Self Portrait Completed!

Finally done!  In case you missed it, a week or so ago I posted with some in-progress pictures of my self-portrait.  I left off with the "Jake Gyllenhall" phase, and am happy to say that the painting improved a lot since then!

 

 Whew!  I no longer look like Donnie Darko.

I was ready to throw down the brush at this point, but my husband told me the nose wasn't big enough.  Just what was he trying to say?!  Actually he was right.  So I fixed the nose and added a few more details.

 

Ta-daaa!

I used a mirror as reference, but I kind of wish I had used a photo so I could show a comparison.  I tried to find a picture of me where I'm looking square at the camera and not smiling.  Here's the closest I came up with (kind of old, with different hair and glasses, so use your imagination a bit):

So anyway.  That was fun.

Irresistible Etsy Shops: Part III

Are you ready, gang?  Here are some more personal favorites!

saracarr

I can only imagine how cute this scarf would look on a geeky teacher.


Em and Sprout

The perfect way to let someone know that when they stepped on your foot, it hurt!


alissa clark

It's like drinking from a fossil!  Only cooler.


Late To The Revolution

If I ever buy another pair of headphones, you bet your bippy they will come from this shop.


Kid-N Around

Just. So. Cute.

If you enjoyed these picks, check out Part I and Part II!

Linocuts That Blow My Mind

I have a special place in my heart for linocuts.  Much like my love for Sharpie drawings, the black and white contrast and bold shapes and lines really grab my eye.  I haven't made any since college, but I'm hoping to start again soon.  Usually before starting a new vein of artwork, I like to do a bit of research to get inspired.  Here are some cool pieces I stumbled upon that I hope you'll appreciate as much as I did.

Sword Swallower  by Kreg Yingst

Dreams by WingedLion

Rotary Telephone by Nydam Press

Flight of Fancy by Baggelboy

Massacre of Innocence by Richard Mock

Sun and Moon 12 by Gillian Golding

Banana Felt Barrette by She Rides the Lion

Self Portrait Progress

So I usually hate showing people my work before it's completed, but I'm hoping this will motivate me to finish it sooner rather than later.  Here are progression pictures of what I've been working on lately.

Blank face.  Spooky?

Getting some value in there.

Kallisti was keeping me company.

Very cartoony looking at the moment.

 

Wow. When did I turn into Jake Gyllenhaal?

Some notes: I actually started this when I had long-ish hair, which I have recently chopped off and colored blonde.  So Now I'm just kind of making up the hair in the painting because I don't feel like changing it.  I am lazy.  You have no idea.

Also, I wear glasses, which I'm thinking I will add once I'm pretty much done with the face.  More pictures to follow soon!  I will probably paint some more today since there's like 7 inches of snow on the ground and I have the day off.  Who knows, I may even finish it today!  Probably not.  But maybe!

Pirate Arrrrt

I was randomly stumbling around on the internet (surprise, surprise) and decided to do some research on artworks centered around pirates.  I found some really fun pieces by some very talented artists.  Check out my booty!

 

Captain Barbosa by Laura Barbosa

William "Captain" Kidd by Howard Pyle

  

Pirate statue at the entrance of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium 

 

 Blackbeard by Unknown

 Capture of the Pirate, Blackbeard by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris 

 No Prey, No Pay by Don Maitz

Valentine Gifts for Guys

Guys like getting presents just as much as girls.  They might not be too psyched about getting flowers or jewelry, though.  Here are some ideas for finding Valentine gifts for that special dude in your life, whether it's your dad, husband, kid, or video game buddy.

 Smart Squid, Octopus Necktie by Cyberoptix TieLab

Recycled Beer Bottle Tumblers by BottleHood

 

Men's Fingerless Gloves by Socks and Mittens 

Item Block Quilted Pillow Cover by Will Quilt For Games

 Railroad Tracks Scarf by Knitsome Studio

Ironman Vinyl Graphic Decal Sticker by Diasco Graphics

Contest Winner Announced!

Heeeeere it is, folks, the moment you've all been waiting for!  Today I am announcing the contest winner for
Title My Painting - Win $10 Utrecht Card. 

The winner is...  Vivka!!  Congratulations!  To claim your gift card, email your mailing address to sarahnorman1984@yahoo.com

Thanks to Vivka's lovely interpretation, I now have a title for my painting!

 

Bumble-Back Spots a Tree

It just seemed so fitting, very creative and cute.  It was hard to decide, though.  I received so many fabulous suggestions, both in blog comments and on Twitter.  Thanks to everyone who participated, I will surely run into this problem again and need your assistance :)