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Cat Breeds A-Z

2012-02-13T11:08:00.001-06:00

Welcome little British Shorthair!

Fun ATC swap- swapbot.com

Ingredients:
Watercolor paper
Gesso
Micron 01 black ink pen
Watercolor pan- angora
#4 cotman Windsor&Newton brush

XOXO
Willow

Minnii Woodland Animals

2012-02-10T22:17:00.001-06:00

Okay, so this is a nonsense name I came up with after being inspired by the kawaii cute animals... (Minnii - like Minnesota) hahaha.
Anyway- here are the Winter & Spring versions now that Cal & I are on an drawing kick!
Woohoo!!

Newest ATC's

2012-02-10T12:51:00.001-06:00

Ready to trade? Here are some fun little Woodland Animals to inspire you!
Fun to make:
Watercolor paper
Sakura black ink pen .01
Corner punch
Sakura watercolor tubes
Brushes
Water
Glitter Mod Podge (optional)
Send me a message if you're ready to swap cards. These are easy to make and great to decorate kids rooms :)
Can't wait to see what you make!!
XOXO
Willow

Zentangle Pattern: Drangonair

2012-01-17T18:04:00.001-06:00

Hello,
Here is some Zentangle fun right from tanglepattern.com
Or go right to Norma's blog:
http://fairytangles.blogspot.com/2011/10/dragonair-tangle.html
To learn how to make your own :)
Have fun!
XOXO

Willow

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-02T17:36:00.001-06:00

Here's a little painting fun for the new year 2012!!
XOXO
Willow

You'll need:
Watercolor paper
Watercolors
Rubbing alcohol
Staz-on black ink
Archival permanent black pen
Sparkle modpodge
Gold ink (for edges)

Happy Holidays 2011

2011-12-24T13:31:00.001-06:00

Peace & love to you all!
XOXO
Willow

Hello!

2011-10-10T11:55:00.001-05:00

smarty-pants owls

2011-10-10T11:34:00.001-05:00

These little guys were inspired by a swap-bot ATC swap.
Ingredients:
Watercolor paper
Gesso
Corner rounder
Pigment ink in Chocolate
Vintage book pages
StazOn Jet Black ink
White charcoal
Black china marker
Telly Roll clear stardust
Souffle in opaque white
Sparkle MOD Podge
Dimensional paper glaze
Paint brushes
Ink stamps
Scissors
Patterned paper
Bookbinding glue
Directions:
1.Cut paper 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 to make the card or purchase some readymade ATC blanks.
2. Liberally paint white opaque gesso in vertical strokes to prime the cards.
Let dry throughly.
3. Glue on a strip of interesting book page to the bottom 1/4 of the page. Let dry completely.
4. Clip the corners once dry.
5. Ink the surface to emphasize the textures of the dry gesso
and paper.
6. Cut out your subject and glue to attach. Let it dry.
7. Paint glitter glue on to create balance. Let dry.
8. When dry draw around the main subject with white charcoal and then black china marker.
9. Accent with Sakura Stardust pen.
10. Add elements with black ink and stamps.
11. Add drops of dimensional paper glaze to eyes and elements to emphasize. Dry.
12. Top off the dry glaze with opaque pen.

You did it! Now make another! Sign, title, date, and number each one. They are collector items-fun to create, trade, and collect!

XOXO
Willow

Little Bit of Boo!

2011-10-08T11:06:00.001-05:00

1. Hand carved stamps... Fun to do!
2. StazOn black ink
3. White ink (opaque)
4. Clear dimensional paint
5. Decorative paper
6. Book pages
7. White acrylic gesso
I veered from my bookmaking glue and used a glue stick to put these together...and it worked great!

Autumn ATC

2011-09-23T14:24:00.001-05:00

Hello Autumn!
Here's a little Artist Trading Card I'm sending out today to my Swap-bot buddy! Hope she likes it!

Materials:
Strathmore Bristol ATC blank
Vintage book page
Green and brown gouache paint
Shimmer mist
Staz-on black ink
Josie Cirincione's rubber stamp
Sakura jelly roll pen in clear stardust
PH neutral PVA bookbinders adhesive
Fun!

