Gnome Door

A few weeks ago I went to a pottery painting party, and in a wine induced whim I added a little door to the bottom of my abstract painting, and it made the piece.  It gave it purpose and a story.

Ever since then I've been a little entranced with gnome doors.  I looked it up on Etsy and it seems anyone selling gnome doors is doing really well.  They are simple and whimsical...and while I've never really liked gnome statues, I love the little door adhered to a tree.  My mind to races with fantastical ideas of where the door goes, and what the world looks like on the other side. (I will admit I looooved Alice in Wonderland and Witch in the Wordrobe...little doors on trees fits both of those stories well).

So here is my latest drawing in vain of my new fascination.  I used the water based markers that I seem to always be drawn to, but added water color paint to get more variety of colors.

I'm really pleased with how this one came out...tying together the abstract into a world others can understand.

Me oh my....MAYHEM! MAYDAY!

About a year ago I went to a pottery painting bachelorette party.  I hated ceramics in high school, so I thought I would hate pottery painting too...not to mention it seemed like such a trite activity...but turns out I LOVE pottery painting. All my silly little marker doddle style looks kick ass on a bowl/cup/vase.

So I've been a few more times. Each time I was delighted with my finished piece...well this time I was so delighted that I started moping "I need a kiln..." and Blair, my husband, got the message and got to work.

We found a $100 kiln on craigslist, and I was over joyed. Now I can pottery paint at home, and maybe sell the stuff!  

But quickly reality hit....I hated ceramics in high school, so I never took a class in it in college, which means I know NOTHING about kilns, pottery painting, or the like.

I've been researching for days now, and it's no longer fun. I love to learn, but I hate starting at ground zero.  I'll start my search on one question like "can I put my pottery on the floor of the kiln?"  Which quickly shifts to "how do you load a kiln" to "how do you glaze pottery" to looking up heat temperatures, cones, tools, and on and on....it's mind numbing.  I'll read for hours and never have answered my original question.

Eventually I had to start taking notes so I could keep referring back to my original question and jot down all other questions that come up along the way that I need to look up later. 

I'm watching videos, making shopping lists...editing those shopping lists...all I wanted to do was paint a silly little bowl.

I bought (Blair bought) the kiln.  Then we bought a ton of glazes off a lady on craigslist...and I thought all I needed next was the ceramics and I'm ready to go, but it turns out I also need tongs, kiln wash, a vent!, kiln shelves (which are heavy and pricey), stilts for all the pottery, and the list goes on and on.

One minute I feel like I'm starting to get somewhere and the next minute I feel like I'm drowning.

In the mean time, I keep admiring my tiny little ceramic bowl, and am dreaming how great it would be if this was my niche.  I've always loved my art style, but it just doesn't feel very sellable...this feels sellable...and it feels magical, the way the patterns mesh and change around the object.

Here's my latest creation...I had to take a lot of pictures because every side is different.

Just Start!

After selling all of our wedding stuff my mind starting churning - what else can I sell? The obvious answer is art, of course! I've got a closet FULL of it...why not pop it on etsy and see what happens?

So yesterday I posted 4 pages out of my sketchbook. I have to admit I didn't find the task to be very fun - taking the photo, color balancing it, measuring it, etc. After posting only half of the photos I set out to post I started looking around at other peoples sites to see what sells and what doesn't and I decided maybe I can make some pieces with subjects that seem to sell well.

My first attempt is of a ballet dancer. Being a dancer myself this theme seems to fit.  I think I will try a few more dancer drawings before moving on to another targeted subject meshed with my abstract style.

On this new adventure my goal isn't really to make money, I'm selling these sketches for only $15 a piece...the goal is more just getting started in art again, and I think it will work.  I believe if I just start doing something, something will come out of it.

Here's a link to my shop if you wanna check it out :)
https://www.etsy.com/shop/UrbanZingara

Just a Few Sketches

I've done so many abstract drawing that I've started to feel rusty in my drawing ability....so I've been doing quick little drawings to build my confidence back up.

I'm drawing one realistic and one more stylized/illustrative version for each sketch, however I'm finding that the realistic one is easy cheesy and I'm still trying to find a good voice in the illustrative one.

Here's what I've done this week"

Random Inspirations

When I went to art school it was creativity 110% of the time....but I got burnt out, and now a days it goes in fits and fizzles.

