Announcing the Jump for Joy Series of Patterns available at C. Hartman Designs

I have a new line of patterns that are available called the Jump for Joy Collection showcasing children and seasonal characters jumping for joy showing that zest for life that many children have.  The first pattern in the line is currently available at www.chartmandesigns.com and even has its own Pattern Sub Category.  This pattern is called the Four Season Bank and shows children "jumping for joy" during the four different seasons.  I think this pattern has so many possibilities including being painted on the adorable bank that I've painted it on.  I can see this pattern painted on ornaments, individual canvases, scrap booking pages, journal pages, desk lamps, checkbook covers, the sky is the limit.  The Love Bug Boogie has always been an extremely popular pattern and I think that this one could as well.  Come on over and take a look, I hope you will love this pattern as much as I do. 

I have a number of patterns planned for this collection, the next should be out in time for Easter and then look for a set for Halloween and Christmas.  Take a look at the card that I have available that I blogged about earlier this week for a hint for a future project. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts about his pattern and the collection. 

Handmade Cards Available at C. Hartman Designs

I have just added a series of handmade cards on my website, they can be found under the Artist Originals Category in the Main Menu. There are a limited number of cards available for sale, but if they sell well I will make more cards. I am test marketing a line of cards to see how well they are received. Let me know what you think. Each card is different and unique and no two are exactly alike. Come on over and see what you think.

Mixed Media Canvas Part 2

Here are the second set of mixed media canvases that I mentioned in one of my previous posts.  These were painted using my Jacquard Neopaque paints and Jacquard Lumiere metallic paints and in a similiar manner as the earlier set although I did not add the Alcohol Inks to these, I didn't feel that they needed the additional burst of color and actually wanted these to be more subdued.  I also spent more time blending the paint with my fingers and you can see the result in the sky on both, the clouds definitely pop more on the Turquoise canvas.  Obviously one is designed to be a fall canvas while the other is going to be spring or summer.  The leaves were stenciled using a Laurie Speltz Background stencil while the stars were formed using a piece of vellum and a Martha Stewart punch.  You do not have to use a traditional stencil but can make your own using a variety of materials.  Anything that forms a mask will do the trick.


I'm not sure what I will put on these canvases.  Any suggestions?  I don' have a plan for these.

New Patterns

These new patterns are finally on my website www.chartmandesigns.com for purchase.  I love each and every one of these patterns and hope that you will as well.  Two of these patterns will look familiar as I have blogged about designing them.  There is one more pattern that I hope to have out later this weekend which will be very appropriate seasonally.  Look for it soon.  I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

Wedding Box

 

Mixed Media Witch

 

 

Love is in the Air





Mixed Media Canvas

Merry Belated Christmas to all of you.  My resolution this year to post twice a week was waylaid by the Christmas holiday.  Too many things to do to prepare for the holiday, but I'm back and I still have the same resolution to provide blog posts once a week and twice if my schedule will allow. 

Between designing and blogging this Fall I managed to sign up for 4 online classes, one was with Kelly Rae Roberts, Flying Lessons, which I loved.  If you have never taken her class I would strongly suggest that you take it.  It is inspiring to say the least.  The other 3 classes that I signed up for are from Christy Tomlinson who is an amazing mixed media artist and again I have learned so much, I am about a third of the way through the classes but have a year in which to complete them, but am loving the process.  The success of these classes encouraged me to sign up for another mixed media class called Life Book which begins in January and I am so thrilled to be taking it.  It is a year long class and has a number of different international artists teaching classes throughout the course of the class.  Christy Tomlinson and Kelly Hoernig are just a few of the guest artists.  I have not taken a class for a few years and these online classes are so incredible, for someone who still kind of feels like computers and the Internet are a little like magic, this is a big step for me.  I'll keep you posted on my progress. 

To start us out on the right foot this coming year I thought that I'd post some photos of two canvas projects that I am currently working on.  As many of you know I love working with stencils and have shown you a variety of ways in which to incorporate stencils into your projects.  They are just so easy and there are so many outstanding stencils out on the market at the moment.  I decided to pull out the 4"X4" gallery wrap canvases that I had purchased a while back at Michael's and decided to use my Jacquard paints on them.  I actually have an idea in mind for the set that I am sharing today but am still working on the sketches for them but really wanted to get the color scheme set on the canvases.  I knew that I wanted to incorporate my alcohol inks somehow with this project and also wanted to try painting using my fingers, something that Christy Tomlinson does frequently and amazingly it was a fun liberating experience.  I also knew that I wanted to use the Jacquard Lumiere Metallic paints somehow. 

1.  Blue Canvas:  I began by mixing the Neopaque Blue with White and slip slapped the paint on the canvas to get it covered.  Next pulled out a variety of Lumiere Metallics and using my fingers began to blend the paint around the canvas until I had the look that I wanted and then pulled out my Lime Green Pinata Alcohol Ink and dripped it onto the canvas and finger blended.  Lastly added white snowflakes with a stencil.  It was quick, easy and very effective.

2.  The purple canvas was painted in the same way, different paint colors, added a little sponging to the corners and edges, dribbled Sunbright Yellow Pinata Ink onto the canvas and finger blended.  Added Neopaque Magenta to the edges using a square stencil and used Neopaque Yellow with a swirl stencil.  And loved it. 

3.  The pink canvas was equally fun and was painted in a similar manner to the purple one but with a dot stencil on the edges and swirls on top.  Again I dribbled Sunbright Yellow onto the canvas to enhance the metallic paints. 

I have been a paint layering fan for many years and love how the layered look enhances the background of the canvas, these are actually lovely on their own but really think they will be spectacular once I have added the design elements.  I can't wait to get started on what I have planned to finish these canvases off.  How fun is this?

My next post will show the next set of canvases which are the second set that I referred to earlier in this post.  They are quite different. 

Gel Printing Part 3

Part three of my Gel printing journey shows the use of my Gelli Arts Printing plate with a number of different types of textures, bubble wrap, and a variety of my new stencils.  I'm fond of the bubble wrap used in conjunction with the stencils.  The top piece has a bubble wrap texture printed with a lighter green and then I overlayed one of my new stencils.  In the bottom right you see just the bubble wrap and in the piece to the left you can see the bubble wrap with the same stencil but used in a different application.  Love them.  They are fun, quirky, and challenging to do. 

I recently participated in a Christmas card exchange and with the cards that I made and sent out I included tags that I had cut out of the printed papers made using my gel printing plate.  They were fun and would make beautiful gift tags.

As I continue along this journey I will periodically share some of the pieces that I make.  I recently was the happy recipient of three Catalyst Wedge tools by Princeton Brush in a giveaway sponsored by Gelli Arts that I've been using on my Gelli Printing Plate and when I'm happy with some of the results I will share those.  They work great and I am really enjoying the process. 

 

 

I have been sharing this project as it has progressed from working on the background to now sharing the finished product.   I love her.  I love the background, the lettering, and the little girl.  It all turned out exactly as I had hoped and am happy to report that it is available on my website under the Valentine Pattern Category.  She is too cute and would be darling as a card or painted on this adorable heart box.  The box is available from www.idealwoodproductsinc.com  Wood products from this company are made here in the US and are fantastic to paint on.  The quality of their wood pieces are outstanding.  I hope that you will come on over to my website and see the new pattern and let me know what you think.  I think she is a keeper.