Acorn Delight

As many people are inspired by acorns to paint, draw, or create with, I was inspired to create a sweet treat.  For Thanksgiving this year I made edible acorns for the family gathering.  They were a huge hit...

Ingredients:

• Hershey Kisses (Milk Chocolate)
• Hershey mini morsels (Milk Chocolate)
• Mini NutterButters - sold at Walmart $1.

Step 1: unwrap the hershey kisses.

Step 2: Melt some chocolate morsels (I used the extra mini morsels).  Microwave on power 5 (50% power) in increments of 30-50 seconds for about 3 minutes.  Stir between each heating.

This melted chocolate acts as glue.

Step 3: Use the melted chocolate to attach the kiss to the mini nutterbutter.

Step 4: Use the melted chocolate to attach the mini morsel onto the center of the opposite side of the nutterbutter.

Step5: Allow chocolate to harden.

Step 6: Enjoy!

Artsy Acorns

Art is all around us, and during Autumn it's literally falling on us!  I wanted to bring your attention to the interesting lovable acorns we see all around during these few months. Many see acorns as their natural useful state, but there is so much more to them.  Their shape is very easily recognized, and the array of colors and textures holds a lot of interest in artists.  If you look closely at Norine Kevolic's painting you can see a wide array of colors so seamlessly creating the well known autumn item. What do you find most interesting about acorns?

Artist: Norine Kevolic

If you're not a painter, don't worry.  Acorns are very useful, and can not only decorate your home, but send messages and inspire delicious treats.  

Examples of creative acorns:

To create these, simply separate the "hat" from the bottom. Paint the bottom part with glue. Press on a swatch of fabric (gathering at the top).  Then, glue the "hat" back on.  A great way to use left-over fabric.

These are wooden acorns, but you could paint natural acorns as well.  These little messages make a great encouragement treat for your loved ones, children, or even reminders for yourself.  If you're feeling really creative, you could make a game out of them (think charades).

Who says ornaments are only for a Christmas tree?  These acorns are painted and hung with string. The twig used represents a real fall-bare tree extremely well.  

Bringing some nature into your home is fairly simple, and adds a nice touch.  Nature allows us to stop for a moment, gather ourselves, and put our lives into perspective against the daily rush.

Let nature inspire you this season!

Next time I will be making an acorn-inspired dessert =)

-Moni

Al Hirschfeld - Inspirational Artist

"You always feel the drawing you are working on is the best you've ever done... I am only interested in the present."

-Al Hirschfeld

Al Hirschfeld - Self Portrait

Al was a great cartoonist most well-known for his caricatures in New York Times, as well as many works of film/theater artists.  He used a line to portray a person as well as their personality.  He let the line speak like no one else.

His Work:

Nina:

Hirshfeld was also known for hiding treasures in his work.  Every piece has his daughter's name, "NINA" hidden within the lines.

I hope you find some inspiration from Al Hirschfeld. I absolutely love his work, and how unique it is.  I came across an entire wall in Philadelphia of his work... It is amazing! 

Prince Music Theater (Philadelphia, PA)

-Moni

Inspirational Artist - Monet

Paintings envelop you in a feeling portrayed by the artist.  My favorite paintings that evoke a lovely feeling are by Claude Monet.  If you're not familiar by his work already, enjoy the colors and scenes of the impressionist era.

Claude Monet

Claude Monet was born in Paris Nov. 14th 1840.  At age 11, Monet entered Le Havre secondary school of the arts.  He studied under Jacques-Francois Ochard,  and was later mentored by Eugene Boudin.

Painting by: Jacques-Francois Ochard

Painting by: Eugene Boudin

Impressionist Paintings:

Impressionism was actually named after one of Monet's paintings: "Impression, Soleil Levant" (Impression, Sunrise).

Impression, Soleil Levant (Monet)

Characteristics of Impressionist paintings:

• Small,Thin, yet visible brush strokes
• Open composition
• Emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities
• Ordinary subject matter
• Movement depicted as a crucial element of human perception
• Unusual visual angles

Monet's Work:

Boat Studio (Monet)

Monet used a 'boat studio' to create his pieces from the center of the pond.  His better known paintings depict waterlilies, ponds, and bridges over water, although his work spanned countries with many different landscapes and sometimes portraits as well.

Moni's Monet:

I created this for a class as an art appreciation piece.  I layered and melded together elements of myself admiring his work, with one of my favorite Monet paintings.

-Moni

My Etched Wine Glass

I used glass-etching for a graphic design class.  I wanted to make a unique marketing item.  Check out what I created and how the glass-etching process works.

