project365 : Characteristic Creatures
January 10th, 2012 No Comments »
I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve seen a lot about this “365 project” type thing on the internet lately. Basically, it’s a way for people to express themselves daily – either through photography, illustration, fashion or any other creative way they see fit! I ummm-ed and ahhh-ed for quite some time. Should I do it? Shouldn’t I? Hmmm….
Needless to say, Yes! I am going to give it a go! So here it is, my very own Project365. I want to use it as a way to improve some of my weaker illustration skills, so I’ll be working on expressions and emotions (on animals, of course! What else?!). 365 days of curious critters from all around the world, posing, pouting and who knows what else. I’d love to hear you suggestions and I will aim to draw each and every one of them – it’s as simple as:
Emotion or action / creature (real or fantasy) : Here’s the list, in no particular order, so far!
Disapproving BunnyOverexcited GiraffePondering Panda- Angry Dragon
- Satisfied Lion
- Hungry Cat
- Cheeky Monkey
- Terrified Lion
- Curious Cat
- Happy Clam
- Dapper Duck
- Bashful Badger
- Sneaky Squid
- Terrible Tortoise
- Happy Hedgehog
- Sassy Sasquatch
- Aggressive Alligator
- Bashful Bear
- Cheerful Chimp
- Delighted Donkey
- Energetic Emu
- Frenzied Ferrets
- Greatful Gazelle
- Happy Hippo
- Impressed Iguana
- Jealous Jaguar
- Kindly Kangaroo
- 12 days of Christmas (Australian animals)
- Assertive Ass
- Grumpy Airdale Terrier
- Handstanding Sloth
- Dashing Dingo
- Alarmed Armadillo
- Lazy Llama
- Melancholic Moose
- Narcississtic Night owl
- Outrageous Octopus
- Playful Platypus
- Quirky Quail
- Raging Rhino
- Seductive Squirrel
- Timid Tiger
- Undaunted Unicorn
- Vicious Vulture
- Weeping Walrus
- Yawning Yak
- Zany Zebra
Brave Wolf- Crazy Crab
- Lethargic Leopard
- Angry Echidna
- Embarrassed Bee
- Lonely Lobster
- Confident Koala
- Delusional Dingo
- Boisterous Bobcat
- Mad Meerkat
- Cheerful Otter
- Goofy Gibbon
- Partying Parrot
- Amazed Toucan
- Punk Puffin
- Surprised Shark
- Sad Fennec Fox
- Disgusted Sunbear
- Concentrating Mountain Goat
- Loved Up Dolphin
- Fearful Pig
- Glaring Pony
- Content Husky
- Worried Beaver
- Guilty Marmoset
- Nervous Kadu
- Charming Mongoose
- Aloof Woodpecker
- Rejected Meerkat
- Proud Babboon
- Villainous Fennec Fox
- Distant Gecko
- Graceful Wombat
- Brave Ring-tailed Lemur
- Blank Red Panda
- Pleased Hippo
- Anxious Kiwi
- Elated Deer
The rest is up to you….
You can follow my daily progress on my Facebook page – become a fan! I will do a weekly summary here on the blog 
Christmas Cookies in a Jar
December 20th, 2011 No Comments »
I’m so excited this time of year, I can barely contain it!! Christmas is so close and this week is all about my favourite things – wrapping presents, watching old (and new!) Christmas movies, singing carols and preparing one of the biggest feasts of the year! I am in my element. Though still, I hear people grumbling about it…too much shopping still to do, don’t know what to buy someone, the shopping centres are just too busy…
…problem solved! I wanted to share with you a truly wonderful tutorial I found online for a last minute gift idea. It really can be adapted to anyone that enjoys cookies (and let’s be honest here…who doesn’t?!) and is perfect for that person who seems to have everything. I give you – Christmas Cookies in a Jar!
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These little darlings win you bonus points in all the right areas. A) They’re handmade – aren’t you clever!? B) They look pretty and can be adapted to your own style C) They are edible, and delicious to boot! and D) You can make as many as you like and the novelty simply never wears off.
