New Sketch

Well I've been a bit busy with work, but I did finally get some more art done. Last month I bought a book Botany for the Artist by Sarah Simblet, and now I've started sketching from it. I also just posted some new ornament cards for the holidays on Etsy here.

Another Blog

So here is one of the blogs I follow: Color Collective. I'm not exactly sure how to describe it, so in Lauren's own words, "I created Color Collective as a designers' resource for color. The color palettes are pulled from the work of various designers, artists, and photographers . . . ."

The One-Month Gap

Well I haven't posted since my move. My art supplies are all in boxes, but I hope to be starting up some new projects soon. Just hang tight.

Amazing Paper Artist

Recently I've been dabbling in the art of paper cutting and card making as you know, but I was amazed to find this Artist, Peter Callesen, who makes me look like a kindergartener. I would love to know how he comes up with these feats of paper genius because they just blow my mind. He has a US exhibition February 3rd of next year and I am seriously tempted.

For an Old Friend

This is a card I just made for an elderly friend of the family. I took care of her a couple winters ago and she and I had a great time. She and her late husband were quite influential in the starting of Milwaukee's art scene back in the day. Our art styles were very different (she worked with glass) but we had lot to talk about. Now I've found out she's in the hospital and not doing very well, so I'll be bringing her this card.

The Whole Picture

Well, here is the final product that I hinted at a couple posts ago. This painting was a gift for my boyfriend's brand new nephew, and a surprise for his parents. I hope this brings little Parker many years of enjoyment.

Birthday Gifts

Here is my belated birthday gift for seven year old Sophiah. I used the paper "S" as an excuse to play around with embroidery thread. Let me tell you . . . it's not easy to sew through two layers of card stock. I actually snapped one needle in half!

Thinking About Etsy

Okay, I will admit that although I have often perused the handmade items offered on Etsy, I have never order or listed any items myself. Now that I'm getting into card making (and now that I'm completely broke) I'm giving it more careful consideration. This picture is of a set of 4 identical cards I made to test the ease of manufacture.

High School Graduation

Here's the card I made for my sister's graduation. I sketched the cats first and then retraced them on clean paper with a fine marker. The body of the card is made from two-sided card stock with plain paper glued inside. Thank you to my cat Sheba for providing the model.

It Runs in the Family

Well, creativity must just come naturally for the Roberts's. This photo shows my mom's latest project knitting four socks (2 pairs) at once. Not only is she knitting them all on one set of needles, but she dyed the yarn herself in a variegated pattern. I'll post another photo when she's finished.

Mother's Day Card

Here's the mother's day card I made this year. I used pre-made letter stickers and two sheets of scrapbook paper.

It's a Secret!

Here are some sneak peek preview pictures of my current art project. It's a surprise gift for someone special, so all I'm showing is a teaser for the finished product. I've used my pinky finger next to the woodpecker and my pointer finger next to the squirrel to give a sense of scale.

End of Spring Semester

Today is the last day of class for spring 2010. We had a guest speaker, Alverno College's social media marketer, in my New Media class. It was interesting hearing about the journey from public relations expert to search engine optimization and project manager. I wonder what job title I'll have . . . .

Another Handmade Card Completed!

This is a birthday card for my mom. It was made with wrapping paper (for the silver basket), plain white card stock (interior), scrapbooking card stock (flowers and stems), and finished with a wire ribbon. I hope she likes it!

Business Cards

Today I stumbled across this totally fantastic collection of business cards, and the heading "designs that will inspire you." When I first started designing my own business card (maybe 4 years ago) I too collected others business cards for inspiration. What I ended up with was a nice collection of extremely boring cards and two or three that stood out. You see, the average person doesn't have an awesome business card, and the ones who do are usually designers. I wonder what the problem is. Is there a fear that creativity will ruin the professional feel? Is it the expense of printing or lack of imagination? Personally I think a cleverly designed card is always worth the effort, and if done correctly will actually feel more professional.

The Perils of the Handmade

Recently I've been working on some handmade cards for a baby shower. I made 27, all hand cut and colored, and decided to go easy on myself by printing the insides of the cards on sticker paper rather than writing out each message by hand. Boy am I glad I did! Just after I started sealing the envelopes I got an email from one of the baby shower coordinators with a completely different date and time, as well as a list of other info to include. Fortunately I've been able to remove the sticker paper without much damage to the cards, but here is the lesson: Double check, triple check! Mistakes cost much more when they're handmade!

Thinking About Purpose

Although I've had a website for years (www.ninarart.com), I've never blogged before. I guess I've always just thought of blogs as glamorized diaries, and why would anyone want to hear about my life?

In my third year at Alverno College, studying Interactive Media Design, I've realized that blogging may actually be a good way to process some of the things I've learned. In other words, I can reflect on news articles, books, lectures, etc. all within this internet typing space. I can have a place to collect my thoughts and share with others.

So why would anyone want to hear about my life? Because I have a lot to say. Art, media, design, and technology; it's all here.