Blue Heron Mixed Media Intaglio Print

Hello everyone.  I cannot believe that my vacation is already over.  Oh how time flies when you are not working.  I do hope that all of you had a fantastic New Year.  I spent my New Year playing the game Pie Face with family and friends.  It is such a fun game... even if you get whipped cream in your eyes and up your nose!  I also dyed my hair a deep plum purple and got caught up on laundry. Overall I had a decent holiday break. 

Since it already is so late, I will not write too much about the art work I am sharing with you tonight.  This print in an intaglio print etched from a zinc plate. This is a colored monoprint.  Before printing the black and white image, I had painted the heron directly on the zinc plate with blue ink. After adding the second color to the etched plate, I ran it through the printing press. This image was printed on a cold pressed paper that I had previously covered in newspaper print and permanent ink spatters.  Once the print was dry, I decided to carefully add a textile pattern to the blue areas of the image. I masked off the white areas of the image using painters tape and then stamped the textile print lightly over the surface of the paper. I used a patterned rubber stamp and dye ink to achieve the results. The final monoprint turned out beautifully.

I hope you enjoyed the art I shared with you tonight.  If you enjoyed this monoprint, please feel free to comment below or share this post via social media.  I appreciate all of the comments, shares, and follows I receive.  Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend! ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Throw Back Thursday - Koi Paintings

Hello again.  I hope everyone is having a great week so far.  I am still shocked that it is November already.  I saw a facebook post last night that said there are only 50 days until Christmas.  HOLY COW!  With me just getting back on my feet after a long medical leave, the word Christmas scares me. I am creative though, and will be working on some great handmade gifts this holiday season.... if I can find the time. I have been feeling a bit burned out lately from work and am having a harder than usual time feeling inspired. I hope I can get my mojo back quickly because I have a lot of gifts to create in not a lot of time.

I have also been feeling down in the dumps lately.  I have been back to work for nearly a month now and still have not gotten paid. Because I had so many problems with my short term disability insurance while on medical leave, I was unable to keep up on my medical insurance payments.  I had been off work for five and a half months which was already financially difficult.  Then I was cut off from my short term disability in September leaving me without an income.  I returned to work in October but knew I would not see my first couple paychecks due to being behind on my medical insurance payments.  Here it is November, and I still have no income.  I can honestly say that I am sick of having no money to pay my rent or bills because of medical insurance costs.  I remain hopeful that I will get a partial paycheck next week so I can start getting caught up on my bills, but I will not hold my breath.  Also due to my lack of finances, my Etsy shop will be suspended starting tomorrow.  I will get the shop back up as soon as I have the money to do so, but even a couple dollars is hard for me to come by right now. 

Despite all the hardships I am facing emotionally and financially, I am a little excited for the holidays. Hope is a powerful thing and I will try to keep my spirits up the best that I can. Sharing my art with all of you is one of the few joys in my life that keeps me going. Since it is Thursday, I thought I would share a couple koi paintings I gave to my sister-in-law for Christmas in 2012.  These paintings were created using acrylic paint on stretched canvas.  I absolutely love drawing tattoo flash, and was inspired to create these paintings when my sister-in-law fell in love with a koi fish tattoo I had drawn.  These painting now hang in my brother's house.

As always, thank you for stopping by the blog!  I greatly appreciate all of the social media shares and comments I receive from all of you.  If you enjoy my blog, please follow or subscribe via e-mail.  Thank you so much and enjoy the rest of your day! ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Linocut Sea Turtle Skeleton Print

Hello everyone.  I cannot believe that it is November already. This year seems to be flying by so quickly. Thanksgiving is only three weeks away and Christmas is less than eight weeks away. Where did the time go? I have started working on a few Christmas crafts but have a laundry list of things to do before Christmas gets here.  Christmas will be here and gone before you know it. YIKES!

I do not have any Christmas crafts to share with all of you just yet, but I do have a linocut art print to show you. This print is a sketchy sea turtle skeleton printed on rice paper. The image was hand carved from a linoleum block. I seem to be developing a fascination for animal skeletons and enjoyed creating this detailed little print.  I loved this print so much that I plan on creating a few more animal skeleton prints.  Who knows, this idea could become my next collection inspiration. I will probably hold off on creating any more prints until after Christmas.