Artist Trading Cards

2011-08-17T17:32:00.001-05:00

Hello friends!
We've completed 5 weeks of art exploring...learning, making, sharing... Now what? Why not join an artists trading card group!? Fun! Yahoo and www.swap-bot.com both have groups of cReATiVe people just like you who want to stay inspired by swapping art. Just join a group and submit your work! Then open your mailbox and find worldly treasures awaiting you! I love them! Here are some snippets from our Tuesday night class to get you excited!
Great work everyone!
XOXO
Willow

Project Time

2011-08-10T08:39:00.001-05:00

I want to paint...now what?

2011-07-23T08:23:00.002-05:00

Painting is fun and a relaxing way to spend time focusing on the good things...color, light, shimmer, shine... But how do I get that? How can I have fun with paint!?

Explore the Possiblities!

2011-07-20T05:39:00.003-05:00

Our Tuesday night class completely filled up overnight! So, if you did not get a spot...you might live vicariously through some of our fun right here. I will be posting our official class syllabus and project examples as we go... so tune in for updates daily. Thanks! And, a big thanks to all my adult students who officially be came my new muse in less than 2. 5 hours of chit-chatting! I haven't been this excited about something healthy (Trader Joe's came out with some new chocolate that contains pecans, toffee, sea salt, and pure dark goodness that I've officially became obsessed with) for quite some time! I am so lucky to have you in my midst! Yay! Now, let's dive in to your creative potential and discover what fuels your drive to create!
XOXO
Willow

Artist Trading Card Fun!

2011-04-23T10:47:00.004-05:00

Journaling

got me back in the swing of things.... and ATC's seemed like the perfect way to try out some of the new techniques I was playing with. So, here are my newest (the last 2 months) trading cards still up for grabs. I just traded my last Sacred Heart... I'll hunt for a picture to post or, if you have one of the series please post a picture of it here. Fun!

Strathmore Journal Project

2011-02-07T18:48:00.003-06:00

Okay...
I found this fun project while researching the new trend of "Visual Journals"... It's something that all artists and creatives do without really thinking of it being a neat product. But, now it's a neat product. Hahahaha. So, of course I ran out... far out (we live in the smallest town ever)to grab one of these nifty journals. And I grabbed one so quickly that I totally missed that they come in a variety of paper types, so I got the "drawing" journal... not the Watercolor one like the first class instructor will tell you to grab. It's okay though, they're all great. The paper quality is amazingly thick and absorbent. I really liked journaling with mixed media on the plain pages before starting lesson one. And, because I happen to have some extra 140 lb. Strathmore watercolor paper laying around (lots of it actually) after my big obsession with cutting out freshly watercolored fruit and flowers for Etsy greeting cards... I just made my little collage on a piece cut to fit in the journal. Wonderful! I recomend this project to all of you. Even if you don't have a pile of old journals to use as a starting point, you can just start from scratch! Do it. Really. It's fun.

Coffee or tea?

2011-02-04T13:35:00.002-06:00

pomegranates and coffee cups

2011-02-04T12:56:00.002-06:00

For Love of Story and Art…

2011-01-18T13:40:00.006-06:00

I fell in love with these books! (Now I’m an ambassador for the publisher ...barefoot books :). I just love the illustrations and the imaginative stories! Yea! Follow the link below if you want to shop from my storefront. Have fun!

xoxox Willow

http://www.willowpaint.barefootbooks.com/

reindeer card FUN!

2010-12-22T20:04:00.004-06:00

I was sending out cards cut from old Starbucks cardboard cozies before painting this little series of funny google-eyed rudolphs. I love them! If you got an upcycled paper cut tree instead of one of these cute little guys... I'm so sorry! Hahaha!

New Painting Fun!

2010-11-18T12:05:00.002-06:00

the ole studio

2010-10-15T01:30:00.004-05:00

I was up thinking about the clean fresh canvas in the back seat of my car and ran across this little tidbit about my Minneapolis studio published in Hand Made MN. Okay, I do kind of miss those long cold winters where you were forced to paint for hours indoors. Yep, I said it. You win. Minnesota is a beautiful mess of cold, wet, crisp, long, dark hours that keep art important.

