Friday, October 12, 2012

Shop Update!

Hiya, folks!

Just a quick little post to show ya a few of the new listings in my etsy shop. I've been bad about making art, but not making time to get them listed. 






See anything you like? Feel free to favorite and buy! If you ever have a custom job in mind, let me know. I'm more than happy to do commission work. And I'm cheap!

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Something Unconventional II


Here to find out what undergarments have to do with art? Well, a friend asked me to participate in The Painted Bra Art Project to help raise awareness for breast cancer, and funds for a local lady battling cancer.


I wanted to focus on the hope of overcoming, but also recognize the seriousness of breast cancer. I kept thinking of Gustav Klimt's Death And Life, but didn't want to go so dark as to focus on human mortality. Then I remembered Emily Dickinson's poem entitled "Hope." 


Hope is the thing with feathers 
That perches in the soul, 
And sings the tune--without the words, 
And never stops at all,


And sweetest in the gale is heard; 
And sore must be the storm 
That could abash the little bird 
That kept so many warm.


I've heard it in the chillest land, 
And on the strangest sea; 
Yet, never, in extremity, 
It asked a crumb of me.

Perfect, right?! I mean, I have a thing for birds - owls specifically. They've always been a symbol of hope for me - hope through dark times of confusion or helplessness. Hearing them in the night was such a comfort to me as a child, and even still today. Then there's the whole "hooters" thing, and this Dickinson poem giving Hope feathers! 

So I decided to have an owl representing life and hope, and an owl skull to signify the threat of mortality. Since I wanted the positive to be most prevalent, I covered the rest with different symbols of life - flowers, etc. I hope it makes sense to people. Heck, they may not even put that much thought into it. I'm an obsesser, though. Why else would I put so much into a cartoony bra painting!


Here's a couple shots of my submission.
I was more than happy to take some time to do it, and it was pretty fun. There's going to be a big event the end of October where all the bras people painted/donated will be on display, and there's a silent auction to sell the painted braziers. You should check it out, if you haven't already. Just click the links below!




Friday, September 28, 2012

Something Unconventional I

I've painted on some of the strangest vehicles lately. A while back I agreed to donate some time working on a collaboration piece for a fundraiser. I ended up having to paint two areas on a life preserver. It was a little weird at first, and definitely challenging to work the acrylic paint into the texture of the float, but it was nice to paint on something unconventional. I decided to go with an octopus, and some fishies with an anchor.

The most recent art donation might top that, though. Check out the next post to find out what it is! I'll be posting it Saturday at 10:30am.

 I'll give you a hint. Undergarment.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Instagrammin'!

photo credit
How many of you guys have been sucked in by Instagram? I am utterly obsessed. I was always annoying with a camera, but now I can keep up with other people that are as photo-enthused as I am! I am an amateur photographer for sure, and all my photos are taken with my iPhone 4S.

So if you're not following me, you should! I'm @theheatherrose, and I even have an Instacanv.as account. Leave your instagram name in the comments, and I'll follow you, too. We can stalk each other shutterbug style, and it'll be grand!

Here's a little sneak preview of some of my photos:

Close to Home
High Falls
Lake Michigan



Sunday, September 16, 2012

Rufous Hollow

Hiya, folks! How the heck are ya? I haven't got the time to read blogs that I had last year, so drop me a comment to let me know how you're doing. I think about you guys regularly, and hope you're well. That is if any of you "faithful few" are still around the blogosphere. 

Something I did find time for this year was getting my old tattoo covered. I've spent YEARS hating the snail tattoo I got when I was sixteen. I kind of felt like I just had to deal with it, since I promised myself that I'd only get ONE. I don't see myself with sleeves, and that's where I'd be headed without a strict one tattoo limit. I love them SO. I even have regular body modification dreams. 

Without further adieu, I'd like you to meet my little red phase screech owl, Rufous Hollow.

Rufous is my own illustration, and the amazing Greg Ross made him into an awesome coverup.
P to the S
My artwork is copyrighted, so it belongs to me. Just sayin', so I don't have to hunt anyone down to chop off my work. If you ever want to get a tattoo of any of my work, please ask me. If someone else isn't wearing it already, I'll happily give you permission.


Friday, September 14, 2012

Exciting News

During my most recent blogging hiatus, I wrote and illustrated another children's book! It's the second in my Cadence series, made specifically for a certain awesome munchkin I've been blessed to know. 

This book features a little girl that has so much fun playing with her stuffed animals and pets during the day that she doesn't want to go to bed at night, but then she remembers the fun she can have in her dreams.

Cadence and her two best friends, Duck and Pig, flying in her dreams.