I will keep this blog post short since it is getting late and I am exhausted (not to mention the Packer game is currently on).  I hope everyone has a great day tomorrow.  Remember to share you favorite blog posts on social media and google+.  Thanks for visiting my blog.  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Halloween Mixed Media Art Journal Page - Challenge Entry

Hello again.  I cannot believe that it is already All Hollows Eve!  I wanted to share a Halloween art journal page that I finished this morning.  I tried to get it done last night, but I was just too tired after work. I will be entering this art journal page in a few blog challenges which will be listed down below.

I created this art journal page with the following materials: Dylusions Vibrant Turquoise Ink Spray, Dylusions Fresh Lime Ink Spray, Black Soot Distress Paint, Sakura Souffle Markers, Aleene's Tacky Glue, black Sharpie pen, handmade felt star stamp, Cool Grey Kaiserfusion alcohol marker, and scrapbook paper.

I was inspired to create this page when I found an old Martha Stewart Living magazine with this image on the cover.  I scanned the cover and printed out a black and white copy of this image on a heavy weight card stock.  I colored in the owl and pumpkin with turquoise, blue, lime green, and orange Sakura Souffle pens. I added definition to the pumpkin and owl with a black Sharpie pen. I then used Fresh Lime and Vibrant Turquoise Dylusions spray ink to cover the background. I wanted to add distressed looking stars to the background so I cut a star out of felt to use as a stamp.  I used Black Soot Distress Paint to stamp the stars on the background. I then added smaller orange stars to the background with a souffle pen and outlined the black stars. I glued the owl and pumpkin image to journal page with tacky glue. I thought that the page needed a little more oomph so I cut out a witch's hat from scrap paper and added turquoise polka dots. When the hat was dry I glued it down to the journal page.  I outlined the owl image with a grey Kaiserfusion alcohol marker to create dimension. I ended up drawing spider webs on the corners of the page with a sharpie pen to create a nice border around the journal page.  The last thing I did was distress the outer edges of the paper with black distress paint.

I wasn't sure how this art journal page was going to turn out with a blue owl, but I absolutely love it!  I like it so much that I am entering this art journal page in a few challenge blogs.

The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - Halloween Word Search
I used the words Black, Owl, and Witch from this word search.

Dream In Darkness Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Throwback
The throwback challenge I chose was from August 2015 - Trio of Colors

Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today.  Be sure to enjoy this All Hollows Eve and do not conjure anything up you will regret later! Have a great Friday. ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Beachside Woodcut Print

Good evening everyone!  I hope everyone is having a good week so far.  I work at a University and I always love Halloween week.  This week is always the funnest on campus.  As much as I love this time of year, I am not so thrilled about the weather in Wisconsin over the next few days.  We are getting rain and snow..... Yep I said it... SNOW.  Us Wisconsinites are experiencing our first snow of the season right now as I speak. As beautiful as snow can be, I am not ready to bring out the shovel and winter coat just yet.  Luckily, the weekend is supposed to be much warmer. 

Anyway, I just wanted to share a beach themed woodcut print I recently finished.  This print is 18"x24" and was carved from plywood. I printed this woodcut on Reeves BFK paper.  My favorite part of this print is the fine texture of the rope and wood logs.  I also love the amount of wood grain that showed up in the background of the print.

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog!  I appreciate all the comments, shares, and follows I have been receiving over the last couple days.  I feel so blessed and am honored to share my artwork with all of you. Be sure to have a great day tomorrow!  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Caterpillar Watercolor & Ink

Tonight I just wanted to share a project I recently finished.  This caterpillar image is actually a handmade stamp I carved from a Speedball stamp kit.  I used watercolor and ink spray on watercolor paper to create the background.  After letting the background dry, I stamped the caterpillar on the watercolor paper using Peacock Feathers and Faded Jeans Distress Ink.  The stamped image did not print as clearly as I would have liked, but I still like it. I love how the background colors blended with the distress ink of the stamped image.

