Organizing Art Supplies

Happy New Year Everybody
Today I'm organizing my art supplies in the studio
OK let's call this my New Year's Resolution.

Art supplies are expensive, but what good are they if always kept tucked tightly away in their original tins & boxes (reminds me of fine dinner china we bring out occasionally). That is not very conducive to creativity when it becomes a chore to open & repack art supplies. 

I'm looking for a better way...

So here it is, my new Philosophy, it's something to help me stay actively creative in my space. I'm going to start throwing away all the original packaging, boxes & tins that my supplies came in 
(OK store some & recycle others)......But my point is,
to keep them opened & available at all times...
no more unpacking & repacking. 
Besides, I can always tell when I'm not being very creative, because my studio is all neat & clean. Well,  I'm not against keeping my studio tidy, but not to the point I have been.
I will continue to search for more ideas,
for a start, here is what I did today; (double click to see full view)

Say goodbye to the tucked away storage concept

Invest in good open-storage systems

Find fun new creative ways to store supplies.
I used cute old cookie tins, jam jars & a Lazy Susan.
Now the pencils are at my fingertips.

 Unpacked my Golden's too 

Fun birds handmade by friend Kim Brian Sorden
owner of Magic Fairy Candles 

Grab your party hats

Happy New Year Everybody

You can always double click to super size

SCBWI Mentor Program

I'm Excited
I've been accepted into "The Rocky Mt. Chapter SCBWI Mentor Program"

 Woohoo! My application was approved!

I get to participate in the 2012 Mentor Program through

"The Society of Children's Book Writer's & Illustrators".  

My Mentor Coach will be the talented New York trained,
 Boulder based Illustrator, Roberta Collier Morales:

www.robertacolliermorales.com

She will get me pointed in the right direction!!!

The Mentor Program was born from a desire among members, like myself, 

who would honor the opportunity to thrive & bloom
 in a 6 month intensive one-on-one craft focus.

A significant way to start my 2012 New Year
I am very excited & quite nervous too.

Cute Tiny Business Cards

A cool new idea, something different,  is to use small business cards called "mini cards",  they are 1/2 the size of regular cards. 

I found a company that I'm really pleased with called MOO.COM. I got 100 cards for $19.00, with an extra -10% off on my 1st order. The best part is they have something called "MOO Printfinity" which means you can have numerous designs (even up to 100) within your 100 card pack. Now that is cool! These Mini Cards are printed in full color, on both sides, with no extra hidden charges.

Check out my cards below on MOO proof sheets. It's so much fun playing with their user friendly software. Gee, I sound like a commercial, but I'm not affiliated with this company. I just found this company to offer top notch quality & I was impressed. Oh & my cards arrived in 3 days, now that's fast! 

So which one is your favorite? 

You can double click to get the full Zoom view

A Merry Christmas Card

A 

very 

Merry Christmas

especially to you.

My pen & ink drawing

made on watercolor paper.

Honor each & every day with gratitude

Face Study

See how my pencil drawing evolves;

Inside my art journal book, I drew this pencil study of a face using 2H pencil and then I colored it using mixed media, & with a dash of sparkle from Photoshop. 

I've been taking an online fabulous & highly recommended fun art class through Art teacher Suzi Blu (I just love her) called

Portraits 2012 - Self Guided

Here is my today's assignment of a face I just finished. I'm learning how to draw a nicer nose, lips, & eyes too. Mostly because it has been years for me to practice using an old fashioned drawing pencil. This assignment called for a sexy look. Well, I'm still learning & practicing.

I dedicate the last piece to Suzi Blu

It is called "The Messenger"

... all about a little bird she found on her back porch.

Messenger

My work is loving the world.
Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird —
equal seekers of sweetness.
Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.
Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.

Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?
Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me
keep my mind on what matters,
which is my work,

which is mostly standing still and learning to be
astonished.
The phoebe, the delphinium.
The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture.
Which is mostly rejoicing, since all ingredients are here,

which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart
and these body-clothes,
a mouth with which to give shouts of joy
to the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug-up clam,
telling them all, over and over, how it is
that we live forever.

Poem by Mary Oliver
~ Art by Laurie Jess ~