B E T H A N Y S C H L E G E L | A R T + D E S I G N :: B L O G

Holiday Card 2011 Designs

2011-12-29T11:56:00.000-05:00

I promised in a previous post that I would post my selected holiday card designs. Since 99% of my cards have been written and mailed, I figure now is a good time.

Here is the card I mailed this year.

This is the other card I designed and my sister promptly told me she wanted to send it this year.

And I thought the back of this one was pretty darn fun too...I like how the dough folds over the back.

Both cards will be available for sale on my Etsy shop next year, but of course you can contact me if you want to buy some before that.

Additionally, please sign up for my mailing list if you didn't get a holiday card this year but want to get one next year! I will send one!

I really enjoyed making these cards -- I did them all on the computer. Even though I prefer the hands on work, sometimes working directly on the computer is much faster. I scanned fabric and paper and then "cut and paste" the materials digitally.

Happy Holidays!

Giveaway

2011-12-04T23:29:00.001-05:00

In the spirit of the holidays and all the cranes I posted on Etsy, I'm having a giveaway.

Visit my Facebook Page and/or my Google+ Page by Wednesday, December 7 at 11:59PM PST to enter to win a pair of crane earrings. A perfect gift for you or a friend!

Peace and love this holiday season.

Gift Certificates Now Available

2011-11-28T21:07:00.001-05:00

Collaging

2011-11-27T22:37:00.001-05:00

I have always loved working with cut paper and collaging. In high school I used to do intricate cut paper pieces using old magazines. I think I have some old slides of them -- I will have to find them.

I've missed it, especially while reading books to Violet by Kate Toms...I have been completely inspired by her work. I wanted to take a different route this year with my holiday cards but didn't really have the time or the space to actually cut out my materials, so I did it virtually and had such a great time with it. My apologies to my husband, Cousin Mandy, and Violet if I was a bit less available today -- I was *really* excited about creating for the first time in a while. Once I get inspired I love creating, but the problem has been lately that I haven't been inspired. Now I am really on a roll. I just had so much fun! Perhaps if Cousin Mandy weren't sleeping in my workspace (I'm on my laptop right now, which isn't as conducive to design as my desktop) I'd be doing even more of this super fun stuff!

I am not going to spoil the surprise of my holiday card or my sister's holiday card (you can see it after the holidays or request I send you one -- and I will!) but above is one that didn't make the cut (no pun intended), just to give you an idea of the style I am working with.

Fun with Photos

2011-11-20T13:35:00.001-05:00

I have been having a lot of fun updating photos in my Etsy shop and doing some product styling. Check out my shop for more photos and some new products now available!

Upcoming Events

2011-10-21T22:36:00.000-04:00

I've got a couple of events in the Boston area over the next couple of weeks. No new work (unfortunately) but at least I'll be out and about.

First up is the 1st Annual LexFUN! Marketplace on Thursday, November 10th - 4pm-7pm at the Church of St. Brigid, 2001 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA.

Second is the Art & Craft Benefit Sale for the Brighton Public Library. This will be held on November 12 from 10am-2pm in the Community Room at the Brighton Public Library. We'll be donating 15% of all sales to Friends of Brighton Public Library -- because we love libraries! Please visit the site for more information about things to look forward to the day of the event as well as the vendors who will be participating.

I do hope to see you there, but if you can't make it, you can always go shopping for my wares on Etsy.

Thank you for your continued support and I look forward to creating more art soon. The ideas are there, I just need to execute!

The poster above was part of a collaborative project by July Twenty Fourth.

Mini Watercolor Sketches

2011-05-25T21:50:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I sat down and drew or watercolored or really did anything too creative, so I am a little rusty. I took out my watercolors today to work on a project for my sister, but in the end just started playing with mini watercolor sketches. I'm not in love with them, but the important thing is I had so much fun and it felt so right to be working today.

I love the looseness of them though, even though I don't think they are fine works of art or anything.

I was really loving playing with the baby food jars -- I did some more (but I didn't scan them in) -- but I think even when I have a babysitter for Violet for four hours I am clearly still thinking about her.

I also want to thank Peter Reynolds -- he's truly an inspiration. Yesterday Leslie, Vic, Violet and I went for ice cream in Dedham and stopped at the Blue Bunny Books + Toys, which Peter Reynolds owns. I have always loved his work -- I think his drawings/watercolors are so full of life and movement, and I also just love the lessons behind his books. Yesterday at the bookstore he had two original drawings out on 18x24" drawing pads and I really wanted to buy one of them. I mean, desperately. It was of a child with wings. I haven't been this taken by a piece of art in a long time. Anyway, I wanted it for Violet's room, but I also left the store with this strong feeling that I needed to create. So thank you, Peter. And if you ever decide to sell that drawing, can I have first dibs?

And here's to hoping that someday my drawings will be as fluid and beautiful as yours.

Ice Cream Cone

2011-05-11T17:24:00.000-04:00

I know it has been forever and there goes my promise of more art. It's been so hard balancing a baby and artmaking!

Anyway, I did this ice cream cone, but I didn't finish...I probably won't finish it, as I don't like where it is going.

I used a photo of an ice cream I took, which isn't usually the way I like to work. I like to work from actual objects, but it's hard with something like ice cream that melts (or birds that don't stay put). I'm still trying to figure out the best way to draw ice cream from an actual object. Draw it outside in the middle of winter? Make fake ice cream again?

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed drawing again, so I am hoping I'll be back sooner than later.

What a mess!

2011-03-11T21:55:00.002-05:00

Please bear with me as I work on updating my layout!

New goal...

2011-02-28T19:46:00.000-05:00

Maybe if I write my new goal here, I'll be more apt to keep it:

Create something non-digital once a week.

I miss artmaking. One drawing a week will keep my hand in it and I know it's not an impossible goal. I am stressing non-digital because I am still doing freelance and stuff with Melanie for July Twenty Fourth, but I also need the hands-on, down-and-dirty projects.

Lupine Door Panels

2011-02-12T22:16:00.002-05:00

It's been a long time since I have posted -- life with a baby gets to be a bit crazy!

I did want to post a project I finished a long while back for my friend Martha -- fabric panels for her closet doors.

By the way, I do hope to make more art soon. I need to be drawing or watercoloring or something -- as much as I love my Violet time, I miss creating so much as well.

Discount at my Etsy Shop

2010-11-23T17:35:00.004-05:00

Etsy has a new coupon feature and I am excited to use it! Blog readers get a 10% discount at my shop if they use coupon code HOLIDAY2010.

Enjoy!

Mommy + Daddy = Baby

2010-11-18T15:30:00.000-05:00

I have been conceptualizing the images below in my head a lot. Think it would make an awesome set of screenprints for Violet's room if I ever get my studio up and running again -- ok, might hold off on the egg and sperm one, but...

It's just conceptual, but her name works SO well! I wonder if the venn diagram should be vertical?

MIA

2010-10-29T21:24:00.000-04:00

So Kevin is off at the gym and Violet is fast asleep. Ernie and I are hanging out in the living room and I realized I have been such a slacker and I want to get back in the swing of things.

Yeah, it's been a bit crazy here with some massive changes...what have I been up to?

Violet sports her handmade hat
(by Great Grandma Miceli)

First and foremost, a project Kevin and I have been working on together with the help of amazing family and friends: raising our 11-week old daughter, Violet.

Over the past months, I've been doing some design work for Abbott's Frozen Custard here in Massachusetts; The Bridge Center in Bridgewater, Massachusetts; a new bookstore opening in Lexington, Massachusetts in December, The Elephant's Trunk; some wedding invites...Though I link to these sites, most of my work is print work, so nothing is really on these sites, so I need to get this design work up on my website. Oh yeah, I need to work on the design of that, too.