I apologize for not writing more, but I want to keep this blog post short.  I am extremely exhausted from working all day and can hardly think at this point.  Please be sure to follow the Copper Blossom blog and like my facebook page.  Thanks for visiting the blog and have a great night everyone! ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

"Tour Of Europe" Bird Woodcut Print

Hello Blog!  I missed blogging yesterday.  I got home from the worst day of work I have ever experienced to discover that my internet had been disconnected by Time Warner Cable (despite a payment arrangement and the cable guy coming out Monday to downgrade our services).  Not to mention that I was in so much pain after work yesterday.  I was so upset and in so much pain I went to bed and slept over 16 hours. Hoping that work and life get back on track and things start to improve in my life.  Right now I am contemplating if I even want to go back to work after the way I was treated yesterday.  Up until yesterday, I liked the company I work for.  I decided that in lieu of the events that took place yesterday,  I should start looking for a new job (which will be difficult considering I just returned to work yesterday and had a difficult time).  I guess time will tell.

Anyway, today is a fresh new day, so I thought I would post a recent woodcut print I finished.  This woodcut is 18"x24" and was carved on plywood.  I am really pleased with all the texture I was able to create within the image.  I love this woodcut and hope all of you enjoy it as well.

Thanks for stopping by the blog.  Be sure to click the follow button to the right of this post if you enjoy reading my posts. You can also subscribe via email or follow this blog via google+.  Have a great hump day everyone. ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Weekend Art Journal Page

Hello everyone.  I hope you all had a fabulous weekend.  I got to spend some time with my family this warm autumn weekend. I also got to enjoy the Green Bay Packer football game this afternoon and made a few cream pies. Finally back home and able to post to the blog.

Tonight I just wanted to share a mixed media art journal page that I created this weekend. I created this page using dylusions ink sprays, acrylic gel medium, scrap paper, gel pens, a face cut out from a magazine ad, and a black permanent marker.  This page was inspired by a magazine makeup ad. I was thinking that all women should be proud of who they are and show their true colors.  We are all beautiful people and should not change who we are to fit into society's idea of beauty.  I love how this art journal page turned out, but wish the magazine paper wouldn't have wrinkled so much when adhering it into my dylusions journal.

Thank you so much for visiting the blog tonight.  As always, feel free to share this post on social media or follow this blog.  Have a great night! ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤ 

1999 Halloween Throw Back Thursday!

Hello everyone!  I hope all of you are having a fantastic evening.  I literally dug up a special treat for today's throwback Thursday. This drawing was created by me in 1999!  I was a Junior in High School back then and loved drawing gore. I was a very troubled youth at the time due to the unexpected passing of my father.  I wore all black, got my nose pierced, and had a pretty sick attitude back then.  Seeing as how Halloween is only a few weeks away, I thought I would share this gruesome drawing with all of you.  Warning: this image is not for the faint of heart!

This drawing was created on a lime green watercolor background using colored pencils, charcoal pencils, and a black pen.  I remember drawing this horror scene like it was yesterday!  The inspiration came from a fear I have of getting my fingers sliced off.  (Some people are afraid of spiders, I'm afraid of losing my phalanges). I used to have the worst nightmares based on this fear and still dislike the idea of this happening.  In elementary school I had an art teacher who cut his fingers off in an old school paper cutter.  I still get the creeps thinking about it. To this day I have a difficult time using power saws, meat slicers, food processors, and paper cutters. 

Besides my fear of being chopped up like a cobb salad, I incorporated a few other disturbing concepts into the drawing.  I purposely made the hand appear bloated so that it looked like my body had been there for a while.  I hate the feeling of abandonment or feeling forgotten, so I wanted to convey the idea that my body has been missing for some time.  Obviously no bloated dead hand is complete without an entourage of feasting maggots and flies. 

The reflection in the knife also conveys a personal fear.  I have been deathly afraid of fire my whole life. This fear runs much deeper than any other fear I possess.  I am not a fan of matches, lighters, unattended candles, or even cigarettes.  The idea of being trapped in a burning building  scares the crap out of me.  (I literally want to check all my fire alarms now.)  I still have haunting nightmares about burning alive.  Ironically, I was  named after my grandmother's younger sister who burned alive in a devastating fire.  (It wasn't until my brother's funeral last month that I found out my grandmother tried to save her and saw her die.) My grandmother named me as soon as she held me because she felt I was her reincarnated sister. I personally believe in reincarnation and know that my grandmother's intuition was right. 

