Real Cartoon People

The world is filled with cartoon people.

EDM #3: draw a purse, wallet, or bag..

For this 3rd challenge I just didn't quite see any interest in my wallet, but my wife's new bag, now there was a challnge. 

All those folds and stitches and pockets and keys and shadows...sheesh.  I didn't think I could pull it off.

Well, here it is, and I think it came out pretty good.  I like it. 

If you want to see the EDM challenge list, click here.  I'm on a quest to post one each day in January here in the Art A Day blog.

The first five were done two years ago, but I'm working ahead and have the next three completed and ready to go.  Would love to post them all today, but one-a-day, that's my goal.

EDM - Everyday Matters 

winter river

I'm trying to capture a good profile of the local hills for a bookart piece and for some reason the last and favorite images turned out very low resolution.  Maybe because my phone had low battery? ( I'm in new-droid overload.)  With my husband on holiday I'm still inclined to hang with him instead of in the studio so I caught a bit of sunlight and clouds at waters edge as my "art" for the day. 

Copper, Crystals and Tinkly Spoons

If it is shiny, twinkly or tinkly, then I like it. I've really taken a shine (pun intended) to all things copper and have been gathering copper stuff for my studio. During the studio building process, I collected all the scraps of electrical wire and stripped off the plastic insulation. The result is a ton, well, maybe 10 pounds, of copper wire to make cool things with.

I bought these gold-plated silver U.S. presidents (that's Harry Truman on the right) spoons at a 2nd hand shop - cheap, with the idea of making a wind chime with some of the copper wire. After adding some sparkly crystal beads, it looks great hanging in front of the window, and has a beautiful musical tinkle.

Bobi has promised to give me some guidance in making a 3-dimensional wall art thingy with the 9.99 pounds of copper wire left over.

sketching

January - it must be Art-A-Day month!  Last year I participated for the first time and though I don't live in town, I so enjoyed seeing all your art develop and wished I could be there in person to meet you and join the art show.     I participated when I could and that participation started me on a year long exploration of all sorts of artistic experimentation for the first time ever.  (Thanks Bobi!)

I tried some mixed media, some collage, some painting......and always, photography.  I successfully completed a 365 day (photo a day) project (boy am I glad that's over!).  So here I am again this year, ready to try to expand and improve my skills.  I read Jim's post about sketching and, oddly enough, that's one of my goals this year - to improve my almost non-existent drawing skills.

It's tough to share pieces or sketches or art that I'm not confident about or that I feel aren't very skilled.  But, this is an opportunity for me to practice and learn....so, here goes.

Day #1, shoes.  Not as cool as Jim's cowboy boots, but I don't own any cowboy boots, so this is what I wear most days...my Clarks clogs.  Comfy.  At least I can tell they're shoes! :)

I actually welcome advice, critique, observations to help me improve.  If you can suggest a way to improve any drawing - lay it on me...I can take it!  In fact, I welcome it.

I'm so excited to be participating again and can't wait to see everyone's contributions again!

I have been needing structure to push me to work in the sketchbook every day and this month is a great jump-start to get going.  I am always telling my students how important it is to work in the book.  This is a perfect project. Returning home in the evening after a long day - what to draw about?  So far my husband watching football and the weather report.  That could be an interesting start to something new.

January

Busy New Year's day! Almost finished this new painting.

Next step...

I logged on and and in my procrastination to not post yet, hoping to come up with something as wonderfully creative as many of the other Art-A-Day artist's posts of today, I read through each and every one. So many great and creative posts of the day showing such talent. After seeing what great creativity can come out of a day I almost hesitate to post a picture when all I have is another pile of raw material. But this is what the day brought, sorting through another exploded door pulling out the long shards that will soon be bicycle spokes. But, that is one of the great things I love about this process, being able to see and appreciate "the process". Each step being as important as the next in the creation of the final artpiece. So, here is my work-of-the-day. And I end my day feeling quite confident that I am not the only one that sees bicycle spokes here. :0)

Whale of a Friend

Today

I ran into a wall trying to figure out how to support the paper mache dragon wings.

I have no wire in the house..

So while I was thumping my head against the wall wondering if tooth picks could work, I thought of this..

I was wishing for a friend (preferably with large amounts of wire to spare) who could help me out.

Then I started thinking of how gentle whales are, what a great friend a whale would be.. Strong, sweet, my goodness they even sing! Hmm, the perfect buddy. So I thought about a whale helping out a fishing boat by carrying them into a safe harbor.

So yeah, still figuring out the wing problem, but at least I have my next project lined up.

Stay Artsy & DFTBA

~Sarah Bosserman

( My Other Blog)

Just do it...

I suppose the thoughts of where to get started often keep us from doing anything at all. Do I begin editing photos for my new card series? No, I don't have easy access to my backed up photes. Do I rough out the four-seasons piece that's been evolving in my head for a year? No, too many unresolved details. Do I get back to the unfinished canvas in the Reiki room? Bingo!

Well, at least it's a start...

Thank you, Bobi, for the invite to get back in my right brain.

