Pay It Forward...

I'm participating in a swap on Swap-Bot. In this swap one of the suggestions is to host a networking blog post to show everyone the blogs that are participating in the swap. Hopefully all the collected readers of each participant's blog will find a gem or two in the blogroll that they'll want to continue following. I thought this was a great idea so I'm going to do my first annual "Pay It Forward Network Blog Post". :o) I thought I'd include a list of the blogs I visit and enjoy and some of the resource links I use on a regular basis along with a list of all the participants of the swap I'm in.

This is the list of blogs from my Swap-Bot group blog swap. Maybe you'll find a Gem you like!

1. Watercolors by Mimi Torchia Boothby - She does beautiful work!
2. Olivia Arrow's Blog - Olivia has such a wonderful way of writing, she's also talented in a myriad of things. Go enjoy her lovely blog please, her art is wonderful. I always especially love artists.
3. Our Host's Blog! - Thanks so much for hosting this wonderful swap!!
4. Sugar Crawler - She has a wonderfully happy blog "voice" and her zest for both cake and life is infectious. Please be warned though, you'll want cake before you leave her site!! :o)
5. In Search Of Exceedingly Good Baked Goods - A great food blog, yummy!!
6. Crafty Carrie - She makes happy little stuffies to trade, they're so cute!
7. Careless In The Care Of God - April is doing a 101 things in 1001 days, what a challenge!
8. In The Attic - Her blog is sweet and enjoyable.
9. I Don't Care If Monday's Blue - Celine is fun, go read her ramblings about life.
10. Ms. Lovender - Follow a pictorial of this 20 something's life.
11. Kelly's Place - This is what Kelly Lynn says about her blog... "This is my place (Kelly's Place) to talk about my projects and inspirations. A record of ideas and pictures of all the fun things and adventures I have!! :)"  Kelly is a pleasure to read and a terrific crafter! Go look.
12. Faith, Hope, Love - a personal blog giving us a glimpse of her inner turmoil.
13. Peacefully Chaotic - Such a fun lady who writes about everything in her life, from crafts to music.
14. Give Time Or Money - a blog dedicated to bringing you easily accessible ideas about how to give and help more. Wow, I'm so impressed with this one. Extraordinary. 

Here are the blogs I visit regularly. They're fun, entertaining, amazing and easy to read. I admit a few of them haven't updated in a while but I hold out hope as their previous stuff is so awesome. Maybe if we all cross our fingers... ;o)

1. Hyperbole And A Half
2. Joy The Baker
3. Kimminita
4. Star, Simplified
5. Flutter
6. You've Got To Be Kidding Me.
7. Pen & Paper
8. Pearl, Why You Little...
9. Flying Saucer Jones
10. The Wheel Is Turning, But The Hamster Is Dead
11. The Rotten Fish Of The Sea
12. 365 Days Of People

This is my list of artist's blogs that I especially enjoy... They all make beautiful art.

1. Shirley Schmidt at Watercolors by Shirley
2. Sinclair Stratton at Sinclair Stratton 
3. Annelein Beukenkam at Watercolors
4. Mitsy at Artmind Etcetera
5. Elizabeth Chapman at Color Splashes 
6. Ben Heine at Ben Heine
7. Ginette Callaway at Ginette Fine Art 
8. Thaneeya McArdle at Thaneeya McArdle
9. Anne-Lockard Huskey at El Milagro Studio
10. Joan McKasson at Joan McKasson Watercolor Artist
11. Alisa at Alisa Paints
12. Carolee Clark at Carolee S. Clark
13. Chris Beck at I'm Painting As Fast As I Can
14. Showcasing many talented artists at Brush, Paper, Water.

Here's a list of all the useful places I've found on my journeys through the web. 

1. Check the load time of your blog here.
2. Add a border to any digital picture here.
3. Find a definition or I use it to find a better word for what I want to say... go here.
4. Go here for a laugh. ;o)
5. Go here to participate in a world wide book hunt, for free! So Cool!
6. Make a mosaic here. (share your mosaic every Tuesday with Mitzy at Artmind)
7. Get a stat counter here. It can even be invisible on your blog!
8. Participate in both online and snailmail swaps here. (I'm Jaemac on Swap-Bot, btw. :o)
9. Go here to learn how to put several pictures in a row in a blog post if you use Blogger.
10. Enter to win stuff here. How lucky are you?
11. Get a grade (from A to F) for your blog, just go here and put in your site name.
12. Go here and get this app for free, it allows you to capture anything you want to off the web!
13. Try this game, it's totally addicting and you even learn & keep your mind active too.
14. Go here, learn how to bid on an auction and win stuff for amazing prices, for serious!!

