Day 31: Show Off Time, Your 30 in 30 Review!

To all of the 2015 Fused Glass Sgraffito Drawing 30 in 30 Challenge Artists who have completed all 30 days of the challenge...

You have done what seemed impossible,

and your hard work has paid off!  

As Nelson Mandela said, "it always seems impossible until it's done". 

Mr. Mandela was speaking of peace, of course, but for those of you who have completed this seemingly impossible challenge will certainly relate to his wise words.  

 Your work is beautiful and you've improved so much during this normally dismal January.  

I applaud you in your efforts to learn a new skill and start the year off with lots of creativity and fearlessness about the unknown.

Now is the time to post your collage of the pieces you did this month so we can all see your progress!  

If you have trouble creating your collage, please look at yesterday's post for instructions on how to create one.

Although this is the 'official end' of this challenge, I think there are more plans in the works... It is going to be hard for me to just 'quit' when so many of you have given so much of yourselves to participate in this first time endeavor.

If you didn't get a chance to begin the challenge, now is YOUR  time for you to 'get busy'.  You can start at the very beginning and complete the challenges as you go.   To get the most from your efforts, start at the beginning and take each challenge in sequence.  Please post your efforts on the blog page by following the link at the end of each post.  If you would like to join the challenge you can sign up any time through Facebook by clicking the link.

Those of you who have participated, please keep working!  This is not the end, your journey in fused glass powder drawing is only just beginning.  I am sure of it.

I would like to thank this January's participants for your gifts of encouragement towards one another and for

'Playing nice in the sandbox'. 

It is absolutely COMMENDABLE that I did not have to intervene even one time to break up snarky posts and fix hurt feelings.   Hurray to all of you who have been SO AWESOME in participating while encouraging and helping one another without any BS.  I love that. 

You have all made this a project worth doing, and I can't thank you enough for being kind and encouraging  friends toward one another throughout this entire month. 

 That in itself makes it worth it to me to have begun this challenge.

Love to all of you!  ~Kelly

Add your 30 Day Collage Here!

It's Day 30, Congratulations to All of YOU!!

DAY 30 HAS ARRIVED, CONGRATULATIONS 
2015 FUSED GLASS SGRAFFITO ARTISTS!!

The First Ever Fused Glass Powder Sgraffito Drawing 30 in 30 Challenge is now ending, but that doesn't mean that you should stop making small efforts each day to complete SOMETHING!

 I enjoy the daily challenges (and even the frustrations) that go along with working in glass powders, and I've had a really great time working along with you during our 30 days together.  It is sad that the end is at hand, but:

Today is the day to post your gorgeous self-portraits!  

Alas, mine is not finished... I took a 'selfie' and then got insanely busy.

If yours is not finished it's OK... life happens and you can finish it over the weekend and still post it here.

Tomorrow, for Day 31:   I'll put up a link so you can share a collage of your work from the challenge.  
How might one go about making a photo collage, you might ask?.... read on!
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Here are some free websites that you can use to create a collage of your 30 in 30 challenge pieces.  It's really neat to see the progress you've all made, and WOW what progress it has been!  A visual record of everything you've created this month will be a fun thing to share.

The first one is PicMonkey.  

You can connect your photos from Facebook (and I KNOW everyone has their challenge photos ready to go on FB.  ha ha)  
Here is what the screen will look like after you hit 'collage'

The second site you can look at is for everyone who likes Instagram.  If you haven't used it before you should check it out, and then check out Flipagram, which is even betterl!  All of these options work easily and well with Facebook. 

Here is what you'll find on Flipagram.

Post your collage tomorrow, and we'll talk about what happens next :)
Great day to everyone, and THANK YOU for all your hard work this month!

Link your Self-Portrait Here

Day 26: Fused Glass Sgraffito Drawing 30 in 30 Challenge 2015

It's kind of sad that we're in the last week of the Fused Glass Sgraffito Drawing 30 in 30 Challenge already... Let's make this an EXCELLENT week for drawing with glass powders!

Today's Challenge for Monday, January 26:

Create yet another tree.... BUT!

 This time, the tree should be created upside-down.  That means that you will start at the top  of your glass with the trunk, and pull the glass toward you to make the branches.