Now, I found a great many recipes for these cookie jars online. I made mine according to the Disney Family Fun recipe - although I hear that Bakerella’s “Cowgirl Cookies” recipe is to die for. You can just alternate the M&M’s to the Christmas variety (you know, those cool red and green ones available this time of year?). Grab all your ingredients, layer them into the jar (I topped mine up with festive lollies, because I tampered my layers a little too hard! lol), pop on the lid and decorate. Don’t forget to add a gift tag with wet ingredients and instructions! If you’re strapped for cash or time, my little secret is cutting up old Christmas cards – that way you don’t necessarily have to design anything, but you can recycle your old cards and still get a beautiful image to adorn your jar. Just write on the back of the cover.
Here’s how mine looked; I’m still waiting to hear how they turned out. My friend is saving them for Christmas Eve to bake with the kids.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Send a little Christmas cheer!
December 4th, 2011 No Comments »
Ah yes, it’s my favourite time of year again! The smell of tinsel and dusty decorations as we put up the tree, the excitement (yes, even at my age!) of that tiny little chocolate behind the advent calender door each morning, the joy of buying gifts for loved ones and imagining their expressions of glee as they unwrap them. Yes, Christmas time is definately my favourite season.
What else do I love about it, though? I absolutely love sending out my cards. I know – with the age of the internet upon us, it’s all to easy to click and email a generic ecard these days…but, really? It kind of loses the essence of why we send cards, it’s so stark and impersonal. Oh, and lazy. A Christmas card isn’t just some “silly, old tradition” or a “waste of time” as I have heard friends describe them, oh no! Recieving that gorgeous little card in post says to the recipient, “hey, I may not see you all year ’round, but you are still in my thoughts. I took time out of my busy life to think of *you* this Christmas, and I care enough to let you know. You are special to me!” And that, is getting into the true spirit of Christmas, is it not?
So on that note, here are some truly special ways to show your family and friends that you care, and are thinking of them this festive season! (click the titles to view more info)
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In my opinion, the most special gifts that I have ever recieved have been those that are unique to me. These cards are much the same! You can take any of my original Christmas artworks and adorn them with your very own Christmas message on the front and inside of the card – what a treat for someone to recieve a card with their own name printed on it! Even better, as you’ve already “written” in it, I am more than happy to post it directly to the recipient for you (for no extra charge, of course) so that it gets there that little bit quicker!
I’m sure some of us have quite a large family, or group of friends to get in touch with this Christmas. Luckily my cards also come in packs, to help you on your merry way! These cards each feature a sweet, little “Have a very, Merry Christmas” type message inside and now include my two newest card designs, too!
If you’re after something special, but can’t think of the right words to put in a personalised card, do not worry! These general cards a perfect for you. Each of these large cards have a beautiful artwork on the front and contain a completely original verse by yours truly. With cards such as “To a special little boy” and “Merry Kissmas” I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding a ready-made design to suit your needs! This year, I have two brand new designs on offer, too! “Christmas Angel” and “Christmas Dreams” (see below)
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Now, as you all know, my artwork *always* comes adorned with extra sparkle – so you can expect each and every one of these cards to be hand-glittered to add that little bit of extra Christmas-siness! What’s Christmas without sparkle?!
So go, grab yourself some Christmas cards and get sending. Show someone you’re thinking of them this festive season – it might be just what they needed to hear!
Pre-Christmas Pop Up Shop
November 22nd, 2011 No Comments »
Oh my! Look at the calender! Is that Christmas sneaking up on us again?
Yep, that’s right peeps – it’s time to deck the halls once again and join in the festivities. That also means it’s time for sending out Christmas cards to family and friends, carefully selecting gifts and eating rich and naughty foods until we feel fit to explode! I see that bead of sweat, I see that frown….battling through packed shopping centres? Cheap plastic gifts that break within the week? The same old boring cards to choose from?
