Heee'sssss Dooooone! Mad Hatter WIP

I'm so tickled with how this fella turned out! Look at those baby blues and that mad grin....heehee!

My husband says he hates to see this one go, but find a new home he must. We don't have the room for him and someone else out there is surely going to be able to find the perfect spot! See more about this Mad Hatter on ebay. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Why Not Wednesday...should we always share?

Yesterday a conversation was started on Facebook over the healthcare debate. I'm not here to post my feelings about it as we all have our reasons for feeling the way we do based on life's experiences, and our moral and ethical leanings. I made the mistake of sharing situations that are perpetuated over and over again in our community due to the demographic. I should have used a different choice of words such as "staying out of the limelight" or "not wanting to draw attention to themselves" as opposed to "staying out of trouble". Trouble for many in our community comes when INS does a sweep. Families are torn apart, and lives dramatically changed and yes, this is troublesome to them and all of us who know and love them. I have worked with children who aren't allowed to play outside at home because they live in fear of being sent back to their native country. It's heartbreaking to see how these people are used to further the greed of casino owners and will be dropped like a hot potato when the feds show up.
There are people though who delight in trying to make others look bad, when they themselves are merely pot stirrers who have nothing better to do. Wherever they go they eventually show their true colors by the trouble they like to start and this isn't the first time this person has done this, nor will it be the last. Why I let people like that bother me I don't know, but for any who may have been offended by what I said please know I'm truly sorry. I am very passionate about justice and freedom for all. I am also very passionate about injustice and prejudice on all levels. I take each person on their own merits, and would ask/expect that others do the same. If I say something that you don't agree with please contact me in private and lets talk. If I am wrong I'm not afraid to admit it and will share that. Thank you to the person who took the discussion down. There are some things that just can't be shared on the internet as they can be so misconstrued. Again my apologies for any hurt I may have caused.
Sincerely,
Sheryl

Tuesday Preview....hee hee!

Almost done....hubby says he looks like a lunatic, which is good right? Mad? Hatter? Oh yeah, the hat is almost ready....:-)

Monday Madness WIP continues

The second of two hats I ended up creating for this fellow, this is the one I will use. It's created from fastmache, a product I've only used one other time. I had an empty Greek Goddess yogurt container that I used for the armature. It was interesting cutting the container out of the shaped hat after the paper mache set up, but it worked and I shouldn't have any cracks.

So, on to the hair. I have some lovely curly wool that I purchased from Gloria Lowell. She has a great selection if you are looking for different types and colors. Her wool is very clean and odor free so it's wonderful for doll hair. I had two packs of white but, I wanted an orange wool. I used food coloring and water with a bit of vinegar to dye the wool. I followed instructions I found on the internet and it worked! An interesting side note is that once the wool was placed in the hot dye water it soaked up all the dye, and left the water clear. Very cool!

Now I have this lovely orange wool that will be perfect for the Mad Hatter. Now that I know I can do this, I will be trying the dye technique on other creations. I hope to have the hair done tonight, and if the hat is dry, I will paint that tomorrow. A slow process but I think the results will be worth the wait.

Here's Lookin At You Kid.....WIP

The work continues and the face is almost done. I need to seal it and add a light antiquing. While that is drying I will move on to hat and hair. I was up at 5 this morning painting as I couldn't sleep.

I've decided to turn him into a make-do of sorts. I love this old bed spring, found at the old telegraph station site here in town. Who knows if perhaps one or our WWII vets slept on the bed this came from...

WIP an Alice figure?

A gourdeous fella don't you think? Okay, bad pun, but he is a gourd figure for our Alice Challenge with AHA.

This is only the beginning as he needs a body and other "stuff" to finish him off. Now that I'm home I can perhaps work on him some more. Stop back by to see how he evolves. Oh, wait, I need to get the medals done for the CROCK POT OLYMPICS we are having at church....oh yeah!

