Jelly Lane Art Blog

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Its almost here…summer!

We are right on the verge here in New England. We have had a few precious sun-drenched, blue-sky, warm-enough-to-go-swimming days to tease us. I love summer and I love to be outside, so everyday that has the promise of sun and warmth, I set up my "mobile studio" on our back porch and it makes me soooo happy! Today, unfortunately, is not one of those sunny days, and I am inside in my studio (which is not a bad place to be, but I'd rather be outside!) and on my desk is a fun summery set that I designed in anticipation of those hot, beachy days that will be here soon. I thought this set would be perfect for summer birthdays, luaus, or even a summer-themed wedding or baby shower. Take a peak and I hope it puts some sunshine into your day!

For more information about this set or to place an order, please visit my website or etsy shop….thankyou!!

Happy Summer!!

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

MATS B wrap-up

I completed the 2nd part of the Make Art That Sells e-course a couple of weeks ago and without a doubt, it was 5 weeks packed with intensity mixed with fun. I had learned so much from part A and was able to apply a little bit to each assignment. My pieces overall were stronger and my computer skills were a little sharper. I would suggest that if you are planning to take this course and work traditionally, that you have a good working knowledge of Photoshop. I did not have much experience with PS in the first section last fall, and boy did I struggle! Lilla may touch on this as a prerequisite for the course, but I either missed it or did not realize how important PS is in making your art web-ready. Also, the turn-around on projects is uber-quick…mini assignment given on monday, main assignment on wednesday and due on sunday…remember to breath!!

Here we go,

week 1: the paper market (stationery, greeting cards, etc)

The assignment was to create a holiday card based on the theme gingerbread houses.

I played around with a few color palettes and decided to go with the traditional holiday colors

I really enjoyed working on this piece and felt very comfortable completing it in clay.

week 2: baby apparel market

The assignment was to create a collection based on a pirate theme, suitable for baby

I loved this one too….my joy is definitely creating images for kids and the young-at-heart. The icons were rendered in copic marker, watercolor, & pastel pencil and arranged and composed in PS.

week 3: the scrapbook market

The assignment was to create a set of icons with the theme "vintage correspondence"

As you can see, I deviated from the theme (the mini on this one was to draw vintage ink bottles and I just couldn't get fired up about it…and was totally pressed for time as my son was home form the Marines for the week)….anyhow, as it was Easter, I went for a "vintage Easter" feel….copics & microns, then composed in PS

week 4: editorial illustration

Assignment was to illustrate a map of our home town.

So a total labor-of-love with this one. I went with clay relief, and had a blast putting it together, aimed for a folk art feel with the colors and icon as both represent my town. 17+ hours of sculpting and composing left little time for photography. I would like to reshoot this one at some point. Here are some details.

week 5: party paper market (paper plates, etc. suitable for holidays, birthdays, celebrations)

Assignment was to create a plate, napkin, and cup set influenced by Bavarian folk art.

Intended for a child's birthday, painted with acrylics and composed in PS. Enjoyed working on this piece….fun colors and subject matter. Lilla chose this piece along with a classmates' to illustrate pleasing color palette…it was nice to get an acknowledgment in the last week of the course!

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Illustration Friday

I had a few extra minutes this week, as we are between assignments in bootcamp, to submit a piece to Illustration Friday.
The topic of the week is RED.

I sure hope she will share her treats with this little guy!

Thanks for looking : )

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Hello Jello!

March has been Jello month at bootcamp…jiggly, wiggly, colorful, and sometimes a bit gross (yes at some point in time it was all the rage to throw those left-overs into a jello mold….spaghetti, veggies, Spam?? I think my own dear mother may have snuck some mystery meat into the jello in the mid 70's…I'm dating myself here!) But my memories of Jello are mainly good and sweet….I even make a yummy fruity jello salad for the holidays, so this was familiar and fun subject matter to draw.

I had a good time with the mini assignment, making a page of sweet treats with black pen and copic markers. I even got brave and played around in photoshop with my jello icons.

The main assignment was to create a jello-inspired design for the bolt fabric market. I went back to the drawing board and drew a gazillion fancy cake stands topped with all sorts of sugary confections. Lilla gave us her Monday surprise which was the "nougat palette" and some tips on using neutrals in our work. I was immediately inspired by the dusty and pastel pinks, soft blues and purples, and pops of acid yellow & lime green and envisioned a sweet little circus world in these colors. In my final piece I ended up going with a little brighter versions of the colors. Here are some of my initial sketches.

and my palette

painting the icons

I had a couple more spots planned, but time ran out, so off to the computer I went.

I found some tutorials on making patterns in PS, but just didn't have enough time to practice, so I did what I could.

I submitted this one to the gallery.

I am looking forward to trying to make a true repeat pattern with some coordinates when I have some extra time, but for now its off to catch up on Etsy shop orders and prepare for MATS part A which starts next week…bootcamp has been the perfect warm-up!