Today you may use both hands in your work, plus the business card and your choice of tools.

Here is the 'catch'... Anything on the left side of the tree must be drawn with your left hand, and anything on the right side of the tree must be drawn with your right hand.

Even though you have full access to your 'tools' you should still use them in the appropriate hand, depending on the side you are working on.

Isn't this just a fun Monday Challenge?  

You CAN do it, it's not as difficult as you think!

An InLinkz Link-up

DAY 23: An Argument in the BE-lack Forest

Feeling those stretch marks on your brains today?  Me too!  Yesterday's challenge was kind of painful, no?  Well, we do have a lot of work left to do before the end of the challenge.  You've almost made it through, don't quit now!

The one week countdown is approaching fast.

There was an argument today in the Forest of Bullseye Blacks.

Turns out that 'Stiff Black' has been running amuck through the forest and has been causing frustrations for some of our participants.

When the spirit of 'Regular Black' heard about this, he confronted 'Stiff Black' and said,  'Why have you been so uncooperative with these new sgraffito artists who are trying SO hard to complete this challenge without frying their brains completely? 

'Stiff Black' just flopped there looking clumpy and pathetic.  He had no answer.


Regular Black pointed sharply at Stiff Black and shouted.

"I command you Stiff Black, to force yourself into the graceful lines of a sgraffito tree, or at least grow some antlers like ME!"


Stiff Black, who could not point sharply, stood up and said, 

"I have become a tree made of rumply, crumply, Elephant Bark!" 

 "Allow me to stay and frustrate those Challengers just one week longer!"

Regular Black didn't think that rumply, crumply Elephant Bark was going to be helpful to anyone trying to learn glass sgraffito drawing.

So, Regular Black put on his "A@$ Whooping" face, and quickly drew this pointy weapon with a business card.  

He stretched his wings and antlers, and flexed his tiny muscle. 

 "YOU, Stiff Black, shall return to your jar, and be hidden amongst the furthest reaches of the frit shelf FOREVER!!!".... or, at least until January 31, 2015.

Stiff Black shrunk down, grew a ratty tail, and retreated shamefully back to his jar, where he shall stay until the day when we need to use him for silkscreening or something... THE END.

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Because you all did so well pushing through that awful safety pin challenge you'll get some freedom in today's challenge.

 (AND, since I know that not all of you actually DID the safety pin challenge... you'd better get busy, or Regular Black will find you where you're hiding and you can explain it to him )

The Challenge for DAY 23:

Take a photo of something you collect, and create a glass powder sgraffito drawing of it.  And then link it to the page with the 'add your link' button down there.

I'm interested in knowing what those collected things are in your collections.

If you collect dust bunnies... drawing them would not be challenging yourself much.  lol

An InLinkz Link-up

DAY 21: Stepping Up a Little

"I feel such creative power in myself that I know for sure that the time will arrive when, so to speak, I shall regularly make something good every day. But very rarely a day passes that I do not make something, though it is not yet the real thing I want to make."

 ~Vincent van Gogh (Letter to Theo van Gogh, 9 September 1882) 

Fused Glass Powder Sgraffito Drawing 30 in 30 Challenge 2015

Today's Challenge for Day 21: 

Compose a collection of flowers in a container.  

You may use dear Vincent's painting as a reference photo, or create your own arrangement.

Again, try to stick with using only black glass powder, as tempting as color may be... 

 Focus on achieving a nice value range, white, light, middle, dark, black

Squinting at your work will help you see if you have a good range of shades, if things look flattened, you probably need more values in your range.

Pay attention to flowers that are not front-facing, and try your best to place some flowers in front of others to create depth.  

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It's getting a little tougher, isn't it? 

We're going to step it up a bit over the next 9 days.

These glass sgraffito drawings just keep getting better and better!

You may use any tools at your disposal, and spend as much time as you like.

No painting for me today... I was babysitting a 2 1/2 year old, can't look away for a moment.

Still waiting to see 60 flowers on the blog page from a few days back...

An InLinkz Link-up

Day 15: What Are You Afraid Of?

The Challenge for Day 15 of the Fused Glass Sgraffito Drawing 30 in 30 Challenge, is to sketch something that frightens you.  Snakes frighten me, but especially this one. I'm actually thinking I might be sick if I have to sketch this thing.

