I just wanted to let everyone know that I am not missing, instead I have ventured into the wonderful world of my own website!
http://www.craftyartistkc.com is now live. Although it is not completed, I am slowly transitioning my posts over to the new site. Please please please go check it out and subscribe via email. I will be adding a lot more ways to follow me, but for now, please subscribe via email.
I just wanted to take an opportunity to let you know about my new site. Because you are a follower on my old site, I made a special effort to notify you so that you don’t miss out on the new content. There are a lot of special things coming but specifically, I will be opening a shop on my site where I will be offering prints of my work.
This is an exciting time for me as it marks the beginning of a new experience. I want you to be a part of this experience with me. I would like you to know that I am slowly moving over posts from my previous site, and so you might see some of the same things. These things that I hold dear are as follows:
Now there are going to be a lot more things that will be a part of this new site. Some of which will allow me to connect better to you. Some of the things that I want to integrate are:
Last but not least, I want to thank you for being such a great follower. Things will only get better from here and I can’t wait to share this journey with you. Please don’t hesitate to contact me directly should you have any questions, comments, concerns or compliments.
Here’s to a beautiful new relationship!
Charity Woods – CraftyArtistKC
In this week’s Showcase Sunday, I want to introduce PMu Ink from Daily Doodle. She has a wonderful doodle blog that is fun and is promoting and encouraging positive drawing habits. She also has a wonderful blog exchange where she introduces other blogs. Her blog is a wonderful way to share her gift with the world and cultivate the wonders of doodling. Before you hop over to view some of what she has to offer, get to know her in the interview below.
What made you get into blogging?
It was actually my friend Paul who convinced me. I was doing a lot of drawing last year as part of processing a particularly nasty bout of depression, and during that time I felt like I found my voice as a doodler. As I came through the other side of it I shared a few doodles with him and he gave me the encouragement to start the blog. It’s also where the tag line came from, I always felt that art had to be incredibly deep oil painting, I had to tell myself that something didn’t have to be that ‘worthy’ in order to pluck up the courage to share something.
Have you ever had any formal training or education in your blog subject?
Not really. I have a GCSE in art, but anyone who has done that knows that half the course is copying other people’s work. I actually really hated it, and after graduating it took me a few years to pick up the pencil again. Studying really sucked the fun out of it for me. I see drawing as more of a skill than a talent, literally anyone can do it they just need plenty of practice and some realistic expectations. I will never be a sculptor, but I can nail a doodle a day and really enjoy it. I have also found by cultivating some really positive drawing practices I have really improved over the last year. I also now have a record of that learning which is really great.
What was your greatest failure and how did you learn from it?
Every time I draw something I make a mistake or something doesn’t turn out how I picture it in my head. For a long time I thought this meant I wasn’t very good, and I would start again or break out the rubber. Now though I just try to go with it, or incorporate it into the design of what I’m doing. Learning how to make the most out of my mistakes has been really freeing and if I could share any lesson with the secret doodlers out there, who have a ton of sketchbooks and pieces of paper stored somewhere in the bedrooms, it would be that.
Who has influenced you the most with your blog?
There is a book called Mindfulness and the Art of Drawing by Wendy Ann Greenhalgh which is really worth a read. It’s an easy read, the illustrations are really stylish and it helps draw that line between an internal process and external expression. Other than that it’s pretty varied. I read a lot of sci-fi and folk tales, I watch a lot of documentaries about animals. The hatch style that I have settled into was particularly inspired by old wood carvings and etchings.
How much time do you spend blogging in any given week?
It really does vary depending on what I’m doing. Some drawings like My Lovers Heart And Mind Are One 04 take no time at all and will only take an hour or so, others like Middles take days. One of my favorite posts was the time-lapse video I did. I was determined to record one of the larger A3 doodles, and in the video you can actually see the shadows move as time passes throughout the day. I think I started at 10 in the morning and finished just before sunset, with two very short breaks in between.
Is blogging your profession or just a hobby?
