I Scream...

Are you? ... Screaming?! (hehe) So far, the few people who have seen my newest plush pillows have screamed in delight. They are just too cute... 

This is my entry for the July gallery for MATS Bootcamp. The assignment was to showcase your favorite beverage with something you would give to a friend. So, I tried to make ice cream frappes, but they kept coming out like cones. Oh well, add a straw, and a dose of sunshine, and any ice cream will become drinkable, right?!

Anyhow, ice cream plush + getting ready for my late summer shows = I think ice cream plush will be a hit :o)

Happy summer!
xx, Val

PS. You can view the July Bootcamp Gallery by clicking here.

Soulful Sea for MATS Bootcamp June assignment

My entry for the June Gallery for MATS Bootcamp on Lilla Rogers website

The June assignment for MATS Bootcamp was delivered at the beginning of the month, and it was a welcome theme and assignment; a Sea/whale theme for a Wall Art assignment. Originally, I had thought I would create a painting onto board, but since I have been obsessed with hoop art lately, well... it only made sense that's how I would work out the assignment. 

Here's my process:

I ran out of time to stitch the text in place, so thanks to a bit of photoshop/Studio editing, the text was easy to overlay on the top of the photo. And, thanks to the talented and Photoshop savvy teens in my life, namely my son, Kyle Hebert, the image at the top of this post was created and uploaded just in the nick of time to the classroom gallery on Lilla Roger's site. Whew! It becomes a lot of work as the clock ticks down to the deadline. Isn't that always the way it goes?!

I always enjoy the way these assignments stretch me out of my normal comfort zone. Heck, even I need a break from birds from time to time! (I can't even believe I admitted to that fact!)

Check out Lilla Rogers Bootcamp studio school by clicking here. If you are an artist who likes the occasional kick in the pants, and to stretch yourself, you will love this class. I promise!

xx,

Val

MATS Bootcamp

Bootcamp sounds intimidating to me, but after taking Lilla Rogers MATS A + B Classes (Make Art That Sells) -find out more by clicking here, I knew I could handle any Bootcamp 'intensity' that might come my way. Honestly, anyone who can finish one 5 week segment of MATS classes, where you go through five different industries, learning the industry details, and creating an incredible body and variety of work in such a short time, should receive a medal! It was dang intense.  

So, Bootcamp means one project per month... a dream! This first month's assignment was to sketch up cuckoo clock design options, and ultimately to create a cuckoo clock smart phone case.

Val's Art Studio cuckoo clock illustrations

My initial sketches involved animal shapes. Well, naturally.... after all, I had been working on a new set of woodland needle felted nesting animals. (Please don't judge this guy too harshly, his eyes aren't in yet. I can't yet decide to have them open or closed!)

Fox needle felt by Val's Art Studio (Sold)

From there, my design evolved into a sort of birdhouse cuckoo clock built from felted wool scraps out of my overflowing scrap bin. Heck, I have to do something with all those luscious feltie woolie bits! I cut and "pasted" but not in photoshop... with scissors, glue and thread. I love every minute of creating art in this manner :o)

After this assemblage was finished, I needle felted the birds in place, stitched some details, added a couple of dried flower buds to act as the pinecone weights, and then was finally ready to negotiate with my Photoshop skills. Yep. I negotiate. Sitting near me while I navigate photoshop is an exercise in using earplugs!

Here's the before and after. I'm not sure if there's a tremendous difference, but I worked on it for at least a day...

Finally, I created the background, a simple logo, and uploaded it to the gallery. Tomorrow, you can see it live on Lilla Roger's website. It will be in the company of crazy pants talented artists and illustrators. I am so ex-cited!!!

" Hello There!" MATS Bootcamp submission by Val Hebert

Thanks for visiting!

x, Val