Uber excitement!!!

Don't you just love those moments when you find you have pressed the shutter button on your camera at just the perfect moment to capture something that couldn't have been caught except for a stroke of sheer good luck!

I have some of those in this shoot I did today. I am posting a few here. If you would like posters, prints, or cards of them, let me know, I can get them to you. Prices will be provided on request.

Been ill, but got lots done!

Today has been a symbol of my rejuvenation and regain of health and energy. I have gotten out and taken some pictures, and I have been taking care of my plants, and waiting for my opportunity to get to the other comp to do some work (it is in use by someone else at this exact moment), but I am relieved to be building back up to myself as I remember myself.

I hope to work on and possibly finish the Monkey and Herald of Spring pieces. I also hope this weekend to finish the Spring Carousel horse.

So many projects, so back to the grindstone, after I finish transplanting the night blooming Cirrus plants!

OMG!

I was reorganizing my things on my drafting table and I set a stack of DVD's on the corner temporarily and the monkey's piece was on top of them, and of course, that is when everything goes toppling over to the floor. I broke the tile, and the jewelry unit ended up on the floor, but no damage done. everything is still in tact.

You wouldn't believe how tight my eyes slammed shut on the realization it was going over and I could do nothing about it. I'm not worried about a $0.25 tile, but if the piece had broken, the world would have collapsed for a moment.

**Note to self - be more careful how you stack things in a frantic rush to clean up on a 15 minute break!

Almost finished with Spring Carosel Horse!

I have a new piece (rather large) almost finished today. Possibly will be finished today if I can get enough done between shifts at my work. I am very excited to be finishing it up. It's been a long time coming. It is most definitely the most involved and intricate digital piece I have done to date. I am very proud of it so far, and feel sure I will be wen all is said and done. There are several things that are unusual and/or unique about this piece. All that is left at this point is polishing up the coat and putting in some highlights and shadows.

Then I intend to go toward focusing on the traditional for a little while as I feel some of those skills are getting a bit rusty, and I have some ideas I would like to tinker with on there too.

Also in the planning stages are several fiber art pieces and some music narrative pieces (some of which fill both slots.

Then I am thinking about getting back to my coloring book plans. Oh so many things to do, so little time left to do them in.

Somewhere in there I want to actually finish my website, and create this blog to match, so there is a little more thrown in for good measure.

New artwork

I have been inspired by a new group of artists, and an old one. I have signed up for a new gallery website, www.storm-artists.net and have been trolling through. I have some work to do and I was just feeling real uninspired to work on it, (or anything for some reason), and I saw something on there, and it sparked me, and it's been pretty non-stop ever sense. I have done the following piece as a warm up to get the creative juices flowing and pumping again. It's "Prancing Pony #1". It's a piece done solely in Adobe Illustrator CS3. I need to go back and make a few adjustments, but I wanted to move on to the real projects. So here is (unfinished) Prancing Pony #1 for your perusal.


He was designed after seeing the photo taken by Vivstock on Deviant Art. It is posted here with her permission per her stock rules.

New work coming...

I have had a rash of computer issues recently, and what with work not being at all helpful, and having to reload my OS several times in recent weeks, and viruses (beware of Spyware 2009 which seemingly started this whole issue for me) my work got put on the temporary back burner.

I am however working on many things...

I have some jewelry getting ready to post. I have a pattern for an amulet bag I am creating. I have some designs in my head for some stuff, and I ave new tools that I am anxious to test out. I got and pet them everyonce in a while promising that they haven't been forgotten.

I am toying with an idea (have been for quite some time) of a coloring book. I remember coloring books when I was little... Jumbo size... tons of pictures. Not connect the dots, but real honest to God pictures to color and use my imagination on. The size of coloring book that makes "jumbo size" now look puny. I am thinking of bringing back my childhood. I have several drawings done to this end, and I am thinking of offering it on CD so kids can print them out and recolor as often as they want as well as printed versions.

I have lots of ideas... and they are starting to surface...

But it is almost time for lunch, and my stomach is taking over. OI!

In honor of spring starting tomorrow...

Spring has sprung...

Or at least is at the chocks waiting to pounce...

