Getting Ready to Make Some Greeting Cards

I pulled out my watercolor and travel arting roller bags to gather up supplies for making holiday cards this year. 

 

My travel arting bag contains: cutting mat, work gloves, water color paper, watercolor pan, travel watercolor pallet, watercolor pencils, brushes, brush pen, woodcut block with drawing on it ready for carving, honing block with honing compound and power cut wood carving tools.

 

My travel watercolor bag contains: watercolor paper block, water color paper sheets, paper towels, wash brush, watercolor brushes, water container, ftisket, watercolor color paint tubes, spray fixative, watercolor pencils and of course my lovely pallet...

 

I'm planning on making some watercolor painted cards and some mixed media collaged cards. Anyway I was so enamoured with my watercolor pallet that I had to take pictures. Now I'm ready for some arting, as soon as the precut watercolor cards I ordered from Amazon arrive...

Some Artworks for a Portfolio

Today I applied for a teaching position at American River College. The following artworks are submitted for a portfolio.

Little Miss Muffett

5x7" 2015

Mixed Media Collage using printed papers, permanent marker, water color pencils and acrylic paints on wood panel. This was created as a gift for my hairdresser's newborn.

Tools of the Trade

My "Tools of the Trade" series is a series of paintings and prints based on the various tools used in printmaking.

Baren Collagraph

18x24" 2015

Collagraph Relief Print plate made using chipboard, paper cloth, tagboard, corrugated cardboard and twine. Graphic Chemical Water Based Ink #1659 printed on Strathmore printmaking paper for an edition of 5.

Baren

7.5x10" 2014 

Edition of 30 on Mulberry paper.

Japanese Hanga Style Woodcut print using watercolor and rice paste as ink. The ink is spread by brushing the pigments over the woodblock using a Maru Bake brush; a specialized brush that looks similar to a shoe brush.

Brayers Monotype

18x24" 2015

Subtractive Monotype of my pallet printed using Graphic Chemical water based ink #1659 on Strathmore printmaking paper.

Twisted Etching Needle

19x24" 2015

Linocut Proof Print using Graphic Chemical water based ink #1659 on Bienfang 100% rag Marker Paper.

U-Gouge Chine Colle

18x24" 2015

Chine colle using PVA glue, tissue paper, gift wrap and Daniel Smith oil base relief ink printed on Rives BFK lightweight paper.

U-Gouge Relief

19x24" 2015

Plate was PVC. This is a proof printed using Gamblin Oil Based Ink on Bienfang 100% rag Marker paper.

First edition of 4 on Uhtrecht 100% rag Printmaking Paper.

Maru Bake

7.5x10" 2015 

Edition of 30 on Mulberry paper.

Japanese Hanga Style Woodcut print using watercolor and rice paste as ink. The ink is spread by brushing the pigments over the woodblock using a Maru Bake brush; a specialized brush that looks similar to a shoe brush. 

Maru Bake Monoprint

18x24" 2015

Additive Monoprint using oil paints, stand oil, Turpenoid Natural on Strathmore printmaking paper #300 for an Edition of 4.

Maru Bake

8.5x11" 2013

Acrylic Painting on Paper

Vintage Brayer

8.5x11" 2013

Acrylic Painting on Paper

Split Compliment Brayer

11x14" 2015

This is a three color print using three rubber plates.  The colors Red Violet, Yellow Green and Blue Green were mixed using Sax True Flow water soluble inks. The edition of 24 is printed on Strathmore lightweight printmaking paper.

Vintage Brayer

7.5x10" 2016

Edition of 30 on Mulberry paper.

This is a working proof Japanese Hanga Style Woodcut print. Pigments used were watercolor and rice paste as ink. The ink is spread by brushing the pigments over the woodblock using a Maru Bake brush; a specialized brush that looks similar to a shoe brush.

Palest Pink Puff

2.5x3.5" ACEO 2015

Mixed Media Watercolor on upcycled food packaging (laminated cereal boxes using acrylic gesso to neutralize ph). Created using watercolor, watercolor pencil. permanent marker and sealed with acrylic medium.

