"A Rose For Nan" - My first Pencil Artwork Complete

So how long has it been right!!! You were probably wondering where I have been, and while thoughts of being smooshed under the giant collapsed piles of washing as they avalanche in my house come to mind, really I have been distracted by life, my chronic illness, and my family, and getting my beautiful boy settled into more suitable schooling and all sorts of other things. But do not be saddened... I have managed to craft during that time... In fact I have been working on something special!!

Since (re)learning to colour and discovering pencils and copics and distressed inks I have had a desire to stretch my skills away from stamping and to challenge myself by creating pieces of my own artwork. I guess I was always second guessing my own confidence though in my ability to do so and so I didn't even try and just kept on plodding along. Then I was hospitalized last year in October and that month long stint gave me plenty of boring time to work on a piece of graphite artwork I called "Lady With Blue Hair" that when finished I ended up being really proud of! You can take a look at that blog post HERE if your interested. This piece started me realizing that "Hey!!, I might be able to do this!!!" So after another month of squirming I took the plunge and set out to do my very first Coloured Pencil artwork.

Of course I choose a really hard multi hued Rose as my first piece because "Go Hard or Go Home!!" right!!! BooYah!! :/ and off I went to my camping trip with all of my art gear, and my easel, and I spent nearly every day of that two week trip colouring away, being spurred on by the daily bystanders I had that would come by to check on my progress... It would have been perfect if not for the fact that my nasty illness flared up again and started me fainting and collapsing for no reason we could see and a week after coming home from camping with daily collapses and me not even able to walk to the toilet without falling I was hospitalized once again for another week putting my artwork on hold until I got better.

I wasn't able to pick it up again for quite a few months. I was just too unwell, and didn't have the motivation too. But once I got back to it, no one was stopping me. I was determined to finish it.

I'm proud to say That I completed my artwork naming it "A Rose For Nan" in memory of my Nan, an avid Rose Gardener who has passed 2 years ago now. I'm sure she would love it. I couldn't keep a weed alive, but at least this will not fade, nor die, and my memory of her will live on always in it.

So here it is completed!!!

For all of those interested, I took MANY photos during the process of making this piece, and I've collated them into a short YouTube video.

That was so many hours of work.... and it's such a small piece really, smaller than an A5 but anyhooo. 

Since completing this piece it has featured on the Anne Kullberg's Magazine for Coloured Pencil Artists Facebook Page as a June 2016 Featured Artist! which was such a pleasure.

I've also joined with "Fine Art America" and "Pixels" started selling prints and other items of my artwork. It's all so cool and exciting to see your own artwork printed and/or framed, as pillows and PHONECASES!!.

 

Of course it's all so very new so I have only the one artwork up at the moment, but I'm working on the next right now and hope it to be up soon! 

Well that's all the art news I have at the moment. I hope you enjoyed seeing what I have been working on and I better get back to my next artwork... 

If you want a hint.... HOOT HOOT!!! ;)

XXOO

Happy COLOURING!!!

Under The Sea - Shaker Card!

Well haven't I been having some fun and games with my new Fuse tool by We Are Memory Keepers... 

First tool was a dud and didn't work and had to be returned and second tool worked like a DREAM!!!

Here is my first Shaker Card!! 

On Sale At my Etsy Store if any one is interested in purchasing it!...

https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/256479086/under-the-sea-3d-shaker-card-birthday

Isn't it just the cutest!

Hand coloured in Copics Alcohol Markers, these gorgeous digital stamps are from Pixel Paper Prints. The Digital Papers I've used are from NitWit Collections www.nitwitcollections.com under License #75233

Well I hope to bring you some more cards I have finished lately and just gotten around to photographing later this week. 

Happy Crafting!!

Xo

Amanda

"Lady With Blue Hair" in Graphite - My Diversional Therapy

Hiya Everyone!!! Well I know it's been FOREVER since I wrote something on my blog but I have been a sick little puppy!! and have just had NO ENERGY... This past month have seen me admitted not once, not twice.. but THREE TIMES to the hospital and out of 31 days of October I was an inpatient for 18 of them... *Huge great big sad faces* and even sadder is the fact that the Drs are still unsure what is exactly wrong and so I'm still not well... :(.....