Tomorrow is the official start of spring, and in honor of the irises beginning to bloom in my mother's garden, and the pending sunshine and warmth, I offer to you an iris on pink Magnisite.

She (yes, they have genders :p) is done in Sculpey III. I haven't fully decided whether she will be on a bail, or if I am going to get more creative, but I do hope you enjoy.

Introducing....

Herald of Spring

Monkeys WIP

Yes, I really have been working on artwork in those moments of bliss between fits of sanity. Here is a piece I am working on. It is a focal bead for a necklace. I am not positive of the type of stone (or even that it really is a stone), but here you have it.



Hey! Hey! We're the Monkeys!

They are made out of Fimo and Sculpy III polymer clay.

I think the stone might be resin instead of actual stone.

They are a W.I.P. and so will change, but please enjoy them in their current state...

You should be able to find the stone in the layout in a earlier post (below).

New projects and changes to plans...

Well, life is what happens when you have other plans, right?

Right!

Well, the shows I had set up to plan on going to have either been indefinately cancelled, or I didn't find out how to apply soon enough and then ended up missing the deadline. I hate when that happens, but shall move on.

I still have one show to apply to, still planning my move, and still doing art, though it may seem like I haven't been. I know I have said this before, but this time I mean it... I am going to be more active on my blog now.

My newest piece is titled High Chancellor. It was done from a photograph taken at Medieval Times when I went with a friend Teague-Drydan (http://teague-drydan.deviantart.com/) when she came down to Texas to visit for a few days. I am very proud of it. It was done using Camera Raw and Photoshop CS4. And for what it is worth here is.....

drum roll please.....

High Chancellor

The original photo was taken using a Canon Rebel XTI set on nightshot setting with a flash.

It wasn't easy to get shots in the setting we were in. It was dark, there was strobe lights, smoke, strong lighting affects, and people swinging banners and light up toys etc, so the shots I got were few and far between.

However, I must say, Adobe Photoshop CS4, amazing, breathtaking, and so easy to use!

I'm very impressed.

And I am impressed with the results.

If you are curious, the horse is a Friesian (or Frisian depending on where you are from).

I would love some feedback on this if anyone has any. (constructive please)

New Work!

Well, I have started on the one crescent shaped "stone" and am almost ready to cure it, and have started on the pink magnisite stone. I am very excited to have my hands busy again, and have plans for 4 more pieces using 7 more stones.

I found this wonderful store the other day (it is where I purchased some of my stones from) called Bally Beads. It's semi local to me (well worth the drive) but they do have a website (http://www.ballybead.com/). Walking into their store was fantastic. I did not have my tax certificate with me at the time, but I will be returning with it.

I have made a "new year resolution", though it has come a little late, to really make a concerted effort for my art business in the coming years. I have a lot to look forward to and a lot of things I want to be doing in the future, it's time I began tackling some of them.

See y'all next time!

Inspirations

I love to get new pretties.

I have some new stones to work with. I am completely overjoyed. I have one piece designed, and will begin working on it today. There is a "series" I have planned, but no details worked yet, and a couple of individuals that I am tinkering with an idea or two. Here are the stones before I get started working on them.The top row has 2 shells sliced and carved to show hearts, then a single ladybug charm (he was orphaned and I couldn't leave him behind LOL) and then 2 abalone shell ovals and then 4 fossilized snail(?) disks. Anyone who can tell me what those are it would be greatly appreciated. In the second row there is a tiger eye like "stone" (I think it is actually fused glass), a carbochon of some sort of very mottled black, pink, purple, white, brown, and translucent (I don't know what kind it is), a piece of pink Magnisite, a piece of green and pink Jasper, a disk that looks like a geode, a piece that is green and brown (probably fused glass), and the cresent shaped piece is the one I have a design already made for it. It is most likely fused glass or resin (I think it is glass though). The last row is first most likely pink granite, then some kind of rust, grey, and transulcent stone, then a rosey red, green, black, and translucent stone (possibly a kind of agate), a green and brown agate, then another possibly pink granite, a piece of purple glass, and then a round piece of glass that looks like giraffe spots.

I look forward to working on these. I hope you like them, and like what I do with them.s

New Artwork

I have been lax on uploading my artwork here, but I really want to pick back up on that again. To that end here is a posting of all the artwork I have done since I last posted art. There is more, but I just haven't finished it, or photographed it yet.

