Christmas Presents!

I know I know! Christmas is already over, but now that all the gifts that I made have been well-received I thought I would share them with you. Each year I love to give gifts that I have created. I love to create something that makes them think of me and the memories we have together when  they see them. They are also personalized so that they meet the needs of the person and their tastes.

Ok, I want to start off with one of my favorite type pieces. A very dear friend of mine went through a tough time and didn’t believe that they would get through it. However, after they rose from the ashes of that destruction, we started to talk about how they were like the Phoenix. Every year, I give this friend something that goes along with the theme of rising above your circumstance and setbacks. Each year is a new beginning. You can check out last years here. And the one for this year was a beautiful staff, since we are both nerds, that is designed after the Phoenix.

 

This was drawn with my black .03 Staedtler Pigment Liners, and colored with red, orange, yellow, grey and brown Steadtler Color Pencils. I then decided that taking the grey color pencil and rubbing it lightly over the outer edge of the paper gave the whole thing a new look. Overall, I’m happy with how this turned out and have already started researching phoenix ideas for next Christmas. If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them.

Onto the second gift, I was gifted a smaller lazy susan. It was made from bamboo, but had some apples painted on the top of it.  I wanted to do something very personal for my sister-n-law and her new husband. I knew that they would appreciate a handmade gift. So, I had my fiance’ sand down the top and it left a beautiful finish. Then, I started working from the inside out. Starting with the first letter of her new last name, “S.”

After surrounding the monogram with a very detailed mandala, I then erased my guidelines (still in the picture above) and put two clear protective coats on it. On the night we gave this gift, It was immediately put to use under the salad bowl in the center of the table.

The last, but certainly NOT least, gift that I made personally, was for my fiance’s parents. They have been such a wonderful blessing in my life and I wanted to give them something that represented family and unity. So, like the last gift, I chose to do a monogram again, but with my fiance’s parents last name letter “L”. But unlike the last gift, I chose to paint this on a black square canvas that I had.

I decided that using my gold paint pen from my table project gave this piece the life it was searching for. I absolutely love how it turned out and they seemed to as well. I am truly blessed to be able to share my talents with those around me.

Although these were not the only gifts I gave for Christmas, they were the most personalized gifts and I wanted to share them with you. Please let me know in the comments below, which was your favorite and why. I would also love to know any ideas you may like to see in the future.

2017 Year in Review

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

JulyJuly 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

 

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!

Can Color Change Perception?

Lets begin with my original drawing. Soak it in. What do you see? Really look at it. I was drawing this with one thing in mind but the more I looked at it, the more I decided that it had become something else altogether.

I had created something that was adaptable. In order to portray exactly what I wanted it to be, I knew I had to add color. Now I am usually very apprehensive about adding color because I don’t want to convince the viewer what the art is or about. I want my art to always reach into the heart and experiences of the viewer to help me see what they do.

So, The first thing I did, was see something underwater. Something beautiful. I saw life, birth, and happiness. I pulled out my color pencils and started. Jellyfish, Coral and waves in the back ground to fully capture the beauty and life underwater.

But as I was coloring this, I had set it aside to make dinner, as I have been known to do, and it was turned in a way that my emotional attachment had changed. I now saw destruction, fire and conflict. What had changed my mind? To capture this, I decided to make a copy of the original to color this in yet another way. I pulled out my color pencils and viciously started drawing the harsh lines and the difference in the two blew me away.

What once was life and beauty, had turned to death and destruction. So I pose this question to you, my viewers, What do you see? I would love to see what you come up with. Tell me in the comments below, and don’t be afraid to look at the world differently than someone else.

Beautiful Garden

Filling a full page of colorful flowers, testing out each petal was so much fun. I used the Staedtler Triplus Fineliners for this piece. Finishing the piece with the green swirls in the back brought everything to life. Everything about this tested my ability to create something out of nothing.

My challenge to you is to think outside your box. As you can tell, I worked across two pages on this and didn’t finish it off with a straight line. So, try something new. Think outside the box and create something without straight lines boxing it in. Link your art in the link below so I can take a look at what you can create!

