I have been wanting to start this big project for a few months but have not organized it enough to build something solid. In order for that to happen I need others to work with me... but how are they going to volunteer if there is no source available to refer to? Thus my reason for writing this post... "Awareness through Creativity" That is the goal and main reason behind putting this project together. In this post I shall attempt to highlight the main ideas and thoughts related to this project... so that anyone interested in volunteering or participating any amount of energy and creativity can refer back to this. WHAT IS IT? Creative awareness is a project (soon to expand into a group) focusing on using creativity to promote awareness of the harm and danger that some species are in. IUCN has been kind enough to put together the Red List of various conservation statuses for all kingdoms of Earth. Our focus is to promote awareness for these lists in the hopes that awareness shall result in action (help). Although we are going to be focusing on awareness we are going to do another cool thing: artists shall create art of the Red Listed species in the style and medium they choose. These art creations shall then be auctioned off (some online while others in person) with all of the funds going towards that species (or kingdom if general). We are going to slowly start by promoting awareness, in that time gaining the interest of many artists and supporters. During this time I am going to focus on contacting organizations and groups that are already working on awareness and support of Red Listed species through different methods. The goal would be to work with these groups and organizations in helping the species survive and flourish. Not all art created for this is going to be auctioned off! All we are doing is making art - by making art we are showing others just how beautiful these species are and mentioning they need help. Humans would then appreciate your art and in turn wonder why such a beautiful species is in danger... then start digging and doing research... thus our goal of awareness getting accomplished. We are going to do auctions for those artists who want to make art that directly contributes to Red Listed Species. Auctions are totally different from the awareness aspect of this project. WHY WOULD WE DO THIS? As an artist I realize that I have a tool that most other professions might not: the ability to inform in a fun way. I can inform others in a creative way that they can enjoy and learn from. As such I think it should be simple if artists focused on just making other become aware of the harm and lack of life that is increasing day by day. By using creativity to help us, we can make the awareness not look like advertisements - the awareness we create is not advertisements! We are not gathering money to give to corporations or for us to use to party with - we want to use our abilities, talents, and passion to do a good cause for our planet. By doing something we already love with just a slight twist we can really make a difference! PROJECT GOALS These are the goals that I hope this project can achieve by March 2018 (in no particular order).
TO DO LIST Grand list of things that need to be done in order for this project to take off.
YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING?
If you want to help in any way possible then please do not hesitate to contact me through the contact page on this blog, or any other social networks I am on. Things that you might be thinking about but are not sure if they are important in sharing with me... but trust me they are important.
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Some odd ACEOs that I wanted to share as they all are really different from each other. I made a bunch more art as well but they are not ATCs (mainly chunky pages and inchies). These are pending for now, if available shall be posted to AFA or iATCs. All done in watercolors with some sharpie fineliners (that ended up acting as watercolors anyways). A few more coming in the next post but for now here they are...
Intro: I am hosting the inchie-a-thon for a week on ATCsForAll.com this year. Just wanted to share some of the fun things I made following the prompts and challenges that were listed. I'll post one last post when the a-thon is over with the rest of the creations. Cute kittens - they are going to be used to make a chunky page that is front and back completed... after I finish making one more. Absolutely no plans for this pair yet. I might create a few more to use in a giveaway instead or use them for a future Easter Hunt on DeviantART.com by making a few more. These 3 have more that I have lined but not painted yet. As you can see they are laid out on a grid...that grid is actually cut out now and is going to be an inchie exploding box. On the bottom: all of the finished anthropomorphic food that I made in one setting and mounted to scrapbook paper. I used five of them to complete one of the challenges for the a-thon: make an inchie accordion book. I made 3 each of elephants and bees but was only able to finish one each to post in time. The Elephant, Rhino, and Bee related inchies and art is going to be used to auction off or sell off in order to donate the earnings to the appropriate animal that needs them.
My rinchie is inspired by a monthly prompt set out by the Droogon-Sky group on DeviantArt. We are to make a mask for our Droogon (tiny potato dragons) and then create another art piece that shows our Droogon wearing their mask or making it. I decided to make the mask inspired by another ARPG: Shi'vali Empire. The mask is of a Foo Lion (foo dog). I am thinking about remaking it into a twinchie and attaching some movable parts or maybe making it out of clay...? Time shall tell what the muse can get done. Intro: Time to see what I can do when it comes to paper dolls! So I signed up for a swap on IllustratedATCs.com for it and I have been eager to get some turtle art done perfect swap! What I created: I finished only 3 out of 5 turtles for the swap. I have two that need to be cut still and painted but I'll save those for later to try new things on. I used watercolor pencils for these plus white gel pen, black liner, puffy paint and shimmer paint by Hobby Ideas. And yes, when you tuck in the 5 movable parts to hide behind (in front of) the shell they easily fit inside a clear sleeve (ATC size). Title: Iridescent Green Sea Turtle Canvas: Paper Doll Series: Sea Turtle Dolls Title: Iridescent Blue Sea Turtle Canvas: Paper Dolls Series: Sea Turtle Dolls *My favorite one* Title: Earthy Sea Turtle
Canvas: Paper Dolls Series: Sea Turtle Dolls Intro: My first PAT (pick-a-theme swap) ever! I also got to make chunkies for the first time. I have these labelled as Art Tile B on my commissions listings but these have only one side completed. For my tiles, both front and back are completed.
