"Eat. Dance. Be Merry." – Tag

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This week’s Tag Along challenge #27 was "Cats."

Some of the other cats didn't like her exuberant display, but she knew life was too short to waste time worrying about the judgmental opinions of others.

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The images are from a DuckDuckGo search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

"Grove Arcade" – Postcard

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This week’s Three Muses challenge was "Architecture."

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The images are from the Charles Parker Papers, MC 00383, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC.

To the best of my knowledge, the images used are in the public domain.

The fonts are:

Orniste tfb
HandTIMES
Accord SF Bold
Arimo

Some or all of them can be found on dafont.

"Tropical" – Postcard

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This week’s Sunday Postcard Art challenge was "Tropical."

I struggled to come up with something for this. I had a bunch of ideas, but I wasn't able to implement them. I was about to give up when this piece came together. I used G'MIC Filter Pen Drawing and altered the colors to get the subtle vibrant tropical look I had imagined. I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The vintage images are from a DuckDuckGo search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

"Blue" – Postcard

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This week’s Take A Word challenge was a color challenge using "Blue."

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The Medieval images are from the Getty Research Institute. (See the side of my blog for links.)

"Vintage" – Postcard

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This week’s Take A Word challenge was "Anything Vintage."

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The vintage images are from a DuckDuckGo search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

The words are from the song Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Rey.

The font is Galeforce BTN.

"Medieval" - Postcard

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I made another Medieval Illuminated Manuscript postcard.

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The images are from the Getty Research Institute. (See the side of my blog for links.)

Inspired by... Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts - Week 06 - The Documented Life Project

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The Week06 challenge for The Documented Life Project was "Inspired By..." where the challenge was to create an art journal page based on inspiration from an artist/artists.

I love Illuminated Manuscripts and Medieval images, so I decided to use them. I also decided to make another "Add a Flap to your Flap" piece.

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10, printed it on card stock paper, cut it out, then taped it into my weekly planner.

The images are from the Getty Research Institute. (See the side of my blog for links.)

The master index for all of my entries is here.

"Medieval" – Tag

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This week’s Tag Along challenge #26 was "Lots of Layers."

I love Illuminated Manuscripts and Medieval images, and used three layers of them to create this.

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The images are from the Getty Research Institute.

"Medieval" - Postcard

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I love Illuminated Manuscripts and Medieval images.

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The images are from the Getty Research Institute.

Add a Flap to your Flap - Week 08 - The Documented Life Project

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The Week08 challenge for The Documented Life Project was "Add a Flap to your Flap" where the challenge was to add (tape) another art piece to your weekly planner art journal page.

I started with a medieval border. Then I added etchings for the design within the border, and colored them. For the flap, I decided to make a thin border using the blue and black edge colors from the medieval border, then added an image within that.

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10, printed it on card stock paper, cut it out, then taped it into my weekly planner.

The images are from the Getty Research Institute.

The master index for all of my entries is here.

Harbinger of Spring - Robin - Photograph

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I took this photograph of a Robin in my yard today. There was a group of at least 10 of them here on Monday, February 17, 2014, but they eluded me and my camera. Seeing this bird back in CT is always the first sign that Spring is almost here. (I also noticed my Daffodils are poking out of the ground. They are snow covered, but they are hardy, and that doesn't affect them.)

This photo is my entry for:

Wild Bird Wednesday #84

"Dog" – Postcard

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This week’s Sunday Postcard Art challenge was "Favorite Pet."

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The vintage images are from a DuckDuckGo search.

I found a new resource for images, the Getty Research Institute,  and have added it to the list of resources on my blog.

The fonts, which can be found on dafont, are:

Christmas Card
BlackChancery Thin

"Machine Man" - Postcard

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This week’s Collage Obsession challenge was "Steampunk."

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The images are from a DuckDuckGo search.

The font is BlackChancery Thin

"Passion" - Happy Valentine's Day! - Postcard

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I created a piece for Valentine's Day.

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The images are from a DuckDuckGo search.

The words are from the poem Beautiful Dreamer by Stephen Foster.

The font is Courier New Bold.

"Sail the Seven Seas" – Tag

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This week’s Tag Along challenge #25 was "Roses are Red."

My piece went in the direction where my muse took it, which ended up having the rose itself play a minor role in this, with more emphasis on the other elements in this.

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The images are from a DuckDuckGo search.

The words are a modification of the ones from the song "Meet Me Half Way" by the Black Eyed Peas.