I hope you enjoy tonight's throw back Thursday and are inspired to create a gruesome piece of art.  Please feel free to comment below, subscribe to the blog, and share this post on social media.  Thanks for stopping by and have a good night. ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Watercolor & India Ink Bird Drawing

I just thought I would quickly post a watercolor and ink drawing I recently completed.  I absolutely love drawing and painting birds.  I'm not really sure why I enjoy drawing birds so much, but it all started when I was attending High School.  The very first time I had drawn a bird was in 9th grade.  I had created a black egret batik on fabric. After that, I started to draw lots of snowy egrets and sparrows. Nearly twenty years later I am still painting and drawing birds!

This little drawing was created on a scrap piece of paper that I had previously painted with watercolor and distress ink.  I first doodled an image of a bird and branch using a pencil. I then used India ink thinned with water and a calligraphy pen to draw the image and add detail.  I used short little lines to add texture and shading to the image.  I decided to use India ink because the ink absorbs into the paper well, dries quickly, and is permanent.  The watered down India ink did reactivate the distress ink and watercolor underneath the drawing a tiny bit. I tried not to overwork the drawing because I was getting a couple areas where the lines were starting to muddy into the background.  To prevent your drawing from getting muddy or blending into the background, you will want to use a heat gun to dry the ink as you go along.  In the end, this little drawing took me less than an hour to complete and turned out super cute.

I hope all of my blog readers had a great weekend. Thank you for stopping by and subscribing to the blog.  If you would like to follow the Copper Blossom Paperie blog, be sure to click the "follow" button located to the right of this blog post.  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Two More Oracle Cards Complete!

Good evening everyone! I thought I would post 2 more finished oracle cards to the blog. Unfortunately, it has been about a month since I posted any finished oracle card art.  For anyone new to this blog who hasn't seen my older posts, I am in the process of creating an intuitive oracle card deck. The deck will be 44-50 cards.  All of the cards are nature based and drawn in the same style. I was hoping to complete this deck over the summer, but life was just too hectic. The drama in my life shows no signs of slowing down, so this project may take a really long time to finish. So far, there are 8 finished cards in this deck.  As I stated in an older post, I am not sure if I want to border the cards, and haven't decided on how or if the cards will be titled.  For now, I am simply satisfied in having finished the artwork for these cards.

Disclaimer:  Because these images I am sharing with you are being published, they cannot be copied, printed, or sold outside of Copper Blossom Paper Gallery.  These images are watermarked and copyrighted.  Please contact me if you are interested in an image and I can get a limited number of prints made up to sell in my Etsy shop.

 The first card is the Transformation card.  In the standard tarot deck, this would be the Death card.  The butterfly symbolizes that change is a necessary part of life.  Sometimes we do not welcome change, but we must face change in order to learn and grow.  Our existence is ever-changing. All things are reborn fresh, new and pure. This card represents a major life change that is necessary for us to evolve into the person we are meant to be.  A caterpillar must face its fear of change in order to grow into a beautiful butterfly.  The second card is the Destiny card.  This card represents going with the flow of life.   The jelly fish must let go of control and allow the current of life to lead him in the right direction.  Your purpose in life will not manifest if you cannot trust the universe. Have faith that you are right where you need to be at this time.

As always, I hope all of you have a great night.  Please feel free to comment below and share this post on social media if you enjoy this blog.  You can also follow the Copper Blossom Paperie blog via email or google+. ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Shoot For The Moon Art Journal Page

I hope that everyone is having a fantastic Thursday Evening.  I just wanted to share a new art journal page with everyone who reads my blog.  I am obsessed with the moon and space, and was more than excited to start this journal page.  This page features my all time favorite quote: "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars".  I am the biggest dreamer I know, and love creating art that inspires others to achieve greatness. If you think about it, most of our limitations are created in our own minds.  When I was creating this art journal page, I wanted to convey the idea that life is limitless.  Our only obstacles in life are our negative thoughts and self limiting beliefs.

