We Three 3

And I thought spring was on the way....

2012-02-23T20:59:00.002-05:00

The flowers are in the shops and markets but it feels colder now than it did in December and January!

There are crocuses coming up earlier than I expected. The poor plants are confused:)

I'm a little disappointed that my swap-bot swap didn't go so well. I made my card and sent it but the person who was to send to me never did. Well, its my first time so I will give it another go. I signed up for an ATC swap related to birds. We'll see what happens with that one!

Daffodils - I used Schminke paints and Arches text laid paper

But on the very bright side I received a wonderful package from Pat. She was so kind to mail me an envelope with goodies. What a nice friend! Thank you Pat you made my week! :)

I got to visit with my neice recently and she is a crafty, creative little artist. Emily and her girlfriend Brenin are so cute. They spend time doing crafts, drawing and such. I showed them the bunting I made for the valentine swap and right away they wanted to make one too! And they did. Unfortunately I left before they did but the girls did show me something that they had made together. At a previous visit, I shared Jenniebellie's YouTube channel and they got to work trying to make a journal. They told me the one they picked was too hard (they are 9 and 7) and instead of giving up came up with some wonderful little things! Just adorable.

the happy couple

bunny and pup

Well thanks goodness its Thursday, the weekend is almost around the corner! Work has been a hectic and this week has lasted for what seems like forever! That always happens when there is a day off in there. I hope to post more, the past few weeks I have been preoccupied running here and there. Take care everyone and hope all is well! Good night:)

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T13:55:00.000-05:00

Back to the blog... I've been out of the loop. My uncle passed away last week and I have been with family, helping to celebrate my uncle's life. Art and internet have taken a backseat as can be expected. My aunt will sorely miss her sweetheart of 50+ years and I'll be thinking of her today with love.

Today I'm posting more images of the valentine I sent through last week for the swap I participated in. The person's profile indicated that they liked vintage pin-ups. It also said that she liked buntings. So I made a card set with bunting to hang.

The full image of the card

The bunting is shown in this shot :) The images of the girls are so cute. The pocket was made with a paper lunch bag! The bag folds up from the bottom to create front pocket. The edged top also opened up as that is the actual top of the lunch bag. I got the tutorial here, a link was posted by April Cole on her blog. Great timing!

I put the card in the front pocket and the back pocket held the folded bunting.

Later I'll be searching swap-bot for another swap to join! I encourage anyone interested to try it out!

Speaking of swaps, I've received some terrific from April too!

We did a nice swap which she posted about too! Below are the wonderful ATCs she sent.

April was so sweet to have sent TWO cards for the one I sent to her! Lucky me! :)

My sweetheart had a gorgeous bouquet delivered, and now I have fantastic subject matter to draw and paint. Lucky again :)

I hope everyone has a lovely Valentine's day.

If you can't be with the one you love, love the one your with.

Super Sunday

2012-02-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

First Quarter

Well, our Sunday night was an exciting and fun one for all of us. Our team won!

I was able to do some sketching which I am so happy about.

I love capturing the events in our lives on paper.

I don't do it nearly as often as I could but when I do I am so glad. I sketched last year's game but produced only one page so I thought I would try to get in all fourth quarters...I was semi-successful.

No fear, there is always next year's game! And of course, all the days in between. I've also posted some photos as well, below.

second and third quarters

Duncan Hines extra dark chocolate cake. Delicious.

On the look-out

Yankee sleeps thru it all

Taking in the halftime show

Carl and legs

Dessert plate

Have a good day and I'll be seeing you on the blogs this week:)

Happy Sunday - SUPERBOWL

2012-02-05T16:17:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday!

Getting ready now to get over to our friend's home for SuperBowl Sunday:)) I'm bringing a salad. Hopefully I can stick close to that bowl, rather than the bowl with the chips:)

I hope the Giants get their win! Enjoy your day!

Valentine Swap

2012-02-04T09:15:00.001-05:00

Here is a quick look at what I am working on.

It's my contribution to a Valentine's card swap I'm participating in. I am really excited to have found swap-bot.com! I found a link to it on April Cole's blog, it was the cute little envelope widget that caught my eye:) You have to check her blog out! April is always posting, along with her wonderful art, interesting information!

The pocket I made for this project was also found on April's blog as well. It was made out of a paper lunch bag! Now I am on the hunt for paperbag projects:)

Now I'm off to visit an old friend. Oh, happy day!!

Have a wonderful Saturday:)

Tangerine - for The Creative Color Challenge 2012

2012-01-29T16:05:00.000-05:00

We Built This City

Orange painting completed with two days to spare! Yee ha! This is my painting for the Creative Color Challenge.

Wow, it has been a creative Sunday for sure. I've been up since 6am and started painting at 8. Today's been my idea of a perfect day; drinking coffee, painting, chatting, painting, listening to the radio, painting, make a little lunch, eat, paint. LOL...You get the idea.

Valentine Tags

I made a bunch of tags. I see alot of give aways on the blogs so I thought it be fun to give these three tags away. So I guess the way it works is if the first person to comment on them, I'll send the tags to that person :)) Don't forget to email me your address. My email is wethree333@gmail.com

Now I'm off to the art store. I need to buy another watercolor pad. I have alot loose paper but there is something about keeping it all wire bound that I like:) Well I'm off with coupon in hand! Hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday. Next Sunday will be quite different at this time. We'll be getting prepared to watch the big game - super excited for the Super Bowl! Go Giants!!

Enjoy your day,

FranT

A Lesson Learned

2012-01-25T00:41:00.001-05:00

sketched in my Jill Bliss journal while waiting

Today I spent quite a bit of time in traffic court. What an experience. I am happy to say that I have never had the pleasure and hope this was my first and last time. While waiting they play snippets of filming that gets done at big intersections. It okay for the most part. Nothing gorey but certainly disturbing.

I went in on behalf of my husband's ticket. He received a ticket in error and was ticketed for having an expired parking sticker on his window, down at the parking lot of the train station. I went to Town Hall to correct and was told he shouldn't have gotten that ticket because his permit was still valid.

Mistake number 1, neither one of us actually checked to see what the date said, we just took the officers word on it! doy! After I left I emailed the lady at town hall the copy of the ticket and she was going to mail me a letter. That way I could use that to dispute the ticket via mail.

Mistake number 2, I emailed the woman at the wrong address, never followed up and then never got the letter. So here I am this morning on my way to court because he got a court summons.[ I did this for my guy because he works as a contractor and if he takes a day he doesn't get paid.] I got all my paperwork together, had my proof of valid permit and drive like hell [super genius] to the courthouse.

Mistake number 3, arguing with the judge about a $15 fee that I felt was unjustified. I was a victim of the police officer's mistake! Bottom line, it's pretty much futile. I left paying a $15 clerical fee, ended up using gas to drive back and forth [$], and then took half day off work[$].

When I got in the car I started to laugh because a small part of this is my own doing and part was something I had not control over! I started the drawing above while waiting at the courthouse. Then colored it in this evening. This pretty much sums up the experience.

I am proud though because I truly feel that my meditating is helping me deal with my anger alot better. Its been a week and so helpful. I mean I did get mad but I got over it much, much sooner that I would have even a week ago. That is progress! I can sorta kinda really feel what it means to 'let it go' ...well for the most part... I would LOVE the day that it doesn't bother me so much so that I wouldn't even post about it.LOL! But for now, I got to chew your ear off a litttle:) Thanks for that.

Art on Saturday

2012-01-21T21:55:00.002-05:00

We were snowbound today (I'm putting it lightly). I would say we got about 4-5 inches, so enough to pretend:) I baked, painted, watched THREE movies and generally lolled about. I just got finished walking the dog and I have to say its so refreshing outside! I love the first 24 hours or so after snowfall. Its exquisitely pristine out there! Everything will go grey soon but for now it's perfection.

In Nov'09, we moved back to NY after living in Florida for 6 years. The weather there was glorious for the most part but I sure did miss the seasons the first few years down there. But I did eventually get used to it and so much so that if it dipped below 80 I was looking for a sweater. No kidding!

