Another tiger cub freebie stamp :)

At mygrafico.com I have up another tiger cub free stamp. Here the cub cuddles the bear with a blankie :)
Please note free sample from mygrafico can only be used for personal use.
The stamp can be found here

Closed for the Holidays

New freebees in yahoo group

December is here and this month's freebee is a little boy who is thinking about a sail boat he wishes. I named it incorrectly and should have called it something like poster board thoughts. But that was not the name I was just thinking of when son dearest came in demanding how much longer I would be on "our" computer. Yup we are still coughing but much improved.

Bookmark compo

A couple of weeks of ago, my favourite internet bookshop announced that they were having a bookmark competition. Now being one who likes to doodle and likes to read (when the kids (and husband(and dogs)) allow), I could not resist the chance to get some free books - the prize is a 100 euro worth of books. After sitting down and doing my entry - see the birdies on the left, I read the rules - yes a bit backwards I know. Initially I thought the guys there will judged them but after reading the info it seems that maybe the lucky 10 winners will be drawn at random, so I guess my chances of getting some free books either way is still about 1 in a million. So anyway wish my entry luck miracles do happen"D
yup had to put the yucky copyright symbol. It sort of messes up the pic a bit though:/

Dancers sketch

At the moment I am working on these dancers for next week. I am not sure if they will be vector or not at the moment though :\

This is a thumb of one the finished line art and colour versions. I decided to colour them via photoshop so they were not vector in the end.

A little Pinny

Here's a preview of a set I am working on at the moment. She is called Pinny. Yes how original I know ... not "D
Any where here is her story. She came to life when a client asked me to create something that was fanstasy and well as sewing oriented. At the time dear little Pinny did not get further than my sketch book, but two days ago I was flipping through it as she popped out and said, " Now you 've got the right brushes - downloaded some rather cool pencil type illustrator brushes - and now you have to bring me to life. So here she is. She is to be one of 8 images. Not sure about the colours of her at the moment (or the wings) - I think I need to watch myself as I seem to be happily drifting back into the dark somber tones and mid-night blue skies in the day :)
If all goes well, barring sickness , crashing computers, and falling skies, she should make an appearance in the store next week sometime.

New collab stamp set

A new collab stamp set is now up at Mygrafico (MG) , it features a number of cool and some wacky digital stamps aka line art. So if you got a moment pop on by and have peek. The total set has 18 stamps ( I think) at an amazing price.

Sketch of November's freebie

2010 will be the year of the tiger. A tiger is truly awe inspiring. In honour of his coming year I have dedicated this month's yahoo group freebee for him. Here is the sketch I just did which I will hopefully (all members of the house are coughing and ill ( well minus me) and no fevers so no swine) complete today in line art /digital stamp and full colour format.








Decided I did not like the bear's arm sticking up lol








... as the day ends

Here are the finished versions which can be found in the group. The background of the colour version is not included.

SALE, SALE, SALE

Yes there is a blue moon tonight, and we are having a sale at clipartandscrap.com. When will the next be, not for a while so if you wish to snatch something up at a super good price click on by the store this week. Click here to get to the store

a card by Birgit

In the mygrafico ning community Birgit of bigganed.blogspot.com posted this beautiful card creation. What can I say but WOW!! The colours are muted and some may say a bit drab, but when she combined these muted natural colours with basic materials - card board, a heavy weave (looks sort of like linen) the result is just stunning.
While Birgit lives further north than me, I had hoped that maybe she sells her card. But alas she doesn't.
The line set used in the card can be found at mygrafico (5 clipart set).

From Clipart to Cross stitch

I’ve seen my work a number of times transformed into embroidery design, but when I saw it on Shoo Fly Pie it was the first time I’ve seen it used as cross stitch.

What is cross stitch – according to Wikipedia - Cross-stitch is a popular form of counted-thread embroidery in which X-shaped stitches are used to form a picture. Cross-stitch is usually executed on easily countable evenweave fabric called aida cloth. The stitcher counts the threads in each direction so that the stitches are of uniform size and appearance. This form of cross-stitch is also called counted cross-stitch in order to distinguish it from other forms of cross-stitch. Sometimes cross-stitch is done on designs printed on the fabric (stamped cross-stitch); the stitcher simply stitches over the printed pattern.

