"Zentangle Beta" a new ACEO

Here is another Beta!  Only this time I have used zentangle designs in creating this little gem of a fish.  Been feeling kinda sluggish lately, so this is about as creative as I can get ... the weather is supposed to be getting warm towards the end of the week ... maybe that will perk me up!  I can always hope!

"Zentangle Beta"

The original is available at this link:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121103497785?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Open Edition prints here:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/130808741/aceo-open-edition-art-print-titled?ref=shop_home_active

Take care,

Karen Anne aka Ireland Brady

More ......... "Monarch Fairies"!

I think I have an ACEO Fairy Series in the makings!  Just finished two more of the Monarch Fairy ACEOs ....


Each of these detailed ACEOs can take from 8 to 10 hours to complete.  Each one begins with a blank piece of Stonehenge paper upon which I create the subject using an erasable terra cotta pencil.  I then use a technical art pen and provide an ink outline to the elements in the piece.  After which all of the pencil lines are erased to reveal a black & white coloring page type of image.

The fun then begins by applying layers and layers of colored pencil and subtly blending those applications of color together.  The is a very time consuming process but well worth the effort.  Once this stage is completed I begin the slow but steady work of re-inking all the initial lines and adding fine detail designs to the image.

When  I am finally satisfied with the results, the newly created piece is then sealed with a spray finishing laminate to preserve the colors and prevent damage.

"Blue Monarch Fairy and Butterfly"

and

"Pink Monarch Fairy and Butterfly"

I am enjoying these little ladies ... think I'll go make some more!

"Monarch Fairy and Butterfly"

I seem to be favoring fairies lately ... my latest ACEO piece is a take on the monarch butterfly, a Monarch Fairy!  Perhaps she is the protector of Monarch Butterflies?  If so, she certainly looks like a very loving and caring protector ... 

"Monarch Fairy and Butterfly"

I really think Monarch Butterflies are so very beautiful, perhaps this weekend I'll try my hand at creating a Blue Monarch Fairy and Butterfly ACEO ... sounds like fun!  Don't you think?

The original of this little gem is now on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=121097875768

Authorized Open Edition ACEO Art Prints are on Etsy:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/129882962/aceo-open-edition-art-print-titled

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Big hugs,

Karen Anne aka Ireland Brady

"Georgie Girl's Fairy"

I belong to several teams and groups on Etsy and eBay.   In one of the groups, one of the younger artists just had her first baby girl and has named her Georgie.  Well, this is a really friendly and supportive group with great comradery and one of the gals suggested we do an ACEO shower for Katie!

What a great idea!  So today I had fun creating a special little ACEO that I have titled "Georgie Girl's Fairy" ... will send it off to Katie tomorrow!

"Georgie Girl's Fairy"

I think she is kinda sweet!

Hope you all have a peaceful evening...

Karen Anne

"Dragonfly and Crocuses" .... The Colored Pencil Magazine April Challenge

The subject photo for the Colored Pencil Magazine's April Challenge is Crocuses!  I decided, however, that a dragonfly would look pretty nifty in my version so I added a fuschia colored one!  Fun!

"Dragonfly and Crocuses"

for your reference, here is the photo...

I have also made prints of my rendition so they are available as One Dollar ACEOs in my Etsy Shop:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/129595754/aceo-open-edition-art-print-titled

This current challenge is open until May 10, 2013.  If you are a colored pencil artist, why not join in?

Here is a link to this month's challenge:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/coloredpencilmag/8580943924/in/pool-cpmchallenge/

Hope you are all having a wonderful day!

Karen Anne aka IrelandBrady

"Bird of Paradise Fairy"

One of our favorite flowers is the "Bird of Paradise" and I thought it would be fun to create a Bird of Paradise Fairy ACEO.  The beauty of the Bird of Paradise is mesmerizing and captivating, evoking dreams of exotic lands  and glorious colors and natural splendors.  

And here is my latest ACEO, "Bird of Paradise Fairy" ... albeit, if I do say so myself, she does look a bit like Carmen Miranda!

The original is now up for auction at eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=121095310935

Authorized Open Edition ACEO Art Prints are on Etsy:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/129363746/aceo-open-edition-art-print-titled-bird?ref=shop_home_active

Best wishes for a beautiful spring week ...

Karen Anne aka Ireland Brady

"Birds of Paradise" plus one little blue haired Garden Fairy ...

One of our favorite flowers is the "Bird of Paradise" and I thought it would be fun to create a Bird of Paradise ACEO complete with a little blue haired garden fairy peeking out from amidst a garden of blooms.

Also, I received a new of set colored pencils yesterday that I was quite eager to try out, SoHo Urban Artist Professional colored pencils.  WOW!  I LOVE these pencils!  Its like they were made for me and to my own personal specifications!  I can hardly wait until I begin my next piece just so I can work with these little gems again!