Having been back I must say that I really cherish the changes of the season and enjoy all the little things that come along with that. I totally enjoy how much my son loves the cold weather. I hope I never take the changes of the seasons for granted again. I guess once a northerner, always a northerner. At least for me, that is!

I started a meditation routine this week. I used to do it every evening for a year or so but that ended in Florida. I've decided I really need it and was going to stop procrastinating! I'm not making any fuss at all. That's what trips me up and keeps me stalling. 'Oh, I have to have this and I have to have that. I need a cushion, what if I get cold? I'll need a light blanket. I don't have a bell, where's my mat..' you get the idea, I could go on and on. So I just sat down on the sofa, put my hands on my knees and just meditated for 15 minutes. It was fantastic! I did it every morning and I have got to tell you that I am calmer. Not entirely , for sure but it has actually made me stop and consider two or three times through the week, related to my temper. That is a HUGE improvement and happened to take me by surprise. I am a complete and total seat-of- my- pants gal, particularly with my moods and feelings. So I am grateful for that today. Namaste ;)

Lab 46: Get a Stack of Books

2012-01-16T21:59:00.001-05:00

I am working from the book Drawing Lab by Carla Sonheim and it is terrific...even if I don't follow it to the 'T' I'm getting so much out of it. In this exercise, you're supposed to use a stack of books but I took my 'Eyewitness France' book off my shelf first and just stuck with it! And I spent a nice 2 hours in France :)

I received a nice set of Inktense watercolor pencils. That is what I used for this exercise, along with my trusty Microns. But I do want to try out the Dr.Ph Martin's watercolors I also received . I haven't even broken them out of the plastic yet. I am surprised at my patience. Maybe its intimidation, LOL!

I got so much out of the responses from my last post! Thanks to everyone who replied with their amazing comments. I am so encouraged! I am definately not going to worry anymore about a style and just do my thing.

Have a good evening everyone. Enjoy the rest of this Monday and have a lovely week!

Slow Saturday

2012-01-14T15:13:00.002-05:00

colored ink and watercolor pencils

watercolor and micron pen

watercolor rainbow:)

I used a black Sharpie, white gel pen and watercolor

Doodle

I'm struggling with the fact that I am unable to find a certain style. Why do I feel as if my work should look more or less similar? I think its because I feel like if someone were to look at my work they should know right away that its mine. But when it comes to creating, I've got multiple personalities! I wonder if anyone else feels this way . I am also wondering if anyone feels the opposite? If they only create in one particular style, do they wish they were able to create other styles? hmmm. Its a slow Saturday because I was up late, manic, cleaning my kitchen. That's me:) all or nothin' LOL! Have a great day!

An Illustrated Jodi Hills Quote

2012-01-10T00:33:00.004-05:00

Wow look at me, posting two days in a row! I finished this watercolor yesterday. Its based on a Jodi Hills quote. I still don't know too much about the author but I think her quote here is fantastic! My sister posted this on FB and after a few comments, she was asking me to illustrate this. After having read it and painted the idea, I feel like this is really me. I am on my way, don't know where that is, but I'm going! The past month or so I have noticed that I am starting to get , for lack of a better term, an internal compass. So I know that this is why this quote is so special to me! I am going to stay with this feeling and remain focused and positive. Perhaps something amazing may appear:)

collage feature I just noticed on Picnik...now that was fun to do:)

I hope anyone who reads this is striding happily along their path! Have a wonderful day or night :) Frannie :)

Just Beautiful!

2012-01-08T23:57:00.001-05:00

Wow! Just a few days ago I received a print that I won in a contest that was held

by Wini of Art,Love &Joy

I was so happy to find out I had won and was given the opportunity to select a print! Here it is:

Wini packaged everything so wonderfully and she also sent some stickers through, you can see that on the top left of this photo. She also sent two mini-cards and a beautiful postcard. Thanks so much Wini!!

I will really enjoy looking at the lotus blossom painting hanging in my home office. I am starting to build up a nice collection of framed art on my walls there and I am so grateful to have some beautiful things to stop and take a look at through the course of my work day!

Take care and enjoy your week ahead!

HNY 2012!

2012-01-02T13:49:00.003-05:00

my painting based on the Miro Exercise - from Drawing Lab

I've taken some time off from the electronic devices in my life! I liked it but I realize now I've missed them too! I had a wonderful holiday break and today is the last day, I can't believe I am saying this but I'm looking forward to getting back to work. We all need a break and I am going to promise myself that I will take proper vacations this year, rather than a day here, and a day there. I also didn't do a lick of work which is another big plus for me. I usually sneak and check in.

I was able to purchase a TERRIFIC book by Carla Sonheim with a gift card I received this Christmas from my parents. So far I have done two exercises. The book contains 52 projects. The other was a Modigliani. I just a random girl design. I like how she came out. I don't like to do portraits so much as I have a hard time with likenesses.

We had a good new year and it was a quiet one, for sure! I was in my glory just sitting back and painting while the boys played games and watched movies. We ended the night off by watching THOR and stopping the movie in time to ring in the new year! Below is my journal page that I created NYE.

Counting Down to '12

I hope everyone has a happy and healthy year this year and find peace for themselves. The only thing that I hope for myself is that I continue to stay creative. That's my fuel to keep on keepin' on.

Happy New Year!

I'm here, I'm here!

2011-12-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

LOL! I have been busy but I am being creative! I wish I can get on the blogs more but work is so hectic this time of year. I am lucky enough to telecommute but I get nothing done! I have been able to squeeze something in the past few days.

I was lucky enough to get some calendar orders, yay! So i decied to typeset the months to give them a more polished look. I used a different typeface for each month. It felt like the righ thing to do. So I'll be using alot of my twine to pack these sets up:)

I'm also managing to do a little doodling here and there. Mostly during conference calls because its alot of listening. I listen better when I sketch and draw, don't know why but it works for me. As you can see I have the holidays on the brain, and who doesn't? I hate to admit this but I still have alot more to do. Thankfully I have a whole lot of free time on Saturday. That is when I finish up. I try not to stress, everything will be okay in the end :)

I did this painting a week or so ago and put it to the side in frustration and guess what? I discovered this going through my pile last night, picked it up and fell in love. Go figure. I bet this happens to alot of people..So I am calling this one "Discoveries" Hope everyone is having a great day and having fun along the way.

Humble ball of twine

2011-12-16T00:09:00.001-05:00

I've journalled about my string:) It's been indispensible to me this holiday season !

So simple yet so vertisatile! Hope everyone's going to have a great Friday! One more week til vacation , woohoo:)

Take care and have a good day, a good evening, depending on where you reside.. all that good stuff to you !

My 2012 Calendar

2011-12-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

Hopefully the people on my gift giving list are too busy to read my blog this holiday season because this weekend I created a calendar that will be their gift. YAY! I designed one for a gift swap we had last night at our Art (that matters) collective and in the middle of doing it figured out a way to do it faster. The one that I created for the exchange is the original art, as that was the critieria for the gift swap (which I understood). So, I am going to recreate and print the months off my color printer. I attached a few photos to show how the calendar for my artist gift recipient came out. I used an Ikea frame that is one of my favorites but I guess I could use any type frame. Maybe I will do that so that the gift is less generic..

March is my favorite.

There are more months you can view on my Flickr photostream

I had so much fun doing this and want to do a couple of other designs to mix it up some more, or perhaps change up the colors. I just feel relief that I know what I am going to do this year. I told some people they were getting homemade and I was racking my brain. I am still going to give some paintings as well. I love giving art as a gift! I also love getting art too! I received a terrific piece at the gift swap last night and will post that soon. My first gift of the season...its starting! Have a great day!

Scrapping Sunday

2011-12-11T14:09:00.008-05:00

I was able to get some Christmas cards done this weekend:)

I worked on the pieces this week in between the raindrops so that made it so easy to assemble and add the extra touches this weekend.

The sparkles have been a challenge and I learned the hard way that I have to spray a fixative on them RIGHT AWAY.

Because handling them to chalk and glue leaves you open to messing them up! I use some lovely ribbon I got in a recent swap and, of course, used paper from my stash:)

I have a few more to make....will see what more I can fit into this day.

