Art and Work

 It's been a while since I sat down and talked about anything. It was a rough... go for a while here. It's still not ideal, but I can't complain. It won't change anything even if I do.

So what CAN I do? I can tell you about some of the things I have been up to. And maybe a little bit about work. OK... not going to talk about my job, it's not exciting, but it keeps my bills paid. And... sometimes I can get atreat. SO... there's that.

But I have been working on my art, and trying to get some new items created to offer at the next event I vend at. Which might not sound exciting to you, but to me it is very exciting!

I currently have new Axolotl Costume Party sticker sheets that I will have available. They're... kinda... pricy to have made though... so I'm not 100% sure I will offer more of them in the future, or even any others than this set. They did change it slightly from my original placements, which is ok. It is a learning process to have things made. But they're adorable, and I am pretty sure, 3 of them weren't available as items before at all. SO I am proud of myself for that.

Then there is the hula axolotl magnet. I drew this particular character knowing summer is coming up, as well as wanting something a little more challenging to color. I think he turned out adorable though. I love his googly eyes. XD he makes me laugh.

I am planning a few other new items, but they're slow to make currently due to life. But, slow and steady is perfectly fine. Anyway thanks for letting me babble at you.

Artist Spotlight : Michelle Mclean

Artists are each unique, providing a very useful thing to our society. It provokes thought as well as provides visually pleasing elements to our lives. Today we're going to be looking at some of the work of Michelle Mclean, and I want you to think about how people can help artists to create. Michelle currently has an account on Patreon where you can see more of her work, as well as help support her dream of working in the art field.

Michelle Mclean has been cultivating her artistic skills since she was in eighth grade. When she first started, she felt that her pieces weren't very good. A fact that she willingly stated in a phrase that many artists and creators are likely to understand. Michelle said "It kind of sucked when I started not gonna lie. The reason it sucked though was because I wasn't drawing the way my brain could work it. I use geometry to get the basic shapes an what not on the paper then I soften the edges to make it look more like the picture I am going for and less like a mess."

She took something she enjoyed, and has been working on it since, creating a unique feel that has an appeal for a variety of reasons. She has come to love making or drawing anything. Stretching her creative wings into writing as well, but she still likes drawing a lot. 

Michelle has also explored her talents by serving her church as the art director for Vacation Bible School. She held the office for three years, until she turned it over to a relative that she believes is more qualified as they went to college for it.

When she was asked what the most difficult part of a project was, she had another familiar answer, which offers solidarity for the artistic types. The hardest part for any project, she believes is the ability to keep the gumption together to complete what she starts. Sometimes money can be an issue when it comes to a project, but more often than not it can be frustration of the piece not quite meeting her standards. When she gets too frustrated she often will walk away from the piece, and come back at another time when she's decided how to fix it, or give up on it and start from the beginning. She has several vignettes.

I asked her about her most recent project, and she said that it was a self portrait. She wanted to do this because it's her belief that she sees herself differently than other people see her. She chose to draw it in a semi realistic style, and was pleased with the way that it turned out.

I asked her what she felt the best advice would be to offer an aspiring artist. And she offered a rather interesting response.

"You are both your own best friend and own worst enemy. As I learned when I went to a workshop for a thing called nanowrimo which is an abbreviated way of saying national writing month. Lock your inner editor in a closet in your mind and let them kick scream holler and yell all they want but don't give in to them. If it is doing something like drawing or if it is writing either way you are your own harshest critic therefore if you are passionate remember there are some people who can literally throw paint on a canvas or in some cases even other things and sell it as art so if they can make a mess and sell it for 1 mil you can make your art and sell it too."

I really think that Michelle has a developing talent that many people might enjoy watching.  The image to the left, is one of my favorites from the portfolio she shared with me. I love the light lines, and the flow of the body works well. Plus I have a very soft spot for anime animal people of late. I don't know why, I just do.

If you're interested in seeing what other types of art Michelle Mclean has to offer you can join her feed on Patreon. Remember that every artist that uses Patreon is creating for their fanbase, as well as for the love of their art. They're looking for your input and support. Plus they enjoy the challenges patrons offer at time.

Artist Spotlight : The Yarn Ball Creations

Handmade items are frequently things that people often treasure. Often because they are one of a kind custom items created to bring joy to their new owners life. The Yarn Ball Creations is a shop owned by an artist with the intent to do just that. Create unique hand made toys that you can love as well as share with others. If you want to take a peak at some of her work it's viewable at her etsy shop as well as on her instagram feed @theyarnball_creations.You can also find her creations on her page on facebook.

