I finally tried out using Sharpies to draw/ paint on canvas. I had been wanting to try it out for a long time. I will have to say, that it was a different experience than I had expected. I know the canvas has a texture to it, but it had a very scratchy feel to it, and it was very slow. Painting would have been much faster, and easier to cover the canvas. I also thought that I would maybe have more control with the marker tip, but the canvas surface made it difficult, yet not impossible. The markers held up pretty well, but the green marker would not write afterwards. It was fun to try out a familiar drawing tool in an unusual way, so I’m glad that I gave it a try. I made a short video talking about the process.
I’ve finally decided to offer another giveaway, to celebrate becoming a full-time artist. The giveaway is a Grocery Tote featuring my latest Rockosaur Dinosaur design from Zazzle.com. Don’t let the name, “grocery tote” fool you, because the bag should be suitable for carrying books, crayons, Teacher’s papers, Halloween candy, art supplies, office tools, or large piles of cash(none of which are included). The bag is however a stylish alternative to the non-earth friendly bags found at most grocery stores. The contest is open to anyone, so I will do my best to ship the prize around the globe.
My artwork is mostly art and illustration for kids, wether young in years or young at heart. I wanted to feature both a prize that kids could use to carry either books, or even Halloween Candy, and that any adults could happily use. The Giveaway has a coloring sheet entry option, to kick off my new resources for kids, parents, and teachers. Everyone does get a free coloring sheet regardless of wether you enter the giveaway.
There will be only one winner, but you will have up to 5 opportunities to enter, as follows:
1. Simply leave a comment on this post, and that will count as one entry.
2. You can get a second entry by following me on Twitter and leaving another comment telling me you did, or that you are already following me.
3. For your 3rd entry, retweet the text below on Twitter, and come back here to post a new comment with the link to that status update from Twitter. To get the direct link to the status update, just click on the date/time below your tweet. here is the text to retweet, minus the quotes:
“Enter to win a Eco Friendly Grocery Tote & get a free coloring page @andymcnally http://bit.ly/bLD7md #giveaway”
4. The last way to enter, which will count as two entries, is to color my “Star Gazing” coloring sheet. The pdf is a free download and can be printed out and then colored with your choice of media(crayons, colored pencils, sharpies, etc.). Once you have created your masterpiece, post it online on your blog, Flickr account, or photo sharing site. Once you’ve posted a pictures of your coloring sheet, come back here and post a link to the art in the comments, so that everyone can enjoy it. Since this entry takes more time, yet is way more fun, it will count as two entries.
All comments must be left by 11:59 PM Eastern time on Friday, September3rd. The winner of theGrocery Tote will be selected from the comments by random number generator and announced on Saturday, September 4th.
Here is the coloring sheet. Click this link, or the image below to get the free pdf coloring page: pdf download.
The coloring sheet is free(please feel free to donate if you find it useful), however all rights are reserved, so altering, selling, or any commercial use is prohibited.
It has been a long time since, I’ve had anything for the Illustration Friday challenge. The theme this week is “Star Gazing.” I love space, so this image appeared in my head almost instantly. Ahh, the relaxation of enjoying a cup of joe in weightless space.
I typically don’t include personal info or trade information much in my blog, but change is inevitable. I recently quit my job, to spend more time with my youngest teenage daughter, and to hopefully become a full-time artist. I’ve always wanted to do this, so I’m reaching for the stars. It is a little scary right now, without any regular income to speak of, or a huge savings nest egg. I’m currently working on several projects, and will be letting everyone know as soon as they are ready. I will need to market my work and myself more than I have in the past. I’m very timid, when it comes to selling my creations, which many of you may find odd if you’ve ever been in one of my computer classes, but hey, we all have our little quirks. I try not to be pushy, and hopefully never will be, but I will have to use every communication method possible to get the word out about new projects and items for sale. I will be eternally grateful to anyone who can spread the word, and many of the projects coming up will help me reward those efforts with affiliate sales programs. If there is anything I can do in return please let me know. Thank you all.
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