Doodling Traci Bautista Style

I just received a copy of Traci Bautista's second book Doodles Unleashed, and immediately tried to unleash a doodle in my sketchbook. It's patterned after one of her girly doodles, page 99 to be exact. I love her style, and I loved her first book, Creativity Unleashed, which she autographed for me at CHA in 2008. I later had the chance to take a class from her at Art & Soul, and that was wonderful also. You can find out much more about treiC designs all over the web.
Here's some earlier art I made from Traci's collage sheets, and here's some of my doodles from her class.

I used simple and cheap markers from Office Depot for my doodles, but I am excited that I have a little batch of Copic markers coming from Ebay. Soon I will know why everyone raves about those markers. And honestly, I've had a couple before but they were very similar colors, so it was hard to appreciate the Copic range. And I've never used a blender with them. So it will be fun, and if I don't have the knack, I can always take a Copic class at The Queen's Ink in Savage Mill, where they are taught regularly.
Meanwhile, back to doodling...

If I have all this inspiration, why am I not inspired?

Here's my little art nook in my kitchen: the desk where I usually sit and blog from my laptop or stare at Ebay for hours. Rubber stamps? Check. Acrylics, watercolors, canvasses, frisket, brushes? Check. Paper scraps, punches, glitter, ribbon? Check. Even a soldering iron and drill. Beads, wire and clasps? Yep. Mod podge, gel medium, Fixatif, glues and Gesso? Yes, yes, yes and yesso!

As you can see, I have so many supplies, my shelves are bending uder the weight. And this doesn't even show my yarn stash, spray paints, embroidery floss, portfolios of paper, vintage and antique trinkets, piles of magazines and craft books, birds' nests, dollheads...you get the idea.

So what is wrong with me? I have barely created anything in months. I feel bored and say I can't think of anything to do or to make. And yet, in the first two or so years of this blog, 2007-2009, I created with wild abandon and posted pics to Flickr, participated in swaps, sent stuff for publication, and just generally was on a tear. And now I am just...stuck.

Can someone un-stick me?

More Mermaid Love

I've always liked mermaid images. I doodled this one in my journal over the weekend. It's not the greatest, but I only had limited supplies since I was on a trip. I drew her with a graphite pencil and then colored in with watercolor crayons. I brushed over parts with a wet brush, which works great over watercolor crayons or pencils.

You can see some other mermaids I've made here, here and here. As you can see, I like mermaids, whether painted or drawn, flat or 3D, rendered in jewelry, ATCs, collage, shadowboxes or really any medium. I even have mermaid costumes for my Blythe dolls. But I would call this just a fondness or attraction, not an obsession. An obsession with mermaids would probably involve an adult size costume, and I can safely say I do not have one. What is your "almost-obsession"?

I'm so excited! I finally 'did' some art.

I woke up just itching to paint...which is fantastic, since I've barely touched a brush in probably 10 months or more. Just haven't been motivated. But today I knew I would paint. Something big. And big-eyed.

At first, I thought I might paint a picture of a Blythe doll and started out with a face and eyes of that ilk. Then I remembered my Suzi Blu class and all the wonderful mermaids on her Web site. I had painted two 16 x 20 canvasses already from a class I took last winter: Marie Antoinette and also Rodeo Girl. And I had one empty spot next to them anyway. So I looked at some of the mermies in Suzi's group for inspiration and also a gorgeous Mermaid ATC I had received from Shonna Bucaroff of Twisted Figures. And then I was off!

I sketched; I mixed colors. I painted; I glittered. I smashed sea shells to attach along with a net-like piece of ribbon and little bottle (message in a) I had just gotten in a swap with my Zettilicious friend Jade Adams. I dug through cigar boxes for treasures and found a couple of gold 'things' for earrings and a hair ornament. I smudged with charcoal and graphite pencils. I sponged with punchinella and paint. I made bright circles for bubbles.

And then I made myself physically leave my property so I would quit touching it! Cannot wait to hang it up; I am happy. Happy to be making art again. And ideas are exploding in my head. Zentangles! Felt matroyshka ornies! Journal pages! A stitched journal cover! A china doll head with art canvas body! I am so ready.

Now this IS art! Although not by me.

Lovely things I just need to get framed. The top one is a large piece, like 18" x 18" and is marked Andrew Li, 2001, Creativity Explored. The squares are shiny and bright, like markers on glossy paper and the have been sewing machine-stitched to the larger background. It will be quite a statement piece when framed or matted and framed.

I got it at the American Visionary Art Museum recently, where I belong and also volunteer. It's a national museum, 15 years old, and internationally known for being dedicated to outsider, altered, intuitive art.

I picked up the piece of original art and put it back; someone else picked it up and carried it around, and then I was sad. Then I saw they had put it back, and knew I had to have it.

The same colors attracted me to this smaller piece on corrugated cardboard. It is marked Adam Elias Hines, April 2010, Project Onward. It appears to be student work. He had several pieces like this in the museum gift shop, Sideshow. It is about 9" x 12".

The bottom piece (2 pics) was a gift, also found at Sideshow and is a signed and numbered print by Kahler called Taksara. No idea about he/she/it. Must look into. It is 4.5" x 24".

Lastly, the Barbie sketches are by Robert Best, actually a fairly young man and Mattel designer, but his style has become iconic with Barbie in the last 10 years, since he created and brought to life the Barbie Fashion Model Collection (BFMC) and Silkstones, which celebrate their 10th anniversary this fall. The line art is so reminiscent of the early Barbie package inserts from 1959-65ish. The sketches are also about 9" x 12" and were exclusive gifts at a past national Barbie convention.

