Happy Easter!

You'd think with this being such a mild Winter, I'd be all set for Easter, but no. Haven't dyed eggs, haven't decorated, haven't bought candy OR a ham. Why is it when you get older EVERYTHING sneaks up on you? The good news is that with this being such a mild Winter that we have an actual Spring Break this year which is almost unheard of. Not one single snow day! I hope that all of you have a lovely Easter!

Wordless Wednesday

New ACEO series

I've been working something new on that I am very excited about! When you create ACEOs you can do two types of editions. One kind is to create copies of an ACEO, number them and sell them until they are gone. These are called limited editions. Another kind is to create a set of artworks that are part of a series. The above is, right now, all one image but soon, it will be nine different ACEOs entitled "Spring Fever" 1-9. It's almost too pretty to cut but I'm going to do it anyway.

Monday People

Though I haven't been dilligent about my Person-a-Week project, I did work on drawing some people. You can also see that I cheated heavily by falling back onto drawing paisley...

Paisley of the Week - Paisley Girl

I haven't done a Paisley of the Week since before Christmas and for that I appologize. I've been lazy about it to be honest preferring to take the passive approach that if I saw a worthy paisley, I'd post it. Mousing around on Etsy this morning I found this super cool watercolor "Paisley Girl" by Jessica Stride of Purple Tree Bird on Etsy. I love her style, it's whimiscal and weird which is a lovely combination. It's reminiscent of Teesha Moore who motivated my Person-a-Day project. Synchronicity at work, eh? Be sure to visit the Purple Tree Bird blog as well!

Doodling Helps Me Think!

Last night I went to a meeting. While other people furiously scribbled notes I drew this. Some people feel that doodling while other people are talking is rude. I got a couple of *looks* for the above. But actually it helps me think and process information. It seems that science (and a woman named Sunni Brown) backs me up!

Yay!

Wednesday Doodles in Color

Crayons.

Sharpies

Blue Pen

Paisley of the Week! Red Hot & Random.

Red Hot & Random, by Laura Stinson of Designed by Laura on Etsy is already as eyecatching as a coral snake, but it was the fun title that caught my attention.  I have said in the past that people who are searching on Etsy will not be looking for your art by title and while that's true, if you can fit it into your Etsy description, a catchy title is definitely worth a click in my opinion!  I was not disappointed.  Like mine, Laura's Etsy shop features more than one kind of product. You can find funny painted candy bowls, original artwork, Christmas ornaments, paisley of course! all sortsa stuff,  just like a regular store, I definitely enjoyed having a look around there, so will you!  Go like Laura on FB and visit her blog too!

Doodle Tuesday

Always have paisley on the brain...and a strawberry which was added by K.

Positive Things About Jury Duty

Last week I had jury duty.  Usually you hear people moaning about having jury duty and they'll look for any way to get out of having to go.  It was sorta dull if you didn't get picked (and I didn't) and the chairs we had to sit in were monstrously uncomfortable but at the same time, I found there were some very positive points:

• Unlimited drawing time--the above drawing is one of many that I finished last week.  
• A stack of People, In Style and Us Magazines about 2 feet high and four feet across and time to read them all the way through without people yelling "Mooooommmm!" or a nurse interrupting you just as you get to something interesting.
• Unlimited free coffee.
• Interesting new aquaintences with whom you can commiserate about the unfortable seating, share insights with about our judicial system and how glad that you weren't on that awful Casey Anthony trial.
• Free parking
• $9 a day
  
  Not such a bad deal in my opinion.

It's Starting to Feel Like Fall...

The colder and darker days are coming but at least so are the beautiful colors.

Watery Color on a Rainy Tuesday

I've been having fun trying out watercolor pencils (as I have dearth of non-dried out markers right now) and so far I've been pleased with the results. 

Blue Shirt + Blue Glue = Batik pt.1

I ruined my favorite blue shirt by being overzealous with bleach in my laundry.  Rather than use it as a rag or a grungy painting shirt I decided to give it a glue batik, a technique I've been wanting to try.  So this is step one, applying blue gel glue.  I have done traditional hot wax batik before and the glue acts pretty much the same only it takes 24 hours to dry.  On the other hand, no burns which is definitely a plus!  So when it dries and I paint it, I'll post the next part.  I'm thinking green and purple.   

Paisley(s) of the Week! Crochet Pattern and ACEO

Last week I was on vacation and so I was unable to post a Paisley of the Week! for you all.  This week, to make up for it, you get a two-fer!  I have two excellent artists to highlight.

First is this fun and very cool Paisley Magic Crochet Pattern I found in Allescaro by Ch1306 's Etsy shop.  I haven't done any crochet in ages but this is very appealing both because it's a small project that can be finished quickly and it's portable.  Once  you crochet these paisleys in your fave colors you can applique them to all sorts of things like quilts or handbags.  Be sure to check out the whole Etsy shop for unique and adorable Amigurumi, dolls and patterns.

Next is this lovely ACEO titled Paisley-Blue by ArtByBeata.  ACEOs are a favorite art form of mine, they're like baseball cards only way more interesting.  They are an excellent way to start an art collection without breaking your budget.  Beata has many ACEOs and plenty of great artwork in her shop.  Be sure to take a look.

Nobody's Lookin' for YOUR Artwork

After reading this Etsy article about more relevant search results I had an AH-HA! moment.  If someone's looking to buy art, they aren't going to be searching by title. The "Title of Item" line is deceptive in that way.  Suppose you're looking for a whimsical piece of art to hang in your office or bedroom.

Something...orange....or maybe blue...nothing specific....something abstract like...paisley. 

You're not going to search for "Twirly" what's "Twirly?"  Even if you saw this drawing of mine at a craft fair or similar, you won't remember the title.  You're going to search for "orange blue paisley art" right?

Twirly

Don't waste space listing the title of your art unless it's a very straightforward title like, "Yellow Flower in a Blue Vase."  Put your title in the description of the piece instead.  There's plenty of room there and you can elaborate about your intriguing titles.

Wordless Wednesday

Finished it Thursday

Pink -n- Black -n- White always look tasty!

J'ai besoin d'acheter de nouveaux marqueurs.

 This is my visual list of the Prismacolor Markers that always need replacing:  pomme vert, pervenche, ardois bleue, vert fonce, bleu pacifique clair, vrai bleu, mure, vrai vert, blue deco, blue d'outremer, bruine violette.  Yes, they also have English names but everybody knows that stuff sounds way cooler en Francais.  A totally mundane sentence like "I need to buy new markers" sounds like poetry, ne cest pas?

Paisley Garden

Lately I've been doing much coloring and less doodling.  It's always a stretch to use colors I'm not fond (like brown) of but I'm glad I push myself to choose them.  The results are unexpectedly good!  If you like this paisley garden, it can be yours...  **UPDATE, sorry, no it can't.  The original has been sold.  But I have some limited edition postcards prints of it that are still available.

Wordless Wednesday