Candace Illustration

Giant Stacks of Pancakes!

2009-12-09T16:00:00.006-06:00

{Watercolor, 2009}

I just finished this illustration for the December issue of "My Light" Magazine. The December issue should be available by mid month. (right around the corner!) I know this is a pretty strange mixture of images... so if you are curious about it, you'll have to go over to "My Light" and read the story when it has been published. I promise, it is a very sweet story! After working on this all afternoon, I suddenly crave some flapjacks!

Christmas Crafts 2009: Pretty Vintage Garland Tutorial

2009-12-08T14:04:00.018-06:00

{Paper Crafted Garland, 2009}

Want a tree that is one-of-a-kind? This simple paper and ribbon garland is a great way to add a handmade touch to your holidays! I came up with this idea as a way to avoid using store bought garland and icicles. (which are dangerous to my two curious kitties!) I've decided to go all the way this year and decorate my tree with things I have made by hand. This is my first craft, but I plan to make a star for the top of the tree and some different ornaments too. Look for similar tutorials on my blog as Christmas creeps closer and closer...

To Make this vintage inspired garland you'll need:

1" scalloped circle craft punch
single hole ribbon punch or hole puncher
Pretty double sided scrap-booking paper or cardstock (I found this inspiring collection!)
Thin ribbon (I used silver ric-rac that I found in the bargain bin!)
scissors

Step 1: Decide how long you want your garland to be and cut your ribbon to a little longer than your desired length. A regular sized 12x12 scrapbook paper will do about 85"-90" of garland. Tape each end of the ribbon so that it doesn't fray when you start construction.

Step 2: Use the 1" craft punch to cut out pieces from your double sided scrap-booking paper or cardstock.

Step 3: Take your single hole punch and make a hole on each side of each 1" scalloped circle.

Step 4: Start threading the ribbon through the prepared scalloped circles. Push them to the center of your ribbon of garland. (this is so you can approach it from each side and you don't have to travel the entire length of ribbon.)

Step 5: Continue threading the ribbon through the scalloped circles paying attention to the overlapping pattern. There are several ways you could play with overlapping. I overlapped alternating patterns from my double sided scrap-booking paper making sure that I looped on the back side of each piece. The tighter the circles are overlapped, the easier the garland is to maneuver.

Step 5: Once you have started to accumulate several circles on your garland, the front side should look like the above picture. No ribbons should go across the front side of the circles. The ribbon should look like it is connecting them from the front.Step 6: Flip over your garland and the back side should look like the above photo with the ribbon going through the center of each scalloped circle. Once I got going I developed a rhythm and made two different garlands. I would suggest making multiple garlands no longer than 95 inches. The longer the ribbon gets, the more you have to contend with! :) Plus, when I did two, I played with different patterns and even used up a few of my leftover embellishments from card making! (I'll be posting my Christmas cards pretty soon, too)

{Christmas Tree with Pretty Garland, 2009}

I hope you take some time to try out this craft! It was very relaxing and fun to do. I think you'll agree. Also, I feel that simple handmade touches can make your living space more personal and heartfelt. If you do make one for yourself, send me a picture so I can post it on my blog with your name and website!

Let us build a nest together.

2009-12-07T14:35:00.003-06:00

{mixed media, 2009}

This is a graphite drawing with colored pencil, white acrylic ink and stitching. It was inspired by certain birds that mate for life. Nature can be cruel, but it can be so romantic too! I plan to do a female bird drawing too, but for now this little guy's love must go unrequited.

Illustration Friday - Entangled

2009-12-01T15:39:00.004-06:00

{Mixed Media, 2009}

{Graphite, 2009}

My submission for Illustration Friday's theme of "entangled" is a mess of octopus tentacles. I've always wondered how Octopus' are so serene and graceful with eight legs. I have a hard enough time with two! I drew the entangled tentacles in my Moleskine watercolor sketchbook and then used a mixture of watercolor, ink and acrylic to finish it off. Oh, how I love the sea!

Christmas Crafts 2009: Handmade Embellishments

2009-11-30T15:45:00.006-06:00

{Candy Cane Embellishments, 2009}

{Star Embellishments, 2009}

{Holly Embellishments, 2009}

{Embellishments Drying, 2009}

{Hand Carved Lino Stamps, 2009}

Every year I send out handmade Christmas cards and every year it seems that the process becomes more streamlined. It always feels good to figure out something that will work better to create multiple items. Creating the embellishments for the first step of my Christmas cards went fairly quickly and I thought I would share them with you! Plus, I love the way they look all piled together. I used a Martha Steward Craft Punch to make the scalloped circles. The stamps were carved with Speedball products and stamped using StazOn ink. I added a little glitz with glitter glue, seed beads and Michael's craft candy canes. I hope you'll stop back soon to check up on the progress of my holiday cards and other fun projects!

