Equestrian Lessons

When my daughter Sarah was a little girl, she took equestrian lessons.  I spent hours at the barn with her and I often brought my sketch pad.

Recently, I turned my sketch into some products on my Society6 shop.  Prints, iPad cases, tees and even iPhone5 cases.

note cards

Tote bags

 tees and hoodies and iPad skins.

iPad skins

I love being able to turn my artwork into practical products that people can use.  The best part is Society6 is an amazing venue where other artists promote your work.  The quality of the products that Society6 uses really make your artwork shine.

Collage Inspiration

My old friend COLLAGE.  I recently took a Big Picture Class with Claudine Hellmuth.  I learned all about how to simplify a composition.

I love her work, and her workshops are wonderful.

I learned all about the makings of a good composition.

How to define an Asymmetrical design versus a Vignette.

And how to use techniques to keep the interest on the page.  There were lots of handouts, inspirational downloads, and videos filled with inspiration.  It was more fun than a day at the circus.

I had forgotten how much I love collage.  What a nice class, I learned so much and am filled with collage inspiration.

Society6

What fun, Society6 has my designs available in all kinds of products.  The quality of their products is
awesome.

Affordable Prints in all sizes, framed prints and stretched canvas too.

iPad skins in all model sizes.

Iphone skins and cases

side view of iPhone case

side view of iPhone case

side view of iPhone case

Note Cards

iPod cases and skins all models

Laptop skins for all models

Stop by Society6 and have a peek.

Hoodies pullover and with zipper

Woman's tees and mens, different colors

Great New Drawing tools

I have been using a new app for my iPad called Art Set.

and a new stylus.

I was reading a blog the other day and discovered a new stylus called Cosmonaut.  It is wonderful for drawing, and works lovely with the app Art Set.

The wide-based stylus feels just like a marker.  The Art Set app has all the mediums you might find in a conventional art set, even blending tools including my favorite blender a tissue.

I illustrated a cup, using the paint, oil pastel and blending tools, and then uploaded it to my computer.

Then the fun began when I used some textures from RH West Photography. I love her pastel textures, and they worked perfectly with the white cup surface.

Of course, I took my own original design without textures and turned it into a fabric.

So, I designed several different versions in a collection I call:

 A nice cup of coffee or tea.

I thought this would make a wonderful tablecloth, or placemats. Or even an apron...

 

Happy App Inspiration.

From sketchbook to digital paintbox

I love sketching, especially faces.  I always have.

But even more fun, is when I upload artwork into my computer, and get lost in the world of my digital paintbox.

Art Deco Inspiration

I love entering the weekly fabric contest on Spoonflower.  I especially love it lately because I have been challenging myself by using my own artwork and working on my surface design skills.

I took an original portrait design and used it in the ART DECO theme contest.

The contest required us to only use four colors, so this is the design I submitted.   I have always loved the Art Deco period and especially those magnificent Vogue magazines.  the 1920's was an amazing Fashion design era.  After all this was the era of Coco Chanel.

Coco Chanel said:

"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only.  Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening."

I think that this is especially true of the Art Deco period.  The art, music and fashion was so amazing.  One of the reasons that I love the movie, Midnight in Paris is that I can so identify with the character played by Owen Wilson.  Truly the people he met were among my favorite authors, writers and performers.

She is called ART DECO MAGAZINE 1923.  I actually ended up creating so many different versions because it was so much fun.  But this one and the full color version, which I called ART DECO FASION MAGAZINE.

This contest will run the first week of February.  Now I have to design something for next week's contest.  Hope you enjoy the music.  I thought this post deserved a little bit of Cole Porter.  You Do Something To Me.