EraserQueen Studios

Collage Extravaganza Giveaway!

2012-01-09T18:14:00.000-08:00

:: "I Walk my Fish Back and Forth" by Andrea Melione ::

Sal (Amerasu), Ann (AnnD) and I are working on a new Art of Collage workshop! We're having a blast filming video and creating workbooks that will teach you the core skills, layer building, tips, and techniques for creating successful and satisfying collage art!

:: You can learn more here at ArtTrader Magazine ::

To celebrate

I am giving away the Gothic Arch I make in
Art of Collage Workshop I

This Gothic Arch is 5x7.5 inches and is created with digitally and hand manipulated clipart, acrylic paint, stencils, twinkling H2O paints, Korean Newspaper, foreign text (Norwegian?), watercolor, inks, paint pens and scrap papers. It's signed and dated, and the back is also hand finished with decorative paper, stenciling and stamps.

• Winning is Easy. Just reply to this post!

• For Three whole chances to win, 1) reply to this post and 2) click here and friend me on Facebook: and 3) post a link to this blog post to your facebook feed!

Good Luck! Drawing will be held February 27th! The starting date of Art of Collage II

2012 = Art Resolutions!

2012-01-03T07:40:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012!

Hope everyone has a blessed and prosperous New Year! My personal goals for 2012 are to exercise every day, instead of several times a week to develop healthy habits, and my art goals are to acquire new crafting skills as well as develop the illustration skills I already posses!

It's not always easy to develop habits though. the key is persistence and record keeping! I've developed some charts in word to help keep track of exercise progress, but how does one track artistic progress? How do you know you're getting better? When I was very young I thought "getting better" meant that making art would be "easier." in many ways it is, but I sometimes still need "do overs" to achieve the effect I want in my art.

That's why it's good to have art buddies :D My buds over at IllustratedATCs.com have always provided me with constructive critisisim and a pat on the back. Thanks to all who help me as I develop further as an artist for 2012. Likewise, I am here if you need help or want a portfolio review!

HAPPY New Year Everyone!

Taking Photos/Images from Other Blogs

2011-11-27T11:00:00.001-08:00

Spread the Love!

Hey All!

I would like to start blogging about other great artsy people I know but something that has prevented me from doing so has been copyright.

Essentially it is wrong to take photos from another person's blog and publish them in your posts without their permission. If you want to promote them or share their work with others, you need to contact them and ask for permission.

This is a bit of a drag of you are an impulsive blogger and want your post published immediately. Most people are "Omg, serioulsy, just use my photo and link back!" But there are a few people who are very wary of their work being posted anywhere.

I am all for it of any of you want to take one of my images and post it on your blog. But you need to link back to my blog and make it obvious that it's my work. Say my name a few times, say why you're posting my image and don't lead people to believe you made the art or took the photo. That's fairly well understood etiquette. But onn the other hand, I don't want your enthusiasim to dampen because you have to wait 48 hours before I reply with a go-ahead.

SO I have made some handy little buttons. You can place these on your blog if you want to encourage others to mention you or your work and give you credit without emailing you first.

If you want to use these feel free to save them and load them onto your blog. You must link back to this post though so others will know where to find them and what they mean!

Re-cap the rules:

If you see this button one a blog you can use their image in your blog post BUT:

1) turn their image into a link back to them

2) Make it obvious that the image you're using is THEIRS by showing their name and providing an obvious link

3) Do NOT alter their image in anyway shape or form.

4) Do NOT use their image as a graphic for your blog layout, website layout, forum avatar etc.

5) Notifying them that you used their image is nice! But you don't need permission before you publish your post!

If you want to use the buttons on your website

1) you MUST link back to this post so people will know what the button means and the terms of use :)

Here is the URL of the post:

http://eraserqueenstudios.blogspot.com/2011/11/taking-photosimages-from-other-blogs.html

And that's it!

Buttons and their sizes:

120x60

125x125

180x150


234x60

India ACEO Giveaway Winner!

2011-10-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

Yay! I'm happy to announce that Renu (midnitecreations) has won!

Congratulations Renu!

A new giveaway will be posted soon!

Thanks for playing guys!

Win an ATC: Women of India

2011-10-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

Click the banner (or here) for more information

Hello folks! It's that time again! I'm releasing a new workshop on September 26th, and to celebrate I'm having a contest!

::: Win an India Gal ATC/ACEO :::
|| ATC/ACEO made with acrylic, watercolor and ink ||

All you have to do to is comment to this post! For more changes to win, place one of the banners below with a link to this post on your Blog, Forum Signature, Facebook, or Twitter, and get a chance to win. The more places you put it, the more chances you have to win! Jus let me know where you put it (and a link would be nice! I love visiting people's blogs and twitter pages!)

Drawing will be held on October 15th!

