Intro: a bit late I know but I never got around to taking an image of this just because I was struggling with what words to use on the back. I completed the back and even gave this to my husband but then never got around to sharing it with everyone. What I created: the postcard-making-bug was still infecting me and so I ended up preparing the front of one card, backs of 3 cards, plus completing this postcard for my husband all during February. I learned how to age the postcards using Distress Ink which has now been carried over for all of them. I do believe that I'll never leave the back of a postcard blank now. I have only done that to my first postcard. This was my first attempt to work with scrapbook paper to assemble something. Finished product is a Valentines postcard given to my husband (and made for him). Happy valentines day to this blog! And a very happy valentines day to everyone who reads any posts here! =)
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Intro: I know I have not posted anything in awhile as I have been focusing more on making art instead of sharing it online. Activity has been low from me on all sites, except for Instagram but I am only playing catch-up on there.
What am I making? I have been making all sorts of things... I for one spent a lot of time on DeviantArt.com just catching up with users that I follow. I have been scouting on there for plenty of things like references and good photographers who offer stock to be used for painting - I found plenty of good ones that do not have crazy rules. I have also gotten addicted to this new habit of the virtual world called adopts! I made a new account on dA for just adopts (ParadoxAdopt.deviantart.com) where I posted only three characters so far. I did create roughly 23 already that are ready to be posted. Because of this, some people only let you adopt if you make them art in return so I have some art requests that need to be done. Look at how lazy I am getting at providing links...tsss. I was chatting up with a fellow artist via FaceBook and learned about a new art site - ArtStation.net. Has anyone used this website before? I went ahead and made an account on there... I am not sharing at this time as I have not posted any art on there. I am still trying to understand the atmosphere there and the how-tos of the website. For those that are waiting on something from me: I am going on vacation (out of country) for 2 weeks in March so I would not be able to create any art. I am going to have some limited access to the net during this time, so I should be able to stay in touch but I'll have to work on art when I get back. I am going to try to finish some things before leaving but no promises.... with that, this is where my list of things to do stands at this time concerning art:
ARPG Update: I figured updates on this topic were due as it'll become a big part of my art now. You'll be seeing art of my characters and personal ARPG group (SandhuEstates.deviantart.com) coming up. The list above gave a hint at some things. I have been writing drafts (all saved to Gmail at this time) that need to be posted to the group. One point of creating this group was to provide an easy access for myself to settings (places, locations, etc) for my stories and characters. If a world was already established with details then it makes things easier to just have the characters adventuring in said world. Another reason for this group was: I have been meaning to make my own field guide for some time now. This group gives me the base for doing so. My first main project is going to be focused on making art for plants (and the like) on tea bags. I'll then attach those tea bags to pages in a journal to create a field guide. It'll have a feeling of scrapbooking, bullet journal, plus visual journal/collage book. I am trying to decide for the other categories what kind of canvas I should use. I really like the idea of recycling so I'll have to do some research. Recently in the EAU forum thread (ATCsForAll) there was discussion on recycling old Monopoly game cards. I might have to get some myself to use for my field guides. I want each category to have a different media... the categories being: plants, amphibians, insects, reptiles, mammals, other creatures & beasts. Final thoughts: I do not think I'll be sharing art on here for another 2 weeks or so.. unless I am able to put together a post while on vacation - but no promises. Intro: as predicted by myself... I got behind due to other art distractions! Woohoos for starting off my first challenge properly. At any rate... I am putting all efforts into this challenge now as I find it is helping me find my own art style. I am starting to figure out what things (elements, color choices, decorations, etc) I like putting in my art. I spent the weekend (partially) catching up but did not spend enough time. If I had spent some of Sunday catching up then I would have gotten ahead but that was not to be...