Hope you like ......

"Birds of Paradise"

The original is now on eBay...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121093773250?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

and Open Edition ACEO Authorized Art Prints are at Etsy ...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/129136213/aceo-open-edition-art-print-titled-birds?ref=shop_home_active

Looking forward to a great Friday! 

Karen Anne aka Ireland Brady

"Blue Dragonfly"

Here my latest ACEO which I have titled "Blue Dragonfly". I really like Dragonflies ... they remind of something pre-historic and they always make me smile, plus they don't bite! The patterns in their wings are so delicate and complex, with each new dragonfly I create on paper ... I get a little better at capturing that beauty. I hope you like my "Blue Dragonfly"!

I have the original listed in my eBay Store ...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=121093151447#ht_550wt_1191

and Open Edition ACEO Authorized Art Prints in my Etsy Shop ...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/128992014/aceo-open-edition-art-print-titled-blue?ref=shop_home_active

Hope all is well with you and you are enjoying this day (even though it is wet and gloomy here)!

Karen Anne aka IrelandBrady

Dragonfly Fairy (with Mystic Fairy Flower)

It has been awhile since I created any fairy illustrations, so yesterday I did!


With this piece, I wanted to see how much detail I could get into a 2.5" x 3.5" area. So, I began with a tiny face with a fairy and a dragonfly in mind. Combined the two to create a "Dragonfly Fairy" and went from there. As the drawing progressed, the Mystic Fairy Flower was added, as well as several other zentangle inspired patterns. The final result is what you are viewing in this post.

"Dragonfly Fairy"

The original is up for auction at eBay....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281090735525?ssPageName=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Open Editions prints are in my Etsy Shop ....

https://www.etsy.com/listing/128892422/aceo-open-edition-art-print-titled

Hope you are all having a wonderful day!

Karen Anne aka Ireland Brady

Flowers and Zentangle

Hi!  I recently finished two new ACEOs and thought I would take a minute to share them with you.

The first is "Crocus" with a Zentangle inspired background:

The second is "Springtime Flowers", zentangle style:

Hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Easter weekend!

Karen Anne

"Blue Eyed Princess"

Here is my second entry in the Colored Pencil Magazine March 2013 Art Challenge.  There were some areas that needed improving on the first submission so, rather than reworking that piece, I chose to start fresh.  This piece is about 7.75" x 5.25", done on Stonehenge Paper with colored pencils and art marker pens.

In this version I was able to capture more of the subjects likeness and I am very happy with this second attempt.  Hope you like it as well!  I call this version:

"Blue Eyed Princess"

and here is the original photo...

Hope you are having a great day!  

Karen Anne aka Ireland Brady

PS  I am loving my "Orbital Artists' Easel"!  In fact so much so that yesterday afternoon I ordered the smaller easel top (13" x 17") for the small pieces I am working on.  To my delight, it arrived around noon today!  Now THAT is outstanding service!  And I was able to complete this piece on the new top.  The large size (19"x 20") is perfect for pieces 8.5" x 11" and larger, the smaller size is perfect for my ACEOs and smaller sized pieces.  You know, even with 2 tops and the table top base ... this easel is reasonably and affordably priced at less than, or about the same as, the cost of a complete set of top of the line colored pencils.  This is honestly the best investment in art equipment I have ever made. 

March 2013 Colored Pencil Challenge

This drawing was done on a 5" x 7" sheet of Stonehenge paper using Prismacolor Verithin colored pencils and a LePen technical pen for fine line details (about 5%), in the hair and eye lashes.

This is my interpretation of "Veiled", this month's subject photo by Sally Ford.   The subject is so pretty I decided to eliminate all the jewelry, thereby removing distractions and focusing the viewer's attention on her beautiful face. I am not a portrait artist but I really enjoy working on illustrations of people, I use the photo merely as inspiration and a starting point. In this piece, I gave her a bit of a smile and thickened her hair. My intention was to give her a more "dream-like" quality as opposed to a photographic realness; which, quite frankly, is beyond my skills and capability.

The most challenging portion was the veil, in the beginning I had applied way too much color and had to carefully remove most of it. The end result was that it does somewhat have the appearance of veiling.

This was a good learning challenge.

Here is my interpretation of "Veiled" which I have titled

"Look of Love"

this is a copy of the 
photo "Veiled" taken by Sally Ford

If you would like to join in on the challenge, here is a link that provides details and information:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/coloredpencilmag/8495249165/in/pool-cpmchallenge

Take care and hope you are having a productive and happy day!

Karen Anne aka Ireland Brady

"Bald Eagle"

Paper work for taxes: Done!   Time to create a new ACEO: Done!

"Bald Eagle"

Things are getting semi-organized and I was able to take a bit of time to get in an ACEO today!  Yes!

