Ink Vanilla

New Blog Banner

New banner and layout design! The banner (see top of blog) was designed by me and took a few days to create. The photographed image on left depicts an urn containing some small assemblage items from my studio. Center image is several designs fused together using photoshop. Image on right is an original picture I drew using charcoal pencil in combination with watered down blue and gray inks. Afterwards, taking a photograph of the art, I then did some minor photoshop trickery. For instance, instead of painting flowers, I decided to take photographs of some actual dried hydrangeas including lace kerchief. With a few color alterations to blend everything together, all that was left to do was a simple positioning of these particular items in her hands. Voila!

Other matters concerning my blog dealt with a new layout from two-column to three-column. Hopeful it's not too busy in appearance. On another note, not that it really matters to anyone else, but my blog is going to be one year old come March 12th. That was the day of my first post. Seems so long ago. Interesting to see how much has changed with my art. Happy to have come this far with it and hopeful to continue. Guess I'll have to buy myself a little present to celebrate.

New Posts In The Works . . .Paperclay sculptures and French Renaissance art.

Fashionable Ladies Completed

They're finished!! Simple yet elegant.

If you compare previous post photograph the color there is not true. However, these photographs are about as true as I could get them with my digital camera.

Pine plaques painted with extra bond 'Old-Fashioned Milk Paint'. I love this stuff! Undercoat color is driftwood and top coat is a mixture of slate and oyster white to obtain the soft gray. Once thoroughly dry, sandpaper was used around edges and other areas to reveal the undercoat color. This helped lend a distressed aged apearance. Finally, plaques were treated with matte varnish for protection.

Images of ladies are from my own original ink drawings and printed on Entrada Rag Natural premium archival fine art digital paper. For a final protective coating, the images were treated with  heat-set Dorlands Wax Medium.

The hooks are the antique brass hardware seen in previous post. Decided to add a little more personality to the ladies by giving them names. Handmade nameplates read: Mrs. Grover, Mrs. Hamilton, Miss Wilkins, and Miss Rosamond.

Dimensions: 5.5" x 9"

Price: $150.00 (Set of four not sold separately.) Ribbon not included.

Free shipping available for U.S. residents only.  

Accept PayPal including other payment options. Please feel free to email me for further purchasing and shipping information. Thank you.

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Note: Pine plaques were hand built by my talented hubby. He also built the Shakespeare lightbox including Poe boxes. I have lots more woodworking in store for him to do for Junes Melange.

Fashionable Transformation

Almost Completed!

As stated in last post, the fashionable ladies required background interest. This was achieved by scanning a piece of vintage fabric into photoshop. Then I was able to manipulate design and colors to correspond with the ladies. In addition, there is an interesting textural effect reminiscent to the look of linen material.

Now it's a matter of cutting out the images in an oval shape in order to fit them onto small oval plaques. These will then be adhered to larger rectangle plaques (seen in background of photograph).

The small brass hardware items which will be used as hangers for the wall plaques, were purchased at an antique architectural salvage store located in Tacoma, Washington called Sanford & Son. Two weeks ago, I'd made the half hour drive with the intention to find some antique stores on Broadway Street. I spent several hours in some, then finally ventured over to Sandford. Upon entering, I was first greeted by Scruffy the cat (more about him in another post) then I began roaming around the three floors filled to the brim with antiques salvaged from old homes and businesses from long ago. Without going into too much detail, I'll just say that I was pleasantly flabbergasted! It's fantastic! So much so, that I had to return again for the second time last Sunday. The owner Allan Gorsuch has been quite generous when it comes to bargaining certain items I would like to incorporate into my art. Once I told him I was creating assemblage art for my upcoming online store, I've been able to get quite an abundance of architectural metal and wooden items at very low prices. Some items had been marked individually for ten dollars and upwards! Luckily, I managed to get most of the things I wanted into two large boxes all for a mere twenty-five dollars per box! All together there's at least fifty pieces of items per box. I'm estatic! Unfortunately he wouldn't go down on his price regarding a stack of wonderful assorted late nineteenth century art prints and fashion magazines. A bit too expensive for me at this time. Nevertheless, I placed them on hold even though the chance of purchasing them seems but a pipe dream. Oh well, other financial priorities must come first! Anyway, I'll eventually post pictures of the store including items purchased.