Froggy With a Chance of Rain

2.5x3.5" ACEO 2015

Mixed media collage using printed decorative papers, water color pencil, permanent marker and sealed with acrylic medium

Skull After Van Gogh

18x24" 2015

Subtractive Monoprint of my oil paint pallet on Strathmore Printmaking Paper #300

Another Skull After Van Gogh

18x24" 2015

Subtractive Monoprint of my ink pallet using Gamblin oil base ink on Rives BFK lightweight paper

Eight of Swords

2.5x3.5" ACEO 2015

Inktense watercolor pencils and sharpie markers. It's inspired by the tarot card and a vintage circus photograph

The Magician

7.5x10.5" 2015

Acrylic painting on upcycled food packaging. It's inspired by a vintage circus poster and the Major Arcana tarot card the Magician and the tarot minor arcana Aces.

The Moon

2.5x3.5" ACEO 2015

Miniature acrylic painting on 4 layers of re-purposed food packaging laminated and sealed with gesso. Inspired by tarot cards.

The Star

2.5x3.5" ACEO 2015

Mminiature acrylic painting on 4 layers of re-purposed food packaging laminated and sealed with gesso. Inspired by tarot cards.

The Sun

2.5x3.5" ACEO 2015
Acrylic painting on 4 layers of re-purposed food packaging laminated and sealed with gesso.  Inspired by tarot cards.

Recent Projects and CloseOut of Marketing Venues

This is one of my daily news drawings. It was inspired by a photo in the Washington Post on 4/1/2015. It was drawn on April 1st using Inktense water color pencils and water. The substrate is a page in a 5x7" Mixed Media sketchbook.

Chillin' mixed media collage ACEO

available this week on ebay: 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231521685042?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

I used the the previous sketch to create a mixed media collage ACEO format artwork.  I used decorative papers, acrylic matte medium, permanent markers and Inktense water color pencils.

Froggy With a Chance of Rain

mixed media collage ACEO

available this week on ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231521692834?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Inspired by the theme I did another ACEO using the same substrate and mediums as the previous one.

Other projects I've been putting time into this week... 

I'm updateing my CV and resume to update applications for adjunct teaching positions I posted in the California Community College teaching register and with local colleges.

And I've been saving records of artworks I've offered for sale within several internet art marketing websites.  I'm doing this because I'll be closing accounts in two of the sites I've placed my work in.  Both the sites charge a hundred dollars or more a year just for the privilege of selling my work within their sites.  My website does just as much for me and it's a third of the price! Now the money would have been worth it if the sites did more than simply let me sell through them, some occasional marketing on my behalf would have justified the expense. But these sites require that I do all the work and for their lack of effort if my poor marketing skills happen to incur a sale via the site I get to pay them a percentage of the sale! And I've had zero sales from either of the sites in two years...so for two years I've paid a more than two hundred bucks to two websites that have had absolutely no return on the expense...Time to cut off the dead weight!!! SSssoooooo...

Abstract 32007

one of the artworks that can be purchased at 50% off

Get 50% off 

anything and everything in my Artfire storefront by typing CLOSEOUT into the coupon code on checkout!

I'm eliminating dead weight from my marketing venues...by that I mean all marketing venues that have shown no return for the costs involved. My ArtFire account is the first internet storefront that I'm closing. There are only a few weeks left in my ArtFire account so I'm offering a closeout sale on everything in my Artfire studio; everything will be offered for 50% off from today until the date the account closes (I believe it's on April 20th but it may be sooner).

Visit my Artfire page:

http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/home/Phare-Camp

If you desire any of the artworks in my Artfire shop simply type the coupon code CLOSEOUT into the coupon code field upon checkout and all items in your cart will discounted.

A few other examples of the offerings within this site:

Happy Cats Bringin' Their Mojo to Ebay

Today I had fun making these teeny little collages for this month's Nibblefest Art Contest (NFAC).  A big part of the contest involves listing them in ebay for 99 cents each...the contest is to see which of us gets the highest number of bidders competing for one item.  You can click on the title of the artworks below if you want to see the ebay listing for them,

 Happy Cat 1

Happy Cat 2

Each of these collages are ACEOs (Artist Cards Editioned or Original).  I really enjoy the challenge of working in this traditional small format.

