Have A Nice Day Wall Art Pieces Sparkle With Encouragement

One of my faithful followers has asked for a view of the other pieces and here they are. This is Have A Nice Day III.

This is Have A Nice Day IV.

This is Have A Nice Day II.

And this is Have A Nice Day I.

All are mounted on foamcore and feature my handpainted paper as backgrounds. I used clipart, stickers, cancelled postage stamps,

sequins, my handcarved rubber stamp images and beads. I designed the houses with pastels and markers and beaded the wire hanger myself. They are all small-sized.

Away For A While

Hello Friends:

I will be away for awhile as I make changes, reorganize and change services. I will keep you updated whenever I can.

Happy Autumn Everyone!

This small mixed media wall art piece is one of 4 in my Have A Nice Day series. More about them in the future.

Mixed Media Wall Art Features Drawing Of Itza

This is my drawing and her name is Itza. She is of African and Mayan descent. I have several of these drawings, including 2 males, of various ancestries.

This series of mixed media wall art starts with a copy of one of these drawings, mounted on foamcore.

I painted the drawing and began to add elements, including papier mache' strips and sponged paint.

These motifs on either side are art stampings of my hand carved eraser stamps. The Dwennimmen, or ram's head, is a symbol of humility, strength, wisdom and learning. It is from the West African Adinkra tribe.

The other motif is a Kente' symbol.

I wrapped a rusted washer with a black twist tie and inserted it for her earring.

I began to add various clipart and verse panels, altering them as desired.

I added more paint embellishment, her eyeshadow and the shimmering rectangles, which is Pearlescent Gold tempera #2025 from Pearl.

I added decorative, illuminated clipart letters spelling B E L I E V E.

The metallic copper rectangles were cut from a salvaged coffee bag, of which I have many. I am a coffee nut.

I have a set of blow pens, which I used to add the brown flecks around the border.

Air-dry clay letters, which I formed with my text mold, dance across the bottom. I painted them with a coffee color, then rubbed some of the Pearlescent Gold paint into the cracks and crevices. I wiped off the excess.

I attached twigs and a raffia & coffee bean medallion which I made at 2 corners. I then decided to encase the border in wide brown ribbon, held in place with raffia whipstitching. I left pieces of the raffia hanging and threaded on beads.

My final touch was to add a raffia hanger threaded with more of the brown, wooden oat beads, which I had salvaged from a broken purse strap. I'm very satisfied with how this turned out. It seems like it took a lot of time, and it did. Since I always have several projects going at one time, really 6-7, I don't realize how much time my mixed media and papercrafting artwork takes.

You can see Believe hanging at this post: 3 Wall Art Pieces .

Folk Art, Fine Crafting & Outsider Art More My Style

I did not win a prize nor honorable mention in the C4C pastel contest. At first I was disappointed, and then I did an evaluation. I realized that I had entered the wrong contest. The winners' work was all fine artish and there were no mixed media winners. I did not inquire about this before submitting my work. I entered because the contest was right before me whenever I signed on to C4C.

I am not a contest enterer. Just not inclined to do that so it's got to be really simple and convenient to enter, which is the way this past contest was. I am also not a fine artist and don't strive to be. I am creating the type of artwork that I desired, that I saw in my mind's eye years ago. It is colorful, expressive and affordable. At a display tent in an artists' market or festival, it would draw many interested visitors, which has been my goal. I have wanted to release my fun, whimsical and jazzy personality into my artwork.

I have succeeded and it is getting better everyday.

C4C is a very nice gallery to be a member of and I will continue there. They featured my work Adornment on the front page shortly after I joined and I appreciated that. As for contests, I'd better stick with venues and mags such as Somerset Studio, Cloth Paper Scissors and Crafts N Things.

C4C is featuring a jewelry contest for the month of September, deadline the 25th.

Because Men Have Feelings Too

I have designed a line of watercolor art cards for men to give. I titled them A Man's Thoughts.

My line drawings are inspired as I look through magazines, photographs and nature. I don't search for images, but the images find me and speak to me when I least expect it.

Then I must get out my pencil and pad, and draw the image to relieve the pressure.

I reproduce the drawing and paint it with watercolors.

The wording or purpose is generally decided when the undrawn image speaks to me. I also have a file of text which has impressed me from various sources.

The colors are taken directly from the undrawn image.

The paintings are done on white bond paper and then quarterfolded into greeting cards.

I hand fold the white envelopes.

Each card has corresponding or continuing text inside.

I have handwritten the text to simulate how the average man would do it. Nothing frilly. Nothing fancy. Just scribbled feelings.

I got this idea several years ago thinking that it would be nice if a man could give something that looked like he could have done it himself. Anyone can buy a card from a store. I wanted something more casual, like the note scribbled on a napkin sort of thing.

So far I have listed 8 total A Man's Thoughts watercolor art cards at my Winkelf Shop.

Much To Wait For In Pastel Contest

I entered my pastel mixed media artwork in the Call For Creativity Pastel Contest today.

It has a pastel mosiac background and pastel painted hand lettering. Review the previous post for a little more detail. The text is: In The Lovely Regions Of

Your Heart There Is Much To Wait For.

Pastels is not one of my favorite media, but I've always been fascinated by them. I do use chalks in my papercrafting and enjoy the aged and distressed effect which they can simulate.

C4C did not stipulate whether or not they are only accepting traditional, fine art for this contest. I am a self-taught, outsider artist and am glad for the opportunity for my work to be considered.