I created this page by first painting the background with seedless preserves, black soot, and walnut stain distress paint.  I blended the colors using a baby wipe and let dry.  Next I sprayed white dylusions ink spray on the page and created drips. I let the page completely dry overnight.  The next step was drawing the lace, dotted border, and stars with a white gelly roll pen. I added some midnight dylusions ink spray to a baby wipe and wiped the ink on some of the stars and lace to tone down the the brightness and add a bit of blue to the page.  I then cut out a moon and three stars from a piece of scrapbook paper.  I took a light lavender alcohol marker and outlined the cutouts, and then blended the lavender edges with an alcohol blender pen. I glued the moon and stars to the page using acrylic gloss gel medium. Lastly, I used a lilac souffle pen and wrote the quote on the page.  I outlined the lettering with a black permanent marker to make it stand out.  I love the way this page turned out, especially the space themed background.

I hope this art journal page inspires you to start an art journal of your own.  Remember, you do not need to purchase a fancy art journal or special media to start art journaling.  You can use whatever art materials you already have to make beautiful pieces of art. Enjoy the rest of your night and keep dreaming!  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Another Throw Back Thursday!

Good morning. Glad you took the time to visit my blog on this fabulous Thursday.  I personally want to thank everyone for following my blog and sharing its contents on social media.  I have nearly reached 1,000 views since I re-started the Copper Blossom Paperie blog 40 days ago.  I cannot thank you enough for all the support.  I love sharing my artwork with all of you and hope that you leave my blog inspired to create art.

It has been a while since I shared a throw back Thursday post, so I decided to write one today.  This artwork is a linocut print I created for a gallery show in 2005.  Like other works I created at the time, this piece represents the connection between humanity and nature.  The entire show revolved around the idea of people modifying the natural world to better suite our commercialized society.  This particular print was an artistic interpretation of a genetically modified plant.  I have been against GMO's (genetically modified organisms) since their conception in the 90's.  For some reason, this topic tends to show up a lot in my artwork.  When I created this print, I wanted to evoke the idea of genetic modification going too far.  Can we create plants that think and comprehend like we do?  Will plants one day have a skeletal structure?  Can these plants turn around and genetically modify us?  I know the notion of plants taking over the world one day is a hard idea to grasp, but I like to think that nothing is impossible.  What if plants could one day grow us a new brain or heart?

This print was also meant to signify the link between GMO's and disease.  At the time, GMO's were considered safe despite the lack of adequate studies.  No one knew the long term affects of GMO consumption.  Unfortunately, the last 10 years have shown that GMO's are indeed unsafe to eat.  Now days, chronic diseases like autism and ADHD can be linked to the consumption of genetically modified plant material.  I am glad that several food production companies have voluntarily removed GMO's from their packaged meals over the last couple years.

I hope this blog post didn't read too much like a science essay.  Please comment below and let me know if you liked this post.  If you enjoy reading my posts, be sure to subscribe to the blog via email or google+.  Thanks for stopping by.  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Life-Long Dreams Of A Wildlife Painter

To be honest, I did not have a topic or piece of art to share with you today.  I am still working on the finishing touches of my Tattered Halloween digital scrapbook kit, and am also working on a few other projects I plan to share with everyone throughout the week.  I was thinking that mybe I should start vlogging soon... perhaps this weekend?  I do have specific projects lined up to vlog about, but need to set up a specific art area.  Blogging in bed works... but vlogging in bed would be weird.  (My bed tends to be where all the art creating magic happens in my house... oddly).  Today was just an aimless day and I ended up not really doing anything.  I was going to dye my hair... that didn't happen.  Then I thought I would finish some digital projects... that didn't happen either.  Instead, all I could think about was starting a couple knitting projects.  I literally spent the entire day looking at knitting patterns.  Why knitting?  Your guess is as good as mine.

I admire all artists and their passion towards a specific genre of art.... but I seem to love doing it all.  I don't just create art in one genre or express interest in one hobby.  I am a printmaker, a wildlife artist, a graphic designer, a mixed media artist, a quilter, a hair dresser, a knitter, a scientist, a baker, a sculptor, a spiritualist, a papercrafter, a gardener, and a dreamer all wrapped into one person.  Heck, I'm still considering becoming a tattoo artist or archaeologist one day.  Am I the only person who has no specific direction in life or feels lost 90% of the time?  Perhaps my desire to knit stems from the fact that I have been spending so much time in front of my computer lately?  Maybe this newfound desire is a message from my subconscious signally my body to become grounded again?  Whatever the reason may be, I think I will be shopping for yarn tomorrow.

