Project 365- Sweet Dreams

Yeap, another whimsical card for Project 365. These are really fun to make and I've had this design in my head for a while now. Acrylic paints, gel pen and fine liner for this one.

Also, I wanted to say a big welcome to my new watchers! I'm up to 11 now. Love all my old watchers too. :)

Card 11/365: Sweet Dreams

Project 365- Painted Ladybug

Not 100% happy with this one, so I may re-work it at a later date. If anyone wants to give advise I would welcome it. Anyway, it's a ladybug, painted in acrylic paints.

Card 10/365: Painted Ladybug

Edit: I firmly beleive that it you're not happy with a card it's not fair to trade it away, so I decided to work on the ladybug some more today (15th). It's fair to say that I didn't so much retouch the card as repaint it, but the end result is that I'm happy with it now. :)

Project 365- Winged Heart

Just a quick card from me today. Feeling a bit depressed since returning from visiting family at home, especially since my fiance has stayed there for a week longer. Was trying to think of a theme and remembered that ATCsforAll.com is running a winged hearts swap. I didn't sign up, but the artwork was looking fantastic so I thought I'd see what I could create. Acrylic paints and pen.

Card 9/365: Winged Heart

Project 365- Friendly Fowl Duck #3

My final duck for the Friendly Fowl swap and also my submission for Project 365 today. The white outline is because he wasn't standing out against the background enough but I think I should have found a different way of making him stand out. Unfortuately, I don't have enough time to re-paint a new card as these will be mailed out tomorrow.

Card 8/365: Friendly Fowl Duck #3

Project 365 - Masquerade Ladies

Two more cards for Project 365. If only I hadn't fallen so far behind at the start, I'm really on a roll now. These were done with a travel set of watercolour paints which I think I've only used once before in 3 years.

Card 7/365: Masquerade Night

Card 6/365: Masquerade Day

Mum's 50th Birthday Album

My Mum turns 50 today and I made her an album to celebrate the occasion. I had made an album for Dad when he turned 50 and tried the apply the things I learnt during that one to this one. Firstly, I chose the Kaisercraft Pennyroyale range and used it for almost everything to get a co-ordinated look. This was much easier than trying to piece everything together individually like I did for Dad. Of course, it would have been easier still if I'd picked a current range rather than an old one that I then had to hunt down on-line, but I'd seen the colours and decided they were perfect for mum and nothing else would do. :)

I think Mum's album looks better but I don't think I got to cover as much of her life as I did in Dad's. Since I had to rely on other people to provide the photos and send them up to me on the Gold Coast I didn't manage to get any photos of mum with her brother and sisters or with her best friend. I also would have liked some showing her doing craft as it's a big part of her life. Still, I'm pretty happy with it overall.

I included a couple of blank pages at the end for people to write birthday wishes to her when they attend herbirthday party.

Project 365 #5 - Funky Snow Queen

While doing various things online this morning I decided I wanted to draw a snow queen ATC today with a funky feel to it. Looked at some different references and come up with this:

Card 5/365: Funky Snow Queen

Project 365 - Vintage Old Couple

I decided to do a pencil drawing for today's Project 365 card, since I haven't done any pencil work in a LONG time and I actually brought them with me to Melbourne. Found a lovely photo of an older couple and worked from that for a few hours this morning. I'm generally happy with it but they look younger in my card than the photo.

Card #4 / 365: Vintage Old Couple

Project 365 - Cards 2 and 3

I always knew I was going to fall behind, since I was flying to Melbourne a few days after signing up for this challenge. When you have to pick between doing an ATC or spending time with your dad whom you haven't seen for a year there is always going to be a clear winner. :) Anyway, I managed to get two done yesterday and will try to get some more done today to catch up a bit.

This first one I did with mum. She had done a similar design for a four seasons swap and they were one of her first attempts at a hand-drawn swap. I made this card as a sample to show the difference adding a bit of shading to the tree and mountain and being a bit bolder with colour could make. We were making the cards with pencils which had been around since I was a kid though and they were so hard to work with!

Card 2/365: Autumn Landscape

Card 3/365: Vase Study

Second card is actually done on a copy of lineart I did in 2008 for a pen and ink swap and just kept sitting around waiting for a chance to colour in. Completed using a limited palette of Derwent pencils I found around the house. It's hard trying to create art without all your regular supplies!

Project 365 for ATCs

One of the ladies over at ATCsforAll.com has decided to run a Project 365 for ATCs this year. For those that don't know the point is to try and create one ATC a day for a while year. While I'm pretty sure I will fail to complete one a day I will at least try to complete 365 in a year. If anyone wants to follow the blog displaying the work of everyone taking part it is here.

This is my first card, a duck for the Friendly Fowl swap I'm part of. Acrylic paints again.

Card 1/365: Duck # 2.

Just realised that I never posted a picture of Duck #1. :( Here he is, completed a maybe a week ago.