Summer art class: cooperation drawing

First art class of the summer! It was a hot one, but the girls were troopers. In hindsight, I should have had it inside (considering it was about 90 degrees at 9:30 am). I love the idea of having class outside, but sometimes the reality of it isn't so great. Heat, sun glare, bugs… I'm glad I have enough space inside to move it if necessary (we work in the dining room). My long-term plan is to expand my third-floor studio to include an art class space. There's room up there, but some of it is used for storage and we'd have to find space for all that stuff. Yard sale!

 {Ready for the first art class of the summer!}

At the beginning of every art class, we start off with "free draw." I put out crayons and white paper (a ream of copy paper from an office supply store) on the tables and let them draw whatever they want while we wait for everyone to come to class. This gives the girls a chance to chat (not that they don't do it during class! There's always plenty of chatting.).

When all the girls are here, we read a book that has to do with the theme of that day's class. This week the book was "Friends" by E. Lewis (which I can't find online - weird). The book talked about cooperation between friends, which went perfectly with today's theme of cooperation drawing. After reading the book, the girls each got a 9x12 paper and a black crayon. They were to draw something on the paper, keeping in mind the design of the piece. They had 20 seconds to draw, then I would say, "switch" and they'd pass the paper to the girl next to them. This went on until all the girls had a chance to draw on each paper.

 {Drawing. It's hot!}

If I did it again, I would put more rules on the drawing. Maybe something like telling them what kind of drawing to do at each "switch" - rules, circles, squares, etc. As it was, the drawings were pretty much all over the place with no real design to them. But sometimes it's more about the process rather than the finished product!

 {Painting. We used tempera paints.}

When the girls got their original drawing back, they could then paint it. I gave them each three colors - red, blue and yellow. They could mix the colors if they wanted to, and most of them did.

{Completed paintings.}

We had some time after the paintings were finished, so I gave each girl a large piece of paper and some markers. I told them to write their name in cursive (if they coudn't, I did it for them). They either had to fill their page with one name, or with several versions of their name. Then they filled in the names with drawings, patterns and color. They really seemed to like this project, maybe more than the cooperation drawings! In their defense, it's hard to give your drawing over to someone else. Could you do it? I'm not sure I'd want to!

{Isabella's cursive name drawing.}

{Malayna's cursive name drawing.}

Butterfly wreath

Malayna and I created a pretty butterfly wreath for the front door yesterday. What a fun, easy project (and perfect for a rainy day)! This was a good one for us to work on together, since it's painting and collage - I love to collage and Malayna loves to paint. I was inspired by Alisa Burke's butterfly wreath tutorial, but we did ours a little differently. I've had her tutorial bookmarked for months - it's gorgeous!

Here are the steps we took: First, I drew a butterfly on cardstock. Alisa's wreath has lots of different sizes and shapes, but to make this go faster (I'm an impatient crafter) I chose one butterfly shape to work with. If you don't want to draw your own butterfly, just do a search for "butterfly silhouette clip art." You can print one out from your computer and use that as a template.

Second, I tore pages from an old book. I have two copies of Alice Walker's The Temple of My Familiar. (I think Jimmy and I each had one in college.) I had to be careful which pages I tore out since Malayna can read and this book has some racy sections! After I had a bunch of pages ready, I traced a few butterflies onto the pages. Then I gave a few to Malayna to paint with watercolors.

While she was painting, I was wrapping a styrofoam wreath frame with strips of book pages. I painted Modge Podge onto the strips and then wrapped them around the form. I wasn't too careful about it (there are lots of wrinkles) since it would mostly be covered with butterflies. After it was completely wrapped, I covered the entire thing with a layer Modge Podge.

After watching Malayna paint a few butterflies, I realized that it would go faster if I didn't put a butterfly shape on the page first. So I just gave her a few pages without the shapes on them and told her to paint some color on them. After the paint dryed, I then traced the butterfly template on the painted pages with a black Sharpie. Much easier and much faster!

When she finished painting a bunch of pages, the rain had stopped and she was itching to go play outside! So I got busy tracing, cutting and doodling. I also used some watercolor pens to draw the circles. When they were all finished, I glued them to the wreath form. Done!

A pretty spring wreath for the front door!

Yummy, easy-to-make snack

These yummy chews are so easy to make and are only 100 calories each! I bought most of the ingredients at Trader Joe's. The only thing they did not have was organic brown rice syrup, but your location may have it.

