tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23815216403334227892024-03-12T22:43:35.599-04:00Lynda M. MetcalfLynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.comBlogger169125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-33904927158188669402015-02-05T14:38:00.000-05:002015-02-05T14:38:12.797-05:00My New Website is Up!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t8Kd0UpvueU/VNPFtuK8I0I/AAAAAAAAAmQ/dxSDbWALddA/s1600/NewWebsite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t8Kd0UpvueU/VNPFtuK8I0I/AAAAAAAAAmQ/dxSDbWALddA/s1600/NewWebsite.jpg" height="356" width="640" /></a></div>
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My new website Lyndammetcalf.com is finally finished! I will be blogging there from now on as well as having a portfolio and links to my shops. It's been fun on Blogger but I really needed to make an all in one website for my art. Thanks to everyone who visited and followed me here. Now click the link and have a look around at my new site!<br />
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<a href="http://www.lyndammetcalf.com/">www.lyndammetcalf.com</a></div>
Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-5372057898955977352014-12-09T15:42:00.004-05:002014-12-09T15:42:58.972-05:00Changes in the works<div style="text-align: center;">
Coming Soon!</div>
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A Brand New Website!</div>
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I'm still playing around with templates and ideas. Here is one that I'm considering.</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">I will keep you posted of my progress and let you know when the website is live!</span></div>
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Thanks for stopping by.</div>
Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-90559360292494957152014-12-05T09:50:00.001-05:002014-12-05T09:50:56.821-05:00Cultivate Art Collective Magazine<p> I'm in the latest issue of the <a href="http://cultivateartcollective.com" target="_self" title="">Cultivate Art Collective</a> Magazine. You can check it out <a href="http://issuu.com/cultivateartcollective/docs/crop_-_issue_3?e=11483568%2F10435085" target="_self" title="">here</a> and see my art and the art from other talented members of the collective. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15330185444/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7509/15330185444_be00c0078d.jpg" id="blogsy-1417791058156.3652" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="290" alt=""></a></div><p> Don't forget, the sale is still going on in my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/LyndaMMetcalf" target="_self" title="">Etsy shop</a> thru December 7th. Use discount code HOLIDAY20 to save 20%. </p><p> </p><p>Thanks for stopping by!</p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-29006167910927838382014-12-03T12:07:00.001-05:002014-12-03T12:07:56.368-05:00Holiday Sale and New Things in the Works. <p> I have a sale going on in my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/LyndaMMetcalf" target="_self" title="">Etsy</a> shop through Sunday, December 7th. Just use discount code HOLIDAY20 to get 20% off your entire purchase. I am working on a whole new redesign in my shop and a new website/blog will be coming soon. Stay tuned. </p><p style="text-align: center;">I've been working on creating digital paintings and I now offer those prints in my shop. You can see them below with some newer paintings I am also offering as prints. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15751579728/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8619/15751579728_1935b6de40_z.jpg" id="blogsy-1417626478643.4553" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="480" height="577"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15938361352/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7575/15938361352_cf265b6639_z.jpg" id="blogsy-1417626478703.3604" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="480" height="577"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15938362062/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7568/15938362062_b6ff13ba44_z.jpg" id="blogsy-1417626478667.551" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="480" height="633"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15937058841/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8628/15937058841_3bacf163a2_z.jpg" id="blogsy-1417626478725.1287" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="480" height="577"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15753269397/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7509/15753269397_d5466ed6ab_z.jpg" id="blogsy-1417626478676.5994" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="480" height="633"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15751583808/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8581/15751583808_7d83f3cedc_z.jpg" id="blogsy-1417626478744.2644" class="aligncenter" width="480" height="577" alt=""></a></div><p> Just click <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/LyndaMMetcalf" target="_self" title="">here</a> to get to my shop and don't forget to use HOLIDAY20 to save 20% at checkout. </p><p> </p><p>Thanks for stopping by!</p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-37036891601653947342014-10-29T15:38:00.001-04:002014-10-29T15:38:34.394-04:00Finding My Style in IllustratorI admit to feeling frustrated lately with finding my style in Illustrator. It's a flat vector based computer program and sometimes I just don't like that look. My artwork is usually created with lots of layers of paint and paper. I decided to play around and see what I could come up with. I went with my favorite subject matter and here is what I created.<br />
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These are the icons I started with. I tried some texture with my brush strokes to give the foxes depth.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3iDB-qf_1Ls/VFE9txovL2I/AAAAAAAAAlw/w5QcxFTWcN8/s1600/Fox-icons-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3iDB-qf_1Ls/VFE9txovL2I/AAAAAAAAAlw/w5QcxFTWcN8/s1600/Fox-icons-web.jpg" height="400" width="308" /></a></div>
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I played around with the background to add more interest.</div>
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Then I tried out some patterns.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CRDDx4r4BGw/VFE9jQP44EI/AAAAAAAAAlo/smESNHjAUnU/s1600/Fox%2BRepeat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CRDDx4r4BGw/VFE9jQP44EI/AAAAAAAAAlo/smESNHjAUnU/s1600/Fox%2BRepeat.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Then I played with textures I made with a very cool app from Adobe called <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/shape.html" target="_blank">Adobe Shape</a> as well as the watercolor brush and I came up with this fox.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0Q3V0ErfJQA/VFE9T9HRyXI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/eVSsTHOWDzI/s1600/Collage-Fox-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0Q3V0ErfJQA/VFE9T9HRyXI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/eVSsTHOWDzI/s1600/Collage-Fox-web.jpg" height="400" width="308" /></a></div>
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I love how he turned out. He's much closer to my painting style and I think the texture I created is nice. It's still a work in progress but I know I'm headed in the right direction.</div>
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Thanks for stopping by!</div>
Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-39959873132264862022014-10-23T11:50:00.001-04:002014-10-26T11:22:16.458-04:00Remembering Europe 2004<p> Ten years ago this week my hubby (then boyfriend) and I spent 10 days in Europe. We started in Canterbury, England then went to Paris, then to London and finished in Killarney, Ireland. We'd only been dating for a couple of months. Jeff was going to Canterbury for business and was planning on staying for a week to see other European cities. He invited me to go with him. Who was I to say no to Paris! </p><p>It was fun and crazy with ups and downs hopping from country to country. We actually missed our flight home due to fog in Ireland. When we go again (hopefully) I'd like to stick to one country. It was an amazing trip. We both still think about it. Here are some of my favorite photos from our first vacation together. These were taken on my good old film camera by the way. You remember film, right?