As I pondered about what I had just written above, it dawned on me that I haven't shared any of my wildlife paintings on this blog.  I am a wildlife painter (among other things) after all.  I have been drawing and painting photo-realistic animals and plants since I was 6 years old.  That year I had a major tendon surgery on my clubfoot and spent an entire summer drawing and coloring in a leg cast.  (Ironically... that is how I spent this entire summer).  My whole artistic existence would not be a part of this reality if it weren't for me being born crippled.  I still have a deep love of painting wildlife, but find that it is the most time consuming of all my artistic pursuits.   I have put my paints away, but I know I will bring them back out one day when the urge hits.

This acrylic painting "Parrot Love" took me 5 years to finish. I definitely had a love hate relationship with parts of this painting, but in the end, it is definitely one of the best paintings I have ever done.  I finished painting it last fall and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it. I initially put this painting up for sale in my Etsy Shop, but my Mom begged me to give this painting to her.  She loved it and couldn't believe I wanted to sell it so fast.  I had mixed feelings about selling it anyway, so I gave this painting to my Mom for Christmas.  It worked out well because I now have the opportunity to enter this painting into the Birds In Art show at Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum of Wausau.  It has been a lifelong dream of mine to have art exhibited at that show.  Thousands of artists from around the world enter their bird related artwork into the competition.  The museum hand selects roughly 100 pieces to be exhibited.  The art selected for the show ends up traveling around the world.  The winning artist of the competition receives the title "Master Wildlife Artist" and has their art published in periodicals and magazines nationally.  Due to my surgery, I was unable to enter "Parrot Love" for consideration last spring.  I do plan on entering next year though.

Click the link below if you are interesting in learning about this years Birds In Art show.  I believe the exhibit just opened to the public a couple days ago.    2015 Birds In Art Video

I hope you enjoyed this blog post.  Please feel free to follow this blog via google+ or email so you never have to miss another post or announcement.  Remember to check out my Etsy shop and facebook page!  Have a great night.  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Time Journal Page

Hello everyone!  I can hardly believe that today is already hump day... where does the time go?  Speaking of time, I just finished an art journal page and thought I would share it with all of you.  I am really enjoying decoupaging in my art journal, and this page is covered top to bottom in papers, cut outs, and mod podge.  This page is definitely my thickest to date.  I really didn't know what I was going to do with the journal page.  This was one of those half done pages that I despised seeing in my journal. I had lots of issues with this page, so I left it unfinished for a few months.  Last night I got inspired to work on it after thinking about daylight savings time.

This page started a few months ago when I decided to glue one of my old woodcut prints to the page.

 I used dylusions spray ink in fresh lime, vibrant turquoise, and pure sunshine over the image to create a background. I also used black soot distress paint to distress the edges of the page.  I decided at that point to color in the cogs with souffle gel pens in random colors.  I wasn't the happiest with the page, so I started to cover up some of the image via decoupage.  I used mod podge to adhere all of the random torn pieces of scrapbook paper and circle shapes. At this point, I liked how it looked, but there was no theme to the page.

I didn't know what else to do with the page until last night when I was thinking about clocks and daylight savings time.  I decided to print out a clock on scrapbook paper and add it to the image.  I added India ink randomly around the edges to darken them up more.  This took a while to dry on the areas previously covered with mod podge, so I started working on another journal page to pass the time.  When the page was completely dry, I added a couple more circle shapes around the clock via mod podge. To add a little more contrast, I used a black permanent marker and white gel pen to trace around all the circles.  Lastly, I added a title using stickers and distress paint. This page turned out amazing... it just took some time!

I hope this journal page inspires you to never give up on those pesky pages you feel are unsuccessful.  The advantage of using paint and decoupage is that you can cover up and hide whatever it is that you don't like.  No matter what, sometimes it is best to stop working on a journal page or art project and work on something else for a while.  Nine times out of ten, I can return to a piece of artwork with renewed inspiration and a different approach.

Thanks for visiting my blog and enjoy the rest of your Wednesday!  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Dylusions Ink... Going Beyond Backgrounds

As I return home from Rochester, Minnesota I thought I would share a Dylusions art project.  This project was completed this last spring when I was experimenting with these inks.