Adult Coloring Books – Benefits

Almost everywhere you look, Adult Coloring Books are there. But why has this become such a fad and is it here to stay? If you look at about when Adult Coloring Books came about, you will find that they are relatively new. The amazing benefits that have been introduced have sprung to life the need for these intricate designs. Some of those benefits include lowering stress and anxiety, allowing the brain to mediate and helps us unplug from technology that we all desperately need. In this post I will discuss the different benefits that adult coloring books provide.

Lowering Stress and Anxiety Levels.

Although adult coloring books can not cure diseases themselves, they have been shown to assist with the coping mechanisms required. By coloring repetitive patterns, your mind is put into a state of meditation that allows you to relax and lower your stress and anxiety levels and helps you focus. Before, coloring was used for children, but has had such surprising benefits for adults, a new niche was created.  All you have to do is add in the fantastical worlds we have grown to love such as Star Wars, Doctor Who and Harry Potter, and you have filled a void that appeals to everyone. Coloring forces us to use repetition and attention to detail to block out the stressors in our minds. This ultimately allows you to focus better on what you need to.

It is my belief that doodling or coloring while in a meeting at work, or while listening to a lecture are not rude, but instead allow us to block out those things in our lives that would otherwise distract us from actually understanding the material being discussed. I encourage doodling and have even put it into practice during long phone calls or brainstorming and it has only proved to be beneficial.

I have found coloring to be extremely relaxing through my own personal experiences. I have almost every type of coloring book from Mandala to Game of Thrones. I have even had the ability to create a coloring time with all the members of my family that have been extremely beneficial. When you color, unplugged, you find conversation that has always been begging to be spoken. Creating a closer bond with other human beings releases endorphins that make one more relaxed and at ease as well. This benefit, although there will always be those that reject it, has been the most beneficial for me.

Allowing One to Enter a Meditative State.

When we color, it allows us to “shut off” our mind from running out of control. Many people complaining of thinking too much or being surrounded by too much negativity. However, when you color, your mind enters a meditative state that shuts out those things that cause restlessness.  Researchers have shown lowered heart rate and blood pressure as well as changes in brainwaves when you color.  Using our senses to create works of art, is what allows us to focus on the things that we find the most important in our lives.

I use coloring when I’m under a lot of pressure at work, or have to complete daunting tasks that plague my mind even after I punch out. Sometimes, It seems to be the easiest way for me to relax enough to sleep. I can tone out almost every other sound when I focus in on creating and coloring patterns. This is my experience with entering a meditative state that allows me to sleep better at night. Since I started coloring, I find myself not only falling asleep faster, but sleeping a lot more sound than I did before hand.

Helping Us Unplug.

I have seen researches that claim that Adults devote on average 10 hours a day on-screen time. In my personal experience, I think that number is way higher. Imagine someone, like myself, that works in accounting. While I am at work, I am looking at not one screen but two, this is not to mention any phone usage I encounter throughout the day. After I come home, there is always a TV going even though I don’t watch it much, it’s still on because other members of my household watch TV. I have this blog that I work on and try to do research on after the kids go to bed at night. I check my phone before bed, and then I turn on  “DO NOT DISTURB” so I can sleep.  There are many jobs that don’t use computers constantly. My fiance’ actually works on machinery and he isn’t on the screen near as much as I am.

When we look at a screen for long periods of time, we find that our eyes are having to strain to focus. There is something that I have recently been diagnosed with and that is Computer Vision Syndrome or CVS.  This is eye strain from prolonged use of a computer. One thing that my optometrist told me was that when we are focused on a task on the computer for long periods of time, we don’t blink very often, which dries out our eyes. She suggested a few things that you can do to make sure that you are proactive in protecting your eyes. Those things include:

  1. Putting a warm compress on your eyes for about 5 minutes and then gently massage your eyelids to assist in the release of oils that keep your tears lubricating your eyes instead of evaporating.
  2. 20/20/20. We’ve probably all heard of this, but for every 20 minutes you are looking at a screen, you are supposed to look 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This helps your eyes reduce strain from focusing constantly on the screen.

Blue light, which is what we get from screen time, can prematurely age your eyes.  Now there are many benefits of blue light and we do need those benefits in our lives. However, everything in moderation is key.  By taking some time out of your day, and devoting it to coloring, you are allowing your eyes to relax and focus on something real instead of a screen. I make sure that I create something during lunch periods so that I give my eyes that time to relax and recover from the morning. By creating again at night, I am trying to be proactive in the repair and maintenance of my own eyes.

