Sharing the Art of Digital Cartooning

I have an amazing artist friend, Kent, who is like my brotha-from-anotha-motha.  Artistically, we seem to always be on the same page.  This morning, I was watching a Martha Stewart video on how to felt a small chick out of wool, and when I mention it to him, he goes, "oh, I just did that too."  Then, of course, comes an excited exchange  of technique and where to buy materials, and what his next project will be.  Turns out we belong to the same craft meet-up group, and and are often exploring the same arts and crafts.  He's been delving into the Japanese mini-fake food craft trend lately, and I look forward to checking that out as well.

He's a professional graphic designer, and I love everything he designs, including these cute little doodle cube characters.  The characters are sold as pins, stickers and stamps online and at different stores, and I was really inspired at the way he merchandised and promoted his work.

Recently, he offered his knowledge of Adobe Illustrator to teach some kids how to do a digital cartoons and make buttons out of their creations.  Kent offered this through my school's auction (raising lots of money for the kids), and today, our winning bidders spent the morning learning to cartoon on their computers.

Besides whipping up a delicious spaghetti lunch for the kids, I also followed the lesson along with them, learning to do cute characters and making some buttons of my www.artfulcrab.com company logo.

I think the boys who learned from Kent came away with really great characters from the program, and Adobe Illustrator software so they could continue cartooning at home.  I enjoyed myself too -- always love to learn something new, and appreciated that he shared his love of digital cartooning with us.

Warmest day in months Inspires us with a new flower bed

Nothing like a gorgeous, sunny day to bring you outside after spending the last couple of months keeping warm indoors.  The warmest day in weeks came this early March weekend, and Jan and I decided to add some shade-lovin' plants to welcome those who come to our front door.  It's an area we've struggled with since moving in 5 years ago.  The front corner gets no sun, and plants fail to thrive.  We removed a strip of grass along the right side of the walkway and went to the plant nursery for some plants that love the shade.  What a great assortment this time!  I'm so excited to see how they'll do over the spring and summer.

As an artist, my favorite part of gardening is figuring out what plants go where, and what areas to accessorize with rocks, statues and whimsical gnomes! 

This is our front door area a little over a year ago.  You can see what landscaping we've had fun with since then!

The Heather behind the Pelican was a difficult decision for me.  Bees seem to LOVE this plant, and I really HATE bees!  

And this is how I rewarded myself after a back-breaking day of gardening and artistic landscaping.  A Reed's Ginger brew and chocolate chip cookie.  MMMMMM!

Stamps & Sangria Party

Back in November, I attended a school fundraiser and was a high bidder for a place at a "Stamps & Sangria" party.  Last week, it finally took place, and I had the time of my life drinking Sangria like a fish and stamping like a maniac!  Woo hoo!  Many thanks to Heather, Kelli, Krissy and Norine for organizing such an original evening.  I haven't done a lot of block printing, and I was thrilled at all the different ideas the women had for creating stamps and printing them.

We began with a basic "chop" stamp for our inititals, which we would use not only to identify our never-empty wine glasses, but to stamp on the corner of all our artworks.  We designed and cut them out of sticky-back foam, and attached it to a wine cork.

A few drinks later, and we're onto the REALLY fun stuff!  I was given a thick block of condensed foam and some grooved cutters to create another design.  This time, I made my crab logo from my new "artful crab" site that I'm working on.  It took a little concentration, which I admit was difficult because I was laughing so much.  Kudos to Norine for putting a host at the cutting table to supervise the carving of her inebriated guests!

Then, we rolled paint on a piece of glass with the brayer (roller) and pressed the stamp into it.

I ended up making cards with this design, which I used as thank-you cards to our wonderful hosts.

Finally, after a great Mexican dinner and a few more drinkies, we moved onto another kind of stamp on a piece of wood.  Using the same sticky-back foam,  I pressed a Kandinsky-inspired design into it and attached it to a block of thin board.  Because of the four separate pieces, I was able to use four colors of ink for this design:

How cute is this goody bag they gave us to put all our arwork in?  It also included an assortment of papers and this beautiful hand-crafted tissue paper flower.

Fun, fun fun.  I learned something, and had the best evening ever at this fundraising event. 

Creating like Crazy for my New Online Shop, the "Artful Crab"

I love a good challenge. My goal: 2 Valentine's Day themed paintings, 3 heart-beaded necklaces and 15 fused glass pendants and earrings by February 2nd. I'm hoping to debut them in my new online store, the "Artful Crab" late next week!  In the meantime, I've been cutting glass like crazy, hoping to get some beautiful pieces from the firing. 


The store idea has been churning in my head for quite some time now.  At first, I was thinking Etsy would be a good place to start putting my things, but then I began to dream what it would be like to be in total control of my artwork and the way it was presented.  My husband is helping me put together a website, and we've chosen the webhost and the template, and now we just have to get our content in it!  I suspect this weekend will include taking a lot of photos of my artwork for the site.

