Tag Archives: redbubble

New Work, Techniques and Tutorials

Hand Drawn Damask Print Demo

I am a big fan of damask print. I know the design had a big moment about half a decade ago, but I’ve always loved it, especially since under the pattern umbrella there is so much variety. I always thought a snake would lend itself well to the curving, scrolled shape of a damask print but could never quite find exactly what I was looking for. When you can’t find the print you want, it’s time to make your own!

I used metallic ink and prismacolor pencils on black pastel paper that has a visible cross hatched texture to the surface. Since this sort of print only has one element to it that is repeated in an offset pattern, this was a relatively simple one to try for someone who is newer to creating all-over print.

I’m thrilled with how my snake damask turned out, and can’t wait to order a skirt or shirt for myself. To see more of my designs, visit my Redbubble Shop. Redbubble’s products are all reasonably priced and excellent quality – these art-covered wares make perfect holiday gifts. If you enjoyed the video showing how I created my print, please give me a follow! I will be posting some fun palette knife painting tutorials in the coming weeks as the weather gets colder and we find ourselves needing more indoor forms of entertainment.

For all my American friends out there, enjoy your Thanskgiving week, and thanks for stopping by my creative little corner of the world :).

Advertisement
Standard
Interior Design, Project Ideas

Back After Design Overload!

Ok, so I have not posted at all really in the last 2 months. Shown below is the reason why…

I mentioned in my long ago previous post that my boyfriend and I had just purchased our first home. Well, as you can see the interior is pretty retro, though sadly not in the cute, hip, etsy sort of way. We have been doing a lot of DIY renovations, and though stressful and time consuming, it has also been such a rewarding experience to put my design skills to the test and recreate a whole house interior to my own specific tastes (Well, almost my own. There was my boyfriend to consider as well, and yes, there were fights, but we still love each other <3.). It’s hard to believe it was only a year ago I was working with my parents on their bathroom renovations. Granted, my budget as a just starting out 20-something was quite different ;), but that’s where creativity comes in! Our home hardly resembles these before pictures now, and we are nearing the home stretch. I don’t want to post any photos until everything is completely transformed, so be sure to check back later for the big reveal.

I am a person who fancies many different aesthetics, so the hardest part was deciding exactly what way we wanted to go with our renovation. Here are some of my favorite DIY renovations I’ve spotted for each major room.

Living Room

modern-white-blowing-font-b-tree-b-font-font-b-wall-b-font-font-b-decal

Trees and other nature forms are one of my favorite accents for interiors because their shapes and sizes are limitless, and at least for me, bringing the outdoors in has calming qualities. Decals including the one shown above are available everywhere online, but can be pricey (This one would end up totaling $150 for all 3 pieces.). Simple branch forms are something even a non-drawer can put on their wall if they make a pattern or outline on the wall before painting. When you do it yourself, not only do you save money but you have more control over the color and shape of your design. A wall design should fill blank space to make a room look more balanced, and compliment the arrangement and flow of the furniture placement, as seen above.

Kitchen

If you spend any time on Pinterest, you will know that Scrapbooking paper has become as all purpose as duct tape. You can even use it to create a unique, artsy looking backsplash. Tile can be ultra expensive, but you can still get a fun tiled look using squares of scrapbooking paper, affixed and sealed with mod podge or any other clear sealer. From my experience, mod podge can sometimes still have a slightly “sticky” feel even after cured. There are a variety of other slightly more expensive sealers available at any local craft store that provide a better finish. It is key to use a gloss finish so any food splatters can be easily wiped off, and to remember that if your surface your are affixing the decoupage to is bumpy or rough, your finished design will be bumpy and rough. Sanding is your friend when affixing any sort of backsplash :).