Customizable Amigurumi Alligator available on Etsy 

I have to say that the variety of cute creatures that The Yarn Ball Creations offer happens to be impressive for a young shop. Not only that, she's working on new things to add to her selection. I'll get to that later on though. A great example of her work can be seen to the left. It's an adorable little alligator!

I know it might sound silly, but sometimes it's nice to start at the beginning. At A so to speak. The Yarn Ball Creations is the shop of Sarah, who has been gracious enough to answer some questions for us, as well as share her work with the world. One of the questions I always like to ask people is about how they started crafting or creating.

Sarah's response was very illuminating, humanizing her, as many of us may share some if not all of the inspirations. As a child she enjoyed coming up with different crafts and creations to gift to her mother. She also enjoyed learning the numerous creative skills many explore. She tried the musical arts, painting, sewing, and a number of other creative outlets.

Amigurumi Mallard Duck available on Etsy

But one skill became very special to her. Crocheting. This particular skill is one that helped her get through a difficult time of her life. During a particular period of self doubt, where she was dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety in life she met an older woman who had a talent that impressed her. The woman crocheted, and Sarah with a bit of effort was blessed with the chance to learn how from her.

The action of crocheting felt good to Sarah, and the reality of having something to do with her hands helped release some of her anxiety. She also enjoyed the creative aspect of it, so she kept going slowly improving her skill over time. She believes that the woman who taught her would be pleasantly shocked and impressed to see how far she's progressed in the craft.

As you can see from some of the examples that we've posted images of here. You have to admit that her pieces are adorable and cute.

Amigurumi Blue Jay available on Etsy

Her birds feature elements that make it easy to identify them as the types of avians they're created to represent. But her other animals are just as cute. One of the newest animals that she is creating and sharing with others are hippos. This might sound silly but they're absolutely adorable. I'll mention more about them in the near future though, to inspire some of you.

But what inspired Sarah to do what she's doing now? It was a complicated situation. She was in college, as well as newly married while working a highly stressful job when she had a few thoughts enter her mind. One thought that entered her mind was that she'd been seeing many women take things they are passionate about and use these talents to earn money. She was wondering why she couldn't do that herself. But the other thought Sarah had was that there was nothing in her life she was doing simply for her own enjoyment. With time and encouragement and nudging from her amazing husband, The Yarn Ball Creations was started.

Custom Crocheted Look-alike Doll available on Etsy

Sarah started off creating animals first, because she found that creating them was fun. As you can see from the images here in the post, she has a variety of these that she's managed to make. But now she's starting to shift gears and is creating something different.  Something that sounds like a ton of fun in my opinion, and we're lucky to have the chance to say that we've gotten to enjoy the creative experience as well.

The Yarn Ball Creations is now offering Custom Crocheted Look-alike Dolls! There's an example to the right, and that's me. (I know I normally don't show myself in pictures) But Sarah has created an adorable mini version of me! But not only that, she's offering to make mini versions of different people, so if you're looking for something cute for someone you love, this is definitely something to check out.

Why? Sarah pays attention to details. She even stitched glasses onto the doll. The outfit is adorable that she created, and mimics the one I wear myself on some of my outings. She is also planning on making different outfits that people can purchase and enjoy, giving them the chance to add personalized wardrobe pieces to the doll's wardrobe collection.

Sarah was inspired to create these dolls by fond memories of the doll she had as a child that had hair, red, just like her own. She remembered how much fun she had dressing the two of them similarly and calling the doll her twin. Her goal with this process is to help other people have the chance to have similar experiences. I think she's got a great idea.

The doll she made for me arrived, packaged comfortably and wrapped in tissue paper. I was quite surprised as I pulled her out of the box at how big she is. I wasn't sure at the size at first since pictures can be a bit confusing, but she's a little taller than a barbie doll, but not quite as tall as my 12 inch pillow. Because of all her soft parts, a doll like this a good choice for younger children. Sarah's stitching is very uniform, and the doll is packed well giving her a nice firm form that should hold it's shape over time and through play (My nephew is going to help me test this).

