Some of my favorite tools to sketch with, are marker and colored pencil. One of my favorite three-dimensional techniques is mixed media collage. One day, it seemed like a fun new idea to add clay to that and digitally combine them all. So, I did! And, baby, it sure is cold outside!
The original sketch was based off a character I made in the likeness of my daughter, Mya. I will never forget how cute she was the day she finally got to wear ear muffs in the cold. We live in the desert, where we don’t often have much need for winter gear; however, this day we traveled into the Ruidoso, NM, mountains, to do some tubing and see some snow.
“One day, it seemed like a fun new idea to add clay to that and digitally combine them all. So, I did!”
I took my Mya character concept and sculpted her a sweater out of polymer clay. it was fun to see it take a paper drawing to a 3D level. Scanning in the sketches I made for the scene, I worked in Procreate for the iPad to add color and combine the techniques. I added in paper pattern texture to the mixed media collage, as well.
PLEASE FOLLOW ME as I embark on a quest to enjoy, learn from, and raise my bamBEANos, in the best way this Mama Chickpea can. Art is my “balance” to life and I enjoy all the DIY therapy I can handle! To learn more about Mama Chickpea, click HERE.
Every once in a while custom orders present a challenge, but are also very entertaining. In the case of this unique request, Who Stole My Cookie?, I needed to make a little blonde kiddo who was an expert cabinet scaler AND a cookie stealer extraordinaire.
Ideas always have to be designed around size and weight, per the purpose of the design. In this case, there is a standard working size and thickness I need to try to accommodate, in order for the piece to hang well on a tree branch. I have designed my pieces over the years with this standard in mind, creating the standard by years of trial-and-error. Anything protruding from the surface of the ornament must not be too heavy to have the piece hang at an angle. Likewise, the entire piece needs to try to be balanced symmetrically for weight. Sometimes, one or both of these measurements affects the placement of the holes for the item to hang, as well.
PLEASE FOLLOW ME as I embark on a quest to enjoy, learn from, and raise my bamBEANos, in the best way this Mama Chickpea can. Art is my “balance” to life and I enjoy all the DIY therapy I can handle! To learn more about Mama Chickpea, click HERE.
I guess maybe it’s one of those innate characteristics that my genetics blessed upon me, but I have a weak spot for art of all kinds, especially illustration. Dimensional illustration is something I have always loved, taking the subject off the paper and bringing him to life. Polymer clay is a great medium for this type of sculpting. And, the combo really turned out cool on these polymer clay sugar skulls!
At a recent trip to the Dollar Tree, I picked up two generic metal skulls. What I love about things like these skulls, is they make a great base for a polymer project, without needing to make a base. They keep the item lightweight and cut costs for the project. Since these two skulls were barely even skulls and very, very minimalistic, they were a perfect base to add clay to. Metal is easy to heat at the lower temps in the oven for polymer and since polymer tends to shrink somewhat, the base helps keep an even, solid foundation that doesn’t bend under pressure.
Mr. and Mrs. Sugar Skulls were born from these dollar items. I was also able to incorporate a recycled bottle cap for the base of his hat, for a touch of the unexpected. It added a neat additional texture to the finished sculpt, as well. These skulls are each about four inches high, by three-and-a-half inches deep, excluding the hat.
PLEASE FOLLOW ME as I embark on a quest to enjoy, learn from, and raise my bamBEANos, in the best way this Mama Chickpea can. Art is my “balance” to life and I enjoy all the DIY therapy I can handle! To learn more about Mama Chickpea, click HERE.
Each holiday season I attempt to create a number of special clay request gifts from polymer clay. I spend numerous nights sleepless from about Halloween, until Christmas Eve. This special request was one of those last minute sculpts, finished just in time for Christmas Eve delivery.
The initial sketch was child-made. His alter-ego in the superhero and artist realm. My hope was to make my sculpt uniquely mine, while being very much also his vision. Sculpting in clay and finishing in my unique process, I think I created exactly what I hoped I could.
This sculpt remains one of my favorite requests to this day. It is a special holiday memory I hope he can keep forever. Making cherished handmade keepsakes are one of the most rewarding parts of my yearly, sleepless, holiday season rush.
“My hope was to make my sculpt uniquely mine, while being very much also his vision.”
PLEASE FOLLOW ME as I embark on a quest to enjoy, learn from, and raise my bamBEANos, in the best way this Mama Chickpea can. Art is my “balance” to life and I enjoy all the DIY therapy I can handle! To learn more about Mama Chickpea, click HERE.