Is This Art?

Seems like I am asking that question a lot lately. Is this art? I am feeling creative and inspired and am busy, but unless I have paint on my hands or charcoal on my wrists or glue in my hair or paper scraps on the floor, or spilled beads, I feel guilty somehow. It feels like I am neglecting my art and my art blog. Actually, I guess it would be more accurate to say it feels like I am neglecting my traditional art forms--if altered art can now be called "traditional!"

But, I'm busy! Busy appreciating the mod art of vintage doll fashions from the 1960s and 1970s. And no one did it better than the exquisite mod Mattel fashions, made with dressmaker details including beautiful finishing, for the one and only Barbie and her friends.

So I've been occupied with sorting, washing (carefully!), pressing, fixing or having fixed, looking up, cataloging and just generally reliving my first childhood. "First childhood" would be an oxymoron, except that I am, most decidedly, in my second childhood.

I can paint when I'm all grown up...again.

And now, back to artsy things!

I haven't done much art-making this summer. I've either been too hot, too tired or in some cases, too sick to do much of anything. I was laid-up for the last three days with a neck so stiff I was naseous. And the heat! Well, don't get me started. Let me just say that after the freak blizzards in Maryland this past winter, you would think it wouldn't have to be 95 degrees for weeks on end. But, so it goes.

A link to this delightful altered tin with the dolly head was first spied on my friend Sandy's blog. And I should add, the digitally-talented Sandy is the one who created my new blog banner and my new Blythe blog banner. So I followed Sandy to her 'real-life' art friend Maija and her blog and then to her Etsy shop.

I can only claim Maija as a virtual friend although we've traded some things before, Blythe charms and fat book pages, to name a couple. She has a gorgeous blog, a ton of talented friends, and great stuff in her Etsy shop, so check her out!

Sandy, Maija and others just got together for an art weekend with another virtual friend of mine, Viv, who is so talented also, and has a darling blog. I've been on the lucky receiving end of her work, also!

So, my dollhead collection is now "plus-one" in a very nice way!

What Is Art?

I haven't made anything lately that I would normally classify as art or even altered art, so I haven't had much to post about. But then, like Carrie in SATC, I wondered: what is art?

Is it spray painting?

I certainly felt artistic and got covered with enough paint and turpentine to qualify while DIY-ing some home improvement to all this dollhouse furniture as evidenced by the before and after pictures. You can see and read much more on my Blythe blog.

Is it food? Salad? Veggies?

I have been trying to eat better lately, not that I don't love salad anyway. But I've been talking to a nutritionist about headaches, sluggishness, sinus pain and puffy eyes, and now in my pantry I have hemp powder, stevia, sunflower seed "peanut" butter, almond milk, goat yogurt, spelt bread and more. So far, so good.

Is it flowers? Is it a pink, vintage pillow? Is it toy robots and little collections? Is it folding a tiny piece of paper into a realistic little box and being happy with the results? All these things seem beautiful to me. They were created by someone. Does that make them art? They give someone else pleasure. Is that art?

What about shoes? Are they art? Are beautiful shoes a work of art? Carrie would say yes.

What about these Manolos? What makes people (and characters) go crazy for them? Why did these shoes start out in a store at $585 when others are $85 or $58 or even $19.99? What makes them sell on ebay for $360? What makes me covet them, even gently used, at an elegant re-sale shop called Chic to Chic where, after sleeping on it, I dash back in search of them still, for $149? Is it because they are art? Is it because they are couture? And what makes a shoe couture? Is it because they are cool? I have to say these must be some kind of work of art because they fit like gloves (gloves for feet?), they aren't painful, and as high as they are, they still feel good. Can that be the art of the shoe?

What is art to you?

Alice in Wonderland swap sent

For the recent Alice in Wonderland swap hosted by Maggi of Just Add Glitter, I was partnered with Adina Medina of Mommy Is Scrapping. She's a gal after my own heart, teaching Honors English to high schoolers.

Above is the gift box I made for her, complete with knob, key, watch face and vintage Alice images all around and on the bottom. Inside I tucked an Alice charm bracelet and pin made by me as well as lots of Alice-related goodies. I also sent along a couple different versions of the classic book, with unique illustrations instead of the usual -- although great and famous -- John Tenniel drawings.

Adina is a scrapper and card-maker so I hope she will like what I sent. The box took six straight hours. The vintage images are hand-cut and then matched to line up on the box and lid. I also embellished them with gel pens and glitter. The inside is covered, too.

A quick post from Tinsel Wonderland

These photos are all related, although it might be a little hard to understand old dollies, a grinning dog, a tree topper and giant cheese puffs. They are all connected by the sweet and talented person in the bottom photo, my dear friend, the delightful Lisa Kettell. I was lucky enough to spend last weekend with Lisa, her family, friends, six inches of snow and DJ the wonderdog (seen above just after getting a treat and sliding it off the counter stealthily).

Lisa conducted a class in making the clay-headed, paper cone-bodied angel tree toppers in Lafayette, NJ at a workshop she called Tinsel Wonderland on Dec. 5. It was a snowy wonderland, thanks to mother nature, and an extra-pleasant time, thanks to Lisa's mother Joan. The other lovely attendees, like Terri Ventura and Pam Huntington made it extra-special, too.

This is a short post, but check out Lisa's many pictures on Facebook, Flickr and her blog. And mark your calendar for April 7-10, 2010 for Art Opera in Red Bank, NJ.