I realize that these inks are generally used for backgrounds and stencils, but they can also be used like watercolor paints!  For this particular image, I had drawn a peacock with a pencil on white cardstock. I used masking tape to mask off the white areas.  You could also use masking fluid. I sprayed London blue, turquoise, lime, and crushed grape dylusions on the cardstock. It is important to let the dylusions dry completely before removing the masking tape. Once dry, remove the masking material.   I loved that a little bit of ink seeped through the masking tape since it really created a sloppy watercolor look.  I even spattered lemon zest to create an even sloppier watercolor drawing.  Feel free to spray water or use a waterbrush to allow the inks to bleed.

When I was satisfied with the layers of ink, I added outlines with permanent marker to define the peacock image and really make it stand out.  I also used color pencil to add highlights and shadows.  This can also be accomplished with watercolor, distress markers, alcohol markers, or watercolor pencils.  That is all there is to creating this project. 

 

I hope you enjoyed this post.  Please feel free to comment and share this post on social media.  I hope all of you have a blessed weekend! ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paper Gallery ❤  

Throwback Thursday From My College Days

Hello Everyone! I am sorry that I didn't post to the blog yesterday.  I haven't been feeling my best lately and needed a short break from life.  I am still sick, but wanted to do another Throw Back Thursday, so here I am.

These two linocut prints are from a collection I created in college.  I enjoy creating art that shows nature interacting with man-made objects. In this series however, I wanted to depict the survival of nature as our human world technologically grows and changes.  I want to evoke the question of whether or not our current world is better than the world that has naturally evolved over billions of years.  Yeah, it is a pretty deep concept.  As an artist, we can creatively depict whatever concepts we want in our art whether your art has a political vibe, gives animals a voice, or depicts socioeconomic inequality in our communities.  I personally connect with the energies of nature and wildlife, so that is the main focus of my art.

I hope you enjoyed this Throwback Thursday!  Please comment below or share this post on social media if you enjoy the blog.  Also feel free to subscribe to the blog so you can keep up on current projects, freebies, and new items in the store.  Take care everyone!  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paper Gallery ❤

Two More Oracle Cards & A Story

Today I thought I would share two more oracle cards I created over the past weekend.  I was planning on posting this sooner, but I ran into a problem with one of the cards I was designing last week.  As you know, these are oracle cards which are meant to hold a specific meaning and energy.  I am finding that I am having a hard time drawing certain cards, while other cards magically come together for me with absolutely no issues.  I'm not sure if it is because I am not connecting to the energies of the cards I want to create, or if it is due to random chance? When I designed the Wish card a couple weeks ago, nothing seemed to go right.  I am naturally an unlucky person, so it was no surprise that the card representing good luck would give me problems.  The drawing went well, and I was able to color it in without a problem. I masked the drawing out to spray a background behind it, but my ink sprayer kept clogging and dripping on the image. When I decided to try to fix the background, nothing I tried worked. Eventually I colored the entire background with a gel pen and matte paint, but the color turned out super uneven and still showed the mistakes underneath.  Still unhappy with it, I added watercolor to the background which  created a unique effect on top of the over worked surface.  The image actually turned out quite beautiful in the end (which was lucky).  I have thought about redoing the card several times because it had frustrated me so much.  In the end, I decided to use it in the deck because the card truly represents luck.

Last week I encountered every problem possible with the Destiny (go with the flow of life) card.   I had drawn out an intricate design the week before and just had to transfer the drawing to a piece of chip board.  When I tried to transfer the drawing, I couldn't get a clear image to transfer.  Either the image would move, or something would happen to the transfer paper.  I ended up drawing the image by hand on the chip board but it wasn't as nice.  I decided to just go with it (because it is the card that represents going with the flow) and color in the drawing anyway.  Somehow I ended up getting blue ink on my hand from who knows where, and got it all over the chip board and drawing.  I decided to do a sprayed background to hide the blue using dylusions ink after that.  I masked out the drawing before spraying the ink,  but the ink bled through the masking fluid and saturated the majority of the chipboard.  I was so frustrated, but thought maybe I should just seal the ink with my spray fixative, paint over it, and start over.  Unfortunately, my brother borrowed my spray fixative a week earlier and hadn't returned it yet.  I took that as a sign to hold off on creating the Destiny card. The next day, I created the Communication card without any problems whatsoever.