The Herbalist
Corn Husk Doll

Now Introducing ArtFire!!!

Leave it to the artistic community to do this.

It's been a long time coming.

It's way overdue.

But it is here now....

ARTFIRE!!!

It is a better version of Ebay and Etsy and so much more for artists and artisans. There are guilds to interact in, a place to find requests, and an opportunity to sell your stuff with NO FEES!

No fees - that means no listing fees, no hidden dees, no final value fees - !NOTHING, NADA, BIG OLE GOOSE EGG!

You can have a free account too! I choose to pay for mine to get the extras but the free accounts are excellent as well. Also, $7.00 USD a month for life (currently) ain't a bad deal at all. However, if you wait too long they will go up to $20.00 USD a month. Still not a bad deal, but more money.

If you are an artist or artisan you should sign up too:

Also if I refer 10 people who sign up for the $7.00 a month for life rate account my account is free, so if you sign up, please use the banner above. I would greatly appreciate it.
It's quick, easy, and well worth the effort.

Things Shifting Drastically...

I feel the sand slipping from beneath my feet. You know the feeling. Your barefoot on the beach, the waves are lapping at your ankles before pulling back to the ocean again and as they move the sand shifts away out from under you. You wonder just how long you can stand there while it feels like the beach is eroding away underneath you, but you are powerless to move because it just feels so dang cool.

I am still dead set on my move to the UK, but have had a possibility of an opportunity kind of get dropped into my lap from a friend who didn't realize the power of what they were setting before me. I might be delayed a year in moving, but I might not, I won't know until this "opportunity" either comes to fruition or dies on the vine. Either way I am giving it a shot. Wish me luck. It is a 1 year job opportunity that could solve ALL my financial woes, and be the answer to a prayer I have had since I was 5 or 6 years old. Yes, I had a dream before my dream to live in the UK.

I am hooked too. *rolls eyes* I am addicted to stupid little online games. OI! What is it with these things? They aren't all that pretty to look at but they are freaking addicting. Take Travian for example. There is no live action, all just point and click and wait. Same with Howrse. The "live action"-y ones I like are Travians (yes, it is different than Travian but same premise), Rappelz and Horse Isle. Yes, I should be ashamed. I am a female gamer at heart.

I also have been designing some paintings and sculptures and things, and *hides head in shame* finishing Christmas presents. This last year just flew by so fast and what with starting a job on the 2nd of December I lost all time to get anything done.

So I am here, with the waves lapping at my feet feeling overjoyed and the changes and the chance to reinvent myself.

LOOK OUT WORLD!!!!!!

WOW such a long absence... UPCOMING SHOWS

My deepest apologies for being gone so long. It's been just about a whole year (let's just call it a year cause in 11 days it will be). This isn't because I have not been creating or working, it is because of the life that I have been having to live regardless of creating or working. So much has happened.

After I posted in December last year the end of December was always hectic, as was Jan, Feb, and April. December was Aaron's birthday (17th), then Christmas (was always a big deal), and then in January Martin's (my husband) birthday on the 1st, then Hope's birthday on the 11th, and then in February there was Valentine's Day (never a big deal :( to my husband) and then my birthday. In March was our wedding anniversary (again, :( not a big deal to my husband). Then almost immediately in April was Angel's birthday. There was very little time to settle down enough to blog about anything short of just being about how hectic I was feeling.

Then things started falling apart for me.

Martin started cheating (I think) on me. He decided to move to an apartment and separate, then the adoption for the kids that we had been working toward was finally scheduled. It was set for Aug. 8, 2008 at 8:00 am. I let Martin know. And was in the midst of a move from Denton to Mesquite. I got the apartment all approved, and everything seemed to be going somewhat normally. I thought Martin would settle down when he saw the stress over the fostering / adoption was over. He said he would go through with the adoption because he didn't want to screw the kids up. I thought all would be fine after some time. He kept telling me nothing was wrong he was just overly stressed.

Well on 7-27-08 I received divorce papers. The next day the jerk had called the state and the state effectively kidnapped the kids from me. I was told while I was driving down the freeway and nearly killed myself, my mom, and everyone else withing a 200 ft radius of my car.

