Chills Down the Spine
October 22, 2018
Inspirational Art
Our favorite creepy holiday is just around the corner and although I am overly busy over here and have not yet been able to decorate the house, I don’t want to miss out on the chance to bring up a few ghoulishly fun bits of art to share with you.
This piece is a tad creepy but oh-so-cool, taking the idea of a necklace and wearability to the edge with a black dragon piece with elements almost as intriguing as the choice to have the dragon’s tail run all the way down the spine. It almost looks like an echo of the human spine itself, perhaps drawing an equivalence between the mythology of dragons and the strength within us all. Aside from all that fluffy philosophical stuff, it’s just a cool piece.
The artist is identified only as Helen. Google identified both Russian and Ukrainian so I am not even sure where she is from, but if anyone has more information, add it to the comments and I will edit the post as well. You can click on the image to get to the LiveJournal page I found this on.
Dragon in a Season’s Greetings
December 25, 2017
Inspirational Art
As with many of you, I will be spending the day with my family but did not want to miss chiming in to send you warm good wishes this holiday season. I am so very grateful for your support of The Polymer Arts projects, both the magazine and the blog. Without you, I would not be able to spend my days entrenched in art and creativity nor would I be able to help so many find new ways to create and be inspired, connecting talented artists to readers in the intimate way we get to in our publications.
I’d give you all a little something sweet in thanks if I could but since I can’t reach you all, I am soliciting the help of Becca Golins who creates these adorable dragons and other fantastical beasts. These big-eyed beasties so readily bring a smile to my face and so, I hope they do for you as well.
You can find more of Becca’s cute creatures on her Facebook page and her coloring books inspired by them in her Etsy shop.
Enjoy the season and the chance to be closer to the ones you love. A Merry Christmas to those celebrating and happy holidays to you all.
Growing More than Plants
October 4, 2017
Inspirational Art
I love the integration of the real world with artistic imagination. Finding this garden dragon hit all my buttons as I have also always been a bit of a dragon-loving nerd. The creator, Emily Coleman, creates all kinds of fantastic creatures made to blend in with natural settings.
Her inspiration for this comes from nature itself, of course, but it is driven by, in her words, “… a very strong passion for the environment and the protection of the world’s forests. As I began showing my tree dragons, I realized they could help me spread this passion.”
I have to agree. Anything that draws people to nature, takes them outdoors, and encourages them to plant in a garden or a pot, helps keep us close to nature and the earth which engenders an appreciation for them and, usually, some level of drive to do right by these things we find ourselves communing with. Putting a little something fantastical in among the plants is a fun and relatively novel way of displaying and celebrating creativity and the substance of human imagination.
Read a bit more about Emily and her inspirations on this Bored Panda article and see her other creations on her Instagram account and her website.
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Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners.
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The Allure of The Landscape
November 11, 2013
Inspirational Art
This week I wanted to talk about landscapes. Not so much the category of visual art that denotes representation of broad outdoor scenes, but more the use of the landscape orientation–designs that run along the horizontal with individual or separate components that are visually a single, continuous image.
To start the week off (and because I have a very long and hectic day ahead getting the files done for the next issue), I have here an older piece of mine that’s still one of my favorites, using kind of a tile choker design. The wing spread of the dragon-like image and the suggested distant scenery goes all the way around the necklace. I made this back in my more purist polymer days, so everything except the small glass beads is polymer, including the wire-like lines around the faux enamel and a piece of my elabradorite in the center.
Chokers with tile beads make creating a continuous scene fairly easy, since there isn’t too much in the way of complicated planning to get the pieces to sit properly. I’ve made a lot of these types of necklaces, changing up the size and shapes of the tiles as well as making long enough for a necklace instead of a choker, but I think keeping the basic design simple as I did here made this one of the more successful ones when it comes to the visual “landscape” created.
Alright, back to getting the Winter 2013 issue of The Polymer Arts whipped into printable shape. Enjoy your Monday. And for our USA readers, if you have the chance on this Veteran’s Day, consider giving one or a handful of our service men and women, past and present, a warm hug and thank you for doing what they’ve done for us all. And since I’m not likely to get out of the house with all this work … a warm thank you and e-hug from me to all the service people reading. You are very much appreciated.
Ye Old Fire Dragon
July 18, 2013
Inspirational Art
I decided a week about fire as inspiration would be incomplete without at least one dragon. I have been ever fascinated with the idea of dragons ever since reading the book The Flight of Dragons by Peter Dickinson when I was maybe 12. He actually supports the possibility of dragons existing through scientific theory (not all that realistically supported, but good enough for my young mind!) and some really ornate illustrations (by the sometimes dark but always fascinating Wayne Anderson). Dragons still pop up in my work on occasion because they are creatures that have a vast range of possible manifestations, details, colors, lines, and textures that you can use to represent them, not to mention the lore and fascination with them that spans every continent.
And how can one resist visually exploring the stylings of Ryan MacLeod’s whimsical and intricately detailed dragons, like the Fire Dragon he did this year?
Ryan’s dragons and their surroundings are so very detailed. Do you see all the little mice hanging around the lounging dragon? Or the jeweled details on the books, the nails in the floor and even the grain of the floor planks? Take a close up look by clicking on the picture here to get to the original page. Then peruse the rest of his gallery, especially pieces like “Magical Mischief in the Absence of Merlin” with a skeleton table stand, dozen of little labeled bottles and every bit of trim on the furniture accented with magical motifs. Such fun!