What I created: As you can see from the slideshow above, I created four total faces this weekend. I had only one sketched out before but I sketched the other three on Thursday. All four were painted Friday evening and majority of Saturday afternoon. All four are ATC sized (2.5"x3.5") and done in watercolors with some detailing in Le Pen marker and white gel pen. These are probably going to be the last of my ATC sized faces for this month... I have up to number 24 sketched out all on postcard sized canvases (4"x6"). I might for the last few come back to ATC just because they are quicker to finish but who knows...it'll depend on my mood. For Portrait #06 (Janine) I went and had a little experiment with materials and my style. I would say that it was fun but I would probably not make faces in this style again as I did not like how her hair turned out in the end. I used distress ink to lay down the foundation for background and some parts of the face. Then went in with watercolors on the face only. Added to that I used Prismacolor Markers to make the bold shading in the hair plus some areas of the face. Final touches were done with a white gel pen, Le Pen Marker, Sharpie Fine-Point. Further thoughts: Out of nowhere... I have gotten this blog an Instagram account (ParadoxSketchbook). I'll be focusing on uploading all of my work on there (all media, and all canvas types). I might eventually start sharing some works-in-progress and just other musings. Along with ARPG related art... that'll be big starting in March as I have officially joined 2 ARPGs and am in the process of working on joining 3 more. You ask why so many? Only because I know I get tired of drawing the same subject over and over again... so just to keep my creativity fresh and your eyes fresh it'll be nice to keep rotating between them all. I am planning on finishing up my first art related to an ARPG for a February event soon but it is not a priority right now. March has another challenge in store for me... Arch Triptych Challenge! I have already prepared the canvas that I'll be painting for the challenge... and soon to start coming up with themes and possible sketches this week. I hope you do join me when the time comes as I find the challenge quite entertaining. Intro: I ran into some contests that were happening on DeviantArt.com and just couldn't resist entering because the prices were too good to pass by. I do not have any hopes of winning but I think it helps as I have some art now that I can use in trades or swaps or even as gifts.
What I created: I had to make a group icon (final is only 50x100 pixels exact) and not having a computer I could not use my tablet to do digital work. So! I ended up cutting out domino tile sized watercolor paper (1"x2") and using those to make three total designs for the group. The purpose of the group is ATC being made and possibly even traded but focusing on ARPGs in the dA community. All three were made using watercolors, Prismacolor Colored Pencils, Le Pen marker, and white gel pen. I also entered another contest where we had to draw an original character created by the host - a lioness. The lioness was personally a struggle for me. I am not sure if it is the materials... my motivation or some other factors that got in the way but it was a true struggle. I had decided I was going to paint the lioness in watercolors from the start. So I sketched her out on a 4"x6" (postcard sized) watercolor paper cut-out. I started working in simple values using watercolor paints. When I went in to start blending the results were horrifying. To hide the nightmare I decided to use Prismacolor Markers... with the same thoughts I laid down the main values then decided to use Baby Oil to blend them together to get a painterly effect. Another mistake... it looked like a blurred out painting with no ideas as to what the painting subject is. My final attempts on the lioness was to use watercolors again on top to see if I could fix some things. I was not able to get much done as the watercolors kept sliding as if there was wax underneath. In the end I used a black marker (pen) and a white gel pen to create lines. I outlined the main parts to make the whole thing look like lineart then added some shading in using cross hatch and other techniques using just a black pen. I could not fix it any further...and was too frustrated to make a new one so I ended up submitting her as is into the contest. The final image is above this post. Closing thoughts: Both contests end on February 14th so I should know a few days after that on what my status is.. .as I said I have no hope of winning. For anyone interested I have given a brief into to ARPGs below as I am participating in them now. I believe it'll be a good way to continue adding works to the dA gallery. Also it has inspired me to finally start working on my own story. I am now going to be working on a mixture of literature and art.. combined together. I call them "Quick Reads" because the written part is only suppose to focus on perhaps aiding the illustration or making up missing parts. They are suppose to be shorter than traditional novels, perhaps something in between a manga and a children's illustration book. When I post my first one I'll explain the whole idea at that time... What is ARPG: Like me, most of you are wondering what this is and perhaps are going to be interested in taking part too. Does anyone one remember RPGs? Role Playing Games that you can play on any platform (from mobile, to PC, to handheld)... but instead of playing the actual game add art to it. ARPG (Art Role Playing Game) are designed so that you can progress through set stories (or your own storyline) by making art. When there is a quest, you draw your character participating in said quest. Some artists even take it to a different level by writing only. You can draw just a scene summarizing the quest or you can show a progression by doing multiple art works or setting it up like a comic strip. For those of us struggling to find inspiration or themes to draw/paint these ARPGs are a great place to go. Having regular timed events happening also encourages artists to use skills on a regular basis allowing for the development that any artist seeks. Some people participate in these to make money, while others do it for the development of their artistic skills. Stuff to come: I have been getting behind on my 29 Faces challenges (applause) because I have been busy with contests, swaps, and now ARPGs. So a little overview of what is to come for the rest of this month and perhaps even some of March:
Full list: Art Challenges and Projects 2017 Intro: These are side works that I created while working on challenges and projects. All are currently available for trading...and there is quite a mix.
