Woof!

A little practice in quick sketching.

Hare update

 
I thought I'd just give a quick update on the hare sketches. The hare by the wall is already reserved but the other two are on my Folksy shop. This does not mean I am moving my sales to Folksy. I was finding that I was posting paintings to both Etsy and Folksy but they were always selling on Etsy. So I had to dash off to Folksy and cancel my listings there - which is a waste of money and Folksy isn't cheap to sell on. I'm going to try and rotate the paintings so they get some time on both web sites (if they don't sell first). But if you see a painting in one shop and would rather buy it through the other one then I am happy to list it there for you. I know that some British buyers are charged by their bank or credit card company for making purchases on foreign sites so it is no trouble to move a listing across to Folksy. Just let me know, either through the comments here, Twitter (I'm called GMcMarts on Twitter but the link to me is on the right at the top of this page) or Facebook.

Hare today...

Just a few hare outline sketches for today. These are destined to be paintings at some point in the future. Three of these hares live in one of the fields near my home and can frequently be seen in the spring, boxing, running and jumping. I met the fourth hare on the road one day when I was out walking. It came so close to me, just running down the road, oblivious to my presence. It is those moment that are truly magical. They are beautiful animals and I am lucky to see a healthy population locally.

Hot cakes

It seems I haven't been posting as many of my watercolour sketches as I thought I had. Do you ever have those times when you are sure you have done something only to discover you haven't? Well, I seem to live in those moments all the time these days. Anyway, I put some of the sketches on Etsy and they are selling really well. It is a little confusing for me as I have spent 23 years trying to create art that I am happy with (to see some of my favourite pieces see the link 'Recent Art' on the right of this page, under the Twitter button) but people love my quick sketches. I have been asked to paint several commissions of both pets and wildlife since I started listing the sketches too. It is lovely that people want to buy my art though. I have sent them all over the world recently and it has been such a thrill. Here are a few images that I have been creating. If you want to see more, go to my Etsy store and click on '277 sales' on the left of the page, under 'shop info'. You'll see foxes, hare and otters, to name but a few.

From the mad scientist of beads

I have been experimenting like a mad beading scientist this week. I got very messy, very covered in glue and my eyes were filled with glitter. Well, maybe not 'filled' exactly but there was glitter in my eyes on several occasions. Let me tell you, it's not something I advise. It nips. However, from these experiments came some new style beads. Silk paper beads to be precise. I got some wonderful colour combinations and am very pleased with them. I have added a few sets to my Etsy store but I really must find something wonderful to do with some myself. Mmmm. What to make?

Exciting!

My beads have been featured in another blog. This week it is 'janettalk' which focuses on paper goodies, in particular paper beads. Janet, who writes the blog, has been showing how to make paper beads - from the basics to some of the problems you might enounter during the process. She has used my beads as an example of other ways to make beads and I am very pleased and honoured that she thinks my beads are good enough for that purpose. You can find the actual post here but why not take a look at the other posts too and maybe learn something new.

Ooglebloops!

Apart from having the best blog name on the planet, Artfully Ooglebloops has been sharing some treasures with her followers. One of those treasures is a journal made myself and I am very pleased to include the link to the post. Why not pull up a chair and a cup of tea and have a read here.

But the excitement of my items being shared is not over. Last Friday one of my paintings was also included in a woodland theme blog post by Ello Design. You can see more here.

I am so very pleased to have been included in both these blogs this week. When you work so hard to make things that people like to look at it is such a thrill when other people tell the world just how much they like them. It is times like these that make the whole thing worthwhile.

More publishing news

I just got the news today that some of my words of wisdom are to be published in a new book by Seth Apter from The Altered Page. What a surprise! Seth's book is being published by North Light Books next year and incorporates questions and answers from a wide variety of artists alongside artwork prepared especially for the book. I did not submit art but I did submit answers to the questions and those answers have been chosen for inclusion in the book. It is very exciting and such an honour to be included alongside so many other talented artists. No doubt more information will be forthcoming in the future and I will let you all know as I find out more.

More pendants

These are the three completed pendants from the photo yesterday. The photo isn't brilliant but they look lovely in real life.

Pendant Project

I'm giving making my own pendants shot. After seeing a few blog posts and videos on YouTube I figured that I could print out some of my own paintings to a small size then stick them into pendant trays. So, it called for a trip to Ebay to pick up a few essentials.

Then I put them all together using this tutorial from Jasmin Studio Crafts (from where I bought the pendant trays, glass, chain, etc). This is my first attempt - my Contemplation Panda. I'm quite pleased with my first attempt. Maybe a little tweaking is required for the edges because one of them became a little ruffled and looks magnified under the glass. But overall it is a nice, simple, effective project. Ideal for making gifts for birthdays and Christmas too.
In other news - I've added new Dia de los Muertos beads to my Etsy store.