Bathroom 

1420874190735

What’s great about this superhero themed bathroom from DIY Network is that once you repaint the shelving, change the accents, and switch out the comic book style artwork it can be re-themed at the home owner’s whim. I am a big fan of leaving the bones neutral so that you are not locked into a certain theme or style forever. Though this design was themed as a “little boy’s” bathroom, I personally believe it could also be a fantastic adult woman’s bathroom ;), and was actually planning on doing a superhero themed bathroom in our house until we happened to find a home with dreamy vintage floral wallpaper that we wanted to save.

Bedroom

our-humble-abode-blog-guest-bedroom

For whatever reason, I hate headboards. However, I am obsessed with finding ways to add extra shelving and storage in general. My boyfriend and I are both bibliophiles, so I thought this unique setup from Better Homes and Gardens was a great way to provide adequate shelving for books while staying space efficient, and giving a finished headboard look by bordering the top of the bed with blank wall. The sconces for extra reading light are a great functional idea as well.

Office

If you love color but don’t actually want to commit to rainbow walls, taping up paint swatches is an easily changeable idea. I love the creative genius vibe from the picture on the left, and can easily imagine notes and project ideas scribbled on each of the swatches as well, using the decoration as a kind of living idea board. If you find that look too chaotic, there is the more contained, orderly version on the right.

The final step in any interior re-do, which I will be starting on soon, is filling in with finishing touches such as artwork and other decor. These small final details often make the biggest impact in your space. Don’t just buy canvas prints from Bed Bath and Beyond, it is worth searching the online marketplace for original designs by working artists that are oftentimes more affordable and so much higher quality than mass produced, big box store pictures. Some wonderful sites include Redbubble, Society6, Zazzle, Ebay, and DeviantArt. It’s also worth checking out the Facebook marketplace if you use Facebook. I sell original artwork and prints on many of these sites, and have included links below. I also work with my art students, who are primarily adult artists with disabilities, in empowering them to market and sell their artwork in both our organization’s Ebay Store and Redbubble Shop. Besides art prints, many of the students enjoy glass and ceramics painting which make for great one-of-a-kind accent pieces.

Happy designing!

My Moongirl Designs Redbubble Shop

Moongirl Designs Ebay Store

Moongirl Designs Zazzle Store

Moongirl Designs Society6

Standard
Gifting, New Work

One More Series Reveal + More On Redbubble!

december she is connected to everything

Say hello to December – She Is Connected To Everything. What can I say, I’ve been on a roll lately. I don’t think I’ve ever finished so many different pieces 2 days at a time in my life … Granted, I haven’t been doing much of anything else in my free time, as the pile of dishes in the sink will tell onlookers ;). Though all the pieces in my current series I’ve been working on are similar in style and use of medium, I wanted to keep them different enough that each could stand alone as well. I went a lot softer and less graphic, high contrast with this piece. I even used some leftover dried moss I had purchased for a felt floral arrangement commission earlier this year in the girl’s woodland crown. There is something I never thought in a million years I’d ever use in one of my drawings!

rbpromounlimited

I have been getting all my series posted to my Redbubble Shop as well, available for print on a variety of gorgeous items. My series also finally has a name … Unlimited. Each individual piece has it’s own title and the works cover a variety of different themes, so coming up with one title to encompass the whole was a struggle. At it’s heart though, this series is about the best of humanity, and about the strength, curiosity, compassion, and vibrancy of women across time, nationality, and ability. It is about the common ground that unites us, and when people come together, they truly become unlimited.

Standard
Exhibitions and Other News

Material Girl – Artsy Gifts For All

… Just kidding, I actually can’t stand Madonna’s music, but it seemed an apt title to use when talking about all the fun artsy things I have for sale.

This past weekend the program I direct at Creative 360, Express Yourself Artshop, hosted an art and craft fair. A number of our students participated, and a fun time was had by all. I was having so much fun making stuff that as usual I went a bit overboard so I have a lot of surplus stock, which I have posted in my ebay store and will continue to add to.

I have two kinds of plushes, both incorporating unique upholstery fabrics and hand-sewn and hand-painted details along with vintage embellishments.

