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
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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 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: I wanted to share something with everyone before it actually happens. I am going to be challenging myself in April, 2017 by learning to create on small canvases.
Details: By small canvas, I am not referring to the tiny canvases that you can purchase with an easel in art stores. I am referring to any surface in any shape and form that is no bigger than 5"x5"x5". I have always worked with a bigger surface and have always loved to put in details on my works. I want to see if I can still accomplish those types of details on a smaller scale and thus created this challenge for myself. When I mentioned it to a few friends they got excited about it too... and now it has turned into something public and huge! Do you want to participate? The challenge is going to take place during the whole month of April. You can create anything (any theme) in any media on any surface type as long as the surface is small. I'll be posting the official details a week before the challenge starts in April. For those on dA: yes you'll get a chance at getting features along with gallery submission to groups (with group features towards the end). Goal: the goal is to get better at working on a smaller canvas or try something (new media or canvas type) for those that have been working on them. At the end I am going to encourage anyone who participates in assembling their work into something presentable. I am going to create one artist tile a day and then assemble an album. Get ready! So if you want to start planning now then go for it! Think about themes or media that you want to tackle. Or perhaps you have been wanting to assemble something huge out of small art. To get you started here are some types of small canvases to consider: paper dolls, twinchies, inchies, rinchies, artist tiles, domino tiles, domino books, match boxes, tins, glass bottles, small books, tea bags, ATCs, actual small canvases, postcards, envelopes, other types of cards (oracle, tarot, etc), mini sculptures, handmade clay items, dices/cubes... these are just a few that I could think off the top of my head. The possibilities are endless on the type of canvas you could work with... as long as it is 5"x5"x5" and smaller. Extra: There is a countdown widget on my ABOUT page for anyone interested in keeping track. You can click on the widget to save a copy for yourself... here is a link for those interested in sharing: Countdown on the challenge starting in April Intro: I am sure many people have run across these words online already... ACEO (Art Cards, Editions, and Originals), ATC (Artist Trading Cards), Inchies (1"x1" canvas art), Rinchies (1" round canvas art), and Twinchies (2"x2" canvas art).
What is the difference between ATC and ACEO? I am not going to go into details on them except provide a link to a nice place that I discovered... they have a better description of both and in-depth details as well. ATC for All - difference between ACEO and ATC Altered-Art - all about ATC and what you can do with them Also a breakdown of the other three forms of art: What are inchies? ATCs: This is suppose to be more of an in depth discussion on ATCs... but I am not going to bore anyone with details that they already know. I am simply going to post my thoughts about ATCs and the future of this blog when it comes to artist trading cards. I am going to continue using artist trading cards as they provide a good exercising form for all media. I am going participate in a monthly contest on ATCsForAll once in awhile just to test my creative juices but that's about it. I am going to participate in swaps if they seem inspiring enough. I can see myself selling prints of the cards but not in the near future... as they are for exercise purposes only - for practice. I am going to create ATCs as gifts for friends and family but nothing that I'll be posting online to sell. I am going to focus on creating polymer clay (with some air dry clay) trading cards...perhaps creating a different standard size if the traditional 2.5"x3.5" does not work out. I plan on creating a custom display item for the cards as well...perhaps even a way to store them. I can see myself in the future creating multiple ATCs that are to be used as reference (like swatches that artists create for polymer clay colors). If anyone would like to see details (a tutorial perhaps even a video) on how to create something similar do contact me or comment here. Depending on the demand I might create that if I end up making a YouTube channel. Miniature ATC: So there exists a standard size for all ATC created as it must fit a clear plastic sleeve (penny sleeve). Which means that the card can not be too bulky otherwise it is not going to fit in the sleeve. After some research I ran into miniature ATCs... which are only 1.5"x2.5" or 1.75"x2.5". This again reminds me of small artist tiles... or even collectible cabochons (or even inchies). This is something to really look into especially with polymer clay. I can see a collection of miniature ATCs that look like tile samples... or button designs. Inchies, Twinchies, Rinchies: These are smaller forms of ATCs that serve a similar purpose to some extent. Some collectors do go to the next level of creating something bigger by assembling multiple ATCs (like this folded card). Typically inchies (along with rinchies and twinchies) are traded, collected, sold, gifted, etc just like ATCs. Some artist online share their ideas on making fabric inchies used to assemble quilts and other wearable art. The only reason I bring these up is due to the small canvas size, they are quick to make. Inchies are 1"x1" while twinchies are 2"x2" canvas art. Rinchies are round shaped canvas works that are 1" in diameter (the size of bottle caps) and there are B'Twinchies that have varied dimensions. It is great putting them together like a puzzle to create another work of art. These can be used on other artworks, like on ATCs or greeting cards and albums, etc. I think they would serve as good canvas for exercises... even in clay or other 3D media. Final thoughts: I have determined that if I am going