This card features the Grateful Sheep, whom I’ve completely fallen in love with. I think he may make a reappearance sometime soon. I painted the background for this card a couple of weeks ago, and it was just sitting on my desk. I was on the verge of throwing it away! But when I decided that I wanted to do a ‘thank ewe’ card, and was trying to find the right background, this one just seemed perfect!
I have had quite a few people comment on the simple beauty of a painted background with a black silhouetted picture in the foreground, which I did first here-
I think that it’s both classic and unique at the same time (if I do say so myself), and since it’s a HECK of a lot easier than cutting out a million tiny little pieces for something like the peacock (while I love him dearly, he’s a pain in the butt), I would say expect to see a lot more of this style coming up soon!
What do you think?
This was some good acrylic practice. Infuriating, but good practice. There’s a lot that I feel is “off” about this picture, but I’m still stuck in the phase of wanting all of my stuff to look super realistic, instead of allowing myself to ‘artistically interpret’ things. 
Anyway, I think that it’s colorful enough to make a nice blank card- maybe invitations or thank you’s. I plan to get some little prints done soon.
Well, I started my Children’s Book Illustration class on Tuesday.
It may have had to do with the fact that I hadn’t taken an art class since high school (almost five years ago, at this point), or maybe that I had spent half the day at the university health center getting Fun Things done (and I get to go back on Tuesday, whoopee!) and was in a bad frame of mind, but I was terrified of going to class. It was like a montage of every bad high school experience in every movie since the dawn of time- I turned in circles as the faces of the art students warped around me, laughing and jeering at my little pink backpack full of new art supplies.
Fortunately, it was nothing like that. My professor is what we call a kick-in-the-pants: a cranky old woman with a raspy Brooklyn accent and a short temper. But she knows what she’s doing, and my puppy-like desire to please and receive praise has kicked in.
In Week 1, we learned about the basic shapes employed in 3D collage- zigzag, serpentine, leaf, and a few other things. I am working on illustrating a book I am tentatively calling “Absurd Birds”, and this week I did an illustration of the first bird in the book, the “GwA-wAa”.
I'm not entirely happy with the background, but it's good practice.
As you know if you’ve seen any of my work, the majority of my cards are made with shapes cut from paper. I was previously using Cutter Bee scissors, which are very small and sharp (think kidney scissors) and they work great.
However, I recently started taking a class on Children’s Book Illustration, and our professor won’t let us use scissors for cutting out shapes and things- she insists that we use an X-acto knife.
I am not sure which is better! They both have pros and cons, I think.
Pros of an X-acto knife-
- Greater control
- You are able to essentially ‘trace’ the picture instead of cutting at weird angles
- Lots of options for different thicknesses.
Cons of an X-acto knife-
- The blades get dull fairly quickly, which means ‘catching’ and jagged edges.
- They can be tough to get the hang of.
Pros of Cutter Bee scissors-
- They are very sharp, and don’t dull quickly
- Small with a good grip
Cons of Cutter Bee scissors-
- Sometimes it’s tough to navigate around corners
- Tiny angles can be a hassle!
I used an X-acto knife last night to cut out everything I needed to make 4 peacock cards, which have lots and lots of tiny paper pieces.
It worked excellently for everything EXCEPT the eyeballs. I have yet to get a perfect circle with either scissors or an X-acto knife, and I think I may need to resort to using a hole punch for those little paper circles.
But how about you? If you scrapbook or use lots of cut paper in your art, what do you prefer? Is there something out there that’s even better than an X-acto knife? WHAT SAY YOU?
My newest card. I’m not sure if I’m happy with the colors- I feel like it’s a little bland. What do you think? I am going to feature a few cards with dogs, because of an amazing opportunity that has come up! My aunt and uncle run a small dog-grooming business in Alabama, and they have offered to sell my cards there! So to appeal to their particular clientele, expect to see a few canine cards popping up. I have some really cute ones planned.
And, as always, you can buy this card in my Etsy shop.
This is the newest card- perfect for Valentine’s day. The message is completely optional and customizable. All proceeds are still going to Haiti relief! You can buy this in my Etsy shop.
With taco soup, that is! I can’t believe I’ve never made it before tonight. If you like Mexican food, you HAVE to try this. (An aficionado of real Mexican food would probably doubt the authenticity, but for what it is, it’s delicious.) It’s SO simple, and it makes a lot! AND- it’s pretty low in fat! Hooray! (I originally found a version of this recipe here, but I altered it quite a bit.)
Recipe:
2 cans chicken broth
1 can stewed tomatoes, Mexican style, (preferably with green chilies), chopped
1 can refried beans
1 small can golden corn
2 tbsp taco seasoning (Ortega, for example)
1 tbsp Cholula sauce (I swear I could drink this straight from the bottle, it’s that good.)
2 chicken breasts (about .75 lb), cooked and shredded.
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped very fine
In a big pot, simmer everything but the corn and chicken for about 10 minutes. (I wait to add the corn because I don’t want it to get too soft. I like a little crunch to it). It’s worth noting that the longer you simmer, the softer those crunchy veggies will be. I let it simmer for about twenty minutes before adding the chicken and corn, because my husband doesn’t like the ‘wet crunch’ of veggies like bell peppers. Then add the chicken and corn, and stir occasionally as you simmer for at least five more minutes. That’s it! Serve garnished with sour cream (I use light sour cream to cut back on fat), shredded cheese, and sliced olives if you like them. You can also sprinkle crushed tortilla chips on top. (I forgot to do that!) It is SO GOOOOD. I want some right now.
You know you want it.
If your husband is anything like mine, he demands that you buy bananas every time you’re at the store, and then he eats one and leaves the rest to ferment on the counter until they’re a lovely shade of splotchy yellowish-brown. I’ve discovered why he does this- he’s not apathetic about yellow fruit…he just wants me to make banana bread.
And honestly, after you try this recipe (which is from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook Bridal Edition), you won’t be able to blame him for it. It is SO rich and moist and heavy…mmm. And since there are bananas in it, it counts as health food. Snack away!
Recipe:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
3 or 4 medium bananas, smashed
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil or margarine, softened
Optional- chocolate chips or chopped nuts to taste.
Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Mix all the dry ingredients (except the sugar) together, and set aside. Mix together the sugar, eggs, oil/margarine, and bananas. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture, and slowly pour in the wet ingredients. Then, with a fork, mix until JUST blended. Don’t overdo it! It should be lumpy. Then, if you wish, mix in the chocolate chips or nuts or what have you. Pour into a loaf pan (you know…the regular kind of size. Pan dimensions always confuse me) and bake for 40-50 minutes. Basically, depending on the size of your pan, start with the shortest amount of time and increase it from there, depending on if your toothpick comes out clean.
*VARIATIONS*
If I want this to be really dessert-y, then I use the entire cup of sugar, and add a tablespoon or so of vanilla extract, and a ton of chocolate chips. (And the more banana you include, the moister it should be). However- if you want to make it a little easier on your waistline and more nutritious, then only use 1/4 cup of sugar, and substitute the remaining 3/4 with applesauce. It’s naturally sweet, and much healthier. And delicious. I also use 1 cup of regular white all-purpose flour, and 1 cup all-purpose wheat flour. Enjoy!
Ohhhh yeah baby!
This is my entry for Cool Mom Picks/Etsy’s Valentine color-your-own-card contest.
This card has a hand-painted watercolor background, with a cut-paper foreground. He is available for sale in my Etsy shop.
