Budding Botanist? And a few sketches...

It has been waaaaay too long since I have done any botanical drawing. But just this morning, I took some time to grab my pencil and some paper to do a little sketching.

I can thank my older daughter, who is 5, for this for two reasons, 1) she loves to have us pick up a bunch of flowers at the store every so often so we bought a bouquet of spray roses over the weekend, and 2) they are starting to shrivel, so she asked to take apart some petals this morning before school.

I trimmed off a few flowers and buds and my little scientist (or budding botanist?) started peeling away the petals into a pile. The resulting stem, sepals, stamen and pistils were brought into the light of day and were begging to be sketched.

I love the curve of the sepals and the sharp point they come to at the tips. Although I am out of practice (my shading ended up a bit heavier than I intended...) it felt terrific to finally get back to it.

View from underneath the stems and sepals.

View from the side of the sepals, with some beautiful curling as well as a great view of the cluster of stamens and pistils at the center of the blossom.

 

The holidays and winter colds can really put a dent in any available creative time. Have you had any projects you have been away from and returned to recently? 

2012 Year In Review and Looking Forward - Happy New Year!

Happy New Year 2013! 

Welcome to CCreech Studio's 2012 Year in Review and Looking Forward to 2013

I have seen similar posts on other artist's sites and thought this would be a great way to start the new year. 2012 was a busy year, creatively, and this is a great way to recall just how much was accomplished and take a look forward to what I hope to pursue in the coming year. So, let's take a look!

2012 Year In Review

1. I opened my Etsy shop almost one year ago, in January 2012
• I had 23 sales (of 30 items) in shop, but also about 30-40 additional sales outside of the shop, including sales made at booths throughout the year.
• My offerings started with leather wrap bracelets made with natural gemstones, but quickly expanded to include:
• Blank, hand-bound journals
• Jotter journals with reprints of my nature and botanical artwork.
• Natural stone pendants, most of which are on waxed cotton cord as an alternative to leather.
• Hand-knotted, macrame and gemstone bookmarks 
2. Advertised in a national magazine, FOLKMagazine.
• Participated in their Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway, donating one of my bookmarks that was given to a lucky winner.
3. Participated in three, in-person booth craft/gift shows 
• Saline Farmer’s Market (August 2012)
•  10^th Annual Kerrytown BookFest (September 2012)
• 1^st Annual Holiday Greens & Gift Market in Kerrytown (December 2012)
4. Consignment opportunities:
1. I am fortunate to have items from my shop on consignment at two local shops/galleries:
• Dexter Picture Frame Company
• Uniquely Yours Michigan
5. My first exhibit!
• The exhibit, "Illustrating Science: From Anatomy to Zoology", showcased scientific illustrations on a range of subjects, done by local illustrators. Four of my botanical illustrations were on display during June-July 2012 at the Ann Arbor District Library.
  
6. Drawing projects
• I had three commissions this year:
• Ink house portrait
• Ink portrait of a cat (Beacon)
• Landscape in ink and colored pencil.
7. Donated a bracelet for the 8th Annual Circle of Art benefit for Food Gatherers, a local food bank.
8. Donated a hand-bound journal to the American Society of Botanical Artists annual auction.
9. The indiexhibit
• Participated in the American Music Awards with two display items that were gifted.
• Participated in providing mugs and jewelry to three film projects being completed in the coming months.

2013 Goals

1. Keep creating!
2. Continue to add to the Etsy shop
• More hand-bound mini-journals with natural gemstones, silk wraps, and more.
• I enjoy creating blank ones for a variety of creative uses, including art, writing, photos, etc.
• Develop an idea for a journal format that a friend described to me last year.
• More bookmarks, bracelets, and pendants; including finding new stones to use, state-specific stones.
3. Participate in 1-2 booth shows
4. Continue my partnership with FOLKMagazine. for 3 of the 6 issues this year:
• I will have ads in the first three issues:
• Issue IX Winter 2013
• Issue X Spring 2013
• Issue XI Summer 2013
5. Continue consignment opportunities.
6. Create wholesale price sheet and look into wholesale opportunities.
7. Continue participating in The indiexhibit events as opportunities arise. It is a fun way to get a different angle of exposure and have my creations in different venues.
• Participating in the gift lounge at the Academy Awards ceremony (The Oscars) 2013 in February.
8. Participate in the 9th Annual Circle of Art benefit.
9. Draw more! I had some commissions, but did not really do much sketching or drawing last year. This year I *will* do more! :)
• Botanical and nature art - both sketches and finished pieces. I would love to do a few 'sketching' days at the local botanical garden.
• House portrait of my own house.
• Other commissions that come along.
10. Seek out other exhibit opportunities.
11. Attend the American Society of Botanical Artists conference in Pittsburgh in the fall.

So there it is! I am sure I will add to this list as the year goes on, but this certainly looks like a great start!

Do you have any creative goals for the coming new year? I'd love to hear about them.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing all of my readers out there a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I haven't done much in the way of new drawing this year, so I am posting an old pen and ink I did of a poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima). Still one of my favorites!