What I created: There are 6 inchies (1"x1") and each one is different as the themes are different.There are also 5 mini artist tiles (1.5"x1") that are all zentangle focused with some henna inspiration behind the designs. I used puffy paint to add some solid lines (randomly) that I wanted to work around. I wanted the design to work off of something that was already there and thus came up with the idea of putting bold lines down without planning. Then lastly are 2 ATCs (2.5"x3.5") that are both part of an experiment. I was experimenting painting using tea as the medium. This was done with the background of the Couples 01 ATC. Along with that I wanted to focus on simple posters (WWF Panda Poster) made with bold contrasting colors with some muted tones for background. I ended up blocking out the white parts of the panda then just going to town with all of the muted colors that I had available on my pallette. I used the splatter technique to lay the colors down. Once it was dry I used the Le Pen Marker to fill in the black parts then adding some decorative parts to the white. I used a white gel pen to do the same decorative lines on the black parts. Further thoughts: I do think that I'll have more art in the Animals series coming up as I have already done sketches for an owl and a lioness. I would say the tea painting experiment was a total fail as I did not use washes. I simply laid down the tea then added water on top... which is not the proper way to paint using tea. I might try this again in the future but I feel that I would rather use brown India Ink instead. Inchies have become an addiction... I have already cut up a bunch of inchies plus these mini tiles from leftover watercolor paper. I think they are great for using as goodies to send to hosts or even artists that I trade with. Intro: This swap on ATCsForAll focused on bizarre holidays from around the world in February. We had to select holidays to illustrate from a list that was provided. It did not have all of the holidays listed and thus we were really limited. And no, the holidays were not all bizarre like the title says. If I remember correctly, there were no bizarre holidays for February at all.
What I created: I made all three cards out of watercolor plus added details using LePen marker and white gel pen. As I am preoccupied with other swaps, 29 Faces challenge, and personal trades I did not get a chance to create more cards. I was originally going to do 5 or 6 but ran out of time. Even though the swap deadline is three weeks away I just have too many swaps that end at the same time as this one. Enjoy! Intro: Week one of the 29 Faces Challenge for February was great and very productive. I was able to get the first two faces done in one day... but then this weekend got really tiring and just not healthy. I was not able to create face #06... Looks like this week I'll be playing catch up. I was able to get #06 to #24 all sketched out and ready to go! #06 is still an ATC (for this swap) but the rest are all on 4"x6" postcard canvases. I already went ahead and purchased an simple leather album from Hobby Lobby (only for $3.49) to start collecting postcards in. My first blind postcard from a PIF already came in, plus I'll be getting 2 more from MMHs so it looks like the album should fill up quickly. Especially when I have all of these faces completed.
