Illustration Friday: Egg

Illustration Friday: Wheel

Original photo cropped and manipulated using Photoshop.

Illustration Friday: Wings

Computer generated illustration using type and masks in Photoshop.

Sold!

I am so excited!  I sold my first piece of artwork!  In fact, it was my first collage called "Proverbs".  One of the gals at the bank where some of my work is currently displayed fell in love with it and bought it.  (Basha, if you are reading this, take heart.  I have not forsaken your request!) 

I still have not made that giant leap into Etsy yet.  I need to be able to nail down how to figure postage costs.  I will have to commit to get this completed this week.  If the weather turns, I KNOW where my priorities will be...outside!

Finished and framed

Before framing and a bit of a yellow hue.  My lighting must have been off.

Right detail of "Proverbs"

Left detail of "Proverbs"

Layer: Illustration Friday Theme for this Week

What great timing to have this word as a theme for Illustration Fridays' website this week.  After all, the collages I am currently absorbed in are all about layers.  I chose this one that I named "Orange Marmalade" particularly because of the rows of layers nested horizontally down the page.  I love the different textures of the scraps of fabric, bits of paper, and the found objects; like the recycled metallic layer from a bag of oranges.  One word for all this...Yummy!

If you'd like to see other examples from this series go here.

Illustration Friday - Chicken

This piece was a project in one of my Photoshop classes held at Schoolcraft College.  It was the cover of a handmade book titled; "Bird, Feather, Nest".  This is where I started learning and loving the art of digital collage.  I shot the photos from a couple of my favorite chickens; Bella, my little black bantam, and Archie, our Rhode Island Red Rooster.

Bella

Archie

Stella Luna

Illustration Friday - Winter

The theme for Illustration Friday  this week was "Winter".  I used a photo shot in my herb garden a couple of years ago on a very frosty morning when the sun sparkled off all of the ice jewels.  It was breath taking.  Although winter in Michigan seems to be a long, drawn out endeavor, it's beauty can entice anyone to come out for a closer look.

This mixed media piece was made using an 8x12 color photo with the emulsion dampened for distressing techniques.  The different materials and mediums include; sand paper, watercolor pencils, photo pens, permanent markers, gel pens, glimmer mist, thread, sewing machine, ephemera, specialty papers, vellum, antiquing ink, and tinsel.

Back to Bucarestî

The title of my journal page is "Bucharestî Cart Horse".  I entered it in the Old Fashion theme for this week at Illustration Friday because when I visited Romania, it was like going back in time.  I saw men using scythes to cut hay, cart horses like this gentle boy transporting many things, and people who herded and protected the livestock in lieu of fencing.  I fell in love with the place...

Although it is one page of a journal I started last summer after my first trip to Romania, it is also a mixed media collage. For a larger image click here. I transfered my photo image onto watercolor paper and used watercolor pencils, vellum, sewing machine stitching, magazine pages, and decorative paper for a binding.  I am still toying with the idea of turning it into a paper quilt rather than a traditional book form journal.  We shall see when all the pages come together.

I have now been to Romania twice and hope that there may be more visits in the future.  My daughters and I have made some life-long friends that I hope to see again one day.  In the meantime I try to keep the Eastern Europe influences alive and well here in Michigan. 

Juggling Life

So this is my week 2 of being part of Illustration Friday.  For a larger view of the whole piece and the details go here.  Although I wasn't much inspired by the subject, I had a lot of fun with the piece.  I was toying with the idea of the different kinds of acrobats there are.  I kept comimg back to juggling.  Then it hit me!  Shelby has a fuill load this year as a senior in high school.  As head photographer, she is constantly heading to swim meets, equestrian meets, vollyball...you get the picture.  (I know this could have been a self portrait!)  I am always sensitve about copyright issues, so rather than chancing online clip art, I browsed through old photos I shot and came up with one of her playing volleyball at one of our summer picnics.  It seemed to lend itself to allow her to juggle all the clocks.  I used a digitally altered photo, oil pastels, a predesigned canvas, mod podge, acrylic medium, clock face chip art and vellum, pieces of magazine pages, and a recycled/upcycled tag from a pair of jeans (figure out where!).  Overall, this isn't my favorite.  I actually prefer one of the detail shots I took as a composition in itself.  But I am creating!  I'm also working on some new recycleable craft ideas that I'll be posting soon...

Illustration Friday "Proverb"

http://www.flickr.com/photos/creativedreamz/5014540295/I am very excited to post my first committed piece of artwork this week. I wanted to use Illustration Friday as a jumping off point to get me drawing, painting, creating again. I actually created a 2-sided collage for this weeks' subject. However, I am only going to post the first side for now. I used some photos that I shot in Charleston, South Carolina on the interior of, I believe, an Episcopal Church. I already had several 8x10 enlargements ready to distress. I used mod podge, modeling paste, paint, oil pastels, wax, and even some sewing and sanding. Let me know what you think...