Pickadoo Design

Vintage Family Portrait

2011-03-12T20:03:00.000-08:00

Currently I am involved in these vintage family portrait pieces. The top piece is a laser print applied to a small canvas by gel medium transfer. I painted and tinted the people and added a pencil line here and there for a sketchy look. I also used pink chalk to rosy up their cheeks! The top and bottom borders are just my painted papers that I ripped and glued on.

The bottom photo shows some painted wood blocks where I've collaged on some imagery and fabric. The ladies are printed on white polymer clay and their profiles cut out before being baked. I ran some walnut ink over them after they cooled to give them some tint. These are enormously fun and the possibilities are endless.

Altered Dominoes

2011-03-12T19:59:00.001-08:00

Here's a couple of dominoes that I painted with alcohol inks and stamped imagery. I love the effects of the inks however I noticed they were a bit fragile and the inks wear off unless sealed. I applied Rub and Buff to the sides of the dominoes which worked great. It made them look more high end and finished.

Butterfly Box

2011-03-12T19:49:00.001-08:00

I just adore making these little boxes. First, I painted & stamped the lid and then added a round butterfly sticker which I had previously made on Zazzle. It was perfect that I had glass blanks with a hole for hanging. I tied pretty fibers through the hole before gluing the glass circle down, over the sticker. You can't see in the photo but there are assorted beads tied to the ends of the fibers. For the interior of the box, I lined it with frosted half marbles in soft green and blue hues. The legs are wine corks that I had been saving and finally found the perfect occasion to use. I guess I had better start drinking a lot more wine, if I want to make more of these boxes...

Alcohol Inks

2011-03-12T19:41:00.001-08:00

I was using this sheet of paper to clean off my stamps after stamping which is why there is duplicate imagery. Later, I was playing around with alcohol inks and wanted to test them on my scratch sheet. I rather liked how it was turning out so I added a leftover lady face from a vintage photo and wings that were floating around my desk. My practice sheet turned out more interesting than my other projects. I think it has a dreamy, smeary feeling to it.

Messiest Work Space Ever!!!!

2011-03-12T19:30:00.001-08:00

I'm ashamed to admit it but this is my work desk at the moment. You should see the rest of the room- it's even worse! Whenever I am on a roll creatively, tidiness goes out the window. For me mixed media works best when all of my favorite supplies are within reach. I just look around and see something I like and then glue it on. Messiness RULES!

Bird Box

2010-12-04T18:07:00.000-08:00

I needed a small gift to bring as a hostess gift and wanted to make something special. I painted this little wood box a metallic red and rubbed the edges with Rub N Buff to age it. The script is stamped on the box as well as gold paper. I painted and glued on the little legs. For the top, I found these great wood birds on ebay and covered one in scrap cloth. The inside of the box is lined with the same cloth. The Blessings tag, I made in clay.

Tumbled Marble Coasters

2010-12-04T17:59:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-laws and I decided to do handmade gifts this year for Christmas. I got the idea to make marble coasters online. They were so fun to make! I want to do more! I rubbed the edges of the coasters with gold Rub n Buff to antique them and stamped them with pretty stamps. I added color by using pigmented powders. After sealing with polyurethane and adding cork to the bottoms, I'm all set to give them out. Oh yeah, and I found the coolest wrought-iron holders that work perfectly.

Origins

2010-12-04T17:52:00.000-08:00

One of my forays into true mixed-media. A smallish canvas that is painted and layered in paper, old sewing pattern and pencil. I painted an image from my Dover book as the lovely odalisque. The butterflies are made in clay and I hammered in nails with various beads around the edge to change the silhouette of the canvas. My little parrot provided the red feather from his tail- one of many that fall out and litter his cage. The whole thing has kind of a tribal, Darwinism kind of feel and that's how I came up with the title.

Glass Ornaments

2010-12-04T17:32:00.000-08:00

I glued some images from my cards (as well as a picture of my niece...) onto the back of some circular and square glass blanks. I added ribbon and beads and they are ready to adorn some packages that I plan to give. The glass gives them a nice weight and allow them to hang nicely.

