"Leaving the Ball!" a new painting.

I finally get to show you this painting that I've been working on!
I shared a sneak peak quite some time ago and I've been excited to finish it since that time.

I wish the picture did it more justice but there you go! 

Appropriately called "Leaving the Ball" because I wanted something inspired by (wait for it...) Cinderella but not exactly.  I didn't want the missing shoe and I didn't want her leaving in a rush.  She's leaving in a daze; a happy daze, of course. Well, at least in my mind. That's why her right hand is out like that; not really caring.  (:

 What do you think?  

I wanted 'fairy lights' in the bushes and a rose vine all over the edge of the cement wall.  I think that's what I mainly wanted from the start when I did a quick sketch. 

Have a great week!

Half way through it!!!

Cindy

up close of some spots.

cindydesigns.net

WHOA; a sneak peak.

Being an artist is fun but proving that you are passionate about art and that you want it as a career can be hard..

especially you have a full time job in something else, trying to make a living.  

 I try to dedicate some time to creating something on the weekends. 

I've been working on this painting for awhile now but I don't want to show it yet.  

That is why the above picture is a jumbled mess. I made a collage with my iPad

 for a sneak peak that probably doesn't show you much. 

I don't know when I will be done but I think soon...

Like, I REALLY think so.

You guys, I really am excited about this painting!  Super excited.

What will I do with it when I am done?

I don't know.  Do I sell it?

Do I keep it and admire from a far?

Try to get it into a gallery?

Help is needed, please! :)

But GET EXCITED BECAUSE I AM!!!!

Cindy

Imagine.. in a Painting.

Here goes nothing.  Here's a new painting I recently finished.

Any castle I paint or draw is most likely inspired by Cinderella's castle in Walt Disney World in some form.

Here, it definitely doesn't look like it too much. 

I want to make you imagine that this is early in the morning.   

Imagine the sun just starting to rise...

... Just before the hustle and bustle of the day inside the castle. 

 That last peaceful moment before everyone is to wake up.  

...I would imagine it to be quite busy inside of a castle. Hm...

Let's hope it won't be too long before I post another piece. 

Hope you all are having a terrific day!

Cindy

Artsy Fartsy Gift Ideas for the Holidays 2011

Christmas is pretty much my favorite holiday.  Before you start saying 'But Thanksgiving is first!  Lets not forget about Thanksgiving! One Holiday at a time!" ...blah blah blah.  Well, each Holiday is different, yes, but they both go hand in hand in letting us remember to always be thankful and appreciate what we have.

If you're like me, you want to be able to give your family and friends nice gifts but sometime those 'nice' gifts are super expensive.  I already have a (temporary) job in retail so the less time to spend in the mall around this time the better. (Although, I make the most of it, humming along to the Christmas music. Yay, Christmas music!)

I've come up with a few Artsy Fartsy gift ideas for this year.  I hope you enjoy!

• Knitting/Crocheting varies items i.e. hats, arm and leg warmers etc., a blanket
• Be creative.  If you knit a hat, figure out a way to add a little something to it, like a (fake) flower, or sash.  I would recommend a real flower as it might be difficult to water it.  Add your own spin to it.  If you want to learn how to knit or crochet, youtube videos work very well.  I always forget how to cast off and I believe it is The Knit Witch who has simple instructions on how to knit.

• Photos of Family and/or Friends
• If you're good with a camera or have just been on a family vacation, photos are a very easy and affordable idea.  Print out a special picture, find a reasonable frame (or mat board) and viola! 

• Paintings
• If you are an artist, maybe you have thought of this before or have done it in the past, but this is a nice idea to use your talents and give a meaningful piece of work.  If there is a subject that the gift recipient enjoys, paint it!  No matter what media.

• A Collage
• I don't mean a messy collage on a paper just thrown together.  (Well, you could do that to get ideas on how to arrange photos, clippings, movie stubs, etc.)  I'm thinking of collecting varies items that mean something to the recipient and finding a way to bring them together.  The obvious way, I'm thinking is on a board of some type as a background.  Be creative.  Frame it and have some fun.

• Baked Goods
• Ok, so this one isn't your typical Artsy gift idea, but why not make some cookies (or other baked goods ..mmm I'm hungry..) and make the packaging all fancy.  If you have a tin, or can find a nice one at Target or WalMart, one idea you could do is wrap the tin in wrapping paper (the cover and bottom seperately) and line the inside with tissue paper or a fabric of some type. Many fabric/art stores sell small pieces of fabric that were tossed away.  Top with a bow and you are good to go!

Well, those are my Artsy Fartsy gift ideas!  In another week, if I get more ideas, I will post them up.    If you try any of these ideas, feel free to comment below, send me an email (contact in the side bar) or tweet me @cindydesigns on twitter!

Get Creative and be Thankful every day of the year! (:


-Cindy

Good Luck!

This post was edited to add the Illustration at the top of the page on November 30, 2011. (:

SMILE! Taped Canvas with meaning

For this next project, I actually got the idea from watching tv.  I know, insane, huh?  Well, last week during the new show Switched At Birth, the character 'Bae' was putting tape on a canvas (she's an artist) and it got me thinking about how it would come out and what ways would work with this method.

Of course I would have to try it out because I became so excited about this. 

before the tape...

First and foremost I put masking tape on a canvas in an intriguing design. 

 It is quite hard to get a curved line with tape.  Just saying. :) 

After I got it perfect I decided on a color I wanted.  I chose a blueish/green this time.  Took me awhile to get the color perfect.  On this specific one, I may have put too much paint on it, the next time I may try not to paint so many coats.   

final outcome

I'm thinking about trying some where the color fades to different colors.  If you have any ideas leave a comment below, or tweet me on twitter @cindydesigns!  

I'm hoping to do more of these styles as it is fun and easy.  Gets your point across quite easily as well.  (:

Now go out there and smile!! ( : ( :

Project 4: "When Words Fail, Music Speaks" painting

I'm not the best painter around, but I did take a painting class a couple of years ago and I found that I kind of love it.  This one was the first that I actually liked.  Not really much too it, but I enjoyed it, nonetheless.

Full View (i spy a furry little creature in the corner above painting.)

I decided to not paint the mouth because the point of the quote is that when you have no words, music is supposed to do the speaking.  Unless you sing, but I don't sing.  Therefore my mouth is not there. :] It's more of a dream sequence type of painting, so it's not realistic looking.  This is painted on a stretched canvas (I stretched and gessoed it myself!) about 24 x 30 inches.

up close of upper left corner

up close of upper right corner

Too be honest, I forgotten all about this painting.  I was just drawing something else when I looked to the corner of my room and saw it and something in my head told me, "Hey!  That should go in your blog!"  

Thanks for checking out some of my work!
Also thank you for following this blog! [:  Means a lot.