Anne's Creative Cornucopia: February 2013

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Thursday, February 28, 2013

"Art Deco Woman" - Tag

This week's Everybody Art Challenge #225 was "Tag."

I started with an Art Deco pattern and used it to create the background. Then I added the woman and a pearl border.

The images are from an Internet search.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Sky Reflection - Photograph

This is 1 of 5 posts of photographs I took at Jennings Beach in Fairfield CT on February 25, 2013.

I was on my way back to my car when this beautiful sight caught my eye. The parking lot has the ugly look of snow plowed debris scattered everywhere. It was an unexpected contrast to see the blue sky and white clouds like a mirage in this water pool.

Beach Fence - Photographs

This is 2 of 5 posts of photographs I took at Jennings Beach in Fairfield CT on February 25, 2013.

The first photograph is my entry for Friday's Fences #71.

Dry Docked Catamarans - Photographs

This is 3 of 5 posts of photographs I took at Jennings Beach in Fairfield CT on February 25, 2013.

The third photograph is my entry for Ruby Tuesday 2.

Fayerweather Island Lighthouse - Photographs

This is 4 of 5 posts of photographs I took at Jennings Beach in Fairfield CT on February 25, 2013.

Penfield Reef Lighthouse - Photograph

This is 5 of 5 posts of photographs I took at Jennings Beach in Fairfield CT on February 25, 2013.

I had erroneously identified this lighthouse in an older blog post, and have now corrected it.

Jennings Beach, Fairfield CT - Tourist Postcard

I created a replica vintage style tourist postcard.

I used a photograph I took of Fayerweather Island Lighthouse in Bridgeport CT, as seen from Jennings Beach in Fairfield CT on February 25, 2013. In GIMP, I created a rounded rectangle border with a radius of 15, and a width of 50 pixels. I used an Old Paper script to give the postcard a distressed look.

The font is Janda Elegant Handwriting.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

"Artist's Journal" – Postcard

I created a notebook/journal cover. The original woman image is from an Internet search, and everything else was created by me using GIMP 2.8.2.

At first I used a silhouette image for this, but I decided it was too risqué, and I couldn't find another one that fit the rest of the design, so the filename description for this is no longer valid.

The font is Lobster 1.4.

"Silhouette" – Postcard

This week’s Sunday Postcard Art challenge was “Silhouette.”

The image is from an Internet search, and everything else was created by me using GIMP 2.8.2.

The font is Lobster 1.4.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Tabby Kitten in Wicker Basket - Photograph

I had taken this picture of my cat when he was a kitten. He used to jump into everything when he was small. I never posted this photograph at the time because it was grainy, but looking at it now, I like it.

"Happy Birthday" – ATC

This week’s Wicked Wednesday ATC challenge #72 was "Any Holiday or Birthday."

This is my first entry for the challenge. I hope digital is allowed.

The images are from an Internet search.

The font is Lindsey.

Friday, February 22, 2013

"Black Bird" – ATC

This week’s Take A Word challenge was "Black Bird."

The images are from an Internet search. The words in the background are from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I used the add on Selection Bevel script in GIMP on the bird and the skulls.

The fonts are Limelight and Lindsey.

"Reach beyond the Stars!" – Postcard

I made another StazOn Color Technique piece using one of my favorite stamps.

This time I used a few colored "Gelly Roll Pens" in addition to the white one, although the effect is subtle in some areas. I also drew the stars around the words. For the full details on how I've been making these, see my other blog posts with the StazOn label.

The font is Mathilde.

Splashing Waterfall - Photograph

I took this photograph of the waterfall in my backyard yesterday. From the way it was splashing in the foreground, it looked like some debris was stuck there.

Yellow flower buds on tree? - Photograph

I was scanning the daytime sky for the moon yesterday when I noticed this tree in my yard seemed to have flower buds (for leaves) growing on it. I zoomed in on it to take this photograph. I never noticed this growth on the tree in previous years, so I hope it's normal, because it's far too early for Spring leaves on the trees here. My daffodils have started growing, but that's normal for them. The trees around here don't usually have full leaves until early May, and the growth probably starts in the late March/early April timeframe.

Icosahedron Building - Photograph

I took this photograph of an Icosahedron Building (a shed perhaps?) in someone's front yard in Milford, CT this week. It was leaning slightly.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

"Key to my Heart" – Postcard

This week’s Sunday Postcard Art challenge was “Key to my heart.”

