Organic patterns

Patterns, patterns, patterns!!! I love all kinds of patterns, especially those that are fluid, organic shapes. So raw and natural in form; not too complex (but can be). I often look at nature for inspiration on patterns that resonate within me.  

Architecture is my other favorite place to find the most exquisite designs...which can, actually, be found in nature, too!

Here are a couple of patterns that I've been drawing and painting, repeatedly, in my sketchbook:

teardrop-shaped circles and a vintage inspired flower and leaf foam stamps

This is a monoprint created with a personal foam stamps. Acrylic paints on paper.

Take a closer look...it's almost hypnotizing! I like following the curvy lines with my eyes.

Art Journal & my two brayers

Today, I'll be sharing days 9 & 10 of Traci Bautista's Printmaking challenge with you! If you're just joining me here - WELCOME! Jump right in if you wanna play :)

All you need to do is upload your photo from any or all of the creative prompts, to your social media platform.

Oh! Don't forget to use hashtag #printmaking unleashed (without the space in between the two words) so everyone who is playing along can see it too!

Here's the chart of creative prompts

Day 9: Art Journal

This particular art journal keeps a collection of my various collages, textures, handwritten letters & notes and gelli printing papers.

 Day 10: Brayer
 Such a simple looking tool but extremely versatile in terms of application techniques. I use two kinds of brayers: a 3.5 inch, hard rubber brayer (pictured below) and a 4 inch, soft rubber Speedball brayer.

I like to use the hard rubber brayer to get uneven textures in my paint, like this:

This is my first experiment with foam stamping...I loved this technique! Simple process: draw onto the foam (with firm pressure), ink the "plate", then stamp.

 The second brayer is used for stamping, applying paint to journals, printing plates, etc. It is very important not to scratch the surface of this brayer. Any impressions will affect your final print.

This brayer is called a "Pop-in"; the soft rubber part can be popped out and cleaned.

Here, I used my Speedball brayer to ink a hand-carved chevron stamp on a phone book page.

Package Tape Postcard::TUTORIAL

Package Tape Postcard tutorial published on the MixedMediaArt.net website! Go check it out :)

Send beautiful correspondence to your friends. Image transfer technique using packing tape.

Tutorial here: Package Tape Postcard

I hope you enjoy the tutorial! If you make one or more, be sure to share a link in the comments section.

Color palette + a peek at my studio table

I absolutely LOVE *anything* that sparkles with bright colors, textures, and interesting patterns! Here's a look at my color palette / "flair tray" some items that are inspiring me, at the moment...
Day 7! The prompt for today is "Color palette"

A few of these items were thrifted or found at estate sales, like the yarn, batik fabric, picture frame, and "Blessed" note cards.

Other things are: 

 • black and gold trimmed peep-toe boot •

• denim fabric (which is actually a paintbrush holder that I designed and made) •

• patterns that reflect my Native American Indian heritage; like chevrons, stylized eagles/water/sun •
• sewing embellishments •

• decorative office supplies/paper/painting palette •

Here's one of my favorite vintage-styled earrings! (The other one isn't pictured)  They were designed to replicate the 1950s era. The set of notecards has a biblical scripture on the cover, that reads: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." ~ Matthew 5:8 ~

Day 8! The prompt for today is "Studio table"

I think it's fun to share art spaces with other artists! I'm glad to have taken this opportunity to show you a tiny glimpse of mine. 

My work area, pretty much, stays organized because I'm working in such a small space. However, while I'm busy creating, I never worry about things being out of place.

This is my work table for creating my mixed-media/traditional works.

(I do have another area in my house where I work with a Wacom tablet and a laptop/desktop computer...but, that's kinda boring compared to this area!)

Here is something that I just created! A large, hand-carved chevron stamp, stamped on a piece of scrap paper. Also, see that white carousel on the left side? That's my new "toy"! I love it because it holds so much stuff + it turns 360 degrees!! Other new stuff includes the Derwent tin of 24 Inktense pencils and glitter and mica flakes set by Stampendous.

These are 3 postcards I recently created, using image transfer techniques with clear package tape. Have you seen the tutorial? It was just published! You can check it out here

Remember, if you want to be among the first to see my new work, I invite you to subscribe to the Uneek Art Letter, my monthly newsletter, right here. OR, just enter your name and email address in the form in the sidebar, to your right (at the very top).

Finally, here's a little sneaky peek at an illustration that I'm currently working on. I can hardly wait to reveal it to you! Some special things are brewing over here at Martice Smith II - Illustration & Design Studio!!!!

Hand-carved Stamps

Day 6: Hand-carved stamps!! Yippee :)
I can see me carving more of these stamps in the future! Maybe even some jumbo-sized ones???

These were so fun to make but really stressful on my neck...does anyone have tips on how to prevent crooks/spasms in the neck while carving? Thanks in advance ;)

These are just a few of my foam and rubber hand-carved stamps!

...I'm lovin' this hypnotizing pattern...

Tip: always clean off your stamps! Don't let paint dry on them...I like to use a baby wipe to get the job done, when I can't run to sink to rinse them off.

Size of large chevron stamp: 8 inches x 3 1/4 inches!!! Size of leaf stamp: 1 1/2 inches x 3 inches

Stay tuned for the tutorial on the chevron stamp!

Flower Printing

Today marks day 5 of Traci Bautista's Printmaking challenge! The creative prompt is: "Flower".

I'll show you how I incorporated a flower into my printmaking. 

 I took a piece of lightweight paper and rolled out some white, Pthalo blue, and light blue paint with a soft rubber brayer. Next, I laid down a palm leaf on top of the paper and spray painted with Krylon Yellow (Sunshine Burst). 

I had a few rough cut-outs of three ovals and just laid them down, too. I gave these oval shapes some life by transforming them into the petals of an iris. (Loosely drawn; I wasn't trying to be too representational, here!)

Take a look!

Iris & Palm Leaf---Mixed-media: acrylic, spray paint, water-soluble pencil, graphite, spray glitter, oil pastel and embroidery floss on paper.

I used white oil pastel to heighten the rough texture that was created with the acrylic and spray paint. (Those little speckles are glitter!)

I added embroidery floss to frame the iris and, also, to make the yellow more vibrant. (Adding complementary colors will do that!) Plus, yellow is one of my favorite colors...