SAVE ! - Last day

I know some of you have been thinking about it and maybe putting it on the backburner....but....this last day of January, I thought to just send out this little reminder. If you sign up for the Fresco workshop before February starts, you will SAVE 10 buckaroos, yay ! Just use the button down here and join the Fresco freedom with me !

SourPuss - a cat with attitude

Made this little Sour Puss the other day when I felt a little like this. Great that in art you can paint away your feelings !

(and our cat has attitude, so this one got a fair share of that as well)

*

 she is up for grabs in my li'l ♥ArTstore

Speed Sketching and a Dear Deer

I made a couple of quick sketch videos  - if you like to see how I make faces
:) - :o - ;)

and I have been busy of course with my Fresco Workshop lessons. Here's a little dear deer in fresco style. You can learn how to make this deer in the workshop. Remember the special offer workshop fee is available until 31st January still.

Gung How Fat Choy - Happy New Year !

 * Gung How Fat Choy *

The Chinese New Year has begun, the year of the (water) Dragon. It is the ultimate auspicious symbol signifying success and happiness. May the celestial Dragon bring great good luck to everyone. Happy (Chinese) New Year !

Buzzing Bee Buzz bzzzzzz

  I am busy working on many art projects at the moment ! I am on time (even a little early, lucky time-difference this time around) ....I have just uploaded the second week video material for the Fresco Workshop and I am almost done with the text material as well. Also almost finished a painting for a competition (Eeeeeeek !!) Going to deliver it tomorrow......fingers and toes crossed..... Thought I had to give it a shot, 2012 being THE year and all :) But keeping it real, if they are all "Fine Arts" buffs.....well you never know unless you try.... Oh ! My parents are coming over to visit by the end of the week YAY !!!!! They weren't going to, because of health reasons (both of them) but they got the all clear and have a little window of opportunity to travel now! Haven't seen them since they left 4 days before the February quake last year, and we have moved in the mean time, it's going to be wonderful ! So all this happening at the moment, SWEET !!!!!! Another Fresco pic here for your viewing pleasure, there's still time to sign up for the reduced price you know, until 31 January, Come join us ! and have a great week !

  

I have been staying up very late lately, even later than normally and I already was a night owl.... also made another little one, another little night owl, Oohoo ! Find him on my Etsy if you like him (his older brother went flying)

Poseidon - Ποσειδῶν

 I was asked to do a commission before Christmas. It was supposed to be a gift for someone that is completely MAD about Greek Mythology and there I went ..... back to my high school days ..... re-reading the stories, re-acquainting myself with the Gods. Prompts were: It was supposed to look original/old somehow, not a modern painting of the Big Man. He needed to have his trident clearly visable and he needed to be on 24x36 inch canvas and have texture. I had already started my study into Frescoes at that stage, so it fitted in well. My mindset was historical and "old" and this is what I came up with some plaster added as if he were a statue rising up from the deep....I didn't share before obviously because he was not to see it before Christmas and then I got so busy with preparations for my Fresco workshop and also didn't want to spill the beans about what my workshop was going to be about..... But now that the class is open, this is something I can freely share. In week 3 and 4 of the workshop we will be working on canvas panels as well. 

Le Frog and the Nixie have landed !

 



And today is another good day !!!! Two of my globe trotters made it to their destinations :) Nolwenn received her portrait in Canada and loves it ♥♥♥ and also Le Frog has landed !!! He made it all the way to Scandinavia. I sure hope he doesn't feel too cold though, but then Lone who won him in my Blog giveaway is a beautiful knitter and will surely knit him one of her gorgeous sweaters, hehe ;) You might want to check out her blog as well, if only because of the funkiest name she gave it : "Flowermouse Design" and of course she loves him ♥♥♥ who wouldn't ..... kiss the frog and .....

Little Moviestar

My little moviestar - alias, the wee Morepork (= New Zealand native owl) is flying out !   I painted him to star in my first on-line class video and then thought, Ah well, I might put him up for sale, and now he's leaving the nest...I will miss him, eventhough I only had him for such a short time. ♥

Fresco Workshop is LIVE !