Her clothes are absolutely darling! And made to match my own faire outfit. I'm excited to share her there as well because everyone loves a good toy, especially when they're unique. They're made well, and are likely to stand up to some fairly rough play style, just don't be too rough. I highly recommend this toy idea if you're looking for a unique gift. Look at it as something someone will treasure for a very long time, there's endless possibilities.

I asked Sarah, the mind behind Yarn Ball Creations, about what inspires her. She finds that her reason for starting the whole endeavor, is to do what brings her joy. She admitted that at times she's thought about making other things that might sell better, but there are some things that are more fun to make. She's decided to go with the choice that's more fun for her. Sarah was also advised when she started out by another "mom-trepeneur" that if she were to follow her dream, the income will follow. So that's what she's working on doing, follow her dream and vision, and worry about what other people will think about it as a secondary thought.

This is also part of t he answer that Sarah gave when asked about what advice she'd offer to aspiring artists. You'll do a better job making things that you're passionate about. So Sarah says the best advice to follow is to do what you love.

Please remember to check out The Yarn Ball Creations shop on etsy, see what she's doing new on instagram, and feel free to interact and inquire about a project on facebook. Sarah is a great artist, and She's looking forward to working with you.

Just a Personal Update

I know that last week seemed a bit odd, since I pulled out some older writing of mine to share with you. But the thing is sometimes it's fun to look at the old pieces and compare them to the style of the new ones. The same goes with some of the crafts I've been working on for the crafts swaps I'm participating in on instagram. I thought maybe you'd be interested in seeing some of the pieces I've been working on lately, I'm a little proud of how some of them are progressing.

So one thing I have finished lately is a necklace that I've titled Greenman #2. I started this piece over a year ago, along with another that I have yet to get a good photograph shot of. Both pieces are different, but feature the metal greenman face pendant.

I found the pendants in my travels, and picked up what few were available at the time squirreling them away until the inspiration would hit me. When it did last year, the piece I'll call Greenman #1 dragged. It wasn't cooperative, and it felt stagnant to work on, so I stopped putting them all away until a later date.

But now my muse is back and my inspiration has let me finish not just #1, but #2 as well. I think I have 2 more of the pendants, but one is already spoken for. The one seen here is mine, because while it may look very long, it's shorter than I intended for it to be.



Another project that I'm working on is something that is completely new to me. You can see my progress to the right. (Don't mind the needle and thread in the picture) It's a Nightmare Before Christmas inspired wreath, sort of.

While I may not usually be the sort to make wreaths this one has been coming along a little bit at a time, slowly. There's little details that you can't exactly see clearly in the image, such as the pinking sheared outer edges of the Burton-esque toe pincher casket shape.

The current status of this project is unfinished though, I still need to add a few more flowers, and maybe a couple of large bells if I can get my hands on any. Unfortunately as far as I have found so far, they're not in season. Not the large ones anyway.

 The last project I'll share with you today is my cheshire cat painting. While I know it appears to be non-traditional, I did my best to try and utilize the source material in a manner that would let the character be seen.

I tried to merge the grey and blue version of the cat from the live action films with the purple and pink cat from the classic animated film that Disney had released. The result as you can see is a bit odd. But I'm happy with how it's come out.

It's not just paint though. It's actually a mixed media painting. There's sharpie, acrylic, pencil, and watercolor used in order to express the image I had seen in my mind. It's not a perfect expression of what I imagined, but I find the result pleasing enough. Not that it's something to worry about I suppose. I still need to seal it to prevent any possible running.

There are some other projects that I am working on, but as of yet they're incomplete and I don't feel comfortable sharing them with you. Thank you for your interest and patience, hope you're having a magical week!

Event Reflection : Lil Con 2017

Well I know it might seem a little silly to be writing a reflection about the event we went to this past weekend, but I want to share some of the things we did and some of the unique things I've added to my collection.

All in all Lil-Con 4 was as usually alright. It wasn't like the large cons, but it also is a more pleasant experience when it comes to small social excursions. Now, when I say We, there were 4 of us who went together as a group. (One arrived late, but that doesn't discredit his attendance). So as with many events, I have to say it was pleasant in part due to the company I attended with.

I do have a few frustrated observations about the convention though. There was a workshop that we went to attend, and sat waiting for almost a half hour before finally realizing the previous workshop leader had no intention of leaving. Needless to say we felt quite disappointed as the topic of discussion was one that we were eager to roundtable with other gamers about. But in the situation it seemed there was no intent of our workshop even happening. There was a table too close to a doorway, which made it difficult to get through to the stairway to go to the upper floor where the workshops were mostly being held. This would have also been a big problem if anything had happened and there had been an emergency.

