Receiving ATCs is just as much fun as making and sending them out! Not only do you have cards to add to your collection, but you can learn so much from the different ways other artists have used to create them. I don't think I've received any made the same way twice.
The most recent set I've received came from Origami Grace. It was for a blind swap of 3/3. I loved them all. One of the cards was especially delightful. Grace created an origami heart, tied on a gold thread, then affixed this to the card as the centre point.
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Friday, August 31, 2007
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Mini Art Pieces (ATCs/AECOs)
I decided it was time to try my hand at mini art pieces. For months now, I've been working in a larger size and then making mini prints. These are the first hand drawn mini originals. It was easier than I had at first thought it would be.
It was a matter of first sizing up the available space and then deciding what of my subject matter would fit. No different really from what I do with a larger space. Odd how we are sometimes our worst critic.
Here they are.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
3 Red Marbles ... A Story
I received this in an email today and wanted to share it. It may seem a little 'hokey' to some of you and it may be an 'urban myth' but I think it is still worth reading and sharing. The 'I' in the story is not me.
~~~
I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily apprising a basket of freshly picked green peas. I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes.
Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me.
"Hello Barry, how are you today?"
"H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas. They sure look good."
"They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?"
"Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time."
"Good. Anything I can help you with?"
"No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas."
"Would you like to take some home?" asked Mr. Miller.
"No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with."
"Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?"
"All I got's my prize marble here."
"Is that right? Let me see it" said Miller.
" Here 'tis. She's a dandy."
"I can see that. Hmmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?" the store owner asked.
"Not zackley but almost."
"Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble" . Mr. Miller told the boy.
"Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller."
Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me. With a smile she said, "There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on their next trip to the store."
I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to Colorado, but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering for marbles.
Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could.
Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts...all very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket.
Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes.
Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me about her husband's bartering for marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket.
"Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim "traded" them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size....they came to pay their debt."
"We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world," she confided, "but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho ."
With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.
The Moral : We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds. Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
Today I wish you a day of ordinary miracles ~
If you don't send it to anyone, it means you are in way too much of a hurry to even notice the ordinary miracles when they occur.
~~~
I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily apprising a basket of freshly picked green peas. I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes.
Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me.
"Hello Barry, how are you today?"
"H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas. They sure look good."
"They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?"
"Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time."
"Good. Anything I can help you with?"
"No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas."
"Would you like to take some home?" asked Mr. Miller.
"No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with."
"Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?"
"All I got's my prize marble here."
"Is that right? Let me see it" said Miller.
" Here 'tis. She's a dandy."
"I can see that. Hmmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?" the store owner asked.
"Not zackley but almost."
"Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble" . Mr. Miller told the boy.
"Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller."
Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me. With a smile she said, "There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on their next trip to the store."
I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to Colorado, but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering for marbles.
Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could.
Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts...all very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket.
Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes.
Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me about her husband's bartering for marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket.
"Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim "traded" them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size....they came to pay their debt."
"We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world," she confided, "but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho ."
With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.
The Moral : We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds. Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
Today I wish you a day of ordinary miracles ~
A fresh pot of coffee you didn't make yourself.
An unexpected phone call from an old friend.
Green stoplights on your way to work.
The fastest line at the grocery store.
A good sing-along song on the radio.
Your keys found right where you left them.
Send this to the people you'll never forget.
I (meaning me) just did...
If you don't send it to anyone, it means you are in way too much of a hurry to even notice the ordinary miracles when they occur.
IT'S NOT WHAT YOU GATHER, BUT WHAT YOU SCATTER
THAT TELLS WHAT KIND OF LIFE YOU HAVE LIVED!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
ATCs and AECOs - Color Pencils
I've been busy making ATCs and AECO's.
ATCs
ATC stands for Artist Trading Card. The idea for this comes from the sports trading cards many of us used to get for free in a pack of bubblegum. ATCs are created as an original work of art (hand drawn, painted, etc.), or collage, or by any other craft medium you can think of and/or also created as prints. The size for these is 2.5 x 3.5 inches. ATCs are not to be sold. They are intended only for trade or swapping from person to person.AECOsAECO stands for Art Cards, Editions and Originals. Again this appaarently originated on EBAY.
The main difference between ATCs and AECOs is that AECOs are not given away but are created with the intention for them to be sold.
Colour PencilsI think I may have finally gotten 'it' with this media. It is extremely time consuming and a big tip 'o' the hat goes out to all those who work in this media every day. It requires a huge amount of patience - patience to work on the painting and patience to keep sharpening those pencils!!!
I've tried 3 different kinds of pencil sharpeners - plastic, metal and battery operated. It is unbelievable how often the pencil leads break off when sharpening. With the cost of the pencils these days it just adds to the frustration.
