Annual Mandala Collections

Posted on November 5, 2018 by Charity Woods

I did want to take the opportunity to say thank you to all of you that have stayed loyal throughout the years. Although this site is only a year old, I have been working on bringing content to you for several years. I really do enjoy being creative every day, and I love even more to share it with all of you.

Each year, I have decided that I am going to create a Mandala Collection that can be sold as individual prints, or as a set of 3 or 5 mandala prints. I have done this for two years in a row and I am gearing up for my third year. But before I dive into that, I thought we would go take a look at the two previous years so that you can see what I am talking about first hand.

Mandala Collection I – 2017

Take a look at the posts for each one below, it will give you an insight into what was going through my head while creating them. This was my first year and I was not sure of how well I would do, or if this challenge would be too much for me. The theme of the first year was using black and white on gradient paper. These pictures do not show true justice for the design, but I promise you they look better in person.

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 1

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 2

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 3

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 4

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 5

Not too shabby for my first collection, if I do say so myself. I learned a lot of things throughout the year and was able to adapt the second collection into something a little different, and yet similar.

Mandala Collection II – 2018

The theme for the 2018 year was using mixed media and triangles. Each mandala has an organic feel to them and yet each one is adorned with sharp edges. This collection also looks better in person, and as soon as I can get a studio area set up with great light, I will take better pictures to share with you.

Mandala Collection II, Mandala 1

Mandala Collection II, Mandala 2

Mandala Collection II, Mandala 3

Mandala Collection II, Mandala 4

Mandala Collection II, Mandala 5

Mandala Collection III, 2019 – Coming Soon!

I would love to know what theme you would like to see in the new collection. Don’t be shy, I never throw an idea away. Comment in the section below! I look forward to hearing from you!

2017 Year in Review

Posted on January 1, 2018January 2, 2018 by Charity Woods

Happy New Year!

I want to create a special post that sorta sums up my year for 2017. You know that although I had been blogging since 2016, I only got my own website in 2017. Boy have I been blessed with this outlet to share my creativity and inspire others to do something creative every day. There are several things that I am going to discuss, to include my subscription to Sketchbox, My first Mandala Collection, Christmas Gifts I created and my favorite creations of the year. So grab your cup of coffee or your favorite beverage and lets get started!

SketchBox

For those of you that don’t know, Sketchbox is a monthly subscription box for artists to try out different mediums. I have really been excited by everything that I have been able to create using the products I have received through these boxes. Some of my favorite products include a watercolor sketchbook, a full sepia Copic fineliner set, and last but not least watercolor pencils, this is only to name a few. If you would like to go back and review my unboxing posts you can visit them by clicking on the links below.

May

June

July, July Grab box

August

September

October

November

December

Mandala Collection I

For me, this was a huge accomplishment. I wanted to start a collection of the mandala that was similar and yet different at the same time. For this collection, I chose to draw my mandala on gradient paper with black fineliners and a white gel pen. I was so happy how each one came out so different than the ones before. Prints of these will be available in my shop once I get it all online. Stay tuned for this special collection. Each one of these mandalas are so special to me. I wrote a different post for each one, which you can visit below:

Mandala #1

Mandala #2

Mandala #3

Mandala #4

Mandala #5

Personalized Gifts

One of my favorite things to do is create something beautiful and personal for my friends, family, and co-workers. I truly enjoy the look on their face when they realize it is not only an original, but there are no others like it in the world. I want to share these few gifts with you.

Personalized Parties

Every birthday that happens in my house is a reason to celebrate. With the birthdays spread throughout the year, we are able to party all year long! Starting in February with my two from my previous marriage celebrating, then moving to my youngest two in June, oldest two in July and 3rd oldest in November. Mix that in with all the holidays and we rarely don’t have a reason to bust out some exciting party decorations. But also, because we have so many celebrations, It’s important that we get creative with them all, most of the decorations were homemade. Check out the following posts about my under the sea themed party for my youngest two.

Under the Sea

Octopus Guard

Sea Sponges

Jellyfish Mood Lighting

Furniture Painting

The absolute highlight of my year was creating a beautiful work of art for my mother. She brought this table to me and gave me no restrictions other than she wanted a Charity Original painted on top. Painted?! I’ve never painted anything detailed like the creations I have made. Check out how this table progressed by clicking on the links below:

Scallopped Table #1

Scallopped Table #2

There are several other projects that I completed this year for Christmas Gifts to include a 12×12 personalized mandala painting on canvas, a monogrammed lazy susan and a phoenix staff for my best guy friend. All of these projects were special in their own ways and were hard to keep a secret for as long as I could since I love to share my progress pictures with the special people that received these gifts.