What amazed me with these two examples of cross stitch are how true they are to the original drawing/ clipart.

When I draw whimsically with black outlines especially if they are stick figure oriented in the limb department I’m always concerned that the black lines would be either too heavy or thin for the embroider. However this seems not to be an issue in cross stitch designs. These two cross stitch designs can be found and are available at Shoo Fly Pie - the snowman here and the best friends here.

October Freebie at our yahoo group

Each month on at the Clip Art and Scrap yahoo group I post a little freebie or candy (as I have heard the hip refer to such stuff). They usually are line art and full colour clipart, which you can download for Freeeee.
The clipart is 300 dpi and JPG and PNG format - sometimes other formats too.
Ahh but life is never so easy. You see this is a yahoo group with membership, and joining of course is free, but if you "join, grab and leave" the result is getting banned :( sad but true. If you wish not get the ads then select the "special notice" email option. No mail option is not an option as I change those to special mail.

Copics! On your mark! Get ready! ...

In celebration of 3 rd Card Making Day on 3rd October Mygrafico and its artist (yup I am one of them "D ) are having a celebrations with 40% discounts, door prizes and more!

Details can be found at http://www.papercraftplanet.com/group/mygrafico

Funky Flamingos featured as a challenged

Much to my glee and surprise one my stamp sets at mygraphico.com ( http://mygraficochallengeblog.blogspot.com/ ) is been used as this week's challenge. The set is my Funky Summer Flamingos (female version), the challenge is to make a retirement card - something I think would be difficult but well appreciated when one is happy about retiring.
The entries are great, lots of talent out there, but these two are my favourite. by kylie - I love the light carefree atmosphere she has captured and this by Raindrop Echo Designs - I just love the destressing and the dark look about it ( yes they are sort of opposites in style).

Veggies for the kids

It is amazing at times what happens in society. Here is Latvia we are undergoing a major economic collapse (?) , if negative, or transformation, if positive :) . During the last couple of years things were booming - land prices, house prices, clothes, food etc. Loans were abundant to the point where they had ads on tv where a family drove up to a fast food type window and the banker guy asked what the family of 4 wished and then gave them the cash and the happy family drove off. While this might be all well and good in most developed countries it was a disaster waiting to happen here where the folks did not understand the concept of loans, interest and what they will have to repay in the future. But I am starting to digress. The thing is this country and its inhabitants were up to their ears in debt, then the American thing happened, banks going bust across the oceans and then all crap started to hit the Latvian fan as majority of loans held by common folk and government (country) are owned by foreigners. The end result of this fiasco is not yet reached here, but in the intern civil servants salaries (which in many cases are more than the private sector's) are being slashed, teachers (almost all are public) have gotten serious pay cuts effective immediately (that was in summer), sections of hospitals closed, staff left off, big ups in the government system of course are fighting a reduction - I mean a teacher can have a salary reduced to 125 LS a month but an civil servant who earns 4000 Ls can fight a reduction... Anyway with that said life goes on and so do pre-school projects ( with less children this year as a couple of families bread winners are breadless), which brings us to the header. This week The kids and I had to get stuff from our garden (aka grocery store or neighours - as I did not attempt to do anything other than squash and pumpkin - the latter was not fruitful :( - and make "art" with them. After the initial moral outrage at wasting food in such hard times, we made a spider consisting of carrots and a celery ( so the shelf talker said), and a caterpillar make from the small onions. The eyes of both are make with beans. The mushrooms are potatoes with tops of apple The creations are stuck together with match sticks and some glue (the eye), and the kids happily took their creations to their respective classes.

a girl of summer

It has been a rather hectic week with autumn on us and trying to get the last minute garden things done like replanting trees and sowing grass . This has interrupted the little angry spider and co sketches which is good in a way as I was getting into an artistic tizzy with it. Yesterday the Master was busy doing some "real work", so I got some time at the pc and I went through my "to do" sketch book ( a big purple binder with various pieces of paper two holed punched to keep them in one place) and came across 3 summer girls I drew around Ligo ( mid summer). So,I did up the line art for some digital stamps and completed one and a bit in full colour for the digitizers, but alas have not as yet put them up on the site, but it is only Tuesday today so if luck hold out I will finish the girl I am working on and the last one today and will have them up in a day or so. Yes this girl is one of the 3. She is our favourite :) My conscience is being plagued by cards... I need to do some for the site. But before that the kids need to create masterpieces of art using vegetables..urggg!!

