Friday 26 December 2014

I can finally post a picture :)

Well I can finally post a picture of a Christmas gift I made.
It was part of my boyfriend's gift this year.
I know he likes dragons, so I decided to get ambitious and sketch out the head of a medieval dragon.

Because I've never drawn a dragon, I decided to Youtube a 5 minute time-lapse video of someone sketching a dragon head.  I used the video for reference as I went along.  I used a variety of H and B sketching pencils as well as several tortillons (smudge sticks).  I did end up spraying it with a fixative to prevent it from smudging.  I would never use hairspray because overtime that would just yellow the picture, and I want it to be preserved well.  I have since matted and framed it (black mat, white frame).

And here is the final result (which both he & his family LOVED!)!
In fact, he's already hung it up in his room.


Enjoy the rest of the holidays!

A.A.

Friday 12 December 2014

A little Christmas post...

I decided I wanted to put together some type of ornament for my boyfriend for our first Christmas together.

So I started looking for ideas.  I found an idea I really liked on Pinterest.  The only problem was, it was created from fabric.  So...I went looking at Michaels for fabric mittens, but had no luck.  So I thought, why not make them out of wood and I can just paint them up.  Luckily my Dad is very talented with his wood work.  So, I drew out the mittens and Dad cut them out so they looked like this:


Then, I took my paint and got to work:


And then I added the text:


All I needed to do was add some yarn and place them on his tree!


Needless to say both my boyfriend and his family absolutely loved the ornaments!

A.A.

Sunday 21 September 2014

New little creation idea I got from Pinterest

I saw this canvas idea on Pinterest and thought it was the cutest thing ever (you can see the original canvas at: http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/42/3b/0f/423b0fd9f4b05a12471a07eb2fbc95f4.jpg).  Plus, my boyfriend was saying he needed more artwork in his room.  So, this provided me with the perfect excuse to make it (as if I needed one anyway...).  The only thing different from the original I saw on Pinterest was, I took some of the sayings off (I couldn't fit them all!) and changed the paper choice.

It's a really easy project to make, it just takes hours to make, and here's what you need to make it:

-Canvas
-Modge Podge
-Cricut
-Scrapbook paper
-Paint
-Paper cutter
-Paint brush (optional)

First, I borrowed my best friend's Cricut (THANK YOU MEL!), popped in my black scrapbook paper and punched in the letters I needed.....I realized I was short a couple of letters and just did the best I could to sketch them out and cut them out with scissors.  Here's hoping you can't tell which ones I made myself....

Next, take your paper cutter and chop your chosen patterned scrapbook paper into blocks and arrange on your canvas (glue these down with Modge Podge once you're content with the look and feel).

After that has dried, it's now time to glue down your cute little sentences.  You can once again use your Modge Podge (I go through so much of this stuff!).  After it's dried for a bit, start coating your entire canvas with a coat of Modge Podge.  I sort of went between a thick paint brush and just smudging it on with my finger.  If you use a paint brush, you need to make sure the bristles don't come out and get stuck onto your masterpiece.

Once it was all dried, I took my black paint, painted the heart in the "Beat of my Heart" sentence and the star in "Twinkle in my Eye" sentence.

Lastly, after the paint had dried, I coated the canvas in several more coats.  You really want to seal it in.

Anddddd now it's ready to display!  And yes, it has been proudly on display in my boyfriend's bedroom for a couple of months now.  And yes, he did love it.


The final product!


Enjoy what's left of the weekend!

A.A.

Sunday 14 September 2014

In the spirit of fall...

Well....I think it's safe to say that although the first day of fall isn't officially until the 23rd of this month, the fall weather has definitely arrived.

So, in the spirit of pumpkin pie, beautifully coloured leaves, pumpkin spiced lattes, spiced pumpkin, caramel, and apple candles from Bath and Body works, I've decided to post a couple of fall photos from my photography collection.

Enjoy & have a pumpkin spiced latte today!  I know I will!




*These photos are copyright and do belong to me.

A.A.

