YBC Book Review - The Watercolor Course You've Always Wanted by Leslie Frontz

As an artist, I love to create beautiful things.  And as an artist, I love to try many different mediums.  One medium I have never really tried was watercolor because I thought it was too difficult.

Than along came this...

"The Watercolor Course You've Always Wanted"

by Leslie Frontz.

First, I just skimmed through the book.  Then I browsed a little more closely.  Then I got excited.

Every chapter is stuffed full of information for both the experienced watercolor artist, and for beginners like me.  I realized while reading this book, that you can't just jump into watercolor paint if you don't understand how they work.  It's not like painting with acrylic or oil.  The blending is different.  The shading is different.  And it looks like so much fun!  

Guess what's on my Christmas list this year.  A new watercolor set.  lol

This book takes you through everything you need to know to start painting.  How to choose the correct paint, brushes and paper.  Understanding the values of color for depth and shading.  Textures.  Mood.  And so much more.  When you get this book (and every serious artist should get it), you will want to keep it handy for easy reference while you work.  I know I will.

Now for a little background on the author.

Leslie Frontz is a studio artist with over 40 years of experience.  She teaches watercolor classes at a local community college about 2 hours from me!!!!  (I'm squealing with excitement.  Now I can join one of her classes to learn even more.)  And her work has been featured in several magazines and books.  You can learn even more, and enjoy her work, by visiting her website, Frontz Studio, and you'll meet her husband Harold, who is an accomplished artist in his own right.

I highly recommend this book for artists, and wanna-be artists.

Let your creative juices flow.

Be blessed,

Debbi

 "I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

My Last Show Of The Season

As if November wasn't busy enough, I crazily thought I would enter a few craft shows.  Kind of dip my toes into the water kind of thing to see if I want to jump into the arts and crafts show season next year.  Well, one of the shows was cancelled (I didn't complain) and the other one asked me to bring something other than crochet items.  Now, the majority of items in my shop are crochet, so I spent a week just drawing and coloring cards.  Forget eating, sleeping and showering. lol  Here's a few pictures of my "booth".

Here's an "overview" of my booth.  I had a 10' x 10' space, and since it was indoors I didn't need to worry about the weather, so that was a nice bonus.  Chuck helped me design and create my displays.  Well, it was more like I got an idea then it was "hey Chuck, can you make this?"

And he did.  Love my man!

This is my Rusty Art that I spent the week completing.  I call it "Rusty Art" because my mom's nickname was Rusty, and these are her sketches.  She was a very talented artist, and participated in many shows in NY, most notably, The Allentown Art Festival in Buffalo.  In order to supplement the sales of her larger pieces, she would make these wonderful cartoon pictures for the kids.  My sister and I would help her by filling in the pictures with color, and this is how I learned to use pencils, and pastels, and about the hue and tone and value of color.  When my mom passed, I inherited her sketches, so in her memory, I share her "Rusty Art".

This is one of the display ideas I had that Chuck helped me with, and trust me, we had no idea how to do this.  I saw this in an antique shop and loved the idea and took pictures for future use, but let me tell you, this display is NOT a one-man job. lol.  Trying to hold up the shutter doors while sliding the shelves through was like an old slap stick comedy.  But we got it, and it looked great.  This was for my seasonal items.

The blue rack is the one I usually use for my scarves, but since they didn't want more scarves, I used it for my crochet indian poncho.  I made this several years ago, and love it.  The pattern is very intricate (lots of ends to weave in) and it is done in a suede yarn (which I will never use again).  And it is very HEAVY.  It kept sliding off the rack.  The blanket next to it is a very large star pattern made in a loose crochet pattern.

This was my one and only table, filled with my small items, and business cards.  I had electricity so I was able to show customers my online shop.  I really liked that.

And my last picture for today, the big sellers of the day.  My handpainted gift bags.  I sold out!  Yea me! lol

I displayed them on an old window frame that Chuck added feet and hooks too.  I have another one in the shed waiting for me to remove the glass for more bags and ornaments next year.

I have to say, I really enjoyed doing the show, and I do plan on entering more next year.  Time for me to start saving some money for a tent!

Did you do any shows this year?

Be blessed,

Debbi

Two Hens and a Chick

Well, it's been way too long and I have been so off my schedule, but now...

I'M BACK!

Did you miss me?  :0)

Let me show you one of my favorite shops over at The Craft Star...

Two Hens and a Chick.  I just love that name, and their banner just makes me smile.

This shop is owned by Shana Jensen and check out what she creates....little people!

Isn't he just adorable????  I have grandchildren in the military, and all 3 of them are in the navy, which is why I picked this navy man.

Shana created him from a re-purposed light bulb, how creative is that?  She has a little light bulb man from every branch of the military.

In addition to service men, Shana has also created animal friends.  This cute turtle named Mosey was created from a vanity light bulb.