I got the recipe from Julie, owner of the Bryn Athyn Workout Studio. She hosted a Food Rules Challenge class at the Studio, and gave us lots of good-for-you recipes. She also has a blog called Work It!, where she writes about healthy eating and fitness. Check it out!

 

 5 Minute, 5 Ingredient, No-Bake Almond Butter Chews


• 1/4 cup chunky all natural almond butter (or any nut butter)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup rice crisp cereal
• 3 tbsp organic brown rice syrup (honey may work)
• 1 tbsp cocoa nibs (or chopped real dark chocolate 70% or more)


1. Line plate with parchment paper (I used wax paper).
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the almond butter, brown rice syrup and vanilla.
3. Microwave on high 35-45 seconds.
4. Stir well and immediately add in rice cereal and cocoa nibs.
5. Stir well until mixed.
6. Wet hands and shape into golf balls (I made them rectangles instead).
7. Store in freezer for five minutes to set.


Makes about 7-8 chews.

These were a big hit with Malayna and her friend today! They each ate one and were begging for more. Enjoy!

Inspiration in nature

It's such a cliche: I'm inspired by nature. But cliche or not, it's true. I can go outside and take a walk, or visit a garden center or arboretum, and I come home with visions of new designs dancing in my head.

Yesterday Malayna and I visited The Morris Arboretum with friends. We used to do this kind of thing often, but since she's in school all day it's really hard to plan fun day trips. I've only ever been there with Malayna, and I realized yesterday that I really need to have a day there alone. There is so much to see and not enough time to see it if you're with an energy-filled seven-year-old.

I took these photos in the fern house:

Look at those patterns! I could have spent hours in there. Ferns, moss and water everywhere - it was beautiful. I especially love the middle fern's colors.

This view makes the graphic designer in me happy with those super-straight vertical lines of trees.

I can't resist words on things. This was written on an adirondack chair.

Oh my. And this! These sticks were part of a giant bird's nest that you could sit in. Thousands of sticks must have been used. I wanted to pull up a chair and draw these.

Here's a far-away view of the bird house:

It was the perfect way to spend a sunny day off from school.

Spring!

I am so happy that spring is finally here. I don't always realize how depressing it is to be inside all winter with little sunshine until spring comes and the weather warms up. You would think that since I was born in February I'd like the winter. Not so. It's my least favorite season. Spring and summer are my favorites - being outside, digging in the dirt, taking long walks, seeing plants come to life… Winter is so blah and gray. No color outside - no bright blue sky against green, green grass. No little buds on trees, no smell of the earth warming up. Ah, spring!

I've been walking Lola every day that I can. We go to a local park with lots of hills that sits beside a farm. I try and get in three miles each time we go. We move quickly, but not fast enough for Lola. She would run the entire time if I gave her the chance. These walks are great for both of us - it gets Lola's energy out (mostly - this pup is like the Energizer Bunny), provides exercise for me and, best of all, I get to be outside and enjoy the unfurling of spring.

I also take lots of pictures while we're out walking. I recently bought an iPhone and I LOVE it! I have a few favorite apps - Run Keeper, My Fitness Pal, Instagram, Square, Facebook, Text Free. I love that I can change the way a photo looks with Instagram. Instant gratification. What are your favorites?

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Remember to check the right sidebar for my upcoming shows. Also, check out my fan page on Facebook. I post on there a lot more than I do on here these days!

Spring shows!

Take a look at the sidebar to the right for the newly-updated show schedule! Leave a message in the comments if you know of any other spring shows I might want to try out. Thanks!

Artwork - wholesale vs. retail

{My booth (and Malayna) at the Waldorf Holiday Fair.}

I've recently acquired two new wholesale accounts with area shops. I've had wholesale accounts in the past, when I first started out with milkshake in 2006, but these two shops are it for me right now. I've thought about doing wholesale shows, like the Buyer's Market of American Craft - it's in nearby Philadelphia, so I wouldn't have to worry about shipping all my work somewhere. But to have a booth in the show costs a couple thousand dollars! That's a huge expense, and add to that all the exhibit materials I'd have to get together…it just doesn't seem do-able at this time.