A week or so ago I saw something magical, or at least at the time I thought it was magical...upon further investigation it turned out to be not so cool...but that's even better.  It was a strike to the imagination causing me to yearn to find more magical things.

However, it turns out it's not easy to hunt for magical things.  I looked at the most expensive gnomes on ebay...lame...I looked up the words "magical"  "awesome"  "crazy" on pintrest and craigslist....no luck (unless you think unicorns are awe inspiring).

I did indeed finally find some things...though it took several days, and even my husband began to join in on the hunt and in the end it sparked the desire to create art again, to be in that moment of creating something that feels magical to me....to dance with delight when I make the right move, and to shudder with disappointment when I fail....

It all started with a door knocker (I know random)


He's not as cool as he looks....you can buy one on ebay...but the fact that he's not as cool as I thought only makes me want to make what I thought I saw in this picture.

So then I started searching....
I learned from pintrest that you can draw on paper with milk and hit it with a hot iron to create an awesome woodburned look:

Pretty cool.

Then I found a photographer that created this delightful book about random people in New York, paired with lovely quotes from the people.


http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2013/nov/03/brandon-stanton-humans-of-new-york-pictures


And another photographer taking photos of people who like to dress up as movie characters, in their costumes in their own homes:

http://petapixel.com/2013/11/01/portraits-costume-owners-home/

But Blair found the winner that made me feel most satisfied....It's a book written by an architect in the 70's. He made an encyclopedia in a made up language about a made up world. He wanted you, the viewer, to feel like you were a kid again, thumbing through an encyclopedia staring at the images trying to figure out what's going on...and I LOVE IT....the sixth edition has just been printed, and for the first time ever it's actually affordable, but it seems everyone is out of stock until after Christmas...I must own this book!



http://the-dimka.livejournal.com/6645.html

However, now I've become a "magical hunter"...as a result I'm also debating buying a 3ft long museum quality t-rex (not assembled! How fun is that?!) for $50 on craigslist (he would make a great fireplace decoration), a crazy couch (and chair, but I would keep the couch and ottoman and resell the chair), and the coolest craziest Christmas gift for a friend from a restaurant auction, but I can't say what it is in case "the receiver" or anyone related to the "receiver" reads this post...but it's 6ft tall, and who knows how heavy, would be freaking amazingly well received, but would end up right back on craigslist by January 1st....but totally worth it.



And in this playful yearning I'm drawing again!  I can't find my freaking markers, so I'm just doing pencil drawing for now, but my mind is churning and I believe it is ready to go places!!!! There will be more to follow, I'm sure of it.

Trying Something New....

When I went to design my wedding invitations I had a really hard time finding a stock template that made me happy. We're quirky people and I wanted something that reflected that so I had to start from scratch designing something that would make both of us happy....in the end I was really pleased with the collection of work that we made so I thought maybe I would have fun designing for others too.

I've posted an ad on Craigslist, but I'm not so sure that will work because you have to click on "services" when searching in order to see the ad.  I don't know about you, but I've used craigslist a thousand times, I didn't know you have to click on "services" so I doubt others do either....but we shall see, it will be a fun experiment.  

I figured I would charge $300 for a wedding invitation and $50 for an envelope.   When I made my invitations it took FOREVER...I mean I will admit, we're both artistically picky, which is what made it such an impossible task.  (To be honest I'm not even that fond of our wedding invitations....but they were Blair's 'dream come true' so I guess that's all that matters...and on top of that every other piece in the packaged I am in love with.

Here's what the ad says, and some of the samples that were posted with it (for some reason Blogger wont let me post all of the samples): 

Are you looking for wedding invitations that are a little more personalized than those stock templates online? 

I'm a graphic artist who had a blast setting up my own invites, now I'm toying with the idea of starting a side business designing stuff for others.

We would have an initial meeting, talk about what exactly your looking for, then I would design three starting point ideas....from there you would pick one, and you would have up to three more rounds of changes from there. After we come up with the final layout, I can give you a cd with your art on it and I can either help you find a printer, or you can print your artwork yourself, the art is yours. I will sign waivers so you have full access to it.

I would need to be paid upfront after the initial meeting
I would charge $300 for a wedding invitation (however I would give a discount for easier jobs)
$50 for an envelope design

Generally speaking, if your looking for something quirky/unique, it does take some time to make it happen...it's impossible to say how long something will take when you start the project, because you never know if your going to need to hand draw your own art, or if there is art already out there that you can tweak and twist to be what your looking for....but I have a wide range of skills, so if you want something hand drawn, or you want photos photoshopped into something crazy, I can make it happen.

