Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Messy, Inky WOYWW 209 Desk

Greetings oh fellow Deskers!! I just love that term - thank you Julia!

What a great week it was last week with all the sharing and learning that if you send anything outside the United States you must fill out a customs form. (Goes to show how international my life was before I joined up with WOYWW). And if you are wondering what the heck WOYWW is, please click here to be directed to Julia Dunnit's blog.

I'm a tad bit boring this week.


I got to play for a bit on Sunday evening with Distress Markers and all thing Tim (what FUN!!) and if you are interested, you can see some of my creations here. On the desk above you can see a couple of dragonflies in different color ways, lots of markers, blending tools, stains and ink. At one point I think I must have had about 15 different ink pads open....big smile. 


I was working on my entry for the June Tag in Tim's 12 Tags of 2013 and here's a couple of the experiments. 

Way over on the right hand corner of the desk is my big art journal - partially covered by a bag of ribbon - you can meet Sparkie Bird. He's a work in progress. 

Thanks so much for stopping by the Fun Room as we start a new year of world-wide snooping!! Hope you have a great week and you get plenty of creative time!!

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Quirky Birds at WOYWW 205

UPDATE: For WOYWW 206 click HERE. Mr. Blinky and I didn't get along very well this week I'm afraid.

Zip. Zip. Zip. Time zips by and all of a sudden it's Wednesday again and time for What's On Your Work Desk Wednesday, hosted each week by the most talented apprentice EVER I'm sure, Ms. Dunnit. Our friend Ms. Julia has embarked on a new career of sorts and we're hoping it doesn't keep her away from her blog too much - because in addition to this Wednesday gig, she writes a great story!

My desk has the remnants of a card I made last evening for a family friend who's amazing 19 month old Great Dane Leo died of a heart attack running through the snow on Saturday. So sad. He was black and white so I made a black and white card -- well, it had a bit of color. If you look really hard underneath the letter stamps you can see the paper I used.



There are a few new things on the desk too - a prezzie package arrived in the mail today. From me. To me!! I am blown away by all the things you can do with these watercolor crayons. I wimped out and bought the 15 crayons assortment first -  I mean I didn't really know if I would like them or not....kinda of a mistake, cause now I want them ALL!! 


I've been working on a Lifebook 2013 project the past couple of days. This one was Quirky Birds. So much fun. A lot of Neocolor crayons, acrylic paints, and a collection of white and black pens





I learned so much working on these. Blending, techniques for making quirky creatures, and as always what I wouldn't do next time. The first two birds I essentially copied from Tam Lapor, Lifebook's founder and the teacher for this class. They are slightly different, but the concept was hers. The next two were a bit more my own. To me, they have a different look - a little looser. 



This guy is my athletic bird -- you can tell because he has knee pads on! What fun...I found myself doodling a bird during a meeting at work today...not sure that's a good sign, but it's all fun! 

Hope you have fun this week.