My Favorites of the Year

2017 Sketchbook

2017 Sketchbook

Final Thoughts

I do want to send out a special thank you for all of you that have supported me this year. I couldn’t have done this without you cheering me on. Special thanks to my fiance’ who has stuck by my side while I have spent the long hours trying to make something out of nothing. I love each and every one of you and I can only hope that in 2018, we will see a lot more growth from CraftyArtistKC. Help me make this year a good one by sharing my site with your friends family and social media accounts. I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Let me know in the comments below, what was your favorite project or post from this year!

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 5

Posted on May 15, 2017July 14, 2017 by Charity Woods

So, the fifth and final mandala in this series. Good Lord am I tired. I guess I never really understood what all went into actually making a full collection. However, I am very happy I completed this one. If you want to see the progression video for this one, you can find it here, on my YouTube channel.

You can revisit all of the previous mandala below:

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 1

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 2

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 3

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 4

I am going to get this collection scanned in and prints ready for sale. If you are interested in this set or one in this set, please let me know. I plan on making them available in 12×12 and 8×8.

As always, I would love to know your comments, questions and criticism on this project in the comments below! If you would rather send me an email, don’t hesitate at craftyartistkc@gmail.com.

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 4

Posted on May 14, 2017June 7, 2017 by Charity Woods

Because this mandala was on green gradient paper, I decided to make it look like a garden! I added as many organic elements that I could to make this piece come to life. I love every element that created this piece. Be sure to check out the progression video on my YouTube channel here.

If you want to see the first three in the series you can find the links below:

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 1

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 2

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 3

As you can tell, each one is different and yet they all have certain elements that bring them all together. I can’t wait to finish this series for you all.

What is your favorite part of this collection? Let me know in the comments below!

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 3

Posted on May 13, 2017June 7, 2017 by Charity Woods

The details in this mandala were intense in some areas. I wanted there to be a fluidity in this mandala. I see so many things when I look at this mandala. I see a dog shaking its fur after a bath, I see a beautiful sprinkler in the spring and I see a fountain, bringing a park to life! I loved drawing this one, even though it took me just short of 6 hours to complete over two sessions. The white gel pen just makes the whole thing pop.

This is Mandala #3 of my first Mandala Collection. You can see the first here and the second here. I hope you enjoy this series as much as I have so far.

Don’t forget to look at the progression video found here on my YouTube channel!

As always, your comments and questions are always welcome below. I love hearing from all of you! Stay tuned for the 4th in the series.

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 2

Posted on May 10, 2017June 7, 2017 by Charity Woods

If you missed the first mandala in this collection, you can find it here. The first mandala was my first time using a white gel pen on one of my drawings, especially of this size. I liked it so much that I decided to use the same color pattern here. Black ink with white embellishments. This mandala immediately reminded me of a sunflower. As I built out, I realized that I wanted to try something a little different. I wanted to give depth to it. As a first attempt at this type of pattern, I was a little wary about how it would turn out because it is much like creating two mandala in one.

My solution to this problem was to create a detailed mandala and a simple mandala. This way one doesn’t overpower the other and both can be equally appreciated. I really like the way that it turned out and it definitely tested my abilities as an artist. But that is something that I truly enjoy about art itself.

Visit my YouTube channel to watch the time-lapse video.

If you have any pattern suggestions for the next 3, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment. I would love to try anything new. Stay tuned for the 3rd mandala in this series, coming soon!

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 1

Posted on May 9, 2017June 7, 2017 by Charity Woods

I have decided that I am going to do a series of mandalas on 12×12 color gradient card stock. Once this series is done, I will be getting prints to sell. This mandala was completed with Staedtler pigment liners and a white gel pen. I worked on this mandala for a total of 8 hours over two sessions. This is the first time that I have ever used the white gel pen as a complimentary color on one of my pieces. I really like the way it turned out and the white actually made the entire thing pop. I intend to use this same technique with the next four mandalas in this collection.

Don’t forget to visit my YouTube channel to watch the time-lapse.

If you like what you see, please leave me a comment below. I am also very open to suggestions for patterns for the next four. My advice to you is try something you’ve never tried before, it just might be spectacular!