ysdgiasuhv: May 2010

Hand made Coloring book and Fortune cat drawing!

Alright...made it to Friday in one piece!
Its been an intense week between watching T.Ruth Artspace gallery, creating my commissioned coloring book, working on my Fortune cat drawings and trying to finish editing the photos from my last body painting photo shoot.
But i managed!

Check out the groovy coloring book i made:

This was quite possibly one of the most interesting commissions yet. This was made for a dear blogger/etsy friend who wanted to give a "Chelsea rose art's coloring book" to her daughter for her 7th b-day.

Honestly i feel like i couldn't get a good picture of this creation- i don't think the photos do it justice. I made it with a mix of mediums: pen, ink, watercolor, watercolor paper, printer paper, decorative paper, ribbon, string, iridescent medium, yes paste and more.
The hardest part was figuring out how i was going to bind it all together. Initially i had wanted to use a sewing machine( which turned out a really bad idea since the machine i tried that with ended up having its timing screwed up) but i ended up just taking it over to OfficeMax where they spiral bound it for only $1! Now that i have made one I'm thinking about making more to put around in the local boutiques and inside my etsy shop...we shall see!

Here is my Maneki Neko inspired drawing:

original pen and ink drawing
by Chelsea Rose

.....I have always really loved the cute Japanese Fortune cat statues that you see in shops sometimes so a week or so ago i was doodling and to my surprise a very rough beginning sketch of the Maneki Neko appeared out of the blue! I took that as a good sign seeing that this symbol is a good luck totem so i decided to work on the drawing a bit more. I am thinking about eventually turning the drawing into an acrylic painting as well. If my research was correct the kanji symbol i drew means "prosperity."

Anyhow...thats what i have been up to!
So far i dont have any extravagant plans for the weekend. I will be watching T.Ruth artspace gallery for a few hours. I hope to finally finish the painting i have been neglecting...but mainly im looking forward to some quiet cozy time inside my new apartment. There has been little time for that lately and i feel i have yet to really relax/enjoy the new surroundings. So wish me luck with that endeavour!

Many blessings,
-Chelsea Rose

P.S.

SALE offer ending May 31st:

put three of my art prints on special discount:

a trio of high quality 5"x7" digital art prints
original artwork by Chelsea Rose

Limited time offer:
Buy all three of the displayed art prints for just $10
(normally priced at $7 each)

Going from left to right, I am pleased to introduce you to the Debutant,the Poetess and Masquerade Ball. I decided to put these three art prints of mine on SALE for the month of May in honor of Mother's day and spring cleaning!
click here to view the SALE listing.

Tender Truth-body painting and weekend tidbits

So this weekend was fairly productive.

On Saturday i did another body painting/photo shoot session with a very pregnant woman:

(body painting and photography by Chelsea Rose
Model: Courtney)

(body painting and photography by Chelsea Rose
Model: Courtney)

I love doing these body painting sessions in the upper loft of T.Ruth Artspace gallery. Saturday was super stormy. It rained hard for most of the day but Courtney and I were pretty cozy all cooped up and working on making her unique pregnancy portrait pictures a reality.

It took most of the day to get the body painting finished.
We started painting around 10:00am and did not finish with it till around 3:30pm.
Its amazing how much i get to know my models during this time period. Courtney felt that while the body painting process is a tedious one...it was a good way of honoring and better understanding how much time and patience there is inherent in genuine creation- such as the creation of a child. Patience, love and righteous intent are key to a healthy creating experience.
This was my second time body painting and photographing a pregnant woman but i have a feeling it will not be the last. It seems pregnant woman have a lot of interest in having their pregnancy documented in a meaningful, unique and heartfelt manner. Courtney said she thinks i should put up fliers at her pregnant yoga class to scare up more interest. I just might do that and see where it takes me!

As far as other art projects go, i am currently a step or two away from finishing a pen and ink illustration i have been working on that is based off a very iconic symbol of prosperity: the Maneki Neko - or the Japanese fortune cat:

...i should be sharing my version sometime this week if i can manage to find the time to put the last finishing touches on my drawing.

....speaking of good fortune and prosperity- I have some great news.I am thrilled to say that my Grandmother who has been fighting lung cancer is in remission! I love you Mom Mom! Now all we have to work on is getting Pop Pop to gain some weight back and we will be in fairly good shape. :)

I am also working on an interesting commission- a coloring book! A dear who is also a friendly blogger and etsy seller had asked that i make a coloring book for her 7 year old daughter's birthday in June. I jumped at the challenge! While i have never done a project quite like this before it sounded rather irresistible. So far i have all the coloring book pages printed out. Now i have to craft the cover and do the binding. I think it might be interesting to use a heavy watercolor paper as the cover and back...and then use a sewing machine to put in some brightly colored stitching as the binding. This is a very experimental project for me- i cant wait to see how it turns out. I will be taking pictures of it to share!

Check out this amazing blog give away that is being hosted by one of my favorite blogs to read! Enter for a chance to win a custom made dread tam by Sand and Sky!

So thats all the tid bits i can muster up for today.
Good tidings and luck with this last week of May.

I do so hope that the rain will let up for Thursday since it will be the big Last Thursday artwalk on Alberta st fair. Seeing that the fair has been rained our for the last two months- we are really crossing our fingers that we will have a dry one, other wise we are going to be getting a super late start at the art vending season.

Much love always!
-Chelsea Rose

Tender Truth-body painting and weekend tidbits

So this weekend was fairly productive.

On Saturday i did another body painting/photo shoot session with a very pregnant woman:

(body painting and photography by Chelsea Rose
Model: Courtney)

Artwork In Progress, new home art studio + news and things

I had intended to be showing off my finished painting in this entry but alas- i didn't get it done in time so i have some "work in progress" shots to share instead!

I took these yesterday. I changed two things mainly- i did a rough/dark vignette around the painting and i changed the positing of the hands and arms a bit more. Things are still pretty rough so this weekend i hope to get in there and define the shapes better and get the color smoothly blended + make some final touches and be done!
I could have probably finished this painting this week but i had little time. Tiffany Ruth, my dear friend who is also the owner of T.Ruth Art space gallery has been in the hospital so i have been rushing over to the space after work to hang out in the gallery, greet customers, take phone calls and water the plants. Tiffany is pulling through ok- she is such a strong woman!
I think it will be another few weeks till she is back in the gallery. I do really enjoy spending time in there. In fact i will be in the gallery all day Saturday doing another body painting/photo session. So stop by and say Hi if you are in the neighborhood!

In other news i do have most of my new home art studio set up:

As you can see im still feeling the room out. Its the first time i have been able to claim an entire room to dedicate to art and art supplies. Its wonderfull to be able to walk into the room, shut the door and work with privacy and without distraction. i have been trying hard to keep my cat Sushi from coming into the room- thus hopefully making the area a cat hair free zone( which will come in handy when im painting and varnishing!) Its also such a luxery to be able contain all my art mess in one room- be able to simply shut the door and its out of sight!
All and all...im digging the new set up. I still have some boxes i need to go through but its pretty much come together by now!

Also, i wanted to share with you my new earings that i go from a friend on etsy.com!

(click to full view)
mini mushroom earrings! They were custom hand made by Rustic Rainbow. She made them as clip on earrings for me since my ears never stay pierced. They are done up in my favorite color combo: Green and Purple! I love them dearly.

I will leave you with a calming shot of my new apartment's dining window view:

This past week we have been hit by a powerful storm. The days are a manic mix of intense sunshine, sudden down pours and hail storms. I love it!

I wish everyone a lovely weekend.
Much love always,
-Chelsea Rose