a little angry spider

Spent the week doing a couple sketches for a book to most likely hit the press this time next year... yes it is a bit early to put pencil to paper but when the mood it hits it is a good thing to grab it. But even with all good intentions my pace was rather slow and hampered in someways the monsters were home two days this week and the youngest is still very mummy oriented at 4yrs. Anyway here is a preview of a sketch. The little spider is annoyed that his web has been broken. Well off to either work on more sketches, contemplate how to colour them or be cinderella to the monsters.

feel like illustrating

that says it all I think.
Good thing I have some words to work with. Yes mum the spider will emerge... I hope.
I had thought I would not do any illustrations this year and work just on clipart but it is September and for some reason my brain is looking around for something not just to draw but to transform words and thoughts into pictures, and the book with it words sits there and will not leave me be until it is done or partly done

In your hands

This is one of a set that has been in my sketch book for a while. I can just picture it with some bible verse around it.:) It can be found on in the store.

Alphabet preview

On the "sketch board" so to speak is a little alphabet which should be finished by next week. This is letter F is case it is not recognisable :D

a little joy and love crosses

Up this week in the store will be a little girl you is full of happiness and some semi filigree designed crosses based around a heart.

Sewing Fairies sketch

Just thought I would put a sketch of some little fairies that I am at present doing. Not sure if they will be as stamps also.

-----------------------------------------
update
One of the fairies vectorised.

Colouring in progress

yesterday I discovered how to widen the columns of this blog - whey - now I feel less closed in when I look at it :)
Anyway here is one of the little flower girls in the progress of being painted. Not sure when it will be finished. I am rather scattered now-a-days and the thistles have decided it is time to shed and my nose is not co-operating with life.

This is being done in photoshop so it is digital. I wonder when I finally get to pick up a paintbrush if I will remember how to use it...

Flower girl sketches

2 a little sketches of a flower girls.

A Wedding Party

Coming this week to the store some lose line art and maybe a coloured version of a wedding party..that is if the kids co-operate.

To detail or not to detail

Now my present dilemma in creating digital stamps is to how much detail to place on a stamp I had thought that if I did not put lots of details in a stamp the other artist would have more freedom to do what they wish with it eg a sitting figure would not be placed on a rock but just in a sitting position so she can be place on a rock, books or even a pail for example; a dress would be left without detail so the artist can add what they wish to make it their own. hmmm this does not seem to be working. I know with digitizers many sell there work, but do those which use digital/traditional stamps sell their too? hmmmm

A cool u-tube of making a greeting card

I just really like the finished card. I think it is well done. The basic steps of getting the digital stamp and printing has been omitted but how she makes the card is well presented, as is the finished product.

A Beginner's Guide to Digital Stamps

Here is another one where a coloured clipart is used in the composition of the card. This one takes you through the whole process of downloading the clipart to your pc to finishing the card.

How To Download, Re-size, and Print Digital Stamps

A while ago I looked for some U-tubes about using clipart as digital stamps but could only find ones where folks used traditional stamps and coloured. Now there are a couple out there :)
Here is one where the person used a black and white clipart as a digital stamp. This is quite basic and show just how to add the stamp to a word doc.

Looking for a "New" Sign

Well I was it again. I shut the store and started to try to add the rewards- points module, again. This time I approached it more methodically . Prior to shutting the store down, I create folders within folders (nested them) for the files, went to the ftp, downloaded to the right area (as I am now wiser to my last mistake), copied this nested folder and worked on the copied one - so I had two sets of the files - one unaltered and one altered. It took a couple of hours and I altered them according to a fix - which did not work :(, so I went back to the original guys code and WHA_LA - it worked. Well it mainly works. There were/are a couple bugs such as the guy designed it to be only a discount scheme and not for people to be able to use the points to pay completely for an item, and hence on the shop forum he sort of say bugger off if you wish it to be used that way, but in a very nice way :) So I had to try and work a way around that with sort of some success resulting in notes to customers on bills hoping they will not get too annoyed at my lack of coding ability. Anyway with my rewards-points module installed I was looking for a "new" sign - no sense doing it and not promoting it . Finding a new animated sign which does not bring on a fit is not easy. Just looking at them was making me feel ill, I understand you wish to draw the eye but it would be so nice if the creators will make the blinking, twirling and rolling slower. Maybe it is just my age catching up with me...
However at a site (www.gifanimations.com) I saw the little monster and I just had to post it :)

