alisaburke

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

exploring we will go

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

lettering with megan: 1 phrase 10 ways

Hi everyone! It’s Megan from Makewells and I’m here today with a fun practice prompt for you hand letterers out there.

I really think the best kind of practice is the kind that infuses technique AND creativity. And this exercise is great for that! It’s also a bit of a challenge - which really motivates me as an artist. Sometimes I need little assignments like this to encourage myself to practice. It’s sort of like a game!

Here’s how to play: Gather 10 (or more) pieces of paper of any size (I like to choose different colors/types/sizes) and as many drawing supplies as you can! Pick a short phrase (3-5 words) to hand letter, and get busy!

One Phrase Ten Ways from Megan E Wells on Vimeo.

In Megan’s Toolkit:

Tombow Dual Tip Brush Pens

Tombow Fudesuenke

Koi Colorless Blender

Prismacolor Colored Pencils

So...after drawing the phrase 10 times in 10 different ways, there are some I like, some I don’t. But as I worked through all 10 of these, I challenged myself to try and make each one work - even if I didn’t like the direction it was going.

Out of the 10 drawings, I was most happy with the way I drew the words in this one below, so I used it as a sketch to make a final illustration that I turned into a coloring page, free for you to download!

You can download it HERE!

Enjoy practicing and happy lettering!

Xo, Megan

www.makewells.com

Instagram @makewells

Be sure to check out my lettering classes here!

Monday, July 10, 2017

free GIANT coloring page!

Happy Monday friends! Today I have something a little different for you! As you know I love creating coloring books and coloring pages and I thought it would be fun to create a giant coloring page. I love a big coloring page to hang on the wall for a party activity, to use as wrapping paper or even a table covering.

So today I've got a 36" X 48" coloring page download for you! This is the size of an engineer print. An engineer print is a black and white print created on large printers typically used for engineering or architecture. You can get them at Staples and Office Depot and they are cheap...like between $1.79-$3.50. So download a coloring page below and GO BIG!

Download large (36" x 48") coloring page HERE

Friday, July 07, 2017

happy weekend!

Thursday, July 06, 2017

creating with jules: cloud pin

It’s winter over here in Australia, and where I’m living we’ve had a fair amount of cold days, cloudy skies and rain. But I don’t think this cute brooch needs to be only saved for the winter months! It rains in the summertime too, hey? I think it can be gorgeous anytime of year :)

This is a fairly quick and fun project to make; and you don’t need a lot of supplies.

You will need:

-White felt

-Beads (I used white, pearly green and bigger blue beads, but use what you have- I think different colours would look interesting)

-Firm plastic for reinforcement- such as an ice cream container lid

-Pin back

-Craft glue

You will also need:

-Beading needle, sewing needle, thread and scissors

Print out your pattern sheet at 100% size. Cut along the lines of the cloud shape that doesn’t have the rain drops. Use this to lay on your felt, trace around and cut two out.

Lay your plastic piece over one of the cloud shapes and draw a shape that is around .5cm smaller than the cloud. If your plastic is opaque cut it to size first then trim down. This leaves space so you can still sew your clouds shapes together.

Take your beading needle and your white seed beads and randomly sew them all around on the right side of one cloud. Then, Using the pattern sheet as a guide, sew on the raindrops. I reinforced with a few stitches at the top of the rain drops, threaded beads on to the length I wanted, then threaded a larger bead on. Next, you take the needle through the smaller beads again and reinforce again at the top with a few stitches. Repeat for all of the rain drops.

Take your back cloud (make sure you’re doing this on the reverse side of the back cloud) and place your pin back on so you can mark where to cut.

Snip two little cuts and push your pin through the felt.

Now, lay your front cloud face down, and pop some craft glue on where you will stick your plastic down. Place some more glue on top of the plastic, and place the back cloud on top of the plastic. Make sure there’s sufficient glue underneath where the pin back sits for strength.

Now, you take a needle and thread and stitch all around the outside to finish your brooch off. Fold your raindrops to one side when you reach sewing up the bottom of the cloud.

Rain hail or shine, it’s a tribute to Mother Nature anytime of the year!

I hope you enjoyed this project.

Jules :)

You can find more of Jules here:

Blog http://julesmadden.blogspot.com.au

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/julesmadden/

Shop https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/artbyjulesmadden

Wednesday, July 05, 2017

beach combing fun

The last couple of weeks have been amazing for beachcombing here on the Oregon Coast. And if you know me, you will know that I am a happy girl! Hunting for shells is probably my favorite way to relax and clear my head and a bonus is coming home with all kinds of treasure! Here is a little peek into our beachcombing.