Be Mused Art » Work In Progress

Crazy Quilting here I come

Melia — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:56:37 +0000

Years ago, I used to crazy quilt. It was something creative to do after getting my art degree that wasn’t painting, for I was burned out on painting. I was obsessed with it for a few years and then found I was spending more time designing embroidery patterns, than actually working on my quilts. And I went and bought myself a sketchbook, and that of course led back to me drawing and painting.
A few months ago I signed on with Queen Kat Designs to have my paintings turned into fabric patches. They reminded me so much of the Tobacco Silks that everyone was wanting for their Crazy Quilts in the late 90′s when I was myself doing lots of CQ. Which had me thinking about crazy quilting all over again.
Then I was a panelist at a convention and got put on a panel on steam punk. The moderator asked what we would like to see in steam punk. That is when it hit me that crazy quilting wasn’t showing up in steampunk, even though crazy quilting was a popular Victorian craft and was a great way to use up costuming scraps. So I talked a local Steam Punk convention into letting me have a panel on crazy quilting in hopes of having costumers bit by the cq bug. And if they don’t want to take the time to cq themselves, mybe it will have them thinking of donating their scraps to friends that will make beautiful crazy quilts with it.
In preparing for this crazy quilt discussion I have asked to borrow back some of my work that I had gifted years ago, and am starting a new crazy quilt block. It is just now patched, as you can see in the photo here. Next is the really fun part, where I will do all sorts of fun hand work. I am thinking it needs pearls, and maybe that cool embroidery thread that changes colors in the sun. I used my mercat fabric patches from QKD, some scraps and a few fabrics bought especially for this project.
When I get done with this one, I really want to do one with my Arrival of Spring patch.

Dia de Los Muertos

Melia — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 23:04:34 +0000

The October Enchanted Vision’s Project is Dia de los Muertos. It came in after I created my Day of the Dead painting for the Bath House show. So in keeping with the spirit of the EV project, I did something completely new. And to make up for not blogging near enough, I made a video just for all of you.

Ruby Slippers- WIP

Melia — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 19:09:19 +0000

I try and participate in a monthly themed exhibit most months. Some months are harder for me than others. This time I was given the theme “Ruby Slippers”. I didn’t want to go with the expected Wizard of Oz theme and to be honest I hate shoes. I should probably turn in my girl card for admitting that, but really they are evil.
I spent most of my childhood in bare feet. Running around on the rocks at my grandparents’ lake house, running around the yard, walking to visit my friend down the street – barefoot. I feel confined and can’t breath in them.
Which all comes down to why in the world would I put such evil things on the feet if I can avoid it. So I turned them into a play thing for a cute little fairy kitty. And well my little Willow used to curl up in my shoes when she was a wee little thing, before she turned evil herself.

End of the Rainbow – Sneek Peek

Melia — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 03:45:08 +0000

End of the Rainbow. In order to get the rich color that I want for this painting, it is taking lots an lots of layers of colors. But if you click on the rainbow sock you can see the rubber stamp inspired by this yet to be finished painting. Get yourself the stamp and you can color along.

Crazy Rainbow Dragon

Melia — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 06:18:29 +0000

This little fellow is the result of a contest I ran on my facebook fan page last week for the craziest idea for a dragon painting. His little sock and mohawk are going to be rainbow colored and one of those sharp little teeth will be gold. I had to go ahead and ink the sketch, because with that art nouveau border it was going to get complicated when I transferred it to watercolor paper. Which is the next step.