Monday 1 September 2014

Another wood burning project

I was really excited when my friend Stacey asked me if I'd be interested in burning a sign from part of a stump for her trailer.  I mean, when am I ever not up for a challenge?  Although I must admit, I was a little worried about my little burner not being able to handle the big stump.  Luckily though, it pulled through.  There were many times where the wood was definitely a little tough to burn through, but I'm definitely happy with how it turned out!  I wish I had taken a before picture of the stump before.....Oops!

Check out the progress as I burned away...

The sketch I came up with...I definitely needed to get some inspiration from camping inspired clipart
Slowly burning away...
Still burning...
Yay!  It's done!!!!
Thanks Stacey for sending me the picture!  Here is where it is at her trailer! :)

Enjoy what's left of the "long weekend" everyone!

A.A.



Saturday 23 August 2014

New painting

Well I'm happy to announce that this painting safely arrived in Manitoba.  I'm always uncomfortable shipping anything anywhere.....because....well....we know how reliable Canada Post is...I haven't had many good experiences with their services, can you tell?

Luckily though, this painting made it to its destination safe and sound!

Actually, my friend Rita had asked if I could create a personalized painting for her newest little bundle of joy (Jackson), similar to the one I created several years ago for her oldest son Ben.  So, I was more than happy to get started on it.  I kind of wish I had been able to get it there before he was born though....Oops!

I just used acrylic on canvas (my favourite type of paint) and bought some wooden letters from Michael's Arts & Crafts store.  I had to paint the letters black and then glue them on with a glue gun once the painting was entirely dry.

You might remember Ben's painting from several years ago:


And here is Jackson's painting:



Enjoy the last few days of summer everyone!

A.A.

Tuesday 5 August 2014

Can't get enough of owls this year!

I can't believe I forgot to post this before I went away on vacation...
I guess I was in a rush to get out of this "cold" weather and into some actual summer weather...

Before I left I had a baby shower to attend for my good friend, Sarah.  She was hoping to have an owl themed nursery for the little girl she has on the way...and you know me, I like to create!  So...I put together a couple of little owls for her nursery.  Her nursery colours are: Purple and grey with lime green as the accent colour (how fantastic are those colours together?!).  For these little owls I just used acrylic paint on canvas.

Here are some pictures to illustrate how they turned out!

Enjoy!

A.A.

Just starting out...
The first little owl
The second little owl
Both little owls together

















Wednesday 16 July 2014

Two blog posts in one week...it must be summertime!

Well the other day, the boyfriend said he needed to get a frame for a picture of us from my sister's wedding.  However...I got thinking.....and I told him not to worry, I'd come up with something.

Picture frames are a fantastic gift for anybody, and there are a million ways to make them personal! All you need is a quote and some art and craft supplies!

For this particular frame, I got the picture idea from something I saw online....and found the quote online as well....but I drew it out on the wooden frame and grabbed by wood burning kit and burned away. Of course I had to be super careful though...because I usually used the tapered tip for writing....and guess what decided to break as I was in the middle of working away?  That is correct...the tapered tip.....and, in a rush I went to Michaels, but they were out of those replacement kits....so I had to make do with another tip.

Now, because I'm a perfectionist, I may have "goofed up" on the first one and redid it entirely...

But, either way, I'm definitely happy with the end result!  And, my boyfriend loved it!  The best part of this project?  The frame is only $1.50!


And now back to painting...

A.A.

Monday 14 July 2014

I can't believe I didn't post this yet!

So the wedding happened a week ago and I can't believe I didn't post a picture yet!

Believe it or not, I did take a couple "before" burning shots...However, my phone is ridiculous and I think on the outs...so the photos didn't save...And because of this, all I have is an "after" shot.

I used my usual wood burning kit and a wood piece I purchased from Michaels.  Whatever you do, always make sure you sketch it out lightly on a piece of wood before actually diving in.

*Another helpful little tip:  Use compressed air to blow all the eraser shavings out of the areas where you've done your wood burning (after you've gone over your sketching and erased the lines).