Melanie and I have taken some time off, but we were working on some stuff for July Twenty Fourth...we did a logo for the UConn Master Gardener Program (they had a contest and chose OURS!, but we still haven't seen it on their site yet...) and one for Connecticut Children's Hospital's REACH Program.

I've also been working on some holiday cards, but those are under wraps for a while, because...well, I'll follow up with that later too.

I have some other fun projects in mind, but I need to get Violet to nap during the day a bit so I can get them done!

It's also fall and it reminds me that Anisha of Anisha Palmer Photography and I had printed some recipe cards for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. Email me your mailing address if you want a copy.

Clothing Clearance at BuzzBuzzBee

2010-04-16T18:04:00.000-04:00

I am madly trying to do some spring cleaning and have greatly reduced clothing items on my BuzzBuzzBee Etsy Site. Prices are already marked WAY down, but if you wish to purchase any of the apparel, please contact me directly (instead of going through etsy) I will give it to you at half the price listed and I will pay for shipping.

Thanks much and enjoy!

Please feel free to pass this along to friends and continue to check back for further deals.

Back in the Game

2010-04-05T15:32:00.003-04:00

So I promised I would get some more work up here since I have been slacking. This is the last piece I printed in the studio before I shut it down (hopefully the "shut down" is temporary, and that within the next couple of years we'll have a space in our home for me to work so I don't have to rent a space). In the meantime, we are in for some big changes in our household come August, so working in the studio with the chemicals just wasn't cutting it.

This latest piece is called Aurora, 2010. It's an edition of 48...a two color silkscreen on paper, and it pretty much gives away the changes in our house. It measures 8.5x11 inches. It can be found for sale on my etsy site.

It's been a while...

2010-03-01T09:50:00.001-05:00

Just checking in. Working on some fun projects before I shut down the studio on March 15th. Will post and update more after that date.

This is my year to...

2010-01-10T12:18:00.004-05:00

So I have been on this mad cleaning streak this weekend. For those of you who know me, this is not common, so I am embracing it and mostly staying in and decluttering.

I did make Kevin take a ride out to Honey Pot Hill Farms this weekend -- it's one of their last apple weekends of the season, and I wanted to take them up on their "Buy Two, Get One Free" deal.

On the way home I asked if we could detour to Whole Foods, since it was the closest grocery store on the way. We stopped and picked up a few things so I could make a chicken and wild rice stew and as Kevin was checking out, in true Bethany fashion, I was picking up free recipes and coupons I would probably never use. I'm looking through the book of coupons I picked up and noting that it's pretty cool they use the font Stanyan, one of my favorites, and noting the coupons I should cut out just in case we go to Whole Foods before March 31, but I know it's probably a waste of time because Whole Foods isn't that close, even though I do like the (slightly overpriced) store and their values.

So we are pulling into the driveway, and I am looking at the recipes, saying to myself, "will I ever make these?" I am about to throw all of them except the root vegetable stew out when something catches my eye..."wait, that's my writing! That's MY writing! FG Bethany is being used for Whole Foods marketing materials!"

"Pretty cool," I thought, as I noted another three things that would be added to the pile of Bethany clutter...

Scans from Whole Foods Market marketing materials.

Holiday Giveaway (Week 4)

2009-12-14T14:36:00.005-05:00

Congratulations to Vicki of North Dakoka who won last week's giveaway! Vicki will be receiving a Bathing Beauties tee in the mail.

We have one final giveaway of the season. The winner will recieve:

An assortment of holiday cards from Bethany Schlegel | Art + Design Etsy Shop.
A bird print from Bethany Schlegel | Art +Design Etsy Shop.

Rules are the same as before...There are a few ways to be entered to win.

Buy something from my shop (well, actually, any of my shops: Bethany Schlegel | Art + Design, Buzz Buzz Bee, or July Twenty Fourth) and be entered twice into the drawing.
Sign up for my mailing list. Already on my mailing list? Send this to a friend and have them sign up. Have them fill in your name/email where it asks how they found out about my site, and you both are entered for a chance to win.
Join my facebook page. When you join, leave a comment to let me know you joined. Again, already a fan? Suggest a friend and let me know you did and you will both be entered!
Tweet or blog about or link on facebook to any of my shops: Bethany Schlegel | Art + Design, Buzz Buzz Bee, or July Twenty Fourth...send me the link and you will be entered!

Each time you do one of the things above, your name will be counted.

Hurry! This giveaway ends Thursday, December 17th at 11:59 PM EST.

(U.S. and Canada only.)

Starlight Mint

2009-12-09T09:04:00.001-05:00

Here's a starlight mint I painted yesterday.

Holiday Giveaway (Week 3)

2009-12-07T09:06:00.002-05:00

Congrats to Gayle of Washington, D.C. who was the winner of last week's giveaway. She won a Game Over raglan!

It's time for a new giveaway!

This week's prize is a Bathing Beauties long sleeved tee. It's a medium Classic Girl American Apparel tissue tee in yellow. If it's not a fit for you, it's perfect gift for someone on your list!

There are a few ways to be entered to win.

Buy something from my shop (well, actually, any of my shops: Bethany Schlegel | Art + Design, Buzz Buzz Bee, or July Twenty Fourth) and be entered twice into the drawing.
Sign up for my mailing list. Already on my mailing list? Send this to a friend and have them sign up. Have them fill in your name/email where it asks how they found out about my site, and you both are entered for a chance to win.
Join my facebook page. When you join, leave a comment to let me know you joined. Again, already a fan? Suggest a friend and let me know you did and you will both be entered!
Tweet or blog about or link on facebook to any of my shops: Bethany Schlegel | Art + Design, Buzz Buzz Bee, or July Twenty Fourth...send me the link and you will be entered!

Each time you do one of the things above, your name will be counted. Your name and entries will also be rolled over to the future weeks if you don't win this time, so keep doing the above to be entered more often!

Hurry! This giveaway ends Sunday, December 13th at 11:59 PM EST.

(U.S. and Canada only.)

Holiday Giveaway (Week 2)

2009-11-30T01:00:00.005-05:00

It's time for a new giveaway!

This week's prize is a Game Over raglan. It's a Standard American American Apparel size medium with green sleeves. though this is a female model (me) the shirt is actually a unisex shirt and wears well on both men and women!

There are a few ways to be entered to win.

Buy something from my shop (well, actually, any of my shops: Bethany Schlegel | Art + Design, Buzz Buzz Bee, or July Twenty Fourth) and be entered twice into the drawing.
Sign up for my mailing list. Already on my mailing list? Send this to a friend and have them sign up. Have them fill in your name/email where it asks how they found out about my site, and you both are entered for a chance to win.
Join my facebook page. When you join, leave a comment to let me know you joined. Again, already a fan? Suggest a friend and let me know you did and you will both be entered!
Tweet or blog about or link on facebook to any of my shops: Bethany Schlegel | Art + Design, Buzz Buzz Bee, or July Twenty Fourth...send me the link and you will be entered!

Holiday Giveaway (Week 1) -- WINNER!

2009-11-29T12:10:00.005-05:00

Though I should be in bed, it's past midnight here in Massachusetts...

At 12:00 midnight, EST, using random.org, I drew the winner for the week 1 raffle. Congratulations to Amanda of Alabama! Amanda won a peace crane tee and a pair of origami earrings!

Not a winner this time? No worries! In an hour or so, a new item will be posted and follow the same rules apply. Please enter often!