to post my ATCs for sale at any point in the future I'll have to organize things once again...which I do not have the time for right now. In the future perhaps I'll think about adding them to a store online or even setting up a store on this blog, but right now I do not plan on selling my ATCs (only trading upon request). This goes for any inchies, twinchies, or rinchies that I create as well. I'll be posting these creations in the future as I make them on here. I have entered organized swaps already to have themes to work with... and plan on entering some more in the future. I'll also be creating these as parts of challenges and perhaps contests...? If anyone is interested in trading ATCs please do contact me I have an account on ATCs for All, my username is ParadoxSketchbook. Intro: I wanted to dedicate a small post about the back of my ATCs. Some artist create their own templates while others download them (there are free templates available online). I created my own quick template using only two programs: I used cooltext.com for generating a simple title and then using MS PowerPoint I put together a template with two variations. Cooltext.com has many fonts and icons available to use for free... so if you want to create your own template from there you can. I have included the MS PowerPoint template at the bottom of this post along with the image version that you can use as well. These are free to use... no credit required. So here is a breakdown of what is included on the back of my artist trading cards... Title - the name of the card (the art itself) Series/Collection - the series or collection that the card is a part of (if any) Date & No. - the date that the art was declared as "complete! no more adjustments" and the number of the card in the series (if it belongs to a series) Artist - the artist's name who created the card (me) Signature - the official signature of the artist (only available on the left template; I left a blank spot for the signature on the right template as my signature actually does not look good on top of a line) Contact - e-mail and/or website... address if you want or even phone number Notes - this small spot could contain notes on the art or even a message to the receiver of the card (I kept this in mind for giving ATCs out as gifts). This could also be used to mention the media of the art. Final thoughts: the cards are actually too small to add anything else and personally I think adding way too much information on the card itself takes away from the guidebook. Having a guidebook is a great tool to get your thoughts flowing as you are not only thinking about what you have created but now you have to put it down in words... writing practice - another form of art.
Feel free to print a copy of the image that I have posted. The black borderline is 2.5" by 3.5" the typical ATC size. When I put these on my cards I cut the borderline away if I am creating curved corners but I keep the borderline if the cards are cut simply. I have already altered this to have a version for participating in swaps to include location and Swap name... so you can alter it too. Some have altered a similar template by adding something fancier at the top instead of the basic title that I have. You can download the MS PowerPointRaw template or printable MS Word document for any of the two templates from this folder: Public Google Drive Folder Intro: I discovered an art challenge that happens every year over at ATCsforAll.com. It is the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge created by Leslie Saeta.
Details: I thought I was too late as it was already January 16th but a fellow artist convinced me to go for it still... maybe go for the 15-in-15-days marathon. There are no rules... you just create every day (but because there are no rules you can actually create every other day as well). Mostly it has been drawings, illustrations, and paintings but some artists have gone beyond to create 3D works and digital works as well. I had already started the year off by running into what now I classify as "small canvases" so a theme had started in a way. My official theme for this challenge is just that: exploring small canvases. I hope to discover new tricks in working with media that I already use by being restricted to the size of the canvas. This is a big deal for me as I tend to go for small details and thus require a bigger canvas to work on. I want to improve my skills enough so that I can create at least 60% of the same amount of details on a 2.5"x3.5" canvas that are on a 18"x24" canvas. With this... I am not limiting myself to just ATCs...I am going to work on inchies, twinchies, in-betweenchies (?)...and artist tiles. Social Status: I have started posting all of my work on DeviantArt now just so that I can have a protected gallery to refer to whenever needed. Protected because of the watermark that is available for any uploads to the website. Other than that... I thought about uploading my creations on Pinterest as well but that website is just too hectic for sharing art. I do try to share the posts that I create on here to Facebook and also on Twitter but there is no real purpose for those except for any followers and friends to know that I am alive still (lol). Final thoughts: I have already added reminders to my calendar for other challenges that I want to participate in... #29faces challenge in February and again in September. There is #inktober in October along with #drawlloweeen... but I am leaning more towards #inktober as I need to practice creating in ink. And yes I have already marked this #30-in-30-days challenge for next year on my calendar as I do want to go for a full month's of creations. I have also been thinking about creating some personal challenges that are spread out during different times of the year (not conflicting with these other challenges). Perhaps ATC related or just any small canvas related challenges... any thoughts or interests? Intro: I purchased a watercolor journal on a whim recently... and I am super excited about filling it up with some nice creativity! It is a bit too large (and heavy) to carry around every where I go with me but I do think I can dedicate some ideas to place in the journal every once in a while.. it'll fill up eventually over time.