And just in time for the holidays....a handpainted brick!

This would be a great door stopper, or just a fun decoration under the tree.

If you enjoy these items, just click on any link to visit her shop and get them for yourself.

Until next time...

Be blessed,

Debbi

my almost Friday finds....handmade all the way

Everyone does a Friday Finds post, and since I like to be difficult, I will do mine on Thursdays. hahaha.

So what's new in the world of handmade?

Over at the Handmade Artists site I found these 3 beauties.

I love Winnie the Pooh, so this natural stone tile is a must for me. You can find this in the shop of Sierra Dawn Designs.

This 2 tone Men's wedding ring just took my breath away.  You'll find this, and so many other wonderful engagement rings and wedding bands in the shop of Vidar Jewelry.

Chainmaille just fascinates me, and this roundmaille bracelet is something that I would wear, everyday.  Visit ChaynMayle's shop for this and more.

Ok, let's hop on over to Etsy...

You know, I hate to say it, but it's getting more difficult to find real handmade at Etsy, and not imports.  But I did find these...

UNICORN FARTS lip balm!  I love it.  yeah, I know, demented.  yeppers. lol.  You'll find a bunch of balms and soaps and stuff in this shop, The Long Winter Soap Co.

This crochet snowman hat pattern is just what I need for Quintin's first Christmas this year.  You'll find all sorts of way too cute patterns in this shop, Beezy Mom's Creations.  I had to favorite this shop so I can find her again.

I love original artwork, and to wrap up my early Friday finds, I found this very pretty and colorful abstract painting of looking up thru the trees.  This is from Tim Lam's shop Elseart.  Tim has a wonderful style, full of color and joy.

Well, that's it for today.  Be sure to click on a link and support the handmade community.  Nothing says love better than handmade.  And then come back tomorrow when I share what's new in my shop!

Be blessed,

Debbi

HAF artist feature - Lisianblue

Come with me, let's take a walk and do some window shopping.  Kris is an amazing artist with 2 shops on HandmadeArtists.com and I can't wait to show you what she creates...

Her first shop is Reflections...and it's full of glass, and light, and color...



Just check out this Hand Painted Ginger Jar.  Here is what Kris says about this jar..."Based on a wonderful place I lived for 11 years, this art glass piece stands on it's own. I could sit on my front steps and see the valley for miles and miles, "Sanctuary" is my somewhat stylized and minimized view. The mountains here often turn blue at dusk.

This elegantly shaped glass vase has been carefully hand painted with quality glass paints. the greens range from a transparent emerald green to a frosted kiwi green and an opaque light green. Transparent royal blue with very pale frost blue, medium frost blue and an opaque light blue. Transparent amber trees.
5 1/4 inches tall and approx 3 1/4 inches wide. A tad over 10 inches around at the widest point."



How about this Clear Glass Tetrahedron Pyramid.  It contains red and pink beads, and I can see any baby (or adult) just spending time turning it over and over and watching the changes of the beads.  This piece comes in a special handmade gift box with glittery hearts and a ribbon tie.  If you would like to have some special keepsakes inside your pyramid, just leave Kris a comment, she loves custom orders, and your satisfaction is very important to her.  Her next shop is also on HandmadeArtists.com and is called Lisianblue.   This is where you will find all her creations made with yarn and fabric, just like this...

 

...very cute Girls Knit Sweetheart Cap.  I also love to knit (and crochet) but creating patterns like these hearts are not easy, at least not for me. :0)  But Kris did a wonderful job.  And she used my favorite yarn, Caron Simply Soft.  "This sweet light weight cap with hearts all around will fit a variety of ages. With it's 16" circumference, it will fit very young children to teens and adults. - it stretches comfortably up to 22" . The 9" length allows the band to be cuffed to help keep those ears warm for those smaller heads."

 

This last item I just love...I love quilts and I love vintage, and this Romantic Vintage Inspired White Quilted Wall Hanging satisfies both for me.  "Vintage inspired white quilted wall hanging with hand embroidered art nouveau designs within hand quilted hearts make up this beautiful original wall hanging.

White on white hand embroidery work is highlighted with light greens, a bit of very pale blue and pink. The one cross stitched square has very light yellow, pink, and green.
This romantic wall hanging is made from a quilt that I made 11 years ago that was cut into different size blocks and pieced back together. Embellished with buttons and beads to cover a few very tiny stains. ( about the size of a mall pin head.) More buttons and beaded hearts were added for aesthetics.
This unique wall hanging measures 29.5" x 32" not including the white ribbon hanger which can be altered for length.
**Note: there are a couple of small stains on the back, and 2 heart shaped patches to cover 2, 1/4" holes,
Comes with white washed dowel with 1/4" ribbon hanger. "

You can also visit Kris on twitter and her blog, where you can learn even more about this talented artist.

Be blessed,

Debbi

What color should I paint my front door?

Sorry I've been a bit MIA lately, but I'm trying to learn more about key phrases, tag words, SEO, blah blah blah...and I know that I need to get up the next to last chapter of YBC storytime "The Power of Love"...but I'm in the mood for some home improvements.  So this week I am taking a survey, what color should I paint my front door?  You can answer on the right, or leave me a comment if you have another idea.  Here is what the front of our boring house looks like right now...



I love the blue we painted our Adirondack chairs, should we carry that to our door?

Or how about the redwood to match the deck?  (That is the color our front light use to be, and will be again).

Chuck said we should keep it white...how boring! heehee

And Hannah suggested yellow, just because she likes to be difficult.

Now don't you be difficult, just vote (blue) and Chuck has agreed to abide by my readers choice.

Be blessed,

Debbi

An artist full of color!!!

"An artist in love with color, and a dreamer in love with art".  Those are the words that so aptly describe the artists behind Borrettoart on Etsy.

We have the Carolina Balloon Fest here every October, and to see those massive balloons fill up, and then ascend into the sky is amazing to see, and this Hot Air Balloon original acrylic on canvas captures the essence of that sight perfectly.  I find it amazing that these paintings are not created with a brush but with a special palette knife.  That really gives these works of art a depth you would not otherwise see in an acrylic painting.  Boretto Art is a a pair of artists that live together and work together in Sydney Australia, and a lot of their paintings are of the beach, or the Sydney Opera House.

I personally love going to the beach...any beach would be fine with me.  There is something about feeling the power of the ebb and flow of the waves as they come in from way out in the ocean to visit you on the sand.  Staring at this Summer Breeze Original Acrylic Painting, you can almost feel the pull of the surf trying to carry those swimmers out to sea.  When you order a painting from Borrettoart locally, it comes framed and ready to hang.  If you are ordering from overseas, the painting will come rolled and will need to be restretched. 

As a framer, I can tell you honestly, that framing is no problem at all, any reputable craft store with a framing section can do it at little cost. The last painting I would like to share, I absolutely love. I can't help but stare into the eyes of this beautiful woman on their Original Arabian Nights.  You can almost hear the jingle of the bells on the camels as they glide across the sand.  My personal favorite.  A really great thing about Borrettoart is the affordability of their artwork.  You don't have to take out a loan to have "real" art hanging on your wall.  You can click on any of the above links to go visit their Etsy shop.  And you can also find them in cyberland by clicking on the links below.

Etsy / Website / Facebook / Blog

And if you're an Etsy artist with a blog, come and join the BESTeam for fun, support, promotion, and friendship.

Debbi

Around the world in color!

It's BESTeam Monday and today I am visiting Uruguay, Australia, and my own USA.  I've noticed in my travels, that everyone loves color....and for me, the brighter...the better.  So let's start with the land down under...

Lesley Boretto from BorettoArt calls Australia home.  The land of kangaroos and koala bears.  I remember growing up that my step-mom mentioned that she wanted a koala bear as a pet.  As if 10 kids, dogs, cats, and guinea pigs weren't enough, lol.  But Lesley does not live in the outback, but in the most populous city...Sydney.  My favorite piece at BorettoArt is this Vase of Flowers, an original acrylic on canvas painting.  The colors are so bright and vivid!  You can find more about BorettoArt here.

Etsy / Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter

Now we're off to South America...to the country of Uruguay...where we will find Marisa, the talent behind Floresdelsur.  Marisa takes felt, fabric, and ribbon, and creates wonderful accessories for craft projects, or your own personal use.  Here she rolled ribbon for a new and funky way to show your love of your country...custom patriotic rolled ribbon rosette pins.  Just convo her with the flag colors of your country, and she'll make one just for you.  And I bet she would make you one in any color combination you would like, these would be cool as boutonnieres for a wedding party!  Convo her and ask..

Etsy / Blog / Facebook / Twitter

And now we're back home in the United States of America.  Maryland to be exact, which is where you will find DeeDeeDzyn, one of our newer members of the BESTeam.  Look at the colors in this awesome Multicolored Tiger Striped design necklace.  Delia has a great "eye" for form and color, and the items she offers in her shop are sure to please every style.  And here's an interesting tidbit, Delia was born and raised in South Africa and you'll see that cultural influence in many of her designs.  Look for her here...

Etsy / Blog

Now a little info for you on the Boosting Etsy Shops Team, or what we loving call the BESTeam.  We are a group of Etsy artisians that help promote and support each other thru our blogs, twitter, facebook, and any other on-line social sites that we have.  And thru this promotion and support, we have also become a great group of friends.  So if you're looking for some new friends, join us!

And I'll see y'all tomorrow.

Debbi