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Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Watercolor play and Honeymoon help.

It seems like I've been working on a lot of projects lately that I can't share.  Secret family projects, magazine submissions, private commissions have been at the core of my work lately.  One thing I have been enjoying in between all of those has been my experiments with watercolors.  I have always been intimidated by them but I'm having fun playing and learning more about how they work and how to use them.  I'm so thankful for YouTube videos and Pinterest pictures that allow me to learn more about it.  I am definitely a visual learner and can learn more from a picture or by simply watching someone else do something than I can from all the written directions or verbal instruction in the world.

I've been posting the ACEOs that I am making in my watercolor practice for sale on my Facebook art page ( Amy Weaver/The Weaver's Hand on Facebook ) I love the feedback and interaction from the people who are viewing and enjoying my cards and as always, I love the special requests and suggestions that challenge me to try different things.

All the money I'm earning from these is going into a fund to help my daughter and soon-to-be son-in-law have a Honeymoon weekend.  Their wedding is going to be very much a DIY event as money is so tight for all and a Honeymoon would be an impossible expense for them.  Their desire is simply a weekend in a bed and breakfast in the beautiful Texas Hill Country and if selling my little cards helps them reach that goal I'm thrilled to help.

Here are some of my favorite finished cards.  I'm so thankful to everyone who has liked, commented and purchased my cards.  









Sunday, July 16, 2017

Weirdy Mail = Wonderful!

What is Weirdy Mail, you may ask?  Well,  its art, usually made in an unusual shape, that is mailed, as is, without box or envelope to cover it.  I belong to a group of artists through AFA who exchange altered envelopes and postcards once a month.  Once or twice a year, we have the choice to send something a little more interesting...hence, Weirdy Mail.

Here is something I created and mailed to my sweet friend, Melissa.  I've included some progress pics and descriptions too.  I love how it turned out!  It even exceeded my expectations.  I hope you enjoy it.



If you'd like more information or would just like to see me feature more things like this,  drop me a comment.  I'd love to hear from you!

The whole thing started with these awesome cardboard pieces that were packing material in a set of cookware.

I created a base for the box out of cardboard and glued pieces together to form a box with a lip for the cover to fit on to.

In order to have some pieces fit inside of others I cut a section out and used masking tape to hold them together for gluing.

The outside of the box was then covered with paper towels decoupaged with white glue.

The entire box was then given a coat of gesso.

Petals and leaf shapes were cut out of thinner cardboard recycled from soda and cereal boxes and then covered with paper towels and white glue.  The petals and leaves were also gessoed before painting.  I used Daler Rowney Acrylic Inks in Olive Green and Sap Green on the leaves and box.  Golden High Flow Acrylic in Alizarin Crimson Hue was used to paint the petals.  The petals and leaves were then edged with black Sharpie marker.  The center was made from a circle of cardboard, painted black, covered in large black seed beads and edged with a scrap of fringed yarn.

Another ring was covered and painted black for the mobile.



For the mobile, the flowers were constructed as one piece and painted just like the larger one.  Leaves were created and added to the back of each flower.  The centers are assorted black buttons.  The rings were crocheted around plastic rings and a pearl drop was added to the center of each one.

The basket-weave effect was created by putting a layer of molding paste on the side of the box and using sheet rock tape to impress the grid pattern into the wet paste.  After drying the sides were gessoed and painted with the rest of the box.

Curling the petals and leaves a bit before placing them on the box helps to create more 3D effect.  The petals were glued to the center piece, the leaves to the box top and the completed flower glued to the middle of the box top over the leaves.

Although most Weirdy Mail is sent as-is, I did pack it in a clear plastic bag just to be sure that all the pieces arrived together.

I hope you enjoyed this little look behind the scenes!

Friday, July 14, 2017

Back in the saddle and ready to ride!

So the big family project I've been consumed with for the last 6 months or so is done and I'm ready to get back to making art and moving forward toward a few of my goals.  I'm posting some of my recent work to my various social media accounts and finally getting to work on some things that have been on hold for far too long.  I'll be updating the blog with some recent news and fun projects, giving it a fresh new look as I look forward to new and exciting things.

Here are a couple of journal pages I did recently.  Its part of a project I've been looking forward to starting.  I'll post more about it soon.






Thanks to all who have stuck with me and to all who take the time to comment!  It means the world to me!  <3