Golden Acrylic Mediums

2010-08-25T18:31:00.004-05:00

Local artist Brenda péo gave these Golden gel mediums to play with this week! I'm so excited!

Fresh from the studio!

2010-08-13T13:28:00.001-05:00

Patinting fun @ Simply Jane in Minneapolis!

2010-07-13T17:47:00.003-05:00

We had so much fun at Simply Jane's studio today!

who painted this?

2010-03-15T17:03:00.000-05:00

calla's art

2010-03-14T19:07:00.000-05:00

Calla was inspired by our trip to Tubac a few weeks ago. She came home and painted this before going to bed.

plein crazy!

2010-03-07T17:59:00.000-06:00

Definitely not a “plein” day… and not a fair weather day either. Local artist Alix Orton invited me to paint with her outside today. With paints in hand I hiked up the hill, happily to discover that she was working closer to my house than I thought we would be. At this point we were both laughing at the wind that was progressively picking up speed, and carrying off our materials piece by piece. However that did not stop us from thoroughly enjoying the moment with each other and the beautiful scene. We drew, painted, and chatted about art for close to 2 hours in the freezing gusts until finally the wind won and blew my palette across the desert into a small shrubby cactus. Barely able to maneuver our chairs and easels against the wind, we finally made it back to warmth…

Definition:
A painting done outside rather than in a studio is called a “plein air” painting. The term comes from the French en plein air, meaning 'in the open air'. The Impressionists were particularly interested in the influence of changing light outdoors on color.

Burrrr!

Freedom.

2008-09-27T17:44:00.006-05:00

Thank You Karen Faulkner!

2008-09-22T21:49:00.007-05:00

Here are the details...

I love Karen's work... And these are the 2 that she is sending me... after I shopped in her etsy shop all night! What fun I had! Thanks so much Karen! Keep up the good work!

Original Art by Karen Faulkner

"Crimson Petals" is a 2008 original watercolor painting on 5x7 inch (landscape orientation) 140 lb. hot pressed paper.

"Blossom" is a 2008 original ACEO watercolor painting, 2.5 x 3.5 inches on 140 lb. cold pressed paper. It is initialed on the front and signed and dated on the back.

Check out the whole shop at:
karenfaulknerart.etsy.com

New Cards!

2008-09-02T23:36:00.004-05:00

My creative block finally snapped! And, look what came out this week! Yep, after cleaning up the studio and teaching the Paper Arts classes at ArtiCulture I finally had some fun painting! Acrylics (mostly left over from a painting class a few years ago...) came in really handy to make this fun new paper! Then, like always... I cut it up in cute little shapes to embellish my cards! What fun... you must try it! Keep your eye out for new fun colors and textures...I'm just getting started!

Acrylics are fun!

2008-08-29T13:01:00.001-05:00

Sale!

2008-08-27T10:16:00.002-05:00

...fall sale...free secondary shipping...lower prices!

Paper Fun!

2008-08-14T21:53:00.002-05:00

Paper art..... Paper fun...... Come play with me next week at ArtiCulture (at the new space) for some exciting experimenting with paper, pulp, and more!

drawing for ATC's

2008-08-06T15:16:00.004-05:00

Hey all! Let's do a drawing! I would like to try this in attempt to promote my shop at Etsy and just for fun. I have started making Artist Trading Cards to trade with fellow Etsy crafters, and anyone else that is interested. I would like to send one of my "Peachy" cards out to one lucky blogger.
Who will it be? Let's start the comments today, and wrap it up when I return from vacation. I will pick one name on Wednesday, August 13th from the hat and send it out to you! (don't forget to leave your email address or blog info so I can contact you. Also, you could leave a general comment on this post or comment on something about ATC's. I am new to this and learning, so any info is gladly accepted! :)
Thanks!

quote

2008-07-30T20:43:00.001-05:00

Life is our teacher. Life communicates with us all the time and it is a lesson to see how life continuously has led me to the people I need to met, to the situations I need to experience, and to the places I need to be. There has never been any real reason to worry since all small individual rivers are already on their way to the ocean, to the Whole. It is not about swimming, it is about relaxing and to float with the river in a basic trust that life already leads towards the sea of consciousness, towards the Whole.