Why Not Wednesday...Friend Give Away Share

How Darling is this?! Why not share? Well I would like to be the only one in the hat for a chance to win this, but I know I won't be so I will share and hope for the best. I discovered Michelle's blog through Diane Knotts, another talented artist who's work I love. Some day I hope to be as talented and proficient as these two ladies, but for now, I will work hard to get there. Michelle has an etsy shop where she sells her work so there's more delightful pieces to see. Thank you Michelle, and here's hoping you will all take the opportunity to go see Michelle Palmer and her fabulous art. http://michellepalmerart.blogspot.com/2010/03/giveaway-to-celebrate.html

Alice In Wonderland White Rabbit AHA Challenge Piece

The final unveiling of the White Rabbit! Ta daa! 

His head was created using air dry clay over a foam egg. The stand/base is a vintage textile spool attached to a wood base.

He has several elements that make up his whole. Stop by my ebay listing to learn more about him. A little side note I didn't add to his listing, did you know that the white rabbit Alice saw had pink eyes?

WIP Alice in Wonderland White Rabbit continues

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Here is another teaser on the way to seeing the whole piece finished. I used stamps as well as  polymer clay to create the design and numbers for the clock face. There are card photos applied to the trunk of the piece. I was excited to be able to use the mesh ribbon I have for the collar. The unveiling will come later!

WIP Alice in Wonderland White Rabbit

 

Don't know what is happening with blogger but I will try and post here. I've been working on a white rabbit figure for our AHA Alice In Wonderland Challenge. It took me longer than I wanted because I was torn between making a cloth body for him or just moving ahead with my idea of using a vintage spool as the base. Here's what I gathered together to put this together. I started with a pink layer after gessoing the whole head. Scary huh?!

Then I dry brushed shades of buttermilk and white. I touched up the strokes with some maple syrup to give him some depth. I continued on with layering colors until he was the way I wanted him to be. Blogger is really not cooperating right now so I'm moving on rather waste time. Below you find the finished head. I will unveil more later today. Thanks for stopping by!

Sneak Preview of the Spring Celebrate365 Issue!

Here is the Spring issue of Celebrate365 that I designed the cover for. To give credit where due, the graphic artist at the printer changed the ribbon color and put a backround of grass in the stamp frames, but other than that, the design was my concept.

I was tickled to be able to be a part of putting this together. Thanks Connie, for the opportunity! There are at least 3 of our very own American Holiday Artists featured on the cover, Lori Rudolph or Retro Rudolphs, Carrie Murtha of Snippets Pets, Johanna Parker of Johanna Parker Design and David Everett of Chicken Lips Studios. You can find their links in my blog roll to see more of their fabulous work. I also have 2 pieces in the Easter portion of the publication. If you are interested in subscribing to this publication click on the Celebrate365 banner to the right to go directly to her site. There is a lot of eye candy in each issue, as well as informative articles for the ornament collector. You can find the contact info if you are interested in any of the featured ornaments as well. Here's to Spring and Celebrate365!

March PFATT Marketplace

Art for Spring. The bunny mixed media piece at the top is perfect for small spaces or places.
The bunny cup will hold treats.
The fresh fruit painting would be a wonderful addition to any kitchen or dining area.

American Holiday Artists Alice In Wonderland Challenge

That's right, in honor of the new Tim Burton movie our AHA artists are creating some magical wonders to add to your Alice collection. Stop by our blog, and search AHA on both etsy and ebay to see more of what is up for purchase or auction.

Halloween Gourd Jack O' Lantern

In an effort to make room for new creations I've been "catching up" on finishing creations started earlier in the year. This Jack took some time as he didn't seem to want to just be an ornament. So I searched and dug and I searched some more through the different elements in my studio and came up with a vintage oil can I purchased for another idea that never got past the thought stage. Next I had to scrounge up the time to put this all together as babies don't wait for creativity. When they are hungry, or wet or whatever, you just do babies. That's fine, it should be that way. I'm finally finished though and he can be found at my etsy shop. Thanks for stopping by!

What do Easter Bunnies and Santas have in common?

They are holiday art of course! I am in the process of creating several Santas for Reasons to Believe and so I will share as I get each one done. As a member of American Holiday Artists I spend a lot of time creating holiday art. The cute Easter Bunny trinket box is listed on ebay right now so check him out for more information.

Recycling WIP

I really dislike throwing away cardboard and glass or plastic if I can find a way to use it. I do love inspiring artists who can use "found" items to create beautiful gifts for others. One such is Diane Knott's over at Diane Knott's Musings. She has the master's touch when it comes to creativity so I like to visit her blog often. She has been creating lovely pocket tags, so I've decided to follow her lead.  I took a shampoo packaging box and used it to cut some tags as I really loved the scroll work on the box. The image is beautiful as well so here I go trying something new. Stop by Diane's blog to see what I mean. Oh, she was the inspiration for the new hand painted border on my blog.

Primitive Crow Raven Pastel Painting AHA pwgl ADSG - eBay (item 150416784676 end time Feb-27-10 08:00:37 PST)

Primitive Crow Raven Pastel Painting AHA pwgl ADSG - eBay (item 150416784676 end time Feb-27-10 08:00:37 PST)

Primitive Rabbit Easter Bunny gourd ornament AHA PWGL - eBay (item 150416994664 end time Feb-27-10 09:31:19 PST)

Primitive Rabbit Easter Bunny gourd ornament AHA PWGL - eBay (item 150416994664 end time Feb-27-10 09:31:19 PST)

Billboards and marketing design.....

My husband and I make several road trips a year. We often see billboards that give you no clue as to what they are selling because they are so busy with an overloaded message. When I saw this photo above I about fell off the chair laughing as it leaves no doubt about the message though simply stated. A perfect example of good marketing no matter how you feel about George W. Bush. Simple, to the point, and not cluttered with too many graphics or text for people to try and read as they drive by. It gets your attention and makes you laugh or get angry depending on whether you are still waiting for the whole "hopey changey" thing to happen.
When I worked for an endodontist in Alaska we spent many hours peering into patients mouths so we would pass the time in one of two ways. We had a code system set up with fake names for office personnel that we were discussing. Little Napoleon was the son in law, Goldilocks was the receptionist in the Anchorage office, there was momma bear and poppa bear, Tinkerbell and so on. The other way we passed the time was to listen to the radio. Our favorite part of that was the commercials. We would talk about the voice over talent or no talent depending on the ad, the copy and so on. We would try to see if we could come up with better ideas as well. I love commercials TV or radio as they can be so creative. Marketing and advertising have a lot of ins and outs that business owners don't think about and are usually not told when being sold an ad campaign. Tips like never give a laundry list of what you sell. Pick out the "hook" item or service that will bring people to your business. Never start an ad with a question. For instance, " Are you tired.... of being sick and tired, being ripped off, being overweight and so the list goes. Most ads that start with a question are quickly silenced as the listener moves to the next station or mutes the radio until the 4-5 minute commercial break is over. Unfortunately most folks haven't figured out that most stations are all on the same schedule. A clever ad is fun or enjoyable to listen to, and will remind you that you haven't tried this or that yet, or wow that sounds great! The purpose of radio ads are to remind folks of what they either need or want and where to find it. It's called controlled word of mouth. One of the most satisfying work experiences I had was in creating an ad campaign for a flooring store that not only helped them grow, but gave them confidence that advertising does work when done correctly, and helps them grow some more. I really miss working in radio, the reporting, voice over work, copy writing and sales, all of it!
I got to thinking about this as I worked with a fellow artist to re-do her blog. She wanted a fresh look, new banner and set up. We had fun perusing images and so on and I had fun trying out new things with photoshop. As I was putting her banner together I was struggling with the placement of text and so on. It didn't come together until I changed one simple thing.... the message. Here's what I mean. We went from this

to this

Of course I've come a long way since I created her first banner two years ago. The message is simple, elegant, the text flows and the design fits her personality so well. If you get a chance stop by and see what her blog looks like now at  Seasonal Whimsies . I would love your feedback!

Bunnies and Ravens and Signs and Things....

 

It's a sign of the times.... literally. Easter is fast approaching and this sign is ready to display anywhere you would like to add a touch of Spring. Inspired by Victorian ephemera, this one of a kind original will be a great center piece for your Easter decor.

  

 Buddy Bunny Pull Toy is a little egg gourd creation I put together using air dry clay. It's a two part creation with a little pull cart sculpted from clay. Buddy's friend Charlie Chick Pull Toy will be featured in Celebrate365 Spring issue.

 

Last but not least, I've decided to let the original pastel of this painting above to go. You will find all these pieces on ebay so visit my link to the right.