What's on the Work Table?

I showed you one of my projects that I have started to play around with....the miniature koi pond pendant.  I'm going to work on a few more this upcoming weekend, or at least that is the plan.

Here are a couple of other projects that you might have seen on my Facebook page:

This is a Tree of Life inspired pendant....I carved the tree into the clay prior to curing it.  I was aiming for an etching style...then finished it with clear resin to cause the colors to really pop.

This is the pendant before resin was added.

This little guy was inspired by Cthulhu...I was trying to go for an old relic discovered, but that didn't really work out for this pendant.  Obviously, not every project is a success or even comes out remotely like you envisioned it...but that's all part of the process.  I'm not displeased by him, but I have ideas on how to make this piece better. 

This probably involves not giving Cthulhu freckles in the future...when texturing goes horribly wrong :P

Work Table Weekend

Today, I spent time working with clay for the first time in a couple of weeks.  It was really nice to relax with my favorite medium.  I ended up reworking a hermit crab, finishing another one, as well as start the beginning of a new project attempt. :)  Here are the pictures of the works in progress.  The hermit crabs will be getting a coat of paint next, before incorporating accessories.  I did have to place a Santa hat on for the photo...it made me giggle too much.

 A friend and I explored Jerry's Art-a-rama yesterday and I picked up another jar of Pearl-Ex, along with two bottles of Lumiere paint that I cannot wait to try out.

We had so much fun exploring the art store and meeting individuals that do gorgeous work, including Sharon Payne of Jazztangled.  She had her boots on display, which won a 1st place ribbon at the State Fair and was demonstrating her amazing ability of Zentangle to customers of the store.

Property of Sharon Payne, jazztangled.blogspot.com/

Sharon had beautiful patterns on display and we really enjoyed talking with her about her artwork.  She said it was a wonderful way to relax, even though the final piece appears to be very complicated.  I wish I was had brought my camera to take a couple of pictures, but here is an example of her work from her blog, which you should definitely check out!

Property of Sharon Payne, jazztangled.blogspot.com/

Work Table Wednesday

So, I actually have a lot on my work table this week!

First, on my day job work desk, I have a beautiful mug that a friend, Stephanie, gave to me this morning while we were riding the bus into work.

She did a wonderful job on the handle..it has such a unique and fun design to it.  It reminds me a lot of grapevines...the mug also has a gorgeous blue/green tint, though this picture really doesn't do it justice.  Thank you, Stephanie!

Guess what?  It's finished!  I deem it done and ready to to be presented to the fair committee.  I darkened the stones tonight, finished off the lily bloom and got some of the detailed pictures that I've been wanting to do for some time now.

So forgive me if I barrage you with some of the pictures :)

So, what's next?  Well, another shipment of button covers arrived today, so I'm super excited to work on that.  I sketched out a full scene for my next project, but I'm still working out the details.  In the meantime, here's a hint:

It's going to have something to do with mushrooms, and no, it's not a cooking recipe ;)  Until next time!

Blooming Flowers

My butterfly actually has a perch developing, much like the flowers starting to bloom around here.  I'm fiddling a lot with colors and shading at the moment. 

It's tough for me to visualize flowers that I am not familiar with, but I'll figure it out.  This project has given me a great number of ideas and I am looking forward to starting the next one!

The Butterfly Grows

Yay, the poor butterfly now has antennae and a head!  I went ahead and sketched in some flowers tonight and have started the background shading.

The book I am using to teach myself is called Mastering the Art of Drawing and Painting Animals by Jonathan Truss and Sarah Hoggett.  I cannot wait to try out some other techniques in the book.  No, I'm not getting a commission from that link or from talking about the book. ;)  I just like it when I can find things that other people have referenced easily and thought you might too!

Other Projects

Sometimes, one gets to a point and has to venture out to other mediums.  It helps start the creative juices flowing, allows you to appreciate your fellow artists more and sometimes, you find you like it better.

In my case, I have always enjoyed sketching, but never have felt it was my medium.  I picked up a book at Barnes and Noble recently, demonstrating how to sketch animals using a variety of mediums.  Colored pencils, charcoal, oils, acrylics and even watercolor!  It has wonderful tips, a great breakdown of tools needed and just enough guidance to give you a push.

This is the current project I'm working on from the book...a monarch with colored pencils.  I'm curious to see how it turns out, but was amazed at myself how pretty the wings look...but, I've always been partial to monarchs.

Excuse the poor picture. It is from my phone's camera.