The African Black Mamba can move faster than I ever could, 12.5 miles per hour.  If you get bitten by one and don't get anti-venom quickly, you WILL die. Sometimes within 20 minutes.
The reason I picked this particular snake is because I remember my parents' story about a woman in South Africa who invited them to stay in her home.  The roof was thatched grass, and the woman knew she had a black mamba snake living in the roof.  She was angry when a suggestion was made to get rid of the snake, because she liked that it kept the rodent population away from her house.  I can't imagine trying to sleep there, and I also can't imagine these snakes slithering across the school yard as they do frequently in the village.  There is a superstition in S. Africa that if you kill a snake, you must leave it 'belly up' or else it will come back to life.  I think I could do better than belly up, I like knives and fire.   Regardless, snakes make me shiver and I DO NOT want to sketch a snake.  Why did I choose this challenge???

Ok, so I started to sketch a black mamba and then changed my mind.  I just hate those things. Plus, my sketch was boring. I really dislike grasshoppers too, and they're a little more interesting sketch-wise.  I think grasshoppers are mostly ok except for their clingy legs and that brown tobacco spit (that I tasted once when I was a kid on a dare.  Bart Rice, do you remember that?)... Today will officially end the gross challenges.  I can't take any more!

The challenge for tomorrow, January 16:  Sketch in 15 minutes or less, something you ate today. I hope it wasn't a grasshopper.

Here is my ink painting for day 15 of Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days Challenge.  It's much nicer than mr. grasshopper.

Click to Bid on "Purples" in my Daily Paintworks Auction, $20

Add Your Link

Storytelling Challenge #2 for the January Folks

"Every drawing tells a story", and "A picture is worth a thousand words"... 

How do you tell a story with objects?

Last night, I was here on the computer writing a new challenge for all of you.  My 11 year old daughter was in the next room getting ready for bed and was anxious for me to come in to listen to her evening prayers and cuddle before bed. As usual, I was 'taking too long' , and Millie was beginning to get frustrated with waiting.  Finally, she came up to the computer and said she had something super special and secret to show me... (message to me: get off the computer.  lol)  She was holding the cigar box I'd given her a long time ago, and inside was a beautiful assemblage of candy.  Her "Secret Candy Stash" was arranged as if it were a bento box.  Each piece was organized by type, and thoughtfully placed by size to make a perfect fit inside the box.  I didn't know she had a secret candy stash.   This kid loves candy, and I was pretty surprised that she had the will-power to save ANYTHING containing sugar longer than it takes to get it out of the package.  She surprised me again when she proceeded to tell me where each piece came from, and how and when she received it. 

 Her box tells many stories.  

Although it is just a pile of candy at first glance, it holds a pile of experiences and memories carefully collected and arranged by someone I love.  It's a window into her thoughts. It tells me that these things hold a high value to her, the stories as well as the candy.

Your next Storytelling Challenge is to create a sgraffito drawing that tells a story about an experience, memory, or moment, using objects that you randomly find in place.  

Grab your camera and take some photos of things that are 'just there' in your space.  As I look around my house, I see lots of things that could tell a story about me.  My purse is sitting open on the desk, spilling receipts and showing signs of being hastily sifted through.  On the kitchen counter is an empty bottle of wine and the corkscrew my husband broke last night while trying to open it (along with the packaging for the new one he bought shortly afterward. ha)  My 13 year old's backpack is lying on her bedroom floor...

Challenge yourself to compose a reference photo that is eye-pleasing, shows a full range of values, and draws the viewer in to take a closer look.

When you finish, tell us the story of your drawing!

Don't forget that you can tag your drawings on Instagram throughout the month of October to be part of "The Big Draw" gallery!  Just use the hashtag #thebigdraw.

Add your Drawing!

Day 14: Red Skies At Night, Shark's (I mean Sailor's) Delight?

It's Day 14, we're almost half-way through the Fused Glass Sgraffito 30 in 30 Challenge!!

"Red Skies at Night"  
Click to Bid in my Daily Paintworks Auction, $20

I love all of the 'sharky' photos and stories everyone has posted from our Day 13 Challenge!  Staring at all of those teeth will probably give some of us nightmares tonight... 