But let's look at the positive things that we took away from Little-Con 4 this year.

We got to see a GREAT presentation about how to draw the human form for comics or portrait work. I learned a lot of interesting things I'd never been taught when I was in school. Art of Stace gave a great overview.

To the right you can see some examples of her work that I got to bring home with me. I purchased the Mario Throne of Games print for my boyfriend who's planning to hang it up by his autographed photo of The Angry Video Game Nerd, so that is definitely a positive score. There was a fun coloring contest that revolved around the top print in the image which was exclusive to Lil-Con. I personally have a fondness for smaller prints, so I picked up her dragon book image as a card to frame and add to my personal collection.

Art of Stace is on instagram - as well as on face book.

 I got this awesome Journey art print from Wendigo House. I'm absolutely tickled and excited to add a piece about this game to my collection. Why? Because I actually finished this game all by myself.
I highly recommend the game to those of you who haven't played it. It's a unique experience when it comes to games in my opinion, and I loved how the characters 'chirp'.

Wendigo House is on facebook and instagram as well. She has a variety of different art pieces that aren't video game based, so check it out if you get a chance.

I love my patch and pin from The  Lady Disarray. I have a rather basic set of screen printed patches for on my next bag, but this one will add some color to the collection. It's hand dyed too, so if she does future batches there's no guarantee there will be another one like mine.

My pin is of a brain on a stick because the concept made me laugh.

You can find her on instagram and on etsy.

I also got a new card game. I'm really excited about playing this one again because it was  ton of fun. It's made by the same company that put out CATS, which is another fun card game.

Psychological Warfare plays with the various character concepts and lets you give other characters baggage and negatives to their worth. I think I might be explaining it wrong, but we had a blast playing it at the convention and I brought it home with me because there's no such thing as too many games.


But yeah... uhm. I guess that's all you're tired of hearing about Lil Con, but who knows, maybe you've got something you want to share too.

Plan ahead for Holidays & Special Events

It's been an interesting year so far, with a wonderful selection of guests that have left a mark of inspiration here at the Almost A Fairy Godmother blog. I wanted to take a moment to remind you all about them, as well as give you a heads up concerning the holidays.

Butterfly Print from Tina T. Ames

Personalized handmade gifts can be seen as welcome surprises at the holidays. They're often tailored to the tastes of someone you care about, and help to add a more thoughtful perspective to the task of gift giving. Yes I just called gift giving a task. It can be hard work to find the perfect gift. But personalized art can make a unique impression on someone.

So that's why I'm reminding you about our wonderful spotlight artists. I'm sure any of them would be delighted to be chosen as the person to help you create a piece that will bring a smile to the face of your loved one. But you have to remember that making something by hand can take time, and shipping around the holidays can be a bit hectic which is not the artists fault. So please make sure to get your requests in early so there's no disappointment.

Animals in Clothes by Koalarazorclock

If you're thinking about a toon like piece you can check out art by Seph Jocuno or Silly Panda's Art Blog. Either artist has a great handle on anime type art styles, and can provide you with a unique artwork that can bring a smile to your face. They've both got instagrams that are active if you're uncertain about what to expect. You can find more direction from the artist spotlights. Seph Jocuno Artist Spotlight or Silly Panda's Artblog Artist Spotlight.

Maybe you'd like to have a picture turned into a watercolor? Koalarazorclock offers this service, and her work is lovely. She also does adorable art portraits of animals in clothes. Check out the artist spotlight on Koalarazorclock to see more as well as get some ideas. Or perhaps you'd like to add some unique photography to someone's collection? Check out pieces available by Mahikol Torres.

Jewelry is always popular, and there's no reason not to check out the pieces created by Hada Pixie Designs again. These unique pieces of jewelry can add a unique edge to an outfit, without necessarily going over the top.  The Artist Spotlight on Hada Pixie Designs can offer more direction. There are also the unique hair pieces created by Wanou Et Moi. These pieces can add a unique flare or twist to someone's daily hair routine. Check out the the artist spotlight on Wanou Et Moi for more information. Pieces by these artists are great for the individual as they're each a handmade piece of art.

