Monday, July 30, 2012

ATC Swap-- Please read

Hi!  Michelle double checked with me to see if I had gotten her email.  I never received the email.   In case you are wondering if you are signed up.... here is who I have so far.  Today is the last day to sign up.  Check your name on the list!

Michelle Alkerton
Marcia Beckett (me)
KristinMaynes




Jennifer Burgan








Christine Hiester







Connie Powell








Susan Barker







Heather Santos







Jane Wetzel







Nora Clemens







Lilian



Last Call for ATC Swap Sign Ups

Last call for our ATC swap!  Look here for details.  Names will be sent out tomorrow!

Friday, July 27, 2012

Show and Tell Saturday #31

 
Show and Tell Saturday Rules


Add your link!
Please visit at least 3 other artists and put a link back to Artists in Blogland, so other people can find us. 


Thanks for participating! Are you doing anything exciting? Hosting a challenge? Conducting a workshop? Tell me about it and I will write a post to put on Artists in Blogland. Grab a button for your page:







Also we are having an Artist Trading Card Swap.  July 30 is the last day to sign up.  Don't miss out on this fun art swap!

Monday, July 23, 2012

Sequintastic Blog Hop

Dear Members,
 
Here is something fun you might want to participate in:
 
 
"I'm hosting an event in September that I think the Artists in Blogland might enjoy. It's called Sequintastic September, and it's a sequin-themed blog hop open to artists of all kinds. People can sign up from now until August 20th. Here's some more information:


-- Sarah
 
Saturday Sequins -- your dose of sparkle and shine!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Creatively Featured - Michelle Alkerton

Hi everyone! Happy Wednesday! Quick round-up of happenings here:
  • We're having an ATC Swap! Find out more HERE.
  • The monthly challenge is in full swing! Check it out HERE. We also added a button on the sidebar that links to the monthly challenge so you can find it easier. 
  • I'm looking for more artists for Creatively Featured! Please email me (Heather) if you are interested.
This week we are welcoming the wonderful Michelle Alkerton. You can find her at her blog Brain Angles - Invisible Ink.




Tell us about blogging and how it's worked for you.
I was finding my Zoomshare website too difficult to maintain and updates weren’t getting much traffic so I thought blogging was a better alternative. I had intended it more for my writing, but became more involved and confident in visual and tactile art. Now I tend to share more art and less words, oftentimes posting more than once a day.


What inspires or influences you artistically?
Everything inspires me. lol I love texture, light, shadow and nature. One of the things I love most about the internet is the wide range of artistic talent I find that gets me thinking in a new direction and helps keep my creative passion alive.


Which aspect of your art do you enjoy most?
I probably enjoy imagining a piece the most, although it makes it difficult to get any sleep. I have yet to create what I visualize in my mind, but I’ve come close a few times. I also love experimenting with new materials and techniques.


Have you exhibited work or taught classes?
I exhibit my work online through my Picasa albums and my blog and have exhibited a few pieces in the local annual art show. I don’t have the skills, patience or energy to teach, but would love to take some classes.


How do you go about the design process?
I guess you would call most of my design process intuitive, although I have attempted some form of discipline by roughing out some ideas on the computer.


Do you work to a design or theme or just go with the flow…or something else entirely?
Even when I begin with a design or theme, I usually end up going with the flow which results in pleasant surprises. When working with actual paint and canvas it more often results in what I refer to as tortured canvasses with too many layers of paint and gesso. lol


Can you tell us a little about your methods and/or techniques?
A large part of my work is what I call digital mixed media. I will usually start a piece using a traditional medium and then photograph it in it’s different stages. I then play with the resulting image on the computer and use various graphics programs to arrive at a whole new piece of art. I tend to like my digital pieces better than the traditional ones as I have very little patience and love the UNDO command. Since I have difficulty with my hands it is usually a better and more satisfying option. 

I also create what I call photopaintings, where I manipulate a photograph with one or more graphics programs to give it an artistic or painterly effect and since recently discovering a painting program called ArtRage, I have made more attempts at art that is created entirely digital.