Next post will be the finished wall plaques!

Note: Actual color has a more subtle grayer tone then this photograph is revealing.

Fashionable Victorian Ladies

Junes Melange Store:

Here are my original ink drawings on paper depicting four fashionable Victorian ladies. Intentions are to adhere them onto individual wooden wall plaques. But before doing so, I want to add some interest to the presently plain backgrounds. Also, need to manipulate colors to coincide with recently painted plaques. Therefore, it's now a matter of scanning the pictures into photoshop; create an original decorative background design to each one; and adjust colors.

In the next post,  you'll see how the ladies appear within this background design. Also, a glimpse of the plaques.

Cheers.

Illuminated Shakespeare

Front View of Box Lighted from behind with a 5-watt bulb.

The William Shakespeare Illuminated Box

Hand Made Mixed Media Assemblage Piece

Price: $350.00. Accept PayPal including other payment options. Please feel free to email me for further purchasing and shipping information. Thank you.

Materials: Backlight film, matteboard, metal frame, poplar wood, antique brass hardware, inks, damar varnish/resin, milk paint, 5-watt bulb, plexiglass, and patterned tissue paper.

Overall Dimensions: 13" x 10" x 5.5"

This is the first of a series of illuminated lightboxes which will depict historical figures of the Elizabethan period. Original hand-drawn picture of Shakespeare has been printed onto archival transparent inkpress backlight film.

Front & Side Views without light on.

More information and pictures showcasing the back side and light fixture coming soon at Junes Melange Online Webstore.

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Other Matters. . .

To begin, I'm creating a new blog banner for Ink Vanilla. It will correspond better with my upcoming Junes Melange WebStore. Instead of the present illustration and inscription, I'm considering using a montage of different photos representing my art and other various interests that inspire me. And I will definitely be changing the inscription due to current changes here with my mixed media assemblage art.

While working on this, I'm contemplating about creating another blog regarding home decorating! Or if not another blog, possibly just having occasional posts describing my decorating ideas here on this blog. I've been wanting to do this for a long time because I have a great love for decorating! Of course, Ink Vanilla will continue to show my artwork and some items over at Junes Melange.

In any case, with the impending arrival of spring, I thought it would be nice to post new changes that will be eventually taking place at my house. Two years ago, my husband and I purchased a home here in the Pacific Northwest, and at that time had no desire to make too many radical changes to achieve a more vintage look. The move itself was exhausting and we both were far too busy with our jobs. There's still some vividly modern floral wallpaper in the bathrooms and hideous gold brass hardware on all the doors from previous owner. We'll be replacing these elements with antiqued wall treatments and dark oil-rubbed tarnished hardware for doors. When we first moved in I did manage to find time and repaint most of the walls in preparation for specialty antique patina treatments. Although I'm busier then ever before, the desire is too overwhelming to procrastinate any longer. Time for those decorating dreams to come true!

Meanwhile, my husband will be installing wood floors and we'll be doing other various changes to the house. The house is only twelve years old, but is very charming and replicates a Victorian style home. Has plenty of potential for the vintage look I'm after. Regarding specialty painting, I have a substantial background having owned and operated a decorative painting business for several years with my husband. My specialty was not only decorative painting, but also designing and painting small/large-scale murals for residential and retail places. This also included painting furniture and design work. I'll be posting some of the photographs of homes we did in the past for you to view when this new decorative blogging venture begins. Also want to post about one of my favorite addictions . . . shopping for antiques and flea market hunting! Eventually I'll be selling some of my old furniture I've grown tired of and will be on a quest for more vintage furniture and accessories. My goal is to create an eclectic look blending together French/Swedish Country and whatever else strikes my fancy.  And I would really enjoy showcasing some of my favorite places to shop including introducing you to antique dealers and anyone else who has an interest in house decorating. Soon I'll be adding to my sidebar links some of inspirational home design blogs. A vast amount of them reside in Scandinavia! But for now, enough rambling. It's three thirty in the morning. Time to get some sleep! Sorry if the writing is bad. Hope you like the illuminated box!

Cheers!