Large Banner 240 x 100 pixels: (right click to save)
URL: http://eraserqueenstudios.blogspot.com/2011/08/win-indian-woman-atc.html

Small Banner: 120 x 60 pixels: (right click to save)
URL: http://eraserqueenstudios.blogspot.com/2011/08/win-indian-woman-atc.html

::: Workshop Information :::

Instructor: Andrea Melione
Art Level: Women of India is a workshop for beginner and intermediate students.
Start Date: September 26, 2011
Contents: 1 module program
Fee: $24 US per person
Questions? Please view our Online Workshop FAQ
This Workshop Includes:

Basic Styles of Indian dress
- The Sari
- The Salwar Kameeze
- Bollywood! Mixing India and the West
Indian Jewelry
Indian Hair Styles
Color and Pattern in Indian Clothing
Inspirational Resources
Indian Woman Paper doll: Designing your own outfits
Project: 8x10 Canvas

Cancellation Policy: A full refund, less $10 administration fee will be given for cancellations up the day prior (September 25, 2011) to the start date of the workshop. There will be no refunds on the day of or after the start date of the program (September 26, 2011).

Price: $24.00

Indian Women: Sneak Peak!

2011-09-20T15:51:00.000-07:00

I'm in the very final stages of completion for the Indian Woman Workshop! The Videos are all filmed and edited, and now I am putting the final touches on the workbook. Above is the cover! When I see it, the colors make me think of spices and colorful saris.

The layout of the workbook is the most exciting part for me. After spending so much time drawing, painting, designing, scanning, photographing and writing, I get to put it all together and see it as a whole - which is thrilling! Graphic design is making sure it flows to makes sense AND look good, so it's fun to use that other section of my brain. I hope those of you who are joining the class enjoy it as much as I did putting it together! Don't hesitate to ask me questions if you have any.

New Video: Making ATC Malier Envies!

2011-09-16T12:15:00.001-07:00

ATC Swap Hosts and Players:

You may want to consider the envie holders in this vid as an alternative to securing your ATCs with scotch tape LOL

I have seen instructions for making these "holders" at AFA and on blogs and such and have gotten them from folks in my swaps, but couldn't find a video, and so made one.

If any of you are hosting right now and want to encourage your swap participants to "Go Green", please feel free to use the link!

The URL is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX8qskGFMVQ

Comment problems on blogger? Help?

2011-09-13T14:27:00.000-07:00

I have been having problems leaving comments at blogs, and others have told me through Facebook that they are having problems leaving comments on my blog.

Is anyone else experiencing this problem??

I'm on facebook as Annie Eraserqueen; you can contact me there if you can't leave a comment here!

The witchy with the glass-green eyes....

2011-09-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

Here is a sneak peak at the upcoming Wacky Witch Walk-through that will be published in the upcoming issue of ArtTrader Magazine:

I like her glass-green eyes and bright pink hair! Who said a witch has to be dark and scary?

As always, if you are interested in submitting something for the magazine, please contact us! Click here for more information.

Parade of Witches!

2011-09-10T15:54:00.000-07:00

In Honor of Halloween here is some Witchy Goodness!
Anyone read or seen any good witch related books or movies? I remeber likeing Hocus Pocus when I was little...but ..um....that was when I was little! Maybe it sucks and I just don't remember HAHA

2011-09-08T09:30:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! I'm taking advantage of the flooding to get some art work done! I've made a few celestial cards I'm happy with, and will probably offer some greeting cards for sale soon, featuring the cards you see here.

They are created with watercolor and ink on Bristol board. I've been listening to a lot of Celtic music, I call it "Lawerence Welk" Celtic Music, as it's easy listening for the most part.....John McDermott, Roger Whittaker and and like ;) The Skye Boat Song obviously inspired the Sky Ocean card above. I've really enjoyed creating with that concept, and make make some larger pieces, as these are only 3.5x2.5

Audrey's First Giveaway!

2011-09-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

Check out Audrey's Great Postcard Giveaway!

Her blog is pretty cool too:

Contest with ART PRIZES!

2011-07-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

ArtTrader Magazine is having a contest! You can learn more here: www.arttradermag.com/contests/

ALSO, You can read a cool tutorial on making this awesome Box as well:

Check out the cool prizes:

Grand Prize: Sakura KOI Watercolor Set of 12 tubes, Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils Set of 24, Hardcover 9 x 6 sketchbook

Runner Up: Super cool art made by Sarah Trumpp (6 x 6 mixed media canvas) and naughty little voodoo doll made by Ann D’Angelo

Runner Up: Mail Art box from the tutorial plus some mail art supplies – pens, notebook, labels and some loose stamps!

Garden Angel: New header :D

2011-07-24T12:03:00.000-07:00

I made a new Header with one of my latest pieces - Garden Angel :)

I really enjoy combining angels with garden and flowers. I've been reading a great book lately, Cottage Gardens, which is very inspiring!

Skull Fairy! And workshops

2011-07-24T08:17:00.000-07:00

This was a Christmas Present for Sarah Trump, AKA themuppet. It was fun trying to create something that was two images in one! Can you see the skull?

I am currently working on organizing my studio (wish me luck!) and working on upcoming workshops. One is Women of India, and the other is Women of King Arthur. I'm really excited and have most of the India material done already! I'll post a teaser soon :D

Do you Like Mandalas?

2011-02-05T10:56:00.001-08:00

I Know several of you enjoy creating mandala art. I have always enjoyed looking at it, but I didn't know how much FUN it was till I visited this site http://www.myoats.com/create.aspx and made the mandala pictured above.

