Color Me Happy!

"Snowman With Star"

Just recently I decided to add some colored samples to the PholkartStudio shop on Etsy. I love color!... and I wanted to give my basically black & white shop a little more colorful friendliness!

What I didn't expect when I started my sample-making project... was rediscovering the joy I've always found in the process of coloring! With some music playing quietly in the background & a few stolen minutes to myself, there is something so peaceful & even prayerful for me about coloring! It takes me back to a time when my little girl self spent hour upon happy hour filling coloring books with hues like Blue, Green & Yellow-Orange, Purple & Red.

Now that I'm all grown up, my favorite coloring materials have changed from that wonderful new box of 64 Crayola crayons (my very own!) to my growing stash of Copics, Prismacolor markers & colored pencils. But that little-girl-love for coloring still remains!

 ...Yes, there's nothing like the blessing of simple pleasures!

Illustration Friday - IF: Swim

For years I've played with the idea of submitting some of my silly doodles for Illustration Friday's weekly topics... but yes, I've always been a bit too shy! Today though, when I saw that this week's topic is SWIM, I remembered an ACEO I made a while back that I thought would fit the challenge...

This art card is called "Here Fishy Fishy." It measures the standard 2.5"x3.5" and was created using Copic markers & Prismacolor pencils.

I have a special love for this tiny piece of art since the little boy with his tousled red hair reminds me so much of my youngest son when he was little!   :)

A Little Rainy Day Work-In-Progress

My sweet husband surprised me this past Christmas with an iPhone! (Thank you, hon!)  He knew I had wanted to take pics & share them more easily on the web. I'm still working on getting the focus right, but here goes with a little work-in-progress from my art desk!...

Since last fall, I've gone "back to basics" art-wise... which for me is creating small format original illustrations, especially ACEO's (artist trading cards which measure 2.5"x3.5"). I've learned that I love little projects... I get bored & restless when an art project takes too long. Seems I'm always eager to move on to the next fun idea!  ;)

I'm also back to my "first love" art materials... a mechanical pencil with a kneaded eraser, a fine-tipped Micron pen, my rainbow of Prismacolor pencils, and a wonderful mix of Copic & Prismacolor markers... Just love being surrounded by all those yummy colors!  :)

This ACEO ended up being a bit of a "Stop & Go Project" as I fit my art time in around the rest of life! I finally got it finished & listed in my Etsy shop yesterday...

Say hello to "Rainy Day Friends."

"Rainy Day Friends"