I've got more to do into the evening! I have to make a gift for our Art(that matters) holiday party.I hope everyone has a very happy Sunday!

Take Care II

2011-12-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

I was a day late last week with my Take Care thought and glad to be on track today and linking up with Lynn's blog! I felt like there were so many moments for me this week but I would have to say that a little note I received today was my 'aha!' for the week. I have just started trading some ATCs (little 2.5" x 3.5" works of art) with some terrific artists and I received a card today from April Cole. She sent me a wonderful little package of goodies along with the card. Most importantly she gave me a wonderful message and that is to always remember that "Art Heals". You have no idea how much I needed to be reminded of that. I saw this just last night with my husband. He has been working so hard and gets so stressed out with work. When he got home last night I could tell he'd had it, work, long commute, you name it, was bugging him... Oh, he was so grumpy. However, he had to practice Christmas songs as he is in a group that is performing at their Christmas party next week. Well, after singing and playing piano for five or six songs, a wonderfully happy man emerged. His art truly healed him that evening. It was just amazing how he transformed! My art does the same thing for me. It calms, me, takes me away from my troubles and lets me s t e p a w a y.

Thank you, April.

And I love my card!

Two gifts.

Happy Friday!
Frannie

Paper Daze and White Lights

2011-12-08T23:43:00.004-05:00

So I've put my brushes and pens down for a bit. Work is getting super busy now that the year is ending. Its hard to focus on being creative for long periods of time. Once upon a time I was a rabid scrapbooker and I am left with a huge box of papers and more ephemera to know what to do with. I can open a shop! I am seriously in love with paper and literally have to hold back when I see scrapbook paper or any other for that matter. I have been really pretty good these past few years with the paper hoarding..So during the holidays I try to make a few cards for people. I don't do everyone on my list but try to do ten or so.So I'm doing little things here and there. I take a quick 5 minute break and punch some snowflakes here, stamp and glitter reindeer there. I broke down this past weekend and got this GREAT stamp and glitter kit at Michaels 50% off. So it worked out to be $10. A great deal right? Well then I discover shortly after that I won a scrapbooking basket at a church fair. It was an auction and I only put one ticket it! My scrapbook store grows!

My winning basket!

Once I've completed some I'll post my cards here after I am done. I'll probably put some together tomorrow.
I did get one of my new ATCs in the mail. I swapped with jk bees and I love it!

thanks Janet!

I think the dots are terrific. They looks so great against the dark background, reminding me of lights. I saw lots of twinkling ones on my walk this evenig. My husband has been giving Einstein nightly walks for the past few weeks I do the mornings now...I took him for a walk tonight and it was cold but clear and beautiful. Everyone has their decorations up and on:) This time of year is so nice....

they're waiting:)

Good night!

FranT

More White On White...and then some!

2011-12-07T22:59:00.005-05:00

Here are some photos of things I am trying out. I went to our ATM Collective meeting on Monday and there are a few more spots available for our White on White show next week. We have alot of work already but there is alot of wall space:) I am trying out another paper collage. I want to go bigger. I am so used to working at 4x6 or 5x7 sizes that when do something about 11x14 I think I am going really large (LOL) and, nope, I'm not! I gotta break free and go BIG! So I tried to fold some paper and cut some squiggly background. I am not certain this is what I will end up with but I am having fun!

on a white background

other shapes

While looking through recent photos I realize that I have a bit of an affinity for white these days. Must be on the brain due to the show. Here are a few that I pulled up when I was picking out the others above!

Red Velvet cupcakes

Flowers at Adams

Frosty ;D

white tree, that I like and hate simultaneously

Gorgeous

the endless cup o' joe

Are you finding that you are drawn to one color lately , or maybe more often than that?

I was reading a favorite blog the other day and she posted all about red. That's what inspired me with posting my white photos, thanks Carol! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

A small lesson in ATCs and ACEOs

2011-12-04T23:38:00.005-05:00

Some of my ATCs

Frankly I have to got to Mr. Google to find out the exact differences between the two. I found a good description here. The bottom line is that ATCs (Art Trading Cards) are traded only, and the ACEOs (Art Cards, Editions and Originals) are made to sell. I have been spending the past few days swapping cards and having some fun. I was just telling another artist that I tend to make alot more art than I can "get rid" of. I like the idea of swapping! I really like to sell art but swapping is another kind of fun because I'm getting another work of art back. I'll post photos of the ones I receive..And I just wanted to post that if anyone is interested in trading I'll be glad to do so. Just check my flickr link here, that will take you to the Art Trading Card set I have. You can message me on flickr or here!
I went to visit a cousin this weekend about 3 hours north of where I live. I took my son and we went with my parents. It was great to see everyone and catch up on how family is doing. I was delighted to find out that my cousin's two older girls are so creative. The two of them are artists and very talented! The older girl paints in an expressiontist type of style and the younger girl likes making manga art. It was great to talk art with them.

Heather's art

On our way back home we stopped in at a local market called Adams. They had the most amazing garden center. I am so used to the badly kept HomeDepot center near my house I was taken aback by how beautiful and healthy their plants looked. The most fun was checking out the different poinsettias they have. I have to draw a few in the coming days. I have sort of relaxed abit after going full steam in November.

I am a little late with my 'Take Care' post too. I have to say I had a "Take Care" moment while visiting my family. It dawned on me while I was there that I need to put more priority on keeping in touch with family. They are my link to the past and its so important to tap into that every once in awhile. I had lived in another state for almost 7 years and I have been back for 2 years. And I realized that it had been about 10 years since I had seen my cousin Nancy. We always keep in touch by writing, emailing and calling. However getting to see her was so wonderful and why deprive myself of that? I don't do it intentionally but I find I do it alot. I put off seeing friends, family, because I am 'too busy'. So thank you Lynn for hosting this December linky and allowing me the ability to actually reflect upon this.

Little Jenny

Joe goofing around

My Aunt's handiwork - here is some of her beautiful cross-stitchery

Happy Sunday and have a good week everyone!

Fran

AEDM Day 30 - I did it!!

2011-11-30T22:38:00.001-05:00

I can't believe I did it! I am so proud of myself :) I really didn't think I would be able to do AEDM for the entire month *wow*!
I create an illustration of this quote as my last entry because its one of my favorites, because I love to illustrate quotes and it means alot to me. Most importantly because I find that I have been using my age more and more to avoid or make excuses to not do or try something, whether its new or scary or... whatever. It's all in my head - just words. This is a great reminder!

I am also so glad I did this challenge because I got to meet so many terrific people! I can't wait to see what everyone continues to do and I look forward to keeping up with all my new artist friends! I have already signed on with Lynn at Blue Skies to participate in her December Linky! You can go to the Blue Skies site and find out more. Here is a bit of info, but do visit Lynn!

When:

Every Friday in December.

(2, 9, 16, 23 and 30th)

Where:

Blueskies

Every Friday for the month of December, (the 2, 9,16, 23 and 30th)

you can join in. Share your moment that you were able to "TAKE GOOD CARE OF."

Post it on your blog, link it to this Blue Skies and we can all encourage each other through the month.

Happy Holidays in December to everyone and I am looking forward to seeing all the art to come in December and in the new year! I hope people still keep visiting me and I love love love comments and conversing with you all! Bless your face ;))

Day 28 + 29 More Ink and Doggie Treats

2011-11-29T22:48:00.003-05:00

Double duty here at the end of the month! Work is pretty busy and creating artwork is

Moleskine sketch of Dog Biscuits

taking a bit of a back seat for me these past few days, unfortunatley. I really would like to keep at creating at least once a day, after the challenge is over....we'll see:) The art group I am in will keep things busy but I think that I can do even just a little something on a daily basis. I really ought to work on Etsy a bit more but I am pretty discouraged with my shop for the moment. I need to refresh!

Continuing with my color inks. I like this quote and have done it several times!

Through this challenge, I have met so many nice people who happen to be awfully good artists! I love jumping on and looking at all the terrific blogs. Off to look at some now!