Sad you missed out on the tee or the earrings? The tee is available at my BuzzBuzzBee Etsy Shop and you can purchase the earrings at my Bethany Schlegel Etsy Shop (more colors available -- please contact me with color requests!).

Thanks for playing!

Holiday Giveaway (Week 1)

2009-11-24T08:53:00.008-05:00

To celebrate the holidays and make room for new goodies, I am going to have some holiday giveaways this year!

This week's giveaway is a tee shirt made by yours truly!

It's a girl's size ten American Apparel classic raglan with a paper crane silkscreened onto it. This also comes with a pair of hand folder origami crane earrings on sterling silver earwires.

Not a ten year old girl? No worries! Give it as a gift!

There are a few ways to be entered to win.

Buy something from my shop (well, actually, any of my shops: Bethany Schlegel | Art + Design, Buzz Buzz Bee, or July Twenty Fourth) and be entered twice into the drawing.
Sign up for my mailing list. Already on my mailing list? Send this to a friend and have them sign up. Have them fill in your name/email where it asks how they found out about my site, and you both are entered for a chance to win.
Join my facebook page. When you join, leave a comment to let me know you joined. Again, already a fan? Suggest a friend and let me know you did and you will both be entered!

Open Studio & Cleaning House

2009-11-23T13:24:00.004-05:00

Yesterday's Open Studios/Holiday Sale was quite a success. Thank you to all the wonderful people who came to sell and shop! Missed it? No worries! We do hope to have another event in the future. In the meantime, here are some things you can do to make yourself feel better...

Retail therapy. Visit one of my shops: Bethany Schlegel Art + Design (for holiday cards and art), Buzz Buzz Bee (for shirts and other miscellaneous cool stuff), or July Twenty Fourth (for cards made jointly with my friend in San Francisco). Need to get out? Also find my work at Magpie in Davis Square.
Get a penpal. You don't even have to send any mail! Sign up for my mailing list so you don't miss future events. Other perks include art in the mail and the possibility of helping me with my projects! Haha!
Visit a museum. My work is still on display at the Danforth Museum School's Holiday Sale.
Win a prize. That's right. I am cleaning house and over the next couple of weeks I will have some teeshirt giveaways. Stay tuned for details!
Meet my friends. Visit some of the other vendors you missed. Check out our vendor page for links.
Bake some cookies. Email me your snail mail address and send you a (beautifully designed and photographed) recipe in the mail!

Speaking of cleaning house...while cleaning the studio, I realized I have a lot of stuff in my studio. I need to figure it out, but daily? weekly? I am going to have a goal of some short projects that only use items I have in the studio and post them more often for your viewing enjoyment.

Ernie!

2009-11-18T17:42:00.003-05:00

I have been taking a bunch of photos of my latest cards...Ernie just makes me so happy! You can buy him here -- well, a likeness, as Ernie himself is not for sale!

I've Missed You!

2009-11-09T17:46:00.000-05:00

I feel like I haven't written in a month! Oh, I haven't! Sorry about that! It's been a busy month, getting ready for the holidays -- I know, when you sell stuff, holiday prep starts too early. Don't worry, I don't have a tree up in the studio and the Christmas music isn't playing yet (unless it accidentally jumps in when I have my iPod on shuffle...but that happens all year because I am too lazy to take my Christmas mix off the iPod in the off season). But right now I am relaxing in Prescott, Arizona while we visit Kevin's parents, so I have a moment where I can catch up here.

So what have I been up to? I have been designing and printing holiday cards. The ones I have done myself are only half printed and haven't been posted yet, but if you are nice I'll put in a little sneak peek and offer you a 10% discount if you preorder (preordering simply involves telling me how many you are interested in buying -- there is no commitment until you see the cards and like them in their final state!) by Monday, November 16. The dachshunds are printed as flat cards with translucent envelopes -- but again, order by November 16th, and get a 10% discount. Sorry the pictures are only the digital images and the colors are also off. I didn't have time to take pictures before we left and didn't get time to print the Portuguese Water Dog card before leaving either.

The ones I did with my friend Melanie for our collaboration are printed and will be available on our etsy website very soon. The discount period is now over. Again, unfortunately all I have available are the digital images, but once they are available on etsy, the actual photos will be available.

Prices for all cards (before the discount) are:
1 card: $4.00
10 cards: $25.00
50 cards: $100.00
100 cards: $175.00

What else? Shows, shows, shows.

I entered five framed pieces, ten unframed pieces, and twenty cards into the Danforth Museum's Holiday Sale. This sale, located in Framingham, MA, runs until December 13th. This is a wonderful, intimate sale of local artists.

I entered two framed and two unframed pieces into the School of the Museum of Fine Arts's InsideOut Sale. This world reknowned sale runs November 18-22. For the first time in public, I will be displaying Message in a Bottle (which I still need to get an actual picture of for this blog -- I only have the image of it digitally, before printing).

Finally, November 22 also marks the day of my own Open Studio/Holiday Sale. From 11-5 in Waltham, it will feature about ten artists selling photos, cards, fine art, knitting, jewelry, stained glass, and everything in between.

Whew!

Hope to see you!

P.S. Again, sorry for my lack of actual photographs! It's been so hard to find the time to photograph the work after it's actually done.

New Cards Availbale for PreOrder!

2009-10-16T11:39:00.004-04:00

I've been busy with a lot of things lately, but I haven't forgotten about my faithful readers.

I told you a while ago about July Twenty Fourth. Well, we have some cards for the holidays available for preorder!

Our website will be finalized soon, but in the meantime you can get the preorder information here at the July Twenty Fourth Blog.

I promise I'll get my cards up soon, too!

Leave it to me...

2009-10-06T12:46:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, while waiting for some printing to be done, I drew a lot of leaves. I love them. Next I am going to use them in my art, some fabric, who knows what else.

This posting does not do them justice. Please click on the image for a better view.

We Have A Winner!

2009-09-24T13:51:00.003-04:00

Please visit July Twenty Fourth for more info! Thanks for helping us choose!

Vote on a logo and win prizes!

2009-09-21T19:03:00.004-04:00

My friend Melanie and I met in science class in seventh grade. In almost two decades of knowing each other, we've been through a lot together.

Recently, we started a joint project (julytwentyfourth) in which we do design work together over the internet. She's in San Francisco and I am in Boston, so we stay in touch the way of the 21st century, blogging and emailing.

Our most recent project is a logo for our joint efforts. We are down to the last two and we want some feedback!

Help us out and you might win some cool goodies from julytwentyfourth.

I'm debating whether you should know why we are called julytwentyfourth or whether you should be deciding for aesthetic reasons only. If you want to know, and it will help you vote, feel free to ask.

Click here to vote!

Mailing List Reminder

2009-09-13T11:12:00.005-04:00

Fall is the time of shows, events, sales, and a whole bunch of other goodies. To be sure you don't miss out on these things, please make sure you are on my mailing list and your information is up-to-date if you moved recently -- if you aren't sure, feel free to sign up again! If you are worried about another mailing list, don't worry, I really don't bother you with things too often. And, if you opt into snail mail as well, you might even get some Bethany Schlegel Originals in the mail as well!

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I Made the Front Page!

2009-09-11T08:48:00.004-04:00

...of the Living Section of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, that is!

Read the article and see my art here.

If you are in Indiana near Fort Wayne, be sure to check out the Motherlode Gallery's show at the Allen County Public Library. The opening is tonight from 7-9 pm and the show runs through November 11.

Thanks for a great show, Motherlode Group!

Message in a Bottle

2009-09-08T18:38:00.003-04:00

I love this piece but am scared to print it...it's quite large (for me, anyway) at 19x25".

Busy, busy, busy...

2009-09-04T13:05:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to check in. I haven't been posting but I have been busy.

