Just Some Random Nonsensical Jibber Jabber

Hiddy-ho friends,

As you all know (if you read my last blog) I went to Binders the other day. Well I got some scratch board while I was there. Scratch board if you don’t already know is this nifty white board that has a black cover that you scratch off to make a picture instead of drawing on it. I enjoy doing it, it’s a lot easier than I thought it would be when I first heard of it. Anyhoo, I picked up my usual 8x10 and 10x12 that I started using and have grown oh so fond of, but I also picked up a few 4x7s (because they were on sale…WHOOT). I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do with them but I figured if anything I could use them as practice, since there is no erasing when it comes to scratch board. I did a couple of doodles and then got to scratching. I chipped away at the black as sounds of the incredible Hulk echoed from the TV…Hulk is not my music of choice when arting it up, that’s just what was on at the time. By the time the movie was over I had finished with one of the 4x7s. I don’t normally work on small canvases or what not but I may have to start doing that more often. It was great I feel like I have found a new relaxation tool…No not the Hulk!
Okay well that was all I wanted to say. Don’t know why I felt the need to tell you this, it wasn’t grandiose or anything. Just bored I guess. Well thanks for reading it anyway.

Now back to work the lot of you :P
~Caralyn

Patience is a Virtue

Hiya!

So I went to Binders Saturday, Binders is this really great art store I like to go to. It’s sort of like Michaels only it has more “art” supplies and less crafts. That’s where I venture when I need to get a canvas or Scratch board.
While I was there I met a talented artist who was displaying some of his work there. He was also in the process of painting a large canvas. He was painting it for his son as a wedding present. The artist was copying a photo of the couple taken at their wedding. The bride was dressed in a long red sari, The vibrant color caught my eye as soon as I walked in the door. All along the edges was a beautiful white lace, the artist was working on that when I approached him. As I came closer I realized he did not have a brush in his hand but an x-acto knife. He must’ve seen the confusion on my face cause he told me what he was up to before I could even ask. He explained that he was afraid he would lose some of the detail if he just painted the lace with a brush, so instead he was chipping away the layers of oil paint to expose the canvas underneath. A tedious task no doubt but from how the painting was turning out well worth it. He then went on to say he achieved to bright red, not from mixing paint but from layering it…14 layers to be exact. He said it had already taken him over 140 hrs to get where it was and he still had a little ways to go before it was finished. Can you imagine? I don’t even have enough patience to paint my nails.
Each of his pieces had so much detail, you could tell he puts alot of time into his work. People always say, patience is a virtue well I say patience is an artist. But seeing his work inspired me, I think I may even start on a painting this week.

Later
~Caralyn

Don't mind me while I go off on a little tare

I was looking at the hits on my store the other day and not to brag or anything but I’m getting quite a lot. For a small store that has only been around for 2 years I was feeling very good about the amount of people checking out my store. But despite all the traffic I am getting my sells aren’t doing too well. And when you measure the hits against the sales it makes you wonder why the merchandise isn’t moving faster. I was thinking maybe I was charging too much for my work, but when you put money and a great deal of time into something you can’t just give it away. I set my prices based on my effort, and my effort certainly hasn’t changed. Then it occurred to me that it wasn’t my work or the pricing it was more that people just aren’t spending money right now. Everyone is having hard times and when that happens, “unessential” items such as art, are some of the first things people cut out. Not that I’m blaming them, I understand full well that if money is tight, you have to cut the little pleasures out occasionally. But that can really hurt an artist that is just starting out. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s sales have been affected. I’ll be fine, I have a nine to five that pays my bills, but I feel sorry for the artists out there that are trying to live off their art. But unfortunately there isn’t much you can do about it. So I am going to continue to put my art out there and hopefully it won’t be too long before the economy picks up and people begin their spending again.
Good luck to all my fellow artists out there that are trying to share their work with people.

Thanks for listening,
~Caralyn

All Work and No Play Makes Caralyn a Dull Girl

Hiya!
Oh Boy, I’m so excited about a new picture I started sketching at work when I was supposed to be taking calls…don’t tell my boss. It started out as just a doodle but as I was drawing, the idea came to me. It’s nowhere near ready for scanning so I’m not going to ruin the surprise by telling you what it is…Okay no need to twist my arm I’ll tell you :)
It’s my rendition of Arwen and Aragorn from “Lord of the Rings”. I drew an Elf woman in a silk looking dress and a rugged man with a cloak. He is sort of embracing her. At first I was just drawing a girl but she turned into an elf. My sketches usually end up taking on a fantasy/si-fi feel because…well because, who doesn’t love si-fi and fantasy! Then I added the man, I went through a few different drafts with him. I thought about making him a vampire but I’ve already done that with my Vampire & Nymph drawing I did a couple years back. I try not to duplicate too much. After a few moments of pondering is when I got the idea. I really think it’s coming along nicely. I still have a few more details to add before I can ink it and my work always seems to turn into something else, so when I’m finished it probably will be completely different but for now it is a human/elf couple.
Well I’m going to add it to the pile of things I’m working on…that never seems to get smaller… cause I keep adding to it.

