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

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.

Mt Dora Art Festival

I had a great time this weekend at the Mt Dora Art Festival. They say the event grows each year with more than 250,000 attendees in recent years. I believe it! It was elbow to elbow downtown! I wouldn't have missed it, though. It was so inspiring! I collected cards from each of my favorites, with the exception of a couple that were out of them. Here they are:

• J2 Gallery
• Victoria Sexton
• Jeffrey Kennedy
• Milenko Katic
• Sandra de Nijs
• The Metal Quilt
• KoKo' Brandao
• Andi Helfant-Frye
• Barbara W. Doncaster
• L. Balombini
• Madison P Latimer
• Robert Griffis Rodenberger

That list isn't even a drop in the bucket of how many talented artists were in attendance. If you can make it to the annual Mt Dora Art Fest, don't miss it! It will be worth a drive. Sorry, I don't have any pictures. I would have taken some, but the place was packed so tight it was hard to even move, for one, and they ask you not to take photos of the work, for another. I didn't want to make any artists nervous. I did take a video with my cell as we were leaving. It's on 12 seconds.com Nothing really interesting, though. Just 12 seconds of us leaving the festival. I'm trying to catch up with Joel in the short clip. Visit my other blog to view it.

I will be posting another painting that I finished soon, and another CC Doll.