Felicia Follum Art + Design Blog

Grace is A Bit Queer Vlog

2013-05-16T07:08:00.000-07:00

In this video I talk about my Grace is a Bit Queer graphic design poster series, a body of artwork dealing with the relationships between Christians and the LGBTQ community. As Christians we are called to show grace and even love to those who are different than us regardless of personal opinions.

What we do/who we are does not get us into heaven. It is something much deeper (though I don't really talk about that in this video haha).

The posters attempt to help to help people understand Christianity, grace, and radical forgiveness a bit more.

If you like me or my art be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel.

Life After an Art Degree

2013-05-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

In this video I talk about my experience of being fresh out of college and some of the challenges that I am currently facing. I have two other videos from this Art Jobs series posted and at least two more to come. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to see them all.

Also if you have any life or art vide requests please let me know. I currently check my YouTube account more than my blog so that is a better way to reach me.

Thanks for watching!

New Camera on The Way

2013-05-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

GoPro Anticipation

In this Vlog I ramble about my GoPro* camera that is on the way. I am excited to use the camera for summer travels, backpacking and snowboarding. Be on the lookout for some fantastic videos (well I try and I'm learning). I also just downloaded iMovie 6 which is what I used on this video lol yep.

**I was not paid by GoPro

Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to see my unboxing video!

Batman Day! Dedicated to my Dad

2013-05-01T07:25:00.000-07:00

Source: geektyrant.com via Felicia Follum Art+ on Pinterest

Did you know that today is Batman Day?! (I know the Interobang would have been the appropriate punctuation mark to use, but I didn't.)

Holy blog post Batman! This is in honor of my dad who has always been a rather large fan of The Bat. Growing up with him I have of course been a fairly knowledgable fan, or addict as some would say since I was young. I have seen ever movie and TV show every made. Including some terrible home made videos of a large Batman running around WallMart and other such places.

Source: madamnoire.blogspot.com via Felicia Follum Art+ on Pinterest

I really do love all things Batman from the political graphic novels to the psychological thrill of Arkham Asylum (the game and the comic book). The goal of this post is to share some Batman inspiration and fan art with you. (And if my mom can track down the photo I am looking for I will also share some man who shall remain nameless running around in a Holy Bat Suit.)

First of all here is my Pinterest.com board that I created for my dad for his birthday. My parents were moving and did not want anything so I decided to create this board and filled it full of readings and history on Batman. If you scroll to the bottom you will see these original posts but since I did take after my pops in many ways I continued to add to this board.

Source: laughingsquid.com via Felicia Follum Art+ on Pinterest

You can also check out these links from mylikes.com

Marvel vs DC?

Can't wait for The Dark Knight Rises? You'll appreciate these memes.

Check out these fab superhero-inspired makeup looks! #5 is Batman.

Movie Facts

Be sure to follow me on YouTube to see more of my artwork and track my trip to India this summer. If you want any artwork or graphic design be sure to contact me. FeliciaFollum.com has all my contact information but feel free to use Youtube or Facebook.

Watercolor Travel Kit

2013-04-18T11:50:00.000-07:00

This is the travel kit that I will be taking to India with me.

Watch the video to see how I fit all of my watercolor paints, water, two bowls, an eraser and even a brush in this little guy.

You can also hear a bit about where I have taken my watercolor travel kit.

Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more art and India travel videos.

Tattoos, Tattoos, + More Tattoos

2013-04-17T20:47:00.000-07:00

As I am sure you know, I have been working on my tattoo sleeve for a while now. Though it is composed and inspired by mostly my artwork and photography a huge part of the process has included researching hundreds of tattoo photos.

I have been sharing some of these fun tattoo images on my personal Facebook page and people just seemed to love them so I figured I would share them on my blog as well. I hope you all enjoy this uniquely beautiful and fascinating art form.

Source: likes.com via Felicia Follum Art+ on Pinterest

Just Some Plain, Rad Tattoo Art

Super amazing 3D tattoos.