I made a StazOn Color Technique piece for this challenge. This is the second time I've tried this.

Although my piece is digital, I followed the same techniques shown in the instruction video. I chose my stamps, then applied masks to maintain "keep out regions" for previously stamped areas. I used a sponge brush in GIMP to apply the ink colors.

Next, I simulated a white Gelly Roll Pen by drawing lines on top of the image after I was done coloring it. I thought the upper right hand corner looked a little bare, so I embellished it by drawing circles with the "Gelly Roll Pen."

Finally, I "cut out" typewriter key letters, determined where I wanted to place them, StazOn colored them, then "glued" them down.

All of the stamps are from Clipart ETC and the typewriter keys are from an image I found on the Internet. (See the side of my blog for links.)

I used the following colors:

0f788e Teal Blue
f0d929 Sunflower Yellow
b18848 Copper (looks Gold)
e96f2c Pumpkin
822135 Black Cherry
e05b78 Cherry Pink

Saturday, February 16, 2013

"StazOn Color Technique" – ATC

This week’s Artful Times challenge #23 was "Colour Technique" where you were supposed to choose a color technique to use to create your piece.

After doing an internet search and seeing a lot of beautiful artwork, I watched the StazOn Technique video to learn how to do it.

Although my piece is digital, I followed the same techniques shown in the video. I chose my stamps, then applied masks to maintain "keep out regions" for previously stamped areas. I used a sponge brush in GIMP to apply the ink colors. Finally, I simulated a white Gelly Roll Pen by drawing lines on top of the image after I was done coloring it.

I had a lot of fun doing this, and want to try it again. I wanted to use a lot of colors, but in the end, I think that was a mistake. I don't think mine came out as nicely as others I've seen. And in the areas where the color overlapped, I over-inked too far over.

I also cheated, because I drew lines around the oval dates on the top right hand side, didn't like how it looked, so I deleted the layer and started over. But if I had been doing this using paper and ink, I would've done about 5 or 10 of these before I got it right. :-(

All of the stamps are from Clipart ETC. (See the side of my blog for links.)

I used the following colors:

0f788e Teal Blue
f0d929 Sunflower Yellow
b18848 Copper (looks Gold)
e96f2c Pumpkin
b53886 Fuschia Pink
822135 Black Cherry
e05b78 Cherry Pink

"Exotic Art Deco" – Postcard

I started this piece with an Art Deco poster that I found. By the time I was done, most of it got hidden in the background.

The images are from an Internet search.

Reflection - Photograph

This is 1 of 3 posts of photographs I took at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport, CT this week.

This seagull flew directly at me but I wasn't fast enough with my camera to get the shot. He landed very close to me, in this pool of water.

This is my entry for Weekend Reflections #177.

Sentries - Photograph

This is 2 of 3 posts of photographs I took at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport, CT this week.

A group of seagulls was sitting on the observation deck railing, watching me and looking out at the sea. A better look at the railing can be seen here.

This is my entry for Friday's Fences #70. (I hope a railing counts as a fence.)

Seagull Flying Past Railing - Photograph

This is 3 of 3 posts of photographs I took at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport, CT this week.

I'm continuing to practice taking birds in flight photographs.

This is my entry for Weekly Top Shot #70.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

"Sultry Valentine" – Postcard

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I made another Valentine postcard.

The images are from an Internet search. Some of them have been modified.

The font is Pescadero.

"Arabian Charger" – Postcard

I started this piece with a border that I found. Then I set the inner and outer background colors. I love vintage Arabian images, and this one blended well with the color scheme.

The images are from an Internet search.

Dense Fog - Photographs

I took these photographs at Southport Beach in Fairfield, CT on February 11, 2013. I needed to go out in the late afternoon to get groceries in the aftermath of the Blizzard. A dense fog had formed so I decided to take some photographs of it. Unfortunately they didn't come out too well. I need to improve on this.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

"Cardinal" – ATC

This week's Fun With ATCs challenge #81 was "Something Red."

This week's Three Muses challenge was "Red."

My first ATC is my entry for both. I used several background layers which made this a little busy, but which also forced me out of a comfort zone. I've been trying to do that lately. I also experimented with different background colors, and have shown all of them here. The background colors are Red, Blue, Green, and Orange.

The images are from an Internet search.

The words are from Wikipedia.