I would be happy to design other stuff too: thank you cards, rsvp cards, save the dates, baby shower, posters, graduation, etc.

Shoot me an email if your interested:  wendy.nisley@gmail.com
http://kansascity.craigslist.org/crs/4167853469.html

Inspired by lace

Several years ago I dabbled in making bobbin lace.  It completely changed how I create artwork…in lace, the negative (empty) spaces are almost more important than the positive spaces (the main subject).  From that point forward, I became mesmerized by the negative space in between objects, and it shows up constantly in my abstract art.  When making a drawing like the one above it usually feels like a dance. I soften my gaze, and can feel the energy of the shape push me into the next shape…in the end it turns into this push and pull where I’m not really concerned about the composition but more the energy of the space around each object. In this particular piece each of the panels is its own object, but each color mass is an object as well, and as a result the empty spaces are almost as captivating as the spaces filled with color/decoration.

Here's some examples of lace that play with the positive/negative space in case you were interested.

I loooove my sketchbook

I loooove my sketchbook...It took me a while to warm up to the book because it's an odd shape and it's so pretty I would get intimidated every time I held it...but I've used the same book for a few years now, so that intimidation has warn off.  There are only two blank pages in the entire book (I'm terrified of both pages).  I've gotten to the point that I'm painting over the old pages that I don't like, and I can't wait until the day that I have completed the entire book - happy/satisfied with all of the pages. (I have never in my life completed a sketchbook like that, I always hop over to the new book when I'm 90% done with the old book).

My sketchbook is almost a square shape and apparently a very odd size.  I've scoured the internet, and the only place I could find a new book that is similar to what I am so attached to is on Etsy.  It's being sold as "vintage" for $40. Pfsh!

Luckily my boyfriend is a whiz with tools, and he was able to cut down a new book for me, but it will be a while before I'm ready to start on a fresh book filled with blank pages.

My only complaint about my current book is it has slightly fuzzy paper that causes markers to bleed a tiny bit. I enjoy that little bit of color run when working on a piece of art, but I hate how much of the color bleeds through the page...I find it really distracting when working on the next page.  Usually I have to keep two blank pieces of scrap paper behind the page I'm working on (so the markers don't bleed onto the next page) and another piece of paper clamped to the side where you can see the bleed through from the previous work. If I didn't hide the last piece of art I'm sure I'd find myself recreating the same thing over an over. Oh the things we do to cope.

Secret Code

When I work through a sketchbook I don't used the pages from front to back in an orderly fashion.  I skip all around the book.  I've done this for years because I always felt like my sketchbook was a journal of my life and it would be embarrassing if others picked up the book, because they would know exactly what was on my mind...by scrambling the order of the drawing they wouldn't know that I painted this one right after our date, or that one right after we had that fight....but looking back I can see how silly this thought is.  I've gotten so abstract in my drawings that one can see the references, but not the intention.  

Scroll Saw....

Oh craigslist what would I do without you? Blair and I got to talking about my dream of creating decorative architectural panels using layers of thin wood cut out with a jewelry saw, and he suggested we get a scroll saw.

I'm suspicious of all power tools.  My dad owned a metal shop when I was younger, so you'd think I'd be really good with power tools, but I feel like I'm unintentionally careless...so as a general rule of thumb, most of the time I've decided it's better to waste more time using a hand tool than risk losing a finger with a power tool...but late last night we browsed craigslist and found lots of options of scroll saws for $15-$50!  Oddly, the cheapest one was the nicest.  So today we went and picked it up, cause if I'm only paying $15 for the power tool I can afford the medical bill that goes with it, right?

I'm sooo excited about this saw, I can think of a dozen projects that I want to do with it...who knows, maybe I'll turn into a woodworker, all I needed was a fancy saw.

I found this photo while blog hopping...it really moved me.  I'm thinking of taking one of my sketches and turning it into something similar using thin layers of wood and a jewelry saw.  I'm sure it will be a several month long project.  But I love this piece, and would love to play around with the concept.

Peacocks!

If I’m going to start posting on my food blog, I guess I should bring back my art blog too, haha.  I am indeed working in my sketchbook these days. I seem to go through phases of diligence and passiveness, but right now I have a designated day/time, and that seems to be working well for me.  I’ve noticed that I’m quite the sponge; whatever I saw/did that week almost always ends up in my drawings (usually unintended).