12 of the most adorable Disney-inspired tattoos

Here are some more of the craziest and coolest 3D tattoos

You'll probably recognize a few of these Celebrity Tattoos!

These hyper-realistic tattoos will shock you!

Some more Great Tattoo Ideas

Check out the Cutest Girl Tattoos!

Celebrity Tattoos

The NFL is full of inked-up players!

It's no secret that tattoos are huge in the NBA, but who has the best ink?

Source: likes.com via Felicia Follum Art+ on Pinterest

Ok, So I am not a 1D fan but have ya seen Harry's MASSIVE butterfly tattoo?

Check out the Coolest Celeb Ink!

Miscelaneous

Every piece of ink has a story to tell and that's just the case with these absolutely insane gang tattoos!

Here are 15 of the nerdiest tattoos you can find on the Internet!

The only thing worse than a painful tattoo, is a painfully mis-spelled tattoo!

And Some Crazy Piercings

Why would you put a hole there?

You can also find me on YouTube.com

Links found via mylikes.com.

Taking a Short Break

2013-04-11T23:45:00.000-07:00

Hey all and thank you so much for subscribing and/or visiting my blog. You make all the difference on here. I am sad to inform you that I will be taking a break from updating my blog....There is a time for everything (well except blogging). I am currently finding that I am not dedicating enough time to this art blog. I will be taking a short break which means that my regular Sunday/Thursday posts will be put on hold.

But I'm not really going anywhere...

You can still find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, ETSY, YouTube and of course my website. See I'm still around.

To learn more about #TheLilyPadProject check out this YT video

And I will be blog posting sporadically and uploading Vlogs to YouTube. Be sure to check those out and subscribe. Some of my vlog topics include my art (of course), art jobs, and my new dreadlocks. I am always taking requests so head on over, request a video, subscribe and show me some love.

I will be back probably after summer...keep reading...

Well actually I am going somewhere....

As you may or may not know I will be in India for a month this summer. I expect to be making art like a crazy person for a few weeks after and we will see where things go from there....

PS A whole bunch of DO's and just one DON'T

DON'T try to contact me via Pinterest (I have way too many updates to keep track of on there)

DO check my boards out :)

Do subscribe to my YouTube channel.

Do request videos

Do find me on the other places online and share your artwork or just come say HI!

Srping/Summer Questions Inspired by YouTube

2013-04-11T11:43:00.002-07:00

I teach a blogging class at the Cooper Center for Creative Arts. As a part of the class we are creating posts based on TAGs from YouTube. As a class we created a list of questions inspired by several TAG post questions and picked our favorites from that list. I am creating this post to share with my students. I may create a YouTube video as well so be sure to check out and follow my channel. Below are my favorite five questions from the list.

In this post I will use several of the techniques we are studying including lists, story, photography, link roundup, recommendation/review, and tips. I hope you enjoy!

What are your favorite spring/summer accessories?
(example of a List post)

Scarves with tank tops
Scarves with long sleeves
Scarves with puffy vests
Scarves wrapped around my head
and
Cut t-shirts with bangle bracelets (my Style and DIY YouTube videos can be found here)
but
mostly scarves

What is your favorite flower?
(example of a Story post)

My favorite flowers are...well, honestly I love any wild flower. But my absolute favorite flower is a wild orchid. More specifically the red ones that grow on a red and purple stem. And of course there is a story behind my specific love of wild orchids. I went to a flower camp in Colorado with my mother-in-law (at the time soon to be mother-in-law) where we identified one hundred and seventy some wild flowers. We drove to at a 14,000 foot elevation. Thoe whole experience was fantastic. We had a ton of fun with the Colorado old hippy flower laides. My mother-in-law was the youngest by about twenty to thirty years and there was me.

As we ventured we found some orchid species that were completely red and were actually a fungus and not a flower (I'm not a scientist so I won't try to explain much more). These flowers fascinated me. I painted them. I drew them. I went for day hikes to look for them. I went for night hikes scoping them out with my head lamp.