Gin Transfer on Polymer

2010-12-04T16:58:00.001-08:00

These tiny little polymer tiles were made using a gin transfer method. I printed out the text on my laser printer. Then rolled out white clay. I rubbed the back of the print out with really cheap gin and voila! The text was transferred onto the clay. I added some gold and blue pigment powders to accent the edges and then baked them. I can't wait to use these little gems in other mixed-media pieces.

Paper Towel Collage

2010-12-04T15:46:00.000-08:00

My poor blog has been neglected for too long. Here are some paper towel collages that I put together. The colors are so vibrant and the paper towels stain up so beautifully with acrylic paint that has been watered down. I didn't want to cover up all that texture with imagery.

Fall Leaves

2010-09-24T12:22:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I'll make something and not care for it very much. I put it away in a box and come back to it later. This morning while looking for some inspiration, I came across these crazy leaves that I made back in the spring. On this cold, rainy morning they are working for me.

Polymer Tile Box

2010-07-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

I was so inspired by a recent craft book purchase that I had to dive into one of the projects. A small wooden box elevated on painted legs. The lid and inside panel are painted polymer clay. The brass frame is real and holds a tiny picture of a butterfly from one of my cards. The textures were created with rubber stamps and I used small seed beads to make some of the thinner stripes. The swirl part is covered with gold leaf. Lots of steps to this fun project!

More Pendant Prototypes

2010-06-21T13:53:00.001-07:00

These glass pendants are so fun to make. All of the paint and imagery goes on the back so the front is smooth except for a flatback crystal here and there. I love how they all turn out so different. I gave some and kept some and definitely plan to make more.

Painted Pillow Gift Boxes

2010-06-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of Birthdays in the family one month, so I just went ahead and got everyone gift cards for ice cream. I don't like giving gift cards that are loose because they can get lost. Luckily I had these pillow boxes amongst my supplies. Some quick stripes of paint and corresponding ribbon really spruced up the gifts.

IF- Cocoon

2010-05-01T16:07:00.001-07:00

Everyday she checked it's progress. It will be soon, she decided.

Cocoons make me think of metamorphosis and change. My 5 month old niece is just learning to roll herself over. She is changing from a sleepy newborn into a darling little person with her own character and lots of opinions. Soon Jilly Bean will be watching for butterflies too...

First Retail Order!

2010-03-29T09:16:00.001-07:00

If you happen to be near Green lake, WA be sure to stop by Birch Paperie . Tamara Gellert has graciously offered let me be the guest designer for the month of April. You can find Pickadoo Card note cards and individual cards for sale. She has lots of other beautiful designs available as well. I am very happy to be a part of it and have my first retail experience.

Ooodles of Envelopes

2010-03-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

I'm making a huge bunch of cards for a fun project. So I spent the day stamping colored envelopes with my carved stamps. Soon, they started to look good together and I wished I could put one of each with all the cards.

Wooden Houses

2010-03-20T08:47:00.000-07:00

My 4 yr old daughter and I had a fun craft day and got to use up some supplies. She picked the color scheme and loved gluing all the ribbons and buttons. The one with the door has real hinges that open the door to reveal her picture inside...

Bingo Bird

2010-03-09T17:42:00.001-08:00

I'm very inspired by various works I've seen regarding Bingo boards. I actually transferred this board to a wood panel and then distressed using blue and white paint. Perhaps this will turn into a Bingo Bird Card series.... hmmmm

Valentine goodies

2010-02-19T13:35:00.001-08:00

I made some fun Valentines. The wood was painted and text was transferred to create a soft background. Then I added polymer hearts, birds and vintage buttons and tied with a hand-dyed silk ribbon. For the pendants I used glass blanks and transferred vintage photos and hand-tinted the color. For a dimensional accent, a tiny flatback Swarovski crystal was added to the front.

Flower Zen card series

2010-02-02T18:45:00.000-08:00

My neighbor has a beautiful yard that blooms every spring with an amazing array of lovelies. Last year I took my camera over and snapped some flower shots. Finally was able to use them in a vellum, paint, paper, collage. The dots give cohesion and serve as a motif. A versatile new series.

Evening of Art

2010-01-26T09:54:00.001-08:00

Last night I got to go to an art event for the art docents at my child's school. It was hosted by Susan Cyr at Seahorse Studio. Susan does beautiful silk paintings and specializes in undersea scenes. She also teaches art classes. She led us through an exercise for producing abstract work- and it was thoroughly fun.

