Hope to see you there, I'll be playing along as well.

May your day Sparkle,

You can find our more about the new Linky Followers option here - http://www.linkyfollowers.com/default.aspx   and be assured, if you have it installed on your blog I will also be following you back - it's one of my very few new year resolutions.

Psst - hey there Aussie gals - looking to join a Design Team? 

I just happen to know that Passion 4 Paper

 put out the call for submissions for it's very first Design Team -

Check it out.....

This clip gives a brief visual as to how these amazing art works are created, one layer of resin and paint at a time.

You can see more of Riusuke Fukahori's amazing art works on the following sites:

• Core77
• Flickr
• Facebook
• Colossal Art & Design

"Goldfish Salvation" Riusuke Fukahori from ICN gallery on Vimeo.

My favourite piece (so far) is the gold fish below - so real I'm half inclined to feed it!

• 
• 

 May your day sparkle,

Anyone else got a small paper addiction?   You all know I do :O)  Thought I'd share this very cool sale news, Patricia over at The Paper Temptress (who carries some of my all time favourite card stocks - HQ Watercolor and Eclipse Black 100) is having a rather fine sounding sale to kick off the new year.

So for February the Ribbon 2010 and the Sparkle paperline are 25% off. 

The Spring Variety package is also 25% for the rest of the month, so a PERFECT time to add to your paper and card collection!

Last thing I want to mention (specifically for guys & gals outside the USA) Patricia really does her best to keep the shipping costs low for us International customers, she packs in the cheaper International Envelopes and it really saves some money - so she really is worth a look.

And while you're at it, check out the amazing projects by the very talented Design Team on the Paper Temptress Blog.

Sending sparkly hugs to all,

What I used on the Wolf

• Clear Liquitex Gesso
• Golden Gesso - White
• White Sharpie marker - Poster Paint Extra Fine - to blot out eye
• Prismacolor Pencils to colour wolf: Black, White, Warm Grey 90%, 50%,  30%, 20%, 10%,  Cool Grey 70%, 20%, Light Umber, Dark Umber, French Grey 90%, Blue Slate, Peacock, Deco Aqua, Aquamarine & Light Aqua
• Copic Blender to blend pencil on wolf
• Stewart Gill Paints:  Byzantia - Seraphym and Pearlise - Black Pearl
• Copic Opaque White paint
• Copic Multiliner 0.3 for details

What I used on the Bird

• Clear Liquitex Gesso
• Golden Gesso - White
• Prismacolor Pencils to colour bird: Black, White, Warm Grey 90%, 50%,  30%, 20%, 10%,  Light Umber, Dark Umber, Blue Slate, Electric Blue, True Blue & Indido Blue
• Copic Blender to blend pencil
• Viva Precious Metal Colour 601
• Copic Opaque White paint
• Copic Multiliner 0.3 for details

What I used on the Background

• Clear Liquitex Gesso
• Golden Gesso - White
• Neocolor watersoluble crayons: Cobalt Blue, Emerald Green, Prussian Blue, Salmon, Periwinkle & Ultramarine Pink
• Prismacolor Pencils:  Black, White, Dark Brown, Dark Umber, French Grey, Parma Violet, Deco Aqua, Jade Green & Olive Green.
• Maya Resist liquid
• Crafter's Workshop Template: Branches TCW208
• Windsor & Newton Watercolor pans - various colours
• Stewart Gill Paints:  Byzantia - Seraphym and Pearlise - Black Pearl
• Jenny Bowlin - Ranger Paint Dabber: Brown Sugar
• Daler Rowney Liquid Pearlescent Acrylics: Dutch Blue & White Pearl
• White Sharpie marker - Poster Paint Extra Fine
• Copic Multiliner 0.3 & 0.1 for details
• Black Charcoal Pencil and paper blending stump

Some close-ups: 

Let me give credit where it's due - I saw 'Breath of Winter' and fell in love, this inspired me to create the wolfs' 'breath' on this page, I found this amazing wolf photo Arctic Wolf Howl on Deviantart and this adorable Winter Blue Jay on a bird feeding tips site it's also on a Bird Wallpaper site - so not sure where or who is responsible for the original.  I learned the gesso over photo technique on 21 Secrets last year, though I did mine a little different and the rest is all me :O)  I'm so excited with how this turned out, it's the first time that what was in my head actually made it to paper the way I imagined it - in fact I think it might even be better!