If you're interested in purchasing one of my books, you can do so HERE!

I'm planning on publishing an alphabet book this year, too. I just have to finish work for other folks first, so keep a weather-eye out!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Art & Sleep

I can't believe March was the last time I posted! Time certainly flies, doesn't it? I've been busy making art, and developing a seriously wonky sleep cycle. It's amazing how completely backwards it's getting. 

Here's a little catchup on my Mad Shiny creations, in case you're interested...

Otter Pendant Necklace! This little guy, and his pet rock, is my favorite. If I wasn't allergic to metal, I would so wear this necklace every single day.
Ogling Owl & Friendly Fish pendant necklaces!

Custom Critter Cake Toppers! You can have puffins, or practically anything you can imagine.
Plush Felt Fox Brooches!
Prints of this watercolor, and many others, are available. This original belongs to my husband. 
There are a plethora of shrinkable plastic illustrated brooches available, too.
This watercolor illustration isn't listed in my shop, but I do custom caricatures. Just ask below in comments, or convo me on etsy. This is the lovely Ari from The Happy Cactus. *bats eyelashes*
If something you see here isn't listed in my shop, and you're interested in purchasing it, just let me know! I'm illustrating a kids' book right now, but I'll be making new work in October.


Thursday, March 1, 2012

Book Biters vs Munching Monsters

Here I go getting behind on posting again! Working from home lends itself to a wealth of distraction, folks. It's awesome, but has it's challenges. No complaints here, though.

What have I been up to lately? Bookmarks, bookmarks and more bookmarks! They can be magnets, too, if requested.


I've obviously got a thing for kitties, otters, bunnies and snails. 
(I got a snail tattooed on my right ankle when I was sixteen.)



And owls. I've definitely got a thing for owls. And moths. And chickens.

I came up with some book monsters while doodling, too. I don't know what to call them, though. What do you think of Book Biters or Munching Monsters? Any ideas? I'm a sucker for some good alliteration.





Any bookmarks/magnets you'd like to see made? And how much is too much for you? It takes me quite a while to sketch them in pencil, line them in ink, watercolor or color pencil them, then re-ink, laminate and cut them out.

I plan on taking photos on the next sunny afternoon, so I can get them listed in my shop.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Plush Crush

I've listed some more of my handmade plush creatures in the old etsy shop, so I thought I'd share. You know, in case you might want to buy any of them to cuddle. 

Bleu Blue Bear
Miles Hoppington
Ludwig
And I'm currently making a little blue-eyed panda bear. I'm planning on listing her/him in the near future, but I don't know. I might be falling in love...

Friday, February 3, 2012

Commission!

Have I mentioned how much I love commissions? Not just because they mean I'm getting paid to do what I love, but because they're like getting assignments. I never thought I'd say I miss getting a lesson plan, but things can get a little stagnant if you're the only one dictating what you do. Maybe it's just me. 

Even if I'm working with the same medium a lot, it's nice to get photos of a subject that I haven't spent much time looking at before. Without the help of commissions, I'd be painting my animals all the time. I love them and all, but I've already painted them. Not that I couldn't make a challenge out of that, but whatever; I'm rambling.

These are a couple of sweethearts that I painted for a mother to give her two daughters for Christmas. Her grand-cat and grand-dog, Murphy and Hugo. 

I'm not sure if I've blogged about my reaction to getting a commission before. It's very Fiddler on the Roof. If you haven't seen that gloriousness, you simply must. It's only the most wonderful musical of all time. Anyhow, I break into my own little version of "Tradition." Commissiooooooon! Commissioooon! Commission!

I'll stop being weird via blog now.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Alive & Painting

Well, hello there! It's been a while, and I feel the shame of neglecting my blog once again. Vicious cycle. Bad habit. I'm not sure what to call it, but I've definitely been productive in the time I've spent offline. That's always good, right?

In an effort to get back into blogging again, I've decided to try to keep up with sharing my newest creations. I've been doing a lot of painting, drawing, sewing and sculpting, so that ought to keep me posting for a while. 

Woodland Tea Party!




These three pieces were a commission from Cody, whom I am ever so happy to have discovered here on the interwebs. She's a pastry-makin', Harry Potter lovin', breakfast food enthusiast with two kitties. What's not to love, right? Well, she requested three 5x5 woodland tea party illustrations for her kitchen, and this is what she got.

As soon as the sun shows it's face around these parts again, I plan on taking photos, so I can list prints of these on my etsy shop.

So...uh...I'll see you around.

Should I Write A Book?

Yesterday I made a Facebook post in an attempt to deal with some obsessive thoughts I was having, thoughts I have often, that drag me down. ...