It started off as a hobby, and has actually become a bit of a profession, although it’s not enough for me to give up my day job, it’s great to make money from something I enjoy so much.
What is your passion?
I love drawing, but I have a serious passion for watching cartoons and animations. I don’t have the patience to actually make them, but I will often have something animated playing in the background as I work.
What is your ultimate goal in life?
I would like to find a way to make a living out of my doodles, but apart from that I try to keep my goals small. At the moment I am working on a book project with my friend Paul, after that I’m not sure. Continue with the commissions I have at the moment, and then maybe start gathering things together to get an art book printed.
What legacy would you like to leave behind?
To lead a life that helps people in some way, to be kind and to be remembered when I die as someone who laughed a lot, felt things deeply and hopefully inspired others to do what they loved too.
Is there anything you want the readers to know about your blog we haven’t covered?
The only other thing I would like to share is to say again that anyone can draw. No really, anyone. It just takes practice and like any skill, practice is done little and often. You will learn more from doodling in the margins of a notebook every day then spending a week in an artist retreat once a year, although if you can do both, great! Also even if you don’t think something is very good, share it anyway. You will be surprised what others like, some of the stuff that I have come seriously close to throwing into the fire is the stuff that gains the highest number of views. Let other people judge your work and just enjoy the process.
Don’t just take my word for it, please visit her blog and let her know that you saw her here on “Sunday Showcase.”
As always, If you would like your blog to be featured on here, please do not hesitate to email me at craftyartistkc@gmail.com and I would love to feature you next Sunday.
In this weeks’ Showcase Sunday, I would like to introduce you to Reed Buck from Journey into Writing. I really enjoyed interviewing him because his answers actually made me laugh out loud. Not only did his interview make me laugh, but the way he writes his blog is also witty and unique. I love his writing style because it is different from most the others out there. He learns by doing and he is doing great in my book. Before you run to check him out though, get a taste of his personality in the interview below.
What made you get into blogging?
Well, I’ve been creative writing since I was a kid, and I never really thought much about any other type of writing until after college, when I decided I wanted to give it a shot as a career. That was when my brother suggested to me to try blogging as a way to practice writing skills while I was looking for jobs in communications. Once I’d started, I just kind of fell in love with it.
You mentioned that you fell in love with blogging, what is it that you love most?
I love the honesty of it. I love that, because of anonymity, I can be a little more forward than I would normally be in exposing myself and the way I think to strangers. It’s been really gratifying to see that other people – not just my friends and family – are interested in hearing what I have to say.
Have you ever had any formal training or education in your blog subject?
Er… no. And that’s especially awkward because my blog subject is writing. When I first started my blog, I was working for the UCLA Library doing odd jobs, and as I continued the blog, I was given the opportunity to try some communications writing, some copywriting, and some article writing, but before that the only experience I’d had in writing was my little dinky creative writing projects.
What was your greatest failure and how did you learn from it?
Wow, getting philosophical, huh? I guess in regards to writing, I wrote a book series a while ago that I thought was really good, but I queried something like 80 different publishers and literary agencies and none of them so much as asked for the full manuscript. I also had to actually pay my alpha readers to read it for me. Interestingly enough, paying them was a great idea, because it gave me the courage to ask for the kind of in-depth, honest criticisms of certain aspects of my work that allowed me to hone in on what I was the worst at (which turned out to be pacing and character strength). That gave me a great place to start improving with my current writing project, which has turned out much better.
You also mentioned that you had written a book series before, have you revisited that series to resubmit or have you put it to the side for now? Also, have you written any book since?
I’ve put the series aside for now, although my girlfriend keeps bugging me to finish it. I’m working on a new project now – a single book which I’ve condensed down from what was originally going to be a trilogy – that I’ve written a lot about on my blog. I’ve completed the first third of it – I’m releasing it in parts to my alpha readers – and I expect the second and third parts to follow in the coming 2-3 months.
Who has influenced you the most with your blog?