Arabian Nights

2011-01-14T05:27:00.001-08:00

These two Arches were made as Christmas Presents! I am really loving the different shapes you can incorporate into the basic gothic arch. These are "Onion Bulb."

Klimt Quartet

2011-01-09T07:57:00.000-08:00

Here are the ATC's I mentioned before. A string quartet based on Klimt and Zentangles. The other two will be included in the article I'm writing for the January Issue of ArtTrader Magazine, which will be released on January 15th :)

Art Fuel

2011-01-05T19:19:00.000-08:00

I use music to fuel my art, as I imagine a lot of artists do. (Though I have read that some like to listen to books on tape!) And classical music has been on my playlist lately.

I wanted to share a great vid I've been watching on YouTube. The Spanish based group PaGAGnini has a great sketch. The comedy as the begining is adorable, but the U2 "With or Without You" cover is Truly Epic. Indeed, I felt the actual U2 song itself a complete emotional let down after hearing this spine tingeling electric violin arrangement:

Does anyone else agree that it's way better than U2? Bono's glasses can't compete with that facial hair either...

I'm currently working on a four piece ATC sized set based on Classical Music, Klimt and Zentangles. I'll post these little Frankensteins of inspiration soon :)

Goth Girl

2011-01-03T13:51:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to figure out a name for this gal, Sophisticate goth? Goth Elegance? High-brow Goth? Is there a proper term I'm unaware of, not being a member of the actual Goth community?

Nick Bantok Love

2010-12-11T14:40:00.000-08:00

I recently hosted a Nick Bantock Postcard swap at www.IllustratedATCs.com

I have a lot of new art I've made recently, but some of it was made as Christmas gifts, and the other pieces are large and need editing, so I'll put them up soon :)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-09T16:36:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season! I love celebrating Christmas; the snow, the music, the food, and friends and family getting together to exchange love and maybe a present or two.

I am a pretty sentimental person, and those sappy Christmas movies always make me cry. But I think this clip from AlphabetPhotography on YouTube had the most powerful effect on me this year. I love Handel's "Messiah", and his Hallelujah Chorus is a pretty powerful piece of music. The seeming spontaneity of this holiday "Flash Mob" of singers was very touching. People taking time out from busy shopping (which can be as frustrating as it is fun) and joining together spreading the love of the season is pretty touching. The video itself is also a nicely edited narrative. Take a look for yourself:

Nature Spirits

2010-11-22T19:23:00.000-08:00

These are some nature Spirits I made on the fly a few weeks back. It's the kind of thing where you're absolutely certain they won't turn out, but you end up liking. Others did too apparently, because several people wanted them, and I'm going to make more, yay!

Tree Keeper:

Moon Keeper:

Raven Keeper:

(originally she was Bird Keeper, but I like ravens - the birds are ambiguous, so you can insert you own favorite bird species ;)

Artistic Styles and Expressions

2010-10-22T11:15:00.000-07:00

Dana and I are releasing a new workshop the beginning of November! I hope to see some of you! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at Andrea@arttradermag.com

Online Workshop: Artistic Styles & Expressions

November 1, 2010
4 week program
$70 US workshop fee

Artistic Expressions and Styles is a workshop for anyone, beginner to intermediate, who is interested in developing their own personal style. Learn what defines a personal style and how you can use color, signature elements (themes and motifs), and various media to define a personal style that reflects you! Numerous exercises, prompts and examples will guide you on an artistic journey towards exploring how you as an artist can develop a unique visual voice.

Week 1: Introducing Artistic Styles

What makes an "artistic style?" Discover various styles throughout history, view instructor examples and learn the building blocks of style in order to develop your own.

Week 2: Color Styles

Color Theory Refresher
How other artists develop a color style
Explore various color schemes
Discover how to develop your own color style

Week 3: Signature Elements: Themes & Motifs Within Your Style

Learn about themes motifs and signature elements, and how they define a style
Learn how others artists find and develop their own themes, motifs and signature elements
Discover and develop your own themes, motifs and signature elements

Week 4: Media: Rendering Your Style

Discover how various media techniques heavily influence your personal style! Examples of rendering will include colored pencils, watercolor, markers and acrylic. Discover which techniques best work for you.

Materials List:

Watercolors
Acrylic Paint
Colored Pencils
Markers
Scrapbook papers
Sketch paper
Pencils
Erasers
Brushes (your favorite sizes, from small, medium and large)
Mat board or canvas (to paint on)
Novelty pens (glitter, souffle, metallic etc)
Inkng pens ( we recommend the Koh-I-Nor RapidoSketch pens)
Any white pen

Zetti Arches

2010-10-17T15:27:00.001-07:00

Just a few Zetti Arches I've been working on! it's such fun playing with color, shape and pattern :D

Color journal Wk 11!

2010-10-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Thanks for all the good wishes on my neck/shoulder injury! The Color Journal project is back :D

This week we are going to look at Green, Orange and Hot Pink!

A few days ago we went to a local pumpkin farm. If you have one nearby, I recommend going because it's so much fun to see the kids running around feeding animals, posing with the pumpkin vignettes, and gorging themselves on doughnuts and cider :D (I admit I did all three myself!)

