Confession Time

Do you ever let yourself get overwhelmed and intimidated by the amount of talented people out there and by the amazing things they make and create? I do. As I embark on my new journey into the world of freelance artist, I must admit that I get intimidated easily, distracted easily and overwhelmed easily. That thought of "holy crap...people are going to see MY work" and "what if they do not like it?" ring constantly in my ears. The others that I ALWAYS wrestle with are "no one wants to hire me...look what John Doe can do" and "will someone actually buy this from me?" Seriously, that is not why one should make art nor is it the reason why you become an artist. Yes, the artist depends on the public to view the art and interact with it but, ultimately, isn't art all about the artist? About an artist's idea(s), feeling(s), observation(s), fear(s), doubt(s), etc........

Well, today I have decided to ignore those thoughts and feelings. I have decided to change my daily routine and to not become overwhelmed, intimidated, distracted, frustrated, etc., by the work of others. I LOVE looking at art and becoming inspired by the work of others but, dang it, I have a voice, too. I have something I want to say and something I need you to see and hear. So today, I am going to become fearless, brave, courageous and bold. I am going to trust my instincts because I have found that, when I do, good things happen.

I have also decided that this new attitude requires a journal to write in and doodle in. A support system of sorts, where I can be brutally honest, spontaneous and just let creativity flow out from my head, to my hand and onto the paper. So, I am going to start a new journal. I know I have one since I just started organizing my studio (again) and purging it of things I "might use one day in the distant future." My plan is to scan in my daily writings, drawings, whatever, and share them with you, here. If you want to join me, please leave a comment. I would love to have some support! Now go get started!

Some more goodies!

Does anyone out there know what kind of flowers are in this photo? I have no idea, but they sure are beautiful.

Here's another one....

I've been working

More posts and things to come soon...but for now, I thought I would give you an in-progress teaser of what I have been doing.

Gift Idea Tutorial Round-Up

Hello, dear Bunny readers!

I thought I would post some tutorials to things that I would like to make for gifts this holiday season. I hope you enjoy this little mini round-up of tutorials :)

• 2010 Photo Calendar from Shutter Sisters

• This FABULOUS linen scarf

• Recycled magazine bows

• Burlap placements that the kiddos can make

• This linen bag

• Some funky artwork using this technique here

This is only the short list...I always have WAY too many things I want to make for people. This year, however, with the economy being yucky, I think I am going to make more of an effort to actually do them. Ahead of time :)

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for my two wonderful boys, who make me laugh, smile and cry. I love them dearly! I am also thankful for my husband, who is always supportive of me and my artistic endeavors. I love you! I am also thankful for my art supplies, paper, my camera, my sewing machine, my fabric stash and my computer. Silly, I know, but they are an integral part of who I am and what I do.

I also wanted to post two things that I think are WONDERFUL ideas:

• Help-Portrait...if you are a photographer, I think you should sign-up for this wonderful event.

• Shutter Sisters' One Word Project. This month's word is gratitude.

What about you? What are you thankful for?

I won!

Wow. I was one of three people chosen to get 2,000 diecut business cards printed for FREE!!! I cannot wait to see them printed in person. I will have to post pictures once they arrive. I found the contest over at You the Designer and it was sponsored by the folks over at UPrinting. Both are great websites. I found UPrinting's file uploader to be REALLY easy to use and their online proofing system allowed you to remove a file and re-attach it if you accidentally uploaded the wrong thing, which is nice. I will have to report back on the quality of the prints once I receive them.

Printmaking Experiment

In the spirit of my Recycle Bin Project, I decided to start making prints again (see this post here for an explanation of my experimental process). I used this tutorial, here via Jezze, for a homemade ink pad in the very first picture. This thing was awesome, but the plate did not work so well. It was slightly convex; I will DEFINITELY use my plexi-glass panel the next time I want to print. BTW the salt trick really does work! The second image is a stamp I made using a peanut butter jar lid from the recycle bin and some self-stick foam scraps. This ended up being my favorite stamp of the day. The peanut butter jar lid has a raised edge, so I had to wipe off ink before I printed. I have some stamps I made with a double layer of foam and will have to let you know how these work out. I also think I might try another type of lid...who knows! The last image is a test print on some scrap fabric I had. I L-O-V-E using masking tape as a guide. Plus it will catch any extra ink that I forgot to wipe off from the lid. I also cannot stress the importance of the test print. As excited as you may be to just get started, it is HIGHLY recommended that you do several test prints and edit, refine, revise your design, if needed. Seriously!

Let me know if you have any tips or tricks up your sleeves.

An Altered Book: 2009

I thought I would give you a sneak peek on an altered book I started working on. Right now, I loaned it to a friend to show her art class but once I get it back I will post some more images. It is still a work in progress, but I like seeing the progress pictures as well as the finished product pictures. The first image is a detail shot of the texture on one of the pages. The second shot is a detail of the inside front cover. I decided to use mail that my boys have received throughout the year as collage material. They participated in a bunch of different mail swaps and I wanted a fun way to document this without it being scrapbook-y. Make sure to come back for more pictures!

I have also started some more altered books and am planning on selling them for doodling, drawing, writing, whatever. They are still in progress and at the experiment stage. I am really pleased with how they are turning out, though. It's great when things work out like you want them to!

Help Portrait

I just discovered this today while on Twitter and immediately signed up to participate. What a great idea! Anyway I think you should sign up, too, and help someone smile :)

via Help Portrait

Inspiration....

