watercolor wonders

Greetings Tracy, from the northern hemisphere.

I have something really special that I want to share with you this week.

Lately I have been very interested in watercolours. The only time I have ever used them was at school and needless to say the experience did not leave me wanting. I am not sure if it was the real flimsy school grade pans or the fact that I was so used to the opacity and intensity of powder paints but either way my heart sank a bit everytime the teacher announced that watercolours were to be  the choice of the day.

Flash forward to present day and my views are very, very different. Every little quelm I had about them has been busted by watching true watercolour artists at work. I have seen not only great density in the colours but also amazing vibrant colours that school pans lacked. I have even come to drool to over watercolour washes and dipped my toe in the watercolour world with a pocket letter I made using solid watercolour washes.

Now I  don't really want to invest in really some expensive,  artist quality watercolours as I really cannot guarentee this new found inquisitivy and being a crafter space is also of the essence.  At present I have to make do with , my distress inks which work really nicely but just somehow don't feel as authentic as I would like, that is until now.......

I just watched an amazing video on youtube by one of my favourite artists,  kattvalk, and she is showcasing something very innovative and creative to say the least. Enter Viviva watercolour sheets. An innovation which is going to be really interesting to see grow . It is still at funding stage but with free shipping and all the perks these little sheets showcase, it is only a matter of time. They had me at "free international shipping". As anyone from outside the continental US knows, shipping can usually add up to double if not more than the price of your purchase, not just that but the perks of your donations are amazing, and even equating to a free wooden case for your colours for a successful referral.

One of the great advantages of these products are the size. As a craft horder I cannot  think of anything more convenient than having 16 watercolour pigments in your pocket!!! I mean not only do the colours look vibrant but the price does not burn a hole in your pocket.... and may I mention again the free international shipping?

I cannot wait to get my hands on these little books when they come out and I will be very sure to share my experience with you.

You can find them here at the indiegogo site. Alternatively you could head over to Kattvalk on youtube where she is currently having a give away and not only can you stand a chance to win two... yes TWO coloursheets but  is also giving away a print of her work as well to the lucky winner. This prize is extremely generous and the person who wins this will be a very lucky cat indeed. *ALSO* Kattvalk has given us 4 entries each,  how cool is that? You have nothing to lose so head on over now.

Good Luck everyone and may the best person win. Hopefully by the next post I will be have my hands on some of these and perhaps try them out for myself.

Till next time,
Nasreen.

*As a side note,  I am in no way sponsored or affiliated with any company, just a very excited crafter and consumer who is waiting in anticipation for a new product.*

To new beginnings

Hi there Tracy,

I was just thinking to myself "what better time to set goals for yourself than the beginning of the month?"and I have felt lately that I have been neglecting my growth when it comes to my art. I like to think of it as a line graph and sometime last year I really hit a growth spurt in my art in terms of colouring and line drawing and then 'life happened' and I saw a decrease in my interest and drive. While I love my crafting and I have had such fun making new things  I just feel I should pick up where I left off and hopefully I have not forgotten too much.

So where do I start? I suppose where I left off and that was by watching Youtube. I used to watch plenty of videos every day and followed all the popular (and not so popular but equally good) youtubers. I have decided that I want to develop my  style so I have decided to try a few and blend and take the best from each till I find a style I am happy with.  For the month of February I want to try Disney style which I really admire, it appeals to my inner child and reminds me of a simpler time that was my childhood. I would love to share my progress with you and hopefully by the end of the month I will be able to come up with some Disney style work of my own... fingers crossed! I really want to try some other styles too like manga but I will see how far I get in the first month.

Hopefully by the next post I will have some progress and will be able to share with you what I found worked for me (and probably what didn't) and  which videos I have found helpful.

I know we have such different styles and our own interpretations of art and I specially love seeing your growth. I am so lucky to have a friend with whom I can share this passion and learn from. It has been such a journey with you up till this point and I cannot wait to see where we go from here.

Till next my friend,  keep well and stay arty,
Nasreen.

This was the last peice that I worked on. I was happy with it at the time
as I felt it really captured the essence of my style.

Calling all planners.

This week I was playing around with a die set I recently purchased. The set consists of three cute little bows and what I came up with was this planner clip.

I will giving be giving away a bow paper clip kit to a follower of this blog consisting of:

* 5 jumbo paper clips
* 10 clear sticker gems
* 5 gold bow sets and
* 5 coloured bow sets ( in to do to choice of pastel or vibrant)

The only thing I have not included is the glue, but I am sure most would have that on hand anyway. There is enough in the kit to make 5 of the bows that I have shown above but if you are super thrifty I am sure with a few of your stash items you could make plenty more with what is provided Iin the kit.

The winner will be anounced next Saturday and all you have to do to stand a chance of winning is to be a follower of this blog and make a comment below. Only one entry per person although you can comment as many times as you like. If you would like an additional entry into the competiton then all you have to do is go to my instagram (you can find me here) and like, comment and share the competition picture and make sure you leave your instagram name in your comment below.

Nitty gritty:
* The winner will be contacted next week Saturday via their comment. If the winner does not contact me back with their details within a week of the announcement a runner up will be chosen.
* Please be prepared to recieve mail from overseas
* Prize will be sent via tracking method
* Prize cannot be exchanged for monetary value
* You may delete the instagram pic share after the winning date
* To qualify as an entrant you have to be a follower of this blog and comment before the closing date.

Good luck everyone and we look forward to reading your comments.

The glee of three

Nasreen here, with the third installment of our ATC series. My theme for today was to be a bit abstract. The word "create" is sort of a motto for most crafters. It reminds us to make things and also to do what we love.

I tried a bit of mixed media for this ATC. There are so many ways in which one can be creative and each crafter knows their own style but it is nice to branch out a bit and dabble in all sort of crafts and even challenge ourselves now and then to new styles or themes.

I cannot wait to seeit all come together at the end, should be a nice reveal to wrap up this month's challenge.

Nasreen - I REALLY like your mixed media ATC! And the word you chose to feature "Create" has meaning in so many different arenas of our lives - for example:

• Are you creating the life you want to live? 
• Are you creating a home for your family? 
• Are you creating opportunities for success? 
• and so the list can go on and ON....

It definitely has given me something to think about!

On to my third ATC. It features a tad of zentangling. I do not consider myself a Zentangler - but I often enjoy adding and creating simple patterns in some of the line drawings I do. I find it to be very relaxing!

Till next time! The Paperistas

Take Two!

Hi fellow Paperistas!

Welcome to Day 2 of our Pocket Letter ATC series: "A few of our favourite things".

If you are new to the world of ATC's you can check out the following link for more information:

• httor coffee anteddy.com/blog/introduction-to-atcs-what-are-artist-trading-cards/

I present to you "B is for ..... Butterflies!" (Made by Tracy)

 

For this ATC I used:

• manilla cardstock
• white craft paint
• a butterfly stencil
• Gelatos
• a baby wipe
• a computer printout of a butterfly
• Glossy Accents
• white Signo Uniball
• black Pilot Permaball
• stick-on pearl accents

I can't wait to see what Nasreen's next favourite thing is!!

My next ATC is staying in with the theme of drinks but whereas Dr.Pepper is more of a one time thing, tea is more of a staple, dare I say a necessity (please ignore the pun). I know some people are 100% tea or coffee but in all honesty I must say I am partial to both but most days a cup of tea just fills the spot like no other beverage can.

For this aTEAc I made a little shaker card just for something different as I feel the other atc was a bit simple and I feel the sentiment was befitting of the shaker.