ATC from Christa

I've been meaning to blog about several art related topics for a while now. I don't blog every day, normally, but recently, over on my personal blog, I've been a daily blogger. That has really taken a lot of attention away from this blog. Even before then I was slacking on my art blog, but when I actually had several things in mind to post here I got busy over there with the 30 Days of Tumblr thing.

So now that I have the excuses out on the table I can get on with the matter at hand. And the matter at hand is ATC's! They're proving to be SO much fun! I've already shared the ATC's that I received from Sharon. I'll share the ones I've sent to both Christa and Sharon in a separate entry. Right now I'm sharing the second of the two I've received from Christa. I can't share the first one because it would give away our secrets. She's really very good at making them personal. So personal that I almost want to keep them BOTH private. But, I won't. I'll share the second and keep the first one for myself.

Check out the front!

...and now the back!

So cool, right?! I couldn't love it more! You should have seen me reading the back. LOL It was fun. If someone didn't know it was written in circles they'd have thought I was crazy if they saw me flipping it all around.

She also always makes the coolest cards to send with them. Those are quite personal, too, though, so you don't get to see those. Sorry Charlies!

See ya soon!
xo
Rischa

ATC Swap With Sharon (SkiesArt)

My friend Sharon and I have started an ATC swap. We've completed our first round. I'm so glad we decided to do this because it's been SO much fun. You should've seen the look on my face as I was opening the package she sent to me. She ALWAYS makes it so fun to receive her packages as she's so creative with every little detail. Here, see for yourself:

After I opened the big, yellow, plastic envelope I see this:


Isn't that sweet? I don't know where she found a Mary Engelbreit folder, but I love it!

I then opened the folder to find...


...a beautifully wrapped gift and a decorated card envelope complete with small felt bedazzled flowers and her pretty handwriting.

Inside was the card and the ATC's. I'm saving the ATC's for last as they're the big finish. Here's the neato burrito card...


I don't know if you can tell by the photo, but it's wire and stands up off the paper. So cute, right? The writing on the inside is personal, so I'm keeping that to myself. Sorry. ;)

Now for the gift! You probably won't believe me when I tell you that I had plans to buy this next time I went to Books-A-Million, but I really did! I've been wanting this book ever sense I got interested in ATCs and just never decided to make the purchase. But now that I'm actually making them I had planned to get it. Sharon MUST be a mind reader! I was so happy to get....


I've already started reading it and I'm half way through. It's so inspirational! I should be writing down all of the ideas I've got from this book, because I'll never remember them all!

And last, but certainly not least, the ATCs themselves!
Here's one titled, "Caged In Ropes"...


It's great, isn't it? I love that she made it 3D with the rope. She knew I loved birds, too. Very cool looking background, as well!

Here's the back:


The second one is adorable and humorous at the same time. She did a little snagging off of my blog or Twitter for this one. LOL I love it!


That's Sharon on the left and Me on the right. She with her pooch and I with mine. She even dressed me as I was originally wearing a swim suit in that photo. LOL

...and the back....


Isn't she the coolest package sender EVER?
She's a very talented artist and happens to also be a great friend.
Stop by her blog or web site to check out her creations and tell her Rischa sent ya.

If you've ever thought you might be interested in swapping or making ATCs you should go for it. It's so much fun and it's great practice for your imagination and artistic skills.

I've already posted my ATC on Twitter, but I will also make up separate post for that. This one's all dedicated to Sharon and her package....*snicker* You know what I mean.

...and yes, I said "neato burrito". I'm a dork! What of it?

xoxo
Rischa

Andrew & His Paintings

Remember THIS POST about a year ago? Toward the bottom I showed the two paintings I sent to Candice for Andrew's nursery. They're toward the bottom of the post. Anyway, she posted the sweetest photos of him with one of the paintings on Facebook a few days ago. I got such a kick out of seeing him with it. She said I have her permission to post them here, so here goes:

I have some other stuff to show off, but not quite yet. Not until the recipients receive them. ;-)
See ya next time!

Online Art Courses - How To Decide?