Let me just say the state, the agencies, the people who are charged with "child protection" don't have a blasted clue about what is right for kids or how to handle situations properly.

So here we are... it's December again. Thanksgiving sucked, I have no hope of getting the kids back, and Christmas is coming and I dread it. I am looking forward to meeting a fellow artist. She is coming to Oklahoma for some Christmas festivities and I will be travelling up to see her at some point in her holiday visit. Haven't set on a specific day yet, but we are working on it. You can see her work at http://teague-drydan.deviantart.com

I have also made some decisions about the future of me and where I am going to be. I am re-locating to the UK. I have a couple of very good, very dear friends there who have been a drastic support for me through all I have been going through and I have wanted to return there ever since I was there in 1999 studying art. It was truly the first place I felt like I was home.

I am going to go visit this summer, start getting some things together and set up and look for a place to live. Then I will be going back and forth quite a bit and deal with several shows here and getting shows set up there etc.

I do have some shows here set up and getting set up.

Because of all that has happened I missed the application deadlines of a couple, but here is a current listing of were I am applying and/or will be exhibiting.

I will / am trying to be in the following places:

April 4&5
San Antonio, Texas
La Villita Spring Arts Festival (Vendor & Exhibitor)

October 10-18
Houston, Texas
International Quilt Show (Vendor)

October 31 & November 1 (I think - new dates haven't been made available yet)
Carterville, Illinois
34th annual John A. Logan College Autumn Fest Arts and Crafts Show (Vendor)

I will be working on Blogging much more regularly, but I just started a new job so I will aim for weekly blogs rather than daily blogs.

Don't forget to sign up for my feed so you can read my coming and admittedly fascinating artistic blogs.

Be the Energizer Bunny ...

And keep going and going and going.

Success is not a lack of failure, it is a lack of laziness. There are several ways to look at this.

1. Invention is 99% persperation and 1% inspiration. You have to sweat over something to make it worthwile and therefore to make it succeed.
2. The little engine that could. When you come to a mountain, keep telling yourself you can do it. Keep saying, "I know I can".
3. The tortise and the hare. Slow and steady wins the race, but the speedy trend followers will burn out way too soon.
4. Practice makes perfect. You can't improve, learn, or experiment without time, effort, and eneregy.

So don't let the time investment run you off. Just go at it. Step by step. Keep moving, keep trying.

Also keep everything you do. It may inspire something new one day, AND you can see your improvement and successes.

Now, I am keeping this one short because it is important for you to take that first step and get out there and get working. Find something, do something, make something, just keep on doing it, or something different. Just don't get discouraged or stagnant.

Anything worth while is worth the effort!

Step by Step 2 Jaguars (installment 2)

This is a continuation of my prior post. To see the pieces earlier, please go to http://magicweaver.blogspot.com/2007/12/step-by-step-2-jaguars-in-needle-felt.html to see the first installment.

I didn't intend to work on this anymore today. If anything I was going to work on the dragon sculpture, but as typically happens to me, I got going and picked these up again. Therefore I apologize for the multiple posts in one day.


Here I am showing the two bodies at different stages. The one on the left has the lemon yellow top coat begun. I will put a second coat that will blend the colors back further, but that will be after I put on the first layer of spots.

Here both bodies have the first yellow coat, and the white on the chest which can be seen from the side.

Here are the bodies at the same stage, just showing the white on the chest from the front. Sorry the picture is a little blurry. The digital camera doesn't alow me to force a focus, and it doesn't seem to know what to focus on as these are so fuzzy with very fine hairs all over the place.

These colors are only lightly tacked down still with a course needle. I will now be putting these aside and creating the limbs and then attaching them. Then I will create the head, and attach it. Then I will put the spots and stripes on and refine the shape with a medium needle. Then a final top coat of yellow blended with brown over everything. Finally with the fine needle I will do the final refining, accentuate the spots bringing the darks to the top, and attach them to their own individual "branches".

I hope you like the progress I have been making. I welcome any comments or questions you may have. Just leave them here or email me.

Dragon Sculpture in Needle felt

Here are some step by step photos on how I create(d) my dragon sculpture in needle felt wool. I started taking pictures after I began putting the color on, so my apologies for the lack of photos at the beginning to be helpful.

