The Color of the Day Is Slate!!

Slate. Not quite true blue, not quite gray. Very quiet and calming and just plain lovely. It goes well with any color...pinks and browns the best. One of my favorites!

okay...I confess...I have A LOT of favorite colors lol

So, grab your slate from Mr. Slate and clear the slate so you can make notes on these Etsy shops!

Everyone needs to get a business card holder, especially this one from WonderfullySewKnits' shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10406084



I've heard that Tatting is becoming a lost art...it's not lost on TotusMel! Go check this one out:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6923095



Labels are just so much fun...the lovelier the better, like these from VanessaCavacoDesigns' shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10773810



Are You An Artist?? If not, don't fret...go see LeoaDesignStudio's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6221621



And I took just a bit of artistic license on this one...there IS slate in there, somewhere...I'm sure of it! It's so lovely, I just HAD to include it today from ImagineStudio's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11215181




Well, I think I've done it! I have finished my Fairy drawing. I added three more flowers, 2 pink and 1 white with pink, and lightly shaded green into the background. I haven't decided if I want to darken the green background or not...I need to stare at it some more lol

But...here's the finished product, with a little black added here and there to add depth to the shadows. I REALLY hope you like it!

The Color of the Day Is...Teal!!

Ahhh....finally, Spring has sprung here in central Iowa. It's 7:51 a.m. and the sun is shining, the grass is finally green and the songbirds have finally come out of hiding! My thermometer reads a glorious 70 degrees and all is well with the world!!

Teal...not a lot can be said of this tweener color. It's right 'tween blue and green, yet not quite turquoise...but it goes splendidly with pinks, purples, browns....almost any color out there, really. That's why I've chosen it for today...well, that, and it happens to be the colored pencil I picked out of the jar ;)

Need an Etsy promotional package? Then you MUST stop by gleepsie's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9299310



Want to Congratulate some special? Go check out this lovely card from LadyGil's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10581975



marshatoh has used a beautiful combination of pink and teal in this gorgeous necklace:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10205669



This amazing painting is hanging in artkitten's shop just waiting for a home on your walls!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10329108



And while you're shopping, these earrings are a 'must have' for this spring from outofthepinksky's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8650944



As I looked at the fairy drawing that I'm working on, I realized that my fairy's just a little bit on the bright side. It makes her look out of place amongst the dark purple of the flowers. So I decided to add a bit of sunshine to certain things in the drawing. I did this by first scraping most of the color off of the left edge of the flowers and the stems with my exacto blade. After this, I used Mango and Yellow Orange to give the flowers that look of first sunlight touching them. I then did the same with the leave that the fairy is resting on as she pulls open one of the blooms. I think it worked well. Tell me what you think by adding a comment to this post. (you have to be polite, but by all means, be HONEST about it)



I will be adding more flowers of the same variety in the background, smaller and different colors, and green as well. I'm really hoping I can pull this off...

See you next post everyone!

And I've added another photographic print to my listings, so go check out my shop as well at http://AreYouAnArtist.etsy.com and check it out!

The Color of the Day Is...Red Violet

Huh? Red Violet? But of course! You remember old red-violet...the only crayon in the box that never quite seemed to have as much color to it as any of the other ones? Not quite red, yet not quite pink, this lovely shade has alot going for it. Come on...let's go check it out!

If you visit tealchic's shop, you'll find this really neat skinny scarf:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9958691



If you like jewelry, you'll want to check out chendric's store:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10686890



And take a look at this lovely wristlet from PhriendlyK8's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8166973



Go immediately and check out this super set of earrings from capitolagirl's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8793646



And when your done there, go to ChrisFred2008's shop and take a look at this gorgeous pet necklace:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10428674



I was going to have a contest, as I stated in an earlier post. Well, after reading up on the How-To's and Wherefores of having an online contest with all of it's rules, I have decided against it. I will instead have the drawing listed in my shop as a Pay It Forward, or some such thing, and I will post when I list it, so keep checking in.

The Color of the Day is...Green!

Green?! That's right, you heard me! Green. Green fits, with St. Patrick's Day yesterday, Easter coming on Sunday, the 23rd (less than a week!!). What better color than green for Spring, fast approaching me here in the Midwest, not to mention all of the Green Eyed Monsters out there playing their Green Tambourines??? ;)

Check out this really cool reversible cat purse from quiltlady50's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6056815



Today, I have some jewelry to spotlight, like this green jasper and garnet necklace from Prettybird20's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9625968



...or this beautiful green turquoise necklace from cherryscreations' shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9706579



Add some green to your life, and help out the cause for Autism research by checking out shortsupply's terrific little onesies:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7108747



And....I just couldn't resist a little bit of shameless self-promotion here for my secondary shop ClassicVintage:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10010458



Yeah, yeah...I know...but Etsy has some great vintage 'stuff' too! It's just a great site for everything! Go check it out, you'll see that I'm right.

If you read this blog regularly, you'll notice that I was gone for a few days. (I hope you noticed, anyway lol) After playing a very nasty round of 'Catch me if you can' with good old Mr. ColdandFlu, I'm back up and running...slowly, tho ;) Getting back into drawing and creating used to be so easy for me. Fatigue, depression, lethargy...all of these things seem to go hand in hand and make it very difficult to get back into the swing of things. So, to get back into your creative mood...pick up your green pencils...oh, four different but matching shades of green...and with the lightest one, start making figure eights. Do a doodle patch of around 3 inches or so, without filling in all of the white of your drawing paper.

Next, take the next darker shade, and again, make figure eights over the lighter green, filling in a bit more white as you do. As you pick up the 3rd, darker green, try to picture in your minds eye where the darker shades of a small bush might be, and start your figure eights there, only make them smaller than the previous. With the darkest green, further define and fill in the shaded areas. When you have used all four colors, go over your doodle again with the lightest green, going over any area you think would have highlights. Finally, take your secondary green and lightly blend all of your green together by drawing over the entire image.

If done the right way, you can see a treetop or small bush emerging from the paper, with the texture and color of leaves without drawing each individual leaf. If not, then you have an awesome doodle to practice off of, right? The creepy little spider at top right of my blog was set against a background done in this manner. It still looks like a green plant of some sort, but is not focused enough to detract from the beauty of an everyday garden critter. Keep practicing, you'll get your own style to it.