Gone to Shiny Designs!

Hey! This is the last post here on Blogger but there's lots more to come at Shiny Designs.com

There are links to the new (and WAY prettier) site but I decided to leave things just as they were here.

You can still subscribe to the feed and it will work, except at the new (did I mention it's nicer?) site -I'm pretty sure, anyway.

If you're following me in your Google reader, it should automatically direct you to the new site. If I'm wrong about that, please tell me.

If you followed with Google Friend Connect - I'm not sure. If that's you, please, please click on over and let me know. We've reached the current limits of my technical mojo.

Thanks for coming by here and I'm looking forward to seeing you at the new (and much brighter) place.

Shiny Designs has Moved!

Click here to have a look around. I’ve been working hard to get the new site ready for you and it’s lighter and brighter and prettier. There’s even a housewarming gift –for you! From now until the end of August, download a watercolor cardinal greeting card (that’s him up there) as a PDF, formatted and ready to print on regular cardstock.

Having the blog and site all together is going to be better all around with more up to date posting and new stuff. If you’re reading in your Google reader or your inbox, you should get your updates as usual. Be sure to bookmark the new site while you’re there.

Go on over now and get your free cardinal card, have a look around and let me know what you think. I’d love to hear from you.

Wren - Colored Pencil

I've been back at the drawing table and have some good things to show for it. This House Wren is Prismacolor colored pencils on smooth bristol.

It's a combination of birds and a theme from years ago: ribbons. It's monochromatic in browns and yellows with some black and white. It felt good to combine the two things and see what happened.

After the splashy paintings, I wanted delicacy and lightness and this does that nicely - I'm especially pleased with the white space. It's finished size 8 x 10. The gray shadow is from the scanner - I'll have to rescan to use this for cards or prints.

This is the first of four, with three completed. They're all monochromatic and three are finished. I'll post the others soon.

The Blue Jay watercolor from a couple posts ago is ready and in my Etsy shop as a notecard. Bonus for you: buy a package of cards (any of them) and let me know you're a reader here (just type the word "blog" into the notes/instructions) and I'll send you a free gift with your purchase!

One last thing! I'm working on moving this blog over to my main website and it'll be ready soon. Of course, I'm still working out the technical stuff but will keep you posted. It's looking good and it's going to be nice to have everything under one "roof."

Painted Mini Garden Gnome

This little project was just for fun. My friend over at WhollyPiecemeal gave me this kit:


Notice you have to be over 3 years old and that it comes with three colors of paint and a plastic brush. Well, I'm over three so that's covered and the paint and the brush went straight to the trash.

I used 12 colors of acrylic craft paint plus mixtures and about 6 brushes to paint my little fellow (he's 3 inches tall) and this is how he turned out:

I like how he looks woodsy and his little (and I do mean little, as in small and difficult to paint) face has personality. Yes, there are tiny white highlights in his eyes!

What are you doing just for fun? Leave a comment and let me know.

Two Blue Jays – Which do You Prefer?

It’s been a while since a post – again! Let’s face it, time spent at the computer is time NOT spent painting or drawing or writing. Well, a lot of writing is at the computer, but you get what I mean. Time spent creating is not the same as time spent telling about creating.

On to today’s good stuff! Here are two watercolors of a blue jay. Same format, same colors – Cerulean Blue, Manganese Blue and Mars Black –worked at the same time. One is much better to my eye, what do you think? Do you like #1 or #2, this one or that one?




I’m curious which one is more appealing to you. The winner will become a greeting card in my Etsy shop so please comment!