Above is a 4x4 of a happy pumpkin goddess/spirit harvesting the bounty of the season! You can interpret Green, Orange and Hot Pink in other ways, though I might play with it some more in a Halloween theme and post is later this week.

Happy arting!

October Issue of ArtTrader!

2010-10-11T06:34:00.000-07:00

I'll be posting later today with a Color Journaling post, but in the meantime, here is the latest issues of Art Trader Magazine!

http://www.arttradermag.com/

Issue 12 (Autumn 2010) of ArtTrader Mag is now available for FREE downloading and reading. This is the COLLAGE issue! Look for interviews with Sara Dudenhoeffer and Sheila Arthurs. We have an excellent issue for you packed with great articles on:

Collage Design
Integrating Collage Elements
Collage Terminology
Gothic Arches
Altered Women
Packing Tape Transfers

Artful Paintovers Workshop!

2010-09-18T09:52:00.000-07:00

Registration now open, Class starts April 23, 2010!
$35 USD for two-week workshop

This online workshop will focus on choosing and altering vintage images and family photos to paintover into fun and colorful works of mixed media art! In this two-week session you will learn various techniques for painting over Xerox copies, images printed from inkjet printers, and vintage photographs. I addition, we will look at how using a variety of themes and styles can drastically change the look of a single image: stretching the possibilities in your art and "extending" your image collection! These techniques and concepts will then be applied to four step-by-step projects.

Program Level: This workshop is for new artists as well as those with more experienced art skills who want to expand their abilities in mixed media.

What's included: ArtTrader online workshops include access to our streaming videos and PDF workbooks. We have a forum and user galleries for all participants to interact with each other and the program instructors. Work at your own pace! Instructors are always available for one-on-one help and critique.

Week 1: Choosing Images, Paintover Techniques and Creative Themes

What are paintovers?
Image Sources
Themes in Paintovers
Paintover Techniques

Week 2: Step-by-step Paintover Projects

Using Pet photos
Using Victorian Clipart
Using Vintage Photos
Using Family Photos

Material List:

Craft Grade Acrylic paint (such as Delta Creamcoat or Folk Art by Plaid)
Watercolor paint
Twinkling H2O paint (optional)
Glitter markers
Sakura Soufflé pens
Sakura Stardust pens
White gel pens
Waterproof inking pens
Black airbrush paint
Brushes: Medium, small and very small sizes
Home printer or any Xerox machine (I’ll be using both!)
Personal photography
Family photos
Vintage clip art
Various collage images (wings for example)
Decorative papers

February 16, 2010 (2 weeks)
$35 US per person

This online workshop will focus on designing, drawing and painting whimsical mermaids! The workshop is for new artists as well as those with more experienced art skills who want to expand their abilities into whimsical fantasy.

In this two-week session, we will focus on a fun, innovative design approach, vivid color schemes, mermaid anatomy (combining human and sea creature characteristics), drawing water and sea creatures, and using various media and rendering techniques (watercolor, ink, acrylic and more). We’ll then combine these techniques and concepts to create several step-by-step themed mermaid artworks.

Fall is HERE!

2010-09-13T06:45:00.001-07:00

Hello All! Hope you had a great Labor day week end with family! We are getting the edge of hurricane Earl, so it's been quite windy and chilly outside, the season of Autumn is definitely making its presence felt!

Above are some ATCs/ACEOs I've made recently an they reflect my anticipation of fall in their colors. I love red maple trees! Golden birches are probably a close second. I'd love to know what you all do outside for fall to have a good time; we like to visit farm stand pumpkin displays and go hiking! Do your Fall outings influence your art at all?

Color Journal Week Ten

2010-09-06T14:05:00.000-07:00

I wanted to be zany this week, so I played around with hot pink and electric blue!

Electric blue has always been a favorite color of mine, so I've been particularly thrilled with how the color has been "popular" lately with the 80s fashion comebacks (makes me shudder to wonder what decade the fashion industry be dragging back from the dead next! They are starting to run out of them!)

On a totally random side note, we found a puffball mushroom in our garden! it's about the size of a soccer ball, but I read they can grow to be even bigger.

My grandfather used to cook and eat them, but I think I will just admire it from afar! I've read far too many tales of poisonius toadstools and other frightening fungi.

Color journal week nine

2010-08-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

Here is the Color journaling challenge for week nine!

I don't know about you all, but I am getting super antsy for Christmas and it's not even technically Fall yet! So to get a taste of the Christmas cheer without that blatant holiday commercial color palette, let's use a red and green scheme that doesn't look traditionally Christmas.

The work above is at its heart red and green, but the green behind the angel is more of an aqua color with cool blue undertones (colors always appear different on the monitor - what kind of green do YOU see? I am curious! And the dress of the angel is really a spring green - not a color you often see in the winter if you live where I do - in New York, USA! So try your hand at various shades of red and green and see what non-Christmas combinations you can come up with!

For more info in the Color Journaling project, click the image below:

Building Theme

2010-08-14T06:06:00.000-07:00

Theme Thursday has a Building challenge going on right now, and here is an altered book pagee I made with the Eiffel tower. The book is a collaborative project between myself and a friend.