However on a good note!!! cause I like to look on the positives of life! All of this time in Hospital and having me sick has had me searching for things to do to get my mind off being unwell and bored... and that's had me going back to the BEST diversional therapy there is.. ART!! More specifically, I couldn't exactly go taking my whole entire pencil collection and copic collection into hospital with me, but I could take my sketch pad and graphite pencil kit... and so I picked up an image I started months ago in April after I decided to take the plunge and try my hand at drawing again. Well I have now finally finished and couldn't be MORE HAPPY!!!.... 

Presenting my completed drawing "Lady With Blue Hair" in Graphite. 

I based my drawing on the reference photo called "Wanderer" by the very talented Photographer Alex-Lee Johnson which I sourced from an excellent website called "Paint My Photo" which allows royalty free use of photos for creating artwork! if you are a member. I urge you to check out the site. It truly is a wonderful resource!

  I have taken photos along my journey to give you a look at my progress but also my process... As you can see it changed very dramatically from the start in April to the finish now! :) I didn't think when I started that my eye's would progress to a completed drawing. So very pleased. 

This image will now be sprayed to keep it from smudging, and then matted... Once matted I will be listing her on my Etsy Site for sale if anyone is interested. Should be up within the week! :) health depending.

I hope you like it, and I look forward to producing more drawings in the future!

Xo HUGS!!!

Amanda

Blog Page Gadgets and Some More About Etsy!

Hey there all... I just thought I'd let you all know that I have added a few gadgets to the blog page to make it easier for those of you wanting to keep an eye out for what cards I will be selling on my Etsy store. To the right of the blog page there will now be a little linkable gallery of some of the most current uploads in my store, just press on one of those and it will bring you straight to the Etsy post! As well as a clickable advertisement sign, stating that I have an Etsy store. This sign will bring you to my Store Home page.

Anyhoo... Just wanted to make this experience as easy as I can for people!

Xo Amanda

MY ETSY STORE IS NOW OPEN!!!

So Excited!! After Months and Months and MONTHS!!!! of hinting and promising I have FINALLY gotten my Etsy store open and started..

While still early, I will be adding cards to the store daily until all of my current stock is online so you will have to bare with me... and just keep on having to check back on it for progress!! ;) 

So if you have ever looked at any of my cards and thought Hmmmm, I really like that, and would LOVE to own one of my creations, please pop on over and have a look. :) 

You will find in my store many hours of love delicately woven into each and every item. I have a variety of Cards, all of my own design and creation, in an array of colours, styles, sizes and prices to suit your particular needs.

I will have a range of cards available including my OOAK (One Of A Kind) cards, my Limited Quantity Cards (Individually Hand Coloured cards that are reproduced up to 5 -10 times) while others are Digitally Designed and then hand assembled. 

Using a variety of mediums including Inks, Copics Marker and Polychromo Pencils before being decorated in high quality embellishments and Scrapbooking Papers the cards I create are never truly identical to each other, even of the same design. That is the Joy of being Handmade!

I will hopefully be adding Mini Albums, Decorative Wall Hangings and Name Plaques to the store just to name a few things, along with my cards so there will be plenty of items for you to select from. 

So come have a look at my store and I hope you enjoy what you see!

https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/CherryRoseCottage#

Happy Crafting!!

Xo

Amanda

Cherry Rose Cottage Crafts

Flying high with Mo's "Airplane"

Hi there... not going to waffle on today, as I'm feeling a bit under the weather, but REALLY wanted to post this card on here, as I super happy with it... 

The card features one of Mo's recently created digital images "Airplane" which can be purchased from HERE... as soon as I saw it I just HAD to have it!! I knew I would have a MILLION uses for this little gorgeous image. 

and the first use, seeing as it was recently the beautiful Mo Manning's birthday!! Who could resist a Bright cheery birthday card... 

