In all her layers

We have the wonderful Diane as a guest poster over at The Butterfly Effect and she came up with a great  theme "making layers". I thought I'd show you all the layers it took to make this last lesson from the Life Book class.

 

 

LOL! Don't you just love this?! :)) The guest teacher for this lesson was Kylie from Blissful Pumpkin. It was super fun to make and I kind of like how goofy my Queen looks. :)

I need to add some words but that part is pretty hard for me so I'm still looking for the right ones. :)

Thanks for visiting today. :) Have a great day!

In all her layers

Ni hao from China

Dear Mrs. Tiggy,
Hope this postcard finds you well and you were not eaten by an escaped circus tiger.:)

We had a bit of a riot on the cruise ship as well. Two newlyweds got into a fight in the middle of dinner, started throwing the dishes around and yelling such profanities that our staff had to intervene. We all thought they’ll sleep it off and make up in the morning but we were wrong.

These past few days were like taken out of that War of the Roses movie. The captain finally had enough and made an unexpected stop in China to disembark these two crazy loons.

Finally I had some time to explore and I visited the local panda sanctuary. It was magical!
Xoxo Mr. Black.

Linking to Postcard Challenge2012

Ni hao from China

In Wonderland

Ok, how many of you have read Alice in Wonderland? Like the whole book not just extracts. :) I must admit I haven't. At least I don't remember reading the book when I was younger. 

I have the book now and I've tried to read it but I think I'm too old for it to hold any interest for me. I think that ship has sailed. :) But I do enjoy the movies of course.

That said . . . I'm missing books. Like literally. I wanted to read The girl with the dragon tattoo the other day and I can't find it. And I can't find the sequels either. And two books from the Vampire Academy series. I've found where one of the books is located for now. I lent it to a family friend but the rest just vanished.

 

And speaking of Wonderland. :) I'm loving the Life Book class. This is a sketch I made following Bonnie's lesson. Bonnie Rose Bryan is one of the guest teachers on the Life Book and she's awesome. :)

Linking to Paint Party Friday.

In Wonderland

Opposites attract . . . Or not

The Butterfly Effect has a theme of “opposites” for this week. I pulled this ATC out of my stash to illustrate light and shadow. I was actually tired of drawing faces and tried out some simple silhouettes. Well, you could call a dog and a cat opposites as well, right?  Anyway, let’s play a game of random again. :)

• I’m back to drinking tea again. Coffee doesn’t work for me.
• My dog beats me up every morning while I’m still in my bed. I’m not kidding! She knows when I stop sleeping I don’t even have to open my eyes. Then she gets all excited I’m gonna get up and take them out that she starts jumping on my bed, licking me and pawing at me. Is pawing a word? Anyway, she gets her paws in my face and basically slaps me around. And since I’m barely awake I can’t really do anything about it but to get up quickly so she can’t reach my face anymore. Cesar Milan would be so proud of me. :)
• We’re having such a good weather this winter. I can’t remember the last time there was so much sunshine. I’m loving it. It beats the gloomy, gray and fogy days we used to get in previous years. Although it is said to rain today with a possibility of snow.
• I sold another painting over the weekend. Happy dance! :)
• Oh, and I had an appointment for allergy testing last Monday that I totally forgot about. I waited 3 months to get the date and now I feel like I wasn’t meant to know what I’m allergic to. Or . . . I might make an effort and go to the doctor’s again to get the medical referral form (I got that from my translator thingy so not sure if that’s how it’s called) then call for about a week to get somebody on the phone to give me a date in approximately 3 months time. 

 I just might do that. . . . Or not.

Opposites attract . . . Or not

Oi from Brazil

 

Dear Mr. Black,
I’m with you on that dog situation. You’re really brave to withstand that stench I would probably have fainted the first day.

I only have time to write you a line or two since we’re in the middle of a dreadful situation here in Brazil. We landed in the middle of protests against animal cruelty in circuses.

Luckily it wasn’t targeted at us since we are not that kind of circus.

And although I agree with them wholeheartedly that a circus is no place for wild animals, I cannot understand the protestor’s actions this morning when they opened all of the cages and set the animals free in the middle of the city.

We’re all hiding behind closed doors until the authorities catch the escaped animals. Do to circumstances I think that our show this evening will be canceled. Unfortunately I won’t be able to go sightseeing either.

Xoxo Mrs. Tiggy

Linking to Postcard Challenge2012

Oi from Brazil

Human Pokemon

I've been doing some human Pokemon. Is that how they are called? You take a Pokemon animal and make it into a human. Ok, that's what I've been doing. Well, just these three. But I like them. Can you guess which ones they are?

I don't know what to talk about today. Let's see . . . I won Kirstin McCulloch’s giveaway. It’s your own fault for not entering. :) She's doing it every month so go follow her so you don't miss it. And I've been calling her Kristin. So embarrassing. My mind needs a minute to distinguish between Kristin, Kristen and Kirstin. :)

Strathmore is having free workshops again. If you want to join go here. Traci is up first but I haven't really done anything yet. I guess I'm not in a doodling kind of mood just yet. :)

Now I'm off to see what everyone at Paint Party Friday is doing. They probably have more interesting stuff to tell than me. :)

Human Pokemon

Paint it / Draw it / Quote it

What is your favorite quote or a poem?

Paint/draw/collage it. 

Blog about it!

Then go over to The Butterfly Effect to link it and watch me draw this pretty lady. :)

I posted some of my favorite art quotes over there but my “life” quote is:

Thoughts become things . . . choose the good ones!
~ The Universe 

I don’t do poems. :)

And cause I know you like FREE stuff. :) HERE is another FREE live video class. Amy's teaching us how to make a smash book. Come and join us today, Tuesday, 17. January at 9 am CST, 3 pm UK, 16:00 for most of Europe.

