Just in time for me to design a pattern for June – our Echinacea bloomed. They are one of my favorite flowers. Today I’ve been painting them like crazy! Yesterday I drew a few of the flowers with a really smooth Pentel gel pen in my super smooth Strathmore pad. Today, I scanned them in and arranged and painted them in Photoshop. Hope you like it! 🙂
See my past “monthly” patterns here:
I’m not much of a sewer, but I’m excited to try and make something with the pattern I designed. Seeing a pattern as a fabric is much different than seeing it on the computer monitor. You start to think about what you can make with it. If I printed this pattern again, I’d make the pattern much smaller, so it could be used as a band of detail on a bag, or something like that. At this size, I’m thinking of making a pillow or even a pillowcase. Any sewers out there? Any ideas?
I’m excited to have the sewing machine set up in my studio. My daughter has to show me how to use it. I’d love it if she would take the reins and start sewing tons of cute things with fabric I design. We’d be a great team. She seems to have other plans for the summer. Ah teenagers! 🙂
BTW – I didn’t win the “Sandcastles” Spoonflower.com contest. I still feel a sense of accomplishment – I finally uploaded a design and ordered fabric with my own pattern. I’ve wanted to do that for years!
I was feeling guilty that I never finished a Christmas diorama, as I promised you. Posting one today or tomorrow seemed too late. But, as I cleaned up all the scraps of wrapping paper, boxes, and ribbons, I realized today is the perfect day to finish a Christmas diorama and use some of those leftovers. The rush of shopping, baking, and wrapping is over. Today is a lazy day – the perfect day to work on a project and those leftovers had inspired me. In my last diorama post, I went over all the problems I was having with my diorama. The main thing I realized was that I was thinking too literally. This time I didn’t fuss about a realistic floor – I just created and I’m so happy with the results! I hope you had a very Merry Christmas!
I am really excited about the redesign of the My Creative Resolution banner! The above is a little sneak peek. You’ll have to wait until we get closer to New Year’s for the unveiling! For the new banner I wanted a more simplistic look. I wanted more of a logo and I wanted it to have meaning.
My banner has been all over the place this year. It’s ironic considering I am a Graphic Designer! But, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense – I was finding myself, and finding what “My Creative Resolution” was all about, so the banner was changing, just as I was evolving.
Here are the varied banners I’ve had this year:
My first banner – not sure what I was thinking. I think I was going for a look that I didn’t quite achieve. It seems like so long ago.
The second banner was a reflection of what I was working on at the time. I realized I was painting a lot and wanted to show that.
This third banner was a portfolio of sorts. I was proud of all I had accomplished.
Stay tuned for the new banner design!
In home décor stores I often see abstract paintings. They aren’t originals, but prints on canvas. When one catches my eye, I pick it up and after a minute say to myself, “I could do this. How hard could it be? And, I would be able to pick the canvas size and colors that work in my family room.”
I went out and picked a canvas and a couple of tubes of paint. I squeezed the paint directly onto the canvas and blended them around. I thought it looked pretty good. Then, the canvas sat for a while. (This is becoming a common theme, huh?)
Guess what? Abstract painting is not as easy as it looks! Especially, for someone like me, who is into the “details.” My drawings and paintings are usually on the smaller side and focus on details of the subject. When I draw, I usually use many lines, unlike some people who can use one line that speak volumes. I sometimes think I’m overcompensating! Thinking, “one of these lines is bound to be right!”
Now, I want to finish this project. I have a couple of ideas as you can see from my sketches. I’ve even used the computer to simulate these ideas. I’d like to know what you think! Which idea is best suited to the canvas? I’d love to hear from you.
Download the Irish blessing pdf here: maytheroad and the mirror image here: maytheroadmirror.
Visit my Etsy shop for printable coloring pages:
downloadable clipart:
and invitation borders:
Order St. Patrick’s Day flair in my Zazzle shop!
When I read about Citrasolv on a blog, I was very excited. The idea that I could design anything I wanted on the computer and transfer my artwork onto wood, without messy stencils and paint, was very appealing. I came across a cool piece of wood that was originally the top of a plant stand and painted it green with accents of white.
I layed out the Irish Blessing text on the computer. I flipped the text, so it was the mirror image, and printed it. To do a Citrasolv transfer you need a laser printer, not an inkjet. I positioned the printout on my sign, (text side facing down), taped it so it wouldn’t move, and applied the Citrasolv to the back of the paper with a cotton ball. Using a spoon, I rubbed the back of the paper, trying to rub the entire poem.
My first try didn’t go so well:
Things worked better on my second try. A few spots blurred a little and some areas came out light, because I didn’t adequately rub everything, but it gives it an aged look.
Tips for doing Citrasolv transfers
For more on citrasolv transfer read the post that inspired me.
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I plan on filling this sketch book. Although it is a bit daunting! I like saving all my old sketch books and looking through them. I even keep drawings that I am embarrassed by. They show me how far I’ve come. I look at old sketches with a fresh perspective and know what is “off.” Sometimes I look at a sketch and proudly think, “I did that?” As I thumb through, I am reminded of projects I was interested in. I can add some of those to my list for the coming year.
mycreativeresolution.com 