Clearance Sale this week!

Not only do I have dozens of beautiful jewelry pieces for sale at way below value, but the first 12 people to make a purchase gets a free gift- a handmade, one of a kind hemp choker! Thanks for checking my shop!

xoxo

Starving Artist Sale!

My loss is your gain- and you can have the satisfaction of helping put food on my table! Since I am still not back to work at my regular day job (or evening, as the case may be) we are very broke this week!! We need grocery money, you need beautiful handmade jewelry at rock bottom, fire-sale prices! I really need your help- $15 can feed our family for a day, and I have priced all my high quality bracelets and necklaces to move. All are handmade by me, one of a kind, and very nice! Keep checking- I will be adding new products all week.

Thanks for all your help! xoxo

finally...

Just so noone thinks I have quit making art this week, I dragged myself to the computer to prove otherwise. I fought near death conditions earlier this week, but even that couldn't stop me from painting!! I have spent the better part of the week working on two paintings and making dozens of pendants for new jewelry, but everything I am into lately has several steps of painting, drying, layering, drying, so on and so on. Oh, and I cleaned my studio out and sorted through stuff. No, really. I did. Keep an eye out next week for two finished paintings (maybe three!) and dozens of necklaces and bracelets in my store! Until then, a glimpse of what I have been doing:

Illustration Friday

My new favorite site is Illustration Friday. Every week there is a different word to draw, which really helps inspire the uninspired and at the very least, gives you ideas. This week was "heavy" and since I have been self teaching myself to paint in oils for the past couple of years, I had this concept of "fat over lean," an oil painting rule that is important enough (and funny sounding enough) to create all sorts of visuals in my head. So here it is.

Super Talent of the Week!

I have been getting a great response to my grid project and have been very busy adding new artists to my site as quickly as I have been getting them. I have "met" so many incredibly talented artists this way, and feel very fortunate to have them all included in this project. So many, in fact, that I have decided to take one a week and feature them as the super talent of the week they are. Jewels Curnow is beautifully well made, unique jewelry that blows Tiffany's out of the water. There. I said it. Step it up, Tiffany's, cause us indie designers are takin' over the world! Here is what I am drooling over:

If you are an artist, and haven't yet joined my grid, what are you waiting for?

Freebie of the Week!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!
I'm Irish, and too busy celebrating to have new art today, so you're the lucky one! Buy anything from any shop (prints, clothes, original painting, vase, or anything else), and I will enter you to win an original, custom mini painting free. What a deal! I will paint what YOU want, for free!!

xoxo

The Grid

Its an experiment! An art project! A promotional tool for artists! It's my grid project, slowly but surely catching on and getting new participants every day since I started it last week. YOU should be next!! All I need is a 100x100 pixel graphic and your art website or blog to link it to (or email), and we're ready to roll. If you are an artist, photographer, musician, crafty-extraordinaire, or super art diva, visit the grid page for more details. Have a sunshiney weekend!!
xoxo

April showers...

After the freak snowstorm here last weekend, we are back on track with sunshine and beautiful weather!! I have all my windows open, which means I no longer get high off turpentine and the house gets aired out and fresh!!! I am so lovin' the country air today, and what better thing to paint than spring flowers? Here's my latest in my mini paintings. I worked and reworked and finally threw my brushes in the air and decided, in a very dramatic Scarlet O'Hara kind of way that tomorrow is another day.

Pinups rock!

What can I say? I'm going through a pinup phase right now. I think I am just getting in touch with my feminine side, or feminist side. We'll have to see where I end up going with this. I just know I am feeling more inspired these days. "They" were right once again. I hate that. Turns out if you do something everyday, it does help your creativity. Whoda thunk?

Everyone found her charming...

I have been homeschooling now for about 4 months, and the other day I realized the reason I was so stressed out was that I hadn't been alone for even 5 minutes for 4 months. After pleading with my husband to take the kid and get the hell out for the day, I turned up the music and painted all day. My stress level just went down in a major way! :) So here is what I did all day Saturday, a mixed media project that may or may not be finished yet; I haven't quite decided. I call it: Everyone found her charming (but she was a mess inside), 16" x 20" mixed media

Detail:

Detail:

Friday How-to

I am all about doing things on the cheap and easy. What can I say? I was raised by a woman who never paid retail for a thing in her life. Plus, I have found that if you have more time than money, and believe me, I do, you can always find a cheap alternative. As an artist in the digital age, I find myself doing more and more on my computer, including putting all my artwork online. There are a million ways to document your work, but the easiest is good ol' digital photography. Many photographers are raking it in taking photos of artists' work, and I am not advocating against that. Even this cheapskate has hired a photographer before to photograph my artwork.

