Sunday, January 16, 2011
And the Winner is...
I shook my iPhone for a random number, and the winner a Technique Junkies Fancy Folds and Motion Paper Crafts CD is Faith in Florida. Congratulations, Faith!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Fabulous Friday on Saturday
Look like fun? You can play along and maybe even with a prize. Post a link to your project using paint on the Frosted Designs blog by noon, January 20th and you'll be entered to with a copy of the Technique Junkie Fancy Folds and Motion Paper Crafts CD and a 1-year online subscription to the newsletter. Sweet!
Friday, January 14, 2011
I'm a Design Junkie and Loving It
I was always sure it would be, but with a few months as a design team member under my belt, I can absolutely say that this is one sweet gig. I get to play with art supplies, Pat and the other team members are awesome, and the Technique Junkies tutorials are amazing...it just doesn't get any better!
The design team collectively maintains a blog, Design Junkies, featuring techniques from the various newsletters, CDs and the website that Pat publishes. I contribute on the second and fourth Friday of each month and since this is the second Friday in January, I have a card to share. The technique I chose to feature is called Pencil Highlights and it was published in the Sept./Oct. 2010 issue of the newsletter. The stamp I used for the technique (on the background panel) is from Rubber Stampede. The rose, which I embossed with Ranger Tea Dye Distress Embossing Powder, is from the DoodleFactory Backlit Blooms collection from Starving Artistamps.
When we post cards to the Design Junkies blog we index them by technique name, and we've started to build a nice gallery of samples. If you're a newsletter subscriber looking for recent examples of older techniques, be sure to grab a cuppa sometime and give the blog a browse. For those of you who aren't subscribers yet :), there's still plenty of inspiration to be had so grab a cuppa and head on over there too.
Thanks for stopping by my studio, and Happy Friday!
The design team collectively maintains a blog, Design Junkies, featuring techniques from the various newsletters, CDs and the website that Pat publishes. I contribute on the second and fourth Friday of each month and since this is the second Friday in January, I have a card to share. The technique I chose to feature is called Pencil Highlights and it was published in the Sept./Oct. 2010 issue of the newsletter. The stamp I used for the technique (on the background panel) is from Rubber Stampede. The rose, which I embossed with Ranger Tea Dye Distress Embossing Powder, is from the DoodleFactory Backlit Blooms collection from Starving Artistamps.When we post cards to the Design Junkies blog we index them by technique name, and we've started to build a nice gallery of samples. If you're a newsletter subscriber looking for recent examples of older techniques, be sure to grab a cuppa sometime and give the blog a browse. For those of you who aren't subscribers yet :), there's still plenty of inspiration to be had so grab a cuppa and head on over there too.
Thanks for stopping by my studio, and Happy Friday!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Little Drawings
Last week I told you about my big plans for the year, and those goals will take up a good portion of my time. But what if I need a little instant gratification along the way? My rubber stamping hobby fills part of that need. Cards are quick to make (in theory, anyway), and making them gives me opportunity to experiment with my art supplies.
But what if I want to do some instant gratification artwork that is entirely my own? For me, the answer is to work small. I've fallen in love with the Artist Trading Card (ATC) format and find that the 2.5" x 3.5" size is just perfect for practicing and experimenting. Small enough so that I can finish a drawing in about and hour, but still large enough to allow for a fair amount of detail.
These are a few of the ATC's I did for the holidays. With the exception of the poinsettia with I painted with acrylics, all are colored pencil on Bristol vellum.
Thanks for stopping by my studio today!
But what if I want to do some instant gratification artwork that is entirely my own? For me, the answer is to work small. I've fallen in love with the Artist Trading Card (ATC) format and find that the 2.5" x 3.5" size is just perfect for practicing and experimenting. Small enough so that I can finish a drawing in about and hour, but still large enough to allow for a fair amount of detail.
These are a few of the ATC's I did for the holidays. With the exception of the poinsettia with I painted with acrylics, all are colored pencil on Bristol vellum.
