My tribute to Autumn



We went through a 2 mile corn maze with 4 small children! We had a blast!



Moxie at the pumpkin patch.

My artist hard at work.

Her finished pumpkin. She says "It looks faabbbulous!"

My favorite part of Fall.

and pictures in the cotton fields.



Birthday owl invitations

These are two birthday invitations created for a friend of mine. It was really hard for me to keep it simple. I had to throw some pattern in it for texture. I hope to get all of these invitations on my etsy shop soon. I also created her a large 16x20 poster of an owl so kids could play pin the beak on the owl. I had lots of fun creating these. I never planned on creating invitations, but I guess I can add them to my other art!

A Day of Invitations

A couple of days ago, I was asked to create a simple, casual bridal shower invitation using the colors orange and green and pumpkins. These are the three options I designed for the client. (All information has been changed.)

I had so much fun doing these; I love weddings and Autumn colors! What a perfect project to do at my favorite time of year! The hostess of the party chose the last one and asked me to create another invitation for a formal Bridal Luncheon. Can' t wait to begin working on it. The colors are brown, orange, champagne, green, and plum. I am thinking something a bit more traditional with a touch of fancy. Does anyone have any ideas?

Also, today I sold my one and only invitation on my etsy shop. My poor etsy shop has shriveled up lately, not being tended to properly, but I have never had a green thumb! I think I am going to design more invitations at the moment to put on my etsy shop.

Today was a day for the invitation!

Date Night

Believe it or not, my husband and I had only our second date in a year's time. Don't get me wrong, we do get out. It's just we usually take our two girls everywhere we go. Who knew a few hours, would be so relaxing, rejuvenating, and fun. No one to make sure they're eating, no one to take several times to the restrooms, or continually trying to sit little ones down and hold their attention longer than thirty minutes. It was heaven! We ate out on the deck on one of our favorite restaurants and watched the sunset over the bay over dinner and wine. As night snuck in, the sky was covered by a blanket of stars and the draping of the strings of white lights from the restaurant. The air was filled with the sounds of a man and his guitar as he sang Carribean tunes such as the likes of Jimmy Buffett.

How relaxed I could be, and may be, just may be, the art I could produce with this kind of destressing more often. May be my husband will read this. hint, hint.

To stay creative when not knowing what to do, I will entertain myself with some good old fashioned doodling.

Inspiration is EVERYWHERE



graphic art on a BK cup

piece remaining of a sign at the Pensacola Naval Aviation Museum.



Carved wooden artpiece at a Thai Restaurant





Several things I have run into lately and just had to share it. I might be using certain aspects of these ideas in some of my future art. Inspiration is everywhere!

Picking up the paintbrush

It has been very hard for me to pick up a paintbrush or get on the computer lately. I have had a lot of ideas in my head, almost every night, but for some strange reason I haven't been able to put a pencil to paper. I have tried going to some of my old projects I have been working on, but many of you can probably relate with me that when your heart is not in it, nothing will be or can be accomplished. Right before I took my hiatis from art, I began a digitally drawn image of a girl with fireflies. I decided to create this into a painting as well. These images show the beginnings of the painting. I think I am finally getting back to myself again. Although I can't explain the standstill, I will try my best to continue on with my art. I hope to repost the finished painting soon. Thank you for understanding and helping me get over this hurdle.

What a Long Time

Sorry it has been so long since I  have last written on here! I have not given up even though for the last few weeks, I have been nonexistent to the cyberworld. Wow! It is so hard to get going again. A few weeks feels like eternity on here. I have been very busy painting a house, and not mine. 2200 sq. feet plus ceilings. Let me just say, I feel for the professional painters who do it everyday. That is definitely not for me!

My oldest Hayden, has just started preschool from 9-1 and although I thought her absence would alllow a lot of free time for working, I have found a new relationship with my one year old who wants more Mommy time since big sis is at school. I work when I can, but I don't want to miss my special time with my girls as they magically grow before me in what seems like a day. Hayden has started dance two weeks ago, and I think I will find myself being that Mommy caravan like my Mom back in the day.  Hayden loves dance and counts the days until she gets to go back.