 It was a good challenge, because even without the teeth it presented us with something that appeared to be extremely difficult to draw.  Add in the extra challenge of using glass dust to draw it with, and we have a winner!

How many of you skipped out on trying this frightening shark because you didn't think you could draw it?  Luckily, he'll still be right here waiting for you until you give him a try.

The challenge for today, January 14 is to create a sketch of something that frightens you.  Make it fun! 

 Also, if I frighten you, you're welcome to use my old Halloween self-portrait as a reference photo to work from. It's pretty scary. I think we're going to have a good time tomorrow!

An InLinkz Link-up

Day 13: Sharks and Personal Items

Day 13, Sharks and Personal Items

Today my sketch is a personal item that I use each day, and I'm so happy to have it because it is a family heirloom to me... My Grandma's soap dish...  

My grandparents lived in a little house on a quiet street.  There was nothing fancy about their house on the outside; but inside was a tiny, really fancy purple bathroom that I loved dearly.  It had 3 mirrors and a corner sink with a fancy light fixture above it.  The sink had violets printed in the porcelain, which matched the tiles in the shower.  I thought it was really cool to be able to see myself from the side in the mirrors, and the bathroom always smelled good.  Grandpa had his own bathroom connected to their bedroom but I never liked it much.  It was green and had Irish Spring soap by the sink.  Grandma used soap that smelled good, and her powders and creams were in the purple bathroom.  

When my Grandma died this past August, my family and I went through her things, deciding what to keep and what to 'not keep'.  She didn't have anything valuable, and her assisted-living apartment was small.  Lots of things went into boxes, and we had to move her things out within a few days time... 

I kept her soap dish because I had loved it since I was a very young child.  It has more value to me than any other physical thing she had, even though it's worth nothing to anyone else.  I look at it every day and think of her.

I'm going to fire this piece and put in a dark background later.  The soap dish is white, and that presents us with a new challenge for later.... We'll talk about that tomorrow maybe.

The Challenge for tomorrow, Day 13 is to sketch this great white shark, photo is courtesy of challenge participant Steven Cross.  Steven Cross you had better be posting your sketch tomorrow, or you'll have some hungry challengers after you.  lol.  

This is a great exercise in contrast, texture, and form.  If you're worried about trying this one, you may crop a section to work on instead of doing the whole 'sharky thing'!

Add Your Sharky Link

Day 12: Artichokes and Real Life

Yesterday's challenge was to do a study sketch of a vegetable, thinking about it's texture.  I chose an artichoke for my subject partly because I have a lovely sheet of Bullseye's Artichoke glass, and partly because I like the intricate detail and texture of artichokes. Plus, they are healthy and yummy.... Besides that, when it comes to a challenge why not pick something totally ridiculous?  Today I haven't been able to spend the time to really study the artichoke as much as I would have liked to. Real life is happening in my house, and I'm predicting another school cancellation tomorrow...

I know that many of you have been strapped for time during this challenge.  It's OK!  I bet real life is happening in your houses too.   If you skip a day or many, or if you're just following along right now... you're not alone!  If you have just joined in, it's not too late...remember that this challenge is all about learning and camaraderie.  Any effort you make is worth it, even if you aren't proud of what you produce on a particular day.  We're all in this together...

I've done a lot less glass work this month than what I had planned to do; and instead I've developed a new relationship with my computer that I didn't plan.  I am blessed to have learned a lot just trying to keep up, and the time I've spent away from my own glass work has been worth it.  Seeing your work and to getting to know you a little bit has been more than I'd planned, and way more than I'd hoped for.
Onward we go....

   Tomorrow's challenge, for Day 12:  Create a glass powder sketch of something you use every day.  We often overlook the things we see and use each day, but they make really interesting subjects for art work.  It can be simple or complex, but make it personal.  I love getting to know you by the things you create.

My computer is being silly, so the link to post your photos won't open until tomorrow at 12:05 am.  Keep watch :)  Technical difficulties will always abscond with the best laid plans, won't they??

 My alcohol ink painting for Day 12 of Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days challenge

An InLinkz Link-up

Day 11: Seeing Beyond What You See...