Still over four years later when I am backpacking or camping or hiking I tend to stop to smell, paint, and look at the wildflowers and if I see a red fungal orchid I scream a bit, jump up and down and show everyone on the trail with me as I explain this entire story.

What is spring/summer like where you live?
(ecxample of a Video and Reccomendation/Review post)

Laramie’s weather is pretty crazy….

Though I recommend that you come visit. Check out this video to see why.

Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to keep up with me and my art (I also talk about things like my dreadlocks and art business).
Are you going to go camping or going to camp this summer?
(example of a Photo post)

Yes! Yes! Absolutely! Yes! I love camping and bacpacking.

One very special reason why I love camping is taking time to be alone in creation. Read more on my sckrlgn blog.

Are you going on vacation or Spring Break?
(example of a Link Roundup)

Yes, I will be traveling to India this summer. I have a couple blog posts about traveling in response to Haiti and I plan to create a couple more. I will most likely create some posts in response (and preparation) for India.

All of my Haiti Posts can be found here.
Past Haiti Trip
A Language Barrier, not a Communication Barrier Pt. 1
A Language Barrier, not a Communication Barrier Pt. 2
I am Thankful for My Water
Syncretism: Mixing of Religions If I were to go back and edit, or rewrite, this blog post I would talk about the difference between culture and religion and where that boundaries is or is perceived to be.
Being Jesus/Love in Haiti
Thomazeau, Haiti
Next Trip...(Things I would Change)
Beauty in The Broken
Life in Haiti
Maps
Art Lesson Ideas
Personal Motivation for Travel (to Haiti)

Stay tuned for more India posts!!!

India Trip

2013-04-11T11:43:00.000-07:00

This post is an introduction to a series of blog posts in preparation and response to my India trip this summer. I will be adding more but wanted to be able to link to the whole set (which is why this post is so slim).

Feel free to check out my Haiti Posts to see what I hope to create for India (the Haiti posts are focused on religion, my India posts will focus more on art).

I will also post YouTube videos so be sure to subscribe for more updates.

#TheLilyPadProject Vlog Video

2013-04-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!! Be sure to come to my art exhibition #TheLilyPadProject in the next couple weeks.

If you can't make it to Laramie, Wyoming no problem. Host in a local venue. I am always looking for places to share my artwork.

I wanted to share my exhibition Vlog video with you all. If you haven't found me on YouTube be sure to head over to my channel.

What is A Goji Berry?

2013-03-08T15:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I am not sure what a Goji berry is but they sure do smell fabulous!

For those of you who don't know I am a BzzAgent. This means that I get free or discounted products to sample for companies and then I share what I think about the product.

You really should check out the site especially if you like freebies.

My new Sister Locs and #TheLilyPadProject

Sadly, I received the product for the first campaign too late. You may or my not know that I just decided to loc my hair which means no more conditioner, or lathering shampoo. I am also only using organic hair products at least while they loc.

Hydra Recharge from Fructis and #TheLilyPadProject

So What am I Doing with The Goods?

I originally I decided to use the Hydra Recharge shampoo for bubble baths and to clean out my paint brushes or as a give away on my YouTube channel (be sure to view and Subscribe)...However I talked to a girl at work and she seemed pretty excited about trying the shampoo.

I do still plan to use the conditioner for shaving cream. I am allergic to some fragrances and the Hydra Recharge seems to do just fine. It's quite nice....

If you are interested in updates or other people's opinions about the shampoos and conditioners check out the BzzAgent campaign page.

You can learn more about #TheLilyPadProject on my YouTube channel or in my other blog posts.

Tattoo Fashion: Off the Soulder Shirt Tutorial

2013-03-07T01:18:00.000-07:00

Fashion is something that has nearly fallen off my to do list as I finished up the last couple years of my Art and Humanities degrees. As a creative person I have always enjoy self expression through my clothing, hair, makeup, and body art so it only makes sense that I would return to this area of my life at some point.