Last week and this week was a lot of prepping for shows I am going to take part in, all three of which start in a week or so.

September 11th opens Big Ideas, Small Packages at the Allen County Public Library, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This is a juried show for which they accepted the banana and Thirty-Eight Self Portraits (Because I Wish I were Smaller). I am pretty excited about this. This is the first juried show I have entered in a long time.

September 13th is the kickoff for the Danforth Museum's Small Works Exhibition and Sale. This wasn't juried. Yesterday my friend Anisha and I each brought in four pieces of work. Definitely worth checking out as all work is priced under $400 and 40% goes to the Danforth's Museum School..

Finally, there's A Book About Death. This exhibition runs from September 10-20 at the Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery in New York City. This is a super cool concept in which artists submitted 500 postcards and when visitors go to the gallery, the pick out postcards to assemble their own "book" about death. Here's my entry: I'm number 396.

Enjoy!

Variations

2009-08-13T10:41:00.009-04:00

I got some really positive feedback on the bird drawing I did, so I decided that while printing Soldier. Merchant. Man. (4"x6", mixed media on board) that I would also make some prints (Untitled), on paper from the image. I am really excited about them, but I am not sure if they should be worked into further. I like them for their simplicity -- the starkness of the white bird against the gray paper. I like the fact that the bird has just a wide open page to fly on (which now brings me to the desire to print this little bird all alone on a large paper...)

Then part of me thinks they should have something else to them. I'm not sure. Perhaps I need to leave it for a while and come back to it. I think art is so exciting in that way though...how you can work on something, leave it, and then come back to it months later and finally get what you wanted -- or just finally have it come together even though you didn't consciously know what you wanted. Soldier. Merchant. Man. was like that. I worked on it in February (at which time I only did the board using scraps of paper from an old book) and then again in June (?) when I drew the dead baby bird and then finally in August when I added the bird in flight. And it is exactly what I wanted in the end, but I didn't know it at the beginning.

Since I already had the screen made, and I love experimenting, I also pulled a version of it on green fabric. I love that too, but I have no idea what to do with it.

Finally, I had been constantly imagining a piece with a bird and a cage and shrunk the bird to work in Leonard (4"x6", mixed media on board). I like it. This is the second version I did, the first the cage was too high and I couldn't get the bird to balance correctly on the page.

And yes, I don't know what my new obsession with birds is, but they are so elegant and so fragile, I just love using them in my work.

Soldier. Merchant. Man.

2009-08-13T10:26:00.005-04:00

I finally figured out how to finish the piece (Soldier. Merchant. Man., 4"x6", mixed media on board) I started in February. I had started it as a way to deal with Grandpa Miceli's death. He died at 92. He loved a good long life and passed away right after watching a UConn Girls Basketball win with Grandma, which was probably his idea of a perfect evening. Rest in peace, Grandpa.

A Day at the Beach [WIP]

2009-08-10T12:01:00.002-04:00

Here are the bathing beauties again. I was just playing around, moving them all over the page as if they were paper dolls.

They need work, particularly certain parts of the bodies. Also, I think the images of me "posing" are just too stiff and don't really fit. Also not loving the "skill" in the particularly overweight women. I'll need to work on this, because I really like the idea of having all shapes and sizes...right now the sizes are generally pretty similar.

Catching Up

2009-08-06T13:20:00.007-04:00

I'm really catching up here...I am waiting for that pattern I did to save in illustrator. It's HUGE so it is taking forever.

Above are some prints on paper I made from the screens I made for The Canvas Project...My words were: tam-o-shanter, boss, deedle, sterling, and cafe. These are not necessarily in that order below, and I didn't print "sterling" so it's missing from the collection. Images are about 3x3 on 6x6 inch paper.

And here are the actual canvases I submitted. These are each 3"x3" square.

Sorry for the cell phone quality (or lack thereof)...

Bonus points to anyone who can match up the words to the images!

Well, I'm off! Illustrator is done saving!

Flight Patterns

2009-08-06T12:31:00.002-04:00

When I was in school I used to love to work with patterns. I'd then make them into tongue-in-cheek clothes with my poor sewing skills.

Examples were the boxers with the crabs and the dress with the dress pattern on it...

I had forgotten how much I loved this...today I stared playing with my birds in a pattern. Not loving it, but still super fun.

I think I also need to rework some projects from college that I can now redo with more experience and skill, because the concepts are certainly there!

Maybe I'll play around with printing them on one of the any fabric on demand sites that are out there.

Flying By

2009-08-06T09:41:00.004-04:00

It's been a while since I posted. I have been very busy in the studio. I finally finished my piece for Danger. I am excited about it. I need to take a photo to post it...

In the meantime, this little guy made me happy.

Not sure about my recent obsession with birds. They are just so elegant and beautiful.

Hand Drawn Bird

2009-07-24T17:34:00.002-04:00

I don't love this bird. I liked him alone, on paper, but not in this drawing.

Stepping back again. Need to look at again with fresh eyes.

Thinking Outside the Box...Literally

2009-07-23T10:38:00.001-04:00

I think this might be the answer. Who knew?

Gotta go get another bird though.

In Progress...Taking a Step Back...

2009-07-23T10:09:00.006-04:00

So I am kind of at this point I need to take a step back and look at this print. Something is missing I think, which is a struggle because I want to keep the simplicity of it as well.

Further, I want the clothes to be the focus of the print, and that's not happening.

And I don't like the navy blue in the pallette, but I am not sure what other color to use because clearly I need one more. Grey?

Not sure about the ground. Thought I might need it to offset the sky. I'd like it to be graphic as opposed to drawn, but at the same time, I want this to be a print, a drawing, not graphic design. Does this make sense?

Just kind of talking myself through the process...thanks for coming along for the ride.

Ok, I am going out to try and get some pictures of flying birds, because this one is not mine...I just borrowed it for the sketch...

Danger

2009-07-22T09:03:00.003-04:00

No physical work in the past couple of days, as I am pondering the word "danger" for a show I want to enter -- er, um, have to enter as I have already paid to enter! I am having a tough time with this one...

Found this quote: "As soon as there is life, there is danger." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Will report back with the results.

Returning to the Laundry

2009-07-09T17:18:00.003-04:00

So there are some projects I keep coming back to. Laundry is one of them. I have really been into combining my drawing with my screenprinting. Today was (finally) relatively nice out, so I took to the yard and drew laundry on the line.

I tested the drawings in photoshop with the palette I want to use -- ever since I saw these colors on a sheet of origami paper, I realized these are my colors (if one can actually have colors...)

I have included the scrap of paper, too.

Tomorrow is socks, boxers, a couple of tees, some underwear...ooooh! Tomorrow is supposed to be 76° and sunny. Don't forget the sunblock!

Keeping Busy

2009-07-01T16:49:00.004-04:00

I have been a slacker of a poster but I have been keeping busy. One project I have been working on I have to keep under wraps for a while -- it's a present that has yet to be given.

Another mini project I have been working on today I saved until the last minute so it is in the mail to the show as we speak. I do have pictures from my phone, so I will try to see if they are postable later today.

Finally, I spent some of Monday and all day yesterday printing (an edition of about 200!) the joint artwork Melanie and I have been working on. I am really excited for it. I love the collaborative effort. It is a six color screen print that we have been working on solely via the internet (since she is in California and I am in Massachusetts). Enjoy.

Bathing Beauties

2009-06-15T11:14:00.004-04:00

Really quick here...just wanted to do a little post and another plea. I changed the style of my bathing beauties and it is going to be more like Thirty-Eight Self-Portraits (Because I Wish I Were Smaller).