What I got: I purchased this from a local art store (Allard's) and it is pretty nifty. I admit that I was more intrigued by the cover than anything else... It is not that grand compared to some overly priced journals that can be purchased online but for the price the journal is just amazing. It does have a hardcover front and back with some pattern... which adds a nice touch if you are feeling too lazy to create your own cover. The only reason I am interested in the hard cover is - it acts as a nice canvas for adding my own custom cover. Whether I create the cover in clay then attach after curing or whether I decide to just create the cover with mixed media directly on the journal - either way it has an advantage. The journal I purchased is a Strathmore Visual Journal 140LB Watercolor. Final thoughts: I have already started my first painting in the journal... a portrait which I'll be posting as soon as I am done with it. Intro: I have recently been looking at ATCs (artist trading cards)... perhaps creating my own? I do plan on creating them in multiple mediums and then assembling them to create a bigger work of art.
What are they: just as it sounds... trading cards for artists. Collectors use them to collect art of certain artists or various artworks surrounding a theme. An artist can use these cards to brainstorm, doodle, work on ideas, or even create mini versions of final works. Some use these to create 2D versions of something they'll make in 3D materials. Artists do exchange ATCs with each other, some sell them, some gift them...the possibilities are endless. What I am going to make: I am going to be creating 3D ATCs using either air dry clay or even polymer clay. I want to try and make previous paintings or sketches come alive by recreating them in 3D materials. I am going to assemble a collection of watercolor ATCs so you'll be seeing some of them in the future uploaded here as they are created. I do believe the polymer clay ATCs are considered Artist Tiles and not trading cards... but the whole idea is to use them with the same purpose as trading cards - collecting, exchanging, or gifting. Final thoughts: For now I am going to simply start by painting on watercolor paper, keeping the same size and then assemble my own set of cards once I have around 10. I am not going to purchase pre-cut cards.. I'll just cut them on my own. Once I decide that I am able to create enough art on such a small canvas then I'll purchase pre-cut cards. With that I'll also be creating a collection of ATCs focused on "studying." It'll include drawings done in pencils and pens about the human figure and natural objects (trees, birds, etc). You'll be seeing plenty of tests and discussions related to this topic in the future. Here's to a brand new year of creativity with hopefully a lot of new exciting projects... and a truck load of productivity! Intro: I figured it was a good idea to see what the umbrella cut dress would look like before blindly just creating one with kali (pleats). I wanted to make a simple one to see how the overall look was for a home-made dress in this cut (they all look good online but usually not in person).
What I created: I went ahead and created another dress for the doll that I created in the first test. I took some parts from the same fabric that I was going to use to create as a trial dress for myself. I went ahead and first created a pattern on scrap paper... once I had a pattern that I was satisfied with I went ahead and transferred the pattern to fabric. It didn't take long to create this dress perhaps because I had learned basics from the first test. This second test went a lot smoother than the first time and definitely turned out nicer than the first one when completed. Final thoughts: It looks like that both types of dresses can be created - with pleats (kalis) or umbrella cut. The type of dress I want to create is now ultimately going to depend on the design I want. I am thinking about creating a few sketches on actual designs (decorations and embellishments) then I'll go from there. I'll post sketches once I have them completed. It'll be quite a process as I'll have to create the design keeping in mind that it'll have lights included. The dress still has to look nice without lights on...and with the lights on the lights still have to fit in with the design - wow!!! That's quite a headache that I already see coming. |
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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