I’ve always enjoyed combining my creative interests and am constantly amazed by and grateful for the software developers that create the wonderful programs that enable me to experiment and make my work look good. Years ago I felt it couldn’t be considered art if it wasn’t created on paper or canvas with pencil, paint or other traditional medium, but I’m glad I broadened my views. Now, it doesn’t matter how it’s created, the result is my art and helps me share my world and maybe inspire others.

What artistic plans do you have for the coming year?
I hope to develop more mixed media abstracts, play more with texture and experiment with watercolour and ink in the coming year. I would also like to participate more in the local art community and have already started in that direction through the contacts I made at the last annual art show.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Show and Tell Saturday #30


Show and Tell Saturday Rules
Add your link!
Please visit at least 3 other artists and put a link back to Artists in Blogland, so other people can find us.  If you are visiting from a blog reader, you may have to visit the actual blog post to add your link.


Thanks for participating! Are you doing anything exciting? Hosting a challenge? Conducting a workshop? Tell me about it and I will write a post to put on Artists in Blogland. Grab a button for your page:




Thursday, July 12, 2012

Artist Trading Card Sign Ups!


Artist Trading Card Swap!

You asked for it! Connie suggested that we have an artist trading card swap.  Artist Trading Cards are miniature works of art, the size of a baseball card.  There are tons of resources on the internet about artist trading cards.  I (Marcia) have a huge collection of them and used to swap them all the time.  







Here's the details of our first ever SWAP!
1.  Make 6 Artist Trading Cards (ATCs).  Any media is fine, as long as they are the size of a baseball card ( 2+1⁄2 by 3+1⁄2 inches (63 × 89 mm).  Sign your name and contact info on the back of the cards (like a blog or email address). 

2.  Sign up by emailing me with your postal address.  Sign ups will close July 30.

3.  You will receive 3 addresses of people to send your cards to.  Send your cards as soon as you can, but no later than the end of August.  You will send TWO cards to EACH person you are assigned... for a total of SIX cards.  You must be willing to mail internationally.  The names and addresses will be assigned randomly, so you might receive from different people than you send to.

4.  Also, it would be fun if when you send and receive your cards, you take pictures and tell us about it.

I think this is all the info you need for now.  This is my first time hosting a swap in many years, so let me know if this all makes sense!  


Wednesday, July 11, 2012

July Challenge


Welcome to July's challenge! With the Independence Day holiday here in the states and all the activity of summer, I'm a bit behind the ball on the challenge this month!


Before we get to our challenge, I want to put a call out for Creatively Featured. If you are interested in doing an interview with us, please email me! We want to hear from you. You don't have to be a professional or full-time artist, you can be a weekend warrior like me! :) We want to get to know all of our members as you are all a valuable part of our community.  And as always around here, any type of art goes. One other request I have... Are there any questions you'd like to see added to our interview list? If so, please put your suggestions in the comments below.


Ok, here we go. I was sitting here trying to dream up a new concept and this word popped into my head. I'm excited to see what you do with this one! Use the theme for the month as inspiration in any way you like. All mediums are welcome... no rules.  The theme for the month is...

Enchantment

Please link back to us here at Artists in Blogland or better yet, add our badge to your sidebar. And if it isn't obvious, tell us how your entry relates to the theme. 


Please enter a direct link to your blog post by July 31st (if you need help with this just contact Heather). Voting will begin August 1st.

**If you are interested in providing a prize for this month, or any future challenge, please contact Heather.**



Saturday, July 7, 2012

June Challenge Winner




Everyone's work was, once again, absolutely wonderful! Thanks so much for playing along and stay tuned for the next challenge! Sandra, here's a badge for your blog:


Monday, July 2, 2012

Voting Begins for June Challenge

Can you believe it's July already??!! That means it is time to vote for our winners for last month's challenge. Please vote for the two entries that you feel most fit the theme of the challenge, which was DREAM. All of our followers and readers are encouraged to vote. You will have until July 6th to vote, with the winner announced on July 7th. The new challenge will go up at that time too.


We don't have a prize this month, so if you are interested in providing a prize for this month, or any future challenge, please contact Heather.