</p><p style="text-align: center;">Canterbury</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15606260601/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3938/15606260601_bbb92550e3.jpg" id="blogsy-1414079414712.7979" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="374"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15422292659/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3954/15422292659_5255c179d4_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1414079414729.8433" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="750"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> Paris</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15422295079/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3939/15422295079_9cae4f9190.jpg" id="blogsy-1414079414724.963" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="374"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15585255836/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3948/15585255836_9aa477dca5.jpg" id="blogsy-1414079414781.143" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="374"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14988789373/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3952/14988789373_1a2043f316_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1414079414692.7947" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="668"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15606274221/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3937/15606274221_6968167742.jpg" id="blogsy-1414079414699.664" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="374"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15609773972/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3956/15609773972_d079cfb29d.jpg" id="blogsy-1414079414769.9524" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="333"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15423351480/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3934/15423351480_9a7978b88e_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1414079414767.3728" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="750"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15609777532/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3945/15609777532_90a0ffc76b.jpg" id="blogsy-1414079414742.097" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="374"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> (How young and cute are we!)</p><p style="text-align: center;">London</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15609780292/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3938/15609780292_cc446e6d80.jpg" id="blogsy-1414079414717.0288" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="374"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14988803273/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3934/14988803273_7ff072c845.jpg" id="blogsy-1414079414771.031" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="374"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15423360830/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3943/15423360830_43760188d3_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1414079414705.218" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="750"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14988205864/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3933/14988205864_6735f27c00_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1414079414708.8176" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="668"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> (Yep. Typical tourist!)</p><p style="text-align: center;">Killarney, Ireland and County Kerry</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15608952375/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5610/15608952375_2e372b7cce_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1414079414785.5845" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="668"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15608955035/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5612/15608955035_12c50bcc99.jpg" id="blogsy-1414079414769.4797" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="374"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15606298191/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3954/15606298191_a6e7dcbc59.jpg" id="blogsy-1414079414704.7468" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="374"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15422856208/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5607/15422856208_834495b5c8_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1414079414739.1965" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="668"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15422970967/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5607/15422970967_056a417176.jpg" id="blogsy-1414079414784.1724" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="374"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15608967815/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3952/15608967815_8a78220988.jpg" id="blogsy-1414079414773.086" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="374"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15608971505/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3935/15608971505_21e4668dea.jpg" id="blogsy-1414079414758.1792" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="374" alt=""></a></div><p> I hope you enjoyed this little walk down memory lane. I've been very fortunate to do a bit of traveling in my life. When I was a teenager my family went to Australia! My mom has those pictures so I can't share those. I'm not a huge fan of traveling now since it's become such a hassle. We should always be exploring though. There's so much to see in this world and in my own state of North Carolina. Maybe this walk down memory lane will spark some local traveling with the family. Next week I'll share some snippets from our Disney trip. That was an adventure! One hotel room and a 5 & 6 year old. I'm still recovering. </p><p> </p><p>Thanks for stopping by!</p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20">Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-91927191147520315042014-10-16T15:29:00.001-04:002014-10-16T15:29:41.945-04:00More Sketchbook Fun<p> I'm continuing to explore my painting process with the <a href="http://catalystcreate.com/products.html" target="_self" title="">Catalyst Wedge and Blade</a>. This time I let the bunny emerge instead of trying to paint a specific animal like I did with the fox painting from this <a href="http://lyndammetcalf.blogspot.com/2014/10/playing-in-my-sketchbook.html" target="_self" title="">post</a>. I also used a bamboo skewer to apply black ink for his outline and face to help keep the painting raw.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15527647796/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5606/15527647796_b0df29755d.jpg" id="blogsy-1413487785484.206" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="500"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15548670801/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5616/15548670801_3cd6cd147c.jpg" id="blogsy-1413487785503.371" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="500"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14931177133/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5601/14931177133_7d816644c1_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1413487785512.5896" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="667" alt=""></a></div><p> As you can see I don't let anything goto waste. I made sure to use up my paint on my palette on the other page. Who knows what will end up on that page. We shall see. </p><p> </p><p>Thanks for stopping by. </p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-18965427252970372602014-10-13T16:25:00.001-04:002014-10-13T16:37:34.998-04:00Playing in My Sketchbook<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> </div><p>I had a great time playing with my <a href="http://catalystcreate.com/products.html" target="_self" title="">Catalyst Wedge and Blade</a> in my sketchbook. I created this fox only using paint and the wedges. I used a felt marker for the eyes and nose. I think I need to go shopping for more Catalyst tools. </p><div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-lnpYBi_aSuE/VDw1RhHj-eI/AAAAAAAAAkg/U08Pxcj3xRk/s640/blogger-image-1018855199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-lnpYBi_aSuE/VDw1RhHj-eI/AAAAAAAAAkg/U08Pxcj3xRk/s640/blogger-image-1018855199.jpg" id="blogsy-1413232624241.236" class="" alt="" width="480" height="480"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-REH1BSuFpyQ/VDw2R9PtBpI/AAAAAAAAAlA/0UIpYUhK6pY/s640/blogger-image--771348123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-REH1BSuFpyQ/VDw2R9PtBpI/AAAAAAAAAlA/0UIpYUhK6pY/s640/blogger-image--771348123.jpg" id="blogsy-1413232624195.4482" class="" alt="" width="480" height="480"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-R4v5OiXOF5g/VDw2QpKztOI/AAAAAAAAAk4/AdpoLJJ9wVo/s640/blogger-image-341090870.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-R4v5OiXOF5g/VDw2QpKztOI/AAAAAAAAAk4/AdpoLJJ9wVo/s640/blogger-image-341090870.jpg" id="blogsy-1413232624215.563" class="" alt="" width="480" height="480"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ChCePrCIxbU/VDw2NGGBUrI/AAAAAAAAAko/gzpaAmMAfc4/s640/blogger-image-475907459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ChCePrCIxbU/VDw2NGGBUrI/AAAAAAAAAko/gzpaAmMAfc4/s640/blogger-image-475907459.jpg" id="blogsy-1413232624189.3213" class="" alt="" width="480" height="480"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-eDJnu88DltI/VDw2Pvehn8I/AAAAAAAAAkw/m6wHf5R1M7Y/s640/blogger-image--1393370316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-eDJnu88DltI/VDw2Pvehn8I/AAAAAAAAAkw/m6wHf5R1M7Y/s640/blogger-image--1393370316.jpg" id="blogsy-1413232624211.934" class="" alt="" width="480" height="480"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Thanks for stopping by. </div><p> </p></div></div><br></div><br></div><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-86502118939069014452014-10-08T17:22:00.001-04:002014-10-08T17:22:47.609-04:00Back to Painting Every DayWe've returned and recovered from vacation (I'll post about that later) and I'm back in my studio. I finished this sketchbook page today. <div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-SogWcb45W00/VDWrJG7OJEI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/CoIyd4U8VyI/s640/blogger-image--1813787869.