I did this drawing right after seeking a bazaar display at the Kemper Art Museum.  The Kemper has these beautiful pristinely clean wooden floors. The show I saw had a large wooden tree (that looked like it had been through a forest fire) right in the middle of the room on that beautiful flawless floor, with dirt scattered all over the place, and real stuffed peacocks, charcoal black except for their gorgeous tails.

I’ve always been drawn to peacocks (who isn’t)…but their tails are just magical, with bold colors almost holographic painted onto them in a wispy non-solid way…I guess the piece really moved me, cause when I went home I created an abstract peacock without even intending to…just one stroke after another I kept thinking “that’s pretty.” 

P.S.  Check out what the drawing looks like with it's colors reversed...I kind of like it!

Burlesque With Parents

Dr. Sketchy’s burlesque drawing parties have started up again… last month I talked my mom into going with me to the event they were throwing in a bar. (She’s an artist too). She had so much fun that both of my parents wanted to go this month.

Since my dad was planning on bringing his camera and all of its crazy equipment (two bags and a few tripods) I suggested we show up early….they took those words to heart and showed up at my house an hour before the event even started. Both of them carrying major luggage for the drawing class. I usually just grab a sketch pad, some crayola markers and pen and pencil…my mom wanted to paint the figures with watercolors, so she brought a little fold out table, a water bottle for the paints, a few cups for cleaning brushes, etc…and my dad, as I said, brought multiple bags full of photography equipment.
When I said show up early, I was really thinking “we should show up on time.” The events never start on time. I stalled as long as I could but we still ended up showing up a half hour early. Since this is actually inside someone’s home I thought it would be best if we drug our feet a little bit longer, so we walked around outside for a little while, taking photos of the surrounding area.
Dr. Sketchy’s is held in a part of town called “the west bottoms”. It looks horribly dangerous, but it’s not, just filled with empty factories…however, all of the haunted houses are in the west bottoms, so as we were walking around the barren streets were filled with strange howling noises, cackling laughter, and other odd haunted house sounds.

Once the event started everything went smoothly, both parents had a great time…though usually I think nothing of the sexy costumes on the models, but with my parents sitting next to me (in the front row) the scantily clad model suddenly seemed much more ‘scantily clad’. Though having parents there had its own perks… I’ve never investigated the food they have for sale, but my mom was very interested, so she bought me a beer and a margarita for her self, then later we each got a bowl of the butternut squash soup with summer sausage, and a slice of apple pie. It was a bonding experience, food/alcohol, simi-nudity, drawing, photography. My mom has declared she want to go every month.

Here's an example of one of the seemingly innocent costumes...she seems decently covered in clothing, until you find yourself sitting next to your parents drawing the same, seemingly innocent costume:

Graffiti art on one of the buildings outside



Converting Sketchbook Drawing to Computer Art

I’ve always found it hard to keep up with this blog, and a few weeks ago I started a second blog that I have found to be much easier to write about. (Basically that blog is about food, and I’m a very food-centric person, so it seems natural to babble away on that site)….but ever since I’ve been posting on that page, I’ve noticed that I’ve had a lot of viewers on this one, which makes me feel bad since I haven’t updated it in months (I think it’s been months, haha).
So here you go… lately I’ve been doing more figure drawing… the one I’ve posted today is of a belly dancer that I’m in the process of turning into vector art. I sketched the woman using a pencil and paper, and now I’m using that drawing as the draft and recreating it on the computer…once I have it completely drawn on the computer, she will be easy to manipulate (I can change up the background, change the colors of the dancer and her clothing, etc.)

---- hmmm, blogger.com doesn't seem to like my computerized version of the dancer... their warping her proportions:(

Etsy

I'm finally setting up an etsy account... I'm a little nervous about the name I've chosen, Urban Zingara (zingara is another word for gypsy). Two months ago I set up a site with the name GyspyHeart, but when trying to develop the logo and what not I realized I had mistyped "Gypsy"...go figure in the two months I stalled someone else took my name *ahem* with the correct spelling. But I like the name Urban Zingara much better, I'm just worried that "zingara" might not be easy to remember.  I guess time will tell.
So the new site is www.UrbanZangara.etsy.com or http://www.etsy.com/shop/urbanzingara
Though I probably wont post anything for sale for about a month...I've still gotta set up my paypal account and research all the do's and don’ts first. But it's exciting, I'm moving forward!!!