Discover "A Inky Mess" Challenge Blog!

http://ainkymess.blogspot.com/2017/04/challenge-10.html

OOPS ~ The post above should say the challenge "this month" (not week!)
A Inky Mess challenges start on the 25th of each month and run all month ~
So you have plenty of time to get creating and link up your creations... :-)

More lovely work from the DT... Gothic for October

This beautiful mixed media piece by Patti Robinson is called "The Moth" ... 

It captures a "Gothic" mood beautifully, don't you think? Memory, mystery... be sure to go read Patti's blog post 

"Moths Are the Souls of the Departed?" inspired by this piece!

And be sure to link up your own Gothic-inspired creation for my Goth-tober challenge. 

(Moth-tober? ~ sorry I couldn't resist!)

Check Out Roses on My Table Art Labs

I've been meaning to blog about the online Art Labs at Roses on My Table.

Zinnia Gallagher has created a wonderful online destination for mixed media creativity: Roses on My Table is a social network offering online classes, art groups, galleries and swaps, and the annual Artful Gathering online art retreat with multiple workshops and other events (Lunagirl is proud to be a sponsor!).   It's a great opportunity for learning, sharing, and connecting with other mixed media artists and crafters.

The current art labs focus on techniques that are usually for jewelry-making but that can be applied in any mixed media projects.  Here is some info from the site about the art labs:
"Roses Art Labs are technique-oriented learning opportunities designed to offer trade secrets, tips and processes that instructors use every day. Learn the know-how and skills to accent the artwork you know how to do, with techniques that can start you on a new path, or add to the skills you've already learned."

DIVAS

You still have a week to enter the DIVA Blog Challenge and win a free digital collage sheet!
Here is more gorgeous inspiration from the Lunagirl Moonbeams Design Team, two pretty tags.  These tags include images from Lunagirl digital collage sheet Beauties 2.:

Petra Berendsen: "For my project I created a tag using a beautiful image from collage sheet: Beauties 2. The image is layered on patterend paper, its edges distressed with Stickles. The tag is embellished with ribbon flowers, little blings and pearls and Mulberry flowers."

Michele Storms:  "i had fun layering designer papers and tissue papers on my stamped tag and then adding the (distressed) image from the lunagirl "beauties #2" collage sheet.  and even though the "birds" challenge was last time i snuck in a little lunagirl bird at the lower right hand corner.  a few more embellies and i was done."

Diva Wall Hanging by Vicki Romaine

Vicki Romaine

 More "Diva" inspiration from the Design Team.  Here Vicki Romaine used one of my favorite images from my Diva collage sheet and combined it with other Lunagirl Images, acrylic paint, and a beautiful embroidered flower to create this pretty wall hanging.  I love the different textures and the sense of movement!





Here's Vicki's description of her piece and her process: 
"The wall hanging uses three vintage sheets.  They are the diva, shoes, and fan and mirror.  If you look closely you will notice that I have super-imposed the mirror into the girl's hand.  The background has gesso which was tinted with acrylic paint.  A number of years ago I cut a blouse up that had pretty embroidered flowers.  I finally dug one out and used Copic markers to color the white flower.  The entire piece has been Mod Podged."

I hope you all will enter your Diva-inspired works in the latest Lunagirl Moonbeams Blog Challenge!

More inspiration in the Design Team posts below, and inspiring diva/actress collage sheets here.

A Site to Share: Roses on My Table

We just want to share this lovely site for online art classes: Roses On My Table.  Mixed media artist Cristina Zinnia Galliher has created a beautiful site and a series of workshops designed to help you explore mixed media techniques, create a variety of projects from pendants to journals to masks, and "grow your art"!

ESBQ On-line Shows for February 09

The ESBQ site regularly hosts online art shows, inviting artists in any medium to enter and display their works. This month they are taking entries for a "show" titled "Encircled: Necklaces, Bracelets and Rings." Jewelry artists ~ why not submit some of your work!

