Delving into Mixed Media

Over the last couple of weeks I have been working with mixed media. One of my first introductions into the wold of art just over five years ago was a mixed media class. I hadn't really done anything with it, but it was something I've kept in the back of my mind as something to explore.

The satisfying thing about mixed media is that you can throw everything into it. I can make use of my paper, acrylic paints, markers, watercolor pencils, stamps and stencils all at once. It's also freeing as I tend to worry less about precision.

Here are a few of my first attempts:

The love of black ink

Bookmarks, bookmarks, tons of bookmarks. I've always liked the shape of a bookmark but I found they were a challenge to design. They were also very time consuming as I make them one at a time.

However, I had  mini artistic breakthrough when making the last batch of bookmarks. I brought out the black marker and made a whole series of bookmarks using tons of black. It really made me happy. It was great just letting go and filling every inch of the bookmark. The lesson I learned is that there can never be too much black. The characters were so much fun to make I think I need to give them their own comic! Now I need to get to work.

Craft show Number 2 and other things

I now have two shows under my belt. A couple of weeks ago I participated in Ravenswing Ottawa. It was an outdoor event with almost 100 vendors plus live music, workshops and activities for kids. It was truly a fun event, my only regret is that I didn't get to walk around and check out the other vendors as much as I wanted.

The weather was a challenge, it was cool and windy which was not too paper friendly. I spent a lot of time running to catch my cards! (well, at least it didn't rain) I amended my table display on site to try to make it as wind resistant as possible. This is something I will need to consider for next time!

I'm so glad I took part in this event as I received a lot of useful feedback and I met a few people who shared my interest in art with a manga/anime influence.

I tried out some new items for this event. First of all I made some fun little key chains out of polymer clay. I can't tell you how long I've had this clay knocking around the house. I finally found something to make with it.

There many different designs but for some reason key-chains have proven to be difficult to photograph. It may be because they are shiny and the camera keeps picking up this weird glare, anyway this is a selection.

I also made a series of bookmarks and postcards. The bookmarks I'll save for another post, but here are the postcards. They sold surprisingly well. I'm glad because I took a chance putting them out there, I'm happy people connected with them. I will definitely make more.

Lastly, I created a comic/zine mini for this event (and for Ottawa Comiccon). I don't know why I never thought of making one before. It was able to just to relax and have fun with it. It was low tech, just a pencil, pen and two sheets of folded paper. I've had this bunny character around for a while and I just knew he (or she) wanted to say something. It's such a relief to have finally figured it out.

This item was my best seller and that makes me the most proud. Telling stories with pictures is where my heart is and I'm happy and encouraged that this is what people responded to most.

Thank you to the organizers of Ravenswing and Thank you to all the people who stopped by my table, I'm glad to have met you :-)

Branching out: Part II

Another project I've been having fun with is making  Keepsake Boxes. These are great for storing precious items or using as gift boxes.

I used a combination of decorative papers, tissue paper, washi tape and non-toxic acrylic mediums  to collage my illustrations to a variety of small wooden and paper boxes. Each box has a hard coat and gloss finish. I am pretty happy with the results. A small selection will be for sale at Ravenswing!

Branching out

I've spent the last couple of weeks experimenting with making things beyond greeting cards. This has been really rewarding. I am excited about many possibilities going forward. My head has been spinning with ideas I want to try. If only time and energy were on my side *sigh*.

My main focus has been getting ready for the Ravenswing event and to a lesser extent, Ottawa Comic-con which both happen this month.

The first thing I experimented with is iron-on transfers. I have always wanted to put my images on tote bags and T-shits. Up until now I have making t-shirts and bags by working directly on the fabric items with fabric paint, markers and crayons, with mixed results. Ideally I would like to do screen printing but that is not something I'm looking to invest in at the moment. I'm just working on a small scale, making things for family and friends.

Having seen fabric transfer papers in the printer paper section of stores, I was curious to see if they work. I bought a couple of different types. The first one I tried is the Avery fabric transfer for light clothes. I made two bags and one t-shirt. The results are good! Still, I`m curious about the longevity, so the final verdict will come in a while. I have another brand of transfers for dark fabric still to try. There is a lot of potential here, but it's not something I'll have for sale at  Ravenswing but you may see me wearing/ using some of these items at comic con ;-)

For the t-shirt I used one of my "Muss" comics.
On the bags I used a couple of my more recent drawings. They all turned out great!

Another thing I've been working on are a series of  keepsake boxes which I will have for Ravenswing. More about the in my next post. Here is the before:

First show

Last Saturday I participated in my first ever craft show. The OVCC Show was a huge event with 70 crafters, bakers and artists participating. It was held in a beautiful venue filled with lots of creative energy.


It was really an honour to be a part of it. I met many nice people and got a lot of positive feedback. I came away with a lot of ideas to do even better in the future.

I am going to work on diversifying my products for my next event coming up at the end of May : Ravenswing DIY Fair. My plan is to make bookmarks, small canvas artworks and keepsake boxes.  Yikes! Better get to work, lots to do...

Cards, cards and more cards!

Hi everyone, I've been very busy lately getting ready for the OVCC Show. This will be the first time I've shown the cards in public. I'm a little nervous and very excited.  I'm really hoping that people enjoy them and want to take them home. I really love making them but I need to make room so that I can make more!