When you wholesale your work, a shop owner places an order for a large quantity of your goods at a discounted price. The artist has a minimum amount that the shop owner has to meet - it can be in dollar amount or amount of goods. For example, I may set a minimum at $200 or 20 desk clocks. I prefer to set a dollar amount minimum.

Up until now I've concentrated on doing retail shows, which I really enjoy, but they are exhausting. There's all the making before the shows, then the packing, loading the truck, unpacking at the show (not to mention carrying all the boxes, walls, etc. into the show space), then having to be happy and friendly after all that work (sometimes I just want to go home and take a nap!). Shows are on the weekends, so that takes time away from my family. Most of the shows I do are during the holiday season, and I always feel torn between my work and my family. Plus, I don't really know which items are going to sell, so I pretty much have to make a bunch of everything.

I've had my work on Wholesalecrafts.com in the past, too, but it didn't really amount to much. Granted, I didn't push it enough. That site is almost $500 a year, so if I worked it the right way, it would be worth it, money-wise. Does anyone have experience with wholesalecrafts.com? I'd love to hear your feedback!

The good thing about wholesaling is that I can be home and making for most of the time instead of getting ready for shows and wondering which pieces to make that will sell. With wholesale, I only make what the shop owner orders. However, there's no replacing the feedback I get when I do retail shows! I'm putting my work out in front of the public, and I get to see and hear what people think about it.

Does anyone have any tips for getting more wholesale accounts? Any shops you've seen that you can picture my work in?

New clock designs!

Be on the lookout here for more new clock designs! First up: two new hummingbird clocks, one yellow and one blue. Which do you like better? Is there another color you'd like to see on the background?

Mama cardinals & a quick survey

I've been busy working on new images for clocks, art blocks, notecards and more. If the following image were a print, which would you prefer? I would greatly appreciate it if you could take this quick, anonymous survey. You can also leave a note as to why you chose the one you did.

Click here to take the survey!

Thank you!

Photo Friday

The original photo:

And a closer view:

MamaCita Sunday Salon Series & artist of the month

From the late 1800s to the early 1900s, visionary women met to discuss art and literature, listen to topical lectures and learn the latest artistic techniques. In this spirit, we are pleased to announce a series of workshops led by the progressive female artists of MamaCita.

The first of our Salons will be conducted by MamaCita resident tech guru, Karen Hunter-McLaughlin entitled Digital Image Preparation for Artists on Sunday, January 30, 2011, from 11:00am - 3:00pm.

This workshop is designed for the artist who wishes to learn how to visually promote themselves using digital techniques. All are welcome.

Topics include:
• Best art photography practices
• Image sizes for print vs. digital mediums
• Basic color correction
• Color theory basics- additive vs. subtractive color
• Color modes and color spaces

Class size is limited to 10
Workshop Fee is $45.00 per person and includes lunch

Workshop to be held at:
Andrew J Gress Graphic Arts School-
1310 E Sedgley Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19134
Secure onsite parking lot is available
To register contact Karen- kamcl@kmdigitaldesign.com

{"Milky Way When We Were Young" by Karen, from the (W)holon show
currently on view at the Abington Art Center through Jan. 30th, 2011}

Karen Hunter-McLaughlin has been a MamaCita member since 2007. Karen wears many hats! She is a mother of two children ages 14 and 19 and has been known to point out that although her children are older, they don't need her less, they just need her differently. While juggling the skills needed to parent her older kids with finding time to dedicate to her art, she also holds a long time position as a pre-press specialist at a commercial printing company, Independence Press. An admitted computer geek, Karen also has a digital design business, teaches classes in Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign and is currently writing a color curriculum for the Philadelphia School System. Although she has dabbled in digital art as a medium, Karen mostly works in oil and acrylic paint, colored pencil and also has a fondness for 3-D wire sculptural work.

Join Karen and MamaCita at the Fairmount Park Landscape exhibition (details on the sidebar to the right) which she was instrumental in organizing. Visit Karen's website.

Photo Friday and a little inspiration

Here's the inspiration (a photo and a thought about the photo) for a new personal piece I'm working on. It's taking a little while to get out of my head and onto the paper, but I'm hoping that posting about it and putting it out in the public will get me moving! I'm not quite sure what exactly I'm going to do with these two things. But what I do know is that I have to use them and they'll probably be used with some of my illustrations and maybe some paint. I'll post when I finish!

