The Bellydancer and the Snake - Digitalmania Freestyle challenge

Week in Review 8-25-2013

Last Week was spent preparing for three days of vending at Mechacon.

We left early on Friday morning so I could stop by the Coq Rouge Gallery in New Orleans with a fresh batch of Voodoo Goblins.  

About 11 am, we made it to the Hilton and checked in.  The view from the room was the best we've had in our three years of attending and vending at Mechacon.

By one, I had my table set up and ready for the convention goers.  My set up is very simple as I knew I would have to break it down and set it up three times over the next three days.

I know I definitely need a backdrop or other point of vertical visual interest.  Maybe next year.  I can put up a background piece once and not worry about it for three days, anyway.

The buttons sold well so I am definitely bringing them again next year.  The mirrors seemed to only confuse passersby and they didn't sell at all so I don't think they will be coming back.  :(

My daughter had a table next to mine and sold well on ears and bags!  This was her first solo venture into vending so I think she was pleased with her success.

This is my daughter, looking fab in her formal wear and cosplay.

As always, Mechacon was a lot of fun.  The attendees put so much work and passion into their cosplay that it is a delight to see them having fun and enjoying the fruits of their labors.

By Sunday afternoon, I was exhausted and happy to be packing up and on my way home.

Still, I hope to go back next year.  I love you, Mechacon!

Week in Review 8-18-2013

Getting ready for a convention.

This is the only weekend selling event I have scheduled this year.

I was fine about it all year until about the past two weeks.  

I have stuff made, but, somehow, panic starts to gather in the back of my mind.

I have one six foot long table to fill and I could easily fill two or three standard size booths but 

I always feel the need to over prepare.

It's a compulsion that I can't seem to control.

The art association had their montly art market this past Saturday but my children have been wanting to go for Science Saturday at Ligo.  With the holiday months looming, I realized that this would be our best last chance.  Some weather threatened a bit in the Gulf so we opted for Science and education.

I feel a little guilty about it, but I never was much good at rebelling.

I did attend our art association meeting on Sunday.  We had a speaker on 

sales techniques which left me with some things to mull over. 

 I know that selling myself is one of my weak point.

I fear that if I push past my natural reticence, I will come across as falsely friendly 

and I personally dislike pushy salespeople so I certainly don't want to become one.  

Our art association has a lot of activities planned over the next few months.  

We'll be having an official opening of the art gallery.

They sponsor a Scarecrow competition as well as organizing the children's activities at a fall festival.

I signed up to help with the fall festival (1000s of children, what was I thinking?)

So, I have been busy making lots and lots of things.  I'm sure I'm making

 more than I need but I have a few events coming up after the convention.

I've made about two hundred pin back buttons as well as
about twenty hand mirrors (in the velvet bags).

 I found the perfect use for the vintage suitcase I bought
at a thrift store a few months ago!

I plan at hanging some pieces at Stabbed in the Art, the first Friday of September

and my application was approved for selling at the Freret Street Market

but I don't know if I will be selling in September or not.

They notify all the lucky vendors the Sunday before 

so I must wait patiently.

Week in Review 8-11-2013

No, your blogger notifications are not off.  I am way behind in updating my blog.

My excuse is that I have been juggling a lot of balls of late and I dropped the blog ball.

So, here I am, trying to play catch up.

On the 7th of August, I took some of my work over to the Depot Gallery in Gonzalez, LA 

on Hwy 30 and hung up my pieces on my designated wall.

We're supposed to be getting bins for prints but they aren't ready yet 

so the bottom of my space looks a little empty.

I put my pieces up and then took them down about twenty times.

It is surprisingly hard to space stuff with your eyeballs and stay within your lines.

I also waited too long to start organizing everything for school.

I homeschool my seven year old and my nine year old son so I started going 

through the books that I already owned and figuring out what I needed.

I order most of my curriculum via Amazon so a lot of it I received 

in two days (prime shipping is the best thing ever!)   

I need our workbooks to be new, but everything else I will generally 

buy a good used copy (it saves a lot of money!)

Unfortunately, most of the used books need to be mailed 

via media mail so it adds a few weeks to the delivery time.

So, lesson here is that procrastination means that your children will only 

have their subjects when you start school in the fall....

Steampunkopus - 3Muses Challenge

The challenge this week from the Three Muses was Steampunk.

When I think steampunk, my first thought is always octopus.  I realize that may 

just be me, but that is were my mind goes.

I started with a gorgeous vintage picture of a girl and her dog.  

I added color and did some damage control to the image.

Initially, I intended to add some goggles or some cogs but I really liked her as is.

I added a landscape from wikipedia commons and then went through my octopus and squid images.

What is it about about our underwater friends that sometimes has a purely alien look to them?

I had some tentacle fun and added some more water creature details into the sky.

To a purist, I may have missed the steampunk mark, but I liked 

my final result so here is my version of Steampunk Octopus.

I wear the cheese - TAW Hot Color Challenge

I may have been re-watching the many wonderful seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

so I might have gone a little out in crazy nerd space for this particular challenge.

While cheese is generally stored at cool temperatures, the color seems sufficiently warm.