What I created: 4"x4" called chunkies...the themes are decided by the members in the group we sign up for. All of these are done with watercolor paints, black liner, white gel pen, and some shimmer paint by Hobby Ideas. I was part of group 5 (for those that are wondering). Intro: I joined the Zettis of Historical Figures swap on AFA... why? I need to loosen up the stress I put on myself by doing paintings with details. I need to learn to collage and just have fun when working with multiple mediums. And more than anything - the images I see on Pinterest for zettis really look amazing to me...and I need to just make some that are like that.
What I created: I made (attempted) my first ever collage cards...first time doing collage for anything actually. I did 4 cards total using plenty of bits I had left over from pocket letters. I am not really proud of them but there is really nothing I can do with the supplies I have. I do think I need to get actual acrylic paint to make these better or some other mediums that I see being used on YouTube. I tried not to focus on drawing... but I still didn't like how they looked so in the end took a marker and doodled all over them... not sure if that makes them look better or worse now? Intro: For our adorable Envie Addicts Unite group on ATCsForAll the month of April was surely a unique one as we did not focus on envies...instead we got to send out weirdy mail! This was my first one and yes as always being the scared artist I am, I did not explore as I should have. I ended up sticking to something that I normally make which kind of ruined the whole purpose. BUT! I have learned! Next time - it'll be more fun, I promise! Reji Has Mail: If you are ever on Instagram then try looking up what posts are listed under #rejihasmail as all of the mail I receive from fellow artists and pen pals is now going to be marked as such. I have decided to give my senders some light by now posting videos on YouTube discussing the mail I receive... still working on a music library so the channel shall be officially released soon. For April my partner was Donna (dmnh). She sent me an elephant plushie named Ellie! And oh is he adorable! He has bells - my most favorite thing to add to any mail! She spent time on this because she put efforts on the address as well. I have blocked the address off but as you can tell by my name she made the mailing address by thread and needle. The unique thing about this is that Donna did what was suggested for us: she sent Ellie as is. No, he did not come in a box or bag or envelope. He braved the postal journey as is without any aide. The tracking label was wrapped around his trunk (I should have taken a picture when he first arrived but oh well). What I created: I made a mini pocket letter. Originally I was planning on making this so that it can be mailed without an envelope but I just couldn't figure out how to keep the extra art goodies from falling out so I did end up putting it in an envelope. I do plan on figuring out how to make a pocket letter than can take on the postal journey without protection but some other time.
I did try some experiments on this one though. The actual pocket (plastic sleeve) is cut in two different places. There is a slit for where the bunny can be placed in without having to remove the background card. The second spot is for the flower. I did not want to glue the flower on top of the sleeve and so glued the flower on the card first as normal. I then proceeded to measure the location of the flower and size, then cut a circle that was not too big. The flower had to be forced through but I knew that was going to happen which is why I did not make an origami rose. Thank the fates for creating felt fabric!!! I wanted to add another handmade art piece but couldn't find a spot to fit an ATC in... I ended up placing a Moo House in there instead. Hi all! I have been working on a very large project for a month now. I have been getting too distracted making other art and thus have not been putting enough time into this. I created a group on dA for now but eventually this is going to be transferred over to a website as well. The reason behind that is I want the dA part to be intractable while the website is more of a guide or a book for any viewer. What is it you ask? It is an ARPG world...not an ARPG itself as I have not created any official breed or species (not yet). I guess some players might consider this as an ARPG as it has all of the other functions minus a new breed/species. I have created some characters that already have roles laid out while I work on getting the characters from other ARPGs to have roles as well. The main idea behind this project is not a species or a breed... the entire concept is based on a fantasy world based off of real world settings. I took the closest place near me that actually happened to have a lot of history and used that as a building base - Yosemite National Park. The entire ARPG is actually an Estate that sits on the very edge of Yosemite National Park. The Estate has multiple grounds: open grounds that are open for anyone to use freely and closed grounds that are reserved for specific reasons or require registry. One of the open grounds is actually a chunk of land (wild area) that acts as a "safe zone" called Ess'aro Woodlands. This area opens up first to Yosemite National Park BUT because the actual park is connected to other I have incorporated those in as well....meaning the playing ground just went from big to overly huge. So for those that are on dA and want to get some more information or stay up to date for the official grand opening then please visit Sandhu Estates and make sure you watch or join the group! Currently the things that I am working on with this ARPG:
I just put together this nifty animated icon to use as the group icon using MS PowerPoint: I'll be taking trips up to Yosemite shortly to start working on the field guide and landscape art. Everything is going to be created as ACEOs so that they can be stored nicely. And yes some are going to be available for purchase upon completion.