Ok, that's everything I have. Whew! I hope you all enjoy the exploration. I would love it if any of you want to leave fun, interesting, useful or entertaining links for me in the comments. You can even leave your own blog! I'd be interested in visiting you all. I love new links to follow, especially interesting and useful, fun to read stuff. I hope the links above are that kind of good. So, grab your mouse and get clicking!

I hope to hear from you all soon. :o)

Get In Line!

1. We are one family, 2. Windowsill FGR 2.0 HBW, 3. Brighton Beach Huts February 2009, 4. Pear Parade

This mosaic seemed appropriate this week since I've spent the last few days going down the line of blogs  on a blog hop swap from Swap-bot. It was such fun learning about other people from their blogs. I especially love the artist's blogs, of course! :o) Tomorrow I'll be doing a link list of all the places and links I go to on the web plus a list of all the people's blogs I've gone to this past weekend. Hopefully you all will enjoy some of the blogs and find new friends. 

If you want to participate in this Flickr favorites mosaic please go to Mitsy's blog at Artmind. Speaking of artist's blogs, she rocks!!

Flotsam & Jetsam Retread

I have a bunch of little stuff to post about so I thought I'd chuck it all into the "stockpot" and see what kind of soup we can make. First, here are a few bookmarks I've been fiddling with. The left and right ones are Zentangles on one side and an abstract watercolor that I cut up on the other. The middle one started as a practice background that was crying out for the addition of a subject and then I zentangled the back of it. 

How much should I charge for a bookmark?? I was thinking something in the range of $8-$10. Do you think that's too much or to little or just right? (Jeez, now I sound like Goldilocks! Hehehe.) Should I add tassels to them? Do you all like tassels on your bookmarks? I'd love it if you'd leave suggestions in the comments section. Ooh, I'm giving you guys jobs! ;o)

The second thing I wanted to mention is my number of followers. Did you notice that I'm getting close to 100 followers?? Ya! Me too!! I can't believe it. I'm so thrilled. I love my followers (all you people are so great!), so I certainly think it's appropriate that I do a 100 follower giveaway. I'm thinking a painting, some handmade earrings or maybe even a bracelet, a bookmark... maybe a sketchbook with a drawing pencil to inspire the artist inside us all. (Post Script: I'm now AT 100, wow!! Now I gotta get on that giveaway... I take suggestions on what you'd all like to win!)

I'll give the prizes some thought this weekend. OH! I have another question, since you'all will be commenting about the bookmarks anyway. If you were to purchase a piece of art from me at my Etsy store, what size would you be more apt to want? I am trying to decide what sizes to do usually so I can have matting for a couple of sizes on hand at all times. I want to do 5"x7" for sure, with matting the pieces would be 8"x10". The other size I was thinking of is 9"x12", with matting it would be  12"x16". Is that too small?? Should I do 12"x16" then with matting it would be 16"x20"? The question that goes with the larger size is: would you pay for shipping of $15 with that because of the size?? Anyways, I appreciate all your input. Seriously. Thank you. 

We'll talk soon, K? 

Hosta La Vista, Baby!

So, as promised, here's my Hosta drawing. I haven't decided what to do next but it was requested by it's future owner (read: Mom) that I take pictures to show it's changes as I continue to finish it. Part of me wants to continue with either pen & ink or pencil and leave it black and white. Another part thinks I could then do a watercolor background. Or... I could paint the whole thing using watercolors. Or... I could use the copic markers to flesh out the leaves and stems then watercolor the background. Grrr... I don't know which direction to choose!

Title: "Hosta #1"
Medium: Pen & Ink

The one thing I do know is that I love the drawing. I'm so thrilled at how it came out. It's the first time I've done anything "plein air". (definition: Term used for paintings or drawings made directly from nature and infused with a feeling of the open air.) It was great!! I just sat down in the garden and drew the beautifully undulating Hosta in front of me. And it looked JUST like that. I'm still smiling from the experience. I thought I'd have trouble drawing directly from nature. I can't wait to do it again. I'll have to put a travel watercolor kit on my Christmas list. (I'll have to research the best one too. Any suggestions from fellow artists would be welcome!)

Ok, next!!

I had the before and after of this painting so I thought I'd show and tell. I did this last week when I was experimenting and learning about backgrounds. I seem to have an issue with wasting paper so I decided I'd draw a quick rose before doing the background around it so it could be a painting instead of just a pretty but quite useless background, lol. I LOVED how the background turned out. I felt after this one that I was finally starting to "get" how to leave some spaces and fill in others. 

Now with the rose added, I'm even more thrilled. I can't believe the background stood up to the powerful rose and didn't need any retouching to give it oomph. I guess it means I did it right. :o) Doing a little happy dance. So far I've named it "Bi-color Rose" but that title kind of sucks. I'll take suggestions on names, though. What would you name it?

We'll talk soon. I have a post coming up probably this week with a lot of links, places I go, blogs I enjoy etc. so come back for that and of course... more art!