Gratitude card series

2010-01-24T13:30:00.000-08:00

Working on a new series where I start with an acrylic wash. Then I add text and object elements. I took the photos of the hydrangea and cupcake myself then enhanced with white pencil to give a sketchy look. Not sure what another word/theme could be since I like to have a trio in each series...

Envelope stamps

2009-10-25T20:40:00.001-07:00

I've just finished some line art that I'm going to carve into stamps. After the stamps are carved, I'll be able to decorate the envelopes for my card sets. I'm through with using store-bought stamps for my designs.
UPDATE: Here they are carved and stamped on paper. I like how the stamp material comes through the design with rough artifacts. They also look good on colored paper. I got the carving blocks from MisterArt.

MOO stickers

2009-10-06T20:42:00.001-07:00

Here's a collection of images that I had printed into stickers at MOO.com. They turned out great and I plan to use them as envelope seals for my cards. The cool thing about Moo is that they can print a sheet of tear out stickers with different images on each sheet. So fun!!!

Thank You card

2009-10-06T16:04:00.001-07:00

I made these cards for my sister to give out after she receives baby shower gifts. I work in layers of paint and paper and then combine illustrative or photographic elements for a soft, textured look.

Kayla

2009-08-29T15:21:00.001-07:00

I'm doing some cards for a friend of mine who recently rescued a beautiful Golden Retriever from Homeward Pets. Here is the first of three designs. I started with photos that I took of flowers and then with some pictures of Kayla. I printed the images out on vellum to give them a softer look. I played around with collaging the paper images on a painted background and then scanned them. I think the cards have a sweet, vibrant look that matches Kayla herself.

Opal

2009-08-29T15:11:00.000-07:00

This lovely lady was transferred using an inkjet printed transparency that was rubbed onto a painted scrap of wood with a bone folder. I love how she came out looking like a delicate pencil sketch.

Birds like Math

2009-08-29T09:08:00.001-07:00

It's time to dust off the primer and get the kids back to school!

Jenkins and Bessie

2009-08-20T19:10:00.000-07:00

I made these cards for my cousin who does genealogy and has tracked our family over several generations. Her work is amazingly detailed and helps us all to understand the folks that came before us. She was also kind enough to give me lots of gorgeous vintage photos that provide a wealth of inspiration! Thanks, JF!!!!

Mixed Collage

2009-06-23T20:22:00.000-07:00

Mixed media using gel medium transfer on a paint chip sample from Home Depot. (Finally found something to do with all of those pretty paint samples...). Next I digitally pasted the paint chip lady onto another paper collage with sheet music and a napkin poppy.

A Day for Moms

2009-05-09T16:30:00.001-07:00

We've got a couple of mom's to be in our extended family- Blessings to them and all Mothers. Have a beautiful day.

IF- Hierarchy

2009-05-09T16:12:00.001-07:00

This piece came together as a series of happy accidents. The khaki and red colors speak to the military theme. The background is smeary like a dirty window or one that is streaked with rain. All that we know about this soldier is his numeric label which is backwards and nearly unreadable. Despite questionable barracks, this young fellow is fresh-faced and appears in good spirits. We can only hope for the best for him.

Transparency transfer

2009-04-17T21:10:00.001-07:00

Both the woman and butterfly were rubbed onto a painted background using a bone folder and a transparency that had been printed on my inkjet printer. My printer was out of ink and so both images printed in red only. Thank goodness for Photoshop and color correction! I noticed that it was starting to look like she had a wing on the right side so I pasted another 'wing' in on the left. I love doing transfers and can't wait to try more.

Illustration Friday - Breezy

2009-03-02T19:59:00.001-08:00

I knew I wanted to do a dandelion for this right away... I tried out several different kinds of backgrounds before getting to this one.

Furniture Cards

2009-03-02T19:51:00.001-08:00

One of the designs from a Victorian furniture card set that I did for a friend. I liked the idea of an antique chair in front of a more contemporary background. I got the chair outline from a Dover book.

Illustration Friday - Instinct

2009-03-02T19:46:00.000-08:00

I worked on this long after the week for Instinct had passed. It came out differently than when I had thought of it. The text behind the birds came from an old 'Mechanics of Flight' book that is now out of print.

