Bob Ross painting happy little clouds, PBS re-mix

Viva Las Vegas Blog Hop!

I used a Viva Las Vegas stamp to do this picture. It's from plate number 1399 The individual stamp is called Bird Head. The images on this plate are from my doddles-how exciting is that? Viva Las Vegas has a whole section of my stamps in their online shop.

I used watercolor pencils and a wet paint brush. Then I sprayed watercolor paint from a squirt bottle over the picture. I use the travel sized hairspray bottles, recycled into paint bombs! Just put a glob of color into the bottle, add water, shake well and spray. I always spray a scrap paper first so I can gauge how it lands. A cool product to spray over the picture is Stewart Superior - Memories Mists - Iridescent Overlay Iridescent Overlay.

Thanks for visiting my blog-you can follow by clicking on the follow button on the side of the blog. xoxo Mary Please stop by my shop and view my original artwork and prints. There's a large selection of stamps available there and some handmade, artisan jewelry, many in the Steampunk style. My supply shop is full of parts for making your own altered art. Leave a comment to let me know you were here!!! WOOT!

Coloring rubber stamp images with watercolor paints.

Here's an example of my new stamp colored in.First you need to stamp the picture on paper.  I used watercolor pencils and a wet paint brush. Then I squirted watercolor paint from a squirt bottle over the picture. I use the travel sized hairspray bottles, recycled into paint bombs! Just put a glob of color into the bottle, add water, shake well and spray. I always spray a scrap paper first so I can gauge how it lands.

You can find this plate of rubber at Viva Las Vegas Stamps.

This is the stamp from the plate.  It'll be coming out soon as an individual stamp.  Right now you can buy the entire plate at 20% off if you pre-order the plate.  This is a cheaper way to get more stamps.  WOOT! Never too many stamps!

Mary Vogel Lozinak April 21 at 12:56pm

http://www.pinkflamingo61.etsy.com

http://www.pinksupply.etsy.com

http://www.pinksewingroom.etsy.com

http://www.pinkflamingo61.artfire.com

Work with a large piece of heavy paper, I used water color paper because I had it but you should use anything that's heavy because it will warp a lot otherwise. Even a piece of poster paper from the dollar store works.

I sketched the bird with pencil then went around it and drew shapes for the color, like a circle on the head and circles for the different outlines of color.

I got a couple of old Country Living Magazines, doesn't matter what you use, junk mail works!

I tore the paper, you can cut it but I like the random edges of the paper. Practice ripping by holding the paper in your left hand and tear toward your body with your right hand, then do one with tearing away from your body You'll notice that one way gives you a white edge and the other way gives you color to the edge. Then you can decide which edge you want to show, sometimes the white edge works and others the color is better when you're filling an area of solid color.

I went through the magazines and pulled out all the pages with color on them and made some haphazard stacks on the table around me.

I used rubber cement to do this BUT the smell gives me a headache and it's messy, plus the finished product may be tacky-it took over a month for this to loose the tacky before I could frame it. The best is Elmer's glue poured in a bucket and use a disposable foam brush. Brush some on the paper, attach your pieces, then with the brush put a thin layer of glue over each paper, making sure it's all covered. You can use the brush to push out any wrinkles too. If you get wrinkles while it's drying just run your finger over to push them out. If you get an air pocket that won't push out, pierce it with a pin and push it down. I used pieces that were about 1 to 2 inches diameter because this is a huge piece-it's a full sheet of paper and I wanted to do it in a day.

Fashion magazines have great colors!! Cheaper paper works better because you can really smooth it out.

If your hands get really gunked up wash them, it's worth the time because you aren't spending half of the day removing stuck paper from yourself.

Remember if you want something to pop to put your lightest color next to your darkest color- like around an eye make sure you use a bright white and you can put some tiny cuts of black,blues,purples or deep browns right up against the white. Some things you may want to outline too. Put your picture on the floor and walk away from it often to see if you're getting the color variations and toning that you want. You can't see it if you're on top of it for a long time.

When you're done let it dry completely. Then take a brush and coat the entire picture with a thin layer of white glue. This will protect it and pick up any loose edges you may have missed. Don't hang it in direct sunlight as the sun will bleach your reds right out of the picture. Magazine ink isn't colorfast.

