Gocco!

I got my Print Gocco in the mail yesterday!!!!! I'm so excited. I can't wait to try it out! It will be a while yet as I am working on-site for a client and then I'll be away for a few days; then back on-site for the client again. As soon as I get a free chance I will dig in! It is sitting in the box on the floor next to me...taunting me to come play. tempting....so tempting!
Hopefully in another 2 weeks or so. (sheesh) In the meantime, I've been brainstorming and planning some very fun card designs! I've finally found a favorite design that I'm proud of; so I'm going to try my best with it.
A lot of work and thought goes in before I even get to the print stage; so that's what I've been working on while on the train and during my evenings. It's so fun! My plan is to put the cards up for sale on my etsy shop once they are complete; and of course put them up here on my blog for all to see. good times. *yawn* I'm going to bed!!

Polaroid!

I got my simple Polaroid in the mail on Friday! These are a few of the photos I took...the chandelier was my first ever Polaroid experience. As you see, I even tried 2 self-portraits. I love watching them develop! It's fun not knowing exactly how the photo is going to look. It's going to be fun using this camera to change up the digital "norm" that I'm in. Nice to mix it up once in a while! I'd love to experiment with a Holga camera...but I think I might wait a little while. I can only have so many goals/interests with my art before I become overloaded and would rather take a nap!

Arty excitement!!

I'm so excited! I won a Print Gocco machine auction on ebay. I cannot wait to receive it. Now I can do small print runs by hand for new greeting card designs! I love the quality of how gocco prints come out. So textured and pretty. *sigh* I have a million ideas for cards; so I just have to find that one special one to start working on and setting up. Oh, why can't it be here NOW! :)
And in other arty excitement I am going to start getting into Polaroid photo-taking again. I love the arty look to the photos that can only be done on polaroid. And it is the perfect medium for snapping interesting every day objects and shapes. A unique way of looking at the world and noticing every day beauty. They aren't meant for landscapes or for macro shots (that is saved for the digital camera). But it IS fun for spontaneous self portraits and for taking shots of signs and other cool things that inspire. I'll post them to my flickr site when I get some good ones. Yay again!
As for this weekend; we have the Patriots pre-season game on Saturday night to go to. It will be fun to tailgate and game-watch when it's not 25 degrees outside. Go Pats!

Flight of the Bumblebee

Last weekend we took a drive into Concord to see the downtown shopping area for the first time and to wander around part of Minuteman National Park. We had so much fun! There are so many little boutiques and antique stores all along several blocks. Lots of restaurants too. I loved it. We even found a great wine shop and a cheese store! And it only took 15 minutes to get there so I'm excited to have a new place to shop. The national park was beautiful. It's amazing to think of H.D. Thoreau and Nathaniel Hawthorn walking those same paths. What's more amazing is realizing the most important part of our Nation's history happened there. I took the posted photo trying to do a macro view of the flower and a bee flew in just as I took the shot. It startled me and I yelped! When I took a look to see the shot, I realized I'd inadvertantly gotten the bee in there! Kind of fun, though startling at macro view. Alienlike to say the least. At some point soon I will be posting some of my favorite photos of the excursion to my flickr site. (link is in my right list of web links)

flower sunset straight

flower sunset straight
Originally uploaded by mlcassid.

Summer is going to be over before we know it! This pic will keep summer here online when the first snow of the year falls.

Illustration Friday: Play

Here is Morgan the wonder Corgi at play with a red ball. A quick painting sketch I did today for the topic made with acrylic paint and marker on paper. Starting to explore materials to find out what it is I most enjoy working with. Still not totally sure yet, but it's fun so far. I'm also discovering different painting surfaces which really make all the difference when it comes to different effects you're trying to pull off. I always use the same thing, and I'm finding it's probably not the best material for what I want to be doing. Learn learn learn.

Works in progress

It's Friday! I spend the last 3 days this week working for a client in the city. It was about a zillion degrees outside, so the commuter rail and trains in the city were packed with sweaty people. I'm home today; just picked up my new glasses. They are snazzy and I like them. Here are some things I've been working on. The first is my vintage rubber ducky painting...it's a small 9 x 12 size done in acrylic. I think I'm going to post him for sale soon on my etsy shop. Below that is a project I'm working on. It's a drawing of dogwood branches on wood, and then I'm working on using woodburning tools to etch it in. It's a lot of fun! Plus, the wood was under a dollar at the craft store already pre-cut. so, it's very inexpensive to do! I traced an existing drawing I had and used graphite paper to make the transfer onto the wood. I'm going over that with the woodburner. You can see on the left is the part I haven't burned yet. I think I'll use butchers wax to finish it off. I may sell it on etsy and I may not. I haven't decided yet. I'm kind of attached to it. I guess I could do another one? In other news I've been commissioned to do a painting! I won't go into detail yet, but it will have a classical guitar theme. It will be a fun challenge to research and work on...I might have normally shyed away from something like this. But I know I'm capable of doing it and I finally get to see what I can really do if I put my mind and skills to it. I'm nervous and excited. We shall see how it goes!!!

Illustration Friday Topic: Capture

Here's a quick ink sketch I did. I hate killing bugs (unless it's a spider or a mosquito) so I usually capture them and release them somewhere outside and away from the house. It usually works out ok. :) I just feel guilty killing them. Too many years of watching Disney movies has done this to me.