What I created: I made all of the faces on ATCs sized canvases (2.5"x3.5"). The first two have already been traded for personal trades (so quick!). And the next three are for the Paying Tribute - Celebrities We Lost in 2016 Swap. All were done with watercolor paints plus detailing done using Le Pen markers and white gel pen. Further thoughts: I am not so sure if I'll be able to get the bigger sized canvases done all in one day now.. I found that working with the faces on ATC sized canvas was pretty quick even with details. But the details did get difficult to create even with a really tiny brush. It looks like I might need to purchase markers/pens for detailing seeing as the brushes are not working out. At any rate I am still going to stick to my goal of finishing one face a day even if they are on postcard sized canvases now. No further requests came in for portraits but I was able to get a really lovely collection put together on Paint My Photo plus some images from a Facebook page (with permission). I still have 5 more faces left to think about... I might use the Facebook page for those seeing as I have not used any of their images for reference. For the upcoming week I'll have my first 3 requests completed. I have already sketched a self-portrait so I'll not be shying away from that. I am going to keep the last 5 slots open still just in case I do get a request. Intro: Just catching you guys up on recent art that I have traded already. I specifically made these for personal trades set up on ATCsForAll.
What I created: All of them were made using watercolor, Le Pen marker, and white roll gel pen. The Stained Glass Rose and the Heart inchie both have puffy paint used for outlining. I made three ATCs (2.5"x3.5") and 6 inchies (1"x1"). Further thoughts: I was recently feeling very inspired by Art Nouveau stained glass art and had decided to create a bunch of ATCs and postcards that a similar style. I already knew I was going to be using puffy paint as a replacement liner (gutta) for the stained glass art and Chinese watercolors due to their stained look. So far I was not exactly pleased with what I created due to the tip of the puffy paint bottle not behaving properly. I am going to get a fine tip liner bottle and try again to see if I am able to get better results. Intro: Just a few things that are on my mind... plans and such. With discovering plenty of new things to create recently I am sure you are eager to know what things I have planned when it comes to creating art.
Dolls: Artists create and trade (swap and sell and even giveaway or gift) paper dolls. Yes...the old fashioned paper dolls that come with their own accessories and extra clothes. I am interested in creating a few of my own that are detailed in the same way that I have created portraits in the past (with a touch of 3D elements). Something else I discovered: today artists create their own versions of Matryoshka (Russian Dolls). Some make them using paper mache while others make them out of clay.... and for those of us obsessed with trading, artists even shape their ATC to Matryoshka doll shapes. So many different creations are being made around the world with these Russian dolls as the inspiration or foundation. There is another doll from Japan called the Kokeshi doll that is taking the art world by storm just like the Matryoshka doll. With the same methods and ideas being generated for both doll types. I'll be creating both dolls in the near future (once I am done with any challenges and projects that are going on). I am thinking of first making them on paper (watercolor paper) then advancing on to a more 3D canvas like purchasing the actual doll templates made of wood. Domino Tiles & Books: Domino sized artist tiles are another craze that I have witnessed online. Some artists create pendants using Domino Tiles while other alter them to use as embellishments in other creations. There are books made from Domino Tiles too... with either actual Domino tiles put together after alteration or just the tile used as the front and back cover with a long strip of canvas folded accordion style to create a book. Some of these altered Domino tiles are used in necklaces. Like other mini artist tiles, altered Domino tiles also get used as embellishments for bigger art canvases (such as chunky pages, album covers, scrapbook pages, etc). I have already signed up for a Domino book swap that ends February 25th. So yes I'll be making a few Domino Books of my own as soon as I can figure out what proper materials to use. I already have the inside pages planned out but am missing the outside parts. Every time I cut a 9"x12" watercolor paper into 2.5"x3.5" ATCs, I always get strips left over on two sides of the paper. I found that it was just enough to make 6 Domino tile sized canvases, so yes there is going to be plenty of Domino tile art in the future on this blog. Matchboxes: matchboxes that are normally used in kitchens are recycled to create art. Altered matchboxes are quite nifty creations as they have a storage space so it allows for a double creation in one display. Some artists create mini albums that fit inside where the matchbox acts as the album case (holder box). These albums are made in traditional book format or in some cases accordion style. Some altered matchboxes are miniatures of real life objects: I have seen a mini Potion Shelf done where the inside of the matchbox was made to look like a mini shelf that had miniature potion bottles on it and a mini skull. I