AEDM Days 26 + 27 - INKYDINK

2011-11-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, Day 26, I visited Michaels and purchased these W/N Inks. I had a 50% coupon so I had to get them ;) To hell, with Christmas shopping! I tried them out last night and continued on this morning, Day 27. I tried using a brush as well as my calligraphy pens. They aren't too forgiving so typical method of 'winging it' isn't working out as well as it usually does. LOL!

My attempt at using the inks like watercolor. They dry super fast! No chance for fooling around and pushing colors..

George Eliot quote

I love this Buddha quote... I just found it recently

So this is the last day of the long weekend. We're going to run over to IKEA and then off to our friends' home to help them trim their tree. They are much organized than us. We're trying to remember where our tree is:) Last year we had a real one but this year I'm going to stick with our lovely artifical tree. It really is so lifelike and easy! Have a wonderful day and happy Day 27!

AEDM Day 25

2011-11-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Day 25 Sketch on the train going to and coming from NYC

I had high ambitions for sketching while in NYC but I didn't get anything done except on the train! Hope everyone is having a good Saturday!

AEDM Day 24 ~ White on White collage [Happy Thanksgiving]

2011-11-24T17:02:00.001-05:00

This Is How We Do It

I've put the final touchs on my collage today! The group at Art(that Matters) is presenting a show called White On White and it was decided that all art is to be all white. Since I do watercolor primarily I knew I'd have to venture out of my comfort zone if I were to do something following that criteria. I went to Home Depot and picked all the paint chips in the white section. There were hundreds of whites!! So I made this collage then painted over with some white acrylic paint. I glued it all down on to a masonite board. I like how it came out. Not sure if I'll attempt another collage soon, its alot of work!

We took our little trip into the city to see the parade and I took loads of photos. I'll post all of them on my Flickr photostream later this evening. Here are a few favorites:

We took the LIRR into Penn. It was early :) Joey's looking tired!

70th Street and CPW... They were out in full force!

Beautiful day for a parade!

detail

Broadway

Tree at the Althrop Building , Upper West Side

Chestnuts are out, that means Christmas is here!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

AEDM Day 23 - Things to Remember

2011-11-23T06:48:00.003-05:00

inside flap

I took another stab at the india ink and I love it! I just need a better brush and I'm going to try with a nib as well. I have to first figure out where they are! My office looks organized but get into that closet and its a disaster. Why oh why do i need three half full art tool boxes? I have to consolidate ALOT of things. Something for the New Year's resolution list!

Well, tomorrow is Thanksgiving and Joe, Carl and I are hopping on the train and heading for uptown NYC to catch a look at the parade. We're positioning ourselves away from the midtown crowd and going up to where it starts. I plan on bringing my sketch book and hope I don't enjoy the parade so much that I forget to sketch LOL. I think Joey is going to really enjoy it. I just hope the weather holds up because we'd love to trip about after the parade... I have a feeling we're going to just 'wing' dinner as we don't have any hard plans. Having said that, there is still a big meal in our near future, as we always go to my sister's Day After Thanksgiving Dinner. She's a nurse and works on Thanksgiving Day. So her DATD is becoming more and more of a tradition for us.

AEDM ~ Day 22 A Lesson in India Ink

2011-11-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

I finished my cover this morning. I started on it last night and was so upset that I had ruined the front of my journal! But I kept at it and now I am satisfied. I just kept adding and adding. I had to laugh because Pauline's blog post yesterday was all about this exact process!

I recently bought india ink at Blicks, after being pursuaded by my favorite salesman there. I haven't used this in such a long time but I remember in college using a brush so I took out my worst one because I was afraid of what the ink would do to a good one. After reading the bottle I found out that its waterproof . Now I need to get some brush soap, I think. I'm happy with the results and am going to put a set of colored inks on my Christmas list. That or a gift card:)

This past weekend I went to a fantastic Christmas fair. It's at a small church near to my parents' home. They have the best stuff there! I got this terrific composition notebook with the cover (check out the inside flap and pocket on front) for [get this] $3.00! The prices are too low! They had a homemade table runner for $7! You've gotta love it.

AEDM Days 20 + 21

2011-11-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

Sunday

Monday

Since I was out at doctor appointments on Friday I tried to catch up with work on Sunday (Day 20) so I am a bit behind. On Sunday, I tried to work a bit on another of my abstract paintings and then this morning I carved a few more new stamps . At first I thought they were too simple, particularly the square ones, but there is so much that can be done with them. I'm going to use them tomorrow in my handmade journal. Here are some photos from the past few days from Long Island:

This is a picture of our back yard from last Friday, there is a big deck off the back of the house and up top is a dog run. The development is very hilly! More leaves are on the deck this morning.... All the rest came down yesterday.

This is a photo of a house at the corner of Hill and Glen Cove. The trees here were so beautiful and vibrant! There all gone now, this morning. I drove past and everything is on the ground and raked up.

Close up of a yellow one:)

Last but not least, by any means, is Delilah, the latest addition to the family. My sister's family adopted this cutie pie last week and we paid a visit to her and the rest of the brood on Saturday. Isn't she cute? She's a jumpy one for sure!

AEDM Day 19 ~ Today is the Day

2011-11-19T09:49:00.008-05:00

It certainly is! It's 9:30 now and getting on my way to Suffolk to hit some holiday fairs. I have my day's art work done and I feel so organized! I have gotten to my third page in my handmade journal! Plugging along here:))Here are some of my handmade lino stamps. I have to ask Santa for some new stamp pads this year. Right now I am working with chalk pads, which are okay but I would like to get some nice juicy new stamp pads with cool colors. Goes on the dream list.

The sun is shining, its not too cold and leaves are falling as I type this. I think I am over my spell of insomnia and I am so delighted...fingers crossed:) Hope everyone is having a wonderful Saturday, enjoy the day!

AEDM Day 17+18 - A Likeness of My Mom

2011-11-18T06:49:00.003-05:00

I tried to catch her from a photo. Boy, portraits are tough. I wrote a 'Likeness' rather than a "Portrait". More of a caricature..I like the loose feel and I didn't do a underlying sketch, I just drew it with my markers. I have to say the left side of her face is spot on but the right, I got carried away I guess. I have a nice photo of my sister and another of my two brothers and my son. I'd like to take a stab at those. I suppose it I were to do a true caricature it would involve exaggerating one specific feature (?). Don't know. Work has been super busy so I had a good run of it but the coming days are going to be tough as my colleague is on vacation and I'm helping to cover him. ..I am soooo looking forward to Thanksgiving and having those four days off. woohoo.

AEDM -Day 16 Pasta in the Pantry

2011-11-17T00:14:00.013-05:00

{click to see a larger view on flickr!}

My finished page, detailing the influx of carbs in my home this weekend. I get that tomato sauce at Waldbaums. It's so good and organic too. She even gave me the ricotta (2) and the blocks of mozzarella cheese (2).

Below are my pages from this afternoon. I brushed the colors in quickly after I ate lunch. Then back to work. I've been busy and worked till 7:30 tonight. My good husband made the baked ziti dinner. He didn't cut the cheese into cubes like I do but everyone has their own way of doing things and it was delicious as ever. He's a much better cook than I will ever be and more adventurous.

The page colors are off in this photo. the pink/red page looks orange/red here:) that green page is for tomorrow, maybe.

AEDM Day 15 - Tiny Buddha

2011-11-15T23:51:00.007-05:00

This is my first page in my new handmade journal. I am going to title my journal "What I See".

As I journaled, I first noticed this little sculpture while out for a walk and I was delighted. I get happier and happier as the days go by because no one has lifted him :) Maybe they don't see him because he's so small (1"h)? Or he looks so quiet they don't want to disturb him? For whatever reason, I like when I see him...So the sketch started of a bit hairy. I don't usually use Fabriano watercolor paper and its quite different from my beloved Arches CP. Its alot more rough. So I began the sketch using a thicker pointed marker but I forgot that it not water resistant! So I continued on and then decided to use my thin Staedtler markers for color and , silly me, those are not water resistent either. I decided what the heck and put my brush in the water and figured I'll do my best! The colors ran quite a bit but I was able to control them pretty well, in my opinion. I added a little bit of watercolor here and there and got this done pretty quickly. Its 12 now and I started it all at 10:45... sloppy but quick. Thanks for stopping by and reading about my tiny friend.

