getting inspiration

Sometimes when painting or drawing or any kind of art it's hard to find inspiration. You are so tempted to just copy off someone else or use a picture off google. But finding inspiration can be very easy if you are just aware of your surroundings. By what people say or what you do that day, your feelings that day or about certain things. Just take notes, write thing down and create something amazing. Have a camera with you at all times and just take pictures of anything and everything. Go on photoshop and press random buttons and create something crazy and paint! good luuckkk.

Push Pin Art

Ever heard of pushpin art? On t.v. they interviewed a man named Eric Daighs because he won the 2009 artprize in Grand Rapids Michigan. His work was quite original. He would only use about 5 colors of pushpins and make gorgeous masterpieces like the one you see to your left. I found a video of a CBS if you would like to watch. It's quite interesting to see what he has done and how he does it. Make sure to watch the video at the end.

http://www.mlive.com/artprize/index.ssf/2009/11/artprizes_push-pin_portraits_by_eric_daigh_featured_on_cbs_sunday_morning.html

enjoy! It is reallly realllly cool.

Gumdrops

I didn't know this but you can make a lot of Christmas decorations with gumdrops. You can make garland, ornaments, stars, wreaths, reindeer even! They are fun too because they are so colorful. You may also think it would be a bad idea to put them around your house because they are candy and could melt or get eaten but all you have to do is spray them with clear varnish! This is a fun activity to do with friends or family so start buying a lot of gum drops!

Christmas Crafts

There are so many different crafts that we could make for christmas. Santas, snowmans, wreaths, angels, trees, advent calenders, ornaments, etc.! Christmas is the time to get family together to celebrate. So why not when together make arts and crafts? Nothing better than making crafts, am I right? This video I enjoyed, she had some good ideas, I can't post the actual video on here but I'll post the html.

A Sapphire Crystal Bead Ring

I just watched a tutorial on how to make a sapphire crystal bead ring and it's actually quite easy. Takes some patience but the result is definitely worth it. This is a great present to give to family or friends. It's unique, cheap and gorgeous. This is also their blog on making the ring: http://mydailybead.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-to-make-sapphire-crystal-ring.html

Christmas Candy Cane Candle

Can you believe Christmas is next week?! It's time to finish up your shopping and decorating! One last decoration that I think you should have is a candy cane candle. It's a great decoration and super easy to make. Just need some tape, a ribbon, candy canes and a candle! Make a few of them and set them around your house and light them to have a great smell around the house and great lighting!

Watercolor

Learning how to paint in watercolor and me kind of hard at times. It is a lot different than acrylic and oil. It's not as thick or smelly and definitely applies to the paper differently. There are many techniques you should know before even attempting to watercolor. You need to know what supplies you need, what you are going to draw and even what angle you should place your board so it doesn't drip. The bad part about watercolor is that you can't really erase or cover up your mistakes so it takes a lot of time and practice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWyYWT-xdAc

great watercolor video!

Making an Ugly Christmas Sweater

Christmas time is here and it is time to get out that hideous sweater at wear it out! It's a rule, you really can't say no. No matter what when it is Christmas time you have to either buy an ugly sweater, make one yourself or dig in the closet for an old one. Either way youre having an ugly christmas sweater party. Making an ugly Christmas sweater is actually very easy of course. I know you could just buy one at a goodwill or something but it's just more fun having friends over and making it yourself. Just one stop at an arts and crafts store, such as Michaels and you are set!

Christmas Time

Time to decorate for Christmas. Put up lights, decorate the windows with fake snow,put up the Christmas tree and decorate that with ordiments and lights. For my twobedroom apartment we put up 400 lights in the living room and dining room area. It looksamazing! I know that since we have an apartment we can't really get a tree so instead we got a fake tree so no mess!

Colored Pencils

I now have an obsession with colored pencils. At first I loved sketching and painting but now I just tried using colored pencils and its amazinnggg. I didn't think you could do so much with colored pencils. You can blend and erase and make gorgeous pieces of artwork. Its like using regular pencils but ten times better because you get all the bright, vibrate colors.