I also have hand-painted wooden art dolls that range from adorable, girly fashionably dressed characters to holiday themed and even some mermaids thrown in.

wp-1476225825598.jpg

In addition, you will find affordable art prints (including wallet size ACEO prints for $2.99!) and original pieces for sale, as well as a wide range of paper dolls. I’m up to over 10 different designs, and all the clothing is interchangeable which is super fun.

Fantasy Hero Layla Paper Doll Set
Zooey and Genesis Paper Doll Set

I also have two print-on-demand shops through Redbubble and Zazzle. I own a selection of products myself from both sites, and have been so impressed with the quality for a really affordable price. Both sites offer slightly different products and designs including jewelry pendants, clothing, mugs, tote bags, stickers and cards, notebooks and journals, phone and laptop cases, pillows and other home accessories, and more.

Peacock Decorative Pillow

Moongirl Designs Redbubble Shop

Peacock Button

Moongirl Designs Zazzle Store

It gets so tedious to shop anywhere the later into Fall it gets with the holidays coming up. With stores filled with grouchy, hurried people running into each other like bumper cars, I am a huge fan of online shopping. Plus, giving something people have never before in their journeys through big box stores will make you the coolest of gift givers for sure :).

I love supporting others’ art as well. Are there any shops on etsy, ebay, or print-on-demand websites that are your go-to for gifts?

 

 

Standard
Artist Bio

Happy 4th!

swimming with sharks

To all of my American readers out there, happy 4th of July! The above is the most patriotic image in my art archives that I could find. But really, the colors are spot-on and what says summer fun like a shark costume?

After basically sleeping all day yesterday after partying like a rockstar at a 4th of July pool party on Saturday, staying up until 4 am when I usually turn into a pumpkin before midnight, today I plan to make the most of the last day of my glorious week off. At 28 years old, I spent my first night ever sleeping in a tent, so that’s something, right?

I was lucky enough a couple of days ago to chance across this retro 4th of July picture I had scanned onto my laptop at some point, circa 1997. Is it any wonder my favorite American Girl doll growing up was Molly? Besides her stories being set in the WWII era which I find to be a fascinating time, we were pretty much twins. My dad is cropped out of the picture not because I don’t love him, but because something else I really love just as much is being alive :P. Still, you can get the idea that we all wore coordinating apparel for the occasion.

I hope everyone else out there enjoys their 4th! And seriously, you should spend nearly the entire day outdoors, but in the occasion that you spend a couple of moments peeking around online at some point, there are awesome sales going on for the holiday on redbubble and zazzle!

Have a fantastic day, filled with adventures :).

Standard
New Work

Happy Staycation! + New Work Reveal

be my wings

I’ve been working on this new mixed media drawing for awhile, and with my decision to take a little staycation, I’ve finally had the time to finish it! It is titled, “Be My Wings”, and measures 18×24″. I used prismacolor pencil for the face, prismacolor markers for the ravens, watercolor for both the hair and the background with grey, black, and white chalk overlay, and fabric for the clothing covering the neck and shoulders.

Of course, I have added this design to my Redbubble collection, as well as some new designs inspired by a couple of fun, newly finished ACEO illustrations.

I love buying from all kinds of artists on Redbubble, and have a design of almost every type of product in one form or another except the throw pillows! I’m dying to get one, but it is impossible to decide which design to choose, especially since I feel like changing around all the colors and decor in my apartment yet again. It’s a yearly thing :P.

I know this is a brief post after not writing for so long, but I’ve actually been aiming to spend minimal time online over this week-long break as it is simply gorgeous outside! Lately, I’d been feeling like there was a gloomy bad-luck cloud looming over my head, skulking around and following me just about everywhere I went. However, something seems to have turned a bit in my favor, because I sure picked the right week to take off! Every day has been nothing but perfect warmth and blue skies.