Christmas Crafts 2009: Monogrammed Stockings

2009-11-29T14:49:00.005-06:00

{Stockings, 2oo9}

{Stocking Detail, 2009}

{Stockings, 2009}

This is the first of several Christmas crafting posts that I will be sharing in the next few weeks. I really love handmade touches around the home and I will also be making several gifts for family and friends this year. Not only does a handmade gift feel more personal, with a tight budget, it really helps me keep my spending in check too! These stockings are for all of the members of our family (human and furry!) so I monogrammed them with each member's initial. The large ones are for my husband, Ken, and I. The medium ones are for our two cats; Amelia and Oliver. The smallest stockings are for our two sugar gliders; Conan and Pip. To make them look cohesive, I tried to limit the colors of felt that I used and added some beaded holly. All parts of these are hand stitched, which adds to their rustic and handmade appeal!

Happy Thanksgiving 2009!

2009-11-26T00:20:00.007-06:00

{Oliver and Hand Stamped Pumpkin, 2oo9}

{Oliver and Hand Stamped Pumpkin, 2009}

{Oliver Playing in Leaves, 2oo9}

Oliver wanted to join me in wishing all of my fellow bloggers and blog readers a very pleasant and wonderful Thanksgiving! Our new kitty, Amelia, was living with us when these pictures were taken, but she was born semi-feral and for most of her short 5 month life, has lived outdoors. Needless to say, she wasn't ready for photos as she adjusted to our home! She is really coming along nicely though, so hopefully by the time I do a Christmas post, Amelia will be able to share the festivities with Oliver!

Scuba Kitty

2009-11-25T13:41:00.003-06:00

{Oil on Canvas, 2009}

Remember waaaay back when I did the free painting giveaway on my blog for my 300th post? Well, the winner was Margaret, who heard about it via Twitter, and she requested a scuba kitty painting. (yeah, yeah, it's a little random, but it has personal meaning for her, and it was SO fun to create!) Anyways, she wanted an orange cat and that was the only detailed request other than the subject matter. (which is how most artists work best... little guidelines.) I hope she likes it! I think I will be doing something similar for my 400th blog post too, so look for that in the fairly near future. Also, speaking of twitter, I changed my name from @pinwheelart to @candacecamling if you want to follow me there!

Illustration Friday - Music

2009-11-23T15:39:00.005-06:00

{Graphite on Illustration Board, 2009}

I thought a barber shop quartet would be an entertaining way to illustrate this week's theme of "music" over at Illustration Friday! As I was drawing this, I was trying to imagine what each guy might sound like. I'll be adding this drawing to my growing pile of oil paintings to work on and finish.

Recent Sketchings

2009-11-19T11:41:00.005-06:00

{Colored Pencil in Sketchbook, 2009}

{Graphite in Sketchbook, 2009}

I'm still in the middle of finishing up a few oil paintings, so I thought I would post a few little ideas out of my Moleskine. There really is nothing better than sketching random things without a care in the world. I think the whale is especially cute, and sort of want to make a plush toy out of him when I get some crafting time!

Why I'm Not Getting A Tattoo

2009-11-16T13:21:00.005-06:00

{Squirrel Tattoo Concepts, 2009}

{Seashell and Floral Tattoo Concept, 2009}

It has been a long while that I have been contemplating getting a tattoo. So finally, I said to my husband one day, " I want a tattoo for my birthday". (Which happens to be today.) I have thought it over for months, to the point of waking up in the middle of the night to think of ideas. I had totally planned to have a smaller tattoo placed on my inner left wrist. The sketches above, are the concepts that I spent time working up. The squirrels would be significant because they were used as a motif for my wedding. I also included many different flowers on my designs that had special meaning to me. (Specifically Lily of the Valley which has a universal meaning of seeking happiness, and it reminds me of my Mom.) The seashell drawing would be significant to me as a reminder to keep working towards being able to live by the ocean and I can not think of one thing I love more than being near the sea and all the ecology that goes with it. ( I'm a total nerd, I know) So... after working out all these sketches and doing tons of research on local tattoo artists and tattoos in general, why am I not getting it done?

Here are a few reasons:

1. I am a major control freak. Its hard for me to imagine another human drawing on my skin. If they altered my drawing in any way, I would be disappointed. Human error, which is inevitable, would happen and then drive me C-R-A-Z-Y.
2. This is another control thing. All tattoos fade over time and feather around the edges. Yes, you can take really good care of them, but IT WILL HAPPEN. I'm a perfectionist, and the odds are, the minute one little dot of ink feathered or blurred, I would be annoyed.
3. Change. My tastes change like the wind. Yes, I will always love squirrels, seashells and flowers, but its bigger than that. At some point, I may not want to profess that love so openly.
4. Getting it for the wrong reason. As most artists, I am interested in things that look "cool". I like to follow trends and I really love the look of inner wrist tattoos. The only thing is, I am a little afraid it will become the next lower back tattoo... or tickle me Elmo... or those weird sunglasses that look impossible to see out of. You know, waaaay too overdone!
5. I don't want to be asked questions or groped by strangers... or casual acquaintances for that matter. I've seen it happen, probably done it before, and simply do not want to deal with it.
6. I have have made enough impulsive decisions in my life, and I finally found something that I explored and was interested in, but ultimately decided was not right for me. I love the culture surrounding tattoos, and the art is AMAZING if its done by the right artist. I think Kat Von D is wickedly cool, and I love her tattoos... on her.

