wip: THE MAKING OF A YELLOWDOG ART CARD

This work-in-progress post shows the steps in making a YellowDog Art card.  Well, in this specific case, a BrownDog card.  My Mom requested this for my niece; BrownDog started at her house before finding her way to my parents house and my niece loves teddy bears.  Easy peasy.

STEP 1:  The recycled kraft cards I use come in two different sizes and they come unfolded but they do have a wonderful score line.

STEP 2:  Using the score line provided on each card and a bone folder, I fold each card separately. 

STEP 3:  Next, I use a good pencil to sketch the image on the card.  I sketch it very very lightly so it is easy to cover with ink or erase when the time comes.  

STEP 4:  Now I ink the card.  I use a no bleed Sharpie to follow the pencils.  Because I buy recycled cards in a heavier cardstock weight, the ink does not bleed through and it give me a nice strong line.  When I am done inking the card, I wait a a few minutes and then carefully erase any left over pencil lines.  I find the cheap $.35 pink pencil topper erasers from the art store work best. 

STEP 5:  I use Prisma Color pencils for color.  They are very waxy and have a super smooth look.  The colors are amazing.  Some of the darker colors dont work great on these cards because they get a white waxy film after a while so I just avoid using the colors I find problematic.  The picture below was actually taken after the pencil step was done and I had just started step 6.  I thought it would work best this way so you could see how different the next step is even though it may sound unnecessary.

STEP 6:  Reinking the entire image.  Again, I use the no bleed Sharpie.  It works the best over the waxy pencil.  It really makes the image pop off the card.  The white pencil outline helps to but the second round of outlining with the Sharpie really brings back all the definition.  The waxy finish of the pencil can ruin markers but so far I find if I just scribble on a plain piece of paper every once in a while, I am good to go! 

This is just a closer look at the final product.  Sorry about the poor quality of the image.  My lighting was not ideal.  I really like how this came out!  My first bear.  After the card is done, I find its matching recycled kraft envelope and a clear cello bag for protection.  The celo bag also helps keep the waxy film appear on the rare occasion I have to use one of those darker colors.

I know, I know.  Printed cards would be sooo much easier.  But how would I get this exact look in printed cards?  Plus, I make my art to make art.  Selling my art and items with my artwork on them just helps me get my art out there to anyone interested.  It helps me recoup a small amount of the cost of supplies.  I keep my prices as low as possible and I do have a day job so I can do this for now.  Currently my recycled cards with envelope and original artwork are all only $5 each!  Want a YellowDog card?  Want a bunch of YellowDog cards?  Contact me and we will work something out  :)

Where did Friday and Saturday go?!

Laundry is spinning around in my washer and my dishes are getting a nice hot steamy bath so Im grabbing a minute to type up this post. Later I hope to put on the painting clothes and relax but for now I am cleaning up after a hellish week at work and trying to prepare for another hellish work week ahead. Im sure you know about THOSE weeks. But on to the fun things....

Look what arrived on my doorstep one very snowy evening:
I had been waiting for this package from Paypaya for a couple weeks. My friend Georgia gifted me the most amazing Sabrina Ward Harrison art journal from Paypaya for Christmas. I had wanted one of those journals for almost a year but it didnt give detail on the type of paper and I just couldnt bring myself to indulge in one for myself. Georgia and I both love Sabrina's books and she ordered one up for me. Not only was the cover gorgeous but the paper is crazy thick and the journal is super thick but opens nicely. I knew right away that I would stress about using that gorgeous journal unless I got another one. I know, it is a sickness but at least I know myself. Confident that I love them, I dared to order one and I lucked out with free shipping! Ofcourse even the label is beautiful but then I opened the hefty box to see this:I am a sucker for gorgeous packaging! My picture taking skills do not do the tissue or glossy label justice. I strongly suggest hopping over to Papaya right now and ordering yourself up some of these:

Stunning artwork in beautiful art journal form. I will warn you that regular shipping seems very very slow (even if you pay for it) from here but it is very much worth the wait.

I found some chipboard ornaments while holiday shopping. I did not get a chance to tackle them until after the holiday season but who says they have to be 'holiday' ornaments? I made them winter themed instead. One is going to my mother or she will kill me but the other is up for sale. I am only posting it here on my blog and maybe facebook. Otherwise this little guy gets put away until late in the art show season next year!

I did not think to take a picture sooner but above you see they are about 2/3 of the way done. Smaller work can be very time consuming but lately the small projects have been the easiest to varnish and complete due to the Vermont weather. What do you other Vermont artists do in the cold snowy months when it is time to varnish a piece?

The final stage before varnishing:

A close up after two coats of varnish:

And on the other side you have YellowDog's cousin BrownDog!

I did a ton of cleaning in my small upstairs studio. I am not done but life is so much easier with space to move around and clean work surfaces to work on. So I am flying back and forth between my computer and my painting table lately and it disturbs my studio helped immensely. She would prefer I stay in one spot and in arms length of her. Below you will see the look I am getting a lot lately. Notice she has her own basket. She loves boxes and baskets so by designating this basket as hers (and filling it with her favorite crinkly paper), I keep her out of projects in progress with wet paint and glue. For the most part anyway!

Stay warm!