If you sent me a full length bathing suit or underwear photo, you might be able to recognize yourself so far.

I need more though, ladies! Full length, please! Send 'em along!

Thirty-Eight Self Portraits (Because I Wish I Were Smaller)

2009-06-06T16:02:00.003-04:00

I just entered this in a show...cross your fingers for me...

It's called Thirty-Eight Self Portraits (Because I Wish I Were Smaller), and it measures in at 8 inches by 7 inches. I had so much fun with it. Of course it wasn't so much fun when I was coloring in the third print because the first two didn't look as I wanted and I was racing the clock because the post office was closing in two hours!

Anyway, it's been an especially interesting project about body image, because knowing since about sixth or seventh grade that I wish I had smaller hips or smaller thighs or whatever, and then finding all the pictures, I realized that there were points I thought I should be "smaller" when really I looked pretty darn good.

Keep visiting, because I know I am going to work on more variations and now that I have these thirty-eight drawings of me, I see them being integrated into a lot of other works.

In Progress: A Few More...

2009-06-05T10:52:00.001-04:00

Just a few more. Enjoy. A few more to be added before screenprinting, and hand coloring.

Mini Mes

2009-05-29T09:19:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to post some little mes I have have been drawing.

Study of a Dead Baby Bird

2009-05-25T16:24:00.008-04:00

Note, these drawings are referred to in order, but the text about each one doesn't fit next to the image, so I have put a number next to the drawing I am referring to. Although the drawings aren't numbered, I trust my readers to understand that the first drawing on the page is 1, the second 2, and so forth.

Growing up, we had a charcoal drawing of a dead baby bird in our house. (The image to the left is not it. That's mine!) It was truly beautiful, once I learned to appreciate it for the art that it was and not for the rotting corpse. My father loved to quote the artist, his friend Steve Halford, and I in turn liked to quote my dad. When asked why he drew a dead baby bird, Steve answered, "Because a dead baby bird is a lot easier to draw than a live baby bird." True. But a dead baby bird isn't that easy, Steve, so I am quite impressed with the drawing.

Yesterday, Kevin called me outside to see a dead baby bird in the front lawn. I scooped the bird up onto a disposable plastic plate and I promise I too would try my hand at my own drawings.

I did one yesterday and three today. I don't love the drawings, but I loved the exercise, and I never before got to appreciate the beauty and the delicacy of our feathered friends in such intimacy before.

Additionally, I loved the excuse to spend the day in the warm sunshine -- what a perfect day! (Drawing a dead animal certainly is an outside activity.)

Yesterday's drawing was simply pencil (1). After giving it some breathing room, I like it better than I remembered.

Today I stared off with a watercolor sketch (2) which frustrated me so I stopped. Looking back, I like the simplicity, lightness and unfinished nature of it.

Then I went to focus on a gouache drawing on a collage page (3) -- I started this piece when grandpa passed away in March. I collaged some pages from an old book full of synonyms. I found a bunch that described grandpa: merchant, soldier, and man. I found it to be the perfect base for the drawing, because in the last months of his life, I saw him as delicate as a baby bird. I am frustrated though because I don't like the drawing at all. The image became too colorful and too muddled. The gouache wasn't even adhering to the area where the head was. You can't see it because I scribbled over it in graphite -- while covering up my frustration, I think I was also trying to demonstrate the dark empty space grandpa left in all of us.

Finally, I did a simple pen and ink and then filled the background in deep red gouache (4) which I am not loving, but I don't hate it either. I love how the red really makes the little bird pop off the page.

I am wondering how I can take this gorgeous creature and maybe turn it into a silk screen. Or is it too delicate for such a bold medium. Maybe it would work for just that reason.

This little bird had a short life, but I like to think that I immortalized it in some way.

My little friend is starting to smell and attract flies (but a citronella candle works wonders for the later) so I think tomorrow will be our last day together. I don't know though. If the smell gets much worse, these might be the final drawings.

More Fruit, Still Going Bananas

2009-05-04T23:11:00.004-04:00

I'm just stuck in this awful rut. I don't know what I want to make, what I should make, what I need to make. I just finished Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland, but since it's been such a long time since I read the beginning, I think now I should go back to read that.

Anyway, the banana made me so happy I thought I should continue to pursue fruit, but clearly I am not sure if that was the answer either.

I think that if I decide these aren't working, I will just sand them away and use the surfaces for something else. I will sit on them for a while, but once I run out of my collaged surfaces, they might be the first to go.

Sorry this post is so blah -- I am just in this fantastic rut. A fabulous teacher reminded me of something I said about D.H. Lawrence's The Rocking Horse Winner and thought it might apply to my art, but since I don't remember the story, I think I will go back and read that and hope for a miracle!

I promise someday I will be out of this rut. Today I threatened to quit as an artist. But that's not what I want the answer to be either. I think most of it is trust and facing the fear.

Oh, about the art, like the banana, each are 4"x6" (or 6"x4"...you know what I mean) and done in gouache on on collaged surface. The apple core was done today, the kiwi on Thursday.

Changing My Layout

2009-05-03T12:36:00.004-04:00

I spent all morning trying to find a new fixed width template I like. I don't know why a fixed width template didn't occur to me before, since that's what I really wanted. Nonetheless, while I really like this layout, I am still trying to iron out some kinks, so please bear with me.

This also means, a lot of my right links are missing. Boohoo! I will add them back over time, it is just a tedious process.

Thanks much!

Going Bananas!

2009-04-29T18:18:00.003-04:00

This was a good drawing to do today since Ernie was driving me bananas! I do love you Ernie, but you can be quite a pain in the neck sometimes.

The image is 6"x4" gouache on collaged panel. Told you, I am loving the gouache.

Tiny Pieces

2009-04-24T10:30:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was a very productive day at the studio. I put all my anxieties aside and just created. I worked on some sketches of Ernie, and one of my face (being an artist makes you quite vain in a way, because the best and easiest model you have is yourself in the mirror)...

I also made two tiny pieces...Spray Bottle is 3x5" on a piece of board that has been collaged and sanded. The image is watercolor, gouache, pencil, and ink.

Screen Filler is about 5.5" square on a piece of wood. It's done in ink and gouache. Yes, I just rediscovered my water based paints and I am loving them.

I think I am going to start working on a series of containers. I seem to have this obsession. I don't know why.

Building a Home...Part II

2009-04-21T14:03:00.004-04:00

I wrote last week about the Home project I am working on. It is flat and needs something added to it. I am thinking of adding some more graphics to it...Not sure if this is the answer. I think I will need to sit on it for a while.

The Bathing Suit Project: A huge favor...

2009-04-17T15:37:00.002-04:00

This message is for all my fellow female readers (but male readers can help by passing this along to female friends):

It's been a year and two days since I last visited The Bathing Suit Project and it's really something I would like to continue on with. But I need your help! I have nearly exhausted the images of everyday people in bathing suits...This is where I need you. I know, it is a HUGE request of something that can be very personal -- but I promise I will include my own recent pictures -- in which I am not feeling my best at all...!

Pictures can be old or new, as long as they are full length of you in a bathing suit or even just your underwear. Send more than one if you have it! Please be sure to include your height as well.

Images will be used for silhouetting purposes ONLY and your name will never be matched to the project.

Here is a link to the silhouettes I have so far, just so you can see just how unrecognizable you will be!

Thank you so much for your continuing support. If you choose not to send a picture, I will not hold this against you in any way. I am just trying to use my resources as much as possible!

Thank you thank you thank you!

Best,
Bethany

__________________________________________________________
Please send this to friends (and have them sign up for my mailing list as well!)

