painting techniques with JB

okay well.... I have never done a painted canvas before... so this is probably not a good representation of Jean's class but she really packs a pile of pictures and technique into it so hopefully I get better. I need to invest in more interference paint, I resorted to using pearl-ex for a lot of the pop in this one.

So how did I get from the image above to this one, you wonder? So do I, LOL!!
After
I started adding a bt more color I started seeing the mermaid emerge along the side and then the center became a large rock. I don't think I am through with it, I might want to add some bling to it before I seal it off, we'll see what happens. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Where is my muse?

The Many Faces of Katie
I don't know where my creative muse went, I hope she comes back someday though. Seems photo's are the only creative thing I am doing lately. Friday I babysat for my granddaughter Katie and we had a great time taking photo's, I took many more then these, but I thought these few close ups would be cute combined together to fit an 8 x 10 frame. I just love the photo on the top right, I love them all actually.
By the way Katie's mom, my DIL Amy is beginning her own blog titled Mom's Coffee Time . She would love if you had a visit (;
So until I find my muse photo's will be showing up here....
Where or where are you my muse?

Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater...finished

Peter, Peter pumpkin eater,

Had a wife but couldn't keep her;

He put her in a pumpkin shell

And there he kept her very well.

peter, peter, pumpkin eater...?

We still have lots of work to do, but this is how things are shaping up.

I am back to work as I stated in my last post and it has been tough adjusting after being off for over 4 months and then being tossed right into 10 hour days... but we are 8 hours now and I am doing better at coping with it, could be laid back off again an a couple months, who knows.... so I haven't had much of a chance to work on him but he is shaping up.. hopefully this weekend I can finish him up.

WIP update

I made him new legs, decided the other ones were a little too small, I'll save them for something else. So he has toes now and also ears and a pumpkin. His ears and the pumpkin have both had a layer of paperclay applied over them and will get another layer when I get a chance to add it. I will be returning to work tomorrow after a 4 month lay off, not sure how long it will be for. Not sure when my next post will be... depends on how well I deal with the return to work thing, I am going back to OT 10 hour days and probably 4 on Saturdays, you may never hear from me again.....);

HMMMM....??

okay well I decided to make this guy into ????, yup your guess is as good as mine, LOL!! I have changed my mind a few times and then decided to have a paperclay over cloth face, I was going to have him barefoot with toes but then realized I should have made his feet a little wider for that so decided he will be wearing boots instead and have added a wire armature wrapped with foil and florist tape to the ends of his foot to make it longer and covered with a first layer of paperclay.
I ran out of fiberfil and just got another bag today so hopefully he will have arms sometime soon. Oh and he needs ears too. The only thing I am really sure of is that he will be a fall theme, so stay tuned... hopefully he will be finished before fall is over and done with.

a new cloth doll design wip

I finally got this far on a new cloth doll design, man I have had a tough time getting this rolling. I didn't realize that it has been 2 years since I designed a cloth doll pattern, I thought that was behind me but since I have been laid off for the last 4 months I have been wanting to get into it again. It was just getting too difficult to work full time and try to keep up with pattern designs and everything that goes into it, now though if I can get myself jump started maybe it will work out better this time around. I will have to do some correcting on these parts but this is my new beginning anyway. Not saying what I intend it to be yet (;

A few things to share

This is my newest mermaid baby, her name is Ashmina or Mina for short.

Her little bed is made of Apoxy Sculpt over cardboard and aluminum foil, shells and micro beads were added for embellishment. She is about 5" long.

This is my granddaughter Emily, I finished this princess dress for her late yesterday afternoon and was happy it fit so well as I only had measurements and a wing and a prayer to work with. When we put it on i was relieved as Rich kept saying that is going to be way to big, but as you can see it fit perfect. Isn't she as pretty as a princess should be?

While I was at my son's house he showed me a couple new projects he was working on. From my son Joe: " The carving was created from Basswood using Flexcut carving tools & Butz carving knives. The finish is Danish Oil- color is Golden Oak. I’ll finish by doing a light sand over the first coat with 320 or 400 grit – just to get any dirt out – and then I’ll blow it off and put on another coat just to give it some added protection. Using the fine sandpaper will slow the oil penetration so that the color doesn’t change too much." I believe he said this is a wedding gift for a friend.

Emily's 5th birthday is the 5th of Sept. and Joe is doing this drawing for her:
The Tinkerbell drawing was created on Dick Blick drawing paper using a combination of Prismacolor Verithin & Lyra colored pencils. I used low tack painters tape to create the border. This project isn’t quite done yet because I want to add a couple more layers to the stripes so that they”pop”. and of course it will be in a frame.

finished reborn

Here she is all finished, I need to give her a hair barrette and take better photo's before I list her in my etsy store, but wanted to show that I have been doing something creative and not totally slacking. I don't have a name for her yet.If you think she looks like a name write it here and I'll think it over. This was my first try with the Genesis heat set paints on reborning, I think I did a passable job and even added some viens. Her hair is rooted and this is wonderful vinyl to work with, very unlike a Berenguer toy doll. All in all I just love this dainty little baby (:

In Memory

In memory of my son Thomas J. Jarvie
9/28/1982 - 7/30/2008

If Tomorrow Never Comes
Author Unknown

If I knew it would be the last time,
I could spare an extra minute or two,
To stop and say "I love you,"
Instead of assuming you would know I do.

But just in case I might be wrong,
And today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you,
And I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
Young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
You get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you're waiting for tomorrow,
Why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
You'll surely regret the day.

That you didn't take that extra time
For a smile, a hug, or a kiss,
And you were too busy to grant someone
What turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,
And whisper in their ear,
That you love them very much, and
You'll always hold them dear.

Take time to say "I'm sorry,"
"Please forgive me," "thank you" or "it's okay".
And if tomorrow never comes,
You'll have no regrets about today.