I am currently at that point in life where I am transitioning from college to “the real world.” Over the past couple years I have been updating my wardrobe to match and in the meantime decided to make the commitment to get a large tattoo. The tattoo decision is impacting my fashion sense in some fun ways. Since starting my ¾ sleeve, I have really been focusing on clothing that emphasizes a specific part of, shows all, or covers my arm. I currently refuse to buy or DIY any clothing that doesn’t fit into at least one of these categories.

One of my favorite styles that shows off my water lily is the off the shoulder look. I will be creating a video tutorial on YouTube in addition to the one below..

Check out this sweatshirt I made to show off my shoulder tattoo.

Really all you need to do is cut out the neck.

To Do

Lay out a sweatshirt or t-shirt on the floor

chalk an outline around the neck

Mike was right next to the seem on the left and about two inches from the sleeve on the right

Cut smaller rather than larger because you can always make the cut larger

Read more about my tattoos here.
Video tutorial coming to YouTube. If you like art and tattoos be sure to subscribe.

Artist Interview on YouTube

2013-02-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

Artist Interview

Check out this video to see my design and to receive some fabulous art advice from the lead singer of my favorite band, Showbread.

I would love (as I said several times in the video) to hear your answers to these and other questions, either in the comments or via YouTube. If you are on YouTube (or have a Gmail account) be sure to subscribe to my Felicia Follum Art+ Channel.

Here are the questions I answered.

1.What does "being creative" mean to you?
2.Can you describe the time when you first realized that creating was something you absolutely had to do?
3.What kind of creative patterns, routines or rituals do you have?
4.What's your favorite thing you've ever created?
5.What are you trying to communicate with your art?
6.Which creative medium would you love to pursue but haven't yet?
7.What's the best advice you ever had about how to be more creative?

You can see more of my art on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/FeliciaFollumDesign or on my blog at
My website is www.FeliciaFollum.com

The questions I responded to came from this site.

World Water Matt Damon Press Conference Response

2013-02-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

Matt Damon recently put out a video with Water.org. The video really made me start thinking about experiences that I saw when in Haiti. I created this poster in response to some of the children that I saw while in Haiti.

I created the video response below to talk more about my experience in Haiti, why I think it is important to help other abroad as well as locally and to show off my graphic design world water poster.

You can view Matt Damon's video here.

Creativity Prompt #15: Create a Music Video

2013-02-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

This creativity prompt is to create a music video. It doesn't need to be fancy. In fact the storyboard may be enough. Often times jumping into the creative process with no reservations is all it takes to become inspired.

Find me on YouTube and subscribe to my Art+ channel. If you do create a video I would love to see it. Feel free to post it as a video response.

I created this music video around nine or ten years ago for my Digital Video class. I hope you enjoy one of my favorite songs from my all time favorite band Showbread.

Happy Valentine's Day

2013-02-14T05:36:00.000-07:00

I hope you enjoy my complete goofiness in this video.

Be sure to check out my other art related YouTube videos and subscribe and answer the questions in the comments or create video response.

What are your thoughts on Valentines Day? Why?
Have you ever had a valentine?
What is the cutest thing you have ever experienced/seen a friend experience on Valenines day?
What is your favorite/least favorite valentines day candy?
Do you have a valentine this year?
What is your ideal Valentine's gift?
If you were to have a celebrity valentine who would it be?

Art In Haiti

2013-02-13T08:53:00.000-07:00

Me sharing a a Paper Bead Lesson

Here is a post from my religion blog. I talk about my experience teaching art in Haiti leading art lessons. I will edit the post a bit. To see the original and more about the religions of Haiti and my spiritual experience check out my SckRlgn Blog.

As many of you know I was fortunate to be able to take a trip to Haiti last summer (2011). The goal of our group was to build a chicken coupe in a small village community while spreading the Good News.

One of the cultural differences led to the Haitian males taking away most of the American women’s jobs while working on the chicken house (polaye in Creole). Though frustrating for some of the ladies in our group, this was a good thing for two reasons. First, I strongly believe that it was our job to equip people rather than do for them. And second (third, fourth and fifth), this dynamic led to me being surrounded by tons of kids, and the opportunities to lead art lessons, learn some Creole, and having the chance to spend quality time with one of the older girls. One-on-one time with a role model of some sort is a major need for many young women in Haiti. In fact if I go again I plan to take nail polish to share with the young women (probably women of all ages).

