GOOD
This is a digital ATC (artist trading card) done with images from sxc.hu. The size is 2.5 X 3.5. The finished card for trading will be mounted on mat board and trimmed with gold leafing around the edges. This card is inspired by a contest held on deviantart.com on the ATC Fanatics page. The theme is guardian angels. I took the title from a tune I really dig by Better Than Ezra, called "Good."

SHORT SLEEVES
Digital collage using photos from sxc.hu. Appropriate for the season.

ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR RENDERING PROJECT

This was a challenging project given as our final in my Rendering class. What had to be done was:

1. Find a high resolution photo of a vegetable
2. Use Adobe PhotoShop to posterize the photo
3. Render a realistic illustration in Adobe Illustrator of the vegetable photo
4. Create a seed packet for Ferry Mose seeds in Adobe InDesign using the rendering
5. It must be a fresh design

I had to break my photo apart, and use a gradient mesh on each element on separate layers to achieve the realistic, yet, painted look I got for this illustration. I knew what I wanted when I set out to do it, but getting there was a real challenge. Once I got the color laid in, everything else sort of just fell together. Figuring out that I would have to break the photo apart to get my meshes to work right was the hardest part. The cracquelure effect was applied to each layer to get the texture. I got an A! Yay!

MAGAZINE COVER PROJECT
Here's a project from my Photoshop class. I had to come up with a cover for Daydreamer magazine (my teacher daydreamed this up). The goal of the assignment: Find a photo of a grassy field, then use at least ten major techniques that we've learned in class to create a surrealistic scene from that photo for the magazine cover. Then use the altered photo as the cover page and finish it out in InDesign. I used 11 techniques for my cover.

NOODLE
I went to the local zoo a couple of weeks ago with my rendering class for a sketch outing. I was ill and running fever, but trooped on in spite of it. The BIG giveaway that I was really, really sick, was that I could not finish my delicious Chick-fil-A meal that I had taken with me to enjoy by the lake.

The outing was for gathering sketches for inspiration in developing a cover for a children's book assignment for class. I could not do a lot of walking around since I felt terrible, but I managed to gather some good bird sketches, none of which, were used to develop my character!

In the end, I was inspired by photos my teacher shot of a playful ostrich. It had a game of peek-a-boo going with her while she was photographing it. She showed us the photos in class, and the ostrich really made me happy. So I decided to make my character an ostrich. "Noodle" is my character developed from thumbnails I sketched from various images I found on the internet, and inspired from my teacher's photos. My daughter came up with the name, and I think it fits perfectly.

SAILOR IN TOYLAND
Here's another digital collage piece. I have not had a lot of time for tactile activities lately. Photoshop is something I'm doing at school, and this gives me a chance to use my new skills and practice them in a creative way. This is done with images and photos from sxc.hu. I love retro dolls and toys. I usually search randomly to come up with ideas for pieces. When I found this sailor doll, I knew I had to make a collage around him. Reminds me of Robot Chicken.

FASHION DIVAS TIME WARP
Digital collage using vintage photo from my stash and stock from sxc.hu.

LAYERS, LAYERS, LAYERS
More digital collage with Photoshop using stock images from Getty and Stock Exchange, and vintage stock from my personal stash.

Little Narcissus


The Covey


Tea Time

DIGITAL COLLAGES USING PHOTOSHOP
This is something new for me. I've always wanted to learn how to do this, and now that I'm taking a class, I'm applying what I'm learning to something I love to do, which is collage! Though the tactile, touchy-feely part is missing, the results are pretty doggone wonderful.

No Walls


Superpower

MOMIJI ILLUSTRATION & ARTICLE

This is an illustration done for an article for my rendering class at school. We had to find a photo to use for the illustration, then render it in our chosen medium. I used technical pens and colored pencil for my drawing. I used Photoshop to edit and digitize the art for use in Adobe InDesign for the article. I made the Japanese symbol for "East" from a stock photo using Adobe Illustrator. I found the perfect typeface to use with the headings, it's called Twelve Ton Sushi. The illustration and the article presented very well in class. Yay!

CUT & PASTE 2009 - STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
This is my entry for an international collage competition held by a gallery in Sweden. The theme is "Cut & Paste," and you had to do a post card size collage, conveying the theme in the art. Double click the photo to enlarge your view of the art, and to catch the full effect of the piece ;-)

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY
Here is a fun painting I did this weekend of my Happy Happy Happy Momiji doll. I put it with my Chai tea pot and a nice black plum for an fun still life. I like how it turned out. I'd been wanting to paint the tea pot, and thought the doll would be a fun thing to put with it, and had the plum on hand, which goes nice with everything. This was a fun one! I may get some more dolls to do.