For years I wanted to get a crafty tattoo and D.I.Y. Mama didn’t disappoint. I really didn’t have a vision for it, until I had my baby bluebirds, Max and Mya. In the spring of 2019, I started envisioning this grand tattoo, whose placement would hide three older, small tattoos, on my neck, behind my ear, and my shoulder. They had become faded and were not really representative of the Mama Chickpea I had become. I began sketching up ideas, centering around my favorite hobbies, my passions, and my babies.
I had the most amazing experience getting this tattoo. It was over an eight-hour session, all held in my day. My tattoo artist worked solo and was deaf. We learned to communicate via hand signals, when I wasn’t facing him. The “thumb’s up” or down, being the most crucial.
PLEASE FOLLOW ME as I embark on a quest to enjoy, learn from, and raise my bamBEANos, in the best way this Mama Chickpea can. Art is my “balance” to life and I enjoy all the DIY therapy I can handle! To learn more about Mama Chickpea, click HERE.
My crew: enter my first-born, Max. He is a fierce computer nerd, with a love of all things fast. He rarely whispers, rather, he lives life very loud (which feeds into his mama’s “whine,” as you’ll read about soon enough. *giggle*) His vocal decibels are somewhat hypocritical, as he loathes hearing loud sounds. He has a huge kind heart, and is always willing to help out. He has never-ending energy. Occasionally, he is “twelve going on fifteen,” and knows a bit more than his mama…or, thinks he does!
My second-born, Mya, loves all things art and nature. She is an amazing, yet, blossoming artist, with a flare for perspective and color. She loves to do arts and crafts with her mum, and regularly adds her own special touches. Like her brother, Mya has a determination to compete, and often feels she knows best. Her range of emotions can be severe at times, as a defense to protect herself. Her defense comes to protect her self-esteem. She is dyslexic, which regularly teaches her mama many new ways to see life’s challenges.
While my kiddos are a bit older now than these favorite family photos, I can’t help but see so many aspects of their personalities shine as brightly as they always have. Mya will join Max this year in high school(!) and I have all the “feels” that accompany that next phase–happiness, sadness, anxiety, and hope. I am certain they will continue on their paths to becoming terrific teenagers. I really can’t complain about where they have been or where they are going. They always make me proud. ❤️
Rounding out the human Arroyo Clan, is hubby, Ricardo. “Rick” works a hectic LEO schedule, and often keeps this artist balancing home-life chores and any creative projects throughout the day. Parenting and family time are always unique, and often zero-to-sixty, without much notice. (A pace “Speedracer” Max can easily relate to. *giggle*)
As a proud dog mom, I can’t forget our fur babies. They are very special in the Arroyo House. Our oldest pooch is seven-year-old basset hound, Lucy Lou Poo. She is beyond goofy and many think she has a human soul. Christmas 2019 added two chiweenie-mix, litter sisters, Lola, and Lulu. Less than six-years-old, this hyper duo keeps sister Lucy young and fit, and keeps their human mama on her toes. There is never a wasted leftover, and many a pair-less sock can be blamed less on the laundry “eating” them, but more on this dynamic pair claiming them as a new tug-of-war toy.
Lucy is a regular comedian around our home. Everyone loves her spirit and spunk. She truly feels like a human soul trapped in a basset body. She dislikes working out, loves junk food, and lets everyone know how she feels all the time. She seems to love to entertain and the attention she garners from it!
Inspired by Thelma and Louise, as well as Nacho Libre, the following mixed media collage really sums up the canine crew in our southwestern home. They are always on the prowl for adventure. Lola is holding on for dear life, riddled with high anxiety, and clearly hiding behind her glasses and sombrero, as only a chiweenie can. Lulu is a true diva and is loved for the way her clever Chihuahuan ways creatively garner her respect around our home. And, Lucy is as comedic as a luchador, with an ever-expanding fan base. She may not win every match, but she sure makes everyone love her more, with every attempt.
PLEASE FOLLOW ME as I embark on a quest to enjoy, learn from, and raise my bamBEANos, in the best way this Mama Chickpea can. Art is my “balance” to life and I enjoy all the DIY therapy I can handle! To learn more about Mama Chickpea, click HERE.
As an adult, I’ve dabbled in various projects such as soft sculpture (sewing), knitting/felting fibers, and various forms of clay. I traveled the northeast United States, selling my creations, known to many as “Chickpea.” And, so we embark on the fiber & clay years…
During these early show years, I embarked on a quest to get healthier. After some health scares in my early 20s, I got into diet and exercise, fell in love with my favorite bean, a chickpea. After one too many lunch dates with friends, starving for hummus, I earned my nickname, and thus, the storyline for Mama Chickpea began.