They also have started a very open-ended kind of show that is based on a one-word concept. This is how they describe it on their site: "... the point of EBSQ "one word concepts" is to present you a word and leave it totally open to your interpretation. Take your word anywhere you like. Just make sure your finished work relates in some obvious way to this month's word."

This month's word is "hidden." Certainly a wonderfully inspiring and evocative word for mixed media, assemblage and altered art!

Hide (and/or reveal): your face, your hands, your eyes, thoughts, feelings, a surprise, a secret, your sins, your true motives. Hide-and-seek, peek-a-boo, fans and veils and fog. Hidden under the earth, under the snow, under the water. Hidden treasure. Things that hold hidden potential or possibilities: cocoons, eggs, seeds, pregnancy, the ocean, the darkness, dreams.

You'll find all the details about how to participate here: http://www.ebsqart.com/Shows.asp

Circa Arte at ZNE

ZNE is doing something cool I want to share. They have a podcast called Circa Arte which features topics of interest to mixed media artists -- art tips and education, product reviews, interviews with artists. For more info and schedule click the banner below!

If you're not familiar with ZNE: It's short for variaZioNE, Mixed Media & Indie Artists Connected. We're proud to be a member and to watch ZNE grow. It's mostly online, a great place to meet other artists and view their work, chat, discuss, share your own art, etc. If you enjoy creating or just seeing collage art, altered art, and other mixed media, check it out at http://www.zneart.com/.

Submit your creations for our gallery!

We enjoy seeing how our customers use Lunagirl images in their artwork and craft projects ~ you'll find handcrafted items using our images in many of our customers' web stores and auctions, as well as crafts fairs and shops all over the world ~ and we would love to create a special customer gallery page at Lunagirl.com.

If you would like to share your latest creation, please email us at info@lunagirl.com.
Examples could be:
your latest ATC, ACEO or other mixed media or altered art creation
a favorite scrapbook page using vintage imagery
fabric art such as a handbag, quilt or fabric collage
captured fairies, assemblage, altered art jewelry creations.....
our customers are very creative, so we can't wait to see what they wish to share!

Your picture should be a jpg image ~ a minimum size of about 400 pixels on the longest side would be best for a quality image. Please be sure to tell us which Lunagirl image CD or collage sheet you used in creating your work.

Indie Artists: Discover ESBQ

Here is another fantastic on-line resource for mixed media artists (in addition to ZNE), really for all self-representing artists:

ESBQ: http://www.ebsqart.com/

You will find a treasure-trove of information. Be sure to click on the "Learn" icon at the top of the page to find their archive of "Live Studio" pages. There are informative "how-to" tutorials about everything from Collage and Watercolor and Art Quilting to Transferring Images and using Polymer Clay to creating business cards and buying digital cameras!

The ESBQ website also has helpful information about promoting your work, authenticating one's work, listing on feepay, etc.

Cold Winds .... and CIRCA ARTE at ZNE

It got cold again (of course). Snow flurries even! Here I am shivering with my basket of flowers. March always does this to me (those of you in Minnesota and Montana probably find it amusing that I think it's cold here). Oh well, the birds are still here and the daffodils always seem to survive the cold snaps!

ZNE is doing something cool I want to share. They have a podcast called Circa Arte which features topics of interest to mixed media artists -- art tips and education, product reviews, interviews with artists. For more info and schedule click the banner below!

If you're not familiar with ZNE: It's short for variaZioNE, Mixed Media & Indie Artists Connected. We're proud to be a member and to watch ZNE grow. It's mostly online, a great place to meet other artists and view their work, chat, discuss, share your own art, etc. If you enjoy creating or just seeing collage art, altered art, and other mixed media, check it out at http://www.zneart.com/.

The ZNE Network for mixed media artists!

ZNE is short for VariaZioNE, an online community of artists who work in collage, mixed media, assemblage, ACEO ATCs or any kind of altered art. It's a wonderful place to share your work, share ideas, enjoy the work of other artists, and most of all enjoy support and friendship with other artists who share your interests!

To join the network, visit ZNEart.net, the ZNE homepage, by clicking on the picture above. We hope to see you there!