Color Journal Week Eight!

2010-08-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

Hi All!

Here is the Rose white and gold challenge! I may do more with this and post later on in the week! Maybe I'll make a Gothic Arch, I've been making a LOT of those!

Mozart has been playing in the background as I've made this - fpor some reason his music makes me think of lighthearted opulence, perfect for the rose, white and gold combination - music is a great inspiration and can really give the feeling of colors. I sometimes wished I was on of those people who could "hear" colors. Or "See" music!

The gold did NOT scan well in my painting LOL, but the background is in fact a really nice metallic gold! I Promise :D

And yet ANOTHER arch

2010-08-13T12:32:00.000-07:00

This one was made for Wendy! Again, same techniques as before.

Purple Gothic Arch

2010-08-12T09:45:00.000-07:00

And here's a purple Gothic Arch, same techniques as the last two!

Yet another Gotic Arch....

2010-08-10T11:56:00.001-07:00

I can't stop making these obviously!

Crown Gothic Arch

2010-08-08T13:51:00.001-07:00

Well, I needed to relax and create an arch for the Gothic Arch challenge! Some issues have come up and so much has had to be out on the back burner, but we all need to set things aside sometimes and give ourselves a break! I used two of my favorite colors here - aqua and yellow. The figure is a composite of three seprate images I made in photoshop. Printed it out and then painted the rest with acrylic paint.

Color Journaling Week Seven!

2010-07-29T07:58:00.000-07:00

This week's color scheme is.... Olive Green, Turquoise and Black!

I have always loved dolls, and as a kid enjoyed collecting them. For the past few years I have really liked the aesthetic of the Asian BJD dolls, or Ball Jointed Dolls. While I do not own a BJD (They don't come cheep at around $500 on average!) I have fun looking through doll colloector magazines and seeing collectors post their images online. Many of these BJD owners are very gifted in fashion design and photography.

here are a few links:

http://www.dollmore.net/

http://dreamofdoll.com/eng/main/mapage.asp

http://www.eluts.com/

BJD's were an inspiration this week with the olive, turquoise and black scheme! Gothic novels (can we say cheesy late sixties covers?), Paris and BJDs seem to go together!

I have noticed that challenge blogs out there like gothicarches.blogspot.com have these cool little "Mister Linky" widgets. So if anyone would like to share their olive,turquoise and black art work, feel free to link yourself here! (ignore #1 - lalala, that was a test and will only take you to ArtTraderMag.com! haha)

I'd like to share a cool piece of art based on last weeks Red & Purple prompt!

It's made by Tammy of Tammy's Studio, and you can visit her awesome blog here: http://blog.tammysstudio.com/

NEXT WEEK: If you want to get a head start for next week, the scheme is White, Rose and Gold!

Olive, Turquoise and Black: Share your art here!

Marie Antoinette Gothic Arch

2010-07-25T11:16:00.000-07:00

Something fishy is going on......

I thought I'd participate in the Gothic Arch Challenge blog's Marie Antoinette prompt!

My video on this technique can be found on my YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04Kv7MHQIq0

Color Journal prompt week six!

2010-07-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

For information about the Color Journaling Project, click above!

For this week I thought I'd try another tri-color scheme, Ivory white, Burnt sienna, and Cerulean blue. Together these colors evoke cool salty sea breezes, a bring respite from the warm sun that bleaches stone buildings and wood washed up along bright white beaches.

Lawerence Alma-Tadema (whose most popular work was created around the turn for the 19th and 20th century) was very much inspired by ancient classical imagery, and many of his paintings feature a coastal Mediterranean setting.

For this week, try using Ivory White, Burnt Sienna and Cerulean Blue to capture your own bit of your own paradise.

For my 5x7 color journal I've create a collage mixed media piece and taken a video, hope you enjoy!

And please share your work at our flickr group! Everyone is welcome to join! Coming up this next week, I plan on featuring, at my blog, some of the work by our group members!

Keep Arting!

xoxo EQ

Journal Prompt!

2010-07-22T19:40:00.001-07:00

Hey all! This week's journal prompt will be posted tomorrow along with a VIDEO! So stay tuned :D

In the mean time, if you hven't checked out the latest issue of ArtTrader Magazine, the Summer issue is put! Click here (or the image below) for the free download!

Issue 11 (Summer 2010) of ArtTrader Mag is now available for FREE downloading and reading. Look for interviews with long time mail artist DeWiit Young (aka obviousfront) and illustrator, Aleta Wynn Yarrow. We have an excellent issue for you packed with great articles on:

Illustrated Portraits: A Guide
Abstract Art with Gel Medium
Design 911 with Andrea Melione
Chubby Mermaid ATCs
ArtTrekker: Red Deer, Alberta
Galleries of wonderful art!

Color Journal Week five!

2010-07-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome again everyone! Wow, five weeks so far, where is the time going?? I hoipe you are all having a FANTASTIC summer!

I want to remind everyone that we have a FLICKR group! Anyone is welcome to join and add their artwork :D

In addition I invite other artists to add their work to the pool so we can have even MORE eye candy in the current week's color scheme! Come and see the great collection of art we have so far!: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1402554@N25/

This week I'd like to focus on red and purple!

