This past weekend was time for some experimenting. i found myself in the painting studio in the wee small hours just itching to open up all those dyes you see lined up on the easel. i dug through my stash of silks leftover from my old wedding gown design business and found a suitable piece of habotai silk. i ripped it to a 36″ square and taped it to the back board. White duct tape. Classy. i’m certain it would have been nicer to stretch the silk onto a frame for painting, but did i mention it was the wee small hours? And i was just experimenting after all, what’s the worst that could happen? A few hours and a few episodes of PSYCH later ( i really love that show!) and i came out with what you see on the board.

The next day, i used fabric markers to add doodles all over the silk as well and here is what resulted.

It was so interesting to see how the intense looking colors in the jars translated to such watery, transparent colors on the fabric. i used Dye-na-Flow silk paints from Dharma Trading. i chose them because they seemed the most user friendly for beginners and are just heat-set with an iron. i am a very low maintenance kinda gal. If you start talking about crafts that require lots of odd ingredients and equipment, i sorta zone out. PLUS! they have a really nice variety of shades and colors….PLUS! they are economical enough to get a whole bunch to experiment with…under $3 for the small jars! My parents actually gave these to me for my birthday in november. Mom is awesome about getting you just what she knows you wanted! Thanks mom & dad!

The silk project was super fun and it made me want to try another project that i cannot believe i’ve put off so long! Lino Block Stamp Making! i have made all sorts of mickey mouse temporary stamps in my day out of potatoes, corrugated cardboard, foamcore etc….but never tried carving linoleum before.

EPIPHANY!!!!

Even though i just picked a simple design for my first time out, and wasn’t super meticulous cutting it, i know i’m hooked! Now i have visions in my head of shelves and shelves of unique patterns and such. Cutting the block is just so relaxing!

Here is the first little bitty block i cut.

And since i didn’t have a specific project in mind for it yet, i just added a few plunks of this design to the background texture of a new painting. Can you find it? i sorta obscured it with other designs….but the stamp will have its day in the spotlight sometime soon. Definitely.

“BLUESY” – 12×12 acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas.

And what’s REALLY weird is that when i logged onto Facebook the day after i posted this, there was a very matchy-matchy post right below it in my feed!

Its the Pantone Spring Color predictions for what’s gonna be hip & happenin in 2012!? i am SO not hip & happenin. How did my brain know to use just about every color in this palette? Must’ve been all the PSYCH i was watching rubbing off on me. : )

i’m experimenting with my new waterbrushes and creating a “color puddle” to use as background color/texture for a new illustration in pencil. Seriously, anyone can do this. You literally CANNOT mess it up.

Watercolor by Twilight from Stephanie Corfee on Vimeo.

Next time, i’ll work on my lighting  : )

Update: here’s what i got to wake up to the next morning! its why i love to work with a very puddly page…..the edges and the surprises you get when the painting dries are my favorite part!

just messin with my new waterbrushes that i got for christmas.

This is the first growth chart in what will be a continuing series.

i’ve had so many inquiries since posting a custom growth chart i painted on a wood board last year, and it has taken me some time to decide how i could offer them more affordably to the masses, both in production costs AND shipping.

What i came up with is a design(s) that i’d create to be customized. Then i will have them printed professionally on paper or canvas. Both types can be rolled for shipping. The canvas can be hung by way of mounting grommets on all 4 corners or rod pockets for dowels at top and bottom of the canvas. The paper print, if chosen, can be framed under glass and a dry erase marker can be used for measurments on the fly

OR,

my choice would be to decoupage the print onto a wood board for a more permanent art piece.

This first design, “Boho Garden” is close to my heart. Its something like what i would do if i had my own little hippie chick in the house someday.