Hayden's first day of dance with her custom dance bag made from ConCon.

As for me, I have not worked on anything creative in a couple of weeks. I find myself itching to be creative again and yet hesitant to begin. The top pic is an illustration I began for the Creative Color Challenge but didn't quite finish. I will repost again finished at a later time. Thank you for sticking with me as I wade through my journey.

I have never stated my goals here and will do so in one of the next couple of posts.  One goal now added is to maintain my presence.

The Lemonade Girls

Lemonade Girls by kmcclay with bubblesunderthemoon. Available soon on my etsy shop: www.bubblesunderthemoon.etsy.com

I just signed up for the Creative Color Challenge hosted by Louise Gale. The challenge is for the month of August to make a new piece of art each week with the given color plus white and black and shades. Last week's color was yellow. YELLOW! Not one of my favorite colors! After lingering over what to do until Wednesday, I decided to make a lemonade stand with my girls. My last post of Pinkalicious probably inspired me in this direction also. After working on this off and on, but more off than on, chasing my girls around, I created this in about 2 nights. I was pretty proud because I can put off details of a digital drawing for more than a week or so. This challenge is showing me I can create in a given time period. Also, I am expanding my thought process in my subject matter, not having to fret about what color to use. The monochromatic color scheme seems to free me in some way. Weird, huh?

This week's color is raspberry red. Right now I am thinking of creating a pattern about LOVE. How do little girls perceive love? Roses are red... or Mommy and Daddy sitting in a tree.. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. Hopefully, I will create something cool, but my motivation has slacked for the last week or so. We'll soon see.

Pinkalicious!!!!!!! by Victoria and Elizabeth Kann

I have been delaying writing in my blog lately and I am sorry for that! Sometimes those negative thoughts creep back in and tell me no one wants to read about my life, about what I think. I don't travel very often, so a travel blog is out of the question unless you consider going to the grocery store, or the doctor's very exciting; I know I don't. My house hasn't been touched in the design sense for years, unless you consider spilled juice and smashed cookie crumbs Art Noveau. So, I am very truly sorry but that's how I have been feeling lately.

I took the girls to the bookstore today because it is way too hot outside to play. Hayden found two Pinkalicious books she doesn't have yet, so we just had to get them. After getting them home,  I thought this would be something cool to share on my blog. I truly love Victoria Kann's illustration style and how she uses collage into her books.

all illustrations by Victoria Kann

I love how she uses the doily background for her dress, the handwriting for the building's texture, and the sheet music for the leaves. It is the little touches that draw me in.

If you are unfamiliar with the Pinkalicious series and like these images, I would suggest getting a peek at them at a bookstore. Although the two small books we just bought Tickled Pink and the Pink Drink are not as strong in their compositions as the original Pinkalicious, they are very similar in overall look and feel. Victoria Kann, I truly am a huge fan!

 

Sold     Squares and Circles 

I totally forgot to post the finished piece. I have been trying to work on my art this week but so far have been unsuccessful. Tonight looked like a good night for art and then our refrigerator stopped working. I am trying really hard to get going. Hopefully soon!

New Work

Just started 3 new paintings. I wanted to show the start of these because I love the way it looks with the just the paper before any paint or anything touches the canvas. I always hope it will look this good when I finish the painting.

This is a commissioned large canvas I have been working on for a couple of nights now. Lots of work left on it to tie everything together. Funny, I got involved into a tiny section of the painting trying to incorporate layers of interesting colors together when I stepped back from the painting and was like "Oh my gosh, it's not supposed to look like that!" I forgot to step back often and look at the larger picture. I haven't done a purely nonobjective piece in a long time. Guidelines on the piece were shapes, greens, reds, and oranges.

Unfortunately, I haven't even been able to touch the computer in the last couple of days. I need to find a better balance between production and computer time. But hey, don't we all! I will try to repost this painting when finished and looking more complete with better lighting.

One of my prints sold on Etsy today!Yay! I need to get some more digital prints going.

I hope to have atleast one finished thing when I post Friday! Too many loose ends!