Vampyre Rosary by Hada Pixie Designs

Or maybe you want something a little different. An oracle deck can be inspiring as well as beautiful to look through. Or perhaps you'd like an inspirational artwork to add to someone's graduation gift. Tina T. Ames has some amazing pieces that can be used for just that. Check out the artist spotlight for more information on her artwork. Artist Spotlight Tina T. Ames.

Perhaps you're interested in something more practical? You can look into some handmade soaps. They come in  a variety of scents from Cark Farm NH. You can check out their available products and read more about them in their spotlight.

Please remember to give them enough time to create the pieces that you're interested in, because artists do have daily lives, and some work a full time job on top of trying to keep up with their artistic talents. But by sending in your requests early, you can ensure that there's enough time to have your unique creation completed before the holidays. Yes I know that I sound like I'm repetitive, but time is very important for creation and shipping.

Plan accordingly, and here's hoping your holiday planning is magical. (Personally I'm about halfway done with my shopping XD)

Artist Spotlight : Koalarazorclock

Today we're going to be looking at some wonderful watercolors done by Erica who makes them available through her etsy shop koalarazorclock. Watercolor happens to be one of the types of painting I love to look at, but have no knack for personally. A fact I accept happily, because it doesn't stop me from appreciating the works of others.

Realistic Watercolor, Lovebirds

So first off, these sweet little birds caught my eye when I was browsing through Erica's work on etsy. They're bright and warm, with a blush of color under their beaks.

You can find a variety of different animals on her etsy page, as she does commission paintings of pets. As well as has options to do watercolor interpretations of your favorite family photos. This is a rather unique offering in my opinion. I've never seen it before, and I personally see the offer as a rather refreshing one. After all people tend to love art that pertains to themselves.

Over the Garden Wall Print

Of course I have to mention the Over the Garden Wall images. They're cute and fun and while I may not be well versed in how the show works, her watercolors catch the heart of what I do know about the show.

Her piece captures the characters youth, while also letting the viewer wonder what he's discussing. I'd like to think he might be disagreeing with his half brother Gregory over something silly.

I also have to point out the little details. Note the houses in the background with the lights on, and the dainty leaves on the tree branch that goes across a half moon. All these details add charm to the piece. (click the link beneath the image to see it on etsy)

Dog Art - Over The Garden Wall

Another piece reminiscent of characters from over the garden wall. She made this one after being inspired by an unnamed wolf character in the show.

This one is also multi purpose though, for those of you that may want to decorate a child's room with fairy tale like images. After all, a wolf with the quote "You Have Beautiful Eyes!" Sure makes me think about Little Red Riding Hood.

Custom Animal Print : Animals in Clothing 

I can't show off her pieces without mentioning this adorable as well as classically charming option. Many people laugh at the idea of dressing their pets up in clothing, often because the task itself isn't an easy one. After all pets aren't really shaped for real apparel.

But that's where these adorable paintings come in. You can have your pet painted into clothing. That's right! Your pet painted into an adorable outfit, an image to add whimsy to your home or office, while still keeping the focus on your pet.





I asked Erica what her favorite subjects were to paint. She responded: "My favorite subjects are people, I like trying to capture something about them. I also like doing animals for the same reason, I think they have just as much personality most of the time."

You can really tell this is true when you look through the pieces that she has displayed as both available and as examples in her etsy shop. She takes good care to keep her pictures true to their source, while still giving them a loving touch of her own flare.

When asked where she found the inspiration to create her paintings she had a wonderful answer.

I'm inspired by seeing other people's artwork, and since I work in a museum that's easy to come by. Richmond also has a lot of murals, which I love. Even when I don't like them I find it inspiring to see someone's vision just in my day to day life on a building I happen to be passing. They're popping up all over so it's lovely to run across a new one, or to know that your errand will take you by one of your favorites.

One of the last questions I asked is one that I feel is very important. When it comes to newer artists it's always nice to have advice from someone who has done pieces that may inspire them. I asked her what advice she has for aspiring artists.

My best advice would just be to practice without judging your work. The more you do anything the more you'll learn and get better, but if you think you suck or are no good you'll become discouraged and won't give yourself the opportunity to improve. So just keep going, try to analyze what you like and don't like about what you've done and what other people have done without passing judgement on yourself. Its not necessary to be the best and no matter how good you ever get there will be people better, and people who don't like your stuff.

