Friday, December 31, 2010

Team Undiscovered BNR

If you don't know what BNR stands for thats ok because I am going to start with that first.  A BNR stands for Buy and Replace and in short it is a treasury is created for the BNR if you want to buy into it then you can and your shop would replace the one you bought out.  If you buy out a shop and don't get bought out yourself then that guarantees you one round carry over.  And that is the short version.

Today is Round 4 of our teams BNR already at 8 sales and going strong with 3 today.  Below is a snapshot of the treasury, feel free to get involved........


Thursday, December 30, 2010

A Love Story Inspiration

I wanted to take a minute to share this great treasury that I have compiled inspired by the series of paintings and ACEO's that I am currently working on.  In this treasury you will find some great items that all have a touch of 'Love Story' to them in some way or another, what you won't find is anything from my shop in this one, just trying to spread the love :)

Monday, December 27, 2010

Art Cards and Why I Love Them.....

Lot's of ideas buzzing around my head and not enough time to get it all out, what ever is an artist to do? 

I have been exploring different avenues and ways to unleash my creativity out into the world and one thing that has really peeked my interest are ACEO's.  I went ahead and researched it to the fullest extent and completed my first one last night.  For those of you who might not know what ACEO means, this is the definition that I found from the most reliable source I know....... ACEO = Art Cards, Editions and Originals not to be confused with ATC = Artists Trading Cards and the only difference being that ACEO are sold and ATC are traded and NOT sold.  Both are 2.5" x 3.5" in size and made out of different paper types depending on the medium used which can be whatever it is the artist would like it to be. 

I was really inspired by this concept as I am one that has more creative ideas rushing around my head then I can ever manage to get out into the world so this is a great way for me to put more down on paper in a lesser amount of time.  As well, let's not forget that it makes a great, affordable way for people to start collecting my art that might not be able to afford a regular sized painting on stretched canvas.

I am currently working on a series titled 'A Love Story' and since the next big holiday that I will be preparing for in my shop is Valentines Day I decided to continue on with this series until I guess I run out of ideas.  So for my first set of ACEO's I have decided to do a collection of art cards within 'A Love Story' series also because I think that they will make wonderful Valentines Day gifts.  Slip one of these little beauties into a Valentines Day card and what a unique gift idea for any appreciater of art.

I am aware that art cards are sold in supply stores and all I would have to do is paint them.  But what fun would that be?  What I decided to do is make mine out of paper canvasette which is great with acrylics or oils, I am using acrylics.


'A Love Story' ACEO #1
2.5" x 3.5"
Acrylic on paper canvasette
Available for purchase HERE

This is only the first of many to come and I will be back to share each and every one as they come.


Let's Get Caught Up

Well Christmas has now past and the rush of trying to finish all those paintings and cards in time has finally come to an end.  Now to just get caught up and organized again before I try and get a head start on all my Valentines Day plans, which I have many of.

So this post is going to be a mixture, I have my last 2 cards from '12 Cards of Christmas' that I have yet to share as well as the painting that I did for my parents Christmas gift and the last mask magnet that I am going to be doing for now. (unless I magically sell out over night or something *Fingers Crossed*)

I was running out of time on Christmas Eve trying to finish everything up in one night so I needed to find away to get 2 birds stoned!  What I came up with was to give my husband and my parents the last 2 cards then I only need to paint 2 and not 4, Perfect! My parents card was done with a poker theme to match their painting and my husbands card was done with a cartoon Christmas version of his cat to match the painting of his cat that I did for him.  Both cards had the same thing written inside to give more meaning to the gift being handmade.  This is from 'The Grinch' and they read......

'And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?  It came without ribbons.  It came without tags.  It came without packages, boxes or bags.  And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore.  Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. ...What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.  What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."







So that completes my Christmas project '12 Cards of Christmas', I very much enjoyed doing it & definately will be doing it again next year so stay tuned for that......

This next painting is titled 'Poker Pals' to be hung in my parents computer/poker room.


Poker Pals
36" x 12" x .5"
Acrylic on stretched canvas

Blue & Gray Mask Magnet
Polymer Clay and Acrylic Paint
4/4

 
Well that wraps up Christmas nice and neat, Thank God!!!!


Saturday, December 25, 2010

Custom Portrait of YOUR Pet

I am very pleased to announce that I am now excepting orders for custom works of peoples pets.  I have had a few inquiries about this over the last few weeks so I decided to give it a shot and it turned out wonderfully.  I have a few requests now lined up and I have officially posted a listing in my Etsy Shop for this as well.  I think this is a great way for any pet lover to preserve there pets memory, whether it's a pet from past or present.  The pics I am posting here are of the one I just completed of my husbands little baby which I am going to be giving him for Christmas, so shhhhh, its a secret. The first pic is my interpretation of the photograph beneath it done in heavy body acrylics on a 5" x 7" s .5" stretched canvas.