The font is Benjamin Franklin 

Shape - Week 07 - The Documented Life Project

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The Week07 challenge for The Documented Life Project was "Shape" where the challenge was to repeat a shape and color them in.

I used a leaf pattern for my shape. I also stamped it onto the background. Then I added affirmation words to some of the leaves.

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10, printed it on card stock paper, cut it out, then taped it into my weekly planner.

The images are from a DuckDuckGo search.

The master index for all of my entries is here.

Doodle a Border - Week 05 - The Documented Life Project

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The Week05 challenge for The Documented Life Project was "Doodle a Border."

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10, printed it on card stock paper, cut it out, then taped it into my weekly planner.

The images are from a DuckDuckGo search.

The master index for all of my entries is here.

"Butterflies" – Moo (1.1" x 2.8")

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This week’s Moo Mania challenge was "Old Book Pages."

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The images are from a DuckDuckGo search.

"Papillon" – Tag

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This week’s Take A Word challenge was "Butterflies."

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The vintage images are from a DuckDuckGo search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

The font is A Year Without Rain 

"Magic" – Postcard

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This week’s Sunday Postcard Art challenge was "My Heart Is Blue For You."

I wanted to create a piece showing a man suffering from unrequited love, thus the reason why his heart is blue (figuratively, not literally). I found some images, but then one thing led to another with my muse, and some magical creatures crept into my piece. Then I thought of the song "You Can Do Magic" by America, and the words fit my piece, so I added them to it.

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The vintage images are from a DuckDuckGo search.

The fonts are:

Guttenberg MF
FranciscoLucas Llana 

Month of February - Art Journal Page

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I created a Valentine's Day themed art journal page for the Month of February page of the weekly planner/journal that I'm using for The Documented Life Project.

I'm also using this as my entry for this week's Three Muses challenge of "Love in an Art Journal Page style."

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The images are from a DuckDuckGo search.

The master index for all of my entries is here.

"Love" – Tag

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This week’s Tag Along challenge #24 was "Pink Love."

I'm not a big fan of pink, but I recently found these Art Deco flowers, so this was the perfect place to use them.

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The images are from a DuckDuckGo search.

The background words are from Shakespeare's Sonnet LXXIII.

The fonts are

Gentium Basic Bold
JaneAusten

"Aeroplane" – Moo (1.1" x 2.8")

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This week’s Moo Mania challenge was "Embossing Powder."

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10. I applied Filter Emboss to the airplane schematic image in the foreground, then colored it gold. I used another airplane image for the background.

The images are from a DuckDuckGo search.

The font is DecoTech TL.

"Italy" – Postcard

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This week’s Sunday Postcard Art challenge was "Italy."

I used Italian images and words for this.

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The vintage images are from a DuckDuckGo search.

Waterfall - Photograph

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I took this photograph of a small waterfall this past week.

Mallard Ducks - Photograph

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I took this photograph of Mallard Ducks this past week.

"Time" – Postcard

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This is my second entry for this week’s Take A Word challenge which had a theme of "Clocks."

I used some of the same images as my first entry. This is another piece that I tried to make look like the "Tim Holtz style" of artwork.

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The words are from the song "Time" by the "Culture Club."

The font is Catull.

"Clock" – Postcard

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This week’s Take A Word challenge was "Clocks."

I started out my design by trying to emulate the "Tim Holtz style" of artwork, but the end result might be a mix of styles.

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

I used earth tone colored brushes to create the background, then added vintage images that I found from a DuckDuckGo search on top of that. (See the side of my blog for links.)

The font used to create the clock numbers is Casua Bold.

"Favorite Technique / Tim Holtz Style" – Tag

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This week’s Tag Along challenge #23 was "Your Favourite Technique."

This week's Artful Times challenge #48 was "a Tag, Card or ATC in the style of Tim Holtz."

I don't know that I have a favorite technique, and I wasn't sure what qualified as "Tim Holtz style" so I did an Internet search for images, then winged it. Many of the artists who enter the challenges that I participate in create beautiful pieces in styles that I wish I could emulate, so this was my attempt at doing that. I am happy with my end result, and hope I can continue making more pieces in this style, which might not qualify as "Tim Holtz style."

I based my design on a conglomeration of several inspiration pieces, including image and color ideas taken from a Tim Holtz Sizzix Alterations post, as well as images found using a DuckDuckGo search for "Tim Holtz style" artwork.

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The vintage images are from a DuckDuckGo search.

The words are from the Encyclopedia Britannica.

The font is Weathered SF.