Building a Home

2009-04-17T14:36:00.001-04:00

So here is a piece I am working on for a show called Home. It's a reminiscence of my childhood -- specifically the afternoons when I was home from kindergarten...I'd be playing on the floor, and some cheesy eighties song would come on (it was 1985, after all) and I'd begin to miss Dad, who was still at work.

It's a tryptich, so all of the pieces would be hung as shown, each framed separately. In this case, I think the frame is just as important, and I am going to find a frame in a dark wood stain, just like the furniture at my parent's house. For reference, the record player image is 13x13" square

Something is missing. As much depth as I was going for in the piece -- collaged layers make the base, and line drawings overlap with color halftones, it still seems flat and boring to me. I am thinking of adding words or something, but I have yet to decide.

Testing Halftones

2009-03-31T09:45:00.004-04:00

I have never done a color halftone screenprint before. I had old instructions from when I took screenprinting in 2001 or 2002, but those didn't even work with Photoshop anymore...so I needed to test it. I used a picture of Ernie to test it, and I think it is pretty fun. I am really loving the art of these color halftones...there is something magical about the process, putting one color down and then another until you get the whole image. Additionally, I think the look is really quite appealing and the quality is perfect for what I want to use it for...there is this fine art meets industry, handmade meets technology, and probably best of all, past meets present.

Art Auction Now through April 30

2009-03-17T19:33:00.002-04:00

I last wrote about the auction to benefit the Farmington Public Schools in Connecticut, and I think I posted the wrong link. Click here for the correct one.

Prices are very reasonable and there are some wonderful and unique items. Some are local to the Hartford area, but many can be used and enjoyed anywhere! You can even bid on my work!

Thank you for your support!

Art Auction to Benefit Farmington Public Schools

2009-03-03T16:32:00.006-05:00

Please stop by and see some of my artwork at the online auction to benefit the Farmington Public Schools in Farmington, Connecticut. (That's where I went to school!) Auction runs from March 15th through April 30, but you can preview online starting today! Along with my work, there is other wonderful artwork by current students, art teachers, alum, and professional artists, as well as many exciting other items/services to bid on.

P.S. That little logo in the left corner is also a donation I made to the foundation. Yep! That's my work there!

Discard 2009: Now Up-To-Date!

2009-03-02T17:00:00.002-05:00

So I have been a slacker on this, but I figure as long as I get rid of 365 items, it should be ok! I've decided to put no information (except eventually the date) unless people want to guess. First and foremost I want to get rid of the items and document them! Clearly you can see that the documentation has been most efficient and sucessful as photos, but that doesn't mean there won't be a drawing or collage once in a while.

You can see these images up close and personal on my Picasa site. I'm still working out some technical difficulties (such as: how do I get the file name to be the caption?) but for now you can enjoy looking.

Enjoy!

Cleaning

2009-02-13T09:54:00.003-05:00

Here is a bad iPhone photo of a test print of the cleaning products. Not sure how I feel about it. I have some others that I want to play around with. I am not sure I need the outlines anymore, even though oddly, this is how it started...

I joined Inkteraction!

2009-02-12T12:38:00.001-05:00

This is a pretty cool and inspirational printmaking network.

You Make My Heart Swim

2009-02-02T14:37:00.003-05:00

So. This is the last Valentine or fish post for a while. Since I had come up with a few ideas for mom, I decided I might as well use a couple of them. Flat pool colored cards were on sale at the paper source (what luck!) and so I printed up a pile of these fun cards.

I'll sell some at Magpie and some at my Etsy store or you can contact me directly as always. They are 5 1/4 inches square and come in white envelopes. Being square, they require extra postage -- an extra 20¢ to be exact.

Tomorrow is a snowy day, so I am going to stay at home to catch up on stuff. Hopefully I will have more for you about my actual project as well as Discard 2009 -- the fact that I am not getting any smaller sure is helping with this project!

Still fishy...

2009-01-30T14:29:00.006-05:00

I finished the cards for my mom, but since she only needed nineteen, I printed a bunch more, so if anyone needs super cute valentines, let me know! You can contact me directly or purchase them on Etsy.

Specifically for her cards, my mom had me print a letter for each of her kids on the fish, so they could have fun finding the first letter of their name. Actually, she was going to hand write the letters with her amazing hand writing, but I offered to save her time and pull a quick screen before I cut them with the letters.

I have been busy work on on a logo for my high school and assisting with the auction they are holding in March which should be a lot of fun and should have some wonderful art there. I'll keep you updated, but if anyone wants to donate art for the auction or do a 4"x6" piece for the blind art sale (all pieces are the same flat price, but you don't know who made it until you have bought the piece), let me know. It could be some great exposure and a chance to side by side with some well known artists.

Love is in the Air. Something is Fishy.

2009-01-20T16:23:00.005-05:00

Been working on valentine's day cards for my mom. At left are the contenders. I still need to work on what to say for the one on the far right, or how to make it more valentinesy. I was thinking perhaps a heart on a hook coming down, but then it kind of looks like the "teacher" fish is leading her "students" to danger.

I don't think the simple fish at the bottom are really in the running, because it has been suggested that they are a little too reminiscent of conception. Not the message we want to give first graders.

Oh, and I definitely want something better to say on the heart shaped fishies!

Any ideas are welcome.

Discard 2009: January 1-14

2009-01-15T16:36:00.007-05:00

I am trying to figure out the best way to post Discard 2009, the project I mentioned before, in which I get rid of one item a day and document it. When I was doing a page a day, it became quite a hassle to upload and place them in the page. I suppose the best would be to put an update when there are more images as well as having a link at right.

Oh, yeah, and P.S. I decided that that old font was too small and from now on we'll be using normal here...

In the Studio: Cleaning

2009-01-15T11:32:00.003-05:00

Here's a little peak of what I have been working on in the studio. I have been obsessed with decluttering lately, but there is also so much more behind these cleaners I am working on.

(B)Ringing in the New Year

2009-01-01T21:33:00.003-05:00

This new year brings up a new resolution for me that comes with a new project. This project will take dedication. I am going to declutter one (or more) objects a day and document them through art. Get rid of the stuff, keep the drawing (or whatever it may be).

First drawing today. Not off to the best start. But if nothing else, come this time next year, I will have 365 fewer things cluttering my life.

No image today. Have yet to decide whether I will display these images, and if so, where.

Umbrellas and Raindrops

2008-12-21T22:50:00.006-05:00

I guess this massive snowstorm in New England (and other parts of the country) has inspired me to do a piece with precipitation.

Here is the design for the cover of a checkbook sized datebook I am working on.

I had a lot of fun working on it. Tomorrow I am going to the studio with Ernie and I am going to figure out what material and color it looks best on.

I think in the new year I will also play around with this as a fine art print.

Funny, I think that working on something that I don't intend to be fine art -- at least not something I expect to be framed -- puts less stress on me and in the end I really enjoy the outcome and in turn have ideas I want to make into fine art prints. Hmmm, guess it all comes back to Art and Fear, huh?

I was also thinking about how much I loved to send out my holiday cards this year. The thing is, what I love most about screenprinting (or printmaking in general) is that it makes fine art accessible to all. By sending mini prints through the mail, I am sharing my art with those I love and those who appreciate it. If you want to get a handmade Bethany print next year, please sign up with your mailing address on my mailing list. Would love to have you! And believe me, my mailing list isn't overwhelming -- I think I sent out one email this year and my only snail mail was actually the holiday card.

Coming soon, notes on my discard project. Stay tuned!

Oh Deer.

2008-12-08T22:36:00.006-05:00

The deer cards are finally done! I am actually pretty excited about them!

