Week 14: Day 6, It's a Wrap!

Well, I have completed 15 weeks of blogging in just 6 months...not quite what I had planned, but I am determined to complete 52 weeks.

After a hiatus, I started back with Week 12 and a new format to help me be more consistent since I'm a fly by the seat of my pants kinda girl. It's tough to be constrained by a schedule and routine. When I have someone else to hold me accountable, I am much better at keeping a schedule. But as you can see, when that person is me, I'm not so great at it.  Anyway, I used to check every day to see how many people have downloaded my cards.  I actually haven't done it in a while, so I thought I would look and share with you.  It makes me proud!  WOW! so far there have been 533 downloads of the cards.  The most popular is the Week 3 card with 113 downloads:

Download Card

 

OK fans, I want to know!  What you are doing with the cards? Are you sending them, downloading or printing them?  Which one is your favorite?  Is there anything you would like to see me do, or do differently?  Do you have an inspiration photo you would like to send me? I would love to hear from you!

Coming Soon:  
My friend JoLene and I have been friends since high school.  We were roomies at Arizona State University, and she was one of my brides maids.  Even though we are on different coasts (she's in California), we have been able to maintain our friendship through the years.  She does needlepoint and loves my blog....thanks CB!  She has been on a leave of absence from work while battling breast cancer over the past 9 months. She doesn't have the energy that she used to have, she does have time to work on her needlepoint projects.

She proposed to me that we work on a project together. She is picking out the needlepoint piece....I have no idea what she will choose and although I trust her, I am a little nervous. She is going to complete the project, and send me pictures (she's out in California).  Then I am going to use her work as an inspiration piece. It may take a while, but you will see it before week 52. I am so excited! I can't wait to work with her.

Week 14: Day 2–Color Palette

Today I am created the color palette for the inspiration photo. Wow! I think I need to consider the color palette when I choose the photos....it's a learning experience!  I love this photo but it is quite dark.  I guess this that will be my challenge -- keeping the patterns and designs interesting without looking too dark and without losing detail.

Week 14: Day 1–Inspiration

I took a look back at the revised schedule, and I'm supposed to be doing a card this week from the inspiration photo of the sea shells and sand dollars.  Hmmm, I have already created a few cards based on those, so I guess it's time to do a new inspiration photo.  

I looked through my many photos, and I came upon these.  They are from night my kids and I spent with my cousin S and her son G-man.  It was a fundraiser movie night in the barn where she volunteered.  

G-man & K playing before the movie

My son S, he had just lost a tooth.

S had invited up there several times before to see the horses and other animals.  We loved it there. It was a great for the kids to be around all the animals and help feed them.  

After the movie was over, we took a walk  down to see the horses with only the moon light leading the way...it was dark, 

but once we got down to the run-in, S turned on the lights at the run-in. We pulled some grass and fed it to the horses.  It was so much fun!

S, G-man & KK picking grass to feed the horses

KK picking grass

G-man & KK petting the horse

S feeding the horse

KK feeding the horse

The Inspiration Photo:

KK & G-man feeding the horse.

Week 13: Days 2 & 3 - Sketches

This week has been crazy trying to tweak &improve my updated website.  It's not complete yet, but it's almost done.  I'll let you know when we (my sister and I) get it finished.

Even though I haven't posted much this week, I have been doing some sketching.

Sand Dollar Sketches
This is the whole sand dollar...which I later broke.  I had forgotten how fragile they are! This one I love.  I had fun really looking at the sand dollar and noticing small details I have not ever noticed before...like the star in the middle. So cool!

whole sand dollar

The first broken sand dollar I think is horrible.  The shell was on an angle with the interior facing me.  The depth and foreshortening are not accurate.  Part of the problem, I think, is that there is no reference to what's around it.  It was interesting to look inside and see all the little chambers, but again, I had a difficult time showing that in the sketch.

broken sand dollar inside

The second broken sand dollar I liked, then I looked at it again, and don't really like it too much!  The edges are too hard, and the shading is too light.  When I looked at it again just now, I saw a turtle shell and not a sand dollar...oh well!

broken sand dollar

At a different angle, I think that the broken edges don't really come across very well, and there is no depth between the top and bottom of the inside of the sand dollar.

broken sand dollar

Yes, I am my own worst critic.  I know what I have been able to do in the past and it was much better than this.  But....I haven't practiced drawing in years, so I'm not disappointed with what I have done.  

Gesture Drawings

Last night I had to take my nephew to soccer practice.  I took my sketchbook and tried to do some gesture drawings of the kids as they played....the main problem I had with that was that they moved too fast, and it was hard to capture them in action.  Here are a few that rated posting!

KK sitting watching the practice

JD with the ball

little boy playing with the cones

Week 12: It's a Wrap

It's the end of week 12.  Three whole months of blogging (minus a couple of weeks in the middle). With the changes in format, I have found the joy in my creativity without the stress of feeling like I bit off more than I could chew. In addition to getting through the week, I added 3 cards to the collection.  Are you inspired too?

