Be Mused Art » fantasy

Valentines 2012 Coloring Page

Melia — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 04:56:11 +0000

I finally finished the free downloadable coloring page for 2012. You may print and color this page as many times as you like for personal use. You may also print copies to hand out to your class for Valentines Day. You may not use this image for commercial purposes in any way.

Dragon Lore – My first painting for 2012

Melia — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 03:17:30 +0000

Dragon Lore is my first painting for 2012. It was created for the Enchanted Visions Project. My daughter actually asked that I do a dragon wrapped around a book. After a few different sketches with that idea I finally settled on having the dragon’s tail wrapped around the book to hold it for reading. With the theme Dragon Lore, I really wanted to do something to express the idea of sharing cultural history with the next generation so I added some little ones to K’s request.
I am also using this design to practice working in photoshop. I am using the same ink drawing, but different colors. I will learn digital art… I will learn digital art……

Valentine listed – a busy year

Melia — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:53:56 +0000

The past year I have felt a bit overwhelmed at every turn. I think I might have taken on a bit too much. Valentine never got submitted to the show she was created for. But no loss, because now I can list her on etsy.
The new year means new projects. I have already started to work on my first painting for the new year. It is my submission for Enchanted Visions for this month. Yes, I am starting later than is usual for me. But there is so much coming up this year. I am going to finally learn to paint digitally – one way or another. I am also on a quest to get out more and see folks – which means conventions and art shows. And if I can’t make it, I will try and send my art anyway.
So far, this year’s schedule includes ConDFW in Febuary as a panelist and Octopodicon in October as a panelist or ummmm Vistiing Professor. I ended last year an started this one presenting art and crazy quilting at The Difference Engine in Ft. Worth.
Do you have a favorite convention that you would like to see me at, or maybe just get a chance to see my work in person?

Crazy Patch Update – Pearl Detail

Melia — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 02:49:27 +0000

Detail of Mercat Patch

I have been working on my mercat crazy quilt in between making steam punk jewelry. I used some of the Light Effects thread in white and pale pink on the tail and to outline the flower on the cat’s head. I used a green cotton over the seaweed and put in some little pearl beads over some of the pearl images. I am thinking of using the white light effects over some of the smaller pearls on the head piece. I am also starting to frame the patch with some light purple embroidery.

And when I am not working on my crazy quilting, I am doing things like :

steam punk busy bee pendant

Valentine, A Steam Punk Romance

Melia — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 02:59:36 +0000

I just had to share this painting, even though she is not yet for sale. She is a painting I am working on for a local exhibition that is happening early next year.
I was a bit obsessive and worked all night for a few nights. But I think the results are stunning. This just might be the best painting I have done to date. There are some lovely details in this one. I am particularly proud of the ribbons of pale colors that weave through the painting.
She is an 11×14″ watercolor and ink.

Steampunk Valentine

Melia — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 06:13:58 +0000

This is an inking of a painting I am working on for a local exhibition. I am at a loss for a title for her. If I was good with words, I would be a writer. But I am not.
She is supposed to a fixer of broken hearts. Part Goddess, part girl next door. The girl that is there for you when the bad girl breaks your heart and somewhere along the way you finally figure out that she was your soul mate all along, but you were blinded to it, because she was always a fixture in your life. And until you have that epiphany, you are clueless to the fact that she is really a goddess in disguise.
But how do I convey that with a title. Right now my working title is The Fixer. But my husband says that sounds more like a mob position.

Anabelle, A Steampunk Romance

Melia — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 06:05:56 +0000

I might be having way too much fun with my new web cam. Anyway, this is my latest steampunk painting.

Spirited Away

Melia — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:34:34 +0000

Spirited Away
I have been trying to remember to make some videos of myself painting so you all can see how my paintings develop. Although seeing several hours work compressed down to just a few moments is kinda cool for me to watch too. It makes it all look like magic. So click the link and check it out.
Spirited away is 8×10″ and was created for the Enchanted Visions Project with the theme of the same name.