Oh, wow. I honestly don’t know. I mean, my brother was the one who suggested I get into blogging, so I would probably say him, but since I take my blog to be an extension of my own eccentricity and honesty, I’d have to say anyone who influenced me as a person influenced my blog. Is that a cop-out? It sounds like a cop-out. Oh well.
How much time do you spend blogging in any given week?
Well, I just recently decided to cut back – I was writing a post every day, which was about an hour every day, but I noticed I wasn’t getting as much readership when I did that, so I’ll be posting every weekday from now on and giving myself the weekends to work more on creative writing… and naps. So it’s usually about five hours a week – one hour a day, five days a week. Not too bad.
Is blogging your profession or just a hobby?
Looooool. Yeah, no, nobody would pay me to put this on. I mean, if you ever want to Venmo me a few bucks, I’m not above that. But no, blogging is a hobby for me. Maybe someday I’ll get lucky and my creative writing will make me some money, but for now, all the writing I do is just a hobby for me.
What is your passion?
I have four passions (can you tell I’ve been asked this before?). I love music – especially thematic and game soundtracks that really move me and make great cadence to write to. I love writing (obviously) and reading science fiction and fantasy of all kinds, from children’s and middle-grade all the way up to adult epic fantasy. I love neuroscience – my undergrad major – and learning various little cool things about the ways our brains work. And I love Christopher Nolan movies.
What is your ultimate goal in life?
No pressure or anything. If I were to guess right now, without the benefits of age and wisdom, I would say my goal in life is to love as many people as possible as often as possible, and to try to express that love and positivity out into the world. And I guess getting one of my books published would be nice, too.
What legacy would you like to leave behind?
Honestly, I always kind of thought that legacy concept was kind of self-centered. I’d be okay just subsisting and being lost to history, if it just meant I left a few children behind who had good heads on their shoulders (or better than mine, at least). I guess that’s a sort of legacy.
If you had one piece of advice that you could give other writers wanting to get into blogging, what would that be?
Oh, man, I’m not sure I’m the right one to ask about this. My success has consisted of (I think) 25 followers in like 4 months. But I guess I would say have a game plan, and be open. Your gameplan is important because blogs are a huge chunk of the internet – if you don’t have something specific to write about that is unique to you, you’re not gonna get much viewership (like me). Being open is even more important, in my opinion, because people gravitate to someone who’s saying what they feel internally but are too afraid to express. But those are just my two cents, and they don’t go very far in this economy.
Is there anything you want the readers to know about your blog we haven’t covered?
It’s weird, and irreverent. I bounce back and forth between philosophy and writing tips and stream-of-consciousness writing like a pinball. But if you like my tone here, that’s more of what you’ll get at my blog. Thanks for checking it out!
Don’t just take my word for it, please visit his blog and let him know that you saw him here on “Sunday Showcase.”
As always, If you would like your blog to be featured on here, please do not hesitate to email me at craftyartistkc@gmail.com and I would love to feature you next sunday.
For this week’s Showcase Sunday, I would like to introduce you to Emily Guyton-Lange from Never Idly Dreaming She has some of the most beautiful writings available for your enjoyment on her blog. Her creative writing is something that could keep you captured for hours as you read through her blog, especially since it is also sprinkled with beautiful arts and crafts. The simple fact that her blog is so well-rounded is a recipe for success. Before you run to check out her blog, learn a little more about her below in this week’s interview!
What made you get into blogging?
I’m an aspiring author who wanted to form connections with other writers and showcase some examples of my writing. The drive to create drives me in many areas outside of writing as well, such as crafting and academic work. The idea of sharing my thoughts with others on a regular basis seemed daunting at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to start. It has become a great place to share progress on my writing, as well as somewhere to celebrate my adventures in other crafts.
Have you ever had any formal training or education in your blog subject?
