Just wanted to share my annual holiday card art, a little late though it may be! This year's art featured Mischief and Mayhem, my loyal studio assistants.
I didn't blog as much as I would have liked in 2010. I intend to be better in 2011.
I made a solid effort to keep my ETSY shop fresh and stocked in 2010. My traffic and page views were up, my sales continued to be abysmal. It did, however, provide discipline to keep creating new art and scanning it into my archives.
I also spent a fair bit of time doodling in my sketchbook, creating new mini-paintings, and looking for inspiration in the blogs of other artists.
Other highlights of my artist life in 2010 included:
February - Kansas City Science Fiction and Fantasy Society's February meeting. Fellow artists Jan Gephart and Robin Bailey and I displayed our worked and talked about our creative process.
April - Sprint's "Art From The Cube" art show. Received a 2nd place ribbon for "Rain Gear" in the Mixed Media category. Also showed "What's For Dinner" and "Kitten and Garlic" in the painting category.
May - Went Steampunk for the ConQuesT art show, with a new display and several new pieces of a steampunky nature, and several pieces that included real gemstone and mineral pigments from Daniel Smith.
June - Soonercon in Oklahoma City. Participated on art panels with fabulous cover artists David Lee Anderson and Bill Hodgson.
October - Busy month, with displays and paneling at Archon (St. Louis), Longview Literary Festival (Lee's Summit, Mo.) and the KaCSFFS writer's workshop (Kansas City).
November - Art at Contra, a small SF relaxacon here in KC.
December - Packed up the chaos and confusion that is my office/studio and removed the carpet. Installed new shelves. Further organization and photos to come.
That's 2010 in a nutshell. I intend to blog more often in 2011.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Monday, May 17, 2010
Demo - Grisaille Using Water-Soluable Pencil - At Loose Ends
One of my first steps is the underpainting or "grisaille" -- developing the tonal qualities of the painting in monochrome using a watercolor pencil. I then go back over the piece with layers of watercolor and, sometimes, ink.
The image at right is an in-progress shot of this process. On this piece, title "At Loose Ends", I used a Faber Castell Albrecht Durer water-soluable color pencil in Mauve, manipulated with a Niji water brush. Later, I applied Daniel Smith watercolors in Rich Green Gold, Quin Burnt Orange, and French Ultramarine.
"At Loose Ends", 2.5 x 3.5 inches, ACEO, watercolor, watercolor pencil, and ink. (c) 2009 Allison Stein
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Silent Cat, ACEO
I finished this tiny painting recently, and posted it to my Etsy shop (http://allisonstein.etsy.com) a few days ago. This one was created with Daniel Smith pigments -- the underpainting is Raw Umber Violet, with Undersea Green and Gold Ochre for the dominant colors. Some detail was added in pencil.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Whooo Me?
I posted this cute little guy on Etsy this evening, and he sold within mere hours. Owls are incredibly popular. I have no idea why. But I'm not above following a trend when it presents an opportunity for Teh Cute.
This was painted using Daniel Smith watercolors on Arches 140# cold press. I especially like the raw umber violet -- the brownish purple color used on the wings.
This was painted using Daniel Smith watercolors on Arches 140# cold press. I especially like the raw umber violet -- the brownish purple color used on the wings.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Merry Christmas!
We're in the middle of a Christmas Eve blizzard of historic proportions, or so the weather geek says. Here's wishing everyone a warm and merry Christmas. Safe travels, ya'll!
I used this painting on my Christmas cards this year. It's an ACEO (2.5 inches by 3.5 inches), painted with Daniel Smith watercolors on Arches 140# paper. The text was added in PhotoShop.
I used this painting on my Christmas cards this year. It's an ACEO (2.5 inches by 3.5 inches), painted with Daniel Smith watercolors on Arches 140# paper. The text was added in PhotoShop.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
If you find cat hair in my paintings, there's a reason...
I attempted to paint today. I have a large, fabulous desk. I have the paints, the brushes, the tools. I even have some inspiration and inclination. But I also have a furry assistant who refused to get out of the way. If you find cat hair in my paintings, consider it to be her personal contribution to a mixed media work of art.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
My loyal studio assistant...
Two problems with letting the cats into my office/studio: 1) they get cat hair in the paints and 2) they drink the rinse water.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Experimenting with Zazzle...
I just opened a Zazzle store, http://www.zazzle.com/allisonsteinart*. Here are my first items, just to get my feet wet:
http://www.zazzle.com/happy_cat_magnet-147170967530462515
http://www.zazzle.com/happy_cat_button-145267265965064896
http://www.zazzle.com/happy_cat_mug-168623072563423836
create & buy custom products at Zazzle
http://www.zazzle.com/happy_cat_magnet-147170967530462515
http://www.zazzle.com/happy_cat_button-145267265965064896
http://www.zazzle.com/happy_cat_mug-168623072563423836
create & buy custom products at Zazzle
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Still breathing...
Hello. It's been ages since I've posted. Life gets in the way. But I have been painting, participating in shows, and posting new items to ETSY. Take a look at the widget to your right to see what's in my shop right now. I've been reading a lot of art blogs that I hope to mention here in the near future. I also hope to post a few work-in-progress photos soon, too.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
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