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-SogWcb45W00/VDWrJG7OJEI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/CoIyd4U8VyI/s640/blogger-image--1813787869.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>I call it "Weeeeeeeeeeeee!"</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks for stopping by!</div>Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-25747899429224642932014-09-23T15:24:00.001-04:002014-09-23T15:24:14.438-04:00Painting Every Day<p> I'm trying very hard to balance drawing and painting the "analog" way with learning how to create on the computer. The computer is fun and it has the wonderful function of "command z" which allows me to go back a step or 10 steps if I mess up. But I find the computer analytical. I think it's because I'm still learning how the programs work. Painting and drawing is more meditative for me. I just go with the flow. I usually don't worry about mistakes because I can quickly cover them up or use them to my advantage. I think having a more meditative creative process feeds into my learning how to create on the computer.</p><p>I doubt I will actually be able to paint every single day. I'm going for 5 days a week. I made my rules simple. I set my timer for 30 minutes and just go for it in a small sketchbook. So far I've been using gesso, gouache and some collage. I try to not have a lot of materials on hand so I can be quick. I've also given myself permission to quit if I'm not "feeling" the page. It's just my sketchbook. Forcing art making if you aren't feeling good about what you are creating will not result in a good piece. I think it's important to try for at least 30 minutes though as it can push me past any uneasiness in the beginning and get me into the groove. Here are some fun pages I've done so far.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15147744980/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2944/15147744980_da8c19e44a.jpg" id="blogsy-1411500258964.5684" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="500"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15311425346/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2942/15311425346_62dfca9cbf_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1411500258898.7153" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15147750910/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3906/15147750910_26aae42495.jpg" id="blogsy-1411500258919.2427" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="500" alt=""></a></div><p> They're playful and simple. I'm just goofing off and having fun!</p><p>Thanks for stopping by!</p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-15383093506667716532014-09-17T11:10:00.001-04:002014-09-17T11:10:16.243-04:00Designing Pattern Collections<p> I have pulled myself out of my funk after Lilla Roger's Global Talent Search and I'm filled with creative energy. I found the most amazing course on <a href="https://www.creativelive.com" target="_self" title="">Creativelive.com</a> called <a href="https://www.creativelive.com/courses/design-surface-patterns-scratch-bonnie-christine" target="_self" title="">Design Surface Patterns From Scratch with Bonnie Christine</a>. Bonnie reveals all her secrets showing step by step how she creates her designs. She uses Adobe Illustrator (Ai) and I have struggled with this program. It can do hundreds of things but I don't need to know everything it does. I only need to know how to use the program to make surface pattern designs. This is the first course I have found that shows you the creative process using Illustrator for Surface Pattern Design from beginning to end. It has great video instruction, lots of info and Bonnie Christine in an inspiring instructor.</p><p>Much of her beginning process is what I learned in Make Art That Sells; find inspiration and sketch, sketch sketch. The big eye opener for me was how to transfer my sketches into Illustrator and maintain my hand drawn look. I don't like the perfect shapes you often see in vector drawing so it's very important to me to maintain my style and personality in my drawings. Bonnie uses Image Trace, the Blob Brush, the Pen Tool and the Pencil Tool in various ways to bring her drawings into Ai. I love the Blob Brush so I had a blast using my Wacom Tablet and bringing my sketches into a vector format. My other best friend became the Smooth Tool (which is in the fly out menu of the Pencil Tool). You can use this tool to smooth out your lines if they're a little wonky. It also works well with drawings brought in with Image Trace to help smooth out lines and reduce anchor points. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/50107758@N04/14742974310" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3862/14742974310_b81f21bcc6.jpg" id="blogsy-1410966615235.5996" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> I went through my sketches for the nautical assignment from Make Art That Sells Bootcamp and started my first collection. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15081801308/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3844/15081801308_b7fcf5b32a_b.jpg" id="blogsy-1410966615328.3972" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="647"></a></div><p> My main print is the sea creature print which I've done in a girl themed colorway and a boy themed colorway. I created a supporting jellyfish print and the abstract dot print is actually a piece of coral I photographed and Image Traced it to change it to vector. Using photography for vector drawing was something I hadn't tried before and it's so cool!</p><p>One thing Bonnie doesn't use often is the Pattern Tool new to Illustrator in version CS6. I'm going to try and see if I can conquer it. I used the Pattern Tool to make the above patterns. I think some artists don't like it because it's easy to see where the pattern begins and ends. As long as you keep moving items around you can create a very interesting pattern. I'm also doing a course from Laura Coyle that talks all about using the Pattern Tool called <a href="http://www.illustratoring.com/illustrator-pattern-power/" target="_self" title="">Pattern Power</a>. It's very thorough and it's free when you sign up for her newsletter. You need to have knowledge of Ai though for Laura's course. If you or a real beginner it will be overwhelming. </p><p>What I can't wait to dig into is putting the sketches I've made in Adobe Ideas into Ai. Adobe Ideas is a vector app that works with Illustrator. You can upload your files straight into Ai from Ideas as long as you have a Creative Cloud account and wifi. Check out these cute critters I made! The only downside is you have to clean up a lot of stray anchor points when you bring it into Illustrator.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15267976772/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5576/15267976772_64885a8c66.jpg" id="blogsy-1410966615325.726" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="375" alt=""></a></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both;">If you are interested in creating patterns from your art I highly recommend Bonnie Christine's course. The beginner and the professional alike will find this course helpful and inspiring. If you are new to Creativelive.com they often send out a coupon (I got one) to purchase past classes. Bonnie's course is around $80 and so worth the money. Other courses I've had my eye cost $100's more and this one has everything you need to get going. Below I will provide links to all the things I've mentioned. </div><div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"><a href="https://www.creativelive.com/courses/design-surface-patterns-scratch-bonnie-christine" target="_self" title="">Bonnie's Surface Pattern Course</a></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"><a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator.html?sdid=KKQLX&ttsrccat=sem-na-ccm-cons-freetrial&skwcid=AL!3085!3!46008694596!e!!g!!adobe%2520illustrator%2520trial&ef_id=U4Ec6AAAAA2-Bba1:20140917145728:s" target="_self" title="">A 30 day free trial of Adobe Illustrator</a></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"><a href="http://www.illustratoring.com/illustrator-pattern-power/" target="_self" title="">Pattern Power Course (must have CS6 or CC)</a></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"><a href="http://www.goinghometoroost.com" target="_self" title="">Bonnie Christine's Website</a></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"><a href="http://lillarogers.com/make-art-that-sells/" target="_self" title="">Lilla Roger's Make Art That Sells</a></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"><a href="http://lyndammetcalf.blogspot.com/2014/03/adobe-ideas-overview.html" target="_self" title="">A previous post I wrote about the Adobe Ideas App</a></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both;"> </div><div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both;"> </div><div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both;">I hope you find all this info helpful. Thanks so much for stopping by!