Purrfect Pearl – A sketch

Melia — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 20:59:00 +0000

I know I promised you all completed art everyday. But after a few, I realized that it just wasn’t possible for me. Not if I wanted to ever paint anything larger than a 5×7″. So I will try and post daily, but you just might be seeing more works in progress than completed paintings.
Purrfect Pearl is a result from a contest I am running on my facebook fanpage right now. Each week for 10 weeks I am giving away a matted 5×7 print. On Friday I will post the contest and Monday choose the winner. For week 1 I asked for titles for a mercat painting. Whichever one inspired me was the winner.
Purrfect Pearl features a cute little mercat holding an oyster with a pearl inside. Behind her is a pile of rejected open oysters. This sketch alone, represents about 3 hours worth of work. That doesn’t even count the straight up thinking time before I pulled out the sketchbook. Things as simple as “what size do I want to paint this?” to “How should I position the mercat?”.
The during process involved a lot of thinking too. What style of fin will she have, how will she be dressed, how should I repeat design elements (notice all the places the basic form for the shell crops up? Or the circle?), how do I design the border to bring the focus on the mercat.
Next is to use my light table to transfer the design to watercolor paper. Which to be honest, is my least favorite step.

Purrfect Pearl – A line Drawing

Melia — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:00:28 +0000

This is a detail of the inking for Purrfect Pearl. At this point, I have drawn this image 3 times. First the original pencil sketch, then used a pencil and light table to transfer it to watercolor paper, then inked that and erased the pencil lines.

The Start of a New Mini Art Journal

Melia — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:03:11 +0000

I have been falling in love with stamping. I still consider myself a newbie at it, but the wonderful ways you can use stamps is fascinating me. So I have decided to combine my new love of stamping with my old passion for sketchbooks. Here is the start of my new sketchbook and art journal. It is a fun pocket size book just right for having with me at all times.
Supplies:
Light blue card stock (cause that is the color I had today)
22lb bright white HP paper
Silver Pigment ink pad
black dye ink pad
Copic markers : RV13, YR23, E00, R27,E04,B60, B63,B12
QKD stamps:
Anticipation Kitty Stamp
Fairy Background Stamp
Funky Swirl Stamp

First in I did was cut the card stock and paper in half. I used 4 sheets of paper, but in half and folded will make for 16 sheets for the book.
Then I used the funky swirl stamp, the fairy background and even some nifty angel wings that have yet to be released and stamped all over the card stock with the silver ink pad. Then using the cupcake fairy cat from the anticipation set and the black ink pad, I stamped the right had side of the card stock (when folded becomes the front of the book).
Next I used my copic markers to color in the cupcake and fairy cat. What is really cool about this is that the silver ink slightly resists the copic marker ink and it makes a really cool texture.
Then I folded the card stock and paper together and stapled then went around the edges with the black ink pad. Next time I think I will use the silver or a gray for this.

Now I have a little pocket sketchbook and art journal. I no longer have an excuse to not have something to draw on. I want to fill it with a combination of sketches and stamping over the next few weeks. So come back again and see what is next – maybe a traveling sketching and stamping set so I don’t have to lug around my great big tote for picking up the girl from school.

Detail of texture

Drawing and Painting

Melia — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 06:52:07 +0000

I have been busy. Lots of late nights sketching, inking and painting. Every moment seems to be spent creating. I take my daughter to swim classes and I draw, I take her to the pool, and I ink, sitting in a restaurant with my watercolors while waiting for dinner to arrive. Really at some point I am going to need to get more sleep. But in the mean time if you want to keep up to date with what I am working on, check out my facebook fan page.

Well, it is nearly 2 am here, so I better try and get some sleep. There are swim classes in the morning and my son’s birthday to celebrate.

A New Pirate Mercat Sketch

Melia — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 06:13:23 +0000

Still adjusting to this whole Linux thing. I think I like it, but some of my existing hardware doesn’t. Poor James is having to walk me through scanning every time, cause it doesn’t always recognize the scanner. And considering I want to scan things at 1am, it isn’t making for a happy husband.
Anyway, he did wake up and set things up to scan this whimsical little mercat. You will notice that the scan has more detail than I have been doing lately. This is because I found a larger sketchbook to work with, so more room for details. Tomorrow, I will have to start painting. Right now, I need to get to bed since I have an appointment in just 7 and a half hours, and much to do before that in the morning.