My new experiment...

Well I ordered a resin kit off etsy as well as some little lockets and pendant setting thingies (sorry wasn't sure of the technical term for those but you know what I mean).

I had a great time experimenting with using prints of my paintings as well as some Japanese paper and this is how they turned out. The resin itself was quite easy to use and seems to have hardened like it should over night. The things that I could have done better would be to cut the pictures to size more accurately and also I think I should have some how sealed the prints before putting on the resin as they bled a little, I did try sealing some with Diamond glaze but I don't think that was the right stuff. Does anyone know what to recommend?

And the winners are......

Hi everyone, well my two little helpers assisted me this morning in picking the winners of my 200th post giveaway. They each picked a different pendant so I decided to give away all 3. Thank you all for entering I really enjoy doing giveaways and I'll be doing another one perhaps for my 250th post? ;0)
I would have posted photos of them picking each winner but my camera died after the second so there are only two pics the winners are:

Shirley Pretty lady pendant (hand picked by Rhys)
Debbie Autumn girl pendant (hand picked by Riley)
Birgit The perfect wave pendant (hand picked by Riley)

Thank you all for entering :0)

Mixed Media Monday 'I feel pretty'

Here is my finished mermaid using elements from the sketches of my ladies in my previous post. I really like the new improved lips. This painting was created using acrylic paints, I stuck on tissue paper for the background which gave the sea a nice texture, I also used some patterned Japanese type paper for her top as well as the fish scales on her tale. I also used inktense pencils and for a final touch I used the bottom of an egg cup to print the bubbles over the top! I'm quite happy with the finished result and will be putting this one in my shop soon! :0)
If you would like to check out more Mixed Media Monday pieces just click here

Sunday Sketches and Illustration Friday 'Ahead'

Well I'm very early for my Sunday sketches this week but i really wanted to post a page from my sketch book that I drew last night. I'm working on another mermaid painting, I seem to come back to mermaids whenever I feel like I'm having an artists block. I'm half way through my painting so I shall post it soon. I wanted to draw my ladies a little differently and I focused mostly on the lips which seemed to give her a whole new character! Anyway here are my sketches! Click on the Sunday Sketch bar at the side of my blog to see more Sunday sketches (you might have to wait until tomorrow though as I'm a bit early with mine :0) )

You may be wondering where this sketch would fit in with Illustration Friday's theme of Ahead? Well I feel at the moment like I need to step up my art a little and push myself more. I want to find a more polished look, to keep my style and keep painting whimsical pretty characters but I really wanted to move ahead with my art and not stay stuck in a rut. I really should do more sketching as it really helps me with ideas, I've just gotton so used to slapping paint on a canvas that I go straight to that sometimes. Anyway here are my new improved ladies, well I hope they are improved.

Newly listed in my etsy shop!

Today I managed to take some photos of some pendants that I have been wanting to list in my shop for over a week. I love the dragonfly design it looks great in any shaped glass.

Tonight I'm hoping to work on a new painting and get past this painting/artists block that I feel like I have going on at the moment. There's just so much going on lately that I just feel like I never have time to sit and paint. But the footy is on tonight and I'm not much of a fan so I'll try and spend this evening painting!!! :0) Wish me luck!

Mixed Media Monday 'Look what I found' and Illustration Friday 'Detective'

Hi everyone well we just got back from a lovely long weekend down the coast camping, the boys loved it the weather was wonderful and it was so nice to get away. When we got back yesterday I saw the prompts for this week on Mixed media Monday and Illustration Friday and thought this piece fit both!

This is a picture of my 3 year old Riley who had a ball on the beach, looking through rock pools building ships out of sand with his grandparents and digging holes. This piece was inspired from a classic photo that my mum took of him as he was busy 'looking for clues' in the water. That's what he called searching for shells and things, sooo funny and sooo cute I love this picture.

I also included a scan of the paper before I painted over it. I bought a stack of patterned paper so cut out and stuck heaps of it on then painted my version of Riley on top. I like the patterned paper as it seems to give my paintings more depth and makes them interesting when you realise that there is a background. We are still recovering from our trip today and I'm working my way through that mountain of washing that seems to appear after you have been camping. I also made more more pendants today and started my own facebook fan page, not sure how to put a link on my side bar here just yet but I'm working on it. So watch this space! :0)

'Double Act'

Here is my little double act! My angel and vampire girl that I finally painted. I quite like how they turned out and it was fun painting something in a pair. The texture was created using tissue paper and I also stuck down some patterned paper too.

Don't forget to scroll down and enter my giveaway if you haven't already done so!! Happy Wednesday everyone!

My 200th post giveaway!!!

Hi everyone, well it's been just over a week since I last posted which I think is probably the longest gap between posts that I have had since I started and boy did I feel out of sorts about that this morning. It's weird that my blog friends and blogland have become such a big part of my life over the last 12 months and really motivates me to continue to be creative. This week was my 10th wedding anniversary, we're busy planning our overseas trip which is fast approaching and to add more stress to our lives we're about to embark on some much needed renovations, part of these renovations includes an art space for me which I am very very excited about! So keep watching as I'll post up pictures when it is finished it will be a little while yet though.

Today I finally got my bum into gear and made time for some art, oh did I also mention it's school holidays? I guess it's no wonder that I have found it hard to sit down and be creative lately. I am currently working on two paintings. I decided my little angel and vampire girl really needed to be in colour, so I shall post that as soon as it's finished.

In the mean time I really wanted to mark this 200th post with a giveaway. So I have found some of my earlier pendants that I still really love and thought I would let you guys have a chance of winning one.

All you have to do is leave a message here and tell me which one you would like and I will pick a winner out of a hat. You have two weeks, so until Tuesday the 27th of April to enter and I will announce the winner on that day.

All 3 of these pendants are prints of my original paintings and sit on a silver plated ball chain, which should be long enough to slip over your head. The square ones are scrabble tile sized and the oval one is approx 2.5cm across and in length.

They are called, from left to right in the first picture Autumn Girl, Pretty lady, and The perfect wave!

Good luck!!!!

Sunday Sketches

Hi everyone this week I had a lovely time in front of the tele just sketching away and managed two Sunday Sketches. Just a couple of characters that I was playing around with Angel and Vamipire girl!

If you would like to participate in this weekly challenge or you would like to check out more Sunday Sketches just click on the 'Sunday Sketches' button at the side of this page :0)

Happy Easter Monday everyone!

Illustration Friday - Dip (My new Koi fish painting)

Hi everyone, well I finished my painting just in time for Illustration Friday. When I saw the word I thought this painting fit right in. My beautiful Koi fish dips and dives in and out of the water.

This is a mixed media piece on canvas, I sketched the fish out then stuck it onto the canvas. Then I glued tissue paper down for the back ground and painted over everything. The flowers were some pretty glittery stickers that I found in a shop and I think they balance the koi fish well. I'm very happy with how this turned out and will be listing it in my etsy shop. I also think it'll make a good pendant too, so watch this space!

Some new original pendants made from prints of my artwork

Hi there I just wanted to show you how my latest pendants turned out, I really like using my artwork as it makes them a very unique piece.
Thanks to Kristin from Twinkle Twinkle for the idea of using my fairy from my Enchanted painting, she came up really nice as a pendant. I have given the original painting away as a gift for a friend on the birth of her new baby and she was so thrilled with it I was so happy!