Arched - Digitalmania challenge

Dandy - Script 3Muse challenge

And a fine looking man he is!

The Elusive Whalephant - Take a Word Wild Animal Challenge

Shown here, in it's natural environment, is the elusive whalephat....

Pierrot a la harlequin - Digitalmania challenge

Fairyscape Fish

This piece isn't in response to a specific challenge but it's an idea that has been 

bobbing around in my head for a while.

Say hello to our friend the Surreal Seahorse!

The Orphans Boys of Lafayette - Square and Circle 3Muses Challenge

The Three Muses Challenge this week was geometric - circles and squares.

I started with a photo I took in Lafayette Cemetery in the Garden District.

In New Orleans, the dead never really leave us.  We can go and visit.  

They like it when you bring them gifts.

Every time I have been to this particular tomb, someone has always left

 little presents for the orphan boys - usually some sort of plastic toys or stuffed animals.  

The day I took this image, someone had left this bright and cheerful balloon 

as well as the usual assortment of Mardi Gras beads and little toys.

I like to think that after everyone leaves for the day (the gates are locked promptly at 5 pm), 

the orphan boys come out and enjoy their new toys!

Victorian Fish Walking - Digitalmania challenge

Week in Review 8/4/2013

Ok.  I am sure you noticed that I haven't blogged all week.  

I don't even have a truly valid excuse, but I am here now and

ready to share everything that I failed 

to share in shorter posts over the course of the week.

On Monday, I took my two teenagers to a local thrift store.  They need 

various pieces for their cosplay costumes (we're going to Mechacon in August!)

While they were browsing through the clothes racks, I went to the back shelves.  

I've found some very nice vintage suitcases at this particular thrift store.  

On Monday, I was on the hunt for something completely different.

On the forums where I like to waste a little too much time, one of the members 

is organizing our second annual Monster Landscape swap.

We do a few swaps a year.  Each has a different theme.

We've done Christmas and Spring and Halloween and Thrift Store, 

but one of the best is the Monster Landscape.

You find an abandoned piece of art at your local thrift shop (google it 

to make sure it isn't secretly a misplaced Jackson Pollack 

or other unknown million dollar masterpiece.).

Then, you alter it by adding monsters and other things that go bump in the dark.

I found this painting of a magnolia flower for $3.99.  it's very big and I have 

no idea what to do with it, but I am hoping something suitably 

haunted and creepy will inspire me.

I also fond this charming ink drawing of a house.  I absolutely love this piece. 

 I googled the artist (Paul M Copeland) and can't find any 

other examples of his work.  Still, I think that for $1.99 

I made a very nice investment!

I spent the rest of the work week tinkering with my disassembled dolls.  

I managed to get most of the paint of them and I picked up 

some RIT Dye for a little experimentation.

I also played with some digital art, but I'll be posting those on my ProjectBunnyArt.com blog.

On Friday evening, I was excited to go to a pop up art gallery 

that apparently happens locally every month - Stabbed in the Art.

The interior is a little claustrophobic with all the art hung in a succession 

of very small rooms as well as in the main hallway.  The turn out (I went early at 7ish 

so it might even pick up later) was quite good.  The hallway was very crowded.

The radio station that hosts the pop art gallery provides wine and soda

 as well as nachos and creamy cheese spinach dip.  (I enjoyed a very cold 

coca-cola and a delicious bowl of nacho cheesiness.)

A lot of the artists are right there, in person by their hanging pieces to answer 

any questions you might have about their techniques or inspiration.

What impressed me, though, was the level of talent.  There was a lot of 

VERY good art.  My son was really smitten with some thick and

 luscious landscapes in fantasy colors   There were two very large, 

highly detailed ink pieces that particularly impressed me.

The variety was also impressive.  One artist had wire wrapped crystals as well as 

some really neat WORKING steampunk gadgets.  There were loads 

of beautiful watercolor and acrylic paintings.  One artist had some

 surreally complex digitally altered photographs 

with haunting religious  themes.  Another artist had some 

beautifully decoupaged vintage maps.

One piece in particular has stayed with me.  A woman in profile with streaming hair 

looking out into an abstract field of thick rainbow colors.  

Sadly, I didn't get the artist's name.

I am planning on setting up myself next month so maybe I will get lucky 

and that artist will be back.  I might have to invest in some art!  :)

I did spend a little time working on some new jewelry this week.  

Instead of making a few standalone sets, I started playing with some vintage style keys

 that I bought a few months back.

I've done necklace sets with a vintage key as the focal 

but I really wanted to do something different this time.

I spent some time wirewrapping the ends so that I can incorporate them 

more fully into the piece without a specific focal.  I didn't get any further 

than wirewrapping the keys and preparing some beaded pieces.

I have a sort of vague idea in my mind where I am going with these.  

I will post pictures when they are finished!

Don't Linger in the Graveyard - TAW Dark Challenge

When the sun slides behind the end of the world,

make certain that you are on the outside of the graveyard wall.

Scary things come out of the tombs as night....

Don't be alone with slithering things in the dark!

Penguin Dreams - Digitalmania Challenge

What does a penguin dream about?