Inspiration Photo

Random Thoughts and Ideations

Color Palette

Color Palette

Patterns - Circular

Circle Patterns

Patterns - Geometric

Geometric Patterns

Freebie Cards

Freebie Cards

Next week: Sketches, Doodles & Art

Week 12, Day 2 Color Palette

In keeping things simple so I can find time everyday to post, I created a color palette from the colors in the photo. The palette shows the approximate ratio of colors to each other. I was actually surprised that I didn't find an orange in the mix, just different variations of brown!  

Week 11: Inspiration...

Every week I wonder where this blog will take me and what I will use for my inspiration the next week. Sometimes I'm not even sure what my inspiration will be until I am almost ready to work on the post.  Other weeks I have something on my mind. I have a seed of an idea that festers in my head until it finally takes root and begins to grow.

This is one of those ideas that has been festering in my head.  All week I have been thinking about patterns...strange, I know.  This afternoon when I was at the store, there it was on the lady in front of me...Paisley!

I told K, I love paisley, and she said that most people my age did...Really? Really?  She didn't mean it as an insult, but it seemed like it was.  The more she tried to explain, the deeper she sank...poor K!  Poor me, I'm getting older and have no idea how that happened.  I don't feel like I am getting older.

Even if it is a bit old fashioned, I love paisley. What is a paisley? Why are some so simple, and others are completely complex? Have you ever noticed all the patterns within a paisley? I am fascinated by it. So this week, my inspiration is good old fashioned paisley.

The funny thing is I don't own anything that has a paisley print on it. So I got these images from Wikipedia Commons

Week 10, Inspiration

This week, although quite unseasonably cold here in the south, spring is in the air.  One of my favorite parts of spring is everything coming back to life again.  Trees are blooming, grass is getting greener, and the flowers are all starting to bloom.  This week's inspiration comes from nature.  I wasn't able to go and get all the photos that I wanted yesterday, but I did get a few in the last rays of daylight last night.

Week 7: It's a Wrap

I can't believe it's been 7 weeks already.  This blog and the creative process has become such a regular part of my life, that it is a joy to do it every day.  But, somehow this week I have lost a day, not just an hour!  And since I find it easier time-wise to keep the schedule this way, I'm officially changing my days around.  My weekly schedule will now follow this format:  Monday - Inspiration; Tuesday - Sketching; Wednesday - Creative Representation; Thursday - Color or Application Exploration; Friday - Graphic Image; Saturday - Freebie Card; Sunday Weekly Wrap.  I hope you don't mind the change.  I know I will enjoy it!

Recap of Week 7

Week 7, Day 1:  Inspiration, My Son

Week 7, Day 2: Sketching Monday

Week 7, Day 3: A Wonka Kind of Day

Week 7, Day 4: A Sweet and Creative-ish Wednesday

Week 7, Day 5: A Really Willy Wonka Day
I added a link to the video of my 'lil Ms. Gloop.  The link is on my sidebar under "My Favorites".

Week 7: Lagniappe for this Week

Week 7: Freebie Card










More of S's Art:
I thought you may enjoy seeing a bit more of S's work.  His style is always evolving, and changing.  I love to see it develop!  Since I snagged these from FB, I don't have all the descriptions to share with you.

Week 7, Day 1: Inspiration, My Son

Yesterday was my son's 14th birthday.  I can't believe my baby boy is 14.  The years have gone quickly and he continues to grow in every way.  Although I miss the younger years, I love the young man he is becoming.  He is thoughtful and sweet, creative and loving.  He's also a teenager....enough said!

These are a few photos of S thru the years...most of my old photos are not digital, so I didn't post any baby photos.

This is me and my buddy boy when he was about 2

S at Jersey Shore spring break 2005.
He has always loved the water...doesn't matter that it
was freezing cold!  He still got soaked in the waves.

In the creek at the mountain house in Smokey Mtns.
Also freezing water!

S with his dad, summer 2010.

S a few weeks ago when he got his new glasses.

S has always loved the water.  It doesn't matter if it is freezing out and the water is cold, he would go in it.  My inspiration photos this week come from a trip to Charleston, SC in 2003 when S was about 5.  

Not far from our hotel there was this fountain, and it didn't have sides like a normal fountain.  And the water had high arches so you could run under them.  S begged us to let him run under them, and promised that he wouldn't get wet.  It wasn't cold out, but it was still early spring so there was a cool wind, so we said yes, as long as he didn't get wet.  He did good for a while, but eventually, he ended up getting wet. He was having so much fun that we just let him play until he had enough.  I think he provided quite a bit of entertainment for the people there, and frustration to some parents who wouldn't let their kids do the same!  

There was one amateur photographer there who asked if we would mind if he took photos of S, he even said he would send them to us if we would make a donation to the American Heart Association – that was a no brainer!  Several weeks later when we got the photos, we were blown away.  You can see why!

My Favorite!

I just smile every time I see these photos.  I still enjoy watching my kids when they are doing something that gives them pure joy!