The photo above is me teaching some of the order girls and young boys how to make paper beads. You can read more about the Upcycled paper beads in my tutorial. I also took around 60 friendship bracelet kits (just cut string ready to be braided or knotted) Using art to connect with people was a unique and beautiful experience. I went in with no Creole and some of the older kids knew how to count to 5 in English and say Miami. The art lessons allowed me to make friends with one of the families as well as some other kids and leaders in the community. Using art allowed us to teach each other basic language skills but also forces us to use sign language (actually having sign language experience was more beneficial than my Spanish) and other forms of communication such as body language and sounds.

I would love the opportunity to go back to the small village again, to show the kids that it was not a one-time event, but rather a sincere investment in their lives. I also have a small amount of money to take back from selling my art in response to the first trip.

Creative Prompt #14: Tattoo Design

2013-02-10T01:03:00.000-07:00

Design a tattoo!

Whether you are seriously considering body art or not answer these questions.

If you were to get inked what would you get and where? Would it be color or black and grey? Why? What is something that is central to who you are? Is there a person you respect who you would like to honor?

If you are thinking about getting ink, write about why you want one and what it means to you. Is it as simple as liking beautiful art or as complex as representing your life story. Designing a tattoo does not mean that you or anyone actually needs to get the work done. I spent hours sketching ideas over the course of almost three years before actually committing. If your are considering a tattoo see the bottom of the post for more questions to consider.

If you are not considering getting inked you can still design some artwork or even a single heart or cross on you finger.

More questions to consider (You can see my answers to these and more in a bit under the label tattoo)

Where are you at in life?

Are there any major life changes that will take place? Graduating high school? College? Marriage? Kids? Pregnancy?

Do you know what you want to do with you life?

If you want to be a doctor, nurse, lawyer, or other profession that is maybe not as open to the idea are you willing to cover your tattoo?

Do you still live with your parents/grandparents or others who provide for you? What do they think?

How will your body art affect the way you are treated?

What does your get tell you?

Can your afford it?

230 Nooses for Black History Month

2013-02-07T08:45:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone has a fantastic Black History Month!!! I wanted to share some artwork with you from my last exhibition titled "Make it Plain."

This video shows a piece names 1982 and talks about why I chose to create 230 nooses. The song playing in the background, Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday, was also written out in one of my books. As you will see he goal of my noose artwork was to help people understand a bit more about African American history and the racism that existed and to some extent still does exist. You can see images of the finished piece at the end of the video.

To see more of my art check out my YouTube channel.

Channel Your Anger: Creativity Boost #13

2013-02-03T09:09:00.000-07:00

Though anger is typically not helpful, there are certainly some productive ways to use this emotion to create artwork. My last body of art, Make it Plain was my creative response to African American history and to the way that people still act today.

This exhibition was the result of several months of intense research, my African American Studies and Religious Studies minors (equivalents) Graphic Design minor and art major. I read around 16 books full of essays by former Klansmen as well as several African American History textbooks. The video below shares one of the Essays written by General Nathan Bedford Forrest (the man Forrest Gump was named after).

If all this research was not enough to make me angry I have seen racism in many forms throughout my life including murders by the KKK, car bombings, and smaller things that hurt just as much over time.

I tell you all this because I want you to channel the negativity that you experience this month or over time and use it to create powerful and beautiful artwork. There are so many topics that can be covered. I teach adults with disabilities (which could be a topic on it's own) and many of my students are extremely passionate about the R word and bullying. Other topics I have addressed include Native Americans and Indian Reservations, World Water, HIV/AIDS, KONY2012, Christianity/Religion, the LGBTQ community and several others. My current and in-progress body of work deals with human trafficking and sex slavery.

As an artist who focuses on Social Justice, it would be very easy to get bogged down with all the garbage. Art has allowed me to channel that anger and share difficult topics with others in a beautiful and non-threatening way.

