Chalkboard Writing

I have been thinking about creating a chalkboard frame recently and I wanted to share with you guys some information I have found in case you want one too. 

You can buy a cheap frame from your local craft store or even from Walmart or the dollar store. All you need is chalkboard paint ( I do not recommend the spray paint version if you want a reliable chalkboard) and a piece of firm material that could withstand the paint such as plywood or Masonite. Just paint the material with the chalkboard paint and let it dry for up to at least 24 hours to make sure it is completely dry. Then mount the painted material into the frame and get creative! Write quotes, things to do, whatever comes to mind!

I like the frames that are more Victorian and  fancy like this one.

I also like the way that this frame is antiqued, if there is a way to  do that to a fancier frame, I am doing it.

These are some examples of how to write on your boards.

This website is also helpful toward helping you learning how to write on your chalkboard: http://indiecraftparade.com/blog/archives/2370

Good luck with creating your board! I am going to assemble mine when I get home from school next week and I will post it for you guys to see.

Love, Sarah

Sketching!

Hey guys! I hope everyone is having a great December so far, and that you are enjoying it with your family and friends. Recently I have been interested in sketching, so I am trying to get back into doing art more often. I've come up with a few ideas for sketching and if not, then I will do them in ink. I also LOVE to sketch anatomy as you have seen in my previous post of artwork I have done. So here are the things I would like to sketch or ink: 

Eyes. I love to look at people's eyes. That's the first thing I notice along with hands. You can tell a lot about people by both of those.

Another beautiful eye.

This is a nice painting that I want to make into my own creation, more defined.

I found this and thought it was the sweetest picture in the world.

 I cannot wait to have that.

Anyway, I hope you all have a great Christmas and I will post some more artwork or ideas soon!

Love, Sarah

Christmas Ideas!

So, I realize that I'm not the best at keeping this blog up to date... 

I wanted to give you guys some crafty gift ideas for Christmas:

These are some envelopes that would be very cute and creative to send Christmas cards and photographs in. You simply use calligraphy techniques to write on the outside of the envelope!

My mom teaches kindergarten and I found this cute ornament idea for her, little pine cone elves! All you need is a pine cone, one brown pipe cleaner, and a wooden ball for the head. For the clothes you can cut out little pieces of felt. Just hot glue it all together!

I really like this dresser. I think I might have to go look at antique shops to find a cheap dresser or nightstand to paint like this. You can use them anywhere and they're really cute!

These mugs are so simple to make, it is crazy how easy it is! All you need is a plain white mug (which you can get from your local dollar store) and a sharpie. Draw your picture or design on the mug and then bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

These nails are cute for Christmas, you use string to make the strand of lights, or if you're like me, just paint a strand of lights, then paint on bulbs.

I have been interested in painting wine glasses lately, and you can easily accomplish perfect glasses by using Martha Stuart glass paints from Michaels Craft stores. They can either sit for 21 days to dry or you can bake them in the oven. (Details on the bottles of paint.)

 And finally these ceramic bowls for jewelry. They are the perfect gift for the women in your life. You can make them if you feel crafty enough, or you can order them here: http://www.etsy.com/search?q=Jewelry%20Bowls&view_type=gallery&ship_to=US

I hope that you all have a great holiday and I will be sure to post more this coming month on holiday gifts I've made or thought of!

Love, Sarah

Withdraw

So I am going through some major art withdraw at the moment. I have been so busy with school and work this month that I haven't even had time to post yet. So after this weekend with some much needed catching up on homework, I am going to make some art. I have been wanting to create so many things but I never have the time anymore. I especially want to add some things to my art journal but have been neglecting it too. I think I may start with some ink sketches and paintings to get my creative juices flowing. I also started making a new sketchbook and I will post pictures once that is completed. So as for now, here is some of my inspiration that I will be working on:

These trees are so cute and look simple to sketch, so I think I will be 

adding a page of these into my journal. 

I love this picture. I just want to do an ink painting of her to hang up in my room.

 Nina Dobrev. She is absolutely gorgeous. I haven't decided if I want to do a sketch

 of her or an ink painting yet, but either way, this picture will be created.

I have wanted to create this painting for months now, but I want to 

do it in acrylics and then buy the parts for a clock and cut through a canvas and actually make the painting a clock. I'm not sure how to incorporate the little guy hanging off of the minute hand though...

 I love this. It is simple and I could do it all by myself. ( I am not the best at sewing...)

You just use a simple sweatshirt without a hood and then cut out a pocket from a piece of

fabric and sew it on!

My cousin just recently joined the Marine Corps and he is currently at boot camp. He left two months early and I was supposed to sketch him a picture of the eagle, globe, and anchor but never got to it. So I am going to make him a big poster of it. I know that there is the general EGA, but I like the way that the eagle looks in this sketch and I think he would like how this is not the typical EGA. 

So, I have a lot of work to do, especially my homework, but I will post finished products as soon as I can! 

Love, Sarah

Recent Projects

So these are some of the most recent projects I made over the summer. I made some earring hangers and sketchbooks among other things, but these are what I have to show you:

This turquoise frame is the first earring hanger I ever

made, and I made this one for myself as a test run. 