For sale by contacting me or by visiting my Etsy Shop! All holiday card packs can be shipped priority at no extra charge. Please just let me know you found my cards on my blog...

Super Lightbox

2008-12-03T12:04:00.004-05:00

Sorry it has been a while. It has been so super crazy with our visit to Minnesota and all the printing I have been doing in the studio...

I just wanted to post one of the super cool photos I got from the simple and cheap lightbox tutorial I found on FamTrek. Wheee!

And don't forget, even though I haven't taken all of the photos I should with the cool lightbox, my holiday cards (and other items) are still for sale at my etsy site!

Holiday Cards for Sale

2008-11-09T22:21:00.008-05:00

I have been quite busy this fall in the studio and as a result, I now have hand screenprinted holiday cards for sale. They are either available by emailing me directly by visiting my Etsy Shop (buzzbuzzbee.etsy.com).

Card prices are as follows:

1 card: $4.00
10 cards: $25.00
50 cards: $100.00
100 cards: $175.00

Interested in other quantities? Please don't hesitate to contact me!

See below for designs available:

A couple of notes:

All cards are flat cards
Each card is signed on the bottom right corner. If you prefer this left off, please let me know.
Each card is stamped on the back on the bottom right corner with "Bethany Schlegel Art + Design | www.bethanyschlegel.com. Again, if you don't want this on the back of your card please let me know

L I G H T S

These lights are printed on heavy white cover stock. The cards are flat, measuring 8 1/2" x 3 1/2". Please indicate color of envelope when ordering:

red (this will be default if not specified)
white
translucent

O R N A M E N T S

These ornaments are printed on recycled chipboard, along with the words "Best wishes for a warm and wonderful holiday season." The cards are flat, measuring 8 1/2" x 3 1/2".

Please indicate color of envelope when ordering:

white (this will be default if not specified)
translucent

H O T C H O C O L A T E

These steaming mugs of hot chocolate (with whipped cream, of course!) are printed on recycled chipboard, along with the words "warmest holiday wishes." The cards are flat, measuring 3 1/2" x 4 7/8".

Please indicate color of envelope when ordering:

white (this will be default if not specified)
yellow
translucent

Some of you voted for the deer image. Unfortunately, this has been giving me trouble and is not yet available. I will be happy to let you know when this is available -- just drop me a line telling me you are interested.

In the Press: My Work on Cakespy's Blog

2008-11-05T11:19:00.003-05:00

So, I have long been a huge fan of Cakespy, as an artist, a blogger, a food experimenter, a person...So what could be better than when someone I admire so much gives a shout-out to me? The most fabulous Cakespy posted about my cupcake cards yesterday.

Thanks Cakespy!

(You can purchase these cards at my Etsy shop along with new holiday cards...)

Bulbs are done (well, kinda...)

2008-11-03T14:27:00.004-05:00

So the bulb holiday card is done, but it looks like I am back to the drawing board, er, um, printing table, since I had technical difficulties with about 75% of them. I am going to try and salvage some of them and see what I can come up with, but in the meantime...I do like how the ones that actually worked look! I am hoping to be done with the new batch by this Friday.

Another Holiday Card Finished

2008-10-31T08:28:00.003-04:00

I just finished another holiday card which is available for sale at my etsy shop.

I am really enjoying the look of ink on chipboard, and in this case, especially loving the retro look.

In the Press: My Work At Cupcake Project Blog

2008-10-27T18:39:00.006-04:00

Stef over at Cupcake Project wrote a lovely mention in her ab fab cupcake blog! I am so glad she enjoyed the cards I sent to one of my favorite cupcake making divas!

Last spring, Tina and I teamed up with Cupcake Project through our blog, Scoopalicious, to do an Ice Cream Cupcake Roundup! It has been great getting to know Stef through the blogging world. Her cupcake recipes are amazing, and I was first drawn in by her Shirley Temple Cupcakes.

Please visit my Etsy site to purchase these birthday cards!

I actually have done a bunch of cupcake watercolors I will have to post soon.

Mail Art Received

2008-10-23T22:17:00.004-04:00

It's rare that I get to see how mail art I sent arrived and I rarely ask...but Pam so graciously sent me a photo of the mail art I sent to her in Ohio, and it's cool to be able to share it back to you all. Pam is a friend from high school and we are both obsessed with Scrabble. It's good to be back in touch with her again!

A Drawing A Day, 10.17.08

2008-10-21T12:58:00.002-04:00

Here's another drawing a day -- of course the last one was in the beginning of September! 5x5 inches, watercolor on Claybord. I don't know how long it took me.

Busy as a Bee

2008-10-15T12:20:00.010-04:00

I have been in the studio a lot lately, printing cards. I came to remeber that being a card designer was something I always wanted to do, and I am finally doing it. As soon as I get envelopes, these will be for sale, and the final three designs (yep, -- I decided to print them all and I also have one more that was supposed to be a custom order but got nixed so it will also be available) will probably be available sometime in the next couple of weeks for sale as well. In the mean time, congrats to Shioka who won the drawing for the free cards.

44% voted for the bulbs
29% voted for the deer
27% voted for the ornaments

Funny thing is, the only one I have to show right now is the ornaments. I keep putting off the bulbs because of all the colors involved -- ugh! Quite a bear to print.

I also worked on some birthday cards -- cupcakes with a subtle "happy birthday." My original idea was to do them on chipboard in the pink, as most of them are, but I played around with the chocolate frosting as well as printing them on white. These were super fun and leave a lot of room for options. The cards are flat and measure 3 1/2" x 4 7/8".

Colors may vary slightly due to the differences in monitors.

A Bit Political: Obama and Ice Cream

2008-10-01T13:19:00.004-04:00

So I was just playing around the other day, and I got a little political -- and added politics to something I love...ice cream! I guess it is kind of creepy, but also fun!

If you too like Obama and Ice Cream, you can get an Obama Ice Cream item here.

Holiday Cards: Input and Enter!

2008-09-29T13:04:00.006-04:00

The holidays are quickly upon us. Ok, wait, no, I am not normally a person who thinks about the holidays well before Thanksgiving, but since this year I want to print and sell holiday cards, I thought it would probably be good to get started. But I must admit, it's been pretty hard to get into that mode while it's still seventy degrees outside.

So, here is the deal. I need help deciding which to print. So here is how you come in. Vote for your favorite (or favorites!) using the poll on the right hand side of the blog and then comment below with your email address or email me your contact information, and you can be entered to win a set of 10 hand printed holiday cards. (In addition to voting, comments are also welcome).

Please also contact me if you would be interested in preordering at a discount.

These cards will be flat and sized at 8.5 x 3.67 inches and silkscreen printed and come with envelopes.

Ornaments
printed on brown chipboard.

Bulbs
printed on white cardstock.

Deer
printed on brown chipboard.

Please also pass this link along to your friends. Thank you so much for your input! Please enter by this Sunday, October 5. Thank you!

P.S. While voting for the cards, make sure you are registered to vote by clicking the link directly below my poll!

Playing With Beet Juice and Raspberries

2008-09-26T11:43:00.004-04:00

Untitled, 5x5 inches. I was trying to draw these raspberries one day a couple of weekends ago. I got so frustrated I smushed them into the clayboard and spread them around. I liked the background color. I had some beet juice/salad dressing (by the way: steamed green beans, canned beets and Maple Grove's Lime Basil Vinaigrette make a nice salad!) left over from lunch and poured that on the clayboard too. I let it dry and then worked into it with watercolors (of the leaves I picked up when walking Ernie -- thanks Ern!) and the fly stamp I made.

I had fun with this.

FG Bethany Does It Again

2008-09-18T11:23:00.005-04:00

Looks like FG Bethany is still quite popular at MyFonts.com. From a recent newsletter...