My Weekend Away and a New Pattern Created

Sometimes I just have to have a change of scenery to let my mind switch gears or stay fresh. It has been a long time since we had left our house for more than a day or two and things were starting to get monotonous. And very boring! My husband kept talking about going up and visiting this camp called Camp Ascca (a camp for children with disabilities) for his Rotary Club. Truthfully, I didn't put much thought to it and resigned to going in support of my husband and visiting my sister afterwards. After getting off the interstate, the scenery along the way was like a scene from a movie. If anyone has ever watched "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton" you would get the idea. Little quaint towns that have seemed to be barely touched by modern civilization and the main attraction being the Piggly Wiggly. Old, victorian homes with weathered paint from years of being untouched,  and a small high school with the marching band outside playing their hearts out, all fifteen to twenty members. Seeing all of these sights, I couldn't help think how simple life up there must be.

As we approached the Camp's private drive ( a 3 mile road just to get to the camp), it opened up to  amazing views of multiple cabinlike buildings surrounded by water on three sides. Stunning! Not to add another movie reference intentionally, but it had the look of "Dirty Dancing" as far as views. After seeing all of the outdoor activities, we were invited as guests to eat lunch with the campers. It was amazing to see a zipline and a rock wall built for wheelchair accessibility. We were only going to stay for an hour or so for a tour, but ended up staying most of the day. We were told the day we came to visit was their Prom at camp and I was asked if I wanted to stay and help the girls get hair and makeup ready. For many of the girls, it was the only Prom they would ever see. So much of this camp continues to run because of donations and its volunteers. It was a wonderful feeling to make even the slightest difference.

If anyone is familiar with Montgomery, Alabama, my sister lives in Cloverdale Park and has this view right in front of her house. What a beautiful park and old oak tree. I think if I had this view everyday, I would never get any work done.

Finally, I created a new pattern right before leaving out of town. Here are a few color variations:

Sold a Painting on Etsy!!!!!

Sold a painting on Etsy and it wasn't even listed one day. In fact the varnish is still tacky! Thank you very much to the sweet Marianne who bought her and will be giving her a good home. So many mixed feelings! I was extremely excited to wake up this morning to find one of my paintings sold. And yet, I feel she is a part of me and it is hard to let her go. But, isn't that what I want after all; I wouldn' t feel right selling something I feel didn't represent me. It felt like Christmas morning, but may be even better; to know that a person who knows and respects art as much as I do, respects my work. Wow!! What a confidence booster! Knowing that someone values my art makes me want to paint even more. Hopefully, I will continue art for a long, long time. I want to continue on and feel this feeling again and again. Thank you!

Weekend with the Grandparents and New Painting

No wonder why my daughter never wants to be at home! Date night with the Grandparents and cousin Mads in one jam packed night of plane watching, mall shopping for soft pretzels and cookies from the Cookie Store, princess accessory shopping, petting the rabbits at the pet store, dinner at Steak and Shake, dancing, and donuts from Dunkin Donuts; PRICELESS! Oh and no wonder why these 4 year olds didn't go to bed until after midnight.

And the funny thing was they were up the next day and ready to do it again!

Oh, and a new painting of mine titled " Where Dreams Grow." Still trying to figure out which way to hang it. Sideways seems appropriate and matches the kids expressions above. What better reason?

Sold

You can buy this painting on our Etsy shop at http://www.bubblesunderthemoon.etsy.com/

Putting Focus Back into Etsy

One of my biggest goals at the moment is to put more focus into Etsy again. For some time now, I have fallen off the side of the Earth when it comes to my Etsy shop. Although I check it regularly to make sure nothing has been sold or there is no conversations lingering, it's as if I have lost all momentum with Etsy. I think the biggest reason is the lack of traffic coming to my shop due to little activity. My goal for this entire month is to make Etsy a priority of mine.

I will:
1.  List or relist something atleast every other day (more if needed)
2.  Participate in the forums regularly.
3.  Add some favorites to my shop.
4.  Go through Etsy resources for tips.
5. Work on my photographs.
6. Work on better tagging.

It's funny though, I have ignored Etsy for a good month now it seems. In the last week, two of my prints were featured; one in a blog and the other in a treasury. I wonder if it could get better, like more sales if I paid attention to it!