"This is the same look that you will give me when you are thirteen. I hope that I think back to this day and remember your sweet little six-year-old face."

DIY tissue box cover & dress up storage center

I'm very aware of how things look in my house (like whether or not they're aesthetically pleasing) and a little thing like an ugly tissue box sitting on a table bothers me. (I know I'm not the only one. Right?!) Last week I bought an ugly tissue box cover from the thrift shop for $1. I intended to cover it and make it pretty. Here's the before:

I decided to use my own papers to cover this. I started by measuring the tissue box: each panel is 5" wide by 5 3/4" high. Since there are four panels, the total measurement is 20 x 5 3/4. Then I created a Photoshop file that measured 21"x 6" (left room for margins and error) and filled it with my patterns. I couldn't choose just one, so I did a sort of collaged or quilted effect. Here's what my Photoshop file looks like:

The next step was to print the file on two sheets of paper (one 11x17 piece was not big enough since the finished size was 20x 5 3/4).Then I got out the Modge Podge, sandpaper and x-acto knife. I cut the pages down to size and sanded the tissue box since it was shiny and I was concerned that the paper wouldn't adhere to it. Then I brushed the Modge Podge onto the box. Here's an in-progress photo:

After I was finished and it dried I put a coat of the Modge Podge over the paper to create a protective seal. Easy, quick craft! Here's the finished product:

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The other DIY project that I and my dad completed this weekend was a dress-up storage center for Malayna. Okay, so all I actually did was paint it - my dad did the rest! I found the plans for it on Ana White's website, which has given me so many more ideas.

We had been keeping her dress-up clothes in a big basket, but the stuff on the bottom never got played with. This is a great solution.

Here's what Malayna did with the storage center most of the weekend:

She liked sitting in it and pretending it was a little car. (I added wheels to the bottom to make it easier to move around.) Here it is with her dress-up clothes in it:

I'm going to add some hooks to the side so she can hang necklaces, ties, hats, etc. Thanks Dad! Keep your tools ready for the next project.

Over-the-break artwork

Happy new year! How were your holidays? Ours were busy and fun. Lots of time was spent together, which is why I was so surprised that I managed to create a new piece of art. Usually I cannot work when I'm not alone. Not sure why that is… Maybe it's because I get distracted by someone else being around? Or I'm feeling insecure when I'm making something new? Who knows.

The quote I used for the piece is from the song "The One Who Knows" by Dar Williams. We played this song at Malayna's blessing when she was a baby. It had just about everyone in the place in tears. I've written about it before - in fact, when I searched the blog for "blessing" it looks like I wrote about this song at least three times! Have I mentioned how much I love it?! It was about time I used those words in my art. 

The feet in this are Malayna's feet from when she was about five. She had these great, glittery blue shoes and cute multi-colored polka dot socks. She loved those shoes! The background was created with pages from a parenting book. This one was "My Baby My Child," which was a baby shower gift from my high school BFF. It was sitting around (not being used, of course) and I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. This was the perfect solution!

Is there a song that gets you every time you hear it? Is it the words to the song or is it because it makes you think of a certain time in your life? It's both for me with this song.

How to make it work

We're all busy. How do you get everything on your to-do list accomplished? Which things are more important than others?

This is my busiest season, which is probably true for a lot of us. I have shows just about every weekend in November and December, Malayna's birthday on the 22nd of December, and of course, Christmas. There are also orders coming in, both wholesale and retail. I do have more business than I had last year, and one of the reasons that is true is because I've welcomed it this year. Last year was Malayna's first year in school (full day kindergarten) and I volunteered at school a LOT. I didn't leave myself much time for other things, like making art. I did lots of shows, but I was always working up until the last minute. Don't get me wrong - I still do that. Sometimes I feel that I can't work any other way. The rush that gives me pushes me to do more and more.

Some of the things I'm doing differently this year are:

* I make a daily list of what I want to accomplish. Even if it's the tiniest thing (like sending an email) I write it down so that I have something to cross off the list.

* I cut back on the amount of time I'm volunteering in Malayna's school. This one wasn't intentional. There were a lot more opportunities to be in her classroom last year than there are this year. I'm still at school at least one day a week, but don't feel the need to be there much more than that.

* I'm pursuing more wholesale accounts. That means that I get an order, make it and then deliver. I don't have to worry about my work sitting around in a shop waiting to be sold on consignment.