Experimental Cave?

Well here is one I started in September. It's all experimental. I laid canvas on table put just water on it, then thinned down acrylic paint, then dabbed off some with a paper towel. did this 1 or 2 times more. Then i put the purplish color at bottom really thinned down and let it drip down, did this another time. Then later same for a reddish color at top. So it looks like the drippings of cave walls. NOW the inside of the cave looks kind of greenish, but I started noticing images inside. Images that were not drawn, or painted or even thought of, they just showed up by accident.  Thinking of what to do to finish this. Probably just darken the stalags on top and bottom and letting the inside be just as it is, a mystery. Any thots on finishing??

Greg Ashby     Ashnmyst@aol.com / ashnmyst.blogspot.com

Started 2 pieces Jan 1

 Well I started out about 8:00 Sunday morning hoping to get a lot done throughout the day, but as it were I only did a few minutes worth. Covered 2 new canvases. 24 x 24 in blue and a 24 x 30 in yellow.

Then on 2nd Day I added more to both. They look uninteresting here, but I tend to do things in layers. It's like.. "watch this space" sort of thing :)

Greg Ashby
Ashnmyst@ol.com  -  Ashnmyst.blogspot.com

EDM #2: Draw a Lamp

Number 2 on "Everyday Matters" list of 324 is to "Draw a Lamp."

This lamp hangs in our kitchen nook over the table.

The real one is much more symmetrical and therefore not quite as interesting. And, as I studied it this morning I found one of those dreaded cobwebs.

It's gone now.

The cobweb. 

Right, so the top two photos are a 25mm pendant made from copper wire, a brass disc, and two different flowers I snipped off of what used to be stick-pins. The bottom photo is actually all new materials. I'm not sure I'm completely happy with the bottom pair that's destined to be earrings. I need to electroplate them, I think. I'll do bronze, when the solution gets here. Hopefully on the 2nd.

#1 of an Orchid Triptych

Wrapping up a painting I started in December was a good way to start the New Year. I usually work on one painting at a time, so now I can start on the second installment of an orchid triptych.

Love all the marvelously imaginative art that others have shared today, and look forward to lots more. Only a small spark of envy before I remind myself that we must do that which pleases us, and for now, realism makes me happy.

The 80/20 Rule

Photography is really 80% editing and only 20% shooting , and I've been neglecting my editing for some time now. So I'm currently addressing that and working on editing a ton of slides to see if I've missed any hidden gems. I especially enjoy this process.

This is a shot of the light table and loupe I use for editing.

Since these are slides, I can't just click and have the images appear on the screen, so I haven't seen these for a long time. I'm carried back to the place and time where each was captured, just like deja vu all over again. It's a great activity for this time of year when it's cold out and the light is flat.

This is one of the shots I've selected through this process. It was captured at the Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend a few years ago.

I'm also playing around with some other stuff. I have a new artsy lens for my camera called a Lensbaby Composer (it adds a strange blurred effect to part of the image) and have also been enjoying taking photos with my smartphone and using some of the artsy apps to process them. You may have seen this one on my Facebook page.

So there really is no shortage of material for me to explore, massage and present here in the next month. I'm looking forward to the opportunity and the challenge!

Self Portrait

And to start 'Art A Day' - something I've been wanting to do for a while now. A Self Portrait in pen and ink. Welcome January 2012!

Felting by the fire

I couldn't face a cold studio when my husband, cat and a warm fire were right here.  So pulled out felting supplies and reacquainted myself a bit with the way it behaves - and called it good for Day 1.

"Everyday Matters Challenges: #1"

A few years ago I came across a book written by Danny Gregory entitled, "Everyday Matters."  It was from this book, filled with sketches and commentary, I began to understand the power of the simple sketch, and started shifting my aristic pursuits in that direction.  

Some snooping around the internet led me to a yahoo group, "Everyday Matters," initiated by Danny and a couple of his friends. In no time a list of things to sketch was developed.  People began sketching those things and posting them on the yahoo group.  The list grew, and more people joined the group.

Today there are over 320 items listed and the group is still a place where sketchers can discuss Danny's vision, discuss their own visions and post their sketches.  In the beginning, people posted the items listed ina fairly sequential manner, but long ago, the emphasis moved more toward people posting whatever they wanted to post.  It is still mostly sketches, and sometimes it's a sketch of something off the list, but mostly it's just "show and tell," and a lot of fun for those involved.

But like all good things, nothing stays the same and now there's a spin-off:  a Facebook page.  It works well and the number of people involved there continues to expand as well.     

My plan this January is to begin anew with the Everyday Matters list - beginning with #1: "draw a shoe."  Each day this January I plan to post a new sketch from this list here in Art-A-Day. 

I might post some other stuff too, because it's just too much fun doing and sharing. 

Here's the first:

Beginnings

A new giant pile of busted up tempered glass, just waiting to be turned into something creative and beautiful. I have a million ideas but all will have to wait until this gets tumbled into useable material. I am using today to get a good supply of glass to start on a new creation. Pretty excited about starting a new process. Hope you all had a great New Years!