In conclusion, the benefits far outweigh the costs when it comes to adult coloring books. Investing in Adult Coloring Books is an investment in your own health, mentally and physically. Take it from me, I have personally felt the effects of adult coloring and it is awesome. Join me in this world of enlightenment.

Tell me what your thoughts are on the benefits or disadvantages to adult coloring. I would love to hear what you have to teach me, as I love learning from my readers.

Dream Catcher

I have drawn a few feathers and a few dream catcher rings, but I haven’t ever drawn from start to finish a dream catcher. That is so weird to me. To show you what I am talking about, Here is the dream catching ring I was talking about.

I have such an infatuation with dream catchers. I wish I were better at drawing them exactly. I did try a few attempts in my bullet journal to draw a full dream catcher but its so basic, I was ashamed of it. It was all different sizes and not symmetrical at all. I hope to try a little more in the future and hopefully I can come up with something truly considered a masterpiece. This was drawn with Staedtler Triplus Fineliners.

My daughter for the longest time has believed that her dream catcher helps keep her dreams full of light. She doesn’t like bad dreams and has always been the type to sleep walk and sleep talk. Several times in her life I have had to figure out her dream and calm her down without waking her.  I believe that if you believe in something enough, it will work for you. Because I don’t know 100% either way, I allow her to believe in positivism and safety, which helps her sleep better.

Have you ever tried to draw a dream catcher? Do you believe in the power of a dream catcher? I welcome all tips on creating a better one in the future.

A Celebration of Love

Since it is the month of February, I thought I would work on two pieces that celebrate love. The one above is colored and the one below is black and white. The first piece was done with Staedtler pigment liners and Staedtler Maximum Gel Pens. I loved adding some color to it because it just flows so well!

The piece below was done with Sigma Micron pens only. It was just a decorative idea that I have had fluttering around in my head and it was nice to finally get it down on paper.

 

Tree of Life

I had a friend of mine decide she wanted a tree of life tattoo. Well, although this isn’t her tattoo, it did start out that way. However, I decided to make this one colorful! As everyone knows, I hate coloring my own art, but this one wasn’t that bad. The orange didn’t show up as bright in the scan as it is in real life, but you get the general idea. I used Staedtler fineliners for the lines, which includes the colored lines, and Staedtler color pencils for the coloring in.

Enjoy!

Collaboration – Jeanne Burbage

I wanted to share this collaboration I did with Jeanne Burbage. She is an incredibly talented artist from Canada. She offered up this Valentine’s Day doodle for her fans on a Facebook group I belong to, Lines & Designs, to color. This is my coloring of her doodle, and although I rarely color my own doodles it was very fun coloring on hers. I used Staedtler Color Pencils found in the clearance section at Wal-mart of all places.

Please visit her website here and buy her coloring book. There is a wonderful flip through of her coloring book on YouTube, please check it out! She hopes to have a new book out in March. She also has a Facebook page here. Always remember to show your support for artists.

Adult Coloring Books – Cost

I absolutely love adult coloring books and I have so many I probably will never color them all, but I always see ones that I want so bad. I love coloring books of all skill levels. If you want to get into adult coloring books, there are some inexpensive ways you can do this.

  1. Dollar Stores: Almost all the dollar stores have a section with adult coloring books. You will look to spend $1-$5 on each book and the quality is very similar to children’s coloring books. The pages aren’t bright white, the images are printed on both sides of the paper and the paper weight isn’t very high. I recommend you use coloring pencils or crayons only.
  2. Hollar.com : This is my personal referral link, so if you use it, I do get the same amount that anyone does if they refer someone to the website.  I have been using this website for about a year now and they have just grown so much. I probably buy something monthly, at least, from this site. They have an adult coloring book section here too. If you buy the $2 coloring books, they are similar in quality to the dollar store ones, however, if you buy the $5 or more coloring books, they are of a heavier weighted paper and you can use pens and maybe even markers as long as the image isn’t printed on both sides of the paper. This collection is growing and ever-changing, so there is something new almost every time I look. I have a lot of these.
  3. Massive chain stores: (Target, Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, etc.) These stores have a large variety when it comes to coloring books. I enjoy the differences in quality and I love that I can just pick something up when I’m in the mood for something different. The differences are so vast, you will just have to see what will work better for you.
  4. Internet: (Amazon, Overstock, Ebay, etc) These websites have a large variety as well. The price ranges are so vast. The only problem I see with this is if you don’t know much about the seller, there are chances for you to get a less quality item than was advertised. However, the prices can be better than the brick and mortar chain stores listed above.
  5. Straight from the artist!  This is my #1 way to get coloring books. Find some artists from all over the world that you can support. Follow them on Social Media and definitely buy their books over the mass-produced ones listed above. I am a huge supporter of the small business artists and I want to support as many as I can. If you know someone you could recommend, I would like to make a running list of these artists and their sites. Although this may not be the most cost-effective way to go, it is the most supportive way to go.