After closing Miss Pea’s and moving to Texas, I aspired to work on my sculpting skills yet again, but in other avenues of clay. I started a collection of customizable pieces I sold online through Etsy, under the art persona, Mama Chickpea.
PLEASE FOLLOW ME as I embark on a quest to enjoy, learn from, and raise my bamBEANos, in the best way this Mama Chickpea can. Art is my “balance” to life and I enjoy all the DIY therapy I can handle! To learn more about Mama Chickpea, click HERE.
You can find my Etsy shop HERE. Mama Chickpea on Etsy is where this all started in 2016.
As an adult, I’ve dabbled in various projects such as soft sculpture (sewing), knitting/felting fibers, and various forms of clay. I traveled the northeast United States, selling my creations, known to many as “Chickpea.” It was with this traditional background, that I fell in love with the arts. You can read more about my early show years, HERE.
One of the skills I acquired during these early years was the manipulation of polymer clay. It started with accessory buttons on my line of Softies, followed by my line of felted purses (Miss Chickpea). Upon moving to Texas, I desired another evolution and played with clay further.
In 2016, I established my online store on Etsy, entitled “Mama Chickpea.” Here, I have created a line of personalized, keepsake ornaments. It has gained quite a following over the years. Every season I get rave reviews, which help fuel this creative Mama.
Custom requests over the years have aided my creative juices. They can be a challenge like no other!
Alongside regular orders, I have grown a following of faithful collectors. Every season I receive custom requests that help fuel my creative Mama juices. Sometimes, they pose quite the challenge!
The following images represent a sampling of the numerous designs I have created every year. These are 2024 prices and may vary from this site, as the fees collected for each sale (not what I earn from the sale but the fees collected) vary between Etsy and the available small business options on WordPress (this shop is hosted on WordPress.) One very specific example is how Etsy requires a shop to add shipping to their items. It isn’t transparent, and one of my many complaints about Etsy, as they force you to incorporate part of the shipping into the base price for the item (to compete with cheap shipping options like Amazon or Walmart.) They also collect fees from shipping, so the full shipping price collected does not actually go to ship the item. Whenever possible, please always buy direct from small artisans, as the fees collected for sales can sometimes be as high as 1/3 the total price collected for the sale on Etsy.
PLEASE FOLLOW ME as I embark on a quest to enjoy, learn from, and raise my bamBEANos, in the best way this Mama Chickpea can. Art is my “balance” to life and I enjoy all the DIY therapy I can handle! To learn more about Mama Chickpea, click HERE.
I guess maybe it’s one of those innate characteristics that my genetics blessed upon me, but I have a weak spot for art of all kinds, especially illustration. Doesn’t matter if it’s my own or someone else’s, or a random doodle by a child (especially my child!) I am not prejudice about technique, either. It could be made by a modern computer or by a traditional graphite pencil…I LOVE ILLUSTRATION!
So, after learning how I feel about illustration, no one should be shocked to learn how excited I became when I found my sophomore sketchbook, from high school. I thought it had been long lost!
Within it’s dusty pages, unknowingly hidden in my storage shed, I found the gems you see highlighted in this post. Dated 1992-1995, I was shocked when this trip down memory lane seemed like yesterday, yet was over twenty years ago. I remember lying on my bedroom floor, sketching as I often did for my weekly class assignment, taking my subjects from ads in fashion magazines. Occasionally, I would look into my floor-length mirror, imagining the person staring back at me was my audience. Somehow, through my wandering imagination, I often dreamt it was someone else other than me, rather, maybe one of my fans, and that silly figment somehow empowered me to draw better.
PLEASE FOLLOW ME as I embark on a quest to enjoy, learn from, and raise my bamBEANos, in the best way this Mama Chickpea can. Art is my “balance” to life and I enjoy all the DIY therapy I can handle! To learn more about Mama Chickpea, click HERE.
As an adult, I’ve dabbled in many traditional art forms. Clay sculpting being the most recent. For several years, I have had an online shop selling polymer clay pieces, but recently, earth clay has peaked my interest…I have a love affair with earth clay!
For Mother’s Day, my hubby, Rick, surprised me with a pottery wheel class at a nearby artist loft. It had been decades since I played with earth clay, and even longer since I tried a pottery wheel.
The outcome of my sessions was wild! I fell in love with this goofy character head, unifying my love of yarns with my love of clay. Natural fibers are some of my favorite supplies to create with, and playing with the messy earth clay left me longing again for a studio space to get messy in.
PLEASE FOLLOW ME as I embark on a quest to enjoy, learn from, and raise my bamBEANos, in the best way this Mama Chickpea can. Art is my “balance” to life and I enjoy all the DIY therapy I can handle! To learn more about Mama Chickpea, click HERE.
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