AEDM Day 14 - Once and Again

2011-11-14T21:23:00.004-05:00

I avoided the large empty white journal and decided to paint another abstract. Tomorrow I'll attempt the journal I made this weekend:) I trying to keep with a theme/style here with the abstracts I have painted so far. My colleagues at Art(that matters) are very supportive and give me alot of tips and encouragement. I also have to say that support I get on Flickr is amazing and I've met so many nice and super talented artists on there as well as thru AEDM!! Its all good.

AEDM Day 13 Afternoon Performance

2011-11-14T00:34:00.005-05:00

Coming in a little late tonight...back from Mom and Dad's. Mom took me and the kids to a show at SB Staller Center. The show was for all ages and we all had lots of fun. The kids had a great time as did Mom. So while waiting for the show to start I took out my sketchbook and pen and drew what I saw. Tomorrow I'm going to start on my new journal book that I made yesterday. I'm going to have a think on what I'll do..Good night!

AEDM Day 12 ~ Making Journals.

2011-11-12T22:31:00.009-05:00

This is a sketch I did a few weeks back.. this morning I added color:) The other creative activity I did was create this AWESOME journal. I found a post on Elvie Studio's blog about a tutorial by Teesha Moore. A very cool activity, making a journal out of a single sheet of 30x22 watercolor paper:) I can't wait to fill it!
What a beautiful Saturday in NY! Mom, Dad and Eric swung by this afternoon. Mom and I took a trip to Michaels. I was pleasantly surprised at the register. The two circle punches I purchased were on sale 40% off and I had a 25% coupon that could be applied to sale items. All is right with the world. When we returned home we found out Dad had made a few trips to the local stationery store, he won $25 on a scratch off ticket, went back to cash in bought a few more, won $50, repeat, then $25, repeat, then finished off with $5. I think I got that straight, nevertheless Pop is on a winning streak. Boy, was he delighted, it was so much fun. That is his only vice, scratch-offs, haha! go figure. This evening mom helped me put together two journals. I tried to convince her to take one but I think she had more fun just putting it together:)

AEDM DAY 11 ~ Tape and Sticker job

2011-11-11T06:53:00.000-05:00

this is what I am working on inside.

The other day I put my white gel pen to my moleskine cover and 1) I wasn't thrilled with what I drew and 2) the gel stuff never truly dries it just stays sticky and leaves white on whatever it touches :( I decided to take some K&Company stamp stickers I have and my washi tape and cover up the white mess! I think it looks cute. I like the image so much I made it a wallpaper on my iPhone! I love that about the phone. I used to have the Android but switched when my plan came due. I jumped at the chance to get an iPhone. I love that it is almost the same as my other favorite, the iPad. Having said that I still like the PC most of all but the other two are fast runners-up!

AEDM Day 10 ~ Jar of Tape

2011-11-10T19:56:00.004-05:00

I got this great jar of tape but NEVER use it. It's like the blank canvas syndrome! I like to just look at all the great colors and daydream as to what great craft I can do with them but I never get around to it! Crazy I know... I have some washi tape in there (awesomeness) and the rest is a great crepe-type tape (super colors). I should commit to using that tape during this challenge. I just have to figure out what craft is 'tape-worthy' enough to use it. haha!

AEDM Day 9 ~Another Rumi

2011-11-09T23:52:00.005-05:00

I found this site online that has these amazing quotes and I am stuck under "R" for Rumi...I just love his stuff. I ought to get serious and buy a book to use as reference. I try to be clever sometimes and it usually ends up backfiring on me but I'm a little too snarky to go full blown bewilderment, even though I know thats the place to be.

I am working alot these days and staying up late working, not feeling so good, then on to grumbling a little bit about everything....even this challenge! Gee I'm 9 days in and all pissy because I have to draw a bit.. But I have to remember that art is what I need to get through the tough days, lousy doctor visits and general wise ass-iness that comes in my life from all directions. Art's my tonic, the penicillin ... pretty bewildering I suppose ;)

AEDM Day 8

2011-11-09T00:30:00.008-05:00

Like that old Queen song goes "It's late, it's late, it's late, but not too late" Bringing up the rear tonight. I am held back by sixth grade homework, ugh! Oh well , its all good:)) I should have got out the watercolors but I was too tired so I used my thin markers...I am fine with them but the colors could be better...always! Now that Queen song is in my head! I loved the band as a kid. My older cousins followed them and of course I listened to it too, due to them. I wish I had the chance to see them in concert. Whenever I hear Freddie Mercury I have to smile.

AEDM ~Day 7 - Cloudiness and Ropes of Rain

2011-11-08T00:13:00.005-05:00

Coming in again late...oh well:)) I did this drawing originall on black board with white gel pen but it didn't looks so great to me, so I switched up the colors in Picnik. I put the black one down below too. Hope everyone is enjoying this challenge. I am having a great time checking out people's blogs as well as meeting up with others on Flickr. I went to Art(that Matters) tonight for our bi-monthly meeting. We're planning a show in December called "White on White" and all the artwork has to be done in white or slight variations of white with tints of colors. I have tried a few ideas but still having a think about it:) This is tough! But it will be fun. We're all getting involved with the hanging, planning, advertising, etc. They've even decided to serve white food at the opening, LOL! They stopped at dressing in all white.

AEDM Day 6 - Four Boys and a Girl

2011-11-06T13:33:00.003-05:00

I am back at attempting another abstract painting. I worked on this all morning. I am rushing this post so I can get over to the soccer field! My son's last game of the season.

AEDM - Day 5 ~ Rumi Quote

2011-11-06T00:03:00.010-04:00

Techically I guess I should have posted on November 5 but I hit 'publish post' a few minutes after midnight EST! Oh well, I'll have another later for Day 6!

Rumi is one of my favorites and I love to illustrate quotes so I have a feeling I will be doing alot more of these now that I found a great quote website to check out. Happy Saturday!

AEDM Day 4 - Emily's Glasses/ Illustration Friday ~ STRIPES

2011-11-05T00:13:00.008-04:00

I made this today for two challenges. The AEDM Day 3 as well as for Illustration Friday. I have never participated before in IF. Looking forward to doing it more often. My neice Emily is a real character. In October, she came to visit and whipped out these glasses. She had actually bought them for her grandma (my mom) for her birthday. Which just cracks me up. Of course, my mom loved them. They share the same tastes. Mom is really 9 years old, deep down. And she'll tell you that in a heartbeat. This kid is alot of fun, except when tired and hungry. Watch out.

AEDM Day 3 - Early start today!

2011-11-03T05:47:00.000-04:00

Yep, super bright, super early. Practically no sleep at all last night.. oh my goodness, this insomnia is going to be the death of me. I never ever had any issues with rest. I LOVE to sleep. I hope this ends soon. Telecommuting is a tricky thing, I think my days and nights are switched up. I have to just get thru today no matter how tired I am and not nap....then hit the hay early..Aside from that it was great, I got to sketch this morning at about 5 am. LOL!

Here is my sketch and the pains of having a name like Fran...It truly is hard finding an F, forget even my name, the initial is hard enough ;0) ...oh my, if that were my biggest problem in life)) well, I like the challenge of having to sketch every day. Keeps my brain busy looking for things to sketch/paint. I have to work on my abstract this weekend. That is, if I'm not sleeping in on Saturday.

AEDM Day 2

2011-11-02T19:52:00.003-04:00

Okay, Day 2 is down. I'm doing it:)) I used a micron, watercolor and gouache. I find that I do certain things in my art that I do with life in general...I rush, don't plan and get mixed results. Slow down and step back, Frannie!

Today was a long day and still continues to be so. Man, I wish my kid would get on the ball with his homework. Every night has to be like this? bleh. Sixth grade is tough..for mom.

Art Every Day Month 2011 - NOVEMBER

2011-11-01T19:55:00.009-04:00

I will be participating in November's Art Every Day Month 2011!
Below is my first sketch for the month :)) Looking forward to a productive November! Of course the day after Halloween, my subject is the leftover candy.