Thanks to Christa McKibben for re-introducing me to Ryan’s work recently.
Our favorite creepy holiday is just around the corner and although I am overly busy over here and have not yet been able to decorate the house, I don’t want to miss out on the chance to bring up a few ghoulishly fun bits of art to share with you.
This piece is a tad creepy but oh-so-cool, taking the idea of a necklace and wearability to the edge with a black dragon piece with elements almost as intriguing as the choice to have the dragon’s tail run all the way down the spine. It almost looks like an echo of the human spine itself, perhaps drawing an equivalence between the mythology of dragons and the strength within us all. Aside from all that fluffy philosophical stuff, it’s just a cool piece.
The artist is identified only as Helen. Google identified both Russian and Ukrainian so I am not even sure where she is from, but if anyone has more information, add it to the comments and I will edit the post as well. You can click on the image to get to the LiveJournal page I found this on.
Read MoreAs with many of you, I will be spending the day with my family but did not want to miss chiming in to send you warm good wishes this holiday season. I am so very grateful for your support of The Polymer Arts projects, both the magazine and the blog. Without you, I would not be able to spend my days entrenched in art and creativity nor would I be able to help so many find new ways to create and be inspired, connecting talented artists to readers in the intimate way we get to in our publications.
I’d give you all a little something sweet in thanks if I could but since I can’t reach you all, I am soliciting the help of Becca Golins who creates these adorable dragons and other fantastical beasts. These big-eyed beasties so readily bring a smile to my face and so, I hope they do for you as well.
You can find more of Becca’s cute creatures on her Facebook page and her coloring books inspired by them in her Etsy shop.
Enjoy the season and the chance to be closer to the ones you love. A Merry Christmas to those celebrating and happy holidays to you all.
Read MoreI love the integration of the real world with artistic imagination. Finding this garden dragon hit all my buttons as I have also always been a bit of a dragon-loving nerd. The creator, Emily Coleman, creates all kinds of fantastic creatures made to blend in with natural settings.
Her inspiration for this comes from nature itself, of course, but it is driven by, in her words, “… a very strong passion for the environment and the protection of the world’s forests. As I began showing my tree dragons, I realized they could help me spread this passion.”
I have to agree. Anything that draws people to nature, takes them outdoors, and encourages them to plant in a garden or a pot, helps keep us close to nature and the earth which engenders an appreciation for them and, usually, some level of drive to do right by these things we find ourselves communing with. Putting a little something fantastical in among the plants is a fun and relatively novel way of displaying and celebrating creativity and the substance of human imagination.
Read a bit more about Emily and her inspirations on this Bored Panda article and see her other creations on her Instagram account and her website.
_________________________________________
Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners.
_________________________________________
Read MoreThis week I wanted to talk about landscapes. Not so much the category of visual art that denotes representation of broad outdoor scenes, but more the use of the landscape orientation–designs that run along the horizontal with individual or separate components that are visually a single, continuous image.
To start the week off (and because I have a very long and hectic day ahead getting the files done for the next issue), I have here an older piece of mine that’s still one of my favorites, using kind of a tile choker design. The wing spread of the dragon-like image and the suggested distant scenery goes all the way around the necklace. I made this back in my more purist polymer days, so everything except the small glass beads is polymer, including the wire-like lines around the faux enamel and a piece of my elabradorite in the center.
Chokers with tile beads make creating a continuous scene fairly easy, since there isn’t too much in the way of complicated planning to get the pieces to sit properly. I’ve made a lot of these types of necklaces, changing up the size and shapes of the tiles as well as making long enough for a necklace instead of a choker, but I think keeping the basic design simple as I did here made this one of the more successful ones when it comes to the visual “landscape” created.
Alright, back to getting the Winter 2013 issue of The Polymer Arts whipped into printable shape. Enjoy your Monday. And for our USA readers, if you have the chance on this Veteran’s Day, consider giving one or a handful of our service men and women, past and present, a warm hug and thank you for doing what they’ve done for us all. And since I’m not likely to get out of the house with all this work … a warm thank you and e-hug from me to all the service people reading. You are very much appreciated.
Read MoreI decided a week about fire as inspiration would be incomplete without at least one dragon. I have been ever fascinated with the idea of dragons ever since reading the book The Flight of Dragons by Peter Dickinson when I was maybe 12. He actually supports the possibility of dragons existing through scientific theory (not all that realistically supported, but good enough for my young mind!) and some really ornate illustrations (by the sometimes dark but always fascinating Wayne Anderson). Dragons still pop up in my work on occasion because they are creatures that have a vast range of possible manifestations, details, colors, lines, and textures that you can use to represent them, not to mention the lore and fascination with them that spans every continent.
And how can one resist visually exploring the stylings of Ryan MacLeod’s whimsical and intricately detailed dragons, like the Fire Dragon he did this year?
Ryan’s dragons and their surroundings are so very detailed. Do you see all the little mice hanging around the lounging dragon? Or the jeweled details on the books, the nails in the floor and even the grain of the floor planks? Take a close up look by clicking on the picture here to get to the original page. Then peruse the rest of his gallery, especially pieces like “Magical Mischief in the Absence of Merlin” with a skeleton table stand, dozen of little labeled bottles and every bit of trim on the furniture accented with magical motifs. Such fun!
Thanks to Christa McKibben for re-introducing me to Ryan’s work recently.