</div><div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"> </div><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-7239003776601658802014-09-12T15:58:00.001-04:002014-09-12T15:59:59.340-04:00All About My Global Talent Search Submission<p>I decided to give L<a href="http://lillarogers.com/cast-your-vote-2014-global-talent-search-public-voting-now-open-vote-now-and-help-launch-an-artists-career/" target="_self" title="">illa Roger's Global Talent Search</a> a go again this year. I was really hoping to make a piece good enough for the top 50. I was also looking forward to the challenge as both my kids would be in school and I would have loads of time to work on the piece. Unfortunately Life, Murphy's Law or whatever you want to call it stepped in and mucked up my grand plans. My son got sick and was home for most of my art making time. I've never been good at creating with others around. I can doodle or sketch but I just can't seem to get my head deeply into the creative zone if I have distractions. My final piece has parts I really like but it wasn't what I wanted. The brief was wall art with terrariums and a word or phrase. I had a hard time getting my style to fit into the theme but then I figured out to make imaginary worlds. I created a lot of icons and did my best to assemble the art in Photoshop. </p><p style="text-align: center;">I liked my fairy a lot. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15005792268/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5577/15005792268_9a1e71fc57_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1410551857082.208" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="647"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"> I of course had to have a fox so I tried creating a world with the fairy and the fox in a hand drawn terrarium. </p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15189339501/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5593/15189339501_afe62dabef_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1410551857084.7947" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="643"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> It still quite wasn't what I wanted so I tried something else. </p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15005794658/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5560/15005794658_af3c6eed66_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1410551857173.4114" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="643"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> The above was a work in progress and I kept playing around with it but it still wasn't coming together. I didn't like how my sketch was looking in Photoshop. Then I tried collage and my favorite symbol; balloons. </p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15169350246/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3843/15169350246_1e6a914d2a_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1410551857156.4497" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="710"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> This was better but still not what I wanted. I finally settled on the version below. It's okay but it can still use improvement.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15189343011/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3911/15189343011_7396cec4bd_z.jpg" id="blogsy-1410551857098.1821" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="625"></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">When I saw the talented artists that made the top 50 I realized my painting was needing more. I'd like to believe if I had the time I had originally wanted I would've made something I was more passionate about. Maybe yes, maybe no. I admit I was pretty upset after the top 50 came out. I knew I wasn't going to be in the top 50 with the piece I submitted but when I saw the art that made it (plus a lot of the other pieces) I realized my art isn't where I want it to be. I feel I am struggling far more than I should be at this point. I just really need to buckle down and create, create and create. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Funny thing though, literally the day I was feeling super low about my art and my career, I got these fortunes in my fortune cookies. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15189344691/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3846/15189344691_c39d30d56d.jpg" id="blogsy-1410551857139.3503" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="500"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15005812027/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3861/15005812027_f688c63492.jpg" id="blogsy-1410551857107.369" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="500"></a></div><p> The universe does speak to you and will give you a boost when you need it. So, I'm trying very hard to paint or draw daily and I am determined to learn Illustrator and Photoshop. Next year I will kick GTS's a--!</p><p> </p><p>Thanks for stopping by.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20">Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-62806058356763529712014-08-22T13:17:00.001-04:002014-08-22T13:17:10.452-04:00The Final "Make Art That Sells" Bootcamp Assignment<p> For our last assignment Lilla Rogers did things a little differently. We had to make a personal piece of art that we would either give as a gift or keep for ourselves and we weren't allowed to share any sketches or our final piece in the Facebook group. You could hear the screams and collective gasps from fellow Bootcampers around the globe. The Facebook groups in MATS are very active and supportive. Getting feedback can help give an artist perspective, inspiration or that ego boost we need (unless no one comments on your work which has happened). Many campers were upset with this but I actually liked this idea. I'm sometimes influenced by what my artsy friends are posting. "Ooh, that's a good idea" or "I was going to do it that way, now I can't" or "Wow, everyone's work is way better than mine!" All these thoughts freeze me up and I have difficulty creating. I was relieved I couldn't see other's posts since I was at a loss of what to do. The subject matter was to create art of your favorite drink. I don't draw or paint drinks. Ahhhhh!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14814200918/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5567/14814200918_40c109319a_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1408727833629.4712" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14814288487/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5566/14814288487_379683e7e3.jpg" id="blogsy-1408727833617.1453" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14814116589/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3851/14814116589_a8b9c51a4e_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1408727833563.8538" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> I drink coffee and I did drawings of cups and tried some lettering but no ideas were coming except mixed media art you might see hanging at Starbucks. That's not the kind of art I make. I tried an abstract piece of coffee beans and that was a bust. Then I thought about what I like to draw: characters. So I played a bit with different critters drinking coffee or hot chocolate (my other favorite drink). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15000448252/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3871/15000448252_c88cc1b425_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1408727833556.738" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14814166160/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3919/14814166160_a68dd4c327_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1408727833582.574" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/15000820865/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5555/15000820865_c4e4deac1f.jpg" id="blogsy-1408727833604.5217" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><p> I took out my favorite paints and inks and created art for me with foxes and hot chocolate (yum!). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14977835586/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3917/14977835586_1705ac91c0_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1408727833573.7393" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14814216018/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5586/14814216018_fb707c3980_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1408727833628.983" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="776"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14814304227/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3892/14814304227_c1837d7150.jpg" id="blogsy-1408727833622.245" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="500" alt=""></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><p> I am so happy with how this turned out. It's a fun piece of art. I did some collage and played with my inks and made fun characters. Surprisingly it only took me a couple of hours to do this piece. It hasn't flowed that easily for a while and it never really flowed that easily for a MATS assignment. Don't get me wrong, I loved all the classes and will likely do Bootcamp next year but it was so helpful to not see what other people were doing. I haven't decided if I want to put this as a print in my shop or save it for a holiday card or maybe make a series of critters with food for holiday kids plates. It's one of the best things I've done and I think it could be great for licensing. </p><p>Next week I'll share my piece for Lilla Roger's Global Talent Search. The galleries of the entries including the top 50 will post the 26th of August and I'm going to wait to share my art until then. </p><p>For artists interested in licensing and creating marketable art, Assignment Bootcamp is a great course. You get a real good idea of what a real life assignment from a manufacturer is like. Click <a href="http://lillarogers.com/school/assignment-bootcamp/" target="_self" title="">here</a> to get more info on next year's Bootcamp. </p><p>If you like an intense class to learn everything there is to learn about making art for licensing, just click <a href="http://lillarogers.com/make-art-that-sells/" target="_self" title="">here</a> to learn about Make Art That Sells. </p><p>Thanks for stopping by!</p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-74104238365303491572014-08-15T17:12:00.001-04:002014-08-15T17:12:27.288-04:00Make Art That Sells Bootcamp: Nautical Assignment<p> The last two assignments of <a href="http://lillarogers.com/school/assignment-bootcamp/" target="_self" title="">MATS Bootcamp</a> really helped me realize what art brings me joy. This blog post is about the nautical/ship in a bottle assignment. I went crazy drawing icons for this assignment. I think these are the most I've done for any of the MATS assignments. I drew ships, bottles and loads of sea creatures. The final piece had to be a square piece of wall art. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14742974310/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3862/14742974310_b81f21bcc6.jpg" id="blogsy-1408137146648.857" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> I ended up creating two pieces. The narwhal was the one I submitted. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14926556291/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3863/14926556291_cba3a417ff_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1408137146649.2402" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14743030068/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3881/14743030068_b9a494f7a0_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1408137146611.0686" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> I also made this cute octopus.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14742982179/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5594/14742982179_387ab6fbe4_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1408137146633.32" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14743080707/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3837/14743080707_aba9cba140_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1408137146621.452" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> Both of these pieces are available in my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/LyndaMMetcalf" target="_self" title="">Etsy</a> shop. I plan on making more paintings or patterns from all my drawings. Creating characters is what I love to do most and this assignment reminded me of that.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14929658445/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5570/14929658445_abe4d791f2.jpg" id="blogsy-1408137146586.9495" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="375" alt=""></a><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/LyndaMMetcalf" target="_self" title=""></a></div><p> Thanks for stopping by!</p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-51313986439524722912014-08-04T15:20:00.001-04:002014-08-04T15:20:32.229-04:00Things Are Changing<p> The day I've been waiting for has finally arrived. My children are both in school!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14829851995/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5586/14829851995_cff5241b6a_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1407180033436.189" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> It's very exciting for them, especially Caitlyn. She loved preschool and being with friends but only got to go two days a week. Now she is going to have five full days learning and playing with friends. </p><p> I thought I would mostly feel over the moon about it all as I finally have time (lots & lots of time) to myself. I'm feeling a little sad though too. I was emptying my car of toys for the park's sandbox that I don't need stored in there anymore. I won't be spending my days trying to find things to entertain the kids. I started to remember when they were toddlers and we'd go out exploring and playing. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14643194249/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2897/14643194249_e7425cef11_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1407180033498.3257" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14849708093/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5581/14849708093_eb7b40d2c3.jpg" id="blogsy-1407180033523.3186" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14643228378/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3848/14643228378_76fb8912c5.jpg" id="blogsy-1407180033456.8738" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></div><p> My routine is going to be totally different now and they are going to do the majority of their exploring through school. It's wonderful but I know I'm going to miss them. We are lucky here in North Carolina as they offer year round school. My kids will be in school 45 days then off for an average of three weeks. We will be able to have fun and explore each season instead of having to cram in "doing" lots of stuff over the summer. </p><p>I know I need time for me. It's been very challenging to do the things I want to do when I have two kids underfoot at home. I admit I didn't always want to go out every day and find things for them to do. I'm going to value our time together more with getting the break. I have also loved seeing Evan grow from attending school. He's reading books to me now! It will be amazing seeing the same growth with Caitlyn. </p><p>Here's to changes and growing up. Even though it's a little hard, it's a wonderful gift!</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14643205549/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3909/14643205549_bac76906df.jpg" id="blogsy-1407180033520.0767" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14829868695/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2910/14829868695_41e32ca991_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1407180033486.3757" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="667" alt=""></a></div><p> I love these guys!</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Thanks for stopping by!</p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-27605307027522480852014-07-14T10:25:00.001-04:002014-07-14T10:25:38.660-04:00What I've Been Thinking About Lately<p> I know. I know. It's been over a month since I last blogged. I have been lost in thought about my art, my blog and the state of my career. August 4th everything changes. Both of my children will be in school from about 8:30am to 4:00pm Monday thru Friday. It will be time to buckle down and really get serious. It's exciting and scary at the same time. I've mostly been thinking about my art and my style. I really want it well defined. I don't want to look at my art and just see the techniques I learned from an online class I've taken. I want to look at it and see "me". It's very difficult to bring that into the computer for licensing. You don't need to have computer skills to be licensed but if you have them, you will have more opportunities. I follow a lot of different licensed illustrators and one of my favorites is <a href="http://orangeyoulucky.blogspot.com" target="_self" title="">Helen Dardik</a>. Her work is colorful, whimsical and lush. Most importantly her traditional and computer art are very similar. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Here is a piece Helen Dardik did in Illustrator.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14650699114/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3857/14650699114_8ea0853636_z.jpg" id="blogsy-1405347938962.2944" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="400" height="501"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> And here is one of Helen's watercolors.