Designing an Invitation from Start to Finish

I don' t know if this is another direction for some of my artwork but maybe. After designing my daughter's invitations for her birthday party, I got a request from a friend to design her daughter's invitations for her party. After designing hers, I thought it may be a good outlet for my digital art and a chance to get more exposure on Etsy. Having two young children at home, leaves little time for my art sometimes. To be able to get more avenues out there for my art is wonderful. Sometimes one digital print can take me a week or more to make! Many people, including my family, don't know what goes into creating my digital artwork, so I decided to show the process on designing an invitation.

To Create a Pattern:

The sketches above are first drawn in pencil and then outlined in black pen for better visibility when scanning. After scanning these pattern ideas, I place them into Illustrator and redraw them with the pen tool where they will become vector graphics. I usually only draw half of a design that will have a mirror image. After a lot of drawing, copying, pasting, and connecting I play with different images and sizes until a pattern begins to emerge that I like. Then, it's more grouping, copying, and pasting. A finished pattern used in the invitation.

Next, I draw the subject matter from my sketchbook in Illustrator using the same method as the pattern. I take facial features from a previous girl already drawn on the computer. A closeup of the eye shows details drawn that are barely visible from the computer screen. The eye alone takes about 20-30 minutes to draw using the pen tool, so reusing elements is essential.

After working on several different layers creating the mermaid, her clothing, and the patterned backgrounds, I add in some touches I have previously already drawn in other prints.

Each drawing has several different layers before grouping them into one easy to manage image. I will use these to add more detail into the drawing.

The finished design of the invitation! Many steps were left out in this explanation, but I didn't want to bore anyone, including myself with the details like I use 4 different drawn patterns in this invitation. Also, I use clipping masks in everything I create. There are about 10-15 different layers in this one little invitation where each image is stacked on top of another image.  This image is made up of 6 different documents. After the image is finished, I set the type where I want it placed. Please note, some type in this invitation is removed for privacy reasons. Thank you for listening to the rambling on, I really don't know if I made much sense. I hope I shared some of my process, even if just a little bit.

The Fear of Evolving

Does this sound familiar to anyone? I have always thought or knew I had a fear of rejection when it came to my artwork. Or may be it was the fear of people critiquing my art and hearing the dreaded "I could do that." I really thought this was my problem for the longest time and it made me not only have the fear of getting my artwork viewed by other people, but also completely avoiding the attempt of creating.


I don't know why it took until now, but today it hit me like a ton of bricks: I HAVE A FEAR OF EVOLVING. Maybe this doesn' t make total sense, but I will try to explain. I have always been a perfectionist at anything I put my mind to. Art is one of those things where there is no right or wrong, yes or no answers. People like different things. When you feel you are totally happy with what you are doing, you look back on it a few years later and think "Wow, I've grown so much as an artist." This is where my fear comes in. I put a lot of myself into every single painting or piece of art I create. Will people see that when they view my work? Will people who own my art want their money back down the road because their painting isn't as good as my latest work? Silly, I know! Actually writing this fear down seems so much sillier and less debilitating than in my head.


So, now what do I do about it? Tonight while cleaning out and rearranging my art space, I found the top image. This was the first exercise in my first painting class in college. Amazingly, it survived four moves along the way. We were to experiment with different techniques and different materials for each square. Even after years of projects, this exercise is one of my favorite memories of college. To try to get over my fear and incorporate new ideas into my art, I will experiment everyday, even if it's the tiniest bit. So now I ask you what is that one fear you have and how can you work through it?

Birthday Dresses

Great Fourth of July weekend! Great family fun! I just had to show the birthday dresses Mom made the girls for their birthday party. No stars and stripes here! The girls wanted pink! I love the fabric combinations together on the bottom detailing of the dresses. Very cute and could they be any girlier?

We ended the weekend with fireworks at the house (Best shot I could get, sorry) and a massive 700-1000 water balloon fight with the kids and adults. Sometimes, pretending you're a kid again and enjoying little things like a water balloon fight is the most rejuvenating thing for the soul. Fun was had by all.