Progress Shall Be Made!

A busy busy bee I have been of late. There are only two more weeks in the  semester, so it's crack-down time. Then finals week. Moral of the story being: don't expect too much from me for a little while, but after the semester is over I have a few amazing things to share with y'all . . . when I have time to write them up.

However, I needed to make this post for two reasons:

1. All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. All work and no play make . . . Whatever.

2. I am really super excited about this piece of art I am working on.

So, I wanted to give you a quick glance at the progress I made just yesterday. Then, hopefully, I can update you when it is finished in the next two weeks and you will know part of the process and have some insight!

This work is part of a series, the first of which I have already completed.

The first of the Pattern Girl Series

There will be one more work after the current one, which I am hoping to complete before portfolios are due for graduate school.

Hand to the right

I began with the above completion yesterday. I had blocked in the right hand but hadn't filled it in yet, though the fingers are finished.

Hand to the right.

The right hand is now darkened to my liking, so it's time to start on the left arm.

Left arm.

More blocking in. I find it really important to map out my values before I begin darkening up a section.

Left forearm.

Now the upper and forearm are darkened to my liking. Notice that part of the forearm blends in with the upper arm. This may look strange, but it's really important to keep parts like these as you see them to allows the work to maintain believability.

Left rope and hand.

The rope around the left hand is completed and the left hand is now blocked in. Home stretch!

Left hand.

I did a little more after this point last night but this is a wonderful place to leave off. I hope you enjoyed this glimpse in to my work. Check out my newly updated portfolio, I would love your feedback on it: http://whitneygoller.wix.com/portfolio. 

Drawing is the honesty of the art. There is no possibility of cheating. It is either good or bad. - Salvador Dali 

Laptop Makeover!

With my return to Texarkana yesterday I decided to take the opportunity at midnight to create some beautiful coasters that I saw on Pinterest which are now pinned on my Crafts board.

my inspiration from Calico Skies. . . check out the great coaster instructions!

I also watched Brothers and most of the new Footloose in the process because... well, I got carried away: with my leftover pieces of paper, I tackled my laptop's scraggly look. So check out my step by step and I hope you will try this yourself! I love the way it turned out, plus I now have a completely unique laptop.

 The supplies: paper triangles, Mod Podge, foam or bristle brush, and a pencil. The key to making this successful is choosing great papers that go well together!

 Lay out the triangles exactly how you want them BEFORE you start gluing.

 Mod Podge the crap out of those triangles! Do them one at a time because the paper will curl and one at a time is more than enough to handle.

 I made a cut out for my HP light on the front.

 After they were all glued down I chose to tape off the area surrounding them to decoupage so as not to risk accidental drips or getting the stuff somewhere I didn't want it, which is what normally happens with me and liquids.

 Cover all of the triangles and in between with Mod Podge. I used their matte selection.

My complete coaster - laptop set! I think they turned out really cute and the whole process is really easy. Afterwards my sister-in-law and I were looking around the whole house for other things we could decoupage. It is definitely addicting! So have fun... and splurge a little to actually buy decoupage because the recipes for it aren't worth the headache.

Thoughts on makeovers: My aim is to achieve sustainable change, not just make a cute little makeover. - Jamie Oliver