YAY !!!! After a bit of a rough day with struggles with the uploads due to problems with access to my channels, I managed to open the workshop ! As they say here it was "Hard Yakka" which means hard (and tough) work hehe ! But that's all done now, onto the fun bit....

So to my new students : Soooooo glad you joined and rush over to the site and check out the first videos and come PLAY !!!

To the ones that have not decided yet ..... come on ..... take on a new challenge, this is FUN FUN FUN !

Still plenty of time to sign up, the classroom will be open until 1st August, but the reduced workshop cost only until 31 January :)

I can growl, I am a tiger.....>>>>>>GRRRRRR<<<<< what a day ! It started with a failed upload overnight, not understanding why and trying to fix this, then me for some reason loosing access to my youtube channel account and NO WAY of getting back into it........so creating a new one and starting to upload so history etc. in the mean time painting some and getting all ready for Fresco lesson number one.....and more uploading and  getting REALLY frustrated ! with myself mostly....but also I entered a painting into an annual judged art award.......need to bring the painting there on 23 January....ooooooh. exciting !  So I stay determined to get it all done before I'll hit the sack........fingers crossed the upload will succeed now.....xoxo

http://jetdtsetters.blogspot.com/2012/01/fresco-workshop.html

Flying Fish Fresco - fly with me

Here's a little preview of the kind of things you could learn to make in my new workshop. They are approx 6.5 x 6.5 inch woodpanels with Fresco technique paintings. I'll show you exactly how to achieve this look. There will be videos and written instructions, supply information and PLAY PLAY PLAY ! I thought I'd show you, classroom opens on Monday 16 January, if you want to sign up click here: 

only US 55 if you sign up before 31 January ! 

After that this will be US 65 - classroom open until 1st August 2012

~♥~ Fresco Workshop ~♥~

Fresco Techniques and Faux Fresco tricks

I am soooooo excited to present the new on-line workshop I conjured up! This is LOADS of fun (for the touchy-feely kind...this is a very tactile experience) and with wonderful and amazing end-results ! Check it out, come join me if you can ;) 

Fresco Techniques and Faux Fresco tricks

On line Workshop OUTLINE

WEEK ONE 

Introduction

Supply information

Surface preparation

Sketching exercise Project 1

Choosing design and style  

WEEK TWO

Transferring onto surface and painting exercises

Play and get to know the feel of the techniques 

 Finishing touches

WEEK THREE

Surface preparation

Choosing and sketching design Project 2

WEEK FOUR

Painting  Project 2

Experimental techniques and tricks

WEEK FIVE

Finalising Project 2

WEEK SIX

Second plaster technique 

Surface preparation Project 3

WEEK SEVEN

        Design choice and transfer of the sketch

Painting styles and integration - Project 3

WEEK EIGHT

Finalising Project 3

The Golden Fish

"Staring over the water, gazing into the sky,

determination sparkled vaguely in her eyes. 

Confidence and belief entered her being, 

now was the time to go out 

and catch the coveted Golden Fish"

 

I made this yesterday on watercolour paper. It tells a little story (at least it does to me) I am busy trying to design a new life for myself, one I love and will be proud of and that can support my kids, my family and that they can be proud of as well. Scared but also pretty determined, confident that it can succeed. I mean, if I pour my heart and soul into it it can only succeed, right ? So when I mindlessly sketched and started playing with watercolour paint this started to form and started to talk to me and it showed me determination and that it is about time to catch the golden fish, time to succeed. I think it told me to take another plunge, another leap. Trust the universe and just go for it. Crossing my fingers just in case....

*

♥ Lucky Frog Lover ♥

Yeah yeah, I know, it's Tuesday the 10th here already, that's me though, working late again...I'm a little Morepork (this is a New Zealand native nightowl, hehe, but I'm "imported" actually, that would make me a what-ya-me-call-it....exotic, haha !) well all this midnight mumbling aside....
The surprise Giveaway is to be revealed...tatatadum...drumroll here...it's a handmade (yes by me !!) journal - I called it "Frog Lover" and it has an assortment of papers inside. There is quick sketch paper, canvas textured paper, black pastel paper and watercolour paper. All for you to enjoy and fill with your thougts. Of course also the two folded cards :) and who knows what I still might stuff in the envelope.....here are some pics ♥

I wrote all the names on pieces of paper, folded them all twice, mixed them around and pulled one out, unfolded this and ..... the lucky winner is .....