Go to http://creativeeveryday.com/art-every-day-month to find out more.

another October post

2011-10-24T00:16:00.006-04:00

This weekend was a hectic one. Sending my son off for a school field trip - 3 days and 2 nights! Wow, my one and only off on his own without mom and dad. He'll be just fine. The whole weekend involved getting everything on his list of supplies checked off and packed. Finished up at 9:00 tonite. Yay! Now for an early rise, but not before I do this post:))

Been doing some sketching and also some lettering in my hand-book sketch book the past few days. Getting to relax and just doodle is always alot of fun

I was working on a few paintings this past week (which weren't going my way) and just to be able to let go and do what ever comes to mind is a good way to break things up. I think I'll have a better approach when I go to paint this week. Since Joey will be away thru to Wed that will give me a little free time here and there.

I wanted to get in some more posts in October. Hopefully I'll have some more this week. I am still struggling with my online presence... I keep telling myself that it'll all come through and work its way out:)

Good bye to my Montauk Daisies. They are on their way out now. Every day is getting slightly colder and colder. Their spot out front has the sun shining right down as if just for them..

They've given me alot of joy this year. I look forward to seeing their sunny bright faces and I'll see you next year ;)

It Started With a Paper Swap

2011-10-15T13:57:00.007-04:00

I recently signed up for a paperswap and I was paired up with a super nice lady. When we emailed one another for our addresses, we asked each other if they wanted something special, that perhaps the other couldn't get in their own country. She lives in Poland and said that she really wanted mailing tags and elastic thread. So I went to Staples and found these cool tags. I have to say that I have seen alot of crafty tags made in the past but never really thought about using them. Well I bought a big package and will send half to my new friend and I'm keeping the others. So now I have fifty tags. So I got to work trying them out :)

So I went to Michaels and for $1 a piece I bought these fantastic Studio G chalks.

I had so much fun the other night making these tags. I make my own stamps from Speedy Carve Blocks . I'll use an Xacto blade or a lino cutter to cut out the design and I keep them all in a handy Ikea cannister. I stamped three tags so far and will work on more this weekend. I have to get more of these chalks...just because. The colors are so bright and addicting!

So I hope to have some more sisters for these three coming soon. I want to work on tags for Christmas gifts. That is going to be so much fun to do and what great way for me to de-stress after a long week.

Give it a try, its not too expensive and you have these little canvases that allow you create a small work of art:) Voilà!

mid-OCTOBER already!!

2011-10-13T08:45:00.008-04:00

Time is flying! it always seems to do that this time of year, before you know it we'll be eating turkey and freaking out about the holiday shopping (well at least I'll be). I am going to say it now and I MAY end up a liar but I am REALLY going to try to do the bulk of my shopping on Etsy. There I said it. OK back to October. So fall is here on Long Island and for some reason these leaves are not moving as quickly as I want them too. They're getting there but, man, there's still alot of green out there guys!

So I walk the dog every night (that's my shift) and I gathered up a few leaves to paint in my precious journal. That's the good one that is hand-made, beautiful bound, that I coddle waaay too much, so much that I hardly use it. I am commited to getting more work in that one.

The paper is amazing and when I finally get in there, I'm always saying, what took you so long, lady? This was fun but, boy, I got carried away in the lower left , whoa! what happened there! I guess it got too late in the evening, LOL! Sleepy painters should go to bed :))

Pages and pages

2011-09-29T01:08:00.006-04:00

I had some creative time this past Friday and got to paint/draw, etc on old book pages. I'm using an old Peter Rabbit storybook which is in pretty bad shape.. Its great fun to try and I'm not throwing it away, I look at it as recycling.

I have been painting more in my own abstract style and getting so much pleasure from doing that. Its really freeing and incredibly fun. I am all for realism but those days are gone for me. It is so much less fun to paint that way, for me. I used to really enjoy it but became so incredibly critical of myself and wanted to find out where I can go with my art. Who knows where I end up!

SHARPIE LOVE

2011-09-20T00:34:00.006-04:00

I am in love with white Pentel gel pens and colored Sharpie markers these days!

They are fast and fun and about as much as I can deal with at this time. Work is crazy hectic but I can doodle during little breaks in my day..can't I? :D

The smell can knock me out though, I have to say. That Sharpie pen, particularly the thin one, it so strong I have to just stop for a bit to catch my breath!
Hope everyone is having a good week! Sketch away!

stamp binge

2011-09-08T00:29:00.017-04:00

I found a terrific blog called Elvie Studio and the artwork is wonderful! There is a little video on the side bar about cutting a lino. I like it so much so that it inspired me to dig out some Speedball lino/pink rubber out and start working! Its been a while and I forgot how much I love linocutting. A great reminder:)

September is here...Cherry Blossoms?

2011-09-05T19:09:00.006-04:00

Wow, the summer flew by. Tomorrow my little guy starts middle school. I can't believe it. He had a good summer and I am glad for that.

We moved recently and I'm still rearranging things and yesterday I came across an old art toolbox filled with items I long forgot. Surprisingly, a Pentel pen set I used to use had one good pen left. It's a brush pen in blue. I did a few sketches and I really like how they came out. I have to find out if they are still being sold and check online. I have book I bought at a Japanese bookstore in Rockefeller Center many years ago. There are not words, just illustrations of cherry blossoms by a single artist. I love this little book and look at it often. I decided to copy some of the styles from the artist and use the new found pen. I had so much fun.

Drawing lots

2011-08-13T01:51:00.004-04:00

Lately I am interested in this type of drawing/sketching/illustrating. It works for me, de-stresses me when I'm doing it. Its really enjoyable to create.

water soluble pastel

2011-08-10T02:47:00.009-04:00

My Orange Crush

Well I tried out some water-soluble pastels tonight during studio time and I think I found a new fun tool! I bought wax pastel a few weeks back but didn't get to try it out so I brought that tonight as well as trying out the studio's wax pastel. The sticks are great and i had a really nice time creating and chatting. As it should be:) The page below was lots of fun. I started it a few sessions back in July. The back is gouache with stamped images with silver ink. I added the pastel tonight. I like how it came out. I have a fixation with triangles lately. Its all good::

Dreams of Epcot, lol

And of course I have to do my swirly swirls! I am in that groove too these days. Its my way of just de-stressing.

Green Waters

creativity for a good cause

2011-07-25T01:13:00.005-04:00

My son Joe's summer sail camp was had a fundraiser cocktail party. I dontated this custom nautical flag painting. I needed a sample so used our name as an example. It was a ticket aution and the woman who won this was so happy and surprised. So glad! We won a lovely painting of a lighthouse done in watercolor and a Calphalon frying pan. It was a reallly nice evening and lots of money was raised for the camp.

Creative Challenge

2011-07-23T00:56:00.006-04:00

I have been keeping busy but kind of weak with the posting :( Here is some art that I've been working on. one was done yesterday and the other the day before. I am going to try to focus on exploring my abstract work more. It a bit more freeing and I am less likely to judge myself. So far I like what is happening and want to delve further into this type of work to see what comes of it!

SeaCliff Art Fair

2011-07-21T06:54:00.000-04:00

The show went well on Sunday. Here is a view of my booth. It was a long day but worth going and participating in. My mom and dad, sweethearts they are, came and sat with me and got me lunch and so forth. Its hard to do the fairs alone! i have to work on my display a little more, its kind of stark but I did have some shells scattered about ...I am getting there! Most people wanted just a little something, so I am glad I made some inexpensive pieces. I did well but no one bought big, and that is what alot of the other vendors said. I still have alot left over so I will be putting those up on my Etsy shop. Here are a few that I'll try to get on there by this weekend:)
Happy Thursday!

Challenge Day 4

2011-07-12T23:17:00.007-04:00

Oh boy am I busy. Work is nuts:).... I have been working on items for the fair in between the raindrops. Finally put the final touchs on this submarine piece. I posted to flickr but there were some things I wanted to add. This is a painting I have been working on. I want to make a sister piece to this. I don't have much time left!!

Below is a sketch I did in my moleskine . I've been drawing alot of clouds lately and these swirly pieces going into and out of them. FUN!