* I'm doing are less first-time shows and more repeat ones. (And no shows that were a bust last time around.) Sometimes the first-time shows are no good. Then you're stuck at a show with no one attending and wishing you were home spending time with your family or working in the studio.

* There's no way I'll ever be the kind of person who plans out her meals weekly. I tried it a few times, but it just does not work for me. Instead, I have a few meals that are easy and require few ingredients, so I make sure I always have those on hand. Also, last year I was annoyed that I had to be the one making dinner most of the time. I don't enjoy cooking but Jimmy does. But you know what? I'm home more than he is. Even if I'm working, that usually stops when Malayna gets home and she's old enough now that I don't have to worry about keeping her occupied when I'm cooking.

* Don't worry about dust. Seriously. Who cares? My house is not a pigsty, but it's also not a show home. We live here. It looks like it. Would I like to be more organized and have more space? Yes, of course. But I'm not fretting about it right now.

So that's my list. What's yours? How do you get things accomplished? Any tips?

How I create my images

Hello, hello! No, I haven't disappeared off the face of the earth! I find that when I start a blog post lately it sits and sits and never gets finished. It's so much easier to post little snippets on my fan page on Facebook. Are you a fan of milkshake crafts? Do you have a fan page I can join in return?

Since this is the craft show season, I get lots of questions about how I create my images. I never really know how much to reveal, or how much someone really understands about what I'm telling them. I have a running storyboard in my head as I'm talking, but it doesn't always come out the way I see it! Will you let me know if the following makes any sense??

First, I start off with a pencil sketch in my sketchbook (or on a random piece of paper). The sketches are usually created when Malayna is drawing and I'm keeping her company.  Sometimes an idea sits in my head for a looooong time before I finally put pencil to paper. Other times I'll do a sketch and that will sit around for a while until I flip through my sketchbook and decide it's time to bring it to life.

 {This is a marker sketch after I've scanned it.}

Next, I'll trace the drawing with a black Sharpie marker and then scan it into my computer. I used to scan the pencil drawing, but found that I wasn't getting the crisp lines I wanted. After the image is scanned I open it up in Adobe Illustrator and clean it up there. This gives the drawing a more polished look, and I can then adjust the lines of the image.

After cleaning up the image in Illustrator, I open it in Photoshop. That's where I apply the patterns and colors. For example, the clematis image is made up of three different patterns (the red one in the middle, the orange one in the petals and the yellow in the petals):

 {This is the same image after it's been cleaned up in Illustrator
and filled in with patterns in Photoshop.}

I have many, many patterns to choose from (all of which are created by me in the same way I've described above), but I find myself using the same ones again and again. I change the colors sometimes to match the other patterns used in the image.

For example, here is the same pattern but in different colors. The same pattern was used above, in the petals in yet another set of colors.

{The same pattern with different color treatments.}

Someone once suggested that I have all this information with me at shows in a small binder to show people when they ask about my artwork. It's a great idea and I would love to be able to have a visual instead of trying to explain and hoping it makes sense!

Was this helpful? Did it make sense? Is there anything I'm missing?

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I'm going to be participating in the Waldorf Holiday Fair and Craft Bazaar this weekend. The show starts on Friday night from 6-10 and then continues on Saturday from 10-5. Come by and visit! It's a great show - lots of yummy homemade food, crafts for the kids and, of course, great art. There's even a secret shopping room for children where they can buy gifts for the family.

New collection of wall squares

Introducing a new collection of wall squares! In the past I've designed them so that 3 of them work together, but this time you can mix and match all twelve. Start your collection with just two or three and eventually work up to all twelve! Wouldn't these look great filling a wall in your house?

Photo Friday: love

 {Love.}
Click the picture to enlarge it.

26 days until Halloween!

Do you know those little cards your kids hand out to their friends for Halloween? You buy them and then your child has to write her name on 20-30 of those little things. It gets old real fast. Why not get some with her name already printed on them? Great idea, you say? Well, it just so happens that I have some for you to download! Just place your order through my Etsy shop, tell me your child's name and then I'll send you a pdf or jpeg and you print and cut! Or, if you'd like it to be even easier (and who doesn't?), I'll do the printing and cutting for you and mail it right to your house. Easy peasy. Now you can get to work on making that costume…