This is the fused glass fresh out of the kiln, after slowing cooking for 9 hours.

I'm also craving to do a little beading lately, so we'll see what I can fit into the time I have.  I've got some great heart-shaped pendants just screaming to come alive with some cute beads framing it.  


It's exciting and scary, starting my own shop, but I've got to dive in sometime!  Stay tuned for our debut day!

Wine Bottle Flattens for Second Life With Cheese

My husband and I woke up this morning REALLY excited, and no, not just the sexy kind of excited....

The day before, we put 2 empty wine bottles in the kiln to fuse flat.  It took the WHOLE day to heat these to get the results we were looking for.  Several different ramps of heating went from 10 am to 8pm, and finally we turned off the kiln to cool off before we slept.  This morning we hurried to the kiln to see the results and were thrilled to see it worked!  We have the power to flatten a wine bottle!  Of the two we put in, the clear bottle (a fine cabernet) had a bit of opaque texture going on, but the green bottle of "Two Buck Chuck" worked perfectly.  Here are the before and after results of the two.

I've given the green bottle a little beautifying with some chain and glass beads.

Here's the clear bottle.  Not quite good enough to use.

Here's the green bottle, fresh from the kiln.

The Pet Rock Returns from the 70's to Replace the Cupcake

It's my son's birthday tomorrow, and I am a terrible mother.  I forgot to plan for something special to give his classmates at the end of the school day.  This morning, knowing that the teacher does not like the parents to give out cupcakes or candies, he asks what else can he give them...pencils?  erasers? granola bar?   I am running around trying to get ready to take him to school and it dawns on me...what's cheap, in the house and fun?  Rocks.  I love rocks.  We've got rocks everywhere.

I show him a google image of a pet rock, one of my favorite crafts of the 1970's.  He goes for it!  Out he runs and quickly chooses 31 perfect rocks from the garden and we quickly wash them before heading out the door at 8:10 a.m.

I'm excited.  I had scheduled "art time" for myself today, and this may not be of the same calibre of painting a picture or making a fused glass piece, but I'm up for it!  I painted each one alien green, drying them off in the oven between coats.  Then, with a paint pen, I gave them a few different faces, amazed at how each one seemed to take on a personality of it's own.

While all the paint was drying, I found a cute "how to care for your rock" instructional piece, which I included with each rock.

This has truly been one of the more fun hours of my week, and I can't wait to see my son's face when he sees all the different creatures he can give to his classmates.

Taking the next step with Etsy

I've been working pretty hard on my artwork; some of it I've posted here, and others don't quite make the cut.  Until I've got my own web page designed, I thought I'd try selling a couple pieces on Etsy.com -- sort of a trial balloon.  It's a great site that will give me a little more exposure while I improve my craft.  I feel I still have so much more to learn,  and never enough time to really work on things to bring it to the next level. Do you ever feel that way?  However, I do have to begin SOMEWHERE, so here it is....putting my work out to the world!   Care to join me on my rollercoaster ride?

My Etsy store is called, artofbeingcreative, so you can check in there once in a while and see what I've been up to.  (I think you just click on "favorites" so that it will come up when you go on Etsy everytime.)  I am grateful that so many of my pieces were sold in December, but I hope to have new, wonderful artworks up soon.  Wish me luck!

Day of the Dead Alter

It's January, and I've finally finished my Day of the Dead alter, albeit 60 days late.  It was supposed to be finished at the beginning of November, when Day of the Dead is celebrated, but life got in the way, and I was not feeling like I had a good grip on how I wanted the alter to look.  Over Christmas vacation it finally came to me, and I had a wonderful time in the garage completing the art work.  I love all the detail and I used a little glitter on the skull to give it pizazz.  I think my favorite part though, is the mirror I glued to the back of the box so that the viewer can reflect on their own mortality.

The box is simply an old Ikea organizer drawer that was destined for the trash, and the cross, an old necklace that had not been worn in close to 20 years.  I look forward to seeing it hang with my student's Day of the Dead artworks at the Mountain View City Hall Art Show coming up!

Happy New Year! Reflecting on a Year of Blogging

Happy New Year!  Looking back, 2011 was an interesting year for me creatively.  I rung in the year on a low note, believing that despite teaching art, I seldom allowed myself time to create art for pleasure.  That is how this blog came about.  At the beginning of the year, I decided to challenge myself to see if I could create more, take more art courses,  paint more, bead more and generally make art a greater part of my life.  The blogging itself was another way to challenge myself creatively.

After 48 posts in 2011, it looks like I succeeded!  I've painted, zentangled, beaded, fused, manipulated glass with fire, created sculpture, stamped, hot glued, monoprinted and crafted my way through the year.  I think that having the blog was a definite impetus to get off my butt and do something; to reach out and stretch my imagination a little more.