The next design will be one for boys ; ) …stay tuned.

i pulled the sketch, which was done in colored pencil, black india ink and pastel pencil, into photoshop and had at it with my increasingly well-loved graphics tablet and stylus. It wasn’t intense enough for me! HA! But now i like it a lot. This here art-makin stuff is super fun!

i don’t know why? Maybe i got distracted by other work, maybe i needed a breather from all the close, detail work? i think maybe i ran out of ideas for patterns to draw in each state!

Anyway, the map popped up in the background of another photo i blogged earlier and got quite a few comments, so i finally decided to finish it already!!

Each state is a bright color, hand-drawn pattern or a snip of one of my other artworks. It’s a happy map. i hope it inspires happy travels.

You can find it in my etsy shop at 11×14.

The above illustration is one i recently completed for Ashley over at Lil Blue Boo. You may have read my recent post about how we collaborated on some kids dresses featuring one of my art prints.

Anyway, Ashley asked if i’d do a little illustration of a girl wearing an LBB in a fashion-y, sketchy style for her new business cards. i created this drawing with her beautifully curly-headed Boo in mind. And since i had SO much fun sketching this little lovely, i thought i’d offer this style of “simplified portrait” in my etsy shop as well.

The idea is to capture your little one’s essence and fashion sense. To freeze a moment in time. To create an original and fun piece of artwork for her room, and maybe someday, HER little girl’s room. Here’s how it will work and some basics on pricing plus a link to my etsy shop where you’ll find the various listings!

You Color It Option: A B&W illustration in ink on Vellum finish Bristol illustration card stock for you and your little one to color yourselves. Its a work of art they can contribute to! And it’s economical too.

- 8×10 B&W = $95 /  9×12 B&W = $100  /  11×14 B&W = $105 / *custom sizes available upon request, just email me!

Digitally Colored Print Option: An original ink illustration, scanned and colored digitally (like LBB’s) then printed on archival, heavyweight art paper with genuine Epson Ultrachrome inks for long life .

- 8×10 Digital Color = $145 /  9×12 Digital Color = $150  /  11×14 Digital Color = $155 / *custom sizes available upon request, just email me!

Full Color “Original” Option: An ink illustration with mixed media color on Vellum finish Bristol illustration card stock. You get the original, signed artwork. An authentic artwork created just for you!

- 8×10 Original Color = $165 /  9×12 Original Color = $175  /  11×14 Original Color = $185 / *custom sizes available upon request, just email me!

Sibling orders are eligible for an overall 15% discount. Convo me on etsy for a custom listing

i am also very open to custom orders on canvas or possibly 3 “looks” on smaller stock for a runway feel when framing. The sky’s the limit! Nothing makes me happier than creating truly one-of-a-kind artworks that have special meaning for the recipient.

step 1: I made a black ink drawing full of swirls and curliques in my favorite twirly way.

step 2: i scanned that, then dragged another piece of my artwork (a fully saturated and detailed marker & pencil illustration) into the photoshop doc on another layer

step 3: i made a mask out of the black line drawing and applied it to the color layer.

step 4: i made layer copies of that cool form and layered them over each other until i liked the design

step 5: i dragged in the background layer….a scan of a painted/stained wood board i made.

…a few tweaks, tugs, and fiddlings with settings & saturations later….voila! i came out with this. It’s a combo of 3 of my favorite design elements that come together in what i think is a Beautiful Mess. And whaddya know? You can make one yours, if you like, by shopping here.

Here are some photos of the finished artwork i’ve been posting about. BLOOM measures about 6″ in diameter. It is just precious in it’s teeny-ness! The underlay is a large, saturated, pastel painting that has been photographed and then printed in miniature on my Epson R2880. This printer uses a Vivid Magenta ink and i LOVE it! The capability to reproduce that crazy saturated fuschia is the whole reason i got this Epson! I sure do love me some pink!

i think i will place this piece in a tiny, desktop frame. Maybe i’ll paint the frame? The only question is whether or not to put it under glass. hmmmmm…..i rather like the idea of being able to touch the petals. Makes me happy thinking about it. Glass might kill my mood. What do you all think?