You can find the original on eBay at:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/281078913944?signal=own_ce98fbd4-0a78-342a-89b3-0bb5f6c4b08a:dc57df40-8dcb-11e2-b3da-005056a87aea_1

And Open Edition ACEO art prints at Etsy:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/126556208/aceo-open-edition-art-print-titled-bald

Wishing all a great St. Patrick's Day weekend!

Karen Anne

"Easter Egg Bunny #3" a New Zentangle Inspired piece of art!

I am loving my "Orbital Easel" more each time I use it ... it is truly the dream easel of all easels! Another plus, because of sitting in a more comfortable drawing position, I find that I now have more stamina and am able to continue working longer with no distracting aches and pains.  Thank you Orbital Easel!  It is also much easier to get things in perspective, eliminates a lot of erasing.

I really had a lot of fun creating my latest ACEO ... he just makes me smile!

"Easter Egg Bunny #3"

If you would like a chance to purchase the original, it is now up for auction at eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=281076560856

Authorized Open Editions ACEO Art Prints are available to you through Etsy at:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/126025967/aceo-open-edition-art-print-titled?

Hope you are all have a "Hoppy" day!

Karen Anne aka Ireland Brady

My new "Orbital Easel" & "Easter Egg Bunny #2"

I have been checking out the "Orbital Easel" for the past two weeks and finally on Tuesday I decided to go ahead and order one for myself, the 19" x 25" easel with the table top base.  Imagine my delight when it arrived on Thursday!  So of course I had to immediately unpack it, rearrange my art area and start in on a new ACEO!

My reaction to my first use of the "Orbital Easel"? .... TOTALLY AWESOME!

And here is my initial review ... I am taking to this new easel like a duck to water! It provides a new freedom and flexibility when using watercolors, colored pencils, and ink pens. It is truly a modern miracle for today's artists! I got so lost in the piece I was working on that I didn't even realize how much I was moving it ... just feels so absolutely natural.

My arms love it! My eyes love it! It provides the perfect angles! Makes application of watercolors easy, colored pencils just love it, ink pens are captivated by it!  No more constant turning of the piece I am working on to achieve the right angle, I don't have to worry about a glass of water tipping over and ruining a piece (cuz I can't very well place a glass on an angled surface), this easel is definitely going on vacation with me this year!  The table top base works quite well for me, it is sturdy and with grip pads on the bottom it stays in place and does not move.  They also have a clamp base that I understand can be used on a heavy duty tripod as well.  The working area of the easel is laminated with light weight aluminum on both sides and is quite rigid so that if you happen to lean on your work, like I do, it does not flex or bend.

The only body part that rebelled a bit was the back ... it was so used to hunching over a flat work area that it is having a bit of a time adjusting to working in a natural upright position! LOL! I am totally IN LOVE with the "Orbital Easel"!   I would actually go so far as to call it an artists' third hand!

I started the new ACEO yesterday and was so excited to get back to my "Orbital Easel" that first thing in the morning I was back to having fun!  I like it more today than I did yesterday!  And today my back didn't rebel ... guess it only needed one night of good sleep to accept a better drawing position ... 8)

I just finished working on "Easter Egg Bunny #2", I think I worked on him longer than I expected because I didn't want to leave "Orby" (yes, I name inanimate objects that I fall in love with) but I had to get him (Easter Egg Bunny #2) scanned and posted on eBay and Etsy.  

Without further ado, here is my new ACEO and the first piece to be completed with Orby's assistance!

"Easter Egg Bunny #2"

He has just popped out of his shell and seems to be quite delighted to see the new world around him!  It is filled with beautiful bright colors and wonderful smells but he seems to be looking up with loving eyes at someone very, very special.   Could that very special someone be you?

The original of "Easter Egg Bunny #2" is now listed on eBay at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=281075316636#ht_575wt_1191

And Open Edition ACEO Art Prints can be found at Etsy:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/125853705/aceo-open-edition-art-print-titled?

Hope you are all having a grand a day as I am!

Karen Anne aka Ireland Brady

"Easter Egg Bunny"

OK ... as you can tell ... I'm not avidly "gleaning" as I said I would!  Keep walking past my art area and  those darn colored pencils, marker pens, and water colors just keep enticing me over ... then I sit down to just straighten things up, next thing I know I have a pencil in hand and a few hours have just slipped away!  Figure mole hill gleaning will work just fine!

Here is a new little ACEO I just finished this morning ... thought an Easter theme to be appropriate for this time of year so here is ....

"Easter Egg Bunny"

He has just popped out of his shell and doesn't know quite what to make of the world around him!  It is filled with beautiful bright colors and wonderful smells but he is so very used to the safety and security of his little shell.  I'm sure he will be enticed to venture out and explore before too long!