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| Christmas Poinsettia |
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| A miniature version of my 2010 Christmas card. |
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| My little chef nutcracker. |
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| Santa Nutcracker |
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| Soldier Nutcracker |
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| Snowman Ornament |
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Happy New Year!
Wow. I know. Long time, no blog. It's not that I didn't have anything to show you and it's not that I didn't have anything to say. It's just that day after day, I just never seemed to find the time to get here. All in all, I had a very busy and thoroughly enjoyable holiday season. I hope yours was wonderful, too!
So now it's January and time to get serious about a few things I've been trying to accomplish. I don't really believe in making resolutions because I've always found them to be counterproductive. Too often we resolve to do things that aren't completely in our control, and when we can't accomplish them we feel like we've failed. I'd rather have goals to work toward and give myself the flexibility to adjust those goals if I need to.
One goal I have is to finish up a couple of classes I've been taking. The first one is Cindy Wider's Draw and Paint in Your Pyjamas certificate course that I've been working on for the last year. I've learned so much, and my confidence has really grown, but now it's time to finish! I'm going to be pretty busy with that for the next few weeks, and I'll try to keep you up to date on my progress here on my blog.
Although I haven't finished Cindy's course yet, I've begun training to be an instructor for the course on her website, DrawPJ.com. So my next obvious goal is to finish the instructor training and start teaching. If any of you out there reading this are like I was and always wished you could draw, I'm here to tell you that you CAN draw. You just need some guidance, some encouragement, and some practice. OK...you need lots of practice most likely, but it is something you can do. If you're interested in giving it a try let me know, or visit Cindy's site. She has a free two-week trial available so that you can preview the course if you wish.
Another goal of mine is to revamp this blog and improve my web presence. I've purchased the rights to the Deesstudio.com domain and plan to build a website with galleries for my artwork and cards. I plan to make some of my work available for sale. As I said, my confidence has really grown, and I feel ready to take that next step. My plan is to sell original drawings and paintings, commissioned portrait drawings, as well as greeting cards and other craft items that I make.
Speaking of greeting cards, I'll be continuing my on-going rubber stamping obsession, excuse me, hobby, because I just plain love it. It is an active goal of mine to get onto one more design team in addition to Starving Artistamps and Technique Junkies. I'd also like to see if I can get some more of my work published, but with everything else I have planned, I'm not sure how much time I'll really devote to that one.
So there you have it...my grand plan, or part of it at least. I've got other things in the works, but I'll save those for another post.
If you're still reading this post, thanks for hanging in there! I'd love it if you'd leave me a comment so I know who my most faithful blog readers are. Come to think of it, you deserve a reward. I have an extra copy of the Technique Junkie Newsletter Fancy Folds and Motion Paper Crafts CD to give away. Leave me that comment by January 15th, and I'll enter you in a drawing to win the CD.
Just one last thing before I go...I have a card to share with you. I made this one for the December 2010 issue of the Technique Junkies Newsletter using the Deconstructed Collage tutorial. The stamp is from I Brake for Stamps, and the papers are from Basic Grey.
Happy New Year!
So now it's January and time to get serious about a few things I've been trying to accomplish. I don't really believe in making resolutions because I've always found them to be counterproductive. Too often we resolve to do things that aren't completely in our control, and when we can't accomplish them we feel like we've failed. I'd rather have goals to work toward and give myself the flexibility to adjust those goals if I need to.
One goal I have is to finish up a couple of classes I've been taking. The first one is Cindy Wider's Draw and Paint in Your Pyjamas certificate course that I've been working on for the last year. I've learned so much, and my confidence has really grown, but now it's time to finish! I'm going to be pretty busy with that for the next few weeks, and I'll try to keep you up to date on my progress here on my blog.