I found this old frame at a yard sale years ago. there were several of them and they were gold with little ballerina images in them. They were from the 1950's and while the imagery wasn't my thing I feel in love with the crazy ornate frames and knew I could paint alter them to fit my cold color tastes.

For this one, I painted a base coast of Rythm 'n Blue (an old delta creamcoat color - a great deep violet) and coate the top with Lumiere's Halo Blue. The halo colors are great - they mimic Twinkeling H2O's in a way, because they are two toned. Halo blue is actually a blue with a gold glitter underbase, giving a sometime-greenish appearance!

I drew and colored the Queen figure on separate paper and pasted her in over a background of Folk Art's Plum Vineyard and used Deco Art's Dazzling Metallics Elegant Finish in Emperor's Gold for the gold dots.

Here is a list of great themes you can use to get you into the Red and Purple Zone!

• Queen of Hearts

• Chess Board Queen

• Queen Elizabeth I (Elizabethian period)

• Historic Western Asia (Turkey, Iran, Iraq)

• Historic East Asia (Japan, China, Tibet)

• Strawberries and Grapes

• Beautiful Persian Rug designs

• Purple and Red Silk or satin and gold threads

•Faeries or elves

• Dragons

• Birds (like a phoenix)

• Tropical Fish

• Mermaids

Other art with red and purple I've made.

Color journaling week four!

2010-07-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

Click above to learn about the Color journaling Project!

Hi Everyone!

Thank you all for the wonderful get well wishes! They have indeed help me feel better over the past ten or so days when I felt like like a withering sickie LOL Being sick makes you realize you miss the simple things...like breathing.... so for the the color prompt this week, I thought we could go Back The The Basics - Simple Life style!

The basic three colors that create all the colors of the rainbow are of course Red, Yellow and Blue. But I wanted to take it further and harken back to the Good 'ol Days of the countryside and use primaries that evoke barn raisings, the late summer harvest and milking bluebell the cow.

Slate Blue, Cranberry Red and Harvest Yellow. What kind of images do these colors evoke for you? Gingham dresses? Crows? Cooking? Horseback riding? Chickens?

Below are some hands I've made with the themes of seaside, cooking and gardening. (click for larger views!)

For the background goodie this week here is a postcard size pattern of "country" primaries; feel free to print it out and fill it up with imagery! I might play around with some country fair or old fashioned circus images!

(click on the image above to get the full size version!)

Journal Prompt three!

2010-07-01T15:24:00.000-07:00

Hi All! I am still sick, but I was feeling good enough to sit for a bit and enjoy some art!

The summer is finally here, and I have been inpiried by fresh things - fresh friut, fresh vegtables, fresh sunshine and air. Orange and green always give me sensation of crisp, clean and with a little more spice than the freshness of spring; Spring is very innocent and new. Summer is a more ripened fresh - freshness that promises abundance. In the spirit of that I have chosen orange and green for this week.

BUT there are many versions of orange and green - gold and aqua, turquoise and lime, or spanish orange and mint. Choose whatever flavor of orange and green you like and create something that is fresh and crisp!

Below is a page from my journal - I chose blendings of turquoise and lime green together with lemon yellow (a cool greenish yellow), melon and orange. I wanted to create an image reminiscent of Degas and the Paris impressionists.

Back from an Art Retreat!

2010-06-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! There was no Journal Prompt this week because I was at an Art Retreat! ArtTrader.com, ATCsFoAll.com and IllustratedATCs.com held an art retreat in Rochester NY and it was a blas, we hd two days of workshops, and I taught two of them! Color and Water: Watercolor technique and color theory, and Altered Women: A Collage Project.

I also got ASICK while I was there, and while totally worth it, I need to take some sudafed and be vertical for a while! I'll be back twice as strong next week with some new prompts! :D

Wk two color Prompt & Mini Color Zine free to download!

2010-06-17T06:53:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks!

I have a free mini zine for you to download and print out!

Hover your cursor here, right click and select "save as"

You can learn how to fold it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI-tCRZaItw

Also in the same vid, I've shown how I decorated my journal for the Color Journal project!

Okay on to Week #2's journaling prompt!

Orange and Brown!

These colors may seem weird and reminiscent of time spent at Burger King in the 80s, but they actually make for a really nice scheme! Brown is a neutral and neutrals can go with just about anything; but I would choose a warm brown (something with more yellow or red in it) to set off the warm tones in the orange. Orange is a great color - a tempered balance between passionate red and the cheerful yellow. I decided to accent my orange/brown scheme with a little purple (can't seem to let go of purple!) and it looks good!

Feel free to play with accent colors in your Brown/Orange scheme. An accent color is just that - a simple hint of another color just to spice things up a bit - not meant to overwhelm the dominant scheme.

For those of you who work in collage and mixed media, here is a free pattern for you to play with! (You can use it for work traded or sold but you cannot sell or distribute the file on it own unaltered, thanks!)

For the large printable version Hover your cursor over this text, right click and select "save as"

How do you handle blog comments?