If you were interested in seeing more of her work, or maybe even commissioning a piece of your own, please check out her etsy shop koalarazorclock (Just click on the name and it will take you right on over). She's a sweetheart to communicate with, and she has a beautiful collection of available pieces, all you need to do is look.

Artist Spotlight : Seph Jocuno

 When it comes to art there's all kinds of things to see and explore.  And with this being the new year and all (finally!) It's time to look at some fresh new faces, and expand our horizons. Which means we're going to explore art work and get excited about the unique pieces each artist offers.

Today we're going to be looking at art done by Joseph Norwood, who offers his work to the world through Seph Junco. You can find more of his work on instagram here at @sephjocuno3 or on his tumbler page The Art of Seph. The image to the left here is a self portrait of the artist. Cute isn't it? And he's a real sweetheart when it comes to contacting and discussing his work and other possibilities.

Below you're going to find a variety of pieces completed from the artist that you can find either on the instagram page or the tumbler account. He's also got some amazing hand painted shirts. If you're interested in contacting him for a commissioned character or other piece, am sure he'd love to hear from you at sephjocuno3@gmail.com. He's willing to help with logos, graphic design, portraits and illustrations. Pretty well rounded right?

Anyway! Let's start looking at some of Seph Jocuno's art! I picked 4 pieces, and to be honest it was difficult to narrow it down. But i'm pleased with the images contained in each piece, the colors are vibrant. The images are fun, and not to mention fresh. I'm a sucker for rounded edges, and these are wonderful for that. Especially after all that political stuff that flooded 2016.

The first picture is a knockout! Let's be honest here. There's not really a ton of curvy girls out there easily found. At least, not always drawn as appealing characters. The example to the right is appealing for a number of reasons.

One being her legs and hair. I love how rounded her legs are, and they're not dramatically elongated like you can see in a number of toon style art. The shading is also fun giving the illusion, in my opinion, that she's possibly floating on water. Her hair though! I LOVE her hair and facial expression. It's not something I see often, and as someone with a lot of hair when I let it loose, this appeals to me.

The image to the left intrigues me because of all the detail in the dragon instead of in the person who is possibly going to attempt to slay the dragon. I like the way it's balanced also.

I was a little surprised when I realized that it is a PNG so it has a clear background, leaving the figures almost like stickers here in the blog space. Definitely a unique idea.

It even seems to illustrate the answer Seph provided when asked what inspires his artwork. His response was :

Well the most inspiring thing to me as an artist is the ability to create something from almost nothing. I have the free will to make totally new worlds, people, creatures, and scenarios that I can just get taken away by.

Lola is freaking amazing! Seph also has a dragon type character named Moe that's available for viewing on tumbler, but I was advised she might be a bit lacking in clothing for me to keep my family/worksafe rating.

Lola is a type of furry in my eyes, and she made me smile because she's not done up having HUGE assets, which with bovine characters I've frequently seen.

To further endear her to you, I'm going to quote directly from the artists tumbler page :

Lolajane Belle is a very mild mannered girl-cow. She loves to have nice chats on the porch and make new friends. She has a spot on her chest that is shaped like a heart that she unconsciously rubs whenever she gets nervous.

Seph Jocuno is also working on a graphic novel that he's titled Unloved. If you're interested in taking a peek at some of the pages that he's currently has the first 4 pages available for viewing, they're available on his tumbler page. This is the first page of it: Page 0. It's intriguing and hopefully he'll continue the story.

Well I suppose that's all for now. Remember to check out more art by Seph Junco on instagram(@sephjocuno3) or tumbler(The Art of Seph), and also feel free to contact them about custom work. (Seriously! I love his anthropomorphics!) 

April means Spring

Spring means Butterflies.

At least here where I am. People associate butterflies with the warmer weather and the flowers that are starting to come up from under the ground. So today I'd like to share some lovely butterflies with you from *gasp* instagram.

A photo posted by Hamza Rayan (@ryanth3li0n) on Mar 29, 2016 at 7:22pm PDT

A photo posted by Sarah Folts → TheButterflyBabe (@butterflybabegallery) on Mar 6, 2016 at 9:48am PST

A photo posted by Rayanne (@rayannek95) on Apr 1, 2016 at 10:13am PDT

A photo posted by @instanature_hd on Apr 1, 2016 at 9:47am PDT

A photo posted by @hummingbird_artist on Apr 1, 2016 at 9:44am PDT

A photo posted by Joan Calderon (@joantatt2) on Apr 1, 2016 at 9:32am PDT

But yeah, these are some of the great butterflies that I saw today/recently that I thought I would share with you since I know we're all looking forward to warmer weather.