This hanger is the second one I have made. It has the floral 

print already made into the frame.

This frame I made for my sister. I got a little more creative

with this one. It was plain like the pink one above (but still

had the floral pattern on it) and then I painted zebra stripes onto it.

This frame I made for one of my best friends. It has a

quote on it that says: "A bird doesn't sing because it has an

answer, it sings because it has a song." -Maya Angelou 

This is the first coptic stitching sketchbook I made. It has a 

floral pattern in the front as seen below.

This is another of the coptic stitch sketchbook I have made.

 It has fish on the cover.

These are just some examples of the most recent projects I have done. I try to take photos of everything I make, but of course there are some that I haven't photographed yet. I hope you guys like them! The frames are super easy to do: all you need is a frame, spraypaint, some wire mesh, scissors,  and a stapler. All I did was lay down the frame onto a bed of newspaper, then sprayed the frame holding the can at least six inches back to avoid dripping. I let the frame sit until it was completely dry (which was anywhere between 3 hours and 12 hours depending on the weather that day). Then cut the wire to the size to fit the frame and staple it in. I used a regular stapler for my frames but I recommend using a staple gun, it would hold the staples better. (I couldn't find mine...) And if you would like to learn how to make the sketchbooks, here is a great link: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2FRKbQI2kY&list=FLFaQDu9ga4s62q4tc6InuTw&index=24&feature=plpp_video

I hope you guys enjoy creating your own masterpieces!

Love, Sarah

Let's get crafty!!!

So naturally, I was on pinterest earlier and I found these AWESOME ideas for crafts. If I have some free time, I will create some of these and post them within the next few days. But, here you go:

Okay, so this is the cutest earring hanger I have ever seen

and it is super easy to make by yourself. All you need is cardboard,

scissors, and a hole-punch. 

Is it just me, or is this not the cutest card you have ever seen?

It's such a great idea, plus it will make anyone's day to get this from you.

I am in LOVE with this chair.

Plus, it would be easy for me to take to school.

This project: DONE.

I'm not sure how these owls were made,

 but I know you can purchase them on Etsy. They are ridiculously

cute, and made of cardboard!

Let's face it. Is this not the coolest idea on earth?

I am so ready to buy a cheap hot glue gun and crayons.

Easy, and simple. Make stamps from erasers for tags!

I don't know where to find a frame like this one,

but I am bound and determined to find one and create this.

This is pretty cute. I hardly know what to do

 with buttons anymore, and now I've gained another idea.

 I am going to go broke having to purchase all of these canvases!

So these should keep me occupied for awhile. I will try and find some more craft ideas and post them soon. I also create my own earring hangers and sketchbooks so I'll post those tomorrow for you guys to see!

Love, Sarah

Leaves

So anyone that knows me, knows that I love the fall because of the leaves. I am such an outdoorsy person that I am always collecting things to create some crafts with. So I have some ideas for you: 

  

First: 

http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/hanging-leaves?xsc=eml_hws_2009_09_24#slide_1

 

So this project is for when 

you find all of those beautiful leaves that fall later.

But, the directions are located in the link above.

Second:

Grab some green leaves before they all die off!

This looks super easy, all you need is:

- paper

- paper towels or napkins

- nice green leaves

- and a hammer!

I am going to go on a leaf scavenger hunt tomorrow and find some really cool leaves to beat to death with a hammer. 

Love, Sarah

Sketches

       Sorry guys, I've been crazy busy with school lately and haven't had a free chance to post! I just wanted to show you some of my previous artwork that I have sketched or painted. Some of these are done with Prismacolor pencils which are the BEST! They blend so nicely and look clean.

 This is a painting I did two years ago

 of the moon shining through a pine tree (Acrylics)

This is a sketch of Paul Walker that I did a year 

ago when I was obsessed with sketching muscle tone.

Just a random picture I found

online done with Prismacolor pencils

Christina Aguilera from the album cover

 of Burlesque (the movie) also in Prismacolor Pencils

Red Lips (Prismacolor Pencils)

Jellyfish (Prismacolors)

Yeah, I know it was just random pieces, but I thought I should share them. I have to make more time to sketch, I haven't picked up a pencil in awhile...

Love, Sarah

PINTEREST!!!

So I am completely addicted to pinterest.com. I LOVE it. You can go check out my page at http://pinterest.com/sarahkeplinger/, it is kinda messy and may not make sense right now, but I like a lot of the things I find there. The 'artsy fartsy' category consists of a lot of projects that I want to do. If there is anything you guys would like to see, let me know! 

P.S. I promise I will upload some of my artwork soon, I'm in the process of photographing it. 

These were just some of my favorite pieces from pinterest:

 This one was made with crayons. CRAYONS! It is so cool,

I can't wait to try this technique out!

 This is just beautiful. I have no idea what the medium is

but I love the way it looks spraypainted.

 This one is just simply gorgeous. I love the rugged feel of it,

and how it looks like it belongs in the fall. The eyes are

just flawless.

This one is just incredible. The detail is inspiring and I wish

I had enough time on my hands to experiment with this!

Love, Sarah