Back to work…or not,
~Caralyn

Words are coming out my mouth but I'm not saying anything

So I’m trying to get a few more things done this year, I have been working on Myxies a lot lately and need to spend a bit more time on my other art. I have had a few sketches that I have been planning to finish for months now. They are just a few ideas I had while I was supposed to be working. I jotted them down but then got caught up in other things (being lazy) and just never went back to them. So that is what I plan to work on this week. I’m going to dust off my drawing board for an evening of just me, my pen and probably some Alanis Morissette blasting in the background. Jagged Little Pill Baby!
I have one picture I’m working on that I am pretty excited about. It is of an elf girl and her pet baby dragon. She has a confused look on her face and behind her is a person with a long black robe. It is supposed to be sort of a death like creature. It still has a long way to go since I am only at the sketching stage. After that comes filling in the details, inking the picture, scanning it onto Photoshop and lastly adding color. The whole process will take a few days…mostly because I can’t work on it for too long cause my fingers get tired. :/
Well time to get to work, these pictures aren’t going to draw themselves…too bad, that would save me a lot of time.
I’ll keep you all posted on my art, because I’m sure you are all just DYING to know :)

Talk at you all later!
~Caralyn

Myxie bo-byxie banana-fanana ro-ryxie fe-fi-fo fyxie MYXIE!

Ello Friends.

It’s everyone’s favorite part of the day…the time when you read my blog and find out there are NEW MYXIES ON ETSY!!! I know, it’s just too wonderful for words. :D
But it’s true, I have finished two more Myxies, Indigo and Scarlet. The newbies have been posted on my Etsy store. Check them out!

Cheerio!
~Caralyn

Halo 4: Myxie Invasion

Good Day Folks!

So last week I was watching my boyfriend kill stuff with a gun bigger than the screen...I should specify this was on the x-box, sos not to alarm anyone. :) As I watched the pixilated aliens run for their lives I thought...I should make some Myxies. I assure you it was the colors that made me think of Myxies and not the violence.
Anyhoo to get to my point of this story...I have brand NEW MYXIES up on Etsy! Oh Boy!
So Please check them out.

Tootles,
~Caralyn

This Procrastinator hates to wait.

Hello Art Friends.

So I set myself a few goals for this year. Organize my bills, Clear out my storage room, and submit my art to Spectrum…well at least I got one of those done. No, I didn’t tackle the storage room, I’m scared to go in there!
I submitted a picture to Spectrum. Spectrum is an annual art book that show cases contemporary artists. http://www.spectrumfantasticart.com/books.php?id=567
I try to get one every year. I love being able to see so many different artists in one place…also it’s a picture book, no reading involved…gotta love that :)
This is the picture I submitted, it is one of my newest drawings. It was done with pencil and ink and then scanned and colored in Photoshop. I call it Yo-yo Tricks.
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=201883352&albumID=1475118&imageID=25116394

The deadline is today, I mailed my picture in last week…normally I’m a major procrastinator but this is important to me so I got on it early, well earlyish. I’m so excited to see if I got in, unfortunately I won’t know for a few months. So I will have to play the waiting game, CURSE YOU waiting game! But I will make sure to let you all know as soon as I do. Wish me luck.

Have a Great Day!
~Caralyn

My Inspiration

I never really knew how much I would enjoy sculpting until about two years ago when I created the Myxies. I have always appreciated sculptors and their work but never considered myself one. Before I got started sculpting I often surfed the web for different artists. I gathered ideas on materials and techniques from them and along with watching “How to” videos on youtube I was encouraged to create my own.

These are a few amazing artists that inspired my sculptures.

http://www.goddess-dreams.com/sold.html Aidamaris Roman’s sculptures are so realistic, from the glass eyes to the fingernails, she is a very gifted artist.

http://pixiwillow.com/faerie_gallery.htm Michelle Bradshaw is incredible, so much detail in such little figures.

http://www.eirewolfcreations.com/ Erin Metcalf, her art is adorable, colorful and her creations are some of the most imaginative I have ever seen.

http://www.gossamerglen.com/gossamer%20glen/faeriecollection.htm Marchella has inspired my Myxies the most, her fairy tale, cartoonish creations are similar to what I was striving for with my own.

http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/weblog/permalink/huge_sculptures/ Ron Mueck, his HUGE sculptures are incredibly detailed and beautiful.

http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/dataviewer.asp?keyvalue=8165&page=Works Willy Whitten not only is a friend of mine but helped create some of films most memorable creations, like in The Thing and Aliens.

I hope these links can help any future sculptors find their inspiration the way they helped me.

~Caralyn

This year I'm going to mark it off my list!

Hello People,

Goodness I have so much I'm planning to do in 2009. I have a list bigger than the one I had for Christmas…hard to imagine, I know.
This year I want to get a jump start on my business. I want to take it to a new level and to do that I need to start putting more effort into getting my art noticed. So first step, I'm going to increase my inventory. I have had a pile of art I'm "working on" for the past couple of months and have just been putting it off for the Holidays but now they are almost over, so NO MORE EXCUSES! I gotta get on that!
Also I need to broaden my advertizing. My plan (and I'm only sharing this with you all because I know I can trust you, we're like Family…that only talk though blogging) is to get my work in more locations so it has a better chance of people finding it. I'm going to try to get my art in retail stores and more online stores like Etsy. So you can go by my stuff at da Wal-Mart. :P
Last year I worked a few art Shows but this year I'm going to do more. I have at least one scheduled every month this year, man am I going to be tired, but I believe it will be worth it. And for all my fans out there never you fear, I will keep you posted on the times and dates so you can be sure to mark your calendars :)
Art contests are another thing I am going to be trying this year. Entering my work in contests is a great way to get my stuff noticed and to meet people. Plus the chance of winning prizes is always a good thing.
And then there's all the other little things I'm going to be doing that I won't bore you with. But with a little luck and a lot of determination 2009 will be a Splendiferous year for Mystic Reflections. I can't wait to get started........ *whimper*

Happy New Year Everyone!
~Caralyn