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.
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.
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.
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.
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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