The font is dearJoe4.

"Pointy Hats" – Moo (1.1" x 2.8")

This week’s Moo Mania challenge was "Pointy Hats."

I never know what to do with this as the theme, and it takes me outside of my comfort zone.

The images are from an Internet search.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

"Romantic" - Postcard

This week’s Collage Obsession challenge was "Love" because of Valentine's Day being this week.

The image is the couple from Munchner, Kindl, Keller by Hans Rudi Erdt (1883 - 1918).

The words might be from the song Hold Me In Your Arms by Sylver, or I heard them someplace else.

The fonts are Market Deco and Peignot.

"Look of Love" - 2 x 6 Bookmark

This week’s Inspiration Avenue challenge was to choose one of the February Holidays, and I chose Valentine's Day.

The image is a couple from a poster by Hans Rudi Erdt (1883 - 1918).

The words are slightly modified and are from the song The Look of Love by Burt Bacharach.

The font is HandTIMES.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Scenes after the Blizzard - Photographs

This is 1 of 2 blog posts of the Blizzard.

I took these photographs in my yard today, February 10, 2013. The snowfall from the Blizzard ended early yesterday morning here. I was fortunate not to lose electricity, but Connecticut (CT) received the most snowfall, and I got about 2 and a half feet. While that might not seem like a lot of snowfall to people living in places where that amount is normal, the population density of the Northeast United States and public road mileage here makes snow removal difficult. As of noon today, some roads in CT haven't even been plowed once.

The first photograph is my entry for Rurality Blog Hop #1. I was too late to be able to enter the challenge.

I probably won't have time to look at and comment on everyone's entries until next weekend.

Scenes during the Blizzard - Photographs

This is 2 of 2 blog posts of the Blizzard.

I took these photographs in my yard on February 8, 2013, a few hours into the start of the Blizzard.

The first photograph is my entry for Weekly Top Shot #69.

"Gothic Valentine" – Postcard

This week’s Sunday Postcard Art challenge was “Gothic Valentine.”

I went outside of my comfort zone on this, but I had fun making it!

On the Blizzard front, I have about 2 and a half feet of snow. I have to finish digging out my car today. I hope to take and post some photographs of my yard after that, assuming I can move my arms after shoveling. Fortunately I never lost power throughout the storm, so I'm grateful for that.

All of the images and brushes are from an Internet search.

The words are from the song Light My Fire by the Doors.

The font is DecadentaFrax Medium.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

"Birds of Prey" - Postcard

This month’s Soartful challenge was "Curiosity" or the colors "Rust and Turquoise."

I went with the color theme.

All of the images are from an Internet search.

The font is Pericles.

When daylight arrives, I'll take and post some photographs of the snow in my yard. It's going to take me awhile to dig out. And, "Gov. Dannel Malloy ordered all roads closed in Connecticut until further notice..."

It is bad here!

I copied this image from the CT DOT webcam. There are cars and trucks stuck on I95 at exit 19 in Fairfield, CT due to the snow from the Blizzard. NOAA is reporting 34" in Hamden CT as of 1:30am, and 24" in Stratford CT as of midnight. It's too dark for me to know how much snow I've got, but it looks deep out there. This is bad. Fortunately I still have power.

Friday, February 8, 2013

"Blizzard of 2013" – ATC

This week’s Artful Times challenge #22 was a "Happy New Year/Chinese/Asian" theme.

I used several Asian papers and an Asian font to create a Blizzard theme because of the snow storm in progress here in the Tri-State/New England region of the United States. I created this using GIMP 2.8.2. All of the images are from Vintage Printable.

The font is Shanghai.

Bridge - Photograph

I took this photograph in Fairfield, CT on February 5, 2013. I love this stone bridge and would like to get a snow photo of it, but lately whenever we get snow, it's either too much (like today will be) or too little.

This is my entry for this week's Inspiration Avenue challenge "Bridge."

Blizzard has begun...

I copied these images from NOAA's website. It started snowing here around 7:30am (45 minutes ago) and the ground is almost completely snow covered. Right now they're calling for 18 to 24 inches for Fairfield County CT. My only hope is I don't lose electricity.

Technically, the Blizzard hasn't actually begun yet. Only the snowfall has. The Blizzard conditions will be later tonight and overnight, so I don't know what I'll awake to. I'll post snow pictures as the storm progresses, assuming I have electricity.