-Swami Dhyan Giten

Watch Your Paint!

2008-07-29T09:58:00.003-05:00

Reading labels is fun, especially when you have a toddler running around the house.
They get in to everything! And, everything potentially ends up in the mouth. So, check your paint to make sure it's safe... and toss the dangerous reds and yellows (they will have warnings on them) before someone eats them. If someone has a list of all the yucky paints, please feel free to post it here too. I went through my paints a few years ago and did it. It's sad to waste paint, but when it's dangerous to your family it's not worth keeping. Have fun tossing!

ATC's

2008-07-28T13:18:00.003-05:00

I love these! I just learned how to make them and did my first swap!
Pictured is a series of 12 (you see 9 of them) peachy fun Artist Trading Cards!
The front features my work, and on the back is contact information, my signature, date, and the number 1/12- 12/12! I can't wait to start trading art cards with all the talented artists out here! Please feel free to contact me if you want to swap. Fun!

The Process

2008-07-01T19:42:00.004-05:00

PaInT...CuT...AsSeMbLe!

Summer Weddings

2008-07-01T08:14:00.004-05:00

Let's make a Wedding card!

1. First choose your card stock. (I used a healthy sheet of textured green)
And make sure you are painting on quality watercolor paper (nothing is more fun to cut or paint on than a fine 140 lb. cold press cotton paper!) Yummy!
2. Now with a blunt tipped brush dipped in red, paint 2 heart shapes. Remember to add some shimmer to your paint if you like that sort of thing! :) Fun!
3. Use your handy-dandy heat tool to dry the paintings quickly. And then cut out your newly created hearts.
4. For the card you'll need a smaller sheet of white 80lb card stock and a slightly larger sheet of translucent vellum. I used a 4 1/2" square sheet of white card stock and the overlay is about 5" square. put a dab of adhesive to hold the 2 sheets together.
5. You can pre cut the edges of the vellum using a pair of scalloped edge scissors, or you can skip this step until after you stitch it.
6. Using sticky adhesive (I like Xyron) place your hearts on the vellum and stitch some stems around them. This will hold all the layers together.
7. Now you're ready to assemble your card. Stick the heart layers on the textured card blank, stamp "grow" with black acrylic paint on silver metallic card stock. Pop that on with some adhesive and a staple (to hold the wire stand on).
8. Finally pop in a decorative brad at the corner and stamp "together" inside your card.
9. You did it! :) Great job!

ArtiCulture Wants Your Work!

2008-06-26T19:50:00.003-05:00

ArtiCulture is having a grand opening event on September 27th!
Come enjoy this event with us!
Help us raise funds for scholarships, and for the big move to
2615 Franklin Ave. E. in the Seward neighborhood.
Submissions should be 5x7 and 8x10 unframed and unmounted.
The deadline to submit your art donation is August 15th.
Then the committee will choose from what is submitted to create a fun show for the party!
This will be a great time to invest in some fabulous art!
See you there :)

tea party fun!

2008-06-26T19:36:00.002-05:00

The tea party was a hit! Yummy treats, sweet teas, and summer fun!

update time

2008-06-09T15:00:00.003-05:00

Hi!
Well... we're back from AZ... and getting used to being damp and cold again!
We had so much fun this Spring with our Arizona family and friends! I wish we could have done more traveling to see everyone...and I wish we could have stayed through June! Next time!
If you're looking for some painting fun, see www.articulture.org for my new Summer camps and teacher workshops! Fun for everyone!
See you soon!
Willow

cascabel fun

2008-04-18T17:38:00.003-05:00

Well...
Painting is fun, especially when you get to do it together!
Look who came to paint with us! Watercolors and sun... some of my favorite things!

go girls!

2008-04-11T21:14:00.003-05:00

Can you spot the Coral snake?

2008-04-11T11:30:00.004-05:00

This beautiful necklace was made by Peter Edgell www.delightsearthlydelights.com
(see the link below) and inspired by a REAL Coral snake he found on a walk! Yikes!
I love it!