Creativity Challenge day 2

2011-07-10T19:27:00.000-04:00

Since I am so busy with my day job I am trying to keep things simple for this art fair. I thought I would just do quotes with a bit of watercolor and pen and ink...it started off that way but I took out my gouache paints and spent about 5 hours on this last night...so much for 'quick work' ...My goodness, art is so amazingly therapeutic. This was a meditation for me

I thought this would be fun to do. I have noticed getting ready for thi fair that I am worrying about what will sell. I have come to the realization that I should just do what i like and what makes me happy and not "work to sell". I thnk it will show in what I do. IMO.

Creative Everyday CHALLENGES

2011-07-09T14:21:00.011-04:00

I'm involved with two challenges now, one it Tracy Bunkers' and the other is Creative Everyday . So I'm doing my best with my full time job and being a mama... but I STRIVE to do something creative as often as I can! Will try to do this every day! Today I am working on getting things together for a small craft fair that I'm participating in next week in SeaCliff, NY. I am focusing on quotes that I love and it makes it fun and less stressful that trying to get full blown painting done. Frankly I like to sell stuff but its the actual painting and de-stressing that does it for me! It's my therapy for sure. These are some small frames that I got for a dollar at a tag sale that I'm upcycling:)

creative every day

2011-06-30T04:55:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I am creative every day but am I technically up to speed every day, no. It's doing the scanning or taking the photo that I am pretty lathargic about, lol! Here is a fun one, we did this at art journaling class. Blowing paint around and into a pattern. Not completely sure if I love it but it was fun to do:)

MEOW

2011-06-14T10:41:00.004-04:00

My kitty ACEO as added to this cute little treasury today! Check on my side bar to see the treasury. Have a great day!

Most of May and a Little June

2011-06-11T01:16:00.011-04:00

Wow, I am behind on the blogging, huh? I have been doing LOTS of painting and wanted to catch up here. I've been reading alot online and checking others blogs. There is so much good stuff out there! As I said I have been painting quite a bit and started using some gouache which I have never really done before. I have painted using watercolors for so many years and this was a real eye opener. I really love it! I did this painting of the poppies after I read an issue of Martha Stewart's Living magazine that had the theme of poppies for the month. I think it was the May issue. All those poppies were inspiring. I've also worked on some dogwood flowers that I got from my neighbor's tree. These dogwood blooms were lovely and lasted for days in my vase. Both of these are gouache as well.

I'm also working in multiple sketch books at once :) Keeps me moving . Here are some sketches from my art journal. Used my Microns and watercolor. I adore those Microns so much. 005 and 01 are my fav right now. The right hand side of the page below was that day's lunch.

The vase and daffodil page was one of the last page of my journal! I've got a fresh new one I'm onto now.

I've got more to post. Will post again soon:) Must go to sleep now.

Wreaths and Eggs

2011-05-01T22:00:00.008-04:00

I stumbled upon a really cool craft. I had some much fun making these as Easter gifts! I have a ton of scrapping paper [I was hoarding it for a time]and I am always looking for ways to weddle the pile down! I had so much fun making the wreaths. I used Basic Grey paper for these.I also took a mini workshop at RedBow for the egg below. This was a real challenge but my mom loved it so much! It was worth all the work seeing how happy she was to receive this!!Work station at the dining room table ;) Gotta work where I can ! This is before I glued the front portion on.

Love those bunnies!!

It's been a busy April!

2011-04-30T18:28:00.010-04:00

Things have been pretty busy in March and April. Aside from that pesky day job, I am trying to stretch out more creatively. I'm doing alot more drawing/painting and I started teaching a graphic illustraction class at RedBow. I am so grateful for the opportunity. I am learning alot about myself, the kids and teaching too:)) I was also lucky enough to lead the nesting doll workshop as well! How cool!! Another workshop is on the brain and I just need to organize that a little more. I need to do this quickly... We'll be advertising that class soon. Most likely it'll be an altered book workshop. Below are photos from the graphic illustration class! We had alot of fun making these prints. So much so, I want to do a three or four day workshop on Non-press printing. I think that would be so much fun!

My New Sketch Book

2011-04-14T00:11:00.004-04:00

I have a new sketch book. Its made by Patricia from RedBow. I got it because I am almost done with the sketch book I made at Jen's workshop! I can't resist the paper and the Arches text laid is my favorite to paint on! Here are some sketches.

Joe is drawing too. He said along with post-it sculptures, he likes to doodle during class...hmm..wonder who he takes after...LOL!I love him so much:)

Doll Workshop Success!

2011-04-09T22:08:00.011-04:00

Wow, the workshop at RedBow went so well:) Thanks to Maria, Melissa, Stacey and Patricia, of course! The pieces came out amazing! Gesso-ing the pieces worked out a lot better than the first go-round. All in all it was a wonderful time. This was such an experience leading the workshop! Loved it! Check out these dolls. Great work by the artists! I love how these came out, the colors are gorgeous and looking at these make me smile...

Nesting Dolls Class!

2011-04-06T00:11:00.004-04:00

'Tea Time'

On April 9th, 1 pm -4pm

Nesting Doll Workshop

I will be teaching a nesting doll workshop! I'll guide you thru the process of developing an idea and executing it using acrylic paints on your own set of nesting dolls. I'll teach you the basics of acrylic paints and how to use them! $40 includes all materials. Spaces are filling up!

To signup contact Red Bow Studio

646-382-3733 or 516-676-4324

324 Sea Cliff Avenue, Sea Cliff NY 11579

www.redbowstudio.com

All tangled up

2011-04-05T00:12:00.009-04:00

I made this silly discovery - Zentangles! The site I stumbled upon a few days ago is http://www.zentangle.com/ . I have been trying to do a little everyday, along with all my other bits I try to squeeze in! There are some interesting sites about this technique -Tangle Patterns and Open Seed. Some stuff is pretty good. I've been keeping a little book with patterns. I only have a few so far but after having drawn up 6, I made an attempt at a 'tangle' Well, we had a rousing discussion at Art Journalling class tonight about Zentangles. Pretty funny! Here are some shots of what I am talking about..

It's fun and passes the time when I'm on the phone. Not sure not how long this will last because I got my new sketch book from RedBow tonight. So excited!!!

Forget being organized

2011-03-06T20:39:00.008-05:00

That Moleskine weekly calendar didn't work out so now I'm using for sketching and ideas. LOL! I had good intentions of getting things organized but in the end, as with everything, I ended up drawing and doodling all over it. Haha!

We celebrated Joe and Dad's birthday yesterday and we all had a good time at Mom and Dad's, as usual! I took the boys and Emily to see "Rango" at the movies and it was a cute one. Not something I'd see again but still entertaining.

Keeping busy

2011-02-20T19:59:00.006-05:00

Well, I've finally done it. I have got myself an Etsy shop, up and running. I am pretty excited about it and trying to learn the ins and outs of it. Here is my banner. I finally created it, not entirely to my liking but there is something in the spot for now :)

So far I have ACEOs on the shop and plan to add some 4x6 paintings and greeting cards.. A little at a time. The link is www.etsy.com/shop/WeThree I was also included in a few treasuries, which is so exciting for me. I have been trying to keep on with my journaling and did a little sketch while Mom T. was in the hospital. Poor thing had a quadruple bypass. She's in rehab and mending beautifully, thank God. She is in the facility my sister works at, and is in Jen's unit.

I saw this quote and was inspired to illustrate it.

Fun stuff.

Adding color

2011-02-03T18:35:00.004-05:00

I couldn't stand the black and white and so I'm getting started on adding color. I had to stop abruptly the other day but I'll get these finished soon. Glad I decided to do so:)

Sketching and Art Journaling

2011-01-27T22:59:00.014-05:00

I can't believe its almost the end of January! And I last post in November. I have to get back to posting! I always say I'll try and do stuff and then I don't do it. But I am not going to get discouraged and I am going to just do my best. I got a new Moleskine and it took me like three weeks to put a pen to it because it was so new and clean and perfect.