This is what I made for a part of my sister's wedding gift:



Enjoy!

A.A.


Sunday 22 June 2014

Urgh..I know....not many updates!

Life has been a little too hectic lately.....

But....I was finally able to do something artsy!  (THANK GOD!).  And soon I'll have a bit more time during the day to dabble in the arts again for a few weeks!  Woohoo!  So I'm sure I can come up with a few more posts over the next few weeks....

My sister's one shower theme was "cupcakes..." so part of the gift was a little cupcake canvas (I'll post a pic below).  You should have seen how frustrated I became....I re-did the canvas 3 times because I didn't like it.  I'm not a perfectionist at all.........

I have to admit..I kept getting stumped on how I wanted the background to look, what colour to do the cupcake liner, etc.  I already knew what colour I wanted the icing to be.....so that wasn't an issue....but enough babbling from me....

Here is the final canvas!



Sunday 16 March 2014

Another little project...

So it was my Mom's 50th birthday this past week….and I decided to make something a little personal for her.

So, I busted out the wood burner and invested some time into some pyrography.

This is a super easy project..but the wood on these frames isn't easy to burn…I will warn everyone.  But a very inexpensive gift to make for anyone.  All you need is a wood burning kit, pencil and eraser, and a wooden frame (they're $1.50 each at Michaels).

There are several different ones to choose from

All I did was sketch out the picture I wanted to burn onto the frame lightly.  I say lightly because you may change your mind (says an indecisive individual) and want to change the design slightly...or entirely….as you go along.

After you've sketched out your drawing and you are sure you are happy with it, plug in the wood burner and let it warm up for about 10 minutes or so.  You definitely need the HOTTEST setting for this wood.

Once it's heated you may carefully begin burning your design.

I didn't bother varnishing this frame.  Although, I did think about using some paint and making a washed colour overtop of it..but I opted to keep it natural.

Here's the final result!

I hope she likes it!

A.A.

Sunday 9 March 2014

Part of a little wedding gift I made...

So I wanted to make something personal to go with the rest of the gift I had for one of my really good friends.  I was also in the mood to do some wood burning….so I decided to create a name sign (the gift was for a wedding).

Wish you could create something similar?  It's not difficult and wood burning (also known as pyrography) is a lot of fun.

Here's what you need:

  • Wood
  • Pencil/eraser (for sketching)
  • Wood Burning Tool kit with a variety of ends (I use the Walnut Hollow Creative Versa Tool kit.  Buy it at Michaels when there's a 50% off coupon.  http://www.amazon.ca/Walnut-Hollow-23906-Creative-Versa-Tool/dp/B000VRRBRM)
  • Varnish
  • Sandpaper
First, decide on what you want the final image to look like and sketch it lightly on the wood.
Next, start burning away.
Then sand down any rough edges you may have.
Varnish.

Enjoy!
See.  It's easy!  You just have to have the patience to spend a few hours creating it on a Sunday afternoon.  

Here's the final product:

I hope Pat & Dawn like it :)
A.A.

Sunday 2 March 2014

Just some pictures

Well I will have something to post next week, but because it's a gift, I can't quite post it yet (well, that and it's not quite finished yet…).

So…in order to tie people over (and because I've had NO time to do any art because of the insanity that is called work), I'm just going to put up a couple of pictures I've taken over the years.

Photo of my sister in the style of Annie Leibovitz

Just a little editorial type fashion piece

Enjoy!
A.A.

Sunday 9 February 2014

I know it's been a while…but….

I finally finished Report Cards…..and that's what I've been buried under for the past several weeks…marking and report cards…the joy of being a teacher…..

So to tie you over…I decided to throw up some old photos I've taken in the past.  I apologize if I've thrown any of these images up before…..but photography used to be huge passion for me.  I still enjoy it…but i just don't have the time I wish I had to actually put into it these days…

So here are a 2 photos from a few years ago now…

The pansies were taken at my cottage and then I played in Photoshop to make it look like a painting….



The picture of my sister in pop-art style was also finalized in Photoshop.



Enjoy!