Many thanks to the 1780+ readers who read my posts this year, from 9 different countries: Canada, Alaska, across Europe, Malaysia and Japan.  Whether you've "facebooked" me, got me on an RSS feed or found the blog on a search engine, you've really spurred me on!

The scariest thing I did in 2011: Made a glass paper weight by manipulating a flaming, red ball of hot glass on a stick!
The biggest surprise in 2011: Realizing I had the patience to sit long enough to do detail-oriented zentangling.
My favorite art of 2011: My little 4X4 paintings for the holiday boutique; I did one a day for two weeks.
Wierdest thing I tried in 2011: It's a tie between nailing chicken wire on one of my paintings and making earrings from cut-up plastic gift and credit cards.
Most visited post: doodling of rocks with Sharpey markers!

Please join me in making 2012 a wonderful year artistically, hoping all of us will stretch our creative horizons more than ever before.  Happy New Year, and much love to you all.

Kath.

Checking out my first works in my new Christmas present -- a ceramics/glass kiln.

New kiln brings a new adventure for the new year!

I'm an art dabbler -- painting here, beading there, and a million other art forms in between.  Working with glass is one thing I've always loved though, and I've been lucky enough to take courses in fusing, lampworking (making hot beads), stained glass, flameworking and glass blowing.  But fusing glass in a kiln....my favorite!  I love to make jewelry, and the few candy dishes I've made were so fun and a chance to stretch my creativity.

This Christmas, my husband surprised me with a kiln that gives me the chance to fuse glass to my heart's desire, as well as work with ceramics.  It's a Paragon Janus kiln, which has a switch, allowing you to use different coils in the kiln for different types of materials.  I never dreamed I'd ever have one, and it was an amazing surprise.  He did his research over the past few months, had an electrician in to give it a specific type of outlet and had this heavy sucker delivered on a big truck while I was home and I still remained clueless!

These are the only two that kinda worked out of my first batch

Yesterday, we tried it out for the first time, since we've had to spend the previous 3 days applying kiln wash to the shelves to prevent glass and paint sticking during the cooking process.  It also gave me time to visit my wonderful art-partner, Pat, who lovingly lent me a newer cutter, nippers, a couple of molds, some kiln paper and some research books.


Unfortunately, the only glass I had on hand at home was my stained glass, and the pickin's were thin!  We tried a few things with an open mind and here are the results (good stuff above, bad stuff below).  Only one or two things are good enough to wear -- I discovered the opaque glass had too much lime in it and it developed a detrification, or milky coating.  I also tried to slump a piece of glass before fusing it, even though I knew you were supposed to do this in a two-step process.  Can you blame a girl for trying?    It took about 7 hours for all the steps in the kiln, and we let it cool while we slept. We checked it constantly throughout the afternoon-- hoping for good results and making sure there would be no fires.  I have complete confidence now in the process, and look forward to purchasing nice, compatible glass, stringers etc. and try again, learning more each time!

These are the ones that didn't work, however, I know where I went wrong now!

Cement Becomes Artful

My husband, Jan, has a recent obsession with concrete.  He's begun doing some artful things with it....we now have a gorgeous new coffee table, which he made with Australian walnut and brown-colored cement. I love all the little pits and natural look of it.

His latest piece of our new bathroom countertop.  We purchased an old 1960's cocktail cart and he made this top out of stained concrete for it.  He has sealed it and it shines to a gloss, still retaining its cement character.  The bathroom is almost done now -- just need to place those tiles as a backsplash, and we've created a new look for it for very little.

Glass Blob Magnets Always Useful, and Sometimes Sentimental

I love a good glass blob.  I put them in vases, surround my candles with them and I like to make magnets using them.  I remember the first time I ever saw a glass drop being used as a magnet -- my uncle, who I adore -- gave me a simple, small glass blob magnet with an image of an Orca whale on it for Christmas years ago.  I treasure it not only because it reminds me of him, but it reminds me of the killer whales I used to see growing up in British Columbia.

I've been making the magnets for fun ever since.  I usually buy the blobs and magnets at Michael's -- usually the 1" ones, and have fun leafing through my magazines for images to put underneath.  Occasionally, I will also paint pictures underneath or find an image on google as well.  Unfortunately, I sold all my magnets at that holiday faire a few weeks ago and completely FORGOT to take photos of them before I brought them to the show.  One of my favorites was the Yoda magnet, which  I think I embellished with a little sparkle. (Martha Stewart has a thin-line glue pen that allows you to draw with, then apply sprinkles on top.)

Here's what they can look like, and an accompanying "how to," should you decide to try it yourself!

http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/marblemagnets/

Getting My Blog Through Facebook

I don't know about you, but I enjoy Facebook.  I like to read about what's going on in my friend's lives and catch up on my favorite blogs.  Some of these are: What I Wore, Budget Babe, Art With Kids, and My Frugal Adventures.

