alien-sunset

I think I have a new obsession.

Zentangles  its a type of doodling using a step by step process to create complicated looking 'tangles' combined together to create a 'zentangle'  only using a simple pen, and no erasing.  the step by step, and black and white nature is supposed to be very meditative and calming, hence the 'zen'.  

I have gone through pages and pages in my sketchbook already and its only been abut a week and a half.  I find them so fun, and yes, meditative.  I know it sounds kinda woo,  but making these drawings really is so meditative and relaxing.  and the result is always so nifty.

I've cut up a sheet of watercolor paper and am working on a bunch of bookmarks now.  so fun, and useful!  I had an amazon gift card to spend, so I got Sandy Bartholomew's Totally Tangled, and I LOVE IT!  there are so many  tangles and ideas, I really want to get her other books now too.

for more info in zentangles check out the zentangle blog or thezentangle patterns website  and my favorite zentangle teacher/blogger/author Sandy Bartholomew at her blog

i want to paint (water color)

every time i pass my my supplies, which is multiple times a day, i want to grab them up and paint, paint, paint.

but i have nothing that makes me want to paint it.
i sit here, and have no inspiration for what to paint.

i tried free form, just letting the brush go as it may, and i felt nothing, was bored, and didn't really like the result.

if i just pick a random subject i rush it or do a crap job, feel bored and uninspired and it comes out like crap.

i am so frustrated.
i think it wold be better if i could get out and go for a hike or something, but its so damned cold and snowy and well, winter.
i've browsed old photos, and some stock photography and felt nothing.

blarg.

how do you get yourself out of a funk?  how do you break that block?

well, it seems that i got myself pregnant, and had a baby!

yep, little TW was born Dec 18 2009,  and let met tell you, morning sickness was a bitch.  and, well, taking care of a baby can take a lot outta a girl, even with the worlds best husband, so i really haven't had a lot of time for my art.  but don't worry, i'm getting back into it, and while i won't be as prolific as i was before,  expect to see more from me in the future!

woo hoo!

A week or so ago I was wandering around the web looking at other peoples art, and I noticed a lot of talk about ATCs and ACEOs (Artist Trading Cards and Art Cards, Editions and Originals)

Essentially it goes like this:

Some Artists wanted a way to share their art and to collect the art of other artists without spending big bucks or lots of time.  Some guy came up with Artist Trading Cards.  The cards are 3.5" x 2.5" the same size as most other traditional trading cards.  On the back the artist would title, date, mark down the number and sign the card.

Artists would do whatever the heck they wanted to them, paint, draw, collage, whatever, and then when they met another artist they liked, they would trade.  Kind of like baseball cards, but instead of a famous athlete there would be really cool little pieces of art.  Artists would keep them in little plastic sleeves, or in pretty boxes, or frame them and display them like traditional art.

A lot of artists really liked this; they saw it as a great way to meet new people in the same or related fields, and an excellent way to get their names and art out there and to collect other people's art without going poor.  Whole web sites were instituted to gather together artists and to coordinate trades and swaps.


Eventually other – non artistic – people wanted in on the action too, but they didn't have any of their own art to trade.  So some artists began making Art Cards, Editions and Originals to sell to would be collectors, usually for just a minimal fee to recoup expenses.  (Originals are just that, much like ATCs, Editions are limited edition print runs of original artworks, either ATCs or full sized pieces shrunk down)


This is when things started getting controversial, some artists looked down on those selling their cards, saying that they were just in it for the profit, and some of them were, and are, now a days you can find ACEOs going for pretty hefty sums, almost as much as an original full sized piece of art, not exactly keeping with the whole original idea of ATCs which were supposed to be a way to collect art without going broke.  Thankfully though, you can still find many artists selling ACEOs at very reasonable prices.


Then some people started trading prints of their work as ATCs and some artists started feeling cheated because they weren't receiving original artworks, and there was the usual issue of some people being overly critical of the worth of other artists cards, be it either because of style, perceived talent, or how much time and effort the artist put into the card.


Further reading:
nerviousness.org forums dedicated to ATC and other art swaps.

Art in your Pocket a little ATC background, and tons of examples of types of ATCs and how to make them.

art-cards.org site focused mostly on ACEOs.  Some background, a bunch of how to's and tutorials for using different techniques to make cards.

Artist Trading Cards Yahoo! group



some ATC galleries:
Cedarseed.com
Lynndewart.com
Autumn Sunflower's Gallery
B-muse gallery
Art e-zine's ATC gallery
ATCs on flickr





So what, you ask?

Well, I've started making some ATCs, I really enjoy the small format, it allows me to play around with techniques, and to learn new things without worrying about wasting a lot of time and supplies.  But also because its fun!  I enjoy planning out the piece, sketching the subject and then painting.  The challenge of finding a subject that will still look good shrunk down and then trying to paint it is really fun.  And although I haven't done many full sized paintings yet, I think I may actually like the smaller format better.



What do you all think?
Do you guys have any opinions or thoughts on the matter?
Anybody wanna trade?

Well, the first month of my draw every day resolution has passed with flying colours. (Literally! alien-sunset.deviantart.com/ar…)

I have now worked my way though Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards www.amazon.com/New-Drawing-Rig… and have read almost every book on drawing from my local library (don't be too impressed, it's a small library). over the past month my skills have improved greatly and I am incredibly happy with my progress. I have already met one of my main goals of being able to make embroidery patterns from my drawings.  Which has opened a wide world of possibilities and excitement for me, my fingers are itching to embroider more of my own designs.

I still have a long way to go before I'm completely happy; I only just within the last week branched into colour, and only then very tentatively.  Pen and ink and made occasional appearances, but that as well needs quite a bit of work.  

***as a way to increase my rate of improvement I am opening up my gallery for constructive criticism and critique.  Please, comment on my pictures, tell me what you like, what you don't like, and how you think I can improve.  I have one restriction; please only critique pictures that are labeled with "Advanced Critique Encouraged" above the comment box.  I have already made great steps, and am all too well aware of the faults of my earlier work, and in most cases have gone paste that, and no longer need somebody else to tell me how to improve them.  Therefore only my most recent works will be labeled encouraging advanced critique.***

Thank you again to everybody who has already begun helping me improves my skill, and thank you in advance to everybody else.

Now go out there, and be brutal, I need it!