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
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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: 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. 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... 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: Hello everyone! Just wanted to share a recent batch of inchies that I made. I never got a chance to upload these on here... 3 sets were made for swaps on ATCsForAll while the last (Whimsical) set was part of a personal trade.
What I created: I followed the themes that were set out for the swaps.... using my normal tools of watercolor pencils, Stadler liner, and white gel pen. I did nothing fancy to these inchies as I wanted to get used to the watercolor pencils first. The next batch is going to be more creative as I'll add more materials to the list.
The little baby dino in the egg is now going to be an official YYH (your character here) option that I'll release in inchie and ATC sized formats (commissionable). Along with that I am going to be making some ATCs that are whimsical...perhaps some postcards too. Intro: And I present to you the last of my Valentine themed ATCs (I hope) for this year. I made these 2 specifically to open up for trading. Finally tried my hand at using distress ink on scrapbook paper.
What I created: 2 ATCs that I think are categorized as "mixed media" due to the materials I used. I have been itching to use a stack of scrapbook paper that I purchased from Michaels and finally got to use them for these two cards. I think I got carried away with the distress ink but I think they still look decent. For one heart I carried on that theme of using watercolor painted scraps to put together as a shape. I had a few strips left over for a postcard that I mailed out and so decided to make one last heart out of them. I really like these cards as they show just how many different materials I finally used (some for the first time) and got to experiment with. I tried using washi tape (first time ever touching these) but I don't think I fully understand their function enough to know what exactly I can accomplish with them. I also added some puffy paint to the cards for some dimensional effects. Final thoughts: I feel as if I should always create 3 cards at a time or 4 when trying to experiment... I had more ideas when I was creating these cards but could only do so much as I was only making two. Note to self: only make three or four cards at a time. Intro: I finally got around to testing my skills on working with silhouettes... and boy are they difficult to make! I had no idea it could take so much thought to creating something that looks simple but really is not. I made these specifically to open up for trading.
What I created: I ended up making 3 ATCs of the same theme... I felt inspired by some images I had looked at in the past for a school project. I was researching the different clothes and jewelry that is worn in India and ended up saving a bunch of the pictures I found. I sketched the women with a pencil first then decided I wanted a little frame that would be the same for all three. I ended up creating a template on copy paper which I first cut out then used as a guide to make the frame. As you can see, I tried my best to make all three the same yet all three different all at once. I was originally going to keep them just black and white but then loved the idea of hinting at a sunset. I know I got a little carried away with the white gel pen but I have been trying to find a way to use strong black and white lines that fit my style. Materials: watercolor pencils, sharpie, Stadler liners, white roll gel pen, and Le Pen markers. Made on cold pressed watercolor paper. Intro: I recently was involved with multiple MMH (Make Me Happy threads) of ATCsForAll where we had to create postcards. Some of them had themes already decided by the person who they were made for and one had no theme at all. I was also participating in a Valentine Exchange that let me create 2 Valentine postcards. Along with an EAU thread - I got make my first envie and mail it off. There was also an art marathon going on that inspired me to make some heart themed ATCs. What I created: All of the snail mail art that I made used the following materials:
Note: For those that these were surprises for: I am sorry if they still have not arrived and I have already posted them here. It has been over 2 weeks since they were sent off, so I posted these keeping in mind that they have already arrived. The longest time for me was a trade completed in Slovakia and the cards reached their destination within two weeks. |
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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