Unless you count one or two online classes about creative writing or grammar, I would say no. I have learned most of what I know about writing through other blogs, books, and of course, lots of actual writing. That being said, I intend to major in English with a focus in creative writing when I attend college this Fall, so I’m certain more formal training is on the horizon. For my crafting, which is admittedly a smaller part of my blog, I am indebted to my grandmother for my original instruction and the rest of my family for their continued creativity. My grandmother gave me many foundational tools which I used to learn about other areas of crafting myself, while my family of artists always encouraged me to be creative in any way I chose.
What is your family’s creative history? You mention that they have helped you with your crafting, but how?
My mom is a painter who also loves to work with mixed media, colored pencil, and graphic design. She was an art teacher for almost fifteen years before going back to school for natural medicine. My dad is primarily a photographer, but he also does quite a bit of mixed media journal work and graphic design, along with jewelry making and turning our backyard into a Japanese garden. He’s also a photography professor. My younger brother is a talented musician, stop-motion animator, and currently wants to pursue a career as a director.
Aside from giving me a general appreciation for the arts, providing the supplies for an artistic childhood, and nurturing a lot of my creative growth through homeschooling, my family has always been incredibly supportive of my creative pursuits. You often hear stories of families who try to force their child to pursue the career which will bring in more money, not necessarily what they were passionate about. My parents always make sure I understand both the highlights and the pitfalls of whatever I choose, but they’ll always be with me no matter what I decide to do.
What was your greatest failure and how did you learn from it?
I have a hard time answering this question because I feel like so many of my “failures” are merely setbacks which lead me to greater and better things. However, I am fairly young. I’m sure more setbacks and true failures are coming my way.
Who has influenced you the most with your blog?
Outside of my extremely supportive family, I would have to say, Ariel Hudnall. I took part in a Facebook-based class she led for writers who want to start blogs to promote their work or simply serve as an author platform. Ariel helped me learn my way around WordPress and gave many suggestions for how to run a successful blog as a writer. I adapted many of these suggestions for my own use, even in areas outside of writing such as my craft posts.
(Ariel’s blog: https://arielhudnall.com/)
How much time do you spend blogging in any given week?
I try to post consistently each Friday, as well as my Quote of the Day posts at the beginning of each month. During the academic year I probably spent two to four hours a week on blogging and related networking. During the summer I hope to prepare more Quote of the Day graphics and really focus in on networking, so that number may increase a little over time.
Is blogging your profession or just a hobby?
I would say blogging is related to my chosen profession. I don’t realize profits from my blog and I don’t work on it full-time. Perhaps it will become a larger aspect of my profession at a later date, but for now I suppose it’s more of a hobby and a way to get my creative voice into the world.
What is your passion?
Specifically, writing is my passion. It’s difficult, sometimes heartbreakingly so, but I cannot escape how I feel when all of my hard work falls into place and I just know what I’m doing is worthwhile. Writing also fits under a larger umbrella, as I am passionate about all sorts of creation. The act of making something which did not exist before and would not have existed without my work gives me immense satisfaction. This could apply to writing, crafting, and even cooking. All are things I enjoy because it is the act of creating which fuels my passion.
What is your ultimate goal in life?
Above all, I hope to be happy and healthy. I may not know exactly what that happiness will look like yet, but it is always a part of my list of goals. Ultimately, I would like to be a published author. As I mentioned before, writing is my passion, and the ability to focus on that passion while sharing it with others is one of my main goals.
What is the longest thing you’ve written? and what is your favorite genre to write?
Currently my longest piece is actually the first novel I completed for National Novel Writing Month, at just over 75,000 words. That particular project is on the shelf for now, though I may come back to it in the future. My current work in progress is looking like it will be about the same length or longer, I’m about halfway through at this point and it’s just under 45,000 words.
Most of my writing is young adult and falls under the fantasy or science fiction heading. I love the genre’s ability to examine current social issues in a new context and bring diversity into the media. Plus, dragons are awesome.
What legacy would you like to leave behind?
