In a Jar ...........

Awhile back my ACEO eBay Group held a challenge based on what you could find in a jar ... with the subject jar being an old fashioned canning jar.  I came up with three versions ....

"Sunflowers In A Jar"

"Dandelion Bouquet In A Jar"

"Fairy In A Jar"

I am happy to say, the challenge worked out quite well for me because these three ACEOs sold really quickly on eBay!   Thanks to the wonderful equipment we now have, prints are still available in my Etsy Shop.  

This week I am working on a new challenge, the theme is "Fish".  On June 1st, I will be posting all the "Fish" themed ACEOs to eBay and Etsy.  I like the way they are coming along ....

Take care and be happy!

Karen Anne aka Ireland Brady

"Egg Shells to Start Seeds"

Awhile back there was a "share" on Facebook about using emptied egg shells to start seedlings.  I began saving a few egg shells to try it out ... ended up with 9.  Last week I filled them with dirt and added 4 Swiss Chard seeds to each shell, figured at 4 to a shell I might get at least one start.

I saved an egg carton to use to hold the egg shells, since I had 3 empty spots left in the carton I added dirt and seeds to those spots as well.  I also had some discs on hand from previous attempts at starts so I put 4 of them into water to swell up and then added a bean seed to each of them.  Want to see which method works best.

I was wishing I had a mini-indoor green house and then I had an "Ah-Ha!" moment!  Wonder if my glass cake dome would work like a glass garden bell?  So I pulled out the glass cake platter and dome, placed all my newly planted and watered seeds on the platter and covered all with the cake dome.

I did this about last Thursday and today when I checked on them, lo and behold I beheld little baby swiss chard starts popping out in 3 shells and one egg carton spot!  My Cake Dome Green House seems to be working!  Yay!

Egg Shell Seed Containers

Cake Dome Mini-indoor Green House

Nice humidity provided inside the cake dome green house!

Once they are bursting out of their shells ... I will pop them into my raised veggie garden ... Yes!

Happy day to all!

Karen Anne 

"Seahorse and Mermaid" and US Bank Alert

Here is a cute little seahorse with a charming young mermaid ....

"Seahorse and Mermaid"

Link to original:  http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=121104553951

Link to open edition prints:  https://www.etsy.com/listing/150023871/aceo-open-edition-art-print-titled

I had an interesting thing happen today ... I received an email from US Bank that things had been compromised on our account and I should click on a link to update my information; if I didn't do so within 48 hours my account would be frozen.  So, I clicked on the link and received a warning that I would be directed to a "Phishing" (phoney) site and should take care before so doing.

I backed out and reread the email ... it sure looked official!  Except the email address didn't look quite right.  Then I studied the correspondence and decided even I could have made up this official looking message with my limited knowledge of Photoshop.  I checked my US Bank account online and discovered no recent alerts had been sent to me today and decided to call the bank.

Turns out, it was a scam!  The bank rep said that, unfortunately, people are getting really innovative at getting personal info in order to take over your accounts, etc.  She said I had done the right thing in listening to my instincts and not proceeding any further with the email link.

Moral of this story?  If it seems "phishy", verify it by calling the establishment at a phone number you know is theirs' before proceeding ....

Have a great week!  Looks like we are in store for some summer like days here in Oregon for about a week!  Yes!

"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