Bethany was one of the featured fonts in last month’s Rising Stars newsletter. It has been doing extremely well since, occupying the top spot of our Bestseller list for weeks. Bethany is spirited and spontaneous, but has better legibility than many other handwriting fonts thanks to the openness and simplicity of its shapes. The smileys, of course, are a very nice bonus.

It is a very nice write up. I can't wait to actually know how many sales I have! You can also purchase it at Font Garden, the foundry that produced it.

Orange Tree Notecard

2008-09-14T18:16:00.004-04:00

Orange Tree notecard is now available for sale on Etsy! Sorry for the delay in posting!

Playing Around: Orange Tree.

2008-09-10T20:01:00.003-04:00

Today I played. I cut paper, I taped it to transparencies, burned screens and loved the process. I made these orange tree cards -- no computer...best feeling ever.

I'll be selling them on Etsy, but I left them at the studio tonight because I couldn't wait for them to dry. In fact, the last 20 or so I had to print in very dark light because we lost power on Bedford Street and Prospect Street. Needless to say, I wasn't waiting around in a dark studio for these guys to dry!

Today I also started my study of tomatoes, which is as much a study of tomatoes as it is new methods of working with mediums. I wanted to do more on that today as well, but alas, the power...

A Drawing A Day, 9.8.08

2008-09-08T21:58:00.004-04:00

Carrots. 37 minutes. 4 inches square. watercolor on clayboard. Lunch from today. Not sure how I feel about it. Scans always look better to me than the real thing.

On another note, I can't seem to find my Page-a-Day book and have decided to end this project. It wasn't what I wanted, the paper was too glossy, and it ended being something I had to force myself to do at the end of the day. Forcing wasn't what I wanted from this project, so I have decided to focus my energies elsewhere.

Art = Books?

2008-09-05T10:39:00.005-04:00

When I was younger, I had a friend tell me a magic number of pages I should read before deciding whether or not I wanted to continue reading the book -- too few pages and you didn't give it a fair chance, too many and if you didn't like it, you probably would continue not to...The number seventy-five seems to stick in my head, but that seems awfully high...

Anyway, I digress. I was thinking about this with art. How do you know when enough is enough and no matter what you do, it is not going to look any better? Take the baby print for example. I don't like where it is going. Do I abandon it? Do I take a break from it? Do I do seventy-five different things to it?

Cropping it helped, but I am still not sure I like it. I was going to incorporate flies as well, but I don't know. I had to make the fly drawing into a rubber stamp though, because the detail was too much to come out on the screenprint. We'll see what happens...

Technically Speaking

2008-09-03T18:18:00.001-04:00

My art feels like one big technical difficulty after another. Why can't it be easy?

Fly Paper

2008-09-03T17:11:00.003-04:00

Not really sure...was playing with these fly drawings for something else, but I did something not as I wanted for the other project but I loved the result. So here it is. Don't know what to do with it, but it sure is pretty.

Here's the Detail...

2008-08-22T14:48:00.004-04:00

Here's a detail of something I have been working on. It was intended as a piece for a show, but I don't think it will be done in time and I am not thrilled with how it is coming out. Though I do have to say that by looking at just this one part, I am a bit more excited about the potential.

P.S. Can you guess what we are making?

MyFonts Rising Stars

2008-08-21T15:02:00.008-04:00

I know, it has been a while. I have been busy working on bigger projects. Right now I am trying to do one that focuses on the theme of "Kitchen" for a show I want to enter. My original goal a long while ago was to enter a show quarterly. I wasn't very good at this but I love the idea and I am going to try to start that up again.

So, MyFonts sends out a monthly email called Rising Stars, and my font (previously mentioned here) got quite a good review:

Font Garden’s Ellinor Maria Rapp has been keeping a rather low profile since we interviewed her back in December. Now she’s back with a vengeance. Selling a staggering number of copies in a few weeks, her new font Bethany has confidently strolled to the number one spot on our Starlets list. Bethany is as spirited as any of Font Garden’s handwriting fonts, even maintaining a spontaneous authenticy when setting heavily-accented languages. And for those who have trouble hand-drawing a smiley, Bethany has two of them to use on your computer.

Thanks to Tina for forwarding me this review and for encouraging me to submit my font to the FontGarden as well! My favorite parts of this review? "...Bethany has confidently strolled to the number one spot..." and the fact that they used "material girl" as the words for the sample text. Little Bethany history for you...when I was about five, I was listening to the radio and shortly after went into the kitchen singing, "Because we are living in a Cheerio world and I am a Cheerio girl..."My sister commented on the hand-drawn smiley, which I don't recall being asked to do, but I think Ellinor cleverly pulled it when I wrote some comments to her about my writing -- yes, I have a habit of putting a lot of smileys in my notes -- how seventh grade!

Bbelief

2008-07-31T14:25:00.005-04:00

I wanted to share a project I have been working on for a while.

A while back I finished the album cover design ( for The B-Flat Project's new album, Bbelief, which now is available for sale on iTunes. I am not much of a music critic, but when I design for albums, I listen to the songs over and over as I am designing, and I have to say, I really enjoyed having Bbelief on repeat!

I did the design, but I did not do the actual illustration. That Brian and I found on a great site of scanned, public domain images from old books. Thanks, Liam!

This is the second album cover I have done with Brian of The B-Flat Project, and working with him is always wonderful. He pushes my ideas, challenges my creativity, and even has me indulging in philosophical studies. How does one illustrate "belief"? As one might imagine, we went back and forth with a lot of ideas for this album before settling on the cover we chose. You can read more about this experience on Brian's blog.

I have known Brian for 23 years of my 29 year life, and its been such a wonderful journey going from academic competitors trying to out do each other in our third grade bookworms (If I read 50 books one semester, Brian read 53...he was always a little bit ahead!) to friends that challenge each other's creativity.

Cabin iPhone Pictures

2008-07-30T18:19:00.003-04:00

A while back I promised to post the iPhone pictures I took at the cabin. There was something uniquely beautiful about them to me. Nothing special, but I liked them...

A Drawing A Day, 7.30.08

2008-07-30T17:00:00.006-04:00

This is a little different from what I usually do for a drawing a day -- it's much looser.

The thing about pen is that it can be so scary because you can't erase, but at the same time, it's much freer, too, if you allow yourself to embrace the mistakes. This one was so much fun. I set my timer for 30 minutes, turned on the John Lennon tribute album Instant Karma, took out my 9 x 12 sketch pad, found some objects around (and ate some of them too -- the basil and the blueberries) and just drew. It was so liberating.

I then came upstairs and colored it loosely in Photoshop, just to see how it would react as a screen print. I am not sure how I feel about it in color. I don't think I like it with color.

What I love best? the dead Black-eyed Susans.

A Drawing A Day, 7.29.08

2008-07-29T21:34:00.005-04:00

Not sure why I fall in and out of this drawing a day habit, because the truth is, I like how it makes me feel like I did something each day -- whether or not it is good...

This one took 25 minutes. It is 6x6 inches.

Working on a baby print

2008-07-28T14:32:00.002-04:00

Here is part of the image of the baby print I am working on. I don't have too much to say about it. I am not sure where I am going with it, or even at this point consciously why I am working on it, but I guess that is half the fun.

The image is a found image from an old book.

New Onesie Designs!

2008-07-22T02:05:00.000-04:00

I have designed a couple of new onesies. I am not sure which of the two I am going to continue, so I am having a contest to get feedback! Please visit Scoopalicious for more information and to enter. Contest ends Sunday, July 27th.

Happy National Ice Cream Month!