Love that tea pot. It was a Christmas gift from my friend Laura. It's so cool looking with the cherry blossoms and Oriental writing on it.

A NEW UTOPIA
Here's another altered journal. Found some more of them at the dollar store. This one has tape transfers and tissue paper too. A little gold leaf trimming with some butterflies cut from scrapbook paper, and a glittery golden crown.

WOLFE BIRD PAINTINGS
Here are companion paintings of Wolfe birds. These are my last paintings from my summer painting get-togethers with Melanie Atkinson and my other artist girlfriends in Raymond. We wrapped up for the summer last week, as school starts soon and everyone is getting prepared and going on last minute trips. I had the chance to paint my little bird that I purchased on my recent trip to Wolfe Studio. Mine is the little gold, green and brown one in the lower painting. It's a little beauty. I really enjoy painting these little birds that Melanie has introduced us to. She has been painting them for years. She has a collection of Wolfe items that even includes a little cat that Carl Wolfe personally gave her when she was a child. What a treasure!

These paintings are 10 X 10 oil on gallery canvas.

PAINTED BIRDIE
Here is a little abstract painting I did this morning using leftover paint from my palette. It's an 8 X 8 board canvas. This is the first time I've tried something like this. Just had the paint left and did not want to waste it. I like how it turned out. Think I'll do some more similar projects to see if I come up with some good stuff.

GARBO JOURNAL
Here's a journal that I purchased at a local Dollar Tree store for a buck. It's a very nice journal with a sturdy chipboard and canvas covering, with a little label holder included. It's one of those little treasures you run across from time to time in the dollar store and marvel at. I thought I could make a nice collage on the cover. So here it is.

I used tissue paper and tape transfers (vintage photo tape transfer of Greta Garbo as Mata Hari), then added a copper medallion accent along with a sprinkling of fine green glitter.

I think I'll go see if they have any more of these journals.

GODZILLA'S GOT TO GO - Artist Trading Card
This is an interactive ATC. Spin the spinner and help Godzilla determine where he's going to wreak havoc next! RaAAwWWWrrRRRR!!!!!

Created from an old Gary Larsen Far Side calendar page, magazine clippings, tape transfers, tissue paper, watercolors, and a game spinner.

DEAD POETS - Artist Trading Cards
I really made these for myself. I don't want to trade them as they are poets that I admire.

Dorothy Parker


William Butler Yeats


Dark Butterfly - Sylvia Plath

QUEEN NORMA JEAN - Artist Trading Card
Xylene transfer of Marilyn Monroe on grey mat board with flocked lace and magazine clippings. Accented with watercolors and silver and gold leafing.

MORE BIRD COLLAGES

Here are a couple more bird collages I have done in the last week or so.

Vermillion 14c



No Tantrums and No Tiaras


Robin 1549 - Artist Trading Card

WOLFE BIRD WITH SNUFF JAR & MARBLES
This is a small 8 X 10 oil painting on a masonite board. It's a little bird made at Wolfe Studio here in town, with a bowl of marbles and an old snuff jar. I love the little Wolfe birds. I finally went over and bought one for myself this week. Will be painting it next week.

B-ONE-R-D ENGINEERED BY MOTHER NATURE
This is a quick collage I did from scraps that I had left on my work table when I was cleaning it up yesterday. I had those pieces and this just came to mind. One of those sort of "eureka" moments, where everything just is sort of in front of you and comes together, if you want to call it that. I used a piece of 8 X 10 (ish) black mat board and some random scraps of magazine text to make the surface and lightly coated it with white gesso. Then I put the other leftover pieces on. I remembered some old quip about birds and airplanes. Don't know if anyone gets that.

JUICY SUMMER FRUITS
Here are two oil paintings that I've done with my painting group this summer. One is a small 5 X 7 gallery canvas. The other is done on an 11 X 14 board canvas. I thought we might not get started on the larger one because we decided to have some of the watermelon for breakfast. It was so tasty that we were quite delayed in getting set up to paint! Yummy!

NEWEST ATCs

Mata Hari - Playful & Serious





Art & Soul

SUMMER PAINTING FRIENDS
Here's some photos of summer painting activities with my friends out at Raymond! Special thanks to Melanie Atkinson for making this possible. It's been a wonderful summer of creative expression for us all.

Ms. Melanie, Eugenia, Ms. Sally & Ms. Kathy, making masterpieces!


Beautiful work by the girls!


A look at our still life model.


George, our always willing, and ageless model. He's been around forever!

NEW ATCs

Doo Wah Diddy


Moonbaby


Sky Goddess


Generate Positive Karma


Japanese Art


Beethoven


Classical Art


Beauty


Vintage Swimsuit Ladies


Time for Change


Beauty