IMAG3175[1]

Can’t beat swimming and a view! Now, onward to more adventures…

Standard
New Work

New Work – Underwater Dreaming

I had some time yesterday morning before I had to leave for the Art Clash (more about that in a soon-to-come post), and I was determined to get this piece finished. There is nothing more daunting than smearing dark blue chalk all over a pretty much finalized piece you’ve been working on for months, but it was necessary to make the scene look like it was truly underwater, and also to balance out the areas of dark that were screaming out from a sea of pastel colors. For a progression of in-progress photos, check out my previous post.

Underwater Dreaming

I had originally intended to go with all blues, grays, and purples. I normally stick to a very limited palette in my pieces, but those crazy little plants in the background are in reality shockingly colorful, and I felt I had to do them justice. After I added the pink hair, it was color explosion time. It really makes the piece feel tropical, and I like that it’s way different from what I usually do. I have posted the design for sale in my Redbubble Shop on a variety of products, and it is also for sale in print form in my Ebay Store.

Redbubble recently added these new flowy chiffon tops to their available products that are just too cool.

ctr,x1350,front,white-c,65,0,789,730-bg,f8f8f8.4u3

As promised, more about Art Clash later, with pictures! I have another art event to attend this afternoon (this one conveniently 5 minutes from home 🙂 ), so time to get out of my PJs! This weekend spent absorbed in art has been so wonderful, and necessary after many a stressful day this month. So long, April! You were great, but here’s to hoping things calm down from here on out.

Standard
Art Education

The Art of Surprising Oneself

As many of you may know, I have a love affair with redbubble. Of all the print on demand platforms I’ve tried, they seem the most user friendly, visually appealing, and reasonably priced. For the past couple months I’ve been collecting photographs of my Express Yourself Artshop students’ work in preparation of opening our own shop, and the time has finally come!

Artist: Colleen D.
Artist: Colleen D.
Artist: Joan S.

I actually went to school for interior design, and the former furniture salesperson in me is so psyched about these throw pillows, because a good looking pillow really makes or breaks a sofa (even though they end up thrown on the floor 99% of the time).

Artist: Heather D.
Artist: Heather D.
Artist: Tracey S.
Artist: Heather D.
Artist: Colleen D.
Artist: Colleen D.
Artist: Heather D.
Artist: Christina G.
Artist: Colleen D.
Artist: Colleen D.

I’d recommend that anyone in arts education do this, whichever platform you end up choosing. Many of the students have made the same surprised comment to me, “Wow, I feel like a real artist now!” And many of us can relate to that feeling – I know I can. A piece of art almost doesn’t feel real until it’s shared with the world, no matter how big or small that “world” may be. A drawing or painting on a loose piece of paper is one thing, but when it is matted and framed or transformed into a print product, treated and presented like the work of art that it is, it can take the new artist aback at first – “you mean I  really did that?” Whether an artist cares about making money off of their art or not, there is something to knowing that other people are seeing the images they have created, that people even want to take something the artist has created home with them so they can look at it every day! Some artists make art their business, some may donate their art to auctions or causes or give it away to people. Still, the art has a life, it is being touched and seen, not in hibernation in some dark basement or storage closet.

If you’d like to see more, please visit our new shop celebrating artists of all abilities, artists that continue to surprise themselves as they learn that yes, they definitely are real artists!

Standard
Exhibitions and Other News

Short, Sweet, and Full Of Eye Candy

I’ve been working on and off on the next piece in my new series, and wanted to give you an early sneak peek. There really is something to coloring in repetitive geometric shapes, because it was so incredibly therapeutic to begin coloring in the hexagonal pattern filling in the figure’s hair. Adult coloring books are becoming overwhelmingly popular for a reason!

12487087_10103668010030508_7892797755273639329_o

I also have posted my first piece completed in this series for sale in print form on my redbubble and ebay shops.