Never fear! I have a solution!
You are cordially invited to avoid the boisterous crowds and admire the unique and handcrafted gifts and cards on offer at a “garage sale” with a twist! Hosted by yours truly, and the very talented Kell (of Blackcurrant Photography) you can shop in peace and pick up some beautiful gifts, ready for the Christmas rush.
When and where?
Held at a residential address in Cloverdale (Western Australia), our little pop-up shop will be on Friday 2nd December, 11am – 1pm. Everything you need to know about the event can be found by clicking {here} – please take a moment to read through it
What’s on offer?
Kell specialises in nature photography featuring our beautiful and unique Australian flora. She will have samples of her ‘made to order’ work on display (such as her photo shirts, notebooks and matted prints), as well as photo prints, greeting cards and shimmering photo jewellery for you to purchase on the day.
As for me? Well…
I’ll be offering (click each one to view prices and images!) Christmas card packs (preview image coming soon), gift tags, delicious scented candles, cotton gift bags, individual Christmas cards, fine art prints and this year especially for you – personalised Christmas cards! Perfect for that special someone, you can have any custom message you like on and inside one of my beautiful handcrafted cards. I will also be taking special orders for anything I may not have on me on the day. If you would like to request that I bring a particular item for you, please email me at danika{at}artemisscreations.com .
So there you have it – we both hope to see you there! Be sure to rsvp (see “when and where”) as soon as possible to book yourself a spot. Christmas wishes to you,
Slow and steady wins the race
October 6th, 2011 No Comments »
It’s here! It’s here! New stamps have arrived at Kat Stamps! In addition to my “Snail Mail Letter Writing Set“, “Snail Mail Swing Tags” and “Snail Mail Stickers” you now have the option of using these adorable rubber stamps to create your very own piece of snail mail to send to friends, family and penpals alike! Come on, who doesn’t love the anticipation of waiting for a real letter in the post, or the joy of opening a beautifully decorated envelope to see what surprise awaits for you inside??
Head over to Kat Stamps by simply clicking the image above to purchase your very own Snail Mail Stamps! (Be quick, they’re having a sale, too!).
A little less confursation
September 23rd, 2011 No Comments »
Yes! It’s time for one of my all time favourite things…Bad Puns!!! No, wait, don’t stop reading just yet! It’s not all bad, I promise you. Why? Because I’m combining bad puns with Cute Animals!! Can it get better than that? I think not.
That’s right people of the interwebz, I’m finally released a new product line. After recently aquiring two new members to the family (of the long eared, big footed, carrot eating, furry variety) it got me thinking about pets. Fur babies. However you like to think of them. People love their pets – they come in all ranges of breeds, sizes, colours and personalities…and although they can not speak, they can let their humans know exactly what they’re thinking with a single look, a twitch of the ear or a flick of the tail. What a perfect theme for a new range of greeting cards!
So here they are. The beginnings of a new range I like to call “conFURsation”. They’ll be featuring all kinds of domestic pets, each with their own terribly corny pun. Don’t lie. You love it really.
You can purchase the greeting cards from the web shoppe – oh, and don’t forget to “like” them on Facebook, too! Enjoy my new furry, little friends…there are more in the pipeline already!
Joshua Of Gaia – A work in progress
September 11th, 2011 No Comments »
Whilst I’m on a blog posting spree, I thought I would share with you all the images so far of my current project. You may have read earlier that I am designing the cover for Monica G Russell’s fantasy book, Joshua of Gaia: The lost Elderzamia. (You can read about it here, if you missed it). So far I have shown you my basic concept sketches, but I thought you may like an insight into how my artwork comes together in it’s early stages; from lineart to full colour.
As you can probably see, Monica settled on concept one (the cave) from my previous blog post. From this point I need to work up to “ready-to-colour” lineart, so everything looks polished and neat. I love to start out all of my work with a pencil sketch…computers are great, but nothing gives a better base for an image than good old fashioned pencil and paper! Monica and I started off by working through some basic linework, slowly developing characters and backgrounds until she was happy with the way it all looked.