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14672835003/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2937/14672835003_db6c75fb63.jpg" id="blogsy-1405347938941.4834" class="aligncenter" width="400" height="401" alt=""></a></div><p> Even though she used a computer for one piece and traditional materials for the other, you know it's Helen Dardik's art. This is where I want my art to be. I want people to look at it and know it's Lynda M. Metcalf's art whether I used my computer or my paintbrush. </p><p>I still have a lot of work ahead of me. I think I'm close to having "my style" but I'm not quite there. I also need to treat the computer as another art supply. It's amazing what can be accomplished with Illustrator and Photoshop but it's a lot to learn. Soon I'll have more time. I better come up with a plan to use my time wisely so I can accomplish all I want to!</p><p>Here are links to Helen Dardik's work if you want to get lost for a little while. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://orangeyoulucky.blogspot.com/search/label/illustraion" target="_self" title="">Illustration</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://orangeyoulucky.blogspot.com/search/label/watercolors" target="_self" title="">Watercolors</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://orangeyoulucky.blogspot.com/search/label/patterns" target="_self" title="">Patterns</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p> Thanks so much for stopping by. And don't forget to click the links above to check out Helen's work. </p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-7970162734794129292014-06-05T18:15:00.001-04:002014-06-05T18:15:59.148-04:00Art Techniques...Experimenting with Eyes<p>I enjoy playing around in <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/touchapps.html" target="_self" title="">Adobe Ideas</a> on my iPad because you can work in layers. Layers can be turned on and off so I can play with how a character looks. For the bunny I created below I decided to play with his eyes. Changing something as simple as eyes can greatly influence how your character looks. You can do this drawing exercise on your tablet too if you have a layer based art program. Or you can also use a pencil and eraser and take pictures of your character with the different eyes you create, then choose the version you like best.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Big oval dot eyes</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14168486388/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5537/14168486388_5c3337ab7b.jpg" id="blogsy-1402006417876.1323" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Little dot eyes placed high </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14355134345/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3921/14355134345_a71d964033.jpg" id="blogsy-1402006417910.901" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> Little dot eyes placed low</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14375303863/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2909/14375303863_d72603c9c2.jpg" id="blogsy-1402006417871.0364" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"> Peppa Pig cartoon eyes </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14351800121/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3913/14351800121_5cf2e39c75.jpg" id="blogsy-1402006417834.448" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">People like eyes </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14168635527/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2899/14168635527_f1bd70c2f4.jpg" id="blogsy-1402006417892.0144" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> Add eyelids</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14354256924/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5565/14354256924_bfe5eeff1b.jpg" id="blogsy-1402006417848.545" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"> Eyes looking off to the side</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14168636637/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5193/14168636637_30e5bae407.jpg" id="blogsy-1402006417830.2725" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"> Add a tilt of his head (this one is my favorite)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14168452799/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2896/14168452799_3d6f6ff74f.jpg" id="blogsy-1402006417838.877" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="375" alt=""></a></div><p> Same bunny but the eyes were changed or repositioned to create different looks and personality. This is a fun exercise to do when you are blocked and don't know what to draw. Just play around and change up the eyes, ears, nose or whatever you want with your character. </p><p> </p><p>Thanks for stopping by!</p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-9928967083367067132014-05-29T10:17:00.001-04:002014-05-29T10:17:54.577-04:00Changing Direction<p> For the past month I've been in a funk. I haven't wanted to do art or blogging (obviously). A lot has been going on since the end of April but that's not the only reason I've been absent. I haven't been into making the art I usually make. It's not that I don't like the art I've made. I do. I love the characters, colors and texture but I want to do something else.... Something more. </p><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><em>An iPad doodle in Adobe Ideas</em></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14111655668/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2904/14111655668_8ff9fbce95.jpg" id="blogsy-1401372942215.2793" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="500"></a></div><p> When I took <a href="http://lillarogers.com/make-art-that-sells/" target="_self" title="">Make Art That Sells</a> last year it opened up all these other opportunities for my art. I used to think making art was about going to craft shows and opening an online store. But now it's about so much more. I can create art that can go on things like wrapping paper, clothes and bedding. That just amazes me. I have found that making art for licensing is completely different than making it for my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/LyndaMMetcalf" target="_self" title="">shop</a>. In my opinion it's about simplicity and icons. You can combine and layer the icons to make things more complex but the pieces themselves are simple. I really like the idea of having lots of simple pieces and then putting them all together to make something completely new. Learning how to combine these things has been my biggest challenge. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><em>A page of marks I did in my sketchbook. All these marks were fun to create and they can be taken further in computer programs like Illustrator and Photoshop. </em></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14298309745/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3784/14298309745_6e1690936e_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1401372942202.4126" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> I post my sketches, doodles and iPad art to <a href="http://instagram.com/lyndammetcalf" target="_self" title="">Instagram</a> and I get a lot of likes. The majority of the art posted to Instagram is simple. Seeing this positive feedback has made me take a hard look at what I create and how I create. I've decided I'm going to buckle down this August when both my kids are in school and create art for licensing. I'd love, love, love to go to Surtex next May and I would need a boatload of art to do this. I'm going to embrace simplicity of form. I'm going to master (or be super comfortable with) Illustrator and Photoshop. I'm going to get collections under my belt. I won't completely abandon the art making I've made in the past. It's fun to get messy with paint. It's just not going to be a priority. My <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/LyndaMMetcalf" target="_self" title="">Etsy shop</a> will still exist it will have simpler art added to the mix. My <a href="http://society6.com/LyndaMMetcalf" target="_self" title="">Society6</a> shop will hopefully bulk up too. It's so fun seeing my art on things! </p><p style="text-align: center;"><em>This cutie got a lot of likes on my Instagram. He's pastel and watercolor. He's so adorable!</em></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14297745474/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3705/14297745474_5d704a93e7_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1401372942262.8372" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="667" alt=""></a></div><p> I intend on sharing my process and what I learn on this journey. Change and growth is good. </p><p> Thanks for stopping by!</p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-17087999031516466042014-05-09T16:45:00.001-04:002014-05-09T16:45:31.808-04:00A New Shop<p> I've opened a <a href="http://society6.com/LyndaMMetcalf?promo=c7ae95" target="_self" title="">Society6</a> shop! I made an effort to have different art available in this shop from my Etsy shop. It is still a work in progress but there are fun and whimsical products in there. More will be coming. It's fun to see my art on a mug. This weekend there is free shipping on orders so, check it out!