RhiCreates

WOAHHhh!

2012-07-21T00:54:00.000-04:00

WOAH I just looked at my blog for the first time in a few weeks, and i'm up to 39,000+ page views, from only a couple of thousand a few weeks ago. This may not seem like a big deal to most bloggers, but to me that's amazing! This has definitely inspired me to be better about updating this blog, as well as creating a "gallery" section, and focusing more on social media and online promotion of my artwork. Thanks to all of my viewers :)

on that note.. I've got a few new ETSY listings, Including separate listings for my popular peacock feather paintings!

Peacock Feather Wall Art 11x14

Colorful Close Up Peacock Feather

Monogramed Wine Glass

Tiffany's Inspired Wine Glass

New Listings on ETSY!

2012-06-11T13:28:00.000-04:00

Here are a few things I just listed on my Etsy store! Check them out, and let me know what you think :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/RhiCreates

-These two paintings were done as commissions for the McIntosh sisters who have both competed in the Miss Georgia Pageant. I decided it would be a great painting for other princesses and pageant queens!

Wine glasses!

In search of inspiration...

2012-06-09T18:51:00.001-04:00

So.. I have this amazing job..

I teach painting classes at ARTini's in Athens GA! I get to create new artwork monthly, then get to teach my masterpieces to others. Many of our 'students' have little to no painting experience, but their finished work is always incredible! I've been brainstorming today in search of new inspiration for paintings. It hasn't been nearly as successful as I had hoped, so I've decided to take a look back on some stuff I've done thus far, and share in the process.

If you're ever around the Athens, GA area check us out! http://www.artinisartlounge.com/

I'm BACK!

2012-05-14T20:00:00.003-04:00

After a long pause in posts due to my insane school semester.. I have returned! I'm currently in the process of updating my Etsy store, my facebook page, this blog, returning emails, and getting caught up on commissions I've been promising for months. I'm so excited for school to be out for summer and I can now focus on the things I love to do :)

Check out some of my new listings on Etsy.. I will be including custom gifts.. AND some oil paintings from the past few semesters of school.

By the end of next week, I plan to be completely caught up! woohhoo

This has been a personal favorite:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/99820723/monogrammed-ornament-with-ribbon-detail

And a NEW oil painting up for sale:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/99817834/performing-ballerina-oil-painting

Painting on Wine Glasses

2012-01-05T21:47:00.003-05:00

Painting on glass can be a bit confusing without the right guidance. Lucky for you, I'm willing to share few tips! Here is a step-by-step guide to painting an initial and feather on a wine glass with proper paint and sealant for long-lasting use :)

When painting on glass, it is important to use an enamel based paint such as Folk Art Enamels. Acrylic paints are water based and will easily peel off of any glass surface. Martha Stewart just came out with an awesome line of enamel paint with amazing colors, I've just found that Folk art cost a bit less. (these are the colors I used for this project)

Painting the Feather

1. Creating the base: I painted a yellow circle in the middle of the glass. Then a green line around the yellow, and then teal blue around the green and yellow. I brought the top right to a point with the teal as well as the bottom left.

- to make teal mix the teal from the bottle with white

2. Adding feathers: After the main shapes were dry, I started adding layers of feathers with the gold color. I used a small brush and did quick, wispy marks within the teal level.

3. I continued adding the strands of feather with the same teal color used in the base. I took the design further down the glass on the bottom left side. Then I basically did the same thing to add more strands over the blue and in-between the blue strands.

- to make lime green mix the dark green, yellow, and white

4. Next, use the teal from the bottle, and paint a line around the lime green ring and paint feathers from it alternating the way the feathers expand and curl outward.

5. Also, use the darker teal to paint an oval within the yellow circle in the center.

6. Next, I used navy blue from the bottle, to add a few skinny strands around the feather. I also used the navy blue to add a bean shaped oval in the center of the teal circle added in step 5.

7. Lastly, I used the purple color from the bottle to add the final layer of feather strands around the interior ring. I also added a line of navy blue in the center teal circle.

Annddd.. you're done!

Painting the Initial

1. Using the light teal color, paint a circle on the side of the wine glass opposite of the feather.

2. Now, paint a 1/2inch lime green line around the teal circle

3. Use the darker teal, from the bottle, to outline the light-teal circle, as well as the lime green line

4. Then, use navy blue to paint the desired initial in any font of your choice.

5. Add navy blue polka dots within the green ring, and try to space them equal distance from one another.

Andd. you're done!!

Super easy!

To Seal:

-once the paint has had AT LEAST 24 hours to dry, your work is safe to be sealed. This specific paint should be usable without needing a sealant coat, I would just rather be safe than sorry :) So, I just use any type of clear coat (purchased at any hobby/craft store) to finish off my work. Lightly spray a few layers onto the glass pausing 1minute between each layer. Allow 48 hours for the final coat to dry.

Good luck and happy glass painting!

xoxo Rhiannon

Paint and Peacocks...