I'm one of those "hard to shop for" people. My birthday was last Sunday, Jan. 17th. I told Joel not to worry about a gift, that I'd choose one for myself. That's what he had done for his Birthday two weeks prior, so I figured what was good for him was good for me. I'm trying to keep the pricing about the same, of course. He bought about $65-70 worth of goodies for himself. So, I'm thinking an art class would be just perfect. That's what I wanted anyway, and there happens to be a few new ones about to start that I think I'd enjoy. One is Willowing's Fabulous Faces and the other is Color: Beyond the Basics w/Julie Prichard and Chris Cozen.

I've taken one course from each of them previously and enjoyed them both very much. Well, I've never taken a course from Julie's new co-star, Chris Cozen, but I do have her book, Altered Surfaces.

I'm having a hard time deciding which of these courses is best for me right now. I'd love to just purchase them both, but alas....I can't afford to be spending every dollar on art courses & supplies no matter how much I'd like to do just that. That wouldn't be very frugal of me, now would it? I doubt Joel would appreciate me spending upward of $150 on all of this, either. That is what both would cost if I included the supplies list. I believe the supplies list for both courses are more like suggestions than necessities, however, I have found that it sure does help to have exactly what the instructor is using to get the results you're after.

So, I thought I would compare the two. This will be a comparison based on MY needs. This is not me trying to decide what course is best for everyone, as I think both would be beneficial and fun to anyone interested in art or learning new techniques.

• Both are interesting and would be useful to me.


• Willowing's classes are downloadable. Julie's are not.


• Julie's class is $23 less than Willowing's. (Give or take. Had to use GBP to USD conversion)


• I have all of the course materials for Willowing's class already.


• Both instructors provided contests, however Willowing's contest is over. If I sign up today I could still win something if I choose Julie and Chris's class. (I never win anything...who am I kidding)


• Willowing has a course outline pdf for downloading before the class so you'll know exactly what you'll be doing week by week. Unless I missed it, Julie's course doesn't have this.


• I've taken several face classes from different instructors in the past, but never a Colors class.


• All instructors will be available for questions during the course.


• Both classes are taught on Ning.

Okay, enough of that. It's not helping me make my decision. I still can't choose. There's one other thing that I'm wondering, but not sure about. Just how much are they planning to focus on color and how to mix colors together for a cohesive outcome in Julie's class? I really wish there was a course outline for this class. I don't want to ask all these questions and then decide on the other course. Rude, right? Also, how much of what will be taught in the Colors class is also in Chris Cozen's book? I have her book, as mentioned before. It's a great book and quite inspiring. Then again, so is Willowing, so that isn't a separating factor.

In case you're interested in taking the courses, here are the YouTube video ads for both:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15PueQ_I12o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-UBRQo7WvI&feature=player_embedded

Here's another option; Go to Books-A-Million or Amazon.com and buy books on exactly what I want! That doesn't seem like as much fun as someone walking you through the process, but I could get a taste of both Color and Faces and save a little cash in the process.

Where am I?

I know it has been a while since I posted on this blog. That's because I haven't been creating. I thought moving my creative space to the garage was such a brilliant idea at the time, but now it's so hot that I can't stand to be out there for long at the time. I was opening the garage door and enjoying a nice breeze for a while, but that came to an abrupt change once the snakes started to show up and it started raining every day. Not just any old rain.....no....not here in Florida! It's the "sideways" rain like on Forrest Gump! (Btw, you have to say "sideways rain" just like Forrest if you're gonna say it) That just makes it more likely for the snakes, spiders, roaches, etc.... to look for shelter under the garage door. So no creative time for me any more. Not until we can figure something else out. I would move into our spare room, but that's the bird room. I'd move to the screen room, but it's friggin' hot and humid out there, too. Not good for my wood projects...or anything else I'd like to keep from getting moldy. Yuck!