Summer is Done – Thank Goodness

Melia — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:15:02 +0000

This has been a horrible summer here in Texas. We broke the record for number of days in the triple digits. We have had no rain to speak of. And now we have wildfires destroying homes and farms across the state. And our area has had an energy shortage and we were asked to use as little energy possible in the afternoons when the heat had everyone relying on their air conditioning. It was even too hot to be hitting the pool, so our local pools closed up shop in early August.
So the result was us sitting at the local library sketching and reading during the hottest part of the day in order to reduce our personal energy use and still stay remotely comfortable.
For me as an artist, it has meant that little painting got done. But the sketches have been turning out beautifully. I have been doing more detailed work in my sketchbook. And now that the heat wave, if not the drought, has been broken, I have been taking the time to scan my drawings to show off.There are so very many, some taking days to complete, that I just can’t post them all here. If you would like to see some beautifully detailed dragons and mermaids and wise old wizards, go check out the Summer Sketching folder on my facebook page.
This summer also brought new licensing contracts for new products from Queen Kat Designs. Please go check out their website for fabrics, iron on transfers and coasters as well as the usual whimsical rubber stamps.
Later this month, I will be at FenCon in Dallas. My work will be in the art show and they tell me that I get to talk about steampunk art on that Sunday and will be forced to draw other people’s ideas on Saturday. Both should be lots of fun. Despite being terrified of drawing for an audience, I am looking forward to other people having to do the hard part of deciding what I should be drawing. And since FenCon will be Deep South Con, this year it should be even bigger and better than usual. And considering it has always been a pretty great event, I am just giddy about this year. Stop by, look at art, meet some great folks and enjoy some great discussions on fanzines, art, writing and some cool sci-fi literature.
And since you all are really just looking at a some purty pictures – here is my latest painting when I did just as soon as the temperatures droped to the low 90′s.

What I am doing for the summer

Melia — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 17:00:01 +0000

Yeah, I am really bad about keeping my blog updated over the summer. K is home, lots of stuff going on, not a whole lot of time to paint, so not much to share usually. But I have been getting some drawings done, I have discovered that I am a sketchbook snob, and I am going to be teaching starting in September.

How did I discover that I am a sketchbook snob? Well, first they had this great deal a few months ago on sketchbooks at my local craft supply. They were marked down 40%, then there was this coupon for an additional 25% off your entire purchase including sale items. And I thought “I got through sketchbooks pretty fast, why don’t I stock up on these that are on sale and use my coupon and I won’t have to rush right out and get a sketchbook in a couple of weeks.” Then suddenly my sketching slowed. I hated the paper falling out since this one wasn’t my usual spiral bound book. It wasn’t as easy to carry around since the pages would fall out as soon as I tried to turn a page. I hated it.
Then I was at a Dr. Sketchy event and won a moleskin sketchbook. I liked how it was bound, but the slick paper drove me bonkers. The drawings were turning out fine and the pages were not falling out, but it felt like nails on a chalkboard to run my pencil over that slick surface. It was just weird.
Then while out and about I didn’t have a sketchbook and my darling husband wanted to just sit and hang out at a coffee shop. So he took me to an art supply store and bought me a new one. It was spiral bound, had a nice medium tooth to it, slightly heavier paper, but still sketch paper, not drawing paper. And I sat down and spent over 2 hours sitting in a coffee shop just working on a dragon head. THEN I started working on a fairy cat. And then a unicorn and a mercat, then a mermaid. These are not my usual sketches either, but very detailed time consuming drawings. And I did them for the pure pleasure of drawing. Of feeling my pencil move across the paper. There were also studies of eyes and other things that not one would consider a finished drawing. But it all made me so very happy to be doing. So now, I will never again buy a sketchbook just because it is a good deal. I might spend a few pennies more, but I want the joy of working on the paper I want to work on. And to be honest it isn’t like the paper I had such joy in working with was all that expensive. It was a whopping $6 for a 9×12 pad.
And as or the teaching – an art journal workshop at my local art supply store. If you are in the area, the classes will be held at the Hobby Lobby in Garland from 4-5:30 on Mondays starting Sept. 13. All you need to bring is an art journal (140# watercolor pad recommended) and a sharpie. All other supplies will be provided for only $15.