</p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14147211715/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2905/14147211715_6d8fdfff45.jpg" id="blogsy-1399668333571.1006" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="329"></a><a href="http://society6.com/LyndaMMetcalf?promo=c7ae95" target="_self" title=""></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14147212375/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://society6.com/LyndaMMetcalf?promo=c7ae95" target="_self" title=""></a><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5080/14147212375_778453c114.jpg" id="blogsy-1399668333537.7085" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="265"></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14167278793/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://society6.com/LyndaMMetcalf?promo=c7ae95" target="_self" title=""></a><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2896/14167278793_9c6470f20b.jpg" id="blogsy-1399668333559.6401" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="266"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13960579370/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://society6.com/LyndaMMetcalf?promo=c7ae95" target="_self" title=""></a><a href="http://society6.com/LyndaMMetcalf?promo=c7ae95" target="_self" title=""></a><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5328/13960579370_d1985d0b28.jpg" id="blogsy-1399668333587.515" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="326"></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/14124028756/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://society6.com/LyndaMMetcalf?promo=c7ae95" target="_self" title=""></a><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7366/14124028756_a1c27e1370.jpg" id="blogsy-1399668333600.8225" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="248" alt=""></div><p> Just click on this <em><a href="http://society6.com/LyndaMMetcalf?promo=c7ae95" target="_self" title="">here</a> </em>to visit the shop!</p><p> Thanks for stopping by!</p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-71966886757881451072014-04-19T10:35:00.001-04:002014-04-19T10:35:07.024-04:00Happy Easter<p> Wishing everyone a Happy Easter and (hopefully) a sunny spring weekend!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13936490174/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3790/13936490174_46c026de21.jpg" id="blogsy-1397918108531.949" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="375" alt=""></a></div><p> Thanks for stopping by!</p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-59069425240979369852014-04-15T20:48:00.001-04:002014-04-15T20:48:56.951-04:00Inspired by Make Art That Sells<p><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><a href="http://lillarogers.com" target="_self" title="">Lilla Rogers</a> is running <a href="http://lillarogers.com/make-art-that-sells/" target="_self" title="">Make Art That Sells</a> parts A & B again. I am not participating but if you google "make art that sells" or type #makeartthatsells into Instagram you can see the lovely art being made. I follow <a href="http://www.zoeingram.com/succulents" target="_self" title="">Zoe Ingram's </a>blog (she won Lilla's Global Talent Search last year) and she created the cutest pirate themed baby clothing. I was so inspired I pulled out my iPad and opened Adobe Ideas and created these guys. </span><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13883819335/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7165/13883819335_e5b43505f3.jpg" id="blogsy-1397609337964.1135" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13883821145/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7019/13883821145_bc77d41cf8.jpg" id="blogsy-1397609337997.779" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="375" alt=""></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;"> These are just sketches but I can see them turning into something more in Illustrator. I'm really getting the hang of making these characters on the iPad. It really helps with my work flow. It's also very fun!</p><p style="text-align: left;">Thanks for stopping by!</p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-78139585171272489182014-04-07T16:08:00.001-04:002014-04-07T16:08:34.947-04:00Some Art Days are Good and Some are Not<p> I've been playing around with different media and different techniques. Some things are successful and some, not so much. Here are some things from my studio. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Cutie IPad Art<span style="line-height: 1.3em;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13701428934/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2822/13701428934_345763f1e9.jpg" id="blogsy-1396901317759.9314" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> First Go At Coloring in Photoshop</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13701432464/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5171/13701432464_fe975afa4d_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1396901317744.8838" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="729"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"> This will become something cause it's too adorable not too. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13701106393/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7170/13701106393_48737a35d8.jpg" id="blogsy-1396901317725.2017" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="500"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;">Love the next three faces so much!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13701114173/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2875/13701114173_ae4db6d6e7_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1396901317733.6743" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13701121363/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5086/13701121363_03ca0202f5_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1396901317730.2578" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13701456854/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3750/13701456854_f7eb7d4c29_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1396901317713.4883" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> Has potential, maybe...</p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13701132743/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7027/13701132743_14de59c02b_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1396901317722.033" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> And in my attempt to be primitive I created this mediocre one</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13701139343/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7038/13701139343_662d8c97b3_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1396901317724.8242" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"> A reject from Braveheart</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13701478334/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3747/13701478334_c8feef4f58_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1396901317735.4805" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"> No! No! No! Put those oil pastels down right now and walk away. It'll be best for everyone. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13701137135/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7385/13701137135_dcb6cd47b8_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1396901317739.8718" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="667" alt=""></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p> Some days I create things I am over the moon about. Other days I create well, crap. But that is ok. Every mark I make teaches me something, even if it's never to pick up an oil pastel again (at least not this week). I believe all artists go through this; musicians, novelists, chefs, painters, all creative types. Every artistic individual you love has at one time created something that will never see the light of day. But if you don't make the bad you will never learn how to make the good. So, make something bad and be proud. (You may choose to hide it forever or post it on your blog like me)</p><p> </p><p>Thanks for stopping bye!</p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-24767269373794924882014-03-28T15:10:00.001-04:002014-03-28T15:10:16.369-04:00Adobe Ideas Overview<p> I have been obsessed with <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/touchapps.html" target="_self" title="">Adobe Ideas</a> on iPad. It is a simple vector based sketchbook app. Because it's a vector app you can enlarge or shrink your art to any size without losing quality. Here is a quick overview of the art section of the app. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13472159425/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3807/13472159425_703d9fc7e2.jpg" id="blogsy-1396033814957.5593" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13472161045/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2889/13472161045_8eb8a27fd6.jpg" id="blogsy-1396033814976.082" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13472163005/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2832/13472163005_806c2e3660.jpg" id="blogsy-1396033814936.1462" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13472165155/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7386/13472165155_9d5abf6ddd.jpg" id="blogsy-1396033815002.1228" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> (the move tool is under the hand tool)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13472166855/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7105/13472166855_80cda5cb77.jpg" id="blogsy-1396033814921.4492" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13472274763/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3751/13472274763_773d1dcd60.jpg" id="blogsy-1396033815002.216" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Your color themes in Adobe Kuler will upload into Adobe Ideas through Creative Cloud. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13472520974/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5450/13472520974_3cc24e5aa4.jpg" id="blogsy-1396033814990.4192" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="line-height: 1.3em;">What I usually do is take a picture of my art from my sketchbook, put it on the photo layer and then trace over it. You can adjust the opacity of the individual layers so I tend to make the photo layer lighter. Then I start creating shapes. As long as the shape is closed I can fill it with color.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13472523364/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3749/13472523364_173556c2bf.jpg" id="blogsy-1396033814932.2507" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13472175785/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2900/13472175785_e4f7a5484e.jpg" id="blogsy-1396033814990.7627" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> You can have up to 10 layers and upload the drawing through Creative Cloud into Illustrator; layers and all. You can edit and tweak your creation in Ai. I have discovered some annoyances though. If you have a transparent layer you can't make it opaque and lines are a pain adjust. I'm still learning Ai but I believe the the lines you make with Ideas behave like the Blob Brush in Ai. There are lots of anchor points on the line so manipulating them is difficult. The eraser tool works pretty well on the lines though. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13472283923/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7045/13472283923_057929b6a3.jpg" id="blogsy-1396033815005.68" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both;"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">I will figure this out as I usually have my iPad in hand so sketching on the iPad can be really helpful with my workflow. Making icons on the iPad is fun and I'm getting better with my <a href="http://www.wacom.com/en/us/everyday/bamboo-stylus-alpha" target="_self" title="">Bamboo Stylus</a> for iPad. I will likely never master using my finger to draw. I also have a <a href="http://www.sensubrush.com" target="_self" title="">Sensu</a> paintbrush which is made for painting on a tablet. That's fun to use too. </span></div><p style="text-align: center;"> Here are some other things I've created.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13472180335/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5029/13472180335_e7aef2156f.jpg" id="blogsy-1396033814997.3455" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13472288053/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3785/13472288053_fc602480f0.jpg" id="blogsy-1396033814939.0676" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13472533654/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3800/13472533654_97cb123ef2.jpg" id="blogsy-1396033814962.6372" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13472535624/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2807/13472535624_7b9ce8becd.jpg" id="blogsy-1396033814966.3367" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="375" alt=""></a></div><p> Thanks for stopping by. </p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-82581037603462645672014-03-24T16:48:00.001-04:002014-03-24T16:52:18.133-04:00Make Art That Sells Bootcamp March ProjectFor my birthday I asked for <a href="http://lillarogers.com/school/assignment-bootcamp/" target="_self" title="">MATS Bootcamp</a>. This is a six month course of professional licensing assignments from Lilla Rogers. It's a great way to build my portfolio and challenge myself. Our March assignment was Jello molds. For some reason I immediately thought of a turtle with a Jello shaped shell. I don't know why but that's what I wanted to do. I also decided I was going to do it all in Adobe Illustrator. I researched and did sketches on my iPad with Adobe Ideas. I came up with this guy. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13388881963/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3766/13388881963_59f3bb948a.jpg" height="241" id="blogsy-1395694210346.7898" width="500" /></a></div>
Then I created these other icons with my iPad and in Illustrator. I admit editing lines made in Adobe Ideas is a total pain. Editing big blobs of color is easier. So, I deleted my line work from Adobe Ideas and did them over in Illustrator. I have a basic Wacom Tablet and it was much easier to use since I've been playing on my IPad.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13388886423/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3721/13388886423_c4e56d566f_c.jpg" height="647" id="blogsy-1395694210321.2546" width="500" /></a></div>
<a href="http://lillarogers.com/blog/" target="_self" title="">Lilla Rogers</a> suggested a pastel palette which is totally opposit of what I normally do. I decided to stretch myself and give it a go. I created a pattern and used Illustrator's new Pattern Maker to create a repeat. This was my final submission.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13388756155/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3730/13388756155_900c52302e_z.jpg" height="625" id="blogsy-1395694210307.8823" width="500" /></a></div>
I already have ideas for coordinates. I'm not sure if I'll keep this color palette. I really like the cute turtle I did on my iPad. He's so bright and colorful. Playing around in Illustrator was more fun than I thought it would be. I created layers to help create depth, which is similar to how I paint. Work on the computer can look very flat so the layers helped a lot. I'm sure the more I play around the more I will figure out. Bootcampers are off for the month of April. <a href="http://lillarogers.com/lrss/" target="_self" title="">Make Art That Sells</a> parts A & B are running again. I highly recommend the courses if you are serious about making a living with your art. <br />
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Thanks for stopping by!<br />
<br />
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Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381521640333422789.post-86782627516263920052014-03-14T17:16:00.001-04:002014-03-14T17:16:23.191-04:00A New Painting and a Sale!<p> I've been taking Mindy Lacefied's 6 month course, <a href="http://timssally.ning.com/group/wild-surrender" target="_self" title="">Wild Surrender</a>. February Mindy did a lovely textural sailboat painting and her lesson inspired this painting. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13154652934/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3666/13154652934_ab0b4dcb9e.jpg" id="blogsy-1394831782296.7078" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="500"></a></div><p> This is my first painting to feature a boy (my son was thrilled!). I had so much fun painting this one. My love of the ocean, the book "Where the Wild Things Are" and the painted papers of Eric Carle influenced this piece.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13154516713/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2041/13154516713_fed78a8df5_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1394831782357.2827" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13154692464/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2316/13154692464_8ff9bca80b_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1394831782350.886" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> In other news, my birthday is March 15th! To celebrate I am having a 10% off sale in my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/LyndaMMetcalf" target="_self" title="">Etsy shop</a>. A print of the above painting is available along with some other new art. Just use the code HAPPY45BDAY at checkout. Sale ends midnight on Sunday the 16th. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndametcalf/13154708574/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3744/13154708574_6d75420334.jpg" id="blogsy-1394831782298.55" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="500" alt=""></a></div><p> Thanks for stopping by!</p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Lynda http://www.blogger.com/profile/14576036058082747551noreply@blogger.com2