'Pomegranate People' Glass powder sketch  4"x 4"

I'm really loving the artwork coming out of this group.  Yesterday's challenge was to create a sketch of a piece of fruit in some kind of a setting, or 'doing something'.  Let's just say we had some laughs and some of our minds have been in well... the compost heap.  Ha ha!

I chose to sketch a pomegranate yesterday, partly because I had one sitting on the counter, and partly because I love the intricate patterns of their perfectly packed pulpy seeds.  They're delicious!  Today's challenge was to use the same fruit and make it 'more'. That meant I really had to think about pomegranates.  The first time I had one was in 8th grade Latin class.  I thought they were weird, but the story about them was pretty cool.

Ancient Greeks believed the pomegranate to be the 'fruit of the dead'.

 Here's the story in a nutshell:  

Hades, the god of the underworld wanted to have Persephone for his wife.  So he kidnapped her and took her to rule with him in the underworld for eternity.  Demeter, Persephone's mother, was the goddess of the harvest.  She mourned in anguish at the kidnapping of her daughter, and refused to produce a harvest or allow any living plant to grow.  The big man, Zeus, decided that it would not be ok for the earth to die off just because Demeter missed her daughter.  So he ordered Hades to give her back to her mother...  There was a rule that if anyone should eat or drink while in the underworld, their fate would be sealed and they would remain in the underworld for eternity.  

Hades didn't want to return Persephone, and although she didn't eat or drink in the underworld,  Hades tricked her into eating a bit of a pomegranate before returning her to her mother.  Because of this, she was forced to spend half of the year in the underworld with Hades, and she was only allowed to be with her mother for the other half, and so on, for the rest of eternity.  The Greeks used this myth as an explanation for the change of seasons.  

My sketch today reflects on this story, each seed bitten sealed the doom of a soul.

Morbid, isn't it?  Sorry.  I can't turn off my brain.  I wish I could...

OK

For Day 11, your challenge is to sketch a vegetable.  Pay very careful attention to its texture.  Is it smooth? Bumpy?  Figure out a way to tell us as much about how that vegetable looks and feels as you can through your glass sgraffito sketch.  'See beyond what you see'!  With your new arsenal of tools, you may have just the thing you need to show off the texture, maybe not.  You might have to dig a little deeper to find just the right thing.  

This is getting more fun for me each day. :)

'Sunrise Ridge', alcohol ink painting for Day 11 of  the 30 in 30 Painting Challenge

An InLinkz Link-up

Day 9: Apples and Ideas

Your tool arsenals are looking mighty fine!  There are some truly awesome tools being made!  I hope you're all feeling challenged, out of your comfort zones, and maybe just a little frustrated.  It takes some time to get your brain 'thinking backwards', and of course, exercise hurts a little.  If you're frustrated, keep pushing yourself!  It will be worth it, you'll see.

The first day of the challenge, I shared that I did not want to paint apples when I was first learning to paint.  I thought they were too boring.  Good thing that for today's challenge, you can be as boring or as exciting as you'd like to be!  

Your challenge for Day 9:  Choose any fruit.  Using your homemade tools, business card, sifter, and /or fingers, create a sketch of a piece of fruit. No paintbrushes.... no paintbrushes....no

Wonky Wobbly Street 4x6

It helps to have the real thing to look at, and it's a great challenge to translate a 3-D object onto a 2-D surface.  If you don't have a piece of fruit, you can resort to using a photo. (but you won't learn as much and that's taking the 'safe route')  You probably should get yourself some fruit, because Hey! t's part of a healthy diet.

Tropicana Punch

Here are two sketches: one fruit, and a wonky wobbly city street, along with my alcohol ink entry for Day 9 of my other painting challenge.  I made the pear awhile ago, but I did use only the business card to make it.  No sifter!

Add Your Link

Day 8: What's in Your Junk Drawer?

Day 8: Show me the tools! 

What did you come up with?  The Challenge for Day 8 is to continue looking for ways to make tools, and do a glass powder sgraffito sketch of your choosing.  You can take as much time as you like today, and you may use any handmade or found object as tool, in addition to your business card, sifter, and fingers.  NO PAINTBRUSHES!!!  Nope. no.... just don't do it...