Earring Organizer

So I don't know about you but hate losing my earrings! I lose my earrings all the time and its not like I lose both but I lose one! .... there's not much I can do with just one earring. I did find this craft though on how to make your own organizer. Its pretty easy to make actually and really cute. You pretty much use a frame and foam! How cool is that?

Thanksgiving Decorations

So I found this cute decoration about a couple days ago. They are turkeys made out of paper cups. They are adorable, easy to make and just a good decoration. It's also something to do with the family, your kids or friends. I hope you guys have a good thanksgiving though!

Latte Art

Latte art is a very popular thing right now. A lot of coffee shops are starting to do latte art and there are even some coffee shops who are known just for there latte art. Latte art is where a person makes a certain design in your coffee. They poor in the cream and the cream leaves a white circle and then they can add chocolate with and make stars, bunnies, hearts, people, anything! It is actually quite interesting and definitely makes money haha. I found this video on youtube which i thought should a preview on some of the stuff you can do with latte art: http://www.tvlesson.com/article/13101_how-to-make-green-bean-casserole.html

Making Crayons!

Learn how to make crayons! Its super fun to make with kids or friends. Instead of just buying them at the store make things more interesting. Be unique! It is actually quite easy. Just a few ingredients and a few steps!

Photoshop

Soooo I have my ups and downs with photoshop. I do think its awesome but it just depends how you use it. For example, I like the fact that I can get rid of my blemishes on my face and I can do cool affects with different colors and textures. What I don't like is when the media takes pictures of celebrities and makes them skinnier, eyes bigger, skin radiant, neck longer, hair longer, legs longer, everything! They completely change the celebrity and thats one of the reasons why girls are so self consious...they feel like they have to look just as good as the people in the magazines and well you tend to realize you can't do that. But there's nothing I can do about that, right? I mean photoshop is fun, just don't use it to show the impossible.

Surrealism

So for my descriptive drawing class we have to draw something crazy and weird. I have to turn myself into a surrealist...Dali or Vladimir Kush. This has never been my style, I have always loved the style but I'm just not that creative. I need ideas, I honestly can't think of anything to draw that is as cool as Dali or Kush's work. Like a lion with a giraffe's neck! Then I thought of something really cool and it happened that Dali already did that, I was thinking a lion with LONG legs like a giraffe but Dali did that with the elephants...booooooo. Well help would be much appreciated..

Getting a Tattoo

I got a tattoo about two months ago. It was a crazy experience! I honestly had no idea what to expect. Im not going to lie it does hurt a bit. I did get mine on my wrist so that is a very sensitive spot since the skin is so thin and the veins are so close...so Im sure somewhere else wouldnt hurt as much. But as long as its meaningful and you really want it then the pain is nothing. The feeling once its done is so awesome! Mine was for my cousin who passed away and actually in a way helped me deal with his death....kind of weird but true. The scary part his when you have to take care of the tattoo. Moisturize it and make sure it peels and scabs. But after a week of scabbing it will never come off! YAY.

Vladimir Kush

What an amazing artist Vladimir Kush is! I got introduced to his work by my painting teacher and his work is outstanding! It reminds me of a modern day Dali haha.

He has such amazing ideas and lively colors. All of his work is super interesting. This is his website: http://www.vladimirkush.com/home.php

Please check him out. I wish to some day be as great of an artist as him!

Decorate a Christmas Tree

I love decorating the Christmas tree. My brother and I would wear elf hats and our dad would put the lights up on the tree. Then all four of us would start hanging the ornaments. The best part was that they weren’t just ornaments..they all have meaning. Every where we visit we get an ornament. They are just random ornaments that look all the same. They all having meaning. Then every year my brother and I decide who gets to put the star on top of the tree. So if I did it this year, he would do it next year! Now we are a lot older..im 20 and hes 23 soooo we don’t do this anymore but I still love that fact that we did this and that Christmas just makes me happy! Good memories.