For this sculpture I did tightly and firmly pack before putting on the color. This is because I will be sculpting scales and I need something firm to work with. However, the color is loosely applied except for the color on the eye, it is very firmly applied as I am not working on it after it is done.

The color is a self blend of two shades of natural brown (light and dark), 3 shades of green (emerald, lime, and chartruese), and a rare occasional hint of lemon yellow. The eye is white scelara, with an iris of ellow and brown veins and a ring of tangerine. There is a reptilian slit pupil that goes about 75-80% of the iris.

Here I have begun filling in the muzzle and the beak here.No detailing yet, just coloring it in. I am barely punctureing the colored wool, just enough to attach it to the form. When I begin sculpting the scales that will further attach,

Step by Step 2 Jaguars in Needle felt Sculpture

My foster son is a student at a school whose mascot is a Jaguar. Our family has had a rough go recently and his teacher and counselor have been wonderfully helpful to him and by extension myself. Therefore as a Christmas gift, I would like to give them something handmade (everything is handmade from us this year) and special. I have chosen to do a needle felted jaguar on a tree limb for each of them.

I thought this was a perfect opportunity to share the process of doing needle felt dolls and sculptures, and so I took some step by step photos to share this at this time. This isn't really a tutorial, as I am not telling you how to use the needles or anything. I am completely self taught so I don't know that I am doing it exactly right anyway, but it works for me. If you would like more detail information, let me know and I will see what I can do.

First I took a clump of 100% Polyester Fiber stuffing (I use Polyfil). One clump for each Jaguar.

Then I gave each piece a hint of the body shape that I wanted. This was really very gestural done with a course needle. No fine details put in, and it isn't very tightly packed, just hinted at so it would hold a shape when it wasn't in my hands.

I continued to shape the bodies, just getting some of the basic angles. Not yet putting in any details or musculature. The bodies are getting a little firmer packing as I go (thus why I didn't get it tightly packed from the beginning).

Now it is time for some color. I laid down a self blended undercoat of lemon yellow, tangerine orange, and natural brown wool roving. I very lightly attached it to the body here, and made sure the wool flowed in the direction of the hair on a live jaguar. I haven't begun any real structural work, and when I do, the punching will help attach the color further into the core. This is just the beginning stages, and there will be a less striated coat on top, and you can even see some of the stuffing through, but this will just add a life too the coat that wouldn't be there if I just did the top layer.

Here you see now the both sides of the two jaguar bodies when the sculpturing has begun. It isn't near finished, as I will continue polishing the bodies as I add the top coat and the details as well as the limbs. The musculature is developing, and you can see how the two jaguars are developing very distinct looks even though I am looking at one photograph to work from. This will change further still.

Don't Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons...

For they think you are crunchy and taste good with catsup.

Well, I haven't posted here in a while, not because I forgot. OH no, I didn't forget. It is because I have been beating my head against the table screaming out my creative woes. I have been struggling and drowning in a problem.

I want to create a dragon. A very unique dragon. I see it in my head, but can't seem to figure out how to make the parts come together. So, I decided to make one of my own, building it up piece by piece, and then designing a pattern from that. Then the question was how to begin. OI! So many ideas running through my head and no real means to get them into the proper medium.

So I decided to work on an animal I knew better. An equine. Well, that is easier and harder in some respects. My real problem is how to handle the armature. I want it to be an artist doll (not a toy).

I am going to be building an armature, bulking it some with tape (probably floral to be honest, but we will see when I get that far), then further bulking with yarn, and finally ending with fabric being pinned to get a pattern onto the "model". The actual piece will be possibly (depending on my moments inspiration) glued, sewn, stuffed, trapuntoed (sp?), needle sculpted, gessoed, painted, etc. I really want to give a shot to oil pastels on the fabric structure!

If I can get a horse figured out, then I can move on to the dragon I have in mind.

I hope everyone would be interested to see the outcome as I work it through.

The horse is to be named "Cainwyn Cyra" and will be nicknamed if someone so desires "Cierrah". She is a fantasy creature being, you will understand when you start seeing her creation.

Seems I owe the blog some inspirational entries as well. Those will be on the way shortly.