Disclaimer:  Because the images I am sharing with you are being published, they cannot be copied, printed, or sold outside of Copper Blossom Paper Gallery.  These images are watermarked and copyrighted.  Please contact me if you are interested in an image and I can get a limited number of prints made up to sell in the shop.

The first card is the Communication card.  This card represents a need to communicate and express yourself.  The male frog will sing to attract his mate and also speak up when he feels threatened. You need to find your voice to resolve the situation at hand.  If you are having relationship problems, you need to express your feelings to your partner.  This card also encourages you to express yourself through music and writing.  Good communication can solve any problem.  The second card is the Illusion card.  This card represents living in your mind rather than reality.  Like the fish in a bubble, you are unable to see all sides of a situation.  You need to stop over analyzing everything, and see the situation for what it truly is. 

Thank you for stopping by.  If you enjoy my blog posts, please share on social media and google+.  Also be sure to like and follow my facebook page at www.facebook.com/copperblossom.  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paper Gallery ❤

Another Day, Another Art Journal Page

Welcome back to my blog.  I hope everyone is having a super fun weekend.  I got to spend some time yesterday visiting family and enjoying the beautiful weather here in Wisconsin.  I don't get out of the house much since I am still in a cast and getting around via knee scooter, but I always enjoy getting out when I can. Today is totally dedicated to relaxation and art. I am currently working on a couple more oracle cards which I hope to share tomorrow.  Today I thought I would share another art journal page with you.

I love creating art in an art journal.  I am a perfectionist by nature, but what I create in a journal does not have to be perfect.  Its actually kind of an intuitive practice.  You are making choices and layering media as you go rather than sticking to a set plan.  Sometimes I do start with a plan, but other times I just start working with what I have until an image or idea comes to me.  I usually start by picking out a few paint or ink colors, and go from there.

In this image, I used dylusions spray inks, distress paint, a black permanent marker, adhesive, spray fixative, and gel pens. First I adhered a shimmery brown paper to the page and trimmed the access off.  Once dry, I sprayed turquoise, crushed grape, and London blue dylusions ink in random spots and let air dry.  I do not have any heat tools, so all of my projects are forced to air dry.  When dry, I used spray fixative to set the water based ink so that I could continue to work on the image without ruining the background. Next I daubed spots of white distress paint on the image. It was at this point I decided to draw an inverted sunflower and added the quote. I also created a border right away to frame the image.  I had no idea how I wanted to color in the sunflower, so I created zentangles and different designs within each petal. All of the petals were then colored in using random gel pens and a black marker. Lastly, I outlined everything with a black marker and white gel pen.

I really love how random and intuitive the art in my journal is.  It is somewhat like a sketchbook where I can try new ideas and techniques. I get to discover what mediums work together, and which ones don't.  I encourage everyone to experiment in their journals, and used the materials you have on hand.  In the end, if you do not like what you have created, paint over it and start a new project. 

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Please comment below and share this post on your blog, google + or social media page if you find this helpful or inspiring.  Have a happy Sunday everyone! ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paper Gallery ❤ 

Elegant Writer Watercolor Technique! Super Cool And Easy Peasy!

Hello peeps!  I love inspiring people and when I find something that inspires me, I must share it with all of you.  I decided to share this video with everyone today because it is an awesome way to create watercolor art without spending a ton of time or money.  This technique also only requires a few basic materials to create.  The materials you will need include watercolor paper, a black Elegant Writer calligraphy pen, a watercolor brush, and water.  A spray bottle with a fine mist is also recommended if you decide to add color to the image later on. The Elegant Writer pen ink is unique because it reacts with water... even when it is dry.  Not only does the ink spread when water is added, but it separates into blue, green, purple, pink, and grey pigments.  This ink will also become permanent after contact with water.  The artist in the video is an amazing teacher and shows so many examples of this technique.  If you have enough time to watch the entire video, do it!

I really hope you are inspired by the video.  Please feel free to comment and share on social media.  Thank you for stopping by and supporting what I do.  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paper Gallery ❤