This is one of my favorite tools, made from a paint stir stick, red duct tape, and plastic doll eyelashes. No dolls were harmed in the making of this tool... or were they????  ha ha 

Many of you have asked about reference photos to use for these drawing days. Here is a fabulous website you'll want to check out:       www.paintmyphoto.ning

This is a website for artists who are looking for reference photos that are free to use without copyright infringement.  Kind photographers post their photos there for the sole purpose of allowing other artists to use them as reference photos to create artwork!  Sharing is nice! Here is my glass sketch, as well as my alcohol ink painting for Day 8 of Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 Painting Challenge.  Whew!

An InLinkz Link-up

DAY 6, A Sketch a Day Keeps the Dullness Away

A sketch a day DOES keep the dullness away! So imagine how brilliant the day will be with 5 sketches in it, instead of just one. 

 This is usually a pretty dull time of year for lots of us.  For me, it can be especially hard to get creatively motivated when I can't be outdoors, and when the daylight hours are so bloody short.  So THANK YOU ALL for participating in this challenge, I love watching all of your progress and have been enjoying the dialog on the FB page.  It's keeping me out of  that dreaded winter funk. 

 If you're one of us who crawls into a winter cave, come on out and play for awhile.

Today's challenge is very similar to yesterday's challenge

5 sketches, 5 minutes each, 5 photos

Give 5 Virtual High-Fives and do 5 dance moves when you finish, 

and then you will have exercised, too.

Again, please complete these using your sifter, a business card, and your fingers.

To change things up you can use other body parts if you like, but I wouldn't recommend it!  

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 I'd like to see more people's work showing up here on the blog... There are lots of people who aren't on Facebook that want to see your work too!  
I'm thinking that if we get at least 125 out of 400+participants to post their sketches for Day 6, HERE on this blog page,  I might have some 'incentives' coming around in the near future... I'm digging through my tool box....

Here is my 5 minute wintery guy.  It looks windy.  So windy he can't even open his eyes....Oops, he blew away.

'Another Yellow Rose' Alcohol Ink Painting for Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 Painting Challenge

Add Your Link

Day 5 Comparalysis... What in the World is THAT?

Comparalysis, it's a deadly thing that we all face.  Comparalysis can strike any one at any time, and if you've had the chicken pox, the Comparalysis virus is already living inside you.

Ok so what I said isn't entirely true; the chicken pox has nothing to do with it at all, but we all are at risk of falling victim to 'Comparalysis', and yes, it DOES already live inside each of us. There is a lot of fear involved in presenting yourself in a situation where you feel inexperienced.  It's disconcerting to feel like the 'newbie'. Here is another story for you...

The summer after 6th grade, my mom insisted that I learn how to play the flute so I could be in band at the start of 7th grade.  I didn't want to be in band or play the flute, I already played the violin.  I liked it, and that was enough.  Besides, all the other kids started their band instruments in 5th grade so I would be 2 years behind.  Looking back, I'm wondering if she just wanted me out of the house that summer.  She signed me up for 6 weeks of free 'learn a band instrument' classes.  ugh...  Anyway, I was the only kid above the 4th grade and it was humiliating.  It took me two weeks just to get a sound to come out of that stupid flute, even though I was trying really hard. Some of those 4th graders got it the first day.  Fast forward to the first week of 7th grade...

We're learning how to march and play at the same time, in the middle of a neighborhood street.  Mr. Kondik was the band director. (I'm mentioning his name because a tiny evil part of me is hoping he is dead, and the other bigger evil part of me is hoping he is reading this)  He split the band into two sides on the curb of the street, and made my entire section march one at a time while playing the 'fight song' down the center of the street.  To say the very least, I couldn't play the fight song sitting still if my life depended on it.  When my turn came to march down the street with that flute in front of 75, 7th-9th graders, it was not pretty.  The ridicule that followed made me want to throw that flute into the Atlantic Ocean, and I bet I could have thrown it there all the way from Ohio.  

We'll talk about the end of the story later on but for now, I have noticed a lot of folks are feeling like they'll never be able to compare their work to that of some others. This is a pretty new form of art for all of us.  Think about that!  People have been drawing with powdered glass for such a short amount of time, we are all at the beginning of discovering what the possibilities are! It doesn't matter how 'good or bad' we think our work is now!  JUST KEEP MAKING WORK. Forget about that negative feeling and get busy letting yourself create. 

