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...
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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... Intro: My first time attempting this Steampunk style/theme in art. I must say after making the "Fawn" ATC I was not all too happy to be working on this. I left it alone for a few weeks then came back with new ideas. I decided it was best to just take a normal drawing I have in mind and start adjusting it so that it fits a steampunk theme. These cards were made for a swap held on Instagram by Pabkins (#atcitupwithfriends).
What I created: So I used these to continue my collection of "Steam This!" theme that I have in my ATC binder plus now moving on to a deco book. I'll just make prints of these to add to my personal binder. Using the regular tools of trade I added only one new material (you can see the little bottle sitting on the left). This is a small packet of 6 colors that I got while on my trip to India - Hobby Ideas Pearl Acrylic colors. This brand is amazing! Especially if you use these on clothes (which is what they are intended for). If used on clothes these are permanent (the fabric is going to fade but not the colors) and if used on paper they are like normal acrylic paints. I say this from experience: I made a dress back in 2011 and used the same colors on a tablecloth. The tablecloth was washed so many times over the years that the fabric is fading but the colors are just as bright as they were on day one! I feel more comfortable now making the steampunk theme now that I have some ideas on the elements that can be added. I still need to do more research though to make the art improve as I am not even 60% satisfied with what I have created. Final thoughts: I think if I get a hang of this, Steampunk might become a regular theme that appears in my future art. If things go well I just might finish this entire series of "Steam This!" ATCs. Intro: Recently I learned that creating IDs for everything seems to work best especially when sharing it on social media and for passing the word around quick...plus it makes it easier for the audience to get the information that is key without throwing too many words at them. I decided to create some test IDs for commissions first to see if I could even make them... What I created: I did not create an official template as I want it to be made once I have my logo and website up (I want it to match those colors). I used the handy dandy Microsoft Office Program slide designs available to create a nifty commissions ID. I am pleased with how calm and lovely it looks (for a first timer). I am liking the color so much that I am thinking about making my website to match (but that is not going to be). First: to celebrate the whole idea of commissions and finally launching them I am doing a 50% off sale on ACEOs. I have limited slots available with specific categories as these are the categories I am going to use on my website. The only main reason behind the discount is - I am asking for a well written review/critique in return. Once the commissions is completed you must sign the guestbook or do a critique if on DeviantArt. I am trying to put together a page of commissions that have feedback so that future customers can have something to look at before making a decision. There are a total of 48 slots... so if all the slots fill up I'll have 48 reviews to add to my profile. And the customers get 50% off the original price on custom ACEOs! A win-win situation for everyone (I think). Second: This is just a mock-up...still testing the waters on this ID. I want to create an official ID for each canvas size I make as I'll be making an official listing for each canvas size (I am going to charge by canvas then further by my art stage). I do not think I'll be officially launching these till I have actual art I am happy to show off. I did think of another idea... perhaps I should set this up like a calendar? I would have the price, canvas details, and other relevant information in a small section at the bottom with my name and title at the top. Majority of the entire ID (95%) would be just images set up like in a calendar in the middle. I feel that the current ID mock-up has too much words and not enough images... The thing is: when I'll be uploading these IDs I'll have an "About" or "description" section where I'll write up all the details... including available slots and rules and such. So I thought, if I already am using another spot for words then why repeat?
Still thinking it over..... |
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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