Once Monica had signed off on the lineart, it was time time for me to start colouring! I love this stage – it’s all rough and squiggly at the moment, but it really starts bringing the image together. Personally, I like to colour most of my images in Adobe Photoshop (as is the case with this one).
After the base colours are down it’s time to get started on lighting. It’s a little bit like unearthing a rock and polishing it up to reveal a diamond. Lighting adds such a great deal of depth, showing us foregrounds and backgrounds and adding a sense of drama to the scene – it just breathes life into an image!
Of course, Monica and I wanted to keep a little air of surprise about it, so unfortunately the above images are the closest you will see to the final design until the book is released! Don’t worry, though – there’s not long to go!
If you would like to read more about the whole process from the author’s point of view, then be sure to head over to Monica’s blog @ http://m-g-russell.blogspot.com/ (you can follow her on Twitter, too; monicagrussell). She tells me there will be a countdown to the release date of the book starting up soon on her website, so stay tuned for that!!
Stamp Overload
September 9th, 2011 No Comments »
I woke this morning to a lovely surprise…I’ve had more stamps released! Yep, it’s good news for all you dragon lovers. This a small handful of the Little Embers range (and believe me, there are plenty more to come!). Head on over to Queen Kat’s Stamps and have a squizz at;
Hatchling
Happy Bathday
and, Just a Note…
Just click here to see my whole range – if you’re quick and get in today, the Queen is having a sale! Stock up now with dragon-y goodness.
Makin’ Magic with stamps
September 8th, 2011 No Comments »
Get ready crafters – it’s time for some new Artemiss rubber stamps!! Bella and her magical friends are here to give you a helping hand in creating some truly spellbinding creations. These stamps are great for Halloween (which is sneaking up rather quickly!) or just about any witchy/magical themed things you can think of!
The “Makin’ Magic” stamp range is available as a set, through Queen Kat’s Stamps for US$10.99 – click here to get yours now!
Happy stamping!
Joshua Of Gaia: The Lost Elderzamia
August 7th, 2011 No Comments »
So much exciting news to share – oh, so much!! I’ve been spending the past few weeks working on a wonderful project…illustrating the cover for a fantasy novel by the very talented Monica G Russell “Joshua of Gaia: The Lost Elderzamia“. It is Monica’s first book, and my first cover art so it is quite an adventure for the two of us. I don’t believe I could have worked wth a nicer client!
The book itself is aimed at 9-12 year olds, but I think that anyone that enjoys a good fantasy adventure will enjoy it. I’ve had the pleasure of reading the first few chapters and I am already hooked. I can’t wait to find out what adventures await the characters! Here’s a little taste of what to expect in this truly capturing story; due for release later this year.
“Joshua has spent his days being bullied and hungry after being abandoned to an orphanage early than he can remember. He has accepted this life of misery inside the big, grey, boring house in Melbourne until he is pulled into an underground world by a very dirty stranger through a large glowing crack in the wall.
Joshua’s life is turned upside down as he is dragged through the dirt and into a secret world just beneath the surface. The inhabitants are called Elderzamias and they have powers that Joshua has only dreamed about. The Council of Wizens who governs the underground city of Eldertown informs him and two other unfortunately selected humans that they must help them on a mission. An Elderzamia has been kidnapped.
Joshua has no choice; if he wants to return home and find the truth about his past he must follow the mission until the end.”
Monica and I have decided to share our journey with you from concept to completion as the book comes together. You can follow the stages of development on both of our blogs. To start things off, here are the two concept designs I came up with for the cover (imagine it is an open book; left side is the back, right side is the front)
Next up, the lineart! If you wish to stay updated on the progress of ”Joshua of Gaia: The Lost Elderzamia“, you can follow me on facebook or twitter. Be sure to visit Monica’s website for more details – http://m-g-russell.blogspot.com/ and don’t forget to follow her tweets on twitter, also!