I have been so inspired lately by what others are doing in the art world. I thought I would share a few of my favorites here:

Spirograph Wedding ( I LOVED spirographs as a kid!) via Design*Sponge

Share Some Candy...seriously this site is LOADED with good stuff.

We Love Indie...this is a site that organizes the best of the best from the world of craft/design/art blogs. FABULOUS.

Bookbinding Etsy Street Team....made me want to get back into making my own books, which I have already started doing :)

Creative Nerds...need I say more?

More giraffes

I know, I know...another giraffe picture.

Thankful Thursday on Friday

Oh, "Thankful Thursday." I have not written a "Thankful Thursday" post in such a long, long, long time. I think now is the perfect time to catch up. So:

• I am thankful for my husband

• I am thankful for the two wonderful sons of mine who continually make me laugh.

• I am thankful for the ability to work from home on my art/design, on my own terms and on my own time. Awesome!

How about you? What are you thankful for? I would love to hear from you.

In progress show-and-tell, continued

So, what do you think? I think I like them, a lot. It was so nice to sit back and design something for ME to use. Sigh. The photos in the background are examples of my work. The fun paint splatters came from art of leo, via vector for free. I am going to have to create some of my own paint splatters soon, since I seem to be using them a lot lately.

Update 11.12.09: I just found this tutorial on how to make splatter brushes in PhotoShop. What perfect timing? via Colorburned

Spreading some link love

Okay, so I FINALLY got a Twitter account. Holy cow! Twitter is amazing! I found so many great tutorials, posts, links, people, etc. So, I thought I would share some of what caught my eye:

Great business card designs and inspiration (via designrfix)

Portrait Photographers...I LOVE portrait photography (via ReadyPhotoSite blog)

The Part-Time Professional Photographer (via Freelance Switch)

That is the short list of what I have discovered just this morning. I have to get some work done today, so I signed out of Twitter. I am sure I will have some more to post about later today so check back soon!

In progress show-and-tell

I am working on some new business cards, since I am almost out of the old ones. I found this contest...you should enter, too! If you need a designer, I know one right here ;) Anyway, I decided to use images of places that inspire me...this is Lake Michigan. Beautiful. What do you think? If you enter the contest, I would love to see your work. Please leave a comment with your twit pic link!

PS they are having another contest, too, that I am thinking of entering.

More truth from quotes

"An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied." Glascow

Yup. I am guilty of having LOADS of ideas that never come to fruition. So from now on I am going to keep thinking, generating ideas and then actually doing those ideas. Phew. In order to get started, here is a list of my ideas:

• I would like to make proton packs for the boys for Christmas and write a tutorial about it to share here, if it works. BTW the prototype looks FABULOUS in my head :)

• I am going to start an inspiration box (or something like that) to look at when I am doing my work.

• Write and illustrate a story with my boys, who are always inspiring me.

• Start my own Etsy store and sell my handmade goodies

• Blog more often!

• Brush up on web design and animation stuff, since, truth be told, I am a little rusty.

There. That should keep me busy for awhile! What about you? Do you have an idea that you have never done anything with? I challenge you to do it....just go for it...be brave. You'll surprise yourself. I promise!

Happy Friday

It's Friday. It has been one heck of a week over here! My boys are going to spend the weekend with Grandma and I am hoping to make up some lost studio time while they are having fun. Hopefully I will have some images to post soon. Have a great weekend!

An Idea

I have been thinking about turning this photo (and the others I have of these birds) into mixed media drawings. Here is my inspiration:

I love the spontaneous watercolor used on Free People

Heather Smith Jones

Inspiration

I have always liked this quote. It reminds me to be brave and try something new; to be creative and not worry about the outcome.

Discovery

Yesterday I was doing some stenciling on fabric. Everything was going great. The prints looked awesome and funky at the same time. But then I noticed that I had smudged a gob of screen printing ink on my fabric. EEEK! Usually when this happens, I try to incorporate it into the design, but that was not an option here. I decided to act fast...I ran and grabbed two washcloths, getting one of them pretty wet. Then, I ran back to the work table and I just blotted the unwanted ink spot with the wet washcloth and then soaked it up with the dry one. It only took a few times repeating this, but it worked! I was using white ink (acrylic) on dark fabric, though, and am curious to see if it would work with dark ink on light fabric. I just might have to experiment with this idea. But, now a damp cloth and a dry cloth are going to be out on the table whenever I print! I would like to believe that I will be careful, but, honestly, I get carried away very easily. And I was singing....so I was a little distracted.

How about you? Do you have any tips/tricks for removing those unwanted ink blobs from fabric?

This is my post today

The boys have the day off of school today, so I thought I would make a super short and sweet post, complete with grapevine tendrils (do these things really have a name?). We have already had lunch, dug into the Halloween candy stash, made our way to the library and are currently looking for something else to do...well, okay, I am, but they are quietly playing with each other. On that note, I better go see why it is so quiet.....

Opportunites for Artists

Hi. I thought I would post some opportunities I have found for artists. Here they are, in no particular order:

Participate in Uppercase Magazine

Let's Do Lunch Photo Contest

10 Ways a Designer Can Make Some Extra Money via Creative Overflow

Hey, Hot Shot! this one is currently closed for new entries, but it never hurts to get inspired to enter their new show once it is up.

What about you? Do you have any opportunities you would like to share with your fellow artists? If so, please leave a link in a comment...let's support the artists and help them find new, cool ways to make money and get noticed :)