I do have my sewing machine inside still, though, so I've been thinking of coming up with my own pattern for the cloth and clay dolls so I can sell those on Etsy. I can make them all day long for myself using Jane DeRosiere's pattern, but when it comes to selling them I really need my own pattern. The thing is, her pattern is so simple and efficient that anything I have thought up so far is too close to hers. It's harder than I thought to come up with something that is different enough to not be copyright. So you may be seeing more C&C Dollies here soon. I have to get something going or I'll just go nuts. Joel has been working way more than usual. Maybe it just seems that way because of the oddball hours. Plus, Kolby is in GA and has been for a while. So I'm all alone with no creating. Seriously......I can't do this much longer! If I do I'll continue to focus on the not-so-great things. (Health stuff....trust me you don't want to hear about it)

Since I don't like to post a blog entry without posting some eye candy to go along with the boring old words, here's something I don't think I've shown on this blog before...

Since that photo she has been sealed and she's ready to be listed on Etsy.

Here's another one I don't recall posting here....

As you can see I made her into a card for Earth Day since she's supposed to be Mother Earth. I was too lazy to watermark her....DON'T steal her! ;-)

Oh, one other thing. I think I'll be revamping my blog pretty soon. I have a lot of links over there to the right. That clutters things up quite a bit. I think I'll create a post with all of my links and have a small link on the side bar that links to that post. I won't be listing blogs that don't have me listed on theirs, though, so if you see your blog disappear that's why. I've noticed a lot of the more successful blogs and Etsy sellers only link by exchange, so that's what I'm doin', too.

I'll be back soon with more images. I have tons of creations or even just drawings that have yet to be featured on the ol' bloggeroony.

XXOO ~Rischa

www.Rischa.Etsy.com

Blog Award

As mentioned in my previous post, I've been given an award (and a very cool looking one I might add) by the lovely and talented Vania. To be given an award by such a wonderful artist and all around cool person is quite an honor. Run, don't walk, to check out her BLOG so you can scroll through and check out her gorgeous artwork! Thanks again, Vania!

Apparently the Renee award was created by Bella and Ces in honor of their friend Renee.

So now it's my turn to choose 8 people to receive this award.

My chosen 8 in random order (except Mom is always first, of course) are:

1. Mom @ http://www.boggledbloggle.blogspot.com/
2. My crafty cousin Katie @ http://www.katie-anderson.blogspot.com/
3. Liese Martin @ http://deadpanalleyillustrations.blogspot.com/
4. Heather @ http://reverieart.blogspot.com/
5. Janine @ http://justplainbeans.blogspot.com/
6. JoMo @ http://pistudio.blogspot.com/
7. Jennifer @ http://www.blueskysunburn.com/
8. Thelma @ http://paintingsbythelma.blogspot.com/

XXOO ~Rischa

Kolby's Paintings

Kolby and I have been in the studio all week working on art. Mostly his art as I've been his lovely assistant while he learns new things. I managed to work on a little bit of my own, but not much. Anyway, he got interested in doing modern, abstract kind of art after viewing Gary Reef's vids on YouTube. Kolby likes his style and said it looked like fun the way he works on his masterpieces. He said he wanted to try it. This, of course, made my day. I had a ball this week working on these two pieces with him. Since Kolby is done with Math early for the entire year (yay) I let him work on art all week.

So without further ado, here is his first one, which he named, "Rush Hour". It's very large (I'd have to measure) and done on 3/4 inch stretched canvas.

His second piece isn't named yet. He isn't as happy with it, but I think it's because it's small and on a canvas board rather than a large, stretched, mounted canvas like the first one. It was the only larger canvas I had. I made a mounted wooden box frame for him, but he wanted canvas. He said he likes the texture. So a canvas board it was. Anyway, I love it. He signed it with a "K" stamp underneath that clear thing in the center. I don't know what those are called, but I'll show a close-up of it so you can see it better.

...and the close-up:

They both still need to be sealed. That last painting he used lots of 3D elements such as Hemp Rope, the Glass thinger, and wall texture. I used "Beachy" when naming those files because he said he wanted colors that were "beachy".

I have several other things that I want and need to blog about. One of them being that a really awesome fellow artist honored me with a blog award! Yay!!! I'll compose that post when I've chosen 8 people to pass the blog along to. Plus, right now I'm feeling rather cruddy and just want to go to bed. Nyquil is calling my name....along with my pillow.

Good night everyone!!