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.
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.
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.
In the winter 2017, an idea was hatching from numerous family trips: a family-run studio space for painting canvas and earth clay. This would be my second art studio, Cr8tive Clay, a long-awaited rebirth of all the things I loved about my previous art studio in Ohio.
Cr8tive Clay would have classes, parties, and fundraisers. A Saturday morning story hour with project, topping off my top favorites for the space. Ideas started hatching and our family kept visiting other pottery studios, eager to paint our next piece. We signed the lease for the space for Cr8tive Clay in the fall of 2019.
Due to open the end of March 2020, we were surprised (like many!) with the Covid Pandemic shutting everything down. Orders for supplies were unable to be delayed, yet suppliers abroad closed, some overnight. With basic necessities like toilet paper being a hot commodity, while our local schools being online for almost two years, the keys had to be returned, and the idea shelved for the interim. Hopefully, a studio space will resurface again over time…fingers crossed.
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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