"Artist trading cards (or ATCs) are miniature works of art about the same size as modern baseball cards,^[1] or 2¹⁄₂by 3¹⁄₂ inches (63 × 89 mm),^[2] small enough to fit inside standard card-collector pockets, sleeves or sheets.^[3] The ATC movement developed out of the mail art movement and has its origins in Switzerland.^[4] Cards are produced in various media, including dry media (pencils, pens, markers, etc.), wet media (watercolor, acrylic paints, etc.), paper media (in the form of collage, papercuts, found objects, etc.) or even metals or cloth. The cards are usually traded or exchanged. When sold, they are usually referred to as art card editions and originals (ACEOs)."  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artist_trading_cards)

When I do these I start with a printout of an original sketch reduced to fit the small format.  I then grab a bunch of decorative papers in the colors I feel like working in for the day.  I also gather tools: scissors, xacto knife, glue stick, old phonebook (for gluing surfaces), cutting mat, sharpies, matte medium, paint brush, transfer paper and bone folder for burnishing.  I decide what papers I will use in different parts of the artwork then trace the parts onto the papers, cut the parts out, assemble like a jigsaw puzzle and glue them onto the substrate.  When the glue has had time to adhere firmly I make embellishing marks with sharpie pens then seal with acrylic matte medium.

If you want to see more artworks cleverly built around this month's theme and very afford-ably listed with starting prices of just 99 cents then go to ebay and do a search for NFAC.  You can also see a cool little Nibblefest widget in their blog right here in blogspot:  

http://nibblefest.blogspot.com/

NibbleFest Art Contest

Today I listed the following artworks on ebay for a monthly art themed exhibit/contest titled "NibbleFest Art Contest."  (NFAC)

Many artist participate in this online exhibit/auction by listing artworks based on a new theme each month.  All of the works have to be listed using the auction style with an opening bid of 99 cents.  There are no reserve prices or additional fees other than shipping.  I've yet to see any of the participating artists try to make money by padding the shipping.  I've only seen shipping fees that are reasonable for careful packaging and postal costs.  

I find these kinds of art challenges a fun way to step outside of my usual and experiment with materials and subject matter.  The theme for November 2011 is Penguins.  Click the following link to see an EBay search for this month's "NFAC" challenge:  http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=NFAC+Art+&_trksid=p5197.c0.m627

This artwork is a 2.5" x 2.3" mixed media collage ACEO (Artist's Card Edition or Original).  You can learn more about ACEOs at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artist_trading_cards

I got the idea for this image by googling "penguin" images.  I saw this pic of two penguins and thought they look like they're snowboarding.  So I created a digital collage on my laptop using that image.  Then I made this miniature paper collage based on the digital collage.  I used fun decorative papers pasted to a scrap of Stonehenge printmaking paper.

This one is an original 9" x 12" charcoal sketch on Canson drawing paper.  I saw this cute screen saver of a photoshopped photo on the computer in the Sierra College classroom where I'm a teaching assistant.  I mentally cropped it then sketched my idea and yesterday I created an open edition woodcut print from my sketch.

This is the open edition miniature woodcut print I created based on the above sketch.  Its a 2.5" x 3.5" ACEO on vellum Bristol board.

Desert Tea Party

Been working on some new compositions for a couple of barenforum.org print exchanges.  One exchange is to be 3x7" the other is to be a 3.5 x 2.5" ACEO (Art Cards Editions and Originals).  The 3.5 x 2.5 size for ACEOs is a standard.  The 3x7" size is a traditional size for a few of the annual barenforum print exchanges.  The images I'm posting are the ideas I developed into digital collages.  I've made a decision on which ones I'm doing...have fun guessing!

Exchange Number 49

Exchange Number 50

Nightmare Clown

 Well I finally finished the Mixed Media Clown Painting.  As you saw in the previous post I painted the background then adhered decorative papers to the painting to create my visualization of Pennywise, the antagonist in Stephen King's novel "IT".

 I adhered marblized blue gift wrap for the collar.

 White mulberry paper makes up the face and printed scrapbook paper was used for the mouth.

 Scraps of red hand made vegetable dyed paper are the nose and eyes.  Very thin orange mulberry was layered three times for the hair and bitty bits of scraps were layered over the black mulberry eyebrows.

 I made the eyes a bit more compelling with blue linen paper for the iris and holographic foil for the pupils.  The reflective holographic paper has a checkerboard pattern which makes it appear as if the eyes may be compound.

I finished it off by drawing with color sharpie markers to create the illusion of depth and shadow.  The whole is protected by a few layers of clear matte acrylic medium.  The face and spots of highlight are enhanced with a layer of iridescent acrylic medium.

He is offered for sale at http://www.absolutearts.com/cgi-bin/portfolio/art/your-art.cgi?login=pharecamp&title=Beep_Beep_Ritchie-1299361368t.jpg