(and a side note for the rest of you who think you don't know how to make a blog or upload your photos.... GET BUSY and try it again. You won't regret it.  Don't give up so easily.)

Today's Challenge is mostly the same as yesterday, and tomorrow it will be the same as today.  It's for a good reason.  This is the time when you will learn more than you thought you could, and it will pay off in the next couple of weeks.  One of our 'challenge buddies' made a comment today saying that she tore the business card and made several 'tools' with it.  Hurray for you, Janet Geise Zambai (insert fireworks and mass praises from the innovator folks)!

Nobody said you couldn't change, tear, mutilate, the business card.... I was waiting to see who would do

it first!

Feel free to demolish that business card and make it into something more 'useable' for today's challenge. Another 5 for 5 is on for today, and I forgot to mention that sifters are always ok to use, no matter what the challenge is. Check back tomorrow for further adaptations!

Here are my photos for today, again one is a sgraffito sketch, and one is an alcohol ink painting for my other challenge. I'm not happy with either of them, but I'm out of time and I want to go to bed before 1 am tonight so I can get kids to school in the morning :)

Yesterday's sketch.  I added some Tangerine Orange Opal powder , along with some Sunset Coral and Neo Lavender.  I am planning to tweak this combination, as I have never used Tangerine Orange opal before in this combination.  I'll do more in this 'scenario' and post my results.

This just plain sucks.  I had no time today and this is what I ended up with in the painting mess of a challenge.

Here we go. My sucky 5 minute sgraffito sketch. It was supposed to be me, but I don't have bangs. lol

An InLinkz Link-up

Day 4: Speedy Hands

I used to build wire harness parts for an auto parts manufacturer.  Each week, the company would drop off huge bins of unassembled parts and I would build them using a jig attached to my coffee table. The stacked bins reached all the way to the ceiling!  I hated building those dang harnesses but was thankful to have a job I could do in my apartment, since my husband needed our only car to get to his job each day.

When I was first learning how to put the parts together, I wasn't getting all of my wires to click into their bases equally, and sometimes I reversed the colors, and I took way too long to finish a single harness. I built a lot of rejects in the beginning.

Over time, I got better at building them and eventually I could whip them out fast enough to considerably beat the piece rate.  I built them without thinking about which piece went where, and they were almost always perfect.  I could do them with my eyes closed, standing on one foot with one hand tied behind my back, (that's a lie)...  

I felt like I did them in my sleep, and I watched way too much Jerry Springer and too many soap operas while building them; and that is true.

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Today's challenge will only take you 30 minutes, and not a minute more.

It's a 5 for 5 in the middle of the 30 in 30 that will take you 30.  Haha.

Your challenge is to create 5 sketches, each taking no more than 5 minutes.  We'll be using a single piece of glass, the business card and fingers again

 (be patient, tools are coming soon enough).  

SET YOUR TIMER FOR 5 MINUTES AND TRY HARD NOT TO CHEAT!

Once you have a sketch finished, snap a photo, dump your drawing, and quickly move on to the next one.  When you finish you should have nothing but 5 photos of the sketches you made.  (the extra 5 minutes is for photo snapping)

You can create any subject, any size you like, but make them each different.  Post your favorite photo to the blog when you finish.

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This exercise will force your mind and your hands to learn to work together, and it won't give the doubtful part of your brain a chance to over-think things. The goal is swift thinking, speedy hands, and no second guessing.  The best part is that when you make a reject, there's no physical reminder of it later.  Just dump it back in the jar.

Here is my 5 minute sketch, along with my daily alcohol ink painting for my other challenge.

I used Bullseye Black with a touch of aventurine blue.  After I took my photo I added some other powder colors that I'm testing and tossed it in the kiln.  I kept my sketch because I did about fifteen 3 minute sketches before I made this last one.  If you do that, you an keep as many as you like.  lol

Unfired 5 minute sketch using fingers and a business card. 4"x6".
 I used Bullseye black 0100 and some aventurine blue.

Begonia Blossoms, Alcohol ink painting for Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 Challenge

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