With digital cameras and photoshop, just about every artist is starting to photograph more and more of their own work. There are many ways to do this well, many requiring a certain amount of special equiptment. The most important things to remember, whether taking pictures for ebay or a website, is to have good lighting and crisp, in focus photos. You can take all your pictures outside, and alot of people do, but you are at the mercy of the elements. Instead, why not set up a small photo studio inside with just a few things, and get consistent pictures everytime.

To build a mini studio, you will need:
3 lights
3 pieces of cardboard or particle board of some kind, at least 16x20, all the same size
white paint
1 or 2 tripods

I used the backing from 3 old frames, a desk light (garage sale find $2), a pendant light (IKEA $10), a shop light ($10 including bulb), tripod for shop light (free from friend-too broken for a camera, fine to hold a light), 3 daylight spectrum 100-watt bulbs, and a tripod for my camera (Best Buy $15). The idea is to use what you have, and buy as little as possible.

After you gather your materials, paint one side of the pieces of wood bright white. Paint several layers so none of the material shows through.

Next, fasten the sheets together as shown below. My wood had holes in the sides so I just tied it together with string at the corners/ edges.

Position your lights so one is above, and two are directly in front to the sides. You will have to experiment to figure out where to have the lights without blocking your camera.

Set up your camera on the tripod, turn off the flash, and go to town!

When you are done, your setup should look something like this:


This works for paintings or 3D objects. Just put something white or neutral on the table under your 3D piece so there is no distracting background. Good Luck and have fun! xoxo

April Rain

My new painting, April Rain. Another addition in the mini painting series, this time a color study of cool colors instead of the warm colors I had before. I had difficulty resolving some issues on this one I think, or maybe I wasn't feeling as artistic yesterday. They say you should paint or draw everyday to grow as an artist and stay inspired, but some days that is sure harder than others. Boy, are "they" ever bossy!! On the positive end, though, I have had positive reaction The Grid on my website, and slowly artists from all over the country are emailing me their images to be included. I am very excited!!! If you haven't yet heard about this, consider emailing me (daydreamartist76@yahoo.com) a 100x100 pixel of your art work, photography, etc to be included in this interactive art project. It is starting to get fun to watch it grow, and helps everyone promote their own website or blog because I link the images to your website or blog. You can join even if you don't have a webpage, though!! Check it out!!
xoxo

Get Inked!

Once again, I find myself drawing a tattoo for a friend. This one is much more complicated, but fun to play with! I am drawing a half sleeve of heaven and hell. Guys, a warning: when you ask a girl to design your tattoo, you will get a different spin, and probably more colors. My "spin" is currently pinup girls. Maybe I have been drinking too much Sailor Jerry's lately, maybe I just have an obsession. What can I say? Is there anything hotter than a pinup? Here is my study/ sketch for the heaven part, an angel pinup:

Next week I will have the devil girl pinup. xoxo

Baby Art~ awwwww....

awwwwwww how cute!



No, no, not art for babies! It's teeny tiny, itsy bitsy paintings! My newest paintings are mini- six inches square and one inch deep. Not only are they fun to do, they are my way of offering cheap art to anybody that wants original art without the snobby price tag. I enjoy doing them because it forces me to focus on one thing, instead of a bunch of different elements. Here is the painting I did last night. It is a study on color, and the details of one orchid. To buy any of my mini art, I have added a new page to my website- click here to see!

BLAZING ORCHID:

Call for Submissions

Calling all artists! I am starting a new, internet-based art show, "The Grid." Here's how it works: send me any image of your work 100x100 pixels (tiny!), and your web address if you have one, and I add it to the grid, with a link to your site. Find it on my site:

http://daydreamartstudios.com/thegrid.asp

My goal is to get artists from all over the country. Pass this along to anyone who might be interested...I want alot of variety!!! I am starting it, of course, with this tiny pic: