My First ATC's :)

From Wikipedia: 
Artist Trading Cards (or ATCs) are miniature works of art about the same size as modern baseball cards or 2 ½ X 3 ½ inches,  small enough to fit inside standard card-collector pockets, sleeves or sheets. The ATC movement developed out of the mail art movement and has its origins in Switzerland. Cards are produced in various media, including dry media (pencils, pens, markers, etc.), wet media (watercolor, acrylic paints, etc.), paper media (in the form of collage, papercuts, found objects, etc.) or even metals or cloth. The cards are usually traded or exchanged rather than sold.

A few months ago I joined the website Swap-bot. It's a crafting/ art website devoted to snail mail. For example: sending handmade postcards, quilting blocks, ATCs, buttons and tons of things that fellow crafters may need. I participated in a few. (Posted on my Craft Blog) 

Most recently I sent out a handmade Coin Purse and Yarn Earrings, and also a Potholder and I did a few email swaps too. This was my first real drawing, artwork swap. Which is why I am also posting it here on my Art Blog!


Most ATCs have themes, These two were alphabet themed ones. "I is for..." and " H is for..." 

 

I picked the word "Hats" for H. I sketched out some fancy Kentucky Derby-inspired hats and colored them with markers and colored pencils.

And for i, I chose "invincible"! I drew a little bunny in my sketchbook (Super Bunn, to be exact) . Cut him out and pasted him on yellow paper, and then pasted that yellow paper on some gold foil. Then I drew some little lines and wrote the theme up top. 

Both are attached to thick card stock similar to baseball cards that I got at Michael's craft store.

For the back, you must add your name, location and other info on the back. I decided to make mine on the computer. I was going for a Comic-book-y theme.  :)  I am really happy with how they came out. 

Since my partners have since received them, I decided to post them up! (I didn't want to spoil the surprise).

I encourage everyone to join swap-bot, or just trade things and art with fellow bloggers. It's fun to get mail and make things for others. 

Take Care!
Dara

IF: Little Harry's Traveling Safari Train!

Choo Choo! Here comes the Best Safari ever!

(Stuffed animals keep insurance costs down). Click to view bigger!

Harry's outfit is inspired by a Halloween costume my boyfriend, Ian, wore a 2 Halloweens ago.

A circa 1890s African Treasure hunter. He made maps, and tags, and even  had an arrow shot through himself. 

And after all that work, everyone kept asking him if he was the "guy from jumanji". Poor thing...

This is also the first Sketchbook Project page I'll be sharing so far!
More to come!

Spring gets me all Twitterpated

 

A Little Spring Romance

Done with colored pencils and a bit of Photoshop 5.8.2011 

When I think of Spring, I think of flowers and animals, and then 

eventually I think of the Disney movie Bambi, and I think of all the 

little twitterpated critters. :)

Definition according to the Urban Dictionary:

 Twitterpated (adj)

 1) to be completely enamored with someone/something.

 2) the flighty exciting feeling you get when you think about/see the object of your affection.

 3) the ever increasing acceleration of heartbeat and body temperature as a result of being engulfed amidst the exhilaration and joy of being/having a romantic entity in someone's life.

 

I'm trying to practice some more sketches before i start in my Sketchbook Project book.

I have heard that the pages aren't very watercolor friendly.. hmm... I've gotta think of a good, but strong way to rebind it. Also how to decorate the cover. I only have til Jan 2012! haha

Friendly Reminder- Sketchbook Project 2012!

So As you may have seen, I just posted something to Illustration Friday on Monday morning. I'm really trying to keep up each week with submitting.... 

After submission, I happened to glance at the Ad/ sidebar and what do I see? What is the Ad that has caused me to write a whole post about it? What amazingness was there on that site??  (well I guess I spoiled it in my post title & my images).. It's the Sketchbook Project for 2012!


I didn't even realize when the sign-ups began! (..since October, haha). I admit I totally forgot about it! I didn't want to put it off like I did last year.  So I sucked it up, signed up on the spot! 

I'll (hopefully) be starting school in the Fall, so this will be great practice for the pressure of completing projects on time.  :) 




The theme I picked is Stitches and Folds. The theme is just a jumping-off point, but i plan to keep it around.

  I'm super excited to start. I love that you can rebind and modify the moleskin sketchbook any way that you want to suit your look. :)  (a few tiny rules though)... I love this idea of a traveling art show, and whoever came up with it is genius. 
 
I can't wait to start!  I missed out last year.  :(  That won't happen again. 

Anyone else join in yet?  

Completed books must be postmarked by Jan 31st 2012. I've got some time, but I'm so pumped I might just explode! Let's hope that motivation is around when my sketchbook is delivered and lasts til Jan 2012... 


Check it out: The Sketchbook Project 2012

IF: a squirrel who cannot reach the pedals, won't get very far.

He's just enjoying being high up on his shiny new Penny Farthing. 

I originally drew this with colored pencils, scanned it, and made a background in illustrator. Then, I added some touches in photoshop. But when I saw the final product, I noticed that everything was so rendered and neat, and the main character was lacking.... So i re-did the entire thing in Adobe Illustrator, and I'm much happier now.  :) 

Here is my colored pencil original anyways...

I like that its a bit wonky, but the whole thing needs to be wonky for it to look good in my opinion. :)

IF: Jill and the Sunflower stalk

For this weeks Illustration Friday, I decided to make a very Spring Picture. All of the plants are popping their little green heads out of the ground, but this sunflower is mighty early, and mighty big!

Jill didn't know how good her gardening skills really were, that is, until she looked up...

 Sketched with pencil, outlined in ink, colored with markers & colored pencils and finished up in photoshop.

This is my sketch/ line drawing.

Collaborative Birthday Illustration for Danny!

Ian and I wanted to actually make my sister's bf, Danny something neat for his birthday (which was yesterday).  We've been working on this for over a week, and now since it's already been gifted, i can post it up! I sketched it out, Ian helped me render it, he fixed parts, and added much needed details. He also drew the doggies! Then I colored it Tuesday night. All of the clothes are based on things they own. The dachshund is Harley, and the Jack Russell is Danny's dog, Fred. :)

Here is the line drawing...

(i forgot to take a pic of it before i started coloring, haha!)

This is the completed piece (scanned in).. 

 It looks better in person.... something is up with our scanner!

And this is the drawing in its frame! :)

I wish they made 6x9 frames. that would've been perfect! We settled on a 5x7.. a bit snug.

Overall I'm really pleased with it. We both are! And Danny, my sister and everyone loved it. :)