Have fun!! If you have any  questions, just hollar! Send me a picture of your finished piece.  I love to see what other people are working on.

xoxox Mary

Customer Service

Treat your customer like Royalty!  Customer service is the number one most important part of my business.  If I make my customer unhappy, I don't make sales, even if I have great product in the store.

Here's another list of ways to make your online store more successful. Earlier this week I started this series with a post titled: HOW TO SELL ON ETSY: http://pinkflamingo61.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-to-sell-on-etsy.html

CUSTOMER SERVICE: 

 

1. OBVIOUS!  Always be friendly.

2. Be sincere.  Don't lie or build something up to make it seem like more than it is.  You'll always get caught and how embarrassing that would be.

3. Be prompt.  

  a.  Answer questions promptly.  If you don't know the answer, send a convo acknowledging the question , let them know you will search an answer and get back to them. THEN GET BACK TO THEM.  By making the reply, they know you received the question and will give you time to find the answer.  Doing the research will also let your customer feel valued and reinforce your bond- you may even learn something new along the way!

  b.  Mail promptly, people want instant gratification; get that package in the mail ASAP! The package shows up fast, excited customer, excited customers leave great feedback and shop with you again.

4.  Get to know your customers.  People want to be part of the group, remember 4^th grade recess!  Know their names, what their interests are, if they shopped with you before.  Being remembered lets them see you valued them as a person.  The whole point of shopping with an independent artist is to be personal.  If they just want to line up and be a number they can go to Walmart or Target.  

5.  Do some homework.  When a customer comes to your shop learn something about them.  This is where you get a chance to make a connection with them.  Visit their shop.  Look at their profile.  Read it.  Look at their feedback.  What have they bought in the past?  This tells you about their interests.  Go to their favorites and see what they like.  Now you have a better understanding of the person, a place to spring from.  Think like the perfect hostess at a party.  She introduces two people with a little blurb, example:  John, this is Mary; she's an artist and lives in Philadelphia.    Now John has a conversational starting place with Mary and not just Hi, how's the weather.

6. At the time of purchase, send a quick convo or email if you have access to it, letting the buyer know you received their order and will get it out to them.  Thank them for the order.  Besides being polite, you are once again putting your name in front of them, setting it more firmly into their memory.  

 

    More lists will be added this week.  Stay tuned!  http://www.pinksupply.etsy.com

 

 

tutorial: How to make a rabbit pendant

Here are some quick instructions how to make a beautiful rabbit charm using a plastic toy.  Supplies needed:  plastic toy, silver metallic- enamel paint, oven, black acrylic paint, gloss or satin sealer.  A dremel or drill to put a hole through.  Before I start painting I put a hole with my dremel tool,  through the middle of the rabbit's back, all the way through and out the bottom, or his stomach.  Then I clean him to get all the drill dust off.  With a paint brush I put on two coats of enamel, follow directions on the bottle.  You can get enamel paint in the craft store with the other bottle of craft paint.  After I let it dry for about an hour I put it in my kitchen oven or craft dedicated toaster oven and bake it for the time on the enamel package.  I usually start checking it about half way through to see  if it is set and dry.  You don't want to walk away while you're doing this or your rabbit may melt.  When it's done, carefully remove it from the oven and allow it to cool.  If the legs are curled at all, now is the time to straighten them.  After it's completely cooled, put a coat of black acrylic paint on the entire rabbit, then wipe off with a clean, soft cloth.  This will make the rabbit look antiqued.  When this is dry, two to three coats of sealer may be applied.  Allow it to dry completely between coats.   When finished you can thread a wire or string through the hole and make it into a pendant.  I've used regular acrylic instead of the enamel and it will rub off with wear.  You want your piece to look professional so take the time to use the enamel.  If you are just doing this for an assemblage where it won't be getting any wear you could probably get away with just acrylic.  In jewelry you'll need to make it durable.  You don't have to use a rabbit, any hard plastic toy will work.  I use the ones made in Germany, they cost more but they are a much better toy, they are stronger, better made and have great detail.