Creative Therapy

Since this was my first weekend without any schoolwork, I went completely craft crazy! I am especially drawn to bright summery colors lately. Here's what I created out of that Starbucks cup (by the way, Starbuck's Coconut Mocha is my new favorite drink -- yum!).



And here is a sample card that I made. I think I probably made about 30 cards this weekend (but more on that later).
What are some of your creative summer plans??

Therapy

It has been SO long since I've blogged here, let alone done any artwork. Hello, schoolwork. The good news is, I just completed my first year of graduate work (yay!) and now am switching my brain to the creative side for the summer. Oh, art, how I have missed you!

On Friday, my first day of summer vacation, I took a trip to the local art store to pick up some therapeutic supplies.

A delicious cup of Starbucks coffee (Coconut mocha - oh. my. goodness.), kraft cards, ribbon and embroidery thread

I've been recovering all weekend and am anxious to show you all of the things I have been creating in a later post. :) I love summer!

A Change of Pace

Lately I have been setting the paintbrushes aside in order to undertake another project - a shoujo manga (Japanese romance comic) for teenage girls. I began this manga when I was in eighth grade and continued it during high school. Once I entered college, I set it aside to focus on my studies. I am just now picking it back up.

I've been especially motivated to draw this again because of all of the filth that is contained in manga for girls today. A quick trip to the bookstore will tell you just how few wholesome mangas there are. Sometimes I think that we shouldn't wait until God calls us to do something but should just fill a need when we see one.

You can read the comic at its main website (http://www.christyscomics.com) or through TokyoPop (http://www.tokyopop.com/Latreia/manga/3182024.html). You can also "like" Send Me an Angel's page on Facebook and receive news and updates (http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Send-Me-an-Angel-Manga).

The Spanglish Eclectic Cow

A few weeks ago I had the delight of creating a super eclectic mixed media painting. The nicest woman requested this painting for her little girl who has a fondness for cows and kitties. This was such a fun change of pace for me from the more neutral, minimalistic art styles that are popular right now. It's always so refreshing to be challenged as an artist. Plus, I just adore bright colors. A cow + kitty + paper mache + bright colors + mixed media goodness... Here's the end result!
And I was thrilled when the client sent me a picture of her daughter with the painting. Isn't this the cutest thing you've ever seen? The little one even had the idea to add one of her hair bows to the cow. ADORABLE!!

Ever since, I've been really inspired to experiment with more textures and colors... Interested to see what I'll come up with. Hands down, this has been the best commission ever. :)

Working...

Redecorating

Perhaps it's the sunshine, warmer weather, and promise of spring, but for whatever reason I have found myself itching to redecorate our living room. The previous decor just felt too noisy and restless... It was time for something a bit more minimal and refreshing. I put my paintbrush to work and came up with this super budget friendly makeover:

I centered the colors around this picture that I painted. I'm not really a pink kind of girl, but they rich, vibrant colors in this sunset caught my eyes and heart.

Curtains sewn out of old bed sheets... Just the splash of color this side of the room needed.

I love the two different shades of pink accented with this purple-blue color.

I am already feeling much more relaxed just sitting in here. :)

Soft or Bold?

I had two requests for mini cupcake paintings last week. One was soft, pastel colors, the other was bright, bold colors. Which color scheme do you prefer?