New artistic painted pillow

This pillow is 14.5 inches by 14.5 inches. I purchased the fabric yesterday after I had painted the circles on my first pillow, which matched in style but not quite in color. I made a new, larger pillow today, by using the same style and matching the colors to the fabric this time. The painted front side is canvas fabric, while the back is fabric made of rayon and polyester.

Painted canvas pillow, part 2

This is my first completed, handmade canvas fabric pillow. I just finished cutting, painting, stuffing and sewing it, and now I'm ready to test it out with a nap.

Handpainted throw pillow, part 1

I just got a large amount of canvas fabric to start making artistic throw pillows. When this is done, it will be approximately 15 x 15 inches, since I prefer square throw pillows. I want to feature a bunch of different colors, styles and sizes of painted pillows. This one is starting as a minimalistic, more subdued circle print, which will be continued on the back. Some of the pillows will only have one side painted, while others will have both. I want some architectural lined prints and some abstract bright colored ones in the near future.

The Brain Drain

Here is another edited image made from public domain images, courtesy of The Graphics Fairy. This brain monster grows another antler for every person he hypnotizes to do his bidding. As you can see, he has been very busy growing those antlers. Watch your back when he is in town.

Before and after

This framed alcohol ink was done with one of a two part set of frames I just got. I started with a striped teal background for the frame, then used the alcohol inks directly on the glass. I sprayed the frame teal and put it all together. This is similar to the smaller, more rectangular piece I made and sold this weekend at my art show. I will do the second frame in a similar fashion, so they may be purchased separately or in a set.

A Skull-eton and some antlers

Here are two pieces I edited as part of my practice using Photoshop. I found a fantastic blog that offers tons of free public domain images that can be downloaded and used for art. The author even encourages artists to send pictures of the art created with the images so they can be displayed. Check out graphicsfairy.blogspot.com to find some images for yourself. The first of my pieces is layered with multiple skeleton and skull images, using different opacity and blurring to de-emphezise some of them. The second was created with an images of antlers, inverted and textured, while adding color and rougher outlines. I am starting to get the hang of Photoshop's special effects, and really like the amount of choices I have at my fingertips for editing.

Twirled, Swirled and Mirrored

In this post, I wanted to show a before and after example of an image I photographed and then edited. There is a building in progress behind my apartment that looks really interesting when it is lit up at night. I thought this would be a good starting point to do some more experimenting with mirroring and twirling editing effects. This is the result of my efforts, which I may or may not keep, though it was fun to create, and gave me new ideas for future projects.

Custom Alchol Ink Giveaway for Following my Blog!

 



I am running my first giveaway on this blog. The first 10 people who follow my blog starting today will be entered into a drawing to receive a free custom alcohol ink abstract painting. The winner(s) will be able to choose from a number of colors, sizes and styles for the prize(s). To follow, sign up in the upper right corner of my blog and you will be entered. Thanks for playing, and have a great week .

Art show set up

Here are some example pictures of how my table looked this weekend while set up. I need a better way to display my pendants and need to iron my tablecloth for the next show, but I am really happy with how my display has evolved over time. I used the command hooks that don't damage walls to safely hang my paintings. They look much more impressive and professional when hung on the wall, and with this hooks I can do this with any shows that have wall space.

Framed Abstract 16 x 20 canvases

I had an art show this weekend and I had my new frames painted and mounted to the 16 x 20 canvas size that I usually work with. These are the three that I had, though I hope to eventually have all of those canvases framed. They look more professional and seem more finished.

Abstract alcohol ink framed

I just made this alcohol ink abstract piece and framed it for my art show tomorrow. The color of the frame is actually turquoise, though my camera on my phone doesn't show that well. I made an alcohol ink piece (not pictured) tonight with my friend on acetate. I now know for sure that even someone who does not consider herself artistic, like my friend, can create beautiful abstract pieces with these materials with ease. Get some and try it out for yourself, it may open up the artist in you.

Spray Paint Planets

These two abstract planet pieces were done with spray paint on poster board. I just learned some new techniques for using spray paint, and couldn't wait to get some to try them out. I am excited with how these turned out, since they were my very first tries. I will make the next few a little more complex, and try out some more techniques soon.

An experiment in color

I was looking though my previously painted pieces, and came to the realization that I rarely use more than 2 colors in each piece. I do use tints and shades of the colors, but had no examples on hand of a painting with more than 3 separate colors. This is what I created while trying to remedy that. I had my tube of alizarin crimson out, which has quickly become one of my favorite colors to work with. I used as many colors as I could in this piece, by mixing some, then using my store bought-premixed version next to the ones I mixed. I used my oil painting bristle brushes to help blend the colors, and really like how this piece turned out.

Tape up that texture

This painting is a study in texture, and how one material can deceive the eye into believing it is another material. I created this texture with masking tape, crumpled and piled on top of itself. I then blended the edge lines by using regular matte gel. I gessoed over this piece a few times, to make sure to seal the tape well. I then mixed this particular range of colors with gray, viridian green, alizarin crimson, titanium white ultramarine and prussian blue. I love how the color turned out, and though I initially planned to continue painting and adding straight glazes of alizarin crimson, I have decided to leave it like this for awhile. The larger picture shows the color in more detail, and the second picture shows the texture a little more clearly.

Bubble Bubble Boil and Trouble Abstract

 

 

This is a painting I just finished today using a new technique I learned very recently. I used a heat gun on the paint as it was drying to get the bubbles and boils as a unique texture. I had tested this technique out with gesso yesterday, and am still working on finishing that painting. This cadmium red paint had been sitting in my acrylic box for over a year, since it was too thick and dry to work with when I bought it. It would not come out of the tube anymore, so I cut off the top and added water until it was a more workable consistency. I then used the heat gun for quite a long time, seeing as how the paint was still thick, it took some time to bubble. The nice thing about taking that much time was that the heat gun added all of the tints and shades I needed. The longer I kept the heat on one spot, the darker it would get, and if it was there long enough, it turned an iridescent gold, which looks great with the red. I used the heat gun in multiple stages of the paint's drying process, the more dry or thin the paint was, the smaller the bubbles and boils. To finish the piece off, I used the black spray webbing and heated that as well to add some dimension. Here are two pictures of the painting, one of the whole piece and a close up to show the texture and unique creepiness of the piece. 

Spray Webbing Abstract

 

 

This is an 11*14 paper painted with Chinese watercolors and spray webbing. I needed the spray webbing for a different project I am working on, so to test it out, I sprayed it on this piece of paper. I liked the design it created, so I decided to get some more practice with my new watercolors and paint over it. The webbing is waterproof, and gives a very unique textural look to a painting. I am quite sure I will be using it frequently in the future.

Recreation

The first picture displayed here is of an 8*10 canvas board done with alcohol inks. The second picture is of an 11*14 mixed media paper painted with Chinese watercolors. I had a request at one of my art shows to do a similar painting as the original alcohol ink one, except larger. I informed the person that is was not possible to due, as I was not sure the exact colors I had used to create the painting. The difficult thing about alcohol inks, besides their unpredictability is that when mixing them together, they tend to create their own colors. You could mix a teal and a purple, and get a bright pink, you just never know. I was using these watercolors in the second painting yesterday, and realized I had a similar color scheme happening from the original painting. Without looking at the first painting, I attempted to paint this new one to look as if it was from the same series, and the same materials. I am excited that this was successful, and am now able to recreate alcohol ink paintings with more different mediums.

Refraction Photographs, Part 2

 

Here is my second batch of Refracted Light Photographs, which I think are much more successful this time around. I love the detail that they have, and the color I was able to incorporate into them. I learned some new tips, about how to color them, and how to add depth. The colors are painted directly on the plastic, which is made from melting water bottles. If you try this, make sure to do it in a ventilated place, so as not to breathe in any fumes. I only like the holes in the plastic for the blue images, as they remind me of bubbles in a pool. The brown and red ones (not pictures) had holes, which made them look too flat and lose their depth. I am excited to keep experimenting with this process, and get more intricate results. Like the first batch, these photographs have only been cropped, there was no editing done to them, they are true to the original photographs I took today.

Mirrored Forest Images

Here are two more mirrored forest photographs. The weather warmed up a bit today, so I was able to get some more photography done, without my fingers feeling like they were about to fall off. I am having a great time editing these images, and am using them as a way to practice using Photoshop. I almost have enough images cropped, altered, and ready to order prints of, so that they can be here in time for the art show next weekend.

Mirrored Forest

 

Here are some edited photographs I just finished, they were originally trees taken in the woods behind my parents' house. I mirrored the shots, then played around with the coloring until I got the effect I was looking for. I am really starting to get the hang of photoshop, as well as using my camera, and am really enjoying the pieces I can create with this new medium.

Moving Lights

These photographs are of a chain with orange lights that I have around my bathroom mirror. I was intrigued by the way they reflected in the dark room. I then started playing around with lower shutter speed and moving the camera while it was taking the picture. The result was the blur that resulted in the first three pictures, each in different patterns. The last two images show the chain a little more clearly. These pictures were not edited at all, not even cropped. They are shown here exactly as I photographed them. I have been reading more opinions lately of people showing disdain for edited photographs, calling them a mockery of photography. Although I do not share this opinion, I thought it would be nice to have some photographs that were not edited, for the people that feel this way.

Refracted Light Photographs

These photographs are of refracted light. I used various lights and shined them though different glass bottles, and plastic pieces. I then took the pictures of the amazing ghostly images they cast. These photos have only been cropped, no other form of editing has been applied. I read about a photographer who uses this form of refraction photography as his sole source of inspiration and art. He melts his own plastic to get the shapes and colors he needs. I have some ideas for new materials that are more complex than glass bottles, while less complex than melting my own plastic shapes. I am hoping to find a successful medium within my future experimentation.