All feedback welcomed and highly appreciated on this project! ParadoxARPG: I decided to put together a small website for my ARPG stuff as it was going to start cluttering up this blog with all of the categories and pages I had outlined. All commission slots and other availabilities related to ARPGs are going to be posted there now. My commissions page here is going to have a link out to it for those that are interested. Blog Updates: The commissions page has been changed (still under construction though). I have decided to not create a personal website and instead use my DeviantArt profile as my website. Having a core membership allows personalization plus subfolders for storing art... and it is way cheaper than getting a custom URL and buying a membership on other website builders. My Terms of Service and my official Commission Rules & FAQ are going to be published on dA as well along with my Main Listing for commissions. The commissions page here is going to have a link to all of the important information and then to the commission listings as well. I am keeping the page here not too cluttered as the purpose is to provide non-dA users a method of contacting me. I have created custom commission forms for my main 3 categories which you do not need to register any where for in order to fill out. These forms are a way of making invoices for me and so I'll actually be linking them on my dA account as well. I think it is smart to start doing invoices to keep track of everything. Still working on a logo along with a main theme and background that is going to be used here along with dA to keep things more connected. Intro: For my first ever 1 on 1 trade on IllustratedATCs (monthly sign up trades) I got to make a 4"x6" artwork that I ended up turning into a postcard. KP selected a sheep or goat as the animal she wanted to get and she made me a horse portrait in exchange.
What I created: I wanted to hand-make a postcard that I did the back for as well. No stamps or templates were used for this postcard as I am testing if making postcard backs are better by hand or if I should invest in a stamp (perhaps custom made). The "Night Dreamers" is a series that I started in high school but never got any more ideas for again to make more pieces for. I ended up using the same setting but changing the main animal out. Originally I made a bunny in PJs looking out through his bedroom window. I wanted this to be different to show that the sheep is tiny (the bunny was in a room made for his size). I was going to have more cutout elements added here with the moon like stars and comets but they were too big to look nice so I just kept the moon only. Throwing salt onto the watercolors really does help to make the moon look better than the previous one I had made. I also did not sue a toothbrush or any other tool for spraying the stars on, I ended up using a pen to lay down the stars with a controlled hand. I did this to make it easier to create focusing areas for the moon - even though it was time consuming. Final thoughts: I am going to work my way through the other zodiacs made in a night setting (not the same exact scene). Along with that I think it is better to create a stamp for the back... I'll be repainting this image again in the future just because of all the mistakes I keep picking up everytime I view it. Intro: Well a belated Happy Earth Day everyone! I hadn't forgotten it as I was already doing a trade focused on this day on Facebook. I just didn't get a chance to post about it here yet. So with this great day I bring some new things for us to look at!
What I created: I made 2 ATCs for a trade on a Facebook group called Studio A B See. We all sign up and afterwards are randomly assigned partners that we mail 2 ATCs out to going with the theme of that month. The theme was "grow" but I already knew Earth Day was in April as well so I thought "what better way to show a growth theme than to focus on Earth". I wanted to make these cards special just because I was feeling really connected to the theme...and thus I gave myself some opportunities for growth (and learning). YSH: Your Subject Here (or for those on dA this is the Your Character Here image)... I have been wanting to release some of these as options for commissions and decided to attempt it when I first did the hands. I originally planned some dirt with a small plant taking form in the hands but scratched that idea once the hands were completely drawn out. Instead, I saved a scanned copy of just the hands to use as a YCH image. For those that are not used to these terms: typically an artist can create a pose or a background and post it up for anyone who wants to commission the same art being drawn again but changed a bit. In some cases (like with a pose) you edit the character to look like what the commissioner wants while keeping the pose. In other cases you just have a background that you can get a character (or more than one) place in the background. 2D/3D Elements: The small hill with a person standing on top was going to be the second card but I decided to combine the two instead. When I started sketching this person and hill I wanted them to somehow pop out because of the small size that they were made as. This of course got me so excited that I ended up wanting to use the same method on the second card. I made some roses... 8 at first and found that they were so natural to make that I just kept making till I had a total of 30 roses made. I only used 8 on the second card but started planning on more trees of different colors for the other roses. I have some ideas in mind so be on a look out! Shimmering Paint: I have been watching plenty of calligraphy artists an even ATC makers who use shimmer paints to add small touches to their art. I have been waiting for the right art piece to come along to test this out on. I found it worked best with the rose leaves but stuck to the shimmer paint on my Steampunk cards as well. I think using these can be great if done for tiny details, but not so great for bigger areas as they tend to be flat in photographs and scans. Final thoughts: Plenty of experiments happened in this set... I need to get better cutting tools for one! I also need to get nib pens to work with the shimmer paints as brushes tend to have small moments of misery. I do think I like making cute mice and bunnies now... |
Author: RejiI used to be a digital artist but switched back to traditional art as I feel more connected with the art I create this way. Currently, I create art whenever I can for art trades and commissions. I have worked with clay (earth clay to modern forms like Polymer, Sculpey, even Air Dry clay) along with watercolors, acrylics, oil paints, pastels, charcoal, pen and pencil drawings, India ink, Chinese Colors, wires, felt fabric, yarn, weaving, basket making, and the list goes on and on. I am currently working on exploring nail art, make-up, dress making, scrapbooking, and small canvas art. Archives
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