Decorating for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is coming up soon! Thanksgiving is one of my favorites just because I get to eat a lot and I see my family. This year it is at my parents house so we got to clean up, decorate and cook! If you plan on having thanksgiving at your house this year watch this video on how to decorate for thanksgiving. It was helpful for me, well actually a few of her videos were helpful. They gave me some good ideas :] I hope you guys have a great thanksgiving and just don't eat TOO much :]

Dressing up like Sandy Olsen from Grease

No one should disagree if I said that Sandy Olsen at the end of the movie Grease looked sexy and gorgeous! Danny Zuko was head over heels for this girl. With the tight leather pants, shoulder to shoulder shirt, the red heels and the big teased curled hair with of course...the red lipstick to top it all off. For Halloween I'm planning on being Sandy. Finding a Sandy Costume is actually quite easy. They do have outfits at halloween stores but they look pretty cheap and are expensive. I went to Forever 21 and bought leather pants for only 7 dollars! Then a shoulder to shoulder shirt for 5 dollars. CHEAP. I had the red heels and well the hair..thats a different story. It takes a lot of practice to get hair like Sandy. I really don't think there is any way to get her exact hair unless you use fake hair or a wig. I just put rollers in my hair and and hair sprayed and teased it like CRAZY. For make-up just apply some dark black make-up on the eyes and bright red lipstick. Lastly, don't forget the hoop earrings :] If you can try and get your boyfriend or a guy friend to be Danny Zuko. I'm getting my boyfriend to be Danny, I CANT WAIT :] Hope you all have a good halloween!

Making a Halloween/Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Learn how to make a spooky haunted house tree with pipe cleaners and a little pumpkin! It is quite easy to make and is quite perfect for halloween and thanksgiving. You can make more then one and not just put it on your table but around your house. Its a great decoration to get everyone excited for the spooky season!

Joni Johnson Godsy Wildlife Art

http://www.jonijohnsongodsy.com/

I love this artist. She is sooooo talented. I did an essay on her last year of college and I had to paint one of her paintings. It was quite hard. She puts so much detail in her work, so much time and patience. She has traveled everywhere and painting was just one of her hobbies and it turned out to be something she loved and it turned out to be a career. She mainly uses acrylic, which to me is weird. I just don't see acrylic being a good medium. I feel like you can do as much with it but maybe I'm just not as experienced as she is. I prefer oil just because you can mess up and its no big deal, you can do different techniques and i think it just paints easier. It is messy but thats just something every artist going to have to deal with. 

Joni uses her colors quite nicely, with a good amount of cools and warms to balance the paintings.  She went from working at hallmark to just being an animal lover and then starting to paint. She soon quit her job and became a full time painter! How awesome! Plus she has traveled to such beautiful places, what a life, yea? 

Hopefully one day I will be just as good as her :]

Butterfly costume

I cant wait for Halloween, it’s the time to decorate the house, make or buy costumes, get scared, hang out with friends and eat a lot of candy. A lot of people usually just buy their costume, which is fine, but a lot of the costumes seem a little cheap and well…skanky. I’m a sophomore in college and I want to be a butterfly, haha. I am going to make my own butterfly wings. I’m an art major so this is probably a lot more fun for me, unless you enjoy painting. But I am going to decorate my wings however I want. Wear black tights and a black cute top. The going to do EXTRAVIGENT makeup all over my eyes and just go all out. Then I’m going to curl my hair, or re-curl my hair and tease it A LOT. So ill be like an exotic butterfly. It will be cheap, cute, unique, and fun!

 

How to Do Old Age Make-up

You will see many people with old age make-up in many t.v. shows such as here come  the newlyweds, tool academy, and pretty much every movie. If your an acting major or a make-up student you will usually have to take a make-up class.  The picture to the left is my roommate and she is an acting major so she did her own make-up to make herself look old. As you can see she did a pretty good job! It's a very fun activity, though you sould buy a make-up kit..this make-up kit will last you a very long time. You can use the make-up for halloween a big night out or just to freak someone out for the fun of it!  Read this article to learn how to do old age make-up: Make-up

Wine Bottle Drip Candle

Wine bottle drip candles are gorgeous. They can be very meaningful, fun to make and just a good decoration around the house. You pretty much just get a vase and slice it in half. Then get a drip candle and stick it in and wahla! I found an article on how to do it so i don't have to explain it fully, just click on wine bottle drip candles :] For example though, you can always get the bottle you drank on your wedding day and make it as a candle holder to have forever. Make sure you get DRIP candles or else it won't look as good as it should :] good luck and enjoy!