Flowers for Mom

2008-04-08T14:02:00.008-05:00

Etsy Greetings is doing a Mother's Day promotion on Etsy! Buy your Mom a greeting card and receive free shipping on any 2nd purchase in the same store! Yea!
Have fun shopping! Check back soon to see what I found for my Mom! I'll post it here on paintingfun!

...come and join our painting fun!

2008-04-05T14:59:00.000-05:00

pottery fun!

2008-04-05T14:28:00.000-05:00

look who came over for some painting fun!

2008-04-05T14:26:00.000-05:00

paint always looks better in the sun!

2008-04-05T14:21:00.000-05:00

Painting fun in sunny Arizona!

2008-04-05T14:20:00.000-05:00

Etsy :: paintingfun :: Paper, Paint, Scissors, Rock!

2008-03-30T17:40:00.000-05:00

Etsy :: paintingfun :: Paper, Paint, Scissors, Rock!

life together

2008-03-22T16:58:00.001-05:00

pass the cherries please

2008-03-22T10:02:00.001-05:00

Thanks!

2008-03-20T07:19:00.002-05:00

Thank you for your responses... and so quickly!

Laurie! Check your mail box on Saturday...
I'll post the actual card when the paint's dry!
Congratulations!!!
Enjoy!

Check back for more Free Art each Wednesday!

And, have a great day :)

Free Art!

2008-03-19T20:08:00.003-05:00

Just subscribe to my blog and post a comment on one of the posts (pictures) about my new painting fun @ Etsy! If you are the first one to do this (subscribe and post) you will win one of my handmade cherry cards! I can't wait to see who posts first!

Glitter

2008-03-17T08:51:00.000-05:00

who knew this stuff could be so much fun...

So Sweet

2008-03-16T00:59:00.000-05:00

Check out my new cards on Etsy!
www.paintingfun.etsy.com

A spring hike

2008-03-14T13:35:00.000-05:00

I love these!

2008-03-11T19:17:00.000-05:00

Etsy fun!

2008-03-11T14:15:00.000-05:00

Finally!
Painting fun is painting for Etsy!
Check out my cherry cards @
www.paintingfun.etsy.com

Blueberry Tree

2008-02-19T20:14:00.000-06:00

Medium: bright washable tempra paint Artist: Calla

Ok, here it is!

2008-01-28T22:07:00.000-06:00

my fused plastic bag creation!

2008-01-28T22:05:00.000-06:00

Fused Plastic Bags!

2008-01-28T14:01:00.000-06:00

Seems slightly toxic... breathing in hot melting plastic bag fumes... but crack a window and let's go for it! (I'll post any research I find that states any harm in this process) But, for now it's a great way to compact those pesky bags and make something fun and Eco-friendly. Who knows :)
Okay, after reading the Etsy lab I just had to try it (check back later for a photo) for myself. How fun! I am going to have to work on a way to add paint. I'll solve this, just give me some time.
Okay- Check out the Lab and stay tuned for the photo of my B.A.G. !! Love it!
Willow

Make this!

2008-01-21T12:30:00.001-06:00

Paper-cut rat anyone?
Step one: Find some red paper to recycle into a functional art form. Really.
Step two: Draw a rat outline and cut out (think silhouette here).
Step three: Subtract (using an craft knife or a sharp pair of scissors) eyes, ears, and other fun details to make it complete... I like paint!
Step four: Place your lucky rat in your window or on a door banner for good luck in 2008 :)...2008 is great! Have fun!

Toddler Art

2008-01-21T11:24:00.000-06:00

Most of the artwork that appears here has been created by myself or my more famous resident artist, Calla Jean.
Here is an early watercolor done on a nice cold press paper-

chinese new year project

2008-01-20T22:00:00.000-06:00

I realized that whatever art medium I'm working with I always have to add some paint. I love it! Today while cutting out paper rats (in preparation for the Chinese New Year 2008) I realized that I would not be able to leave them alone. They had to have gold shimmers wiped in their creases before (and after)being glued to a tissue-paper banner. Who knew? So fun! ... however it's not the traditional way to "finish" this sort of paper-cut art. Oh well!

2007-09-25T22:04:00.000-05:00

Well, here goes!