The full page looks like this:

Sparkly hugs,

I came across a YouTube clip today (via Facebook) where a fellow crafter was having her say on a topic close to her heart, ie: what we are allowed to do with the rubber stamps we have purchased.  There was some discussion about Angel Policies and Digi stamps, restrictions, legal issues, and some comments about sharing our work using stamps.  There were also some comments about some companies not allowing crafters to post cards using their images on their own blogs, colour them in, feature them in YouTube clips etc.  I watched the whole clip and was slightly confused (happens often) as one of the companies mentioned as having a super restrictive policy and who were really slammed was La-La Land stamps. 

Now let me say up front I am not now and have not previously been affiliated with La-La Land stamps, in fact I only bought my first La-La stamps last month and have only previously used them during my Copic classes  (I couldn't resist the new ones with the little animal hats - sue me!).  So no hidden agenda or hidden promotions here!  All I can tell you is my own personal experience with this company.  I recently posted a tutorial on a blog I work for, using a La-La Land stamp, I was so pleased with how it turned out I posted a link to the La-La Land Facebook group to share.  Now I had images of the stamp, photos of my tutorial etc all up online for the whole world to see and what happened?  I received an email from Irina (the owner of La-La Land) who mentioned it was a great tutorial and would I mind adding a watermark to the final image saying it was from La-La Land (in retrospect an excellent idea in case people are doing image searches and didn't see the full post, perhaps something I should do more often with my own stuff as well!).  I wasn't asked to remove it, I wasn't berated for posting online and I wasn't having my artistic freedoms restricted.  BUT after listening to the clip I was mighty concerned as I'm currently working on the video clip of this tutorial to post onto YouTube.  So I quickly sent an email to Irina to check what La-La Land considers fair use of their stamps, this is the list that came back:

• Yes, you can use our images in your videos!!   (I'm thinking this also goes for blogs since I already did that no problem)
• Yes, you can make cards with our stamps!!
• Yes, you can sell the cards that are made with our stamps!!
• Yes, you can use our stamps in your classes and give each person a stamped image to work on during the class!!
• Yes, you can share our stamps with your friends when you have a get together!!

Now I may be alone, but that covers all the things I've pretty much ever wanted to do with a stamp - including sharing with friends who came oer for a play date.  For me this seems pretty reasonable.  Irina went on to mention that the one thing they would prefer didn't happen is mass image swaps, where for example one person stamps an image say 3 times for each member participating in the swap - it could be 10 people or 100 people - you can see the info on this here or of course outright theft - theft of the image and reselling it as yours or stamping it out and selling it as a 'stamped image', not a money making idea that's ever crossed my mind - so I was suprised to hear it's quite common.

At this point I became a little upset, I like to save money on some things as much as the next person (so I can spend it on other things!) but to see a company slammed for something that wasn't correct really upsets me.  Even more so, as I know a few stamp artists and manufacturers personally and was shocked by how little these guys make from their art and their stamps - seriously, I thought someone who designed and manufactured their own range of internationally known and sold stamps would be pretty OK - the lady I'm talking about (well ladies really as I've heard the same thing from multiple people) have do do EVERYTHING themselves right down to the packing and trundling to the Post Office just to stay in business - my face must have been funny to see when I found out I swear my jaw hit the ground!  I hadn't realised how much EVERY sale means to these dedicated crafters and the fact that they walk such a fine line to stay in business. 