Tell what you think in the comments and be sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

About Me+ I'm on YouTube

2013-01-31T00:14:00.000-07:00

About Me+ My Art

If you are on YouTube come find me! I would love to see what topics your videos cover as I will be looking for ideas.

Creative Prompt: #12 Traveling Sketchbook

2013-01-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

Book Art by Felicia Follum

Do you surround yourself by creative people? Have you ever passed a sketchbook back and fourth among friends? Well why not start one?!?

A traveling sketchbook is a fun way to be creative without needing to be too serious. Including friends who are creative in different ways can be great as well. A writer may create a list, a graphic designer may create a chart and a visual artist a sketch. The next person could either respond to the previous work or start a completely new idea. One person could also create a background or simply write one word. Make your own games or simply pass with no guidelines.

The image shows some of my old sketches as a part of a book I made using an Exquisite Corpse Haiku (each person in the group wrote one word and passed the poem to the next person) and surrealism style overall. I never thought I would actually us the images but they worked perfectly once scanned into Adobe Illustrator and layered.

You can follow me on Twitter @feliciafollum for more creativity prompts.

Have you ever passed a journal around? How did it work? What guidelines did your group apply to the project?

Nautical Sleeve Tattoo and Photographic Inspiration

2013-01-24T22:50:00.000-07:00

Though photographs are not my artistic focus photographing is still a fun way for me to capture some of the beauty that I see in the world. I absolutely love the ocean and nature.

You can read more about the art and significance behind my tattoo and see more photos here.

The majority of my tattoo is coming from my art work

Since taking these jelly fish photos I have really fallen in love with both the symbolism behind jellyfish and their inherent beauty.

Not all of these will show up in my sleeve but they play a significant role in the designing of a nautical and ocean (and lake) themed tattoo sleeve.

You can see more of my tattoo inspiration on Pinterest.

Creativity Prompt #11 - De-stress

2013-01-20T17:48:00.000-07:00

Take a break from being creative and just be. I understand that when you are too busy it can feel like taking a break is the most stressful option possible. Truth is we are much more productive when we take care of ourselves. I'm not promoting a 6 or 7 hour break, but rather a 20 - 40 minute yoga session, spa visit, hot bath, reading or journaling (for fun), a run (a mile is plenty for me) or calling an old friend. Let's face it. However we choose to spend our quiet time every now-and-then we all need to unplug and just be.

A day at the beach, ocean, or pool is anything but stressful.

See more of my ocean photography here.

Creative Prompt #10: Make Lists

2013-01-13T17:50:00.000-07:00

Some times when I feel less creative it is because I have too much clutter I am trying to keep straight in my head. One strategy that helps the mind stay organized and helps build creativity at the same time is creating lists. Writers do this a lot in their spare time. Graphic designers use many techniques including list creation in their brainstorming process.

Here are some tips for your list. If you have a strategy already in use please share.

Topic: I will create a list of ideas for your list.

Length: Some people say lists should always be at least 100 items (your brain starts to think on a more subconscious number when the lists are longer). I think that 5 is about the shortest list.

Now what: You can continue the lists. Pick a topic off of your list and make another list off of that. If you keep your lists they can serve as great resources later on.

1. Colors
2. Games
3. Holidays
4. Friends
5. Personality traits
6. Psychotic disorders
7. Super heroes
8. To do
9. Places
10. Books
11. Authors
12. Artists
13. Songs
14. Plays you have seen
15. People you would like to meet
16. People you would be nervous to meet
17. Pick a holiday and white words that go with that holiday
18. Make a how to list
19. Yoga poses
20. Creative ideas (you can then draw one later and use it as a creative prompt)
21. Art techniques you like
22. Drinks
23. Foods
24. Things you are thankful for
25. What makes you happy/sad/lonely
26. Emotions
27. Art Therapy projects
28. Blog post ideas/topics
29. Great tweets topics
30. Quotes (pick one word to stir your memory and look the actual quotes up later)
31. Items to upcycle

What lists topics have you used? I would love to see a shared list below.