Now, with all that being said, I would love to have your input as to your favorite place to go and get the adult coloring books you love to color in.

Gift – Teal & Blue

I have a dear friend who is in love with teal and blues. She is also an artist friend of mine and I knew that she would appreciate and one of a kind art piece for her home. I had so much fun drawing this and perfecting it. it was worth all the time and energy when I watched her reaction when she opened it.

I am so blessed to have people in my life that not only appreciate my artistic abilities but encourage them as well. This special lady is just one of those mentioned.  Here is a close up so you can see the detail and shimmer in the finished product.

Adding Color

As my readers know by now, adding color to my art is always stressful to me. I love leaving them black and white because I love seeing what other people see in the picture without me guiding them to one thing or another. This was no different.

I had created this drawing about a week ago. I was just sitting down and doodling and this is what happened. It just came to life on the page. I belong to a few groups on Facebook specifically geared towards art and Zentangle in nature, and they suggested that I color this one. The few friends I showed also suggested I color it.  Here is the before.

I have to admit, the outflow of compliments on my colored piece made me feel a little more confident. I wanted to drag the colors across the page instead of having one color on one side and one color on the other. So I made sure that I tried to balance the colors as I used them.

I am very interested in your constructive criticism or ideas on how I can improve. So, maybe I might try coloring more since this one was so well received. I would love to know what you think about this doodle in the comments below.

 

Art is my life!

When you find something that touches your soul, you can’t help but grab onto it and never let it go. For me that is art. I have found something that I love and I don’t want to stop. There are so many health positive aspects of creating art.

So create something, anything. Grab some markers, pens, coloring pencils or crayons and create! I love the fact that I can create something so vivid and pleasing. The piece below reminds me of the princess and the pea. What do you see?

Tell me in the comments how you like to be creative in your life.

Staedtler Triplus Fineliner Review

Here is a little doodle that I thought would be fun to try out my new Staedtler Triplus Fineliner pens with. My boyfriend found these on eBay and they arrived tonight. The colors are very vibrant and I am excited about doing more with colors.

These are the pens that he got for me. They are vibrant, and the tips are all 0.3mm so the lines are very fine. I definitely recommend these for drawing, coloring, and writing in your journals. They do not bleed through easily and the ink itself doesn’t skip.

Let’s just say that I have a lot more to test out but I am excited, to say the least. Stay tuned for more fun stuff to come!

 

Stripes

This one was so much fun to do. One of the challenges on one of the pages I belong to was to do some stripes. LOVE this idea. I wanted to bring a little Dr. Seuss, if you will, to my art. This turned out better than I had hoped and I even came up with some designs you will likely see in the upcoming art.

I even got around to coloring this one. I used markers so there wasn’t much blending and shading and such, but it still came out very vibrant and colorful. I would love your input as to your feelings on this and as always CC is welcome!

Adding Color

I swear every time I sit down, I never know what I am going to come up with. In this design, I decided to test out BIC Marking, Permanent Markers. I bet if I used these on better paper, other than just everyday computer paper, they would look better. But even though I had no clue what was going to come out, I enjoyed just doing a little artistic coloring. Most of my drawings lately have been black and white and the thought of coloring those black and white drawings terrifies me.

I think it is important for all of us to jump out of our comfort zone sometimes though and just create something unique. Something that just comes to us as we draw. I love the flow of this drawing and I love that I used both marker and color pencil. I think it gave it real dimension.

Tell me what you think in the comments below. What would you like to see me color next?