Egress: Doors & Windows

1. the funny green door, 2. paint me, 3. Y FFENEST, 4. blue door with heart, 5. Window Garden, 6. The town that invented the yo-yo, 7. door 212, 8. Barcelona - Creu dels Molers 035 c, 9. RGB - Barcelona

It's Tuesday and therefore mosaic day with Artmind. This last week mom and I have been overhauling the apartment because of the new iPad I bought her. She gets to get rid of a huge cabinet in her room. This overhaul of her room "spilled" over into my room then the rest of the large apartment. Think of it as an overdue Spring cleaning of sorts. With all the furniture repositioning etc., I strained my back and have been down for the count through the weekend. Because of this I've been sitting on the couch in a slight medicated haze watching my mom clean windows. That's what inspired this mosaic. 

It's quite amazing when one looks out a newly clean window, how beautiful and sparkly one's garden looks. Don't get me wrong, the windows weren't filthy, but the haze from dust etc. that's been blowing around outside lately made for less than stellar views. I like newly cleaned windows, thank God I was "high" on anti-inflamitories, which helped mitigate the guilt that usually bubbles up from just watching instead of helping with the cleaning. Oh, and just so no one worries, I'm fine, all better. :o) 

And now I have a newly organized room for painting, mom has a newly de-cluttered room and an iPad and we both can look out sparkly windows and see amazingly green Hosta plants in the garden. Lucky. About those Hostas, by the way? I have a drawing to show. Keep your eyes peeled for a new post very soon. 

Talk Later? Yes! (I'll bring the gluten free cookies, I have a fantastic new recipe!!)

Finally Achieving Success!

I did it. Finally. Whew! It only took me 6 months, but I have finally produced and adequately good abstract painting. Yippee!! I actually really like it. I'm always surprised how difficult it is to produce an abstract piece. I know in my head it's difficult, the fact that it looks easy is a ruse. But when I go to paint one I still think I'll just whip it out and be done with it. Hehehe, ego, I guess.

I still need to learn to edit. Having more negative space (more white space) will dramatically improve the composition. Also, with more white space I'd be free to emphasize certain parts without feeling that I was going over the top and ruining the painting. This is titled Abstract "A". I'm going to go through the alphabet. :o)

Can we talk later? Yes? Good!

The Versatile Blogger Award

Before I get on to today's main topic I have a request from my blog followers. Yes, you lovely people out there reading me, I need a few seconds of your time.  I changed the widget I use for getting comments from the standard one that Blogger provides to the one from Disqus. I ask that you all who used the comments before I changed over to tell me if the new comments platform is keeping you from commenting. I need to know how everyone feels about the change. Do you hate it, love it, don't care??? I have a survey over in my sidebar ------->. It's waiting for some statitistical love. Hehehe. Please, please tell me about how you feel about my new comments widget. I have chocolate chip cookies for bribes. ;o)

Ok, onward and upward, peoples.
Sometimes I get the feeling someone up there is sending me messages. Seriously, twice in the same day I've been told I'm wonderfully versatile in my artistic and blogging style.

The award was given to me by Julie, her blog is named Jewelsartyblog. She's a wonderful painter so it's especially great to get a blogging award from a fellow artist. Thank you so much Julie, your words really encourage me. Now, to fulfill the award rules I have to tell you all seven little known things about me.

Seven Things You Don't Know About Me:

1. I don't understand how to use Facebook. I know this makes me a freak, I accept that. I can't figure it out so I mostly don't use it. Every time I try again I get so frustrated I could scream.
2. I'm so easy going that I sometimes let less than stellar people walk all over me. I just don't see the point of getting angry or upset if someone's late or forgets to send something, or other usually annoying behavior. It just doesn't bother me. This means that people who have few morals can take advantage of me. I try to guard against that by being picky about friends.
3. I hum under my breath all the time. I nearly always have some melody playing in my head so I find myself humming to it constantly. The good thing is I don't think anyone can hear me because I do it so low.
4. I haven't talked to or seen my father in more than 15 years. He was abusive and when my mom and he got divorced I decided it was better for me to break off my relationship with him. Self preservation, I'm rather proud of myself for that good decision.
5. I completed High school one year earlier than all my classmates because I fast-tracked but it took me an extra year to get my University degree. I moved home after my third year and I switched to the University of Victoria. But they required 2 years of matriculation under their "roof" so I repeated a year to qualify for graduation. 
6. I can't spell my way out of a paper bag. If it wasn't for spell check you all would think I was stuuuupid. Hehehe.
7. I love gummy worms. In fact, I love all gummy candy. It's up there as one of my favorite things, along with chocolate and shrimp. But not together.

That's it, whew! New art tomorrow, promise. I just have to write the blog post, I have the art. :o)
Please don't forget to take my survey!! Thanks everyone, I do love your comments.


Talk soon, K?