The trick with these pencils is layers - many, many, many layers. I also used a solvent after the first 3 layers to blend the colours together. I used rubbing alcohol because that is what I have on hand. I used a q-tip and just a very light dab of the rubbing alcohol. I used it in such a small amount that any ill effects from the odor would be small. Others have used turpenoid. I don't know what this is but I have used turpentine and know that I can't use that.
Anyway, I was very pleased to finally have some success with this media. It didn't scan very well but here is a glimpse at my grapes in a bowl.
Cheers,
Mau
ATCs
ATC stands for Artist Trading Card. The idea for this comes from the sports trading cards many of us used to get for free in a pack of bubblegum. ATCs are created as an original work of art (hand drawn, painted, etc.), or collage, or by any other craft medium you can think of and/or also created as prints. The size for these is 2.5 x 3.5 inches. ATCs are not to be sold. They are intended only for trade or swapping from person to person.AECOsAECO stands for Art Cards, Editions and Originals. Again this appaarently originated on EBAY.
The main difference between ATCs and AECOs is that AECOs are not given away but are created with the intention for them to be sold.
Colour PencilsI think I may have finally gotten 'it' with this media. It is extremely time consuming and a big tip 'o' the hat goes out to all those who work in this media every day. It requires a huge amount of patience - patience to work on the painting and patience to keep sharpening those pencils!!!
I've tried 3 different kinds of pencil sharpeners - plastic, metal and battery operated. It is unbelievable how often the pencil leads break off when sharpening. With the cost of the pencils these days it just adds to the frustration.
The trick with these pencils is layers - many, many, many layers. I also used a solvent after the first 3 layers to blend the colours together. I used rubbing alcohol because that is what I have on hand. I used a q-tip and just a very light dab of the rubbing alcohol. I used it in such a small amount that any ill effects from the odor would be small. Others have used turpenoid. I don't know what this is but I have used turpentine and know that I can't use that.
Anyway, I was very pleased to finally have some success with this media. It didn't scan very well but here is a glimpse at my grapes in a bowl.
Cheers,
Mau
Thursday, July 12, 2007
From the drawing board - July '07
I've been busy making ATCs and AECO's.
ATCs
ATC stands for Artist Trading Card. The idea for this comes from the sports trading cards many of us used to get for free in a pack of bubblegum. ATCs are created as an original work of art (hand drawn, painted, etc.), or collage, or by any other craft medium you can think of and/or also created as prints. The size for these is 2.5 x 3.5 inches. ATCs are not to be sold. They are intended only for trade or swapping from person to person.
AECOs
AECO stands for Art Cards, Editions and Originals. Again this appaarently originated on EBAY.
AECOs
AECO stands for Art Cards, Editions and Originals. Again this appaarently originated on EBAY.
The main difference between ATCs and AECOs is that AECOs are not given away but are created with the intention for them to be sold.
Colour Pencils
I think I may have finally gotten 'it' with this media. It is extremely time consuming and a big tip 'o' the hat goes out to all those who work in this media every day. It requires a huge amount of patience - patience to work on the painting and patience to keep sharpening those pencils!!!
I think I may have finally gotten 'it' with this media. It is extremely time consuming and a big tip 'o' the hat goes out to all those who work in this media every day. It requires a huge amount of patience - patience to work on the painting and patience to keep sharpening those pencils!!!
I've tried 3 different kinds of pencil sharpeners - plastic, metal and battery operated. It is unbelievable how often the pencil leads break off when sharpening. With the cost of the pencils these days it just adds to the frustration.
The trick with these pencils is layers - many, many, many layers. I also used a solvent after the first 3 layers to blend the colours together. I used rubbing alcohol because that is what I have on hand. I used a q-tip and just a very light dab of the rubbing alcohol. I used it in such a small amount that any ill effects from the odor would be small. Others have used turpenoid. I don't know what this is but I have used turpentine and know that I can't use that.
Anyway, I was very pleased to finally have some success with this media. It didn't scan very well but here is a glimpse at my grapes in a bowl.
Cheers,
Mau
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
If you could put time in a bottle
Okay, here is the challenge:
Part 1: What would you do if you could have 10 extra hours this week?
Part 2: What could you give up to get those 10 hours?
I'm still working on my lists. In the meantime think about yours.
And in the meantime, think of me jest sittin' n' rockin'...
Part 1: What would you do if you could have 10 extra hours this week?
Part 2: What could you give up to get those 10 hours?
I'm still working on my lists. In the meantime think about yours.
And in the meantime, think of me jest sittin' n' rockin'...
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Another year gone
It seems impossible that another year has gone by. Yet, as time will, so it has.
