2012 Sketchbook Tour

About 4 or so months ago I saw a posting through an affiliate association of my work's about a Sketchbook Tour Project. I was immediately attracted to the idea and read all the details. I asked for the Sketchbook project for my 27th Birthday, and my mom was so kind as to fulfill that Birthday request. I received my sketchbook approximately three months ago, knowing I had until January 31, 2012 to mail out the finished copy. Ideas begin floating around about what I could possibly do for the sketchbook. When I originally picked the theme "In Ten Minutes" my intent was that I would do ten minute sketches.

Then I decided I wanted to be more creative and make different pages of things you can do in ten minutes, like read a magazine, etc. Then my mom gave me the idea about a baby being born, a man proposing, with the thought of "huge life changes in 10 minutes."

I thought the idea was great and started thinking of the different pages I could do. At first I wanted to go with really powerful and controversial pieces, but after much thought I realized I didn't need to be so out of the box to get a message across.

In the end I decided to show the difference of things you can do in ten minutes, some are huge and meaningful, and some are otherwise defined as a waste of time. I would call this book "Comments on Society." And as an extra bonus, I would try out different mediums to make it diverse and interesting, for myself and for future viewers.

I started working on it immediately, then life got in the way and I kept saying, I'll do it this weekend, I'll do it tonight. Before I knew it, it was January 25th and I still had quite a few pages to do. I pulled it together and was able to get pretty much everything I wanted to do in the book and EVEN get the book mailed out on time. (For those that know me, this is why I was SO busy suddenly at the end of January!)

I did sign up for the digitized version of my book, seeing as how it will NEVER be returned, but just to be on the safe side I copied it before I sent it off. It's on its way to Brooklyn now, where it will be digitized and then go on the 2012 World Tour.

So here it is. Check it out and Enjoy!

The Front Cover, Done with Markers.

The Inside Cover, which explains the sketchbook and the Mediums used.

The first page, and my mom's suggestion. Done with Charcoal Pencils.

The Last Page I completed, a reminder to myself that I am thankful. Even if it's not November. Done with crayons.

Don't you just love those profile pictures that are made to look like they're "in the moment" when you know they spent forever on them? Done with an acrylic background and photos printed on copy paper.

There are ones that I did very simply. Art doesn't have to be elaborate to make a point. Grandma, if you're reading this... I "tagged" you in this one, lol. Done with colored pencils.

It's important to spend time on yourself. (Okay, I have trouble on this one sometimes) This was the first piece I started working on and it's a Victoria's Secret catalog cut up into pieces. :)

My son, Mr. E, was diagnosed with PDD/NOS (A high-functioning level of Autism) when he was four. He will be turning 9 this summer. I wanted to make a statement for Autism Awareness, and I think this came out pretty good. (Except when the modge-podge picked up pieces.) Done with chalk pastel, photos, and modge podge to protect. And apparently ruin. Imagine the irony.

I really wanted to comment on the whole 15 minutes of fame and the rise of reality superstars. Done with an acrylic background and pen.

I was so tired of hearing these comments about Pinterest, which I do think is awesome. So...... there you go. And I did it with Permanent Markers. It was a very stinky page.

I really had to add on to the last page to further the joke. (And also I was short on time, lol.)

The "About the Artist" page. Super well done, I know. :)

And finally the back cover, where I even continued the theme.

I hoped you enjoyed my sketchbook, now go on over to Art House Co-op and get your own sketchbook today!

February Kidtoon Films Giveaway: Barbie in a Mermaid Tale 2

I am beyond excited (really) to announce that I am able to offer, via Kidtoon Films and Cinedigm Entertainment, a really awesome giveaway! 

In February, Kidtoons is featuring Barbie™ in A Mermaid Tale 2! 

Surf’s up for Barbie™ as she returns as Merliah™, the fun and fashionable surfing champion who’s also a magical mermaid princess!　In this exciting sea-quel™, Merliah™ makes a splash when she heads to Australia for the ultimate surfing competition. When the evil mermaid Eris escapes from her whirlpool with plans to take over the throne of Oceana, Merliah™ and her sea friends dive in to stop her. It’s a fresh new adventure where Merliah™ learns that anything is possible and she really can have the best of both worlds! 

Included in the Prize Pack is a Barbie™ in A Mermaid Tale 2 Doll!

In the movie Barbie™ in A Mermaid Tale 2, these magical Royal Mermaids help Merliah™ save the ocean! Each mermaid princess has a beautifully detailed bodice and exquisite mermaid tail inspired by the oceans from around the world. With bewitching color change features, girls will love playing with them in or out of the water. Ages 3 and older. 

Plus a Barbie™ in A Mermaid Tale 2 Theatrical Poster!

 

One lucky reader will win a Barbie in a Mermaid Tale 2 prize pack of their very own!   Simply fill out the easy Rafflecopter form below. This giveaway ends on February 20th, 2012, at 11:59 pm EST and is open to residents of the US only. Once a winner is drawn via Rafflecoper, I will contact the winner through email. They will then have 48 hours to respond, and if they do not, another winner will be drawn at Random. I do verify that people complete the task assigned to each entry, so make sure you complete them! Good luck!

Rafflecopter Launch Party Giveaway: Win an iPad & a Kindle Fire

Rafflecopter: The new way to do giveaways! I only recently started blogging, but almost immediately I saw the benefits of using Rafflecopter as opposed to using blog comments to do giveaways. A task-oriented entry generator, you can specify what exactly you would like for your fans to do to enter a contest, and assess a point value to each. I remember the first giveaway I saw using Rafflecopter, I immediately went over and created my own account, even though I had no giveaway planned and no true fans. It was so unbelievably simple I recommend Rafflecopter to anyone! 

Here's a little info straight from Rafflecopter themselves : Rafflecopter makes the whole process of running giveaways on your blog really, really easy. Over 80,000 giveaways have been created with Rafflecopter, and if you didn’t know yet, there’s a new version in town! Oh yeah, it’s free. If you haven’t used Rafflecopter, sign up and launch a giveaway in the matter of minutes. 

To make themselves even cooler, Rafflecopter is giving away a 16GB Apple iPad2 and several Kindle Fires. The giveaway starts Monday 1/9 at 12:01 a.m. and lasts for a month. 

Enter NOW and don't forget to mention that you saw this on SaMiEDesigns!