Be My Valentine?

Yeah, that's what I thought.

But "WHO" really needs a Valentine anyway?

Crayon Dragon

Remember, art changes over time. We all see things differently. Sometimes our visions can   work together though.

Just Visiting : Coronado Fine Art

Sometimes you get to see something amazing. There are moments where these amazing things are shown to you, and you never would have known, couldn't plan it. This is a case of that. I'm sure that by now a lot of  you know that I'm interested in all different kinds of art. Music, film, animation, as well as other forms inspire me and help me to question and process the world around me.

This past Sunday I was blessed to get out with some of Polke A Dots family. We went out to celebrate his grandmothers birthday, it was a beautiful day, and I'm getting off topic. His Aunt took us to a place called Coronado, which is an area of San Diego accessed by a sky bridge or ferry. I hadn't even realized it was part of the city, or considered to be a separate area. We went to lunch and we looked at the lovely water. After eating, we went to look at the dock and shops in the plaza near the restaurant.

There was a live band playing zydeco music there, and people were chatting and enjoying the cool yet sunny day. I even saw the tail flipper of a seal as it was playing in the water! But the art galleries were probably my favorite thing that we saw. I can't remember the name of the second one in the shopping plaza, but the one I remember is called Coronada Fine Art Gallery.

Coronado Fine Art
1201 First St., Suite 111
Coronado, CA 92118
http://www.coronadofineart.com/

Now why do I remember the name of this one and not the other? Well... they had a lot of Disney themed art, as well as a collection of Dr. Seuss Art. There was also some gorgeous landscapes, as well as some fantasy art.

Birthday Wishes by Tennessee Loveless

A lot of the Disney art that really caught my eye was pop art style by an artist named Tennessee Loveless. You can check out his portfolio and projects on his website here http://tennesseeloveless.com/ . What I think is amazing is the variety of bright colors he uses in his pieces. As well as the amazing variety in his project listed as TENxTENxTEN. It's kind of repetitious but it's all variations of Mickey Mouse. It's really fun to look through. The woman at the gallery told us about some of the pieces, and they do each have some interesting stories behind them.

AM by Robert Bissell

I also enjoyed the animal art by Robert Bissell. They have a quality that gives the animals human character, while not really changing them from their reality based forms. I especially loved the pieces that showed rabbits and bunnies. They were adorable and sweet, and just made you wanna scoop the bunnies up and cuddle them if you could. But they're art you can't.

 The Turtle-Necked Sea-Turtle by Dr. Seuss

But the Dr. Seuss art was really the highlight of the gallery, at least in my opinion. There were some of the taxidermy sculptures of creatures from Seuss world. As well as various panels that were images for some of the books. It was a real treat to get to see them. (Seems he sketched in pencil like most artists <3 such an encouraging revelation.) There was all kinds of sculptures too. Really really wonderful.

Anyway, the gallery isn't huge but it's a nice treat to visit and see. Heck, if you have the budget it'd even be awesome to get some of the pieces. Sadly, I don't have the budget. But the internet is full of information about different places that offer prints and what not. The gallery has a no photography rule, so the images used here are from the internet.

Kid friendly place, just don't let them touch the art. No Admission Fee.

Sharing something Adorable

A good friend shared this picture with me. I think it's positively adorable!  Such a cute idea! Kudo's out to the artist <3. So just thought I'd share it with the rest of you. (No claim on the art, I wisj I knew who did it, would link out to them, if someone knows who did it let me knoa so we cna link over to the artist. Thanks!!))

A Prayer For the Forgotten Dead

The Kingdom of Witches

Less is More

 

Zen Pencils

This comic strip is amazing, and it makes sense. Sometimes things would be so easy to just do it. But it's not always so simple. But wouldn't it be nice to have that ability? I'm sure we each could, But it's a matter of learning how to take that step back and that breath to say, ok am happy. Happiness isn't so hard if we think we have it already.

The Mysterious Explorations of Jasper Morello

Invention of Love

This Way Up

Machu Picchu

Cartoons are amazing things. They cross cultures and can sometimes be full of fun vibrant examples of art. I hope you enjoy watching this one as much as I have.