I would like to leave behind a life well-lived, a life filled with passion and the fruits of my hard work. The legacy of a life lived in such a way so that my passions help others and their own passions to flourish. If one person is changed or comforted by something I write, that is enough for me.
Is there anything you want the readers to know about your blog we haven’t covered?
I’ve hinted at this with previous answers, but I don’t like being pigeonholed into a single subject! Never Idly Dreaming is primarily about my writing and writing goals, but if I only wrote about that I would have run out of ideas and interest long ago. My life has many facets, and I have many different creative outlets I’d love to share.
Don’t just take my word for it, please visit her blog and let her know that you saw her here on “Sunday Showcase.”
As always, If you would like your blog to be featured on here, please do not hesitate to email me at craftyartistkc@gmail.com and I would love to feature you next sunday.
I decided it was time to add some color and life to my very dull and lifeless front yard. I added flowers to my pots and positioned my gnomes to greet and welcome visiters. Beyond that, I finally added the bird bath to the decor. It needs a fresh coat of paint and one day I will tackle that job, but for now, I’m just glad it exists.
My mom bought me a daisy which is the motivation it took for me to go get the rest of my yard together. I planted it surrounded by petunias. I can’t wait for everything to grow more during the rest of the year.
I had plenty of help with my babies running around and my fiance’ putting up the wall for the raised flower bed. I could not be more pleased with how everything turned out. I am going to buy some ground cover for the base of the flower bed, but until then, it’s housing a second flower pot.
And I’m not sure if you can see, I moved the fairy door my mom painted bright colors to the flower bed so that she had a fresh supply of water and shares the company of my many gnomes.
Have you done any gardening? Let me know what your favorite part of the remodel is.
So, the fifth and final mandala in this series. Good Lord am I tired. I guess I never really understood what all went into actually making a full collection. However, I am very happy I completed this one. If you want to see the progression video for this one, you can find it here, on my YouTube channel.
You can revisit all of the previous mandala below:
Mandala Collection I, Mandala 1
Mandala Collection I, Mandala 2
Mandala Collection I, Mandala 3
Mandala Collection I, Mandala 4
I am going to get this collection scanned in and prints ready for sale. If you are interested in this set or one in this set, please let me know. I plan on making them available in 12×12 and 8×8.
As always, I would love to know your comments, questions and criticism on this project in the comments below! If you would rather send me an email, don’t hesitate at craftyartistkc@gmail.com.
Well, I decided to make some bookmarks. For my first attempt, I think I did a good job. It was really difficult to decide exactly what I wanted to do so I just gathered up some supplies and experimented.
Supplies:
This was my first one. I used washi tape for the border, 3 skull stickers, and sequins. For added texture, I used a silver metallic marker to make dots in the background. I did this bookmark with someone in mind, but until I modgepodge a beautiful backing, I couldn’t possibly give this away.
The second bookmark I made was more artistically challenging. I decided not to use any stickers, but instead draw some flowers. The border was especially fun to do. I used metallic markers and then I added a little glitter glue to add some sparkle.
All in all I think they turned out pretty cool and I can see myself making more of these in the future. The only thing I would chamge is thay I would like to cut them in half long ways because they seem to wide for a normal bookmark. I would also like to add words to them or quotes that promote healthy reading. I am also hoping that these bookmarks could be used in artistic journals as well.
Have you ever made Bookmarks? What supplies did you use? Do you have a favorite word or quote that you would like me to try on a bookmark.
Because this mandala was on green gradient paper, I decided to make it look like a garden! I added as many organic elements that I could to make this piece come to life. I love every element that created this piece. Be sure to check out the progression video on my YouTube channel here.
If you want to see the first three in the series you can find the links below:
Mandala Collection I, Mandala 1
Mandala Collection I, Mandala 2
Mandala Collection I, Mandala 3
As you can tell, each one is different and yet they all have certain elements that bring them all together. I can’t wait to finish this series for you all.
What is your favorite part of this collection? Let me know in the comments below!
CraftyArtistKc 