I want to thank everyone who has sent me reiki over the last several months. I was not supposed to bounce back after my illness, yet I have to some extent. Thanks to reiki, prayers, good wishes and good medicine.
I still have a way to go to be healed. I have a new favourite saying. It come from of all things, a song recorded by Big & Rich. I'll live this life until this life won't let me live it anymore. Any rrors and omissions in this quote are due to my damaged hearing.
I have passed some of the time getting back into artist mode. My unbalanced lifestyle left no time for creativity. I manage by asking my family to tell me where things need to be changed. I kind of think that my fuzzy eyesight makes for improvement - it turns off the visual editor in my head. The one that constantly harps about the drawing not being 'right'.
Here's hoping the new year will be a bright and shining one for us all.
I want to thank everyone who has sent me reiki over the last several months. I was not supposed to bounce back after my illness, yet I have to some extent. Thanks to reiki, prayers, good wishes and good medicine.
I still have a way to go to be healed. I have a new favourite saying. It come from of all things, a song recorded by Big & Rich. I'll live this life until this life won't let me live it anymore. Any rrors and omissions in this quote are due to my damaged hearing.
I have passed some of the time getting back into artist mode. My unbalanced lifestyle left no time for creativity. I manage by asking my family to tell me where things need to be changed. I kind of think that my fuzzy eyesight makes for improvement - it turns off the visual editor in my head. The one that constantly harps about the drawing not being 'right'.
Here's hoping the new year will be a bright and shining one for us all.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
From the Drawing Board This Week
Well I've been trying out coloured (colored) pencils a bit more this week and the results have been somewhat frustrating. For years I have painted on silk, which is very similar to watercolours but freer, looser in technique. The dyes flow freely and the biggest disadvantage is lack of control of where the dye flows to. Watercolour is a similar medium and I've completed about 14 projects in this medium over the last few months. (I'm waiting for the scanner to be hooked up before I can post images. The camera we purchased didn't have any way for images to be downloaded to the printer or the pc (guess what is going back to the shop???).
Anyway, I have used cp with the watercolours and enjoyed the effects achieved. I also really enjoy watercolour pencils. Do they count as cp?
I completed a cp portrait of my mother as a toddler. I gave this to my sister for her birthday. The portrait was done on drafting film. I put a cream coloured background sheet into the frame with it.
One of my main subject areas is animal portraits. I've been working on a couple of cat portraits in cp and found it very frustrating to say the least. These turn out wonderfully well in graphite. I'm beginning to feel as if I'll never get the effects I want from other mediums.
Why don't I work in silk?
Currently I just don't have the space to set up my equipment and no fan or ventilation area to pull the fumes of steaming the finished pieces when steaming them to set the dyes.
I won't give up though. I'll keep trying until I GET IT. :o)
Cheers,
Mau
Anyway, I have used cp with the watercolours and enjoyed the effects achieved. I also really enjoy watercolour pencils. Do they count as cp?
I completed a cp portrait of my mother as a toddler. I gave this to my sister for her birthday. The portrait was done on drafting film. I put a cream coloured background sheet into the frame with it.
One of my main subject areas is animal portraits. I've been working on a couple of cat portraits in cp and found it very frustrating to say the least. These turn out wonderfully well in graphite. I'm beginning to feel as if I'll never get the effects I want from other mediums.
Why don't I work in silk?
Currently I just don't have the space to set up my equipment and no fan or ventilation area to pull the fumes of steaming the finished pieces when steaming them to set the dyes.
I won't give up though. I'll keep trying until I GET IT. :o)
Cheers,
Mau
PS: I've now added the coloured pencil drawing of a varigated tulip.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Temptation
I'm trying very hard to keep from being lured away from my current works in progress by the tantalizing techniques of new media. Focus! Focus! Focus!
I'm currently working in watercolour, watercolour pencils and coloured pencils. I've also started working more in graphite too.
I used to work in oils a long time ago. The fumes and cleaners were too much for me and had to give it up or give up breathing! My daughter brought me the news that there are now a few companies making water based oil paints. Oh-h YES! Unfortunately it is too late to start trying them right now. They'll have to sit on the back burner until my current w.i.p.s are completed.
I'm currently working in watercolour, watercolour pencils and coloured pencils. I've also started working more in graphite too.
I used to work in oils a long time ago. The fumes and cleaners were too much for me and had to give it up or give up breathing! My daughter brought me the news that there are now a few companies making water based oil paints. Oh-h YES! Unfortunately it is too late to start trying them right now. They'll have to sit on the back burner until my current w.i.p.s are completed.
It seems there is always something more alluring than the current canvas in front of you, isn't there?
Well, back to the drawing board.
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