Oh, the precious-ness...haha! well I got to sketching in it last night, and now it's old news ;) I got a nice floral arrangement at church on Sunday and I had so much fun painting and drawing the flowers. I kept them so long they are starting to stink, like dying flowers do. It's probably the green foam actually. I enjoy using the micron pens. Black and white drawings appeal to me. I love them and then on the other hand I am wondering what they would look like in full color or even just a little hint of color.

Then I painted the arrangement with watercolor too.

I've also been busy journalling at class and I am embracing collage more and more. I enjoy it and am more relaxed with it. I am keeping busy with that class and selling cards at the local gift shop. We'll see what comes of that. I'll have to post those cards soon.

here is a sketch of our hall upstairs. We have a little bench and got comfy and started drawing that door, isn't it a great door? This house is so old...1861!

and of course some fashion drawings my first love. When I was about 13 or 14 my mother brought home a pattern catalog (like Butterick or Simplicity) and a copied all the illustrations in that book, I had so much fun. Then when I got a little older I loved looking at Vogue or Mademoiselle and drawing off the photos and advertisements from those magazines.

I love doing the small little fast renderings too at the bottom. I havent' done this in such a long time, what a great exercise!!

Getting ready for a holiday boutique

2010-11-13T13:12:00.005-05:00

Tomorrow I'm participating in a private home party, a small holiday boutique. I don't expect to have a lot of sales but it's getting me started again with selling my work. I haven't sold anything in quite a while and it will also allow me to get ready for my Etsy...I have been putting that off long enough! Here are some linocuts I did and I'm using them to make cards and making small prints for gift tags:) The black version is the best because that's printed on good quality paper . The reds and greens are printed on cards made of watercolor paper. I am working away:)

Been sketching:)

2010-11-06T01:28:00.008-04:00

I am happy to say I've been sketching every day. I am on a streak, yahoo!
Here are a few journal pages from last week. This one below was so much fun to do. I am not too thrilled about toy guns, but there was alot of detail in this toy. I just love getting in to the details with my pens:)

My handmade book

2010-10-27T21:32:00.007-04:00

The book-making workshop will be coming round again in December at Red Bow Studio and I am really looking forward to making another journal. Jenn is coming again to teach and she is such a good and patient instructor! Patricia showcased some pages of my book on her blog and here are a few shots that she took:

I started reading some of Danny Gregory's work and he is so inspiring. I don't know how you can keep your hands off of a pen, pencil, brush after checking out his book Creative License!

I am trying to make a concerted effort to sketch everyday. I will post some images soon!

New work!

2010-10-20T21:57:00.012-04:00

Here is some work that I did at Red Bow.This was a terrific class, Patricia had us journal our week. I jumped right in!

that shiny red tape adds alot of pop!

------------------------------------

This weekend I was looking for some old halloween decorations (and I mean old, I'll have to post them) and I came across a huge Arches watercolor block that I had. I remember this paper frustrating me so much and deciding to just putting it away a few years ago. Well time changes things. I have to say I have come around and am really enjoying this hot pressed paper.

Below are some leaves that I found leaving Oyster Bay this weekend, there are some imaginary ones as well. I am glad I picked the red background. At first I wasn't sure but I'm happy with that and like the touch of orange as well. Its not big, 2.5"x 3.5", ACEO size:

The one that got me started:

same style, so much fun to do!:

My all-time favorite doodle:

Some more fun:

I think purple and green are terrific together :

I've got to remember to stop by Cathy's shop and tell her "My chrysanthemum stones are working!" LOL!

Drawings

2010-10-04T23:18:00.007-04:00

I have done some drawings that I scanned the other day. I wanted to post them up to get them "out there" and not hidden in my sketch book. I think they are really cute. I feel like I should give them names...? I spent some time coloring the second, sunflowery one on Photoshop the other night. I'll have to post that one soon, as well. I love drawing in black and white.

Leaf Creatures

2010-10-01T09:32:00.008-04:00

Saw this on another blog and had to put this up. I love these animals!

They are called "des Feuilles tres, tres chouettes" which translates as "very, very cute leaves"..aren't they? I think the peacock is my favorite!

http://atelierpourenfants.blogspot.com/2010/06/des-feuilles-tres-tres-chouettes.html

Impromptu Printing Class at Red Bow Studio

2010-09-24T01:10:00.012-04:00

Joey and I were lucky enough to go to Red Bow's print class last week and we had a blast!Above are three blocks that I carved at Patricia's impromptu workshop. I was so psyched by what we did we went out and bought some additional supplies at Dick Blick (wow) so we can do a little more work this weekend on our own. I have to photograph Joey's block as well as the printed cards we made. Next post:)

Journaling class # 2 at Red Bow Studio

2010-09-06T10:36:00.009-04:00

Having a great time at journaling class at Patricia's studio (http://redbowstudio.blogspot.com/). I am looking forward to next week's class. There is a book binding class that I think I would like to try out too...good stuff! Here is what I accomplished on the 8/31:

GOOGLE

2010-07-24T00:13:00.008-04:00

Today Google has the best "GOOGLE" ever! I love Alphons Mucha's work. Mucha is one of my favorite artists. His style is so unique and I love the graphic quality. When you click on the Google image it takes you to all types of links to Mucha info. One of them is http://www.muchafoundation.org/MHome.aspx I've been on the site browsing and came across another set of terrific images.

Red Bow Studio

2010-07-20T23:27:00.016-04:00

I had an awesome time at Red Bow Studio (http://redbowstudio.blogspot.com/) tonight! I am so happy about what I accomplished this evening. I was so much fun not having to setup and clean up at home. We had to focus on a color and bring items that served as inspiration. Of course, I picked my favorite color of all time - green. Patricia, the studio owner/instructor, has so much material, tools, paints, etc to available to use. What a terrific time. I love the idea of this studio and am so glad I can attend. I am looking forward to next week's class where the focus is on drawing. This is what I did tonight:

So much fun!

Julia!

2010-03-22T20:39:00.006-04:00

I love this book and am half way thru. I started yesterday and if I didn't have to work I'd have finished it today. I really enjoy this story and the way its written.

(^^here's the book, Ma^^)

How cute is that photo on the front? Gosh, Paul loved Julia!! AND the movie was awesome! Its all about a girl, a blog and a cook book.

Amy Adams is great and Meryl Streep is amazing. Alot of fun! Bon Appetit!

A desk to work at and a table to eat at...

2010-03-21T10:02:00.006-04:00

Got my desk and our dining table yesterday!! Carl and I dropped Joe at Grandma's so that they can work on their 'project' together and we went furniture hunting. I think we went thru Centereach six times. Something that Carl wasn't thrilled about..LOL!! It is so nice being able to eat at a normal table. We were using our game table as a dining table and it was just not the same. We got the desk at Furnikit in Holbrook. Its twice the size of the desk I am working on now. Still have to build it but Carl and Joe are out visiting friends now and the desk can wait, for sure. The weather has been amazingly gorgeous and we all need to be out in it rather than inside building.

Some New Cards and Sunday News

2009-02-08T20:25:00.021-05:00

I made up some additional Valentine's Day cards (and one thank you). I have a nice LOVE stamp that I used a couple of different times. The flower I used in the green thank you card is from Stampin' Up that I bought from Barbara/Marji. This is a great way to wind down and get creative with quick results.

Valentine's Day cards

Thank You card

I am going to start painting again. I just joined the South Lake Art League (http://www.southlakeartleague.com/) so I'll need to start getting out the brushes again. There is going to be a photography show at the League this week and I'll be helping with hanging the show. The woman arranging that told me that there were quite a bit of entries. So, I am looking forward to seeing the photos that are entered.

South Lake Art League

After church today Joey and I went to the farmers market with Hope, Rick and the kids. We stopped in at Sugar Mama's Sweet Shop. Boy, they have such delicious cupcakes. I took home a Key Lime cupcake. Joey and the girls ate theirs right there. I hope they have great success, their treats are so good! Later, Joey and I went and picked up his friend Tony and I took the two of them to the lake. Joey and Tony have such a great time together and Tony is such a nice kid, I am so glad Joey has such a good friend in him.

Downtown Farmer's Market