2010-06-12T17:28:00.000-07:00

What do you guys do about responding to blog comments? I like to have "conversations" with people but it seems hard on a blog! I have no idea if people will realize I've responded to them - is there some special way you guys deal with this? Or do I just pray that one day the response will be read by its intended recipient? LOL

Color Journal Promt #1

2010-06-10T16:27:00.000-07:00

I am going to start posting Weekly Color Journaling Prompts on my blog; I welcome my Color Exploration Workshop students and anyone else to participate!

Feel free to leave a comment with a link to your work, and I have started a Flickr Group as well: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1402554@N25/

Week #1: The Color Purple

The color purple is great for journaling because it is a color of power (historically it is a color worn by royalty), of conflict (it is a combination of red - an aggressive color, and blue - a soothing color) and of Balance (as again, it is a combination of strong energy -red and soothing wisdom - blue).

For this week I want you to experiment with purple and think about what it means to you as an artist - how do you use purple now? How do you want to use it in the future?

Look at various shades of purple (below are just a few examples) and pick two or three you like.

Combine these shades with some warm colors, like orange, yellow and red.

Now ask yourself: What do these colors make you think of? A massive planet or nebula? a Desert Princess at sunset? Ripe Fruit on a vine? A dress your Grandmother wore? Try to incorporate these colors and feelings into an artwork. I did so here with my Desert Princess:

I have been listening to a lot of "summery" sounding music which I think has inspired this desert/purple feel. A few favorites going around on my iPod have been:

• Mykonos - Fleet Foxes
• Stars and Boulevards- Augustana
• America - A Horse With No Name
• Scar tissue - Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Desert rose - Sting

Is there any music that you've been listening to that make you think of Purple? Try incorporating the lyrics into your art!

Peacock Painting winner!

2010-06-10T09:17:00.000-07:00

We have a winner!

http://dutchie-in-canada.blogspot.com/

Congratulations! :D

Thank you SO much to everyone! I'll be having more art giveaways in the future, so stay tuned!

Win some Colorful Peacock ART!

2010-05-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

Yay! To Celebrate my upcoming Color Exploration Workshop and to give a great big THANK YOU to all who have watched me at YouTube and DeviantArt, I'm giving you guys a chance to win some original colorful art!

Win a Colorful Peacock painting!

Here is a chance to win an Eraserqueen original 4x6 Peacock painting. All you have to do is reply to this blog entry and your name will be added to a hat, and the drawing will take place June 7th, 8pm EST.

Wanna spread the word (and get another chance to win?)

you can copy and paste the HTML code below:

If you Blog: Place the image button above in your blog (including the following link: ), and write a reply to this post (click here) with a link to where you posted. Your name will be added in the hat!

Facebook members: if you’re a member of facebook, you can also post with this link, and an image below for a chance to win. Just friend “Annie Eraserqueen” so I can see your post! Then, write a reply to this blog post (or email me see above) and I’ll add your name to the hat!

Other Options: If you have a website, DeviantArt Account, forum signature, or any other means of placing one of these banners, that can count as well, just post here: or email me (see above) with a link to where you’ve placed the banner and I’ll add you to the hat! ☺

Note: If you have a Deviant Art account and a blog (or any other combination (s) your name will be added also.

Fine Print: No purchase necessary to win: All ArtTrader staff members are prohibited from entering.

You can watch me make the painting here:

Latest issue

2010-04-27T11:04:00.000-07:00

Issue 10 of ArtTrader Mag is now available for FREE downloading and reading. Look for interviews with mixed media artist Dmitri Arbacauskas and long time art trader, Elina Lundahl. We have an excellent issue for you packed with great articles on:

• Altered Book Basics: How to Choose the Right Book to Alter
• Artistic Journeys: Art on the Go!
• Design 911 with Andrea Melione
• 10 Minute Acrylic Impressionism
• Thru a Lens Dimly: Eye Issues & Art
• ArtforAll Conference 2010 in Rochester NY

Download HERE: www.arttradermag.com/

Diary Project!

2010-03-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

I have already reserved a page! This looks like a fun project, and you don't have to pay anything for a spot!

New Blog Layout and URL!

2010-03-24T13:58:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! I've switched over from Artpfunk Central to EraserQueen Studios :) The name change feels better and I decided to celebrate with a new blog layout!

If you look above you'll see that I've added new navigation links, ArtTrader Magazine, my YouTube Channel, and I've added a "Gallery" section and also a new "Links" Section! If you'd like to do a Link exchange with me, let me know!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Please don't forget to Follow my new blog URL: http://eraserqueenstudios.blogspot.com/

Happy Spring!

Free Mini Zine

2009-06-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

Orange Brown Pattern

2008-06-17T06:49:00.000-07:00

Free for personal use! (Do not sell the file in any way, but it can be used in artwork that is traded or sold.)

Online Workshops!

2007-03-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

I am currently teaching the following workshops! Click the banners for more info and registration information!

Registration now open, Class starts April 23, 2010!
$35 USD for two-week workshop

Program Level: This workshop is for new artists as well as those with more experienced art skills who want to expand their abilities in mixed media.