Not sure about anyone else, but I've noticed quite a few stamp companies in the last 12 months close their doors for good, including places I thought would never have money troubles as they seemed so popular.  It would be a huge shame to see these amazing and creative people hurt or worse, have to close, because the

people who love their images weren't supporting them.  If you love something enough to want to use it please purchase it, unmounted stamps are incredibly available now, as opposed to a few years ago and even digital stamps are now out there and again, most are really reasonably priced.  I would hate to see these amazing companies closing because 'we' the crafters using them were trying to save $3 on an unmounted stamp. 

So crafters PLEASE if you are reading this support the stamp companies we love so much and keep them in business and creating fabulous new designs to inspire our creativity.

You can check the policies of a few different companies here, but as I said before, please contact the individual company if confused, sometimes the policies sound worse than they are.

Sparkly hugs and off my soapbox,

Ancient Prayer to Demeter

Goddess of the earth and it's plants, of fertility and harvest, mother of Persephone and sister to Hestia.

Grant that as I grow and develop my garden, husband my plants, animals and pets, that they grow, are nurtured and protected as best can be.

Give me the strength to adjust to the seasons, neither too rigid nor too pliable, and the ability to change and adapt to life.

Assist me in respecting and communing with nature.

What I Used:

• Neocolor II water soluble pastels:
  Face - Purple, Grass Green, Dark Green, Russet, Salmon
  Hair - Black & Prussian Blue
  Crown - Yellow, Golden Yellow & Ochre
  Background - Ultramarine, Sky Blue, Violet, Ultramarine Pink, Mauve & Periwinkle Blue
  Leaves - Light Olive,
  Tree - Russet, Brown
• Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber: Snow Cap White on face and dry brushed over background
• Golden white gesso on background
• Sharpie Poster Paint marker - Extra Fine
• Copic Multiliners various sizes
• Pitt artist pens
• Pigma Brush pen BR
• Graphite pencil and blending stump
• Waterbrush - lots lol
• Brilliance ink - Cocoa Bean
• Art Journal stamp from Pam Carriker

Of course there is room for improvement here, but she looks like I wanted her to, soft, kind, caring and gentle.  As far as I'm concerned, I think Lifebook is is off to a good start :O)

Sparkly hugs,

Just a quick note to let you know Sweet Pea Stamps is having a fabulous sale - in fact they are having two!

$1, $2 & $3 Sale

Plus

Valentine's Day Sale 

So hurry over and stock up on your Sweet Pea Stamps today.

10 Most Artistically Inspiring People of 2011

No 10
Jane Davenport
for Providing Lifelong Artistic Tools

I'm going to sit here and have a cry (just a little one) while I write this, how do I say thank you to this amazing lady who has given me a tool which I will use for the rest of my life and one which brings such happiness?  All I can hear in my head as I write this is the song by LuLu - To Sir with Love, which I have re-written a little to fit here...

To Jane, With Love

Those schoolgirl days of drawing hearts and nagging doubts are gone
But in my mind I know they will still live on,
But how do you thank someone who has taken you from crayons to pastels?
It isn't easy, but I'll try

If you wanted the sky I would write across the sky in letters
That soared a thousand feet high 'To Jane, With Love'

The time has come for new books and that last lesson to end
And as I leave, I know that I am leaving with a new friend
A friend who taught me to blend and shade,  and draw amazing people
That's a lot to learn, but what can I give you in return?

If you wanted the moon I would try to make a start
But I would rather you let me give my heart  (check photo below).....
'To Jane, With Love'

You can hear the original song on iTunes just click the button:

 Jane Davenport is a photographer, illustrator. award winning author and artist who (along with her fabulous hubby Angus) runs The Institute of Cute store in Byron Bay, Australia.  I first met Jane in Brisbane in 2011, where she attended her first Papercraft fair as a stall holder, needless to say she and her journals were a hit (even the other stall holders were talking about them)!  Jane was taking enrollments into her on-line drawing class 'Draw Happy' which was a part of 21 Secrets 2011, I signed up on the spot and then proceeded to be so nervous about beginning that I didn't even begin classes for a few weeks - because I CAN'T DRAW.  When I finally plucked up the courage to take this massive leap (the idea of drawing something from scratch neared terrifying proportions in my mind), Jane was there to catch me and I haven't looked back, I even had the courage to sign up for 2 more drawing classes for 2012. 

