Branching Out

I decided to mix things up a bit by taking a break from lettered signs and moving in the direction of paintings.

  

Like, actual paintings.

But other than high school art, and one drawing class in college, I haven't had much in the way of instruction.  So I was a bit timid  when go-time came a-callin'.  So yes, I painted a picture, but no, I used no color.  Is black a color?  

Still, I found my first attempt none too shabby, so I girded my loins and put some colors in my little plastic palette.  I picked up my paint brush, took a deep breath, and tried again.

Much to my surprise, this goat appeared out of nowhere on this scrap of barn wood.  Like he had been hiding in there.

  




Confidence bolstered, I tried a few more.

I was having fun!  I was finding my fair share of frustration, too, but that's to be expected, I should think.  Being pretty new to this and all.

And so I gathered up my newly minted animal paintings on barn wood and slate and other odds and ends canvasses, and brought them with me to an artisan's market I was signed up for.  They did great.  They flew off the shelves!  I sold just about everything.

I have some custom signs I'm working on right now (lettered pieces), but once they're checked off my to-do list, I will turn my attention to exploring this animal thing a bit more.  I've signed myself up for a beginner's acrylics class this summer, and I'm anxious to learn more about this and looking forward to expanding my abilities.

And I welcome any tips or feedback from any artists!

Makeover Monday: Ladder Display Shelves

I bought a couple of old ladders through the online yard sale sites. Ten bucks a pop.  I wanted to use them to make display shelves for the vendor fairs I'll be taking part in.
(First one coming up May 6th, yay! )

So today, being the drop-dead gorgeous day that it was, I took my beat-up ladders out to the driveway, and I gave 'em a good old-fashioned white wash.  Just watered-down white paint.  I wanted a nice chippy weathered look, and I had some milk paint, so I used that.  It wasn't enough to do both, so I used chalk paint for the other one.

Then I pawed through my stash of barn boards and found enough to use for shelves.  I measured, pulled nails, and cut down till I had what I needed.

And it's perfect!  Exactly what I was after.

I can't wait to put them to use!