Week 1: Choosing Images, Paintover Techniques and Creative Themes

What are paintovers?
Image Sources
Themes in Paintovers
Paintover Techniques

Week 2: Step-by-step Paintover Projects

Using Pet photos
Using Victorian Clipart
Using Vintage Photos
Using Family Photos

Material List:

Craft Grade Acrylic paint (such as Delta Creamcoat or Folk Art by Plaid)
Watercolor paint
Twinkling H2O paint (optional)
Glitter markers
Sakura Soufflé pens
Sakura Stardust pens
White gel pens
Waterproof inking pens
Black airbrush paint
Brushes: Medium, small and very small sizes
Home printer or any Xerox machine (I’ll be using both!)
Personal photography
Family photos
Vintage clip art
Various collage images (wings for example)
Decorative papers

February 16, 2010 (2 weeks)
$35 US per person

Color Exploration Workshop
A Two Week Program | $35 USD Per Person

This Exploration Workshop (2 modules) is all about color! No matter what media you choose to create with (fabric, fibers, paper, paint, metals or clay) the information featured will help you learn to successfully use color to create dynamic works of art.

At the end of the workshop, you will have learned about color theory, the interaction of colors, how to get the most from your art supplies though organization and have completed three step-by-step art projects covering various media techniques and color composition.

Program Level: Beginner and intermediate artists welcome!

Module 1: Color Theory and Dichromatic Mixed Media Project

Color Theory: understanding how color works
Color interaction: How colors affect each other and your art
Organize your color: Look at your art supplies in a new way
Dichromatic Mixed Media project: Learn how to create and compose a two-color artwork through a mixed media project incorporating layers, textures and glazing

Module 2: Trichromatic Art Dolls and Roy G. Biv ATCs

Trichromatic art doll I: At the Circus! Use pattern and color to capture the vibrancy of the circus
Trichromatic Art Doll II: Marie Antoinette; how color can recreate the lush opulence of the French Court
Roy G. Biv ATCs: Learn how to pack all the colors of the rainbow into ATCs with colored pencils

I teach Weeks One and Four in the following Workshop:

A Four week Program | $60 USD per person

Week I: An Intro to Whimsy Art

Whimsical art: color, patterns, stylizations.
Color theory
Stylizing techniques
Developing your style!

Week 2: Beginner Techniques

Inking and outlining
Pencils and markers: blending and shading
Watercolour pencils
Soluable crayons

Week 3: People I, Beginners Techniques

Basic proportions of the face and body
Easy shapes for facial features and body parts
Easy accessories such as shoes, clothes and hats, etc.
Basic body movements

Week 4: People II, Advanced Techniques

Faces: How to stylize the basic shapes in various ways
Clothing and accessories
Body art & design
Movement & action poses

Each week participants will view our video(s) and receive their PDF workbooks with written details and art exercises. Participants will also have the opportunity to display their work to other participants for feedback and interact with others taking the class.

About the Artist

2006-03-23T11:49:00.000-08:00

Andrea (AKA Eraserqueen) is a self taught artist who loves to create and share with others. This is probably why she enjoys giving online workshops and is such an active member of the mailart community. You can usually find her:

• Working as a Project Manager, Contributor and Graphic Designer at ArtTrader Magazine

• Teaching workshops at ArtTrader Magazine. Click here for Current workshop offerings!

• Working as an admin and co-founder of IllustratedATCs.com (A juried trading site for artists who draw/paint or work in mixed media, Fibers, Altered Art and metalwork

• Serving as a Board member and trading at ATCsForALL.com

If you would like to contact Andrea about the magazine or for commissions, please write to andrea.arttradermag @ Gmail.com

Templates and Goodies

2005-03-24T11:47:00.000-08:00

I have a number of templates and other goodies available for purchase through ArtTrader.com

I'll be adding more as I create them. If you have any requests or suggestions of what you'd like to see at the store, I'll gladly consider making them!

Here is just a sample of what I have, click here or an image to see more.

{{{:: c o m m i n g • s o o n :: }}}

The Clown doll to the left and Marie Antoinette Art Doll templates (Featured here) are coming soon!

Mermaid Art Doll Template
Examples coming soon!

Cut and Color Wing Designs
Perfect for your art dolls and mixed media art!
Examples coming soon!

Collage sheet: Hands
Examples coming soon!

Links!

2004-03-24T12:53:00.000-08:00

These are great links to artist groups, friends and people I admire!

List mine, and I'll list yours :D

||| F R I E N D S |||

LisaB
Art for Sale: www.LisaBuchananStudio.com
Blog: http://LisasAlteredJourney.blogspot.com

||| G R O U P S |||

||| O T H E R • A R T I S T S |||

Gallery

2003-03-24T12:58:00.000-08:00

A selection of some of my latest artwork

For sale information (prints and originals) or commisions, please contact me at Andrea2000 (at) Gmail (dot) com

:: Angel of Creativity ::
2.5x3.5 Watercolor

:: Orange Seaside ::

8x10 Acrylic and Watercolor

:: Mermaid Lagoon ::

4x6 Watercolor

:: Mermaids of Tibet ::

5x7 Watercolor

:: Skye Dreams ::
2.5x3.5 Watercolor

:: Spanish Waters ::
5x7 Watercolor