You can find the original ACEO at eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=281074888274

And Open Edition ACEO Art Prints at Etsy:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/125739511/aceo-open-edition-art-print-titled

Hope you are all having a GREAT day!

Karen Anne aka Ireland Brady

"Hare Holmes"

I started out "gleaning" (new word for cleaning and getting rid of) the house today and thought I'd start by cleaning up my art area.  BIG mistake!  I found a piece I had been working on for the "Mad as a March Hare" contest for the team, ACEO~Art Card Editions and Originals on eBay, but hadn't had time to finish.  Well of course I couldn't put away a piece that was nearly 50% complete ... so I sat down and really enjoyed finishing it up!  Since it is too late to enter into the contest, I just renamed they little guy!  I am happy to introduce you to:

"Hare Holmes"

The original ACEO of "Hare Holmes" is currently listed in my eBay Store at:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281073574806?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Open Edition ACEO art prints are available in my Etsy Shop at:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/125438018/aceo-open-edition-art-print-titled-hare

So that I won't feel so guilty about backsliding on my "gleaning" I'll now go out and clean out one wee cupboard!  Hey ... I'm starting with baby steps!  LOL!

Happy day all!

Karen Anne

"Mad as a March Hare"

I belong to a team named "ACEO ~ Art Card Editions and Originals on eBay" (this is their Facebook Page) and each month they hold a theme week contest that runs from the first of the month to the seventh.  The theme for the first week in March is "Mad as a March Hare".  Now of course that title sounded like a lot of fun to me so I just had to create two ACEOs to enter!

Tomorrow (3-1-13), all participants will be posting their entries, I am sure they are going to be quite creative and a lot of fun!  To view the entries, wait until 3/1/13 and go to eBay by using this link:  http://search.ebay.com/ACEO-TW  or just go to eBay and put ACEO TW MAR in the search area.

You know, if you create ACEOs and sell them on eBay ... you might just want to join this group!  The members are wonderfully creative, supportive and welcoming.  I joined through the Facebook page.

So, with no further ado ... here is a preview sneak peek of my two entries in the March Theme Week Contest:

"Mad as a March Hare #1"

"Mad as a March Hare #2"

Now I'll have to actively get down to the pursuit of "clean house" ... ugh.

Have a great day!

Karen Anne

"The Mermaid and The Sea Horse"

Finally, I finished my Beta inspired mermaid!  Added a little fantasy sea horse, some sea weed, mussels, a star fish, a sand dollar, a bit of coral and some odd colored water.  The original size is 8.5" x 10.5" and was completed using colored pencils (primarily Prismacolor Verithins) and fine tip art pens.   I didn't want a lot of paper texture showing through so I used a smooth art paper that is made for use with artist ink pens.  For the air bubbles (by the sea horse and the mermaid) and the pearls (in her hair) and accents on the fins and tail, I used a white gel pen.

I haven't yet posted this in either my Etsy Shop or my eBay Store, thought it would be nice to first get some feedback on what people think of my first mermaid.  I fell in love with the gorgeous fins and tails on the Beta fish and really wanted to incorporate some of that beauty into this piece.  I hope you like it!

I think I'd like to do at least one more mermaid, but I think it will be awhile before I get to do more art work.  Time has a way of catching up with one and it is time to get the paper work done for taxes AND to deep clean the house!  

I mean MAJOR Goodwill and Salvation Army will be VERY happy type of cleaning!  The type of DEEP cleaning that will empty a LOT of extra "stuff" and open up some rooms for use cleaning!  We moved into this house 10/1/1970 and it was very, very empty.  43 years later, the 3 kids have moved on, 1 grandkid moved in, another grand has a lot of her stuff here while she is overseas (in the Navy).  Heck, we still have Jim's old Boy Scout uniform upstairs!  Boxes get moved, get piled, get saved and the "mass" accumulates!  But the darned thing is ... I know as soon as I give or toss something away ... I'll find I need it!  This is gonna be WAY hard!  The good thing will be ... what is left will be "findable"! 

So if you don't hear from me for quite awhile, its not that I am ignoring you ... its just something that we gotta do before we are too old to move anything and everything collapses in on top of us!  The hardest part will be the two of us agreeing on things that should go.  

And our kids will surely breath a sign of relief!  They are terrified that we may die and leave everything for them to go through!  Like I told my hubby, if we really miss something we can always go to Goodwill or Salvation Army and visit it!  I'm sure this project will take a good month, if we don't wane in our attempts.  Wish us luck!

Happy day all!

Karen Anne 

"Bitty Betta #12" !

The series is complete!  Here is the final little charmer .....

"Bitty Betta 12"

Hmmm, he seems to look a bit sad that the series is ending.....

You can find the original ACEO for sale on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=281065909961

Open Edition ACEO Art Prints on Etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/IrelandBrady?ref=si_shop

Wishing you all a great weekend!

Karen Anne aka Ireland Brady