One last exciting tidbit this week, I sold this fun, textured octopus mixed media on canvas in my ebay shop! He has been packaged with love and sent off to Ohio. Prints always sell with far more regularity than originals do, so when an original does get snatched up it is always thrilling. I plan to make more of these mixed media pieces featuring other animals as well in the future (So far, I’m 2 for 2 with the octopi. They are one of my favorite animals, I can’t help it!) To learn about my mixed media process for creating texture, check out my previous blog entry where I explain my work step by step.

I told you it was going to be short and sweet! It has been a busy couple of weeks, but I have continued to find time here and there to work on my new piece – my sanity may or may not depend on it ;).

 

Standard
New Work

New Toys + Favorite Patterns On Redbubble

For those of you who celebrated Christmas this past weekend, I hope it was a time of joy and reconnecting with friends and family. Along with all that non-superficial good stuff, I also received a Wacom tablet, and took my first foray into the world of digital art. It’s been awhile since I’ve had a new toy to play with the day after Christmas, and it made me feel like a little kid again :). Here is my first attempt at figuring out how all of this works … I actually am pretty happy at how it turned out.

panda merged smaller for publish on fb.jpg

That panda is so chill.

Next, I wanted to try my hand at making some patterns. I like the idea of clothing and decoration as a means of turning oneself into a living work of art, and expressing oneself as a unique individual. When I was in high school, I actually thought about going into fashion design later, and then I realized I really hate sewing machines. I could design a real snazzy, runway ready pair of sweatpants maybe but that’s about it. I loved looking at and pairing different fabrics together, but when it came to actually sitting down and making something out of them … I lost interest. Fabric design if anything was much more my thing, and it’s one of the main reasons I decided to take the plunge into art’s digital world despite my many fears and misgivings.

I finished my first pattern idea today, Black Apple, and posted it on Redbubble. I’m really pleased with how it looks.

 

Redbubble is just full of fun patterns, and I’ve made a list of some of my personal favorites out there right now.

90s Dinosaur Pattern By chobopop

I spent my childhood constructing elaborate environments for plastic dinosaurs in the sandbox with my best friend since age 2 (and still friends to this day! Shoutout to fellow blogger Erin Dalke!). Being a 90s kid in general, this struck a chord with me.

gptmens1080xblacklarge-bgf8f8f8-u2

Rainbowaves (dark) By freshinkstain

I have a love affair with art deco patterns, and this updated colorful take on the classic fan pattern would look gorgeous on anything.

clear-67639d145bbd91d418a8f15359c341b0rainbowaves

Midnight Magnolias By robyriker

I am using my interior design background to help my parents update their bathrooms, and we are going with retro black and white tile with pool blue accents. I love retro flowers, and having that project on the brain I couldn’t help but think it’s too bad this pattern doesn’t come in a shower curtain! The detail is lovely.

magnolia

Lips By sleeping-tigers

This simple pattern is just so minimalist and classy, with a 60s pop art feel.

lips

Hot Air Balloons – Retro, Vintage Inspired Print By Andrea Lauren

The detailed decoration on all the balloons are what grabbed me initially, as well as the bright pops of color against the dark, neutral blue background. Another fun pattern that would look great anywhere.

baloon

Funny Cemetery By Ekaterina Panova

I have a thing for whimsical skeletons, and I have never seen anything that makes death look more adorable in my life.

cemetry

 

Cameos – Blue By Fabio Mancini

I adore cameos, and I like the fun, whimsical, cartoonish renderings shown here because they are so different, and stand out from the traditional formal, ornate renditions.

snx1313-bgffffff-u3Modern Matryoshka By Joanne Stead

Lastly, I have to love patterns with a sense of humor. What first drew me in was the beautiful rendering, sharp details, and bold colors. The closer I looked, the more hilarious personalities I noticed in each little “modern matryoshka”.  This was a really fun idea, executed perfectly.

matryoshka modern

If any of you have any digital art tips, feel free to shoot them my way – I’m definitely still in the “learning” phase. I’ll continue to share the new patterns I’ve been working on. I think butterflies are next!

Standard