2011-12-30T00:58:00.003-05:00

** the following paintings can be purchased at http://www.etsy.com/shop/RhiCreates

I've been busy tonight working on a few paintings as well as painting a wine glass!

(wine glass tutorial will be posted in the next few days! yaayyy!)

My favorite colors are inspired by the teal, purple, and pinks found in peacock feathers and I have been trying to think of a better way of incorporating these into my bedroom decor. I decided to do a grouping of small paintings with these colors and various graphics to hang over my bed. Tonight I worked on 3 out of 6 and I thought I would share with you how I went about painting them. It was super easy, and it only took me a couple of hours to get completely done with all 3!
ps- when I get them all done and hung up, I will share the final result :)

1. I painted a 11x14 canvas black

2. I used purple as the main color and began to paint the feather with thin, whimsical and wispy lines

3. I added the remaining colors 1 layer at a time

color order: purple, blue, green, darker blue, purple, pink.

or purchase this for yourself!

1. For the next painting, I painted the entire canvas a turquoise blue, which was straight from a bottle of acrylic paint I purchased at Hobby Lobby

2. I painted the basics of the feather starting with purple and working to the top right

3. I began adding more and more lines by layering color on top of other colors

4. I added a few black lines to finish off the feather and really make it pop!

This last painting was by far the easiest!

1. I painted my entire 8x10 canvas deep purple.

2. When It was dry, I began painting the circle design starting with a lighter shade of purple

3. To make the design: I painted a small circle in the bottom left, which serves as the center of my shape. Then I made lines the size and thickness of a grain of rice all the way around the center mark. From there, I added levels of marks to increase the diameter of the circle-like shape.

4. I continued this same method of making these shapes by using lime green then the darker green (on the left side), pink, and lastly- turquoise.

And there they are!!

Now I just need to figure out what to paint for the rest of the grouping...

PS- My precious angel, Trixie, wanted you all to know that she helped with this project too :))

xoxo, Rhiannon

Scrapbooking on a Budget

2011-12-29T00:24:00.000-05:00

So far, I'm sticking to my New Years resolution...

As you could image I stay busy making and creating. The project for this week happens to be a scrapbook!

As a christmas present, my amazing boyfriend started a scrapbook of our past two years together, which was something I had been talking about doing for awhile now. He picked everything out, and printed out dozens of pictures. And now, I get to take all of his prep-work and turn it in to a beautiful scrapbook full of fun memories! -- Just a warning: this is mushy, gushy project.

this is the actual scrapbook he choose, and the picture he choose for the cover! He's precious :)

Like many of you, I am a BEGINNER scrapbooker. So I have decided to document the creation of this scrapbook from beginning to end...

Day 1:

Page 1: Our first date.

This is the only picture from our first date, so I've got a lot of room to be creative with this page. I went to Hobby Lobby and purchased some 3D embellishments (on sale for 40%off woohoo!) and I think with some cute fonts, and a little story insert, I can make an awesome page. I will be coming back to this page next week when I get a little more inspiration.

Page 2: Our friends said we were always "puppy lovin"

These are a few photos from the very beginning of our relationship when we were just dating and extremely smitten for each other.

So, I took different color cardstock to place behind each photo, as well as a small cut out of patterned paper. I bought a few love-inspired sticker sets at hobby lobby as well, and a sheet of pink letters to bring this page to life!

Page 3: My Sorority Formal

I still have some pictures to print for this page, but I'm seriously struggling with creative ideas for it...

Page 4: Summer Braves Game

I think this page should be pretty straight forward: a few pictures, some stickers and embellishments from hobby lobby and there ya go!

The rest of my pages look like the ones above and have small ideas in the works. I will have a good amount of creative time over the next few weeks, and I can't wait to see how this project will turn out!!

I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes, which I painted of course :)

Until next time,

xoxo Rhiannon

Truth is...

2011-12-28T01:29:00.002-05:00

Truth is....
I'm terrible at this blogging thing.

One of my many New Years Resolutions is to get better at blog posting!!! ... and I'm starting tonight. Yes I know it's not 2012 yet, but i'm trying to be productive and beat my own tendencies of procrastination before Jan 1st comes and goes without a blog post. So the goal is: 1 post a day until Jan 1st. Then AT LEAST 1 a week after that.. Any friends want to hold me to this!!?? :)

On another note,
As I reflect on the past year, I have really enjoyed painting coolers for friends and family. It seems like such a silly thing to do, but let me tell ya, guys just can't get enough of these custom beer carriers. So, I think in 2012, as another New Years Resolution, I will be taking my "mini-business" to the next level and intensely marketing myself and my coolers! If you are interested in a cooler or any of my artwork, please visit and "Like" my page RhiCreates. I update my facebook page A LOT more than this blog :)

Here are a few photos of a cooler I finished right before Christmas for one of my boyfriends bestfriends. He was completely shocked by this gift that his lady friend got me to paint for him, and absolutely loves it! So I thought I'd share... enjoy!