'Germified'
5" x 7" x .5"
Acrylic on stretched canvas

Germer the cat

Friday, December 24, 2010

12 Cards of Christmas Card #10

Well here we are Christmas Eve!  I actually have cards #10, #11 & #12 done but because I was running out of time I had to figure out a way to get 2 birds stoned and that way was using cards #11 and #12 as my Mom and Dads card and my husbands card for Christmas this year.  Soooo I can not post them until after Christmas or I might spoil it for them if they happen to drop by my blog between now and Christmas day.  I really do have all of them done now and it feels good to have that done and over with, now on to those Valentines Day cards.  As for card #10 I decided to do an old favourite, "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" and thats all it is, that cute little old tree with a single red Christmas ornament and the little blue blanket to keep it warm.  On the inside it reads 'Snow Day' written out of Scrabble cubes, and on the back my 'handmade' stamp and my logo sticker.  This card was created using archival card stock and fine quality Lixuitex acrylic paints so this miniture art work can be kept or given as a collectable.  If I have time on Christmas Day I will post the last 2 cards and if I don't get time then for sure on Boxing Day.





This card and more like it can be purchased through my Etsy Shop.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

12 Cards of Christmas - Cards #8 & #9

Sorry to leave you hanging yesterday if you were waiting for card #8 but things are really getting hectic with Christmas and all but I do have 2 cards for you today so I hope that makes up for it.  Card #8 is titled 'Love Never Melts' and features a windy winter day scene with a snowman losing his top hat in the wind. The title is derived from the writing on the inside that reads the same as the card title and on the back is the usual 'handmade' stamp and my logo.  Card #9 is a bit fancier and less cute then the rest have been and features 2 red christmas ornaments hanging with gold patterns on the bulbs and gold stars all around.  The inside of this card has been left blank and the back is the usual.  Both cards have been created using archival quality card stock and the finest quality in Lixuitex acrylic paints so these little mini works of art can be kept for a lifetime, or two!  Have a looksy below and if you are interested in purchasing then click HERE!







I am going to do my best to have card #10 ready for tomorrow, however if it comes down to either having the card ready for tomorrow or getting my parents christmas gift finished in time then.... well, I think thats obvious..... so if thats the case I will catch up like I did today.

Monday, December 20, 2010

12 Cards of Christmas - Card #7

Just past the halfway mark and then I figure out how to simplify things and make my life easier, isn't that always the way?  Since all of my cards are hand painted the most difficult part of the whole thing has been trying to keep the paint off of the rest of the card while I am painting it.  And then if a little gets on it I have to figure out how to incorporate it in to the design of the card, and it just makes things complicated and take way longer then necassary.  What I figured out was this.... Since these are 1/4 fold cards I can cut 1 card up into 4 pieces and use each of those quarters to do a painting on, then I can attach the painting to the card.  This way is so much neater and easier, it just means I have to use 1 extra card out of the pack for every 4 cards, but it is definately worth it and I am just mad at myself for not coming up with it sooner!  Anyhoo, back to card #7, an adorable winter wonderland scene on the front, on the inside the card reads 'Mittens, mittens everywhere.... but never can we find a pair' and on the back my usual 'Handmade' stamp and my logo.  Of course the materials are the same as the rest and that is Lixuitex acrylic paint on archival quality greeting card stock.

(also if you have not had to opportunity to see the revised card #6 you should as it now looks the way it was designed to look and it is beautiful!)






Come back tomorrow to see card #8..... almost there :)

Sunday, December 19, 2010

12 Cards of Christmas Card 6

Half way there at card #6!  I have a very cute design featuring a whimsical Christmas tree to be, lightly dusted in snow and waiting to be adorned with lights and decorations.  I have decided to leave the inside of this one blank as I feel that the sparkles just took away from the beautiful pic on the front and on the back my usual 'Handmade' stamp with my logo.





Come back tomorrow to see card #7

Saturday, December 18, 2010

12 Cards of Christmas - Card 5

Sorry for the delay in posting this one, things are starting to get a little hectic the closer it gets to Christmas.  Card #5 was inspired by the restaurant in the U.S. 'Jack in the Box' only my design uses a snowman head  instead of Jacks head so I appropriately titled this card 'Jack Frost in a Box'.  I used quite a bit of glitter on the inside of the card and on the back but it doesnt show up in the pics at all.  On the right inside it reads 'In the meadow we can build a snowman' and on the back my 'Handmade' stamp and my logo.