Burger Art

This video is awesome. This guy named Phil Hansen uses grease from a burger to create a portrait of mona lisa. He has many other pieces of art that are amazing, it is called Goodbye Art. He uses food from starbucks, cheetos, matches, leaves, pine cones, candles, his pee and many many other things. Its amazing. Here is the video that shows him creating the mona lisa...which by the way, is about 50 feet tall! Paul Hansen Art

Halloween Ghost

Learn how to make a cute decorative halloween ghost. It's actually quite easy.  Just need a few supplies, some might be laying around the house and some you pay have to buy but don't worry, its cheap! This decoration would go great with the frankenstein. Decorations around the house just really makes people happy.  If you can decorate, why not! right? Its easy, fun, something to do, and a good conversation starter.  Plus, http://www.tvlesson.com/article/12745_how-to-make-a-friendly-halloween-ghost.html>ghosts  like casper are just cute :]

How to Make a Change Purse with a Juice Carton

Lets recycle! Drink all that delicious juice, every drop! Rinse it out with water and start cutting and folding to make a cute wallet. Your saving money, its easy and actually surprisingly really cute.  How to get a wallet can be easier and cheaper and more fun :]

Drawing Peter Griffin

Drawing cartoons  is one of the most fun things to do. You can make the silliest characters! I'm sure some guy was just sitting down bored one day and came up with the character Peter Griffin. Peter Griffin is a very well known character and the hit tv show, Family Guy. Peter Griffin is a fat, lazy, pretty dumb dad..though he makes the show. If you haven't seen the show then definitely look it up and watch it! It's actually pretty fun to draw Peter too and actually not that hard AT ALL. It will seriously probably take you about 5-10 minutes to learn how to draw peter! 

Oil Painting Waves and Rocks

I think learning how to paint waves can be really hard. Rocks can be at times as well. But to get the depth, texture and movement of the waves can be very tedious. It takes a lot of patience and time to get it perfect! You have to make sure you have the right brushes, clean brushes. Make sure you have the right size and style. Make sure you have a good (not old) paint and a CLEAN palette! This may all seem simple but it is a big factor to get a beautiful painting. This video helped me, hopefully it helps you: Oil Painting. 

Drawing a Dog

I absolutely love drawing. Drawing my seem very hard but its actually just a bunch of shapes. Drawing a dog is actually one of the easiest things to draw. I figured out a how to a detailed dog with just a couple rectangles and triangles. If you think you can't draw you are definitely wrong. I believe anyone can draw. You just need to know the basic, have patience and believe that you can do it. It just takes time. 

Halloween Decorations

Halloween is soon and it is time to decorate the house! Of course you have to have your ghosts hanging, spiders webs in the corner of the house, blood coming down from the window and pretty much the best haunted house on the block. One of my favorite decorations though is frankenstein. If you notice, not too many people have frankenstein as a halloween decoration and I just don't get it! I love this craft if you want to check it out :] 

Oil Painting

So I absolutely love oil painting. I believe it one of the best paints because if you mess up you can always fix it with more paint! Watercolor if you mess up or it drips its not moving! There's also many techniques to get different textures. The only bad thing about oil paints is the cleaning part. Its very messy, or at least it can be if your like me. If it gets on your clothes its pretty much staying there.  If it gets on your skin it pretty hard to get off and it takes forever to get off your brushes. Getting it all out of your brushes is super super important too. If there is still oil paint at the bottom of the brush your brush will be trash and will not work as well as you would want it to. There is a great video on a website I recently found called Tvlesson, about How to Clean Oil Paint off your Brushes.