Three New Wall Art Pieces Completed

Since I always have many art projects going at one time, I sometimes finish a few together.

Look For Beauty In Small Things And Love Life

Mounted on canvas board, this pinked fabric square collage is embellished with 9 decorated tags. Of note are pressed flowers, fabric stamping and gold paint pen. I added my new technique: a torn, tissue paper border.

Believe

Believe in Hope, Believe In The Impossible, Believe In Love...

The 11 gold outlined verse panels exhort us to believe. I mounted my drawing on foamcore and stamped with handcarved ethnic motifs. The special feature is the clay-formed letter blocks, B E L I E V E, dancing across the bottom.

Much To Wait For

This bright, colorful piece will be entered in the C4C pastel contest, ending this month. My drawings punctuate the pastel mosaic background and pastel colored hand lettering. Of special interest is the hand-beaded tassel dangling from the bottom. The tumbling metallic gold sprinkles down each side are punched and cut origami paper.

Discount Bleach Pen A Dud For Dots

I have nothing to report on my first process on my altered couture jeans. I had picked up the bleach pen at a discount store. I applied it to jeans and after several hours there were no dots and not a single thread was lightened. Of course, I had expected to see white dots appear in 5 minutes. Now I plan to work with liquid bleach and an old brush, if I don't buy another bleach pen at a regular price store. The pen I tried to use may be old and outdated. I remember reading something some time ago about bleach losing its potency after a while.

Jeans Ready For Embellishment

I love color and I am fascinated with beads and sequins! Though I use them in all of my artwork, I wanted to separate my altered couture and accessories from my mixed media artwork. Bead Tonic was born. A tonic is invigorating and stimulating, which is what beads do for me.

These jeans are ready to be jazzed up. They are a size 6 and I am designing them for myself to become more experienced in doing this. This is my second altered couture project. The first is a suede jacket which I put on the back burner until fall.

My next step with these jeanswill be to add bleach dots with a gel bleach pen. I plan to do a sweep of dots up the front of one leg and up the back of the other.

There's some great altered couture books on the market aren't there. Stampington.com has a couple which I like.

Working With Pastels Lately

Pretty Chalk Pastels Originally uploaded by margaritarosa

I've been working on a pastel mixed media piece to enter into the contest sponsored by Call for Creativity. Pastels have not been one of my fav media, though I do like using chalk in my altered art. I have a tray like the one in this Flickr pic, and I have a couple boxes of plain 'ole children's chalk.

The wall art is an expressionistic piece with jazzy hand-lettering on a pastel background. I also painted in the lettering with pastel. I sat on the porch one morning when I began it. It was so much fun to be using pastels, to be doing something different.

It's titled Much To Wait For and I'll upload pics soon.

First "A Man's Thoughts" Card Listed

Men don't like too much seriousness, so my fun, casual card takes the edge off a serious message. It is collage and altered art and features my doodle of a couple in love. He has his lips wrapped around her cheek as he whispers sweet somethings into her ear. She's all google-eyed with anticipation as he prepares to give her a sweet bunch of roses. What else does he have for her?

The exciting background is a collage of some of my Heart Papers. I listed today in My Winkelf Store.

A Man's Thoughts is my division of cards for men to give to women. It started with several quarterfold, watercolor cards I designed years ago. They have simple messages in the manner in which men speak and I had used printed text like men would write. I am going to redesign them using ransom note journaling which will give a rugged look as well.

Real Pounded Flowers On Sandi Holland's Invites

I used my little craft hammer to take out my frustrations and made some art! My latest invites feature these pounded pansies medallions, one applied to each quarterfold paper card. This technique is labor-intensive but fun. I also designed a 6-piece set of coordinating place cards. Using watercolor, decorative paper and paint pens, I designed stylized flower medallions to accent them. Both listed at my My Winkelf Store.

Google Friend Connect-Follow Sandi Holland's Blog

I would love for you to follow my blog through Google Friend Connect. You will receive an abbreviated feed, with a thumbnail, of my current post.

The Google Friend Connect module is in the right sidebar about half-way down.

If you have not tried following, it is fun. I enjoy reading the mini feeds and viewing the thumbnails of the blogs I follow. It also saves time since I can catch up on what friends and fellow artists are doing without always visiting each blog. I can always click to go directly to their blog if I desire.

Follow my blog today through Google Friend Connect. I would love to see your pic/avatar in the module gallery.

Purple Pansies Invites To Be Listed

I will soon list this set of Purple Pansies invitations which I designed using the pounded flowers technique.

I took a single pansy flower, spead it onto a sheet of yellow paper, covered it with a piece of plastic wrap, took my little craft hammer and started pounding away. When I had a look I was pleased with I carefully peeled away the plastic wrap.

There are 6 in this set and I will work on a design for some coordinating place cards.

Girlfriends Cards

Here are 2 of my new Girlfriends quarterfold paper greeting cards. There are 4 so far. They have a watercolor background and are collaged and altered. I am offering the originals.

I will be reproducing these designs and creating new, embellished cards from the prints.

Available at my My Winkelf Store .

Heart Papers!

I finally finished 3 Heart Papers and they are listed at my Winkelf Store. This one is 14 KT Hearts in bronze, blue & rose.

This one is Tiny Hearts in rose, purplish gray and bronze.

This is Sea Spray Hearts.

Use them in papercrafting, collaging, altered art, scrapbooking and gift wrapping of small boxes.

Upcoming designs: Chainlink Hearts, Hearts & Red Dots.