The Logo:

I created this Logo in Photoshop, for a project.
("Life by the Sea" is a fake non-profit that cleans beaches and protects marine life)

Needed:

• Wine Glass - (4 for $5 Walmart) *You can use anything that's glass*
• X-acto Knife
• Contact Paper - (Large roll for $6 Walmart)
• Armour Etching Cream - (Small bottle for $13 Michaels)

The Template:

I used contact paper and an X-acto knife to cut out the logo.  To do this, I printed the logo in the appropriate size, and carefully cut through the printed page, and contact paper on top of a cutting pad.

Text was very difficult to create a template for, because the space in the center of some letters would have to be manually placed onto the glass (example: "e" and "a"), not to mention it is very thin at times.

I also used a hole puncher to create bubbles going up the side of the glass.

Placement: 

Contact paper is like a gigantic sticker.  I carefully detached the backing, and placed it onto a clean wine glass.  It was imperative that each border was stuck tight to the glass to prevent the cream from etching beyond the template.

Etching:

Armour Etching Cream was very simple to use.  I simply painted it on with a standard paint brush, let it sit for 60 seconds, and rinsed it lightly with warm water in the sink. This is not a frost paint layer, this solution is actually interacting with the glass. (Once the glass is dried, you will see the etching much clearer)  It begins to work instantly, so there is no way to fix a mistake. 

*Notice: Etching cream is highly dangerous and children should never be near it.  Take precautions.  Use gloves, protective eyewear, and an apron or old clothes.  The cream is highly corrosive and can burn your skin.

My Results:

Hints:

• Because my design was very intricate and had delicate edges, the cream did expand the perimeters in some instances.  I suggest using a slightly simpler design, and a flatter glass.  (Wine glasses curve from top to bottom making it difficult to place the stencil correctly).

• I also tried frosting majority of the glass and having only parts clear, but it didn't come out the way I was hoping.  I think it would be fine with several rounds of etching, but placing an identical stencil in the exact spot again would be difficult.  It left brush strokes. 

• Definitely use the cream generously.  You want a thick layer to cover it well.

I hope you are inspired to give this a try.  It really looks professional, and will last forever.

Enjoy! 

-Moni

Glass Etching

This is an artistic medium that is very unique.  I was introduced to glass etching while looking for marketing techniques for a graphic design project.  What's amazing to me, is how quick the whole process is.  With the right design, anyone can do this.

What is glass etching?

Glass etching is the technique of creating art on the surface of glass by applying acidic, caustic, or abrasive substances.  It gives the glass a frosty look.

In History

This technique began before the 1860's, and in the 1920's glass etching became more easily accessible when manufacturers used moulds to etch glass which reduced the cost.

The Process

If you would like to learn how to do this.. check out this tutorial:

etched glass tutorial

Check next time to see my version of this Artspiration.  If you decide to give it a go, please share your results.

-Moni

Paper Nuptials

As inspired by the beautifully detailed work of Brittney Lee, I have created this card for a day to remember forever - Kelly and Greg's Wedding.

Congratulations Kelly & Greg!

Kelly, my cousin and best friend, married her Prince, Greg, on October 17, 2013.  It was a very sweet ceremony outside by the Rancocas Creek around sunset.  The couple gathered close family members for the very special marriage.  Kelly wore a light pink dress, and Greg wore his navy uniform as a friend of the family married them. Everyone was so happy and excited for them to begin their wonderful lives together.

For such a special moment in their lives, I wanted to create a card that would capture the moment.  Despite the size of this wedding, there were a lot of nice details that have a lot of meaning.  I wanted to try to incorporate as much as possible.

Here's How I Created This Piece:

Tools Needed

Sketch, Cut-Out, & Color

Glue together layers

The vail Kelly wore was made by hand.  We held a family and friends craft night, and created the flower and vail piece by piece.  The beads in the center of the flower were beads from our great grandmother.  I glued one on the paper version to add a nice touch and depth to the piece.  The paper vail was actually a fine tool fabric cut to fit.

Fine Details

Fine Details

Actual Flower

I tried to mimic some of the techniques Brittney Lee uses in her pieces like having different depths rather than just flat pieces of paper.  I also added the tree to fill some of the outside of the piece so your eye has more movement and it centers around the couple nicely.  And in the hole in the tree I wrote the date (10-17-13).

In all, I loved creating this paper art.  It was time consuming, and very delicate but I found that using the exacto knife and a mix between color pencils, markers, and paint pens, I could really create what I was picturing.  I had a lot of control over the elements, but I did have to re-create or practice a lot of them multiple times.  It's definitely an art form that needs patience.


I hope you enjoyed my version of paper art.. if you give it a try please share your work.

Come back next weekend for some more Artspiration!

-Moni