Just a note

Ahh what a weekend. On Friday I added a "down-time" module to the site with no problem - phew. Then on Saturday I printed out upteem pages, closed the site and then started to work on "the module". This module is a reward points scheme which is rather good, expect that after installing it, it was not working good in my shop and had some rather serious hick-up eg if you your balance was $0 after you used your points you could not use paypal then and could not hence get your file. I later read another file and and he said he had a fix. The fix did not work as it created a loop so you never left check out. So the module was exed and I put back my files - in much less time there, BUT .... of course something had to go wrong. And come Sunday night 9pm I got a reply from the shop creator's forum as to the possible problem - it was possible that I re-upload the wrong file in the wrong area. I checked and the dear was right. So by the time I hit the bed last night I had a much less serious headache than the hour before and I say to the guys who offered the help and the one with the solution ... a big

Beautiful Proteas from clipart to embroidery

I started last month putting up some of my work at mygrafico.com - mainly digital stamps but I decided if a clipart request caught my eye I would attempt to do it. Well I saw one asking for Prtoea designs. At first I looked and clicked away. Protea what is that ? What type of flower. After putting around for a couple of hours I went back and looked, no other artist had answered so I googled the flower and thought wow this is different. To cut a long story short I did a mini clipart set of 5 protea clipart. The lady who made a general restquest name is Karen and she liked the set and digitsed it and Boy did she do a fantastic job. Here are some pics of Karen's stitched out of two of the clipart that she digitised.











Karen's digitised set with some extremely cool suggestiong can be found here
The clipart can be gotten via here.

Julia Quinn

A little something different this week :) Julia Quinn is one of my favourite authors (at the moment) and on Tuesday her latest book is due out. It is a semi- sequel to another one which was rather good. Anyway the point of this note is that I can't figure out why the publishers are now adding little book previews for prospective buyers - when I see them I think the word ham. This one is not too bad but I have seen others which made me just laugh at how awful they are.

I am sure the book will be tons better and I await for its arrival in about a week after publication from the book depository - with their free shipping worldwide (almost) - had to give them a plug.

By Artful Xpressions

I just wanted to share a card Micki of Artful Xpressions made with the Jessi stamp. I really love the colours, colouring and background and how alive and happy the card looks. Thanks for doing a great job.
A direct link to the card is here

Little clowns

Ahh this seems to be one of those morning I feel like doing nothing. My glasses are getting constantly smudged and my left sinuse feels heavy. Must be because I spent an hour last night and about the same time this morning trying to get an ip banning module on the site to work but with no luck all this is in hope to do the unthinkable and ban THE search engine spider -googlebot! He is the bane of my life as he messes up downloads and drives me crazy with his frequent visits. Today he has been by at least 5 times in as many hours. I have tried banning him via the google recommended robot text but he is ignoring it it seems

Anyway...i n a designer group the challenge last week was to great something related to the circus, and here on tv at sometime in the year (usually in winter I think) circus acts from Morocco are shown. These are rather cool as they feature acts from all over the world and not many animals are involved and focus more on the grace, strength and beauty of the human form. After saying all that I drew two little non svelte clown kids. Here is a pic of the boy using an embroidery effect program on the clipart.
The set can be found here and here

Dotti's cook out

Here is an attempt using the Dotti digital stamp which can be found at mygrafico.com. I was not totally sure what to do with her, so in t he end I blotted out the star with a pot and wah-La got decided on a casual type invitation. Since the party is to be on the 4th of July I decided to go with the appropriate colours :) A digital paper as a the background, a corrugated cardboard jpg colour changed, resized. On one I used a glitter edge action but had to then trim it as it was too wide for my liking., figured out how to get the stitching action to work, but I am not overly happy with it. Then I added some brads, coloured the dotti clipart, her pot and steam. And then of course added some shadow. Of course this is a photoshop project as I don't have the materials to do the real think but if I did I am not sure I could do it with the kids around nor will I find by some mysterious monster my things decorating the house in one form or fashion. (I have now got to remove a page which mysteriouly was stuck to the parquet floor