Before I go on, I just wanted to share a few pieces of Jane's art  (You can see more on her Blog: http://www.janedavenport.com/) and show you all her awesome gift for drawing and colouring, for some reason looking at these makes me happy - I think it's because Jane's amazing bubbly personality comes through in her art.  To me Jane's art is a lot like Jane herself - playful, whimsical, colourful, happy and joyous.  I love how she draws her beautiful little people and creatures, the eyes are something that draw you into the image, the adorable little faces and outfits, the soft hair, defined with just a few flicks pf the pencil and then there are all those little extras that make it something special - the flowers, the accents, the backgrounds.  I've had the opportunity to watch Jane at work both in person and on many video clips and she makes it look so effortless, so unplanned and random, adding a little something here, covering up something there, a little red, a little blue, 'Trust the mess' she says!'  BUT this is the eye of a trained professional at work, who I'm willing to bet puts many hours into perfecting her art!

Jane is an amazing artist who I will be admiring for the rest of my life, but it's not her obvious artistic talent that I admire most - nope - it's Jane's ability to take something which has seemed so complicated, so mystical, so out of reach and impossible for someone with no art training and make it possible.  First and foremost for me - Jane is an amazing teacher.  She has this very special ability to explain drawing, faces, bodies, limbs, in such a way that it seems simple (sure you still have to practice and it doesn't all turn out looking like you may want), with Jane's guidance I found the drawing was possible - yes even I could draw a face.  For the first time in my life instead of saying 'I can't draw' and not even giving it a go, I'm looking at things and saying 'you know - I could draw that'.  It's a heady experience which I am completely enjoying and look forward to exploring much more.  Now I'm not DaVinci or anything, and I have a long way to go, which I expect will see me learning and improving my drawing for the rest of my life, but I now know that I can do it, I can learn to draw, I can improve and I like what I'm drawing (most of the time lol!). 

So what is most inspiring about Jane, is it her art or her talent for teaching - well I have to say I think the two are entwined, one an essential component of the other.  Jane's art inspires me to TRY and hew teaching gives me the tools to succeed.  Now I won't give away any of her teaching secrets, if you'd like to learn then take one of her amazing classes, believe me you will never regret it.  

For the first time in this 10 days of posting I just can't find the words to describe how important a person Jane has been to me.  My whole life I have wanted to draw, as a young child I would draw for hours and somewhere along the line I began to listen to the comments, to feel my scribblings weren't any good, what I drew wasn't pretty, wasn't realistic, wasn't worth putting on paper.  When I began high school I was so excited to take an art class, sadly the teacher expected that everyone already knew how to do everything and there was very little teaching of art (loads of art history though - I suppose that's easier to grade) - another disappointment,  even worse I could only take 6 months of art before having to do a different subject (small country town!).  So I've never had the opportunity to get over that impression created at an early age that 'I can't draw'.  To have someone totally blow that away in under 3 months is quite literally life changing, I can do this, I can learn to draw - for someone who has spent the last mumble mumble 30+ years wanting this, to suddenly be handed it and realise you have achieved a dream - it really is a precious gift.

As a final thank you to Jane I have drawn this - not my best work, but my bravest, no planning, just a very quick sketch and in I went with my watercolours, just slapping colour over colour all wet and then laid the pen over the top - start to finish 40 mins - no thinking no aiming for perfection - just enjoying myself.  I've gone from stick figures to feeling confident enough to draw an actual person - what a huge difference a great teacher can make!  So Jane - thank you!  Thank you for being a wonderful teacher, an amazing generous person and thank you for giving me the tools and the inspiration to draw - for life!

Sending out big sparkly hugs and I hope everyone reading over the last 10 days has found a source of inspiration in at least one of these amazing artists who continually inspire and amaze me,

Images re-posted with Jane's permission,