 

 can you read it ? 
♥ Flowermouse Design ♥


so send me an email with your address ! 
To all the others, don't despair, I decided to have more giveaways this year, so keep your eyes open for my posts :) Thanks for playing !

SHHHHHHHH - still working

I am still working on a variety of things I cannot yet share ..... but soon now ..... so just a little longer ..... but not quite yet, for now I am still working, SHHHHHHHHH ! 
I WILL be back on Monday to draw my surprise Give away, so if you have not left a comment, you still have a little time..... 

♥ xoxo 

will talk again soon

Meet Amelia and Nolwenn

Meet Nolwenn and meet Amelia the protective dreamer

I will try to explain in short why and how.... The first time I met Nolwenn was last year, I don't even know anymore through which other on-line-art friend, but I read that she was looking for a name for the Innervoices-girls she paints. And she chose my suggestion (Nixies) -YAY !- and then she sent me a print of my choice as a thank you......:) 

And then in December I saw a photo she posted on her Facebook page

and I felt drawn to paint this beautiful face, probably because of those eyes, it's just a feeling I sometimes get. So I thought it would be kinda nice to join her with Amelia, make those two dreamers one. I hope she'll like it, I added a few subtleties, I'm gonna send it off to her tomorrow.

Thanks Nolwenn for the inspiration xoxo

If you like this style of portraits, I am available for commissions, just contact me here   -And don't forget to enter my Blog Give-away too, the winner will be drawn on 9 January ! (I know I added lots of links in this post, I am a curious person and like to share all the fun background information with you as well)

Books and Videos

I am so excited ! two new books have arrived ! The one is my annual Art Book, this time the yearbook for 2011

The other one the -slightly delayed- Mermaid book full of art just inspired by Mermaids and of course with little poems, thoughts and stories

Both are now in my Etsy shop (for those of you collecting ;)
 

 and this is one of the up-cycled boxes I hadn't shared before, it is also featured in the book. As with my other boxes, the design is first woodburned in the wood and after that I have put paintwashes and painted details

~♥~

Yay for the New Year ! - number 1 of 52 playdates -

This is the journal page I did last night for my "playdate" If you like to join Jan Fox's 52 Playdates, you still can, she will give a prompt each week, I thought it would be nice to participate this year and see what prompts she comes up with, sometimes you wouldn't do some things, just because you're looking in a different direction. This was a collage spread with a posiotive message starting with an image from a magazine. I can't help myself and put more hand drawn/painted elements in than hers, but I did start out with a cutting :)

Oh and don't forget my GIVE AWAY ! just click here to go to that post and leave a comment to enter !

WELCOME 2012 - the old Year 's in the BOX - and a GIVE AWAY !

Happy New Year to all my Blog friends and followers !
Of course I also want to wish that everything you wish will come true for you this year. I can now continue with my "waiting-to-be-published" posts. In this one I will share two cute boxes I made as Christmas gifts for my Mum and sister. They got a little delayed on the sleigh-ride, so they opened them last night on New Years Eve. I first woodburned the design and the words in the wood and then gave them a paintwash and painted the details. They both have some glitter and goldleaf happening (that doesn't always show up on the photos so they are even better i.r.l.)

 

  ↑-The Frog Box for my Sister-↑

↓-The Bird Box for my Mum-↓

 

I made some cards with the images as well, they are so cute and available in my Etsy shop now. 

♥

NOW : For the New Year's GIVE-AWAY: 

The first this year, I am planning a few more for 2012, so stay tuned ! This one is going to be ...a... ? SURPRISE-package that will include these two folded cards with envelopes and.....more....but what ? you may ask......well that will be disclosed on the day I announce the winner !

So.....if you can stand the suspense, if you are curious and adventurous and ready for a surprise.....just leave a comment on this post to enter. If you like to do a blogpost on your Blog about this or mention it on your Facebook page, please come back and tell me with another comment and you'll have another entry ;) The lucky winner will be announced on Monday 9 January ! I hope I have managed to show you that I really appreciate you coming to visit my blog and support me again and again and hopefully many more times to come.

♥