If you would like to follow my blog, "The Art of Being Creative", on a regular basis, please click on the Facebook icon on the far right column and "like" my page when it brings you to Facebook.  You will not only receive on your Facebook all my posts from this blog, but also other artistic ideas I do not always duplicate on my blog.  Don't worry about being overburdened with posts....like all of you, I have a million things on my plate and usually only do something creative enough to blog about once a week or so!  Thank you again for your interest, and keep those creative fires burning!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kaths-Artworx-The-Art-of-Being-Creative/322976415341?sk=wall

Love,  Kath.

Music to my Eyes

Christmas is fast approaching, and I was running out of ideas of what to get a lot of people.  My child's music teacher is one of my favorite, so I thought I'd make him a painting that would come from my heart.  When I create a piece of jewelry or painting for someone, you can bet I have given it everything I have, with them in my mind the entire time.  I really hope he likes it!

Success Selling my Paintings!

It can be kinda scary putting my art out, and although I enjoy sharing my art with you on my blog and corresponding facebook page, asking someone to purchase one of my works is something completely different.

My girlfriend encouraged me to do a holiday craft boutique with her on the weekend, and I made about 12 mini canvasses, several earrings and necklaces for the event.  I can't say the jewelry was as glitzy as hers and it wasn't my best, however, I did work hard on the canvasses, trying to enjoy the process for what it was instead of concentrating on what would sell.  I made small 4X4 wide-edged canvasses, as I felt I could offer a more affordable price for them  -- I sold them for $30 a piece.

Here's a photo of me with some of the canvasses -- I managed to sell 5, along with a few other jewelry pieces, so I'm fairly happy.  It was fun.  Not in a big hurry to do it again, but I'm glad I stretched my neck and got out there!  Many thanks to my friends who came to check out our creations!

Lovin' My Messenger Bag Embellishment

I was at Pottery Barn a couple of weeks ago and saw this really cool messenger bag on sale.  I don't normally go for these things, but the price was right, the fabric was a wonderful thick felt, and it had an irresistible seatbelt strap.  How could I NOT pick it up?  Anyhoo, I decided to embellish it with some colorful felt flowers and birds and I'm loving the effect.  I think it really changes the look to go from serious to quite whimsical now.

Finding Creative Time in a Busy World

Today, I had a friend ask me how I coped with all the craziness that goes on in life.   The first thing I told her is that I do the best I can, and sometimes, it's not enough, but each day gives me a new chance to try again.  Then, it occurred to me that when I'm creative, I'm at my best.  It fuels my passion, and let's me cope with the drama and negativity that sometimes can drive my days.  Being creative gives me a positive, happy outlet and puts a smile on my face.

The days I paint, or make a pair of earrings, or even dream of the next project I'm going to work on is always good.  I've accomplished something, I've done something for myself and I've put something artistic into the universe.

I am extremely grateful for those of you who read my blog, who may be inspired by my creative endeavours, and hopefully, do more of your own thing as a result.  This blog has been really good for me, and thank you for sticking by my side days are challenging and the creative muse does not show her head.

Thanks again, and stay tuned as I post more of my art as I get ready for a holiday art boutique coming up!

Love,  Kath.

Zen Tangling Brings my Doodles to a New Level

The other day I took a workshop in multi-media art (more on that later) when one of the artists mentioned she taught a course in zen tangling.  Now, I had never heard of this before, but when she showed us an example, I instantly recognized it as doodling and was entranced!  How beautiful!  When I got home I dug out my best line-art pen and reached for a small canvas to try out "zen tangling."   It was a relaxing process, and although it seemed to take forever to create, it is one of my favorite new pieces.  

Dripping Crayons Adds a Splash of Color

I've been wanting to try dripping crayons on a canvas for quite a while now, and lately, I've had so much creative energy!  With this holiday boutique coming up, it's been the impetus for me to get cracking and try some art projects that have been marinating in my brain.

I hunted down these crayons and tried to arrange them in a color order, though I'm not sure if it really matters. I used hot glue to attach them to the canvas and went to town with my heat gun. God I love that thing.  Gets red hot in seconds and dries and heats anything in its path immediately.  The wax had a mind of its own when it was dripping, but I managed to get it around the edge of the canvas so that every angle had something interesting on it.   I enjoyed making this canvas so much, I'm excited to try it again with a new set of crayons.

Forlorn Cat -- an collage in orange

Strangest thing.  I woke up this morning feeling like I had to create a collage with a cat as its centerpiece.  In orange. And I don't even really like cats.

I began with a small 4X4 canvas and gave it a background of orange and gold paints, layering with tissues and a receipt along the way.  The cat and butterfly were added toward the end, and finished off with my new India ink pen.  I call him "Forlorn Cat."