Ballerina Hippo

This commissioned painting is long, long overdue. Are all creative types really bad about due dates and keeping track of time? I know I am! This dancing hippo is getting shipped off to Michigan in the morning to be hung on the walls of my baby cousin's room.

It's 2 feet wide and 4 feet tall. Acrylics on canvas and sealed with Polycrylic (Satin Finish). 

Here are some detail shots and a photo with Dexter, my long haired weenie. 

Cross this one off my to-do list! Yay!

Start Something That Matters - A Giveaway!

I've been a fan of TOMS shoes for a few years now. Their One for One movement: one pair of shoes for your, another for a child in need, is inspiring and makes me feel all warm inside. I bought my first pair back in April 2009, and as you can see from the photo above, they're looking a little well...loved. I use them as my painting shoes and you can spots little flecks of paint here and there. 

When TOMS offered books for bloggers, I jumped on the application. I didn't even think I'd actually be offered a book to review, but lo and behold I was! When I spotted the package on my doorstep, I couldn't wait to start reading. 

From the About page on startsomethingthatmatters.com: In Start Something That Matters, Blake Mycoskie tells the story of TOMS, one of the fastest-growing shoe companies in the world, and combines it with lessons learned from such other innovative organizations as method, charity: water, FEED Projects, and TerraCycle.

Start Something That Matters was devoured in about two afternoons. I'm a big fan of other people sharing their stories and this book was full of them. Blake starts out with his own story, then he shares the tales from other people he's met along the way. Everyone starts out with a simple idea, works towards their goals, and succeeds. There's definitely a can-do spirit throughout the book and I was definitely inspired to work harder and smarter with my own personal goals. I can see myself reading this book again. 

Want to get your hands on a copy of Start Something That Matters? Just become a follower of this blog and leave a comment! That's all! I'll pick a comment using random.org on December 12th at 10 a.m. Eastern time. 

Oh! I just found this trailer for the book on YouTube: 

If you have your own pair of TOMS, post a link to a photo! Let's all show off our shoes!

Sunday Sketchbook: From Idea to Painting

In one afternoon. 

I'm hoping to finish this tonight!

'Tis the Season to be Painting!

These past few years I've been fortunate enough to be able to go crazy on the windows of my work. I just come up with a general idea, run it by my bosslady, and get to painting! Here's what I came up with this year:

A "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" theme! We're advertising the Annual Christmas Talent Showcase, Sounds of the Season. (You can click the Flickr link to see it bigger!)

This is how I prepared for this big project: find How the Grinch Stole Christmas on Youtube, print screenshots of my favorite characters, freehand everything with a dry erase marker on the windows, and paint! There you go! 

All of the painting took about 5 hours total. It seemed so much longer since it was cold and windy. My eyes we red by the end of the afternoon. 

Details!

I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see this whenever I drive by. I've already heard many compliments!

Foto Friday

It's been awhile since I've done this, so it's time for another installment of...
Foto Friday: Where I upload all the recent pictures from my phone and share them with you!

It was a rainy, rainy Tuesday. The cat loved it.

My new favorite coffee mug. It reminds me of my high school punk rock phase. 

I curated a Feline Foto Show for a local bookstore. We always set up a way for the public to vote for their favorite photo, and I couldn't help myself and used Mr. Happy Cat. So Cute!

I bought my sister some soccer shoes. She adores them.

And in a fit of procrastination, I decided it would be a good idea to wash all the paintbrushes that have been gathering around the sink. 

Get Your Paint On - Beyond Basics

I enjoy taking art classes (online or in real life) and I like the challenge of creating new work that I otherwise wouldn't do. The Get Your Paint On -Beyond Basics online class actually requires you to slow down and focus on the very act of painting, which is always a difficulty for me. I like to slap the paint on, then go back and fix the mistakes. This time, I'm still slapping the paint on, but I'm doing it in layers and taking my time. Here are progress shots:

I went from three paintings to focusing on just one. I'll probably come around to the other two surfaces later.

Attack of the 10 Foot Snowman

This is a week to get things done, so you'll be seeing a few projects in their final stages. I'm very excited to make this off my to-do list and get it delivered to it's owner. I haven't measured its height, but I'm pretty sure he's about 9 feet tall. He'll be standing in a yard soon, cheering on the Bulldogs and spreading Christmas cheer at the same time!

Sunday Sketchbook

I've been studying How the Grinch Stole Christmas this week & grabbing screenshots of my favorite characters. I plan on painting an entire scene on the art gallery's windows for the holidays. Here's to sketching and big painting dreams! I should get started on Thursday, if it's not too cold. 

Camilla's Morran

Morran belongs to Camilla Engman, an artist I've been following for years. Camilla has recently sent out a call for pictures of Morran. There will be a book printed with all the illustrations she has received and the proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit a charity of her choice.

I used watercolors and an india ink pen on 300 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper. 

Atlanta Day of the Dead 2011

Mazzy and I attended the Atlanta Day of the Dead celebration yesterday. It was an exceptionally beautiful day and we had a great time. I went crazy over authentic Mexican food (I only get to eat it when I'm around my grandmother) and Mazzy had her first churro. 

I went nuts over these feathers! Look at them! 

See the whole set here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fawne/sets/72157628070206364/with/6319974065/