Thursday, December 16, 2010

12 Cards of Christmas - Card 4

The bad thing that happened with card 4 is that I could not fit my entire idea onto the card, there just wasn't enough room; but the good news is that I get to use the rest of the unused idea to make card #5.  This is good because I really haven't given much thought to card 5 yet and now I don't have to, but you will have to wait til tomorrow to see what the rest of the idea was.  As for the part of the idea I had room for, well it's a 'Candy Land' full of oversized candy canes as far as the eye can see.  I made this card the same as all of the rest with archival 1/4 fold greeting card stock and fine quality Lixuitex acrylic paint on the front.  On the inside I used some more of the super cute winter scrapbooking stickers and on the back my 'Handmade' stamp and my logo.




Wednesday, December 15, 2010

12 Cards of Christmas - Card 3

Card 3 aka 'Star Gazer' features a cute little puppy dog sitting up on a snowy hill and staring up at the stars that are hanging from a whimsical tree.  I decorated the inside of this card by painting a snowy looking background and using mixed media so it reads 'Let it Snow' and has a few snowflakes falling around the words; the other half of the inside has been left blank so it can be personalized.  The back of the card is done the in the same manner as all of the rest featuring my 'Handmade' stamp at the back bottom and my Oddball Art Co. logo above it.  This card as been constructed from archival quality 1/4 fold greeting card stock and painted with the finest quality in Lixuitex acrylic paints and the mixed media inside was done with some really cute winter scrapbooking stickers I came across the other day.  Gotta love that scrapbooking isle! (The funniest thing about that statement is that I have never scrapbooked in my life but I have spent more money in that isle than you could likely imagine. lol)  Anyhoo, here are the pics of this beauty of a Christmas card I have created........





Come back tomorrow to see what I come up with for card #4!

Art Attack - Radium Audio

Normally on Art Attack I feature artists working in the visual arts. Normally? Wait a minute, what am I talking about? This is Art Attack and there is NOTHING normal about it! So lets just get on with it..... Todays featured artist or should I say artists is a music and sound design company by the name of Radium Audio. I actually had an opportunity to interview Dan from Radium Audio and I want to share that with you today as well as some very amazing videos they have created.

I had a chance to check out Radium Audio's website  and  it is packed full of amazing and very inspirational videos with great sound effects and music.  If you are in the business as well, I did notice a 'Sound Cloud drop box' which means YOU send THEM YOUR track! Why? Because they want to hear it and because they are always listening for new talent.

Radium Audio's client list is huge! They are definately no stranger to what I could see almost all of the leaders in many industries including but not limited to names such as.......

BabyHeavenlyMaverickSony EricssonRolexFerrariMercedesBentley


SonyPhilipsLGPLAYSTATION NETWORKEA GamesreebokCoca Cola ZeroATARI
FoxUniversalMTVBBCWarner BrothersDiscovery ChannelMan vs MachineTaylor James


 My Interview with  Dan @ Radium Audio Ltd

~Tell me a little bit about your company, Radium Audio~


Radium is a leading music and sound design company based in London. We work with agencies, cg & animation houses, digital agencies, game developers, brands and manufacturers.  Our clients are usually the leaders in their own fields, working with the worlds most successful brands, creating content, advertisement and brand communication.

We supply award winning audio for many of our national, multi-national & internationally based creative companies from UK, USA and Europe.
Radium staff consist of creative directors, composers - sound designers, admin and project managers. Our collaborative process means we can create bespoke audio for all project requirements with our consistent output and creative excellence in sound & music.


~What or who inspires you?~



Anyone who pushes boundaries within their chosen passion!




~What is your all time favourite project from your portfolio?~



 If this is to help you decide on the project to blog about, then the NCIS project would be the one to go for.  We've had a bit of a chat about it and it was really hard to settle on a project for a 'favourite'.  We thought that the NCIS project was a great collaborative effort from the team, and the "making of" video incorporated in the project is a good demonstration of the team at work and the behind the scenes process.




~What 5 words would you use to describe your company?~


Progressive, Bold, Passionate, Innovative, Unorthodox


I have 4 videos by Radium Audio to show you today.  The first one is a teaser trailer for the new NCIS feauturing LL Cool J.  I absolutely love this as I am one of the biggest NCIS fans.  Then there is the making of video, 'Gun Recording Film'.  I also wanted to share with you a video from their portfolio that I just fell in love with when I saw it and heard it, Radium Audio worked with We Are Seventeen and they put together 'Strange Arrangements.'  The last one is titled 'Nike Chase' and is very cool as well.  As I mentioned earlier they have alot more where these came from on their Website so make sure you check it out when you have a chance, you will not be disappointed.




























Radium Audio - Nike Chase Video