Paint it / Draw it / Quote it

Hola from Spain

Dear Mrs. Tiggy,
I knew from the second I met you that you were a star. I hope the museum poster did your beauty justice. :)

As for me, we just boarded the cruise ship here in Barcelona. I think this is the most magical city I’ve ever had a pleasure to put my paws on.

I think the La Rambla street is my favorite. I could walk the street all day and there wasn’t a moment I didn’t wish for you to be by my side. All the energy, live statues, flamenco dancers and smells of delicious paella. You would love it! I miss it already.

Now we’re off to our next destination and a few more days of those dreaded dogs that came aboard a week ago. You would not believe the odor they have. If it was up to me, they’d go overboard a long time ago.

Xoxo Mr. Black

Linking to Postcard Challenge2012

Hola from Spain

My Goddess Superpowers

Life Book's First Lesson.

I'm finally sharing it with you even though I painted it last week. I used the small moleskine which doesn't have the right paper and what happened is that the paper started pealing off when I was brayering the paint on. Now I know I need to wait for layers to dry or collage something underneath.

And it's funny how I'm not really fond of water-soluble oil pastels. I love them when I'm doing the book page portraits but not so much in an art journal. So I added some of my india ink pens and here she is now.

Linking to Paint Party Friday.

My Goddess Superpowers

Forget not

Are you familiar with Coraline Jones? She’s a main character in a book Coraline from Neil Gaiman. I didn’t read it but I did Google her. :)

The Butterfly Effect’s theme this week is “things forgotten”. And I’ll tell you why I chose Coraline to represent this theme. . . . Apart from the obvious fact that I “forgot” to read books.

I have periods of time when I would read book after book after book. But lately . . . I have several books unfinished but I just cannot fall back into reading so they are left forgotten. Hopefully not for long. :)

Coraline represents adventure. She reminds me of my childhood when all we needed to do was to go outside and meet some friends and adventures would happen. We’d find the silliest things to do and everything was so exciting. Our imagination was limitless.

As I get older it gets tougher and tougher for me to get carried away by imagination. It’s like that part of my brain is blocked. I remember so many times where my mind was blank when I had to use my imagination. It’s like I’ve forgotten how to dream up a fairyland.

Have you ever read a book and wondered how the f**k did a person come up with that? I have so many times. It’s like those people are living in a different world. But they don’t. They just didn’t forget how it's like to imagine like a kid.

Now, don’t get me wrong. From time to time I can come up with a decent story. I attribute it to challenges and all my lovely stalkers that force me to come up with something interesting.:)

But more times then not, I talk myself down from getting too carried away with my imagination. I wish I'd remember more often to think like a kid again.

Another FREE live video class over HERE. Amy's teaching us how to use hot wax. Come and join us on Thursday,12. January at Noon CST, 6 pm UK, 19:00 for most of Europe.

Forget not

Greetings from Austria

Dear Mr. Black,
You will not believe what happened today! We were setting up tents in Vienna, Austria. We got this amazing space right in front of the Rathaus which is Vienna’s city hall. And I heard some tourists talking about this crazy Circus and Clown Museum nearby. I said to myself , Mrs. Tiggy you need to visit this crazy place! And when I walked in . . .

. . . Guess what I saw?? . . .

It was a big, huge poster of me! I am in a museum! Can you believe it? I’m a famous Fire Dancing Kitty Cat! Aren’t you glad you know me, now?! :)

Btw. That's Mozart at the front. You know him, right?
XOXO Mrs. Tiggy

 Linking to Postcard Challenge2012 and Paint Party Friday.

Greetings from Austria

Woodland creatures

We have a guest post over at The Butterfly Effect. The lovely and talented Cameron suggested the theme in the woods. Here are my owls. :) 

Do you know the feeling when there is so much going on that you don’t know where to start so you don’t? :) I’m kind of feeling it right now.

There are so many workshops starting and challenges and ATC swaps & trades that I feel like I should be on top of it but I’m not, so I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. I already had to withdraw from one swap and decided not to join in on one challenge.

I made like 16 ATC’s in past couple of days and have 4 more to go but I’m not feeling them so I’m stuck. I know I want to do one particular mail art trade but I don’t know when I’ll be able to paint something.

And I’m fresh out of moleskine journals. I have a smaller one but it kind of feels too small. I’ll have to try it out to see if I’m comfortable drawing in it.

Other than that, I’m doing fine. :)

Woodland creatures

Here we go ...

I hope everyone is alive and kicking after the New Years Eve celebration. :)) You should have recuperated by now but if you haven't I hope you didn't have to go to work today. :)


Remember last year when I told you I was making some necklaces for gifts? :))) Well, here they are.

 

There's just four of them but I took a picture from both sides cause they are different. I used washers. Yeah, you heard me . . . washers. Some scrapbook paper and Pouring Medium from Liquitex. You can use Diamond Glaze or resin instead as well.

I saw a tutorial on Pinterest but can't find it for the life of me. That's why I didn't do the step by step but it's really easy. Take some washers, clean them with vinegar and sand them a bit so you can than easily glue scrapbook paper on. I used an exacto knife to cut out the middle once it was dry.

Then you pour the pouring medium on it carefully and wait for it to dry. It took me 2 days because then you have to turn over and pour the medium on the other side as well. If the medium is not dry enough when you turn the washer over, it will damage it and you'll have to pour the medium on it again to even it out.

So, if you haven't given up on this necklace while you were waiting for it to dry, you can now tie the cord to it.:)

To make it look pretty make a sliding knot. You are gonna love it! I first tried some dude's sliding knot but a guy cannot teach you how to make a pretty knot. He can teach you to tie a knot but only a woman can make that knot pretty. And easy in this case.:) Check out this video if you want to learn how.

Here we go ...