Although I haven't finished Cindy's course yet, I've begun training to be an instructor for the course on her website, DrawPJ.com. So my next obvious goal is to finish the instructor training and start teaching. If any of you out there reading this are like I was and always wished you could draw, I'm here to tell you that you CAN draw. You just need some guidance, some encouragement, and some practice. OK...you need lots of practice most likely, but it is something you can do. If you're interested in giving it a try let me know, or visit Cindy's site. She has a free two-week trial available so that you can preview the course if you wish.
Another goal of mine is to revamp this blog and improve my web presence. I've purchased the rights to the Deesstudio.com domain and plan to build a website with galleries for my artwork and cards. I plan to make some of my work available for sale. As I said, my confidence has really grown, and I feel ready to take that next step. My plan is to sell original drawings and paintings, commissioned portrait drawings, as well as greeting cards and other craft items that I make.
Speaking of greeting cards, I'll be continuing my on-going rubber stamping obsession, excuse me, hobby, because I just plain love it. It is an active goal of mine to get onto one more design team in addition to Starving Artistamps and Technique Junkies. I'd also like to see if I can get some more of my work published, but with everything else I have planned, I'm not sure how much time I'll really devote to that one.
So there you have it...my grand plan, or part of it at least. I've got other things in the works, but I'll save those for another post.
If you're still reading this post, thanks for hanging in there! I'd love it if you'd leave me a comment so I know who my most faithful blog readers are. Come to think of it, you deserve a reward. I have an extra copy of the Technique Junkie Newsletter Fancy Folds and Motion Paper Crafts CD to give away. Leave me that comment by January 15th, and I'll enter you in a drawing to win the CD.
Just one last thing before I go...I have a card to share with you. I made this one for the December 2010 issue of the Technique Junkies Newsletter using the Deconstructed Collage tutorial. The stamp is from I Brake for Stamps, and the papers are from Basic Grey.Happy New Year!
Saturday, December 18, 2010
'Tis the Season!
Ha-ha...cracks me right up! The stamp is from Sparkle-n-Sprinkle and it's colored with Prismacolor pencils. The background technique is one from the December 2010 Technique Junkies Newsletter, called Pencil Resist. The papers are Basic Grey Fruitcake collection, and the sentiment is from Stampin' Up!
I've got to go make merry...hope you're enjoying the holiday season as well!
Friday, December 10, 2010
Merry Winter!
Well, technically it's not winter yet, but it sure feels like it around here. My thermometer is showing a measly 13 degree right now. Brrrr!
The card I have for you today uses a technique from the August/September 2010 Technique Junkies Newsletter called Soft 'n Sparkly. I have quite a bit of Flower Soft in my collection, but I don't think to use it often enough. While working on this card, I remembered this technique and decided to give it a try for the trim on Juniper's outfit. Boy, was I surprised at how much I like the look over plain Flower Soft. I just wish I know how to take a photo that shows off glitter in all of it's true glory!
The stamps I used (Juniper, the circle background, and the sentiment) are all from Starving Artistamps. I did my coloring with Copic markers and used Ultra Fine Pine Flower Soft and Sparkle and Sprinkle Laser Green glitter for the Soft 'n Sparkly technique. The papers are from the Basic Grey Jovial collection, a new favorite of mine.
Happy Stamping and stay warm!
The card I have for you today uses a technique from the August/September 2010 Technique Junkies Newsletter called Soft 'n Sparkly. I have quite a bit of Flower Soft in my collection, but I don't think to use it often enough. While working on this card, I remembered this technique and decided to give it a try for the trim on Juniper's outfit. Boy, was I surprised at how much I like the look over plain Flower Soft. I just wish I know how to take a photo that shows off glitter in all of it's true glory!
The stamps I used (Juniper, the circle background, and the sentiment) are all from Starving Artistamps. I did my coloring with Copic markers and used Ultra Fine Pine Flower Soft and Sparkle and Sprinkle Laser Green glitter for the Soft 'n Sparkly technique. The papers are from the Basic Grey Jovial collection, a new favorite of mine.
Happy Stamping and stay warm!
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