Inspired by…pattern making tutorials

My paper, paint, pen and pattern addiction continues.I am feeling very satisfied with my progress of combining all medium into the world of pattern. As I like to say~ pattern making is a bit like putting together all the pieces of a puzzle. Slightly addictive and very satisfying.

I am already looking forward to spring and its just barely winter.

I made the above piece into a brick repeat pattern, but I am thinking it may be better as a simple placement print. I think I will make a collection of patterns around it using the motifs involved in it.
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I am slowly trying to build up a portfolio of work and this piece will be for children.

Did anyone else out there get a little carried away with Cyber Monday shopping? I didn’t know online shopping could be so stressful.There were so many fantastic discounts.

I felt very lucky to get a sweet deal on a series of Laura Coyles Illustrator and pattern making classes. If you are interested in online, digital classes, you must have a look at reneepearson.com ~ digital training for artists. They have a large selection of self- paced and instructor led online classes.

Jessica Sprague is another online digital training site dedicated to artists, photographers and scrapbookers. I have taken a number of her Photoshop and tablet and have always been very happy. The beauty of these online courses is that you have access forever. Anytime you get a little stuck, all the info you need is right at your fingertips, saved in your classroom.

If you are looking for a smorgasboard of free online tutorials for Illustrator and Photoshop dedicated to artists then you will be very interested in my Pinterest board dedicated to just that. I am quite pleased with all of the links I have collected so far. Have a look at my Print & Pattern Tutorial board here.

Feel free to follow me if interested as I will continue adding to this. Looove Pinterest.

It’s Art Everyday month ~ Hop on over to Leah’s blog for more info on Art Everyday.

I have had a very fun and productive month participating in Art Everyday month. I will be sad to see it end.

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Inspired by…pinterest and my new terrarium

The peaks are covered. The snow line is slowly drifting down towards the valley. There is a small scattering of snow on the grass and fallen leaves.

Ahh…winter is here. A very bittersweet feeling for me this year. I love winter. Winter is why I moved to Whistler.Unfortunately, summer never really showed its lovely side here and I am still craving all things summer….
So,to ward off any hard feelings I may be experiencing towards winter I have decided to fill my house with LIVE things.My goal is to create my own little oasis of summer right smack dab here in the middle of winter. It is going to be filled with big, bold beautiful colors. Lots of live plants and flowers. I may even get a fish or two as a centerpiece for my dining room table.
Recently an acquaintance and fellow flier friend of mine Julie from jaeartworks suggested we post how we have been inspired by Pinterest. My inspiration from pinterest is endless. I have posted many times about my love here and here…and slight addiction. While perusing one rainy morning I came upon this…

Source: etsy.com via Julie on Pinterest

Needless to say, it sparked my desire to create something alive and flourishing.
Here is what you will need to make your own terrarium, or miniature landscape.

• A unique glass container to house your terrarium. Possibly a mason jar or old fish aquarium. I was lucky enough to receive my wonderful container as a gift from my mom. She is constantly cruising the thrift store for finds and this one she got for $10. A steal! I have had endless fun creating centerpieces.
• Succulents. Water retaining plants or as I like to call them, self-watering. A must for me as the only green thumb I have is from finger painting. Choose 3-5 succulents, in various colors, size and shape.
• Bark Mulch.
• Small pebbles,sand, vegetable fibers, shells, birch bark….filler! Small lizards and turtles are also welcome…but not in my house.

The How to…

• Remove succulents from packaging,keeping soil intact. I placed into container until I liked the arrangement.
• Spread bulk mulch around the plants, covering them until soil no longer visible.

• Now the fun part..make it your own.

I added small pebbles and pinecones, a few paper balls and moss. I am on the look out for some smaller pieces of birch bark and other organic finds from my garden and surroundings.

So easy to make and care for, a delight to look at plus it gets the creative juices flowing.
Trust me…this will not be the only one in my house.

My new terrarium accompanied with a beautiful orchid sitting center stage on my kitchen island and a scattering of fresh flowers will hopefully keep all ill feelings toward winter at bay.

Bring it on El Nina!!

Inspired by..new and different colors.

Blogtoberfest ~ day ?

I have been trying to break free of my usual color scheme. It is not easy.

My home is painted ginger root,  my accents are always red and orange. I have been living with this color scheme for about 20 years now. I don’t know if I will ever be able to break free of it. It’s just kind of who we are now….

Interestingly, most of my art is always on the warm side….until now.

I am trying to break free…if it can only be through my art, then so be it…

My new groove is to “pin” color schemes on Pinterest and then apply them to art. Curious as to what I am talking about? Go here

Source: photocardboutique.com via Julie on Pinterest

Purples and blues. I would never think to combine these colors together.

I will be honest, it’s a bit on the wild side for me. I may be a bit conservative when it comes to color…
So it was decided. My goal was to use these colors in my art exercise..

Here is what happened….

Colors used ~

• cobalt teal
• napthol red
• naples yellow
• titanium white
• mars black

Some fun mark making in above colors and then painting out space around into some standard shapes.

Making marks..exploring texture

Making shapes…trying different mediums..lots of charcoal, oil pastels and ink

Obliterating all…and coming up with something new, but still within the same color scheme.

All of the above pieces created on small 8′ by 10″ inch watercolor paper. Constantly reminding myself to let go and loosen up..its only paper.

Big ideas…small committment. Explore and see if your idea is worth committing more time and energy to..

Next time I am going to try and shake it up a bit more. Less Tapestry and Blooming Blue. More Greenleaf and Natural.

Love to hear and see some of your fav color combinations!

Feeling the love…Pinterest!

look what Michele from http://paperdollstudio.ca created...

It probably goes with out saying that most of you out there have discovered Pinterest. I would hate not to mention it though just in case it has slipped by you.

Pinterest..ah…it is just one click away.. It makes me swoon and dare I say a little weak in the knees. One may call it an addiction of sorts.

Pinterest is a virtual inspiration board.

In Pinterests own words…..

“Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.”

You have to request an invite. It may take a few days, but a small initiation for joining your own little secret club of like minded souls. Bookmark “the pin” and start pinning. Form different boards. I have everything from abstract art to fashion my way . You can also follow other individuals  boards by simply searching for those with  the same interests. Every pin has a link back to its original source which can connects you with a whole other world of goodness…and more blogs to follow.

Check out mine at  feeling the love… for pinterest
This should give you a feel for what it is all about.

Did I mention that is it free?