I'm Stuffed!

I'm so very excited to announce that... I'm Stuffed! No... I'm not full from too much yummy food... I'm actually featured in the Autumn issue of Stuffed Magazine! A trio of my Modern Vintage Rag Dolls was chosen for their publication earlier this year, and my copy just arrived!

I was beyond giddy when I realized that my dolls were the first feature article in the magazine. How cool is that? And what an amazingly adorable job they did with the opening spread. Those paper lanterns are just too cute... and the perfect accent for my Geisha Girl!

Cloud E. with Raindrop and Dottie the Cupcake got full page exposure... what a thrill! The layout really highlights each doll and details much of the heart and soul (and stitching) that went into them. So awesome!

To get a peek into the Autumn issue of Stuffed magazine — or to purchase a copy online — visit Stampington & Company's sneak preview page. And to see more of my Modern Vintage Rag Dolls, check them out here. The issue will be on newsstands August 1st.

Brushing Up... or is it Penciling Up?

Any time I get the chance or need a break from painting, jewelry, dollmaking, or anything that involves multiple tools and supplies.... I like to practice my drawing skills. Truth be told, I got into mixed-media because it was an excuse not to draw. Making stuff out of other stuff was way easier for me than drawing from scratch. But I have to say that every time I go to put pencil to paper... I still get scared! But I'm getting braver. For the cupcake sketch, I actually pulled out one of my many cupcake cookbooks and drew from a photo.

I had so much fun with that I thought I'd draw some my favorite boardwalk and carnival food items... and tried my hand at this double scoop ice cream on a sugar cone. I'm trying to get better at facial expressions, so I thought having the bottom scoop being unhappily squished and the top scoop having a snarky grin, reveling in the fact that she's on top would be cute.

So what next? A candy apple of course! Once I finished this little guy, I thought it needed a fun text treatment to balance it out. So I got on my computer and stylized some text, printed it out and traced it onto my drawing. Filling in the letters was kind of therapeutic because I didn't really have to worry about shading... just a light hand for the center and a heavier hand for the darker outline.

So when I have some extra time, my new favorite guilty pleasure is grabbing a pencil and my sketchbook and brushing up on some penciling.

Thoughtful Thursdays: Cupcakes!

What better inspiration is there than a favorite delectable treat? Cupcakes happen to be mine. Soft chocolatey cake... smooth, sugary icing in pretty colors. Yummy! Aside from being a tasty dessert, cupcakes happen to have a nice simple yet interesting shape. The perfect fodder for mixed-media art projects!

This Wonderlanderful cupcake collage was done on cardboard using charcoal and acrylic paints. I smeared on a thick layer of gesso for the icing and painted then glittered it. And because this particular baked good comes from the Land of Oz... it totally needed a pair of ruby red slippers.

This collage was done on a cigar box lid using a phone book page for the base of the cupcake. The entire piece was painted and then coated with beeswax. I worked some Perfect Pearls Pigment Powder into the icing while the wax was still warm.

I took a local silkscreening class a while back.... and what kind of image did I use to make my screen? Yup... you guessed it. A cupcake!

And this carnival-style ode to my favorite treat is a vision in pink. The big top tent houses a dimensional cupcake made from fan-folded paper and silk flowers. A paper clay cherry on top completes this assemblage, which exclaims... Pretty please, with sugar on top.

I'm actually pretty lucky to have some very good local bakeries in town (within walking distance!) that have outstanding cupcakes. Every once in awhile I treat myself to one or two. However, in between... I can use my love of this very rich indulgence for my creative inspirations.

Do you have a favorite food that's shown up in your art?

Ladies Night Part Two...

This week was our second silkscreening ladies night at Social Animal Press in Ocean Grove. Our gracious hostess—Molly Johnson—taught us the photo exposure screen making technique this time. It is a method that allows a more detailed image, so I went with my favorite subject matter... the cupcake. The class was great fun with old friends and new... and I am getting a little more confident with my screen printing. So much so that I dared to make a couple of shirts... LOVE them!

Pretty Please... With Perfect Pearls On Top...

Cupcake Number 4 I created on a square cigar box top and started with a background of different sized dots in acrylic paint. I layered several washes of color over top, which I really liked because it made them fade into the background just right. I sketched out a cupcake on a scrap of paper, colorized it with watered down acrylics, then put a layer of beeswax over top. I thought it needed something else, so I brushed the icing with Perfect Pearls Powders for a shimmery effect and added the rick-rack.

Cupcake No. 3

My third attempt at a cupcake... I used Studio acrylic paints on cardboard with vintage book pages and letters. I really like the background on this one, but not much else... it's a learning process.

There's No Place Like Home...

My 2nd "cupcake as therapy" piece. Claudine Hellmuth Studio acrylic paints on cardboard with charcoal, vintage rhinestones, some Barbie shoes, and plenty of Stickles glitter glue! There's no place like home... There's no place like home... There's no place like home...

Weaknesses...

My first cupcake, and it ended up being a watercolor. One medium that I have not really played with at all in my past. But I'm loving it. It's practically mistake-proof, and you can build layers upon layers of color. Fun!

True Confessions...The Tattooed Lady

Okay, okay, I confess! I love tattoos and I love getting tattooed! Over the fall and winter, in two separate sessions... I got this awesome half sleeve of my favorite sugary sweets. Of course, it all started around wanting a cupcake and led to half an arm filled with cotton candy, m&m's, peppermint pinwheels, a lollypop, double scoop ice cream cone, taffy, cherries, candy apple and some jelly beans.

I absolutely adore the piece and it makes me smile every time I look at it. And it's definitely a conversation starter! Kudos to my most awesome tattoo artist... Michele Haspel from Fat Kat Tattoo! I'll be back!