Illustration Friday - Time

2009-02-09T11:10:00.000-08:00

It's time for LOVE... and wine, and chocolate and strawberries!!
On second thought, I've always got time for those. I've been doing more of what I call 'scratch paintings' where I use up scraps, paint, glue various papers and scribble in pencil. They come out kind of random but when scanned they make quick backgrounds for my illustrations.

Preschool Valentines

2009-02-09T10:55:00.001-08:00

My nearly 4 year old daughter and I worked on her cards this week for her party at school. She wrote the word "Love" and drew the flower. I made the heart and we printed out on white label paper. We both painted the hearts with acrylic paint and stuck them on some ripped music sheets that were mounted on printed cardstock. She signed her name on the back and now they are ready for giving.

We had lots of fun and she's super excited to hand them out.

Batik Bird Cards

2009-02-07T14:25:00.001-08:00

I wanted to make a set of note cards for my daughter's teachers for holiday gifts. I was inspired by these nice ladies and the colorful bird imagery resulted. I gave two of each design for a total of six.

I'm Back!

2009-01-14T16:03:00.000-08:00

After a brief hiatus, Pickadoo Design is back online with a whole new look. I took some time to re-tool, re-group and play with our new puppy, Bodie. I'm looking forward to posting my latest card designs as well as IF. See you back here.

Illustration Friday- Memories

2008-08-31T13:36:00.001-07:00

The memories clung to the walls like layers of old paint.

Recently, my grandmother-in-law gave me several old photos that didn't quite make it into her photo album. Ironically, she gave me the picture of the little girl (at the bottom) because she didn't remember the girl's relationship to the family- a child of some acquaintance. The back of the picture is labeled "Alma's youngest daughter Janice 1917."

I kept wanting to add more and more to this image and finally I had to tell myself- enough, it was getting too crowded. Somehow it still seemed appropriate because some memories are like that.

Illustration Friday - Sail

2008-08-10T10:25:00.001-07:00

I did this awhile ago for a card design. I make my own cards for family and friends. As you can see, I love working with color. One of these days I'll have to do something in monochrome or black and white..... Nah! :)

Illustration Friday- Poof!

2008-08-01T15:59:00.000-07:00

With a wave of the wand and a poof, the magician disappeared. He was as astonished as anyone but the crowd loved the trick.

I busted this one out really fast and am hoping to get back to work on it some more. I found this vintage magic trick book online. It had great visuals and so I sketched on top of it.

Illustration Friday- Canned

2008-07-29T22:31:00.001-07:00

I had a tough time coming up with something for canned... canned laughter, canned ham, tuna can, canning jars? Finally I settled on sardines all lined up in a can, looking all the same. But what if there was one special one?

Illustration Friday- Enough

2008-07-18T17:05:00.001-07:00

How do the bees know when they've made the right amount of honey? They just keeping working, diligently and harmoniously to make sure that there's always enough.

Illustration Friday - Foggy

2008-07-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

The starfish began to get worried... not only was it a frosty, foggy morn- but the good captain was blind in that eye as well.

After I did this, I was reminded of the water in "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak which I've read to the kids over and over. I don't love the story as much as I love the illustrations. It's funny how visuals can influence you and then get re-imagined.

Illustration Friday - Fierce

2008-06-29T21:09:00.000-07:00

I tried doing some fashion-type sketches to pay homage to Christian Siriano (the winner of Project Runway who said everything was 'fierce') but they didn't turn out at all so I had to go back to Plan B - some fierce strappy, red heels! :)

Illustration Friday - Hoard

2008-06-21T22:15:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed this week's topic. A crow was the first thing to come to my mind. I love watching them in the backyard- they are so smart and cautious. We throw them peanuts and watch them fight it out with the Blue Jays...

For this image I scanned in a sketch and then colored it in Photoshop. I used an old collage for the background and I was trying to give it the feeling of twilight.

Illustration Friday - Punchline

2008-06-16T19:51:00.000-07:00

"The weather is here. Wish you were beautiful."

I'd like to raise a frosty, fruity glass to the first day of summer! Yay, it's finally here!

For this image, I started out by painting the background. Next decoupaged on some tissue paper to add transparency. After drawing the drinks on vellum, I added paint and more tissue paper to the back of the vellum images and glued them onto the background. After a quick scan into the computer, I did some color tweaking and added the text and postcard elements.