have also seen on Pinterest a shrine for birds that had a nest with 3 eggs in it along with a shelf full of mini bird sculptures. I have yet to make my own altered matchbox... I have sketches done for one but I am thinking about holding off on it till March when I'll have more time. I am planning on hosting a swap with matchboxes so yes I'll be creating some matchbox art in the near future. Tea Bags: another mini canvas that I discovered was used tea bags. Tea bags once used are recycled to create miniature art. After the tea bags are used, they are left to dry on a plate for a few hours (4 hours is enough for the tea bags I am using). Once dried, empty the tea bag out (carefully) and let it sit for some time again to fully dry. Once you think it is completely dried, then paint translucent gesso on top (the outside part of the tea bag). Use a non-stick cooking sheet for this process but after the gesso has been placed on the tea bags then hang them to dry. Leaving the tea bags laying to dry might result in the tea bags getting stuck to the surface they are drying out on (I messed up my first batch like this). Many artists just paint the tea bags and leave them to display as opened while other after putting gesso on there fold them back up again and then paint on them. Some artists just collect them as is and place them in penny sleeves or small zip-lock bags while others create miniature books/albums out of them. I have already decided that I want to pursue tea bags as canvases for the future as I find the mini canvases really challenging. I am already working on my first batch of tea bags while I have another batch waiting to dry. There is a project coming up here soon focusing on creating a mini tea bag album that I'll be taking part in. Tiles: artist tiles are not a new thing to this blog but I decided they deserve to get put on this post as I have plans already for artist tiles in the future (plenty of sketches already done). Artist tiles have no set dimensions today... they are typically squares but some artists are pulling away from that and creating round, rectangle, heart, etc shaped tiles. Typically tiles that can be purchased are 5"x5" or 7"x7" but all sorts of sizes are coming out now. As with any other canvas out there, tiles have no limit on media or subject matter. When I cut a normal 9"x12" paper into ATCs, I always have strips leftover (mentioned earlier). I have an option of either cutting the strips into inchies, Domino tiles, or 1.5"x1.5" tiles. For one page I did just that... I have 13 tiles that are 1.5"x1.5" waiting to get painted on. I am thinking about testing my skills out on my first mini book using these tiles. Final thoughts: With a whole list of challenges and art projects happening all year long I am sure I can get these canvases incorporated into something or another eventually. I already know that there are swaps on ATCsForAll that focus on these canvases so I might get to create them for that. Any thoughts....?
Intro: The start of a new month... and the start of a new challenge: 29 Faces! A challenge started by Ayala... it is held every February and September. The goal is to draw, illustrate, or paint 29 faces (yes that means those dreadful portraits) and have them completed by the end of the month. Some artists work on really detailed and time-consuming faces and thus cannot complete 29 faces in one month... but there are no set rules saying that you have to complete that many.
February 2017: So for the month of February 2017, I'll be working on portraits as well. I have had a similar project come up in the past that after not much activity ended up at a standstill. I am going to bring that back up once again to see if I can get two birds with one stone. I have a list of friends who have already signed up (eons ago) to have their portraits done by me..and the invitation is still open to everyone. If I do not get to your portrait this month then I'll get to it in September...so do let me know if you want to help me by being a model. You can send me an image to work with as that works out best... due to location differences it can be difficult to do live modeling but we can attempt it. You can read about it all on my dA journal. I'll be posting my works for this challenge on here once a week... you can keep tabs by selecting the #29faces category on this blog. My theme: There is already a theme set as it is about faces but I wanted to get more specific... I have previously done portraits in pencils...colored pencils and pens so this time I am going to focus on watercolor. I am going to put my Strathmore Visual Journal to use by filling it up with these 29 portraits. Who knows...if I feel inspired enough I might switch over to some acrylic portraits...maybe even oil paint (I have doubts about oil paint). I am going to stick to postcard sized canvas to try out portraits on a smaller scale. I do not think I am yet ready for ATC sized ones but perhaps when the challenge happens again in September I might be ready. References: for those needing references feel free to browse Paint My Photo. I am going to be referring to PMP when I run out of requests. There is also a whole thread focused on free-source reference photograph websites on ATCsForAll. Check that out if you need more references. Do share links to where you are going to be posting if you are participating in the challenge! |
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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