Funny story.. (lol to me not waffling.. as if) I created a different card from scratch THEN coloured the image...sat it on the card, and the card looked SO PALE against the vibrant colours of the image, I just HAD to completely redo my card from scratch to make it suit better!! :) 

So here is the new and IMPROVE version of my Birthday card, in honour of Mo (Maurie) Manning!

 Card has been completed in my current Shadow box style, that I'm enjoying SO MUCH to make!! It just creates a depth and gives added interest to the card I think.... ohhh and aren't those colours soooo bright!!! Colouring has been done using copics!

 Digital Image "Airplane" by Mo Manning, colouring in Copics, with added White Polychromo pencil for accent

 As you can see by this photo, I have added a layer of Iridescent paint to the glass panels of his Goggles and Aeroplane, followed by Glossy Accents to give it a slightly glassy look.. :) hey.. I was having fun!!  I had to literally pull my hands away from the glossy accents to prevent myself from turning every balloon into a shinny little Glossy Accent ball!!! :) (Addictive Stuff)

 This Inside Panel, free of sentiment so that you can use this card in whatever manner you see fit.. As a birthday.. or going away celebration, or coming home celebration!! Completely up to you!!

(this card will eventually be for sale.. Once my shop is up and running... LOL.. EVENTUALLY!!!!.. Still working on things .. teehee)

This Cards Ingredients:

Digital Image: "Airplane" by Mo Manning

Coloured in Copics (sorry guys.. no list today) with added accents in White Polychromo pencil

Digital papers: (All except the wood panelling) are from NitWit Collections

Embellishments: Balloons and Clouds are from NitWit Collections Digital Scrapbooking Kits... I have enhanced some of there colours with copics to help match my image :) 

Adhesives: 3D Foam Dimensional Dots and Double Sided Sticky Tape, Ranger Glossy Accents

Paints: Reeves Iridescent Medium

Card base is pre made 15.5cmx15.5cm. 

Printed on a HpLaserJetCP1025nw colour Printer

Cut using my Silhouette Cameo. :) 

 So I hope you have enjoyed my card. :)

Happy Crafting

Xo

I've Been A BuZZy LIttle Beeeeeeee! ;)

So I promised you more cards in the last post didn't I!! well here they are. I have been busy playing and have created a few more shadow box cards as I build up a range of these designs to hopefully start up my Etsy Shop soon...

I'm really enjoying creating these beautiful cards using NitWit Collections Scrap booking Kits. I have always enjoyed digital scrap booking and so it's fantastic that I have found a way to combine my digital scrap booking skills, my computer skills and my paper craft skills to create these new and unique designs. I cannot wait till I have a few more designs ready so I can start selling!! SO EXCITED!! and then I can bring my customers cards ranging from One of A Kind (OOAK) cards, hand painted or coloured by myself or beautifully designed unique cards that I will be able to reproduce in some what number larger numbers... though still small enough numbers that they will be special. :) I'm also hopeful that I will be able to bring in the future products such as party invites, thank you notes, Birth notices, Shadow Box Name Plaques and a heap of other things!!!! but for now... I'll stick with just getting my cards started!! 

And with that in mind... you'll probably want me to stop waffling on and show you my two new cards!! LOL... and the customer is ALWAYS RIGHT!!.. Teehee!! well... future customers... Maybe!! ;) 

 I LOVE this card... It's just so happy and sunny and CHEERFUL!.. plenty of sunny flowers and the most gorgeous bees collecting the pollen to make there honey... you can almost Smell the hay fever!! *AhhhhChooo!*... teehee

For my second card I still see spring, but instead, you have moved out of the sun, and walk down towards a lake, perhaps sitting under the cool shade of a tree and you see the insects coming out to enjoy the cool air! Ahhh.. just bliss!!!... 

Both cards feature shadow box, layering on the front giving the a 3D appearance, while the inside features a coordinating panel with blank area for you to write you messages to your loved ones. The cards have been left without Sentiment so that you can use the cards for any occasion you see fit. 

I hope you have enjoyed these cards and hope to bring more to you soon.

Happy Crafting.

Xo