His last name is Corley :)

His favorite alcohol, we're still in college, so it fits!

Russell Athletics Brand Logo- His name is Russell--- very clever :)

We must always represent UGA!

and.. he's a good ole country boy!

ps- the white is still there because I had to take these pictures before my top-coat of sealant was dry.. we had to sneak it into the apartment sooner than I thought. haha!

If you are interested in ANY of my artwork please contact me via RhiCreates Facebook Page and I will be glad to give you a price quote, and talk to you about personalized artwork.

The price of coolers depends on the size of cooler and graphics chosen.

I'd love to be your artist :)

Gift Ideas

2011-11-26T20:40:00.001-05:00

While visiting my family for thanksgiving I ventured out for some black friday shopping. Needless to say, I spent wayyy more than I planned on, and I didn't even make a dent in my shopping list. So, all day i've been trying to think of gifts that I can make for my family and friends that are budget friendly. If you are anything like me, you try to make your money go as far as possible when it comes to christmas gifts. I've done a pretty decent job in the past with crafty gifts, and I've already got a few ideas for this year, but I've got a lot more searching to do on Pinterest and other blogs before I get everything figured out!

So, I thought i'd share some gifts i've created for past holidays and birthdays in hopes of inspiring your crafty side to save money during the holidays!

The Cooler-- what guy doesn't want a cooler to hold all of his ~~beer~~ drinks :) that is custom painted for him and what he likes?? I've done a ton of coolers to date and it is by far my favorite gift to give. I did this one for my wonderful boyfriend for our first christmas together! [ I posted a few weeks ago the cooler I painted for my dad recently too]

Painting-

These were some simple paintings I did for my boyfriend's birthday a while back. These logos were free-handed but could be altered for paintings that anyone could do!

1. Just print out a logo of any brand you would like to rhicreate,

2. cut it out,

3. trace around the edges lightly with a pencil

4. Use acrylic paint from michaels, hobbylobby, or walmart, and fill it in!

this was for a friend's birthday:

- It was done on canvas board (flat board) with 3 simple acrylic paint colors, and would be great for a fun birthday present.

These were all various paintings done for friends and friends of friends for gifts:

And there's always baking... I know my painting skills definitely outweigh my skills in the kitchen, but it's all about effort right!? So, I figured i'd share my efforts.

- ANYONE CAN DO THIS!

1. For the cupcakes: 8 cupcakes, pink frosting, a squeeze tube of red frosting (on the cake aisle)

2. Candy

3. A mussshhy card

4. In the jar--- about 50 valentines (cars and buzz lightyear of course) all with special love messages :)

Just call me Santa's Helper!

2011-11-25T22:50:00.001-05:00

I've been busy over this thanksgiving break! I'm getting caught up on all of my painting commissions that are owed to people, ya'll are keeping my busy and I LOVE IT! I started with christmas crafting and painting to add to my holiday spirit, then it will be on to a wedding sign, and a painting of a cute little owl. I thought i'd share what i've been up to.. enjoy!

again if you would like to see more- visit my facebook page RhiCreates Facebook

Ornaments: some have vinyl decals that i've cut with my Circut, and the rest are hand painted. I sell these for $7-$20 each depending on size, design, and type.

Paintings for Artini's December Calendar - Check it out! www.artinisartlounge.com

It's my awesome job! I teach people how to paint a specific painting and have the option of drinking beer and wine while having fun!

Paintings for Splash Into Art: I also teach here :) I told you I was busy! Same deal as above, but in another town! Check it out www.splashintoart.com

Just Random Arts & Crafts for some wonderful customers:

Figure Drawing

2011-11-19T12:53:00.001-05:00

As some of you may already know, I am a student at the University of Georgia and will soon be graduating with a BFA in Art Education. Throughout my educational journey, I have had to take a number of art studio courses. I have recently fallen in love with drawing the human figure and I thought I'd share a few of my most recent drawings from class. I'm pretty happy with them, considering my class is at 8AM.. yes 8am with nude models... great way to start the day! haha We do a drawing per class so I have about 50 of these so far, but these are a few from the past two weeks. enjoy!

all are done on 18x24 drawing paper with vine and compressed charcoal.

if you enjoy my personal work, you can see more @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/RhiCreates/240940335957523

GO DAWGS!

2011-10-23T21:06:00.001-04:00

I just finished painting my dad's cooler for the GA/FLA game on October 29th in Jacksonville, FLA. He is already obsessed with it, and I'm so happy that I can do things like this for my family and friends!

I often commission coolers and it is by far the most challenging and fun crafty art that I do. After some experimenting, I've finally figured out a few secrets to keep the paint from chipping off coolers, which is a common problem among cooler-painters. I'm pretty happy with how this turned out.. enjoy :)

GO DAWGS!

Under Construction

2011-09-25T12:23:00.004-04:00

I've just started this blog to post all of my creations. I've got a lot or pictures and ideas to upload but i've got to get the basics of this site set up first! keep a look out for updates.