Have a wonderful holiday season!

A View In Color

Remember the pen and ink commission I posted a while back? It was originally done just in ink, but after consulting with the client, they decided that they preferred some color (this is for a gift and is a special place to the recipients, so they wanted to make sure it really resonates with them.)

Here is the final pen and ink:

Today, I added the colored pencil. Here is the final result:

I think it turned out beautifully! I particularly like the way the water turned out. It really makes it the focal point of the drawing.

I used my favorite Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils and layered five different colors for the water: cobalt turquoise, dark thalo green, cobalt green, ultramarine, and navy for the darkest area near the horizon.

Greens used included chrome oxide green, pine green and earth green yellowish.

Have you had any holiday commissions to complete? How are they coming along?

Holiday Greens & Gift Market in Kerrytown

I had a chance to have a booth at a local holiday market this past Friday, December 7. I was all set up at the Kerrytown Market & Shops here in Ann Arbor along with a number of other artisans and vendors to help celebrate Festive Fridays during this holiday season at the 1st annual Holiday Greens & Gift Market.

It was a cold and rainy evening, so crowds were not as busy as we'd hoped, but there were still a number of folks who came out to enjoy shopping, s'mores, caroling, riding the Jollie Train and seeing Santa!

I made a handful of sales, so that was fun. Here is a look at my booth:

A shot of my whole booth - fortunately, my friend Claudia of Artitlan (on the left) brought a tarp that hung behind both of our spaces and kept us fairly warm and dry!

 

 
My jotter journal sets in the middle, natural stone pendants in the back (with sliding stone necklaces in front of them) and bookmarks on the right.


 

A peek at the left side of the table with my necklace display.



 

 

And my bookmarks and bracelets along with my 'Stones of Michigan' display card.

I look forward to adding some new items to the shop this week. Have you ever had a booth at a holiday (or other) market? What was your experience?

Happy shopping!

Christmas Gift Guide Giveaway from FOLK Magazine! Fossil Coral and Turtle Macrame Bookmark

The FOLK Magazine blog has been running great features this holiday season with do-it-yourself crafts and more. 

One thing they are also doing is hosting a wonderful Christmas Gift Guide Giveaway everyday and today, I am featured in the giveaway! My Fossil Coral and Turtle Macrame Bookmark will be sent to one lucky winner who comments on the FOLK Blog post.

Check it out for a chance to win! 

Saturday Sequins: Shop In Your Pajamas!

Check out the online craft fair posted by Saturday Sequins! Great way to shop small this Small Business Saturday.

Saturday Sequins: Shop In Your Pajamas!: Shop In Your Pajamas!!! Welcome to another Saturday at Saturday Sequins! Today is a very special day. Why is that, you a...

Happy shopping!

Give the Gift of Nature! Shop Small this Season...

Natural stones all polished and strung, check out these gifts for some holiday fun!

15% off of everything in my Etsy Shop from now through this weekend! 

Use Code: BLACKFRIDAY12

Knotted and beaded with stones to match, long enough for your favorite hard back, these handmade bookmarks are unique and personal so consider one or two for your favorite reader:

Yellow Botswana Agate and Golden Autumn Leaf Macrame Bookmark

Lapis Lazuli and Starfish Macrame Bookmark

Perhaps a pendant or necklace is what you seek? A single nugget of earth's beauty or some sliding stones, adjustable from large to small they are a great fit for one and all!

  

Crazy Lace Agate Adjustable Pendant

 Labradorite Sliding Stone Necklace

Bracelets and jotter sets I have as well. What you might like I cannot tell so take a peek and have a look-see, especially the jotters that have artwork done originally by me.

Practical art for your pocket or stones for your wrist, you might find a stocking stuffer or perfect hostess gift!

 

Mookaite Jasper Triple Leather Wrap Bracelet

  

 

Garlic Scapes Jotter Journal Set (3 mini-journals.)

Last, but not least, be sure to check back as I will continue to add to the shop, that's a fact. 

Happy shopping!

A different sort of commission for me...landscape in pen and ink

I just completed my most recent commission in pen and ink. This was a little different than my normal subjects, but still an enjoyable challenge to render. As usual, this was done with my 3X0 (.25) Rapidograph pen on smooth Bristol paper.

The scene is a special one for the recipient, so a different composition was not really an option. Because the final drawing is approximately 9X12 (fairly small), I tried to focus on using various pen and ink techniques to highlight the different textures present. I did some heavy cross-hatching on the metal railing in the foreground; squiggly line work to show the foliage behind the railing; stippling to indicate sand on the beach; and various straight, fanned-out line work to fill in the palm trees.

I think it turned out very nicely and hope the recipient enjoys it!

Have you done any challenging projects lately? How did you manage to work around any tough parts?

We have a winner!

Thank you to all who entered my 4th Blogiversary Giveaway. Using the random number generator, the winner is Lisa! 

Congratulations!

Please visit my Etsy shop to see my current offerings - more sliding stone necklaces, natural stone leather wrap bracelets, pendants, bookmarks and more! Great gift ideas for the holidays.