Regardless of my decision, I still liked the little pieces of art that came from exploring this option. I know this is a long and slightly off topic blog post for me, but I feel that I made the correct decision for me and I want to encourage others to think things through before they make big decisions, no matter what the end decision.

Marv Painting

2009-11-11T13:22:00.003-06:00

{Oil on Paper, 2009}

I finished up this painting of Marv from Sin City for Scott. You see part of the process on THIS post. In my current paintings, I am trying to be less controlled on every single aspect of the piece. I think you can see some of that with the background and jacket.

Work in Progress: First Day with Oil

2009-11-10T18:11:00.004-06:00

{First Layer of Oil, 2009}

{Detail, 2009}

I started putting a thin layer of oil paint on this illustration today. I wanted some of the values and a few parts of the drawing to show through (at least for now) while I am working out the major color palette. Tomorrow I spend a lot of my time at the Des Moines Art Center teaching, but I hope to get some painting done during my afternoon break and continue painting on Thursday and Friday! My aim is to try to be done with this by mid next week.

Work in Progress: Winter Scene

2009-11-09T16:39:00.002-06:00

{Final Sketch on Illustration Board, 2009}

{Acrylic Layer to Seal Drawing, 2009}

I have a bunch of little things going on in my studio right now, but I have been working on this fairly large (18"x8.5") illustration for a week now. It took awhile to get the drawing right, plus it was a hectic week last week... and the "hectic" wasn't art related, just life. Nothing serious, but it prohibited me from spending much quality time in my studio. More than anything, I'm just glad to be back in my little space working away! I can't wait to get started on the oil portion of this piece and share the progress.

Marv and the Ultimate Question Answered

2009-11-06T11:14:00.008-06:00

{Marv from Sin City Sketch, 2009}

{First Layer of Oil Paint, 2009}

{Mickey Rourke as Marv in Sin City}

My friend from college, Scott (aka Workhorse) has been on my case about fulfilling my promise to illustrate my interpretation of Marv from Sin City (easily my favorite character!) I'm not a die hard comic-bookie or anything, but I really loved the depth in the movie and Marv stands out as a complex character. In my drawing I made Marv's eyes a little sadder, 'cause this guy has been through some stuff! I'll probably make some adjustments as I continue working through the painting (which is relatively small at about 4"x4") I'll post the finished piece as soon as it gets done... and then I will promptly mail it to Mr. Workhorse.

Now, as I mentioned in the title of this post... The answer to the ultimate question.

Q: How do giraffes drink from a drinking glass?
A:

{Pen and Ink, 2009}

I know, I know... my sense of humor is hideous.

More Halloween Pictures!

2009-11-01T10:43:00.006-06:00

{Pumpkins lit up, 2009}

{Costumes, 2009}

{Finished Makeup, 2009}

{Ken's Wonderful Costume, 2009}

I know this is generally an illustration blog, but I can't help but share more of our Halloween happenings! We spent so much creative energy on our pumpkins and Ken's costume that I think its totally legit to share it here! Ken came up with the idea of a Lego man costume. He did a scale drawing in AutoCAD and started to build the costume using cardboard and tons of other mundane materials. When he got to the final stages I helped sand parts of the costume and I painted the torso and areas of the face. The final product turned out fabulous and even won him $500 at a local radio/casino costume contest! I loved working on the project with him too. Its always such a wonderful bonding experience to work together on something creative... especially when the hard work pays off! (literally!) Hope everyone out there had a safe and happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween 2009!

2009-10-31T16:24:00.009-05:00

{Digital Mixed Media, 2oo9}

{Oliver's Costume, 2009}

{Our Pumpkins, 2009}

{Close up of my Pumpkin, 2009}

{Close up of my Husband's Pumpkin, 2009}

{Oliver Helping, 2009}

I hope everyone has a wonderfully spooky Halloween! The pictures above are a sampling of how we get into the Halloween spirit here at the Camling household! As you can see, Oliver is a big part of it! I don't think he really appreciates the costume, but he was ALL ABOUT helping carve the pumpkins! Can't wait to post some costume pictures later. (not so much mine, but the costume my husband and I worked on for him!) Can you believe tomorrow is already November?!

"Swine Flew" Illustration

2009-10-30T09:26:00.003-05:00

{Oil, 2009}

I'm so pleased to be done with this piece. Now I can move on to something else! If you scroll down the blog, you will see the progression of this piece from sketch to where it is now. I'm glad I made the changes in the lighting and background. I think it adds more to the type of mood I am trying to portray. I don't know about the rest of you, but when I enter the late stages of a painting, I feel as though I am holding my breath hoping my hand doesn't slip or my color choices aren't wrong as I daub the last few details on!

Illustrations for My Light Magazine

2009-10-29T09:11:00.005-05:00

{Digital, 2009}

These are my contributions to the November 2009 My Light Online Magazine. I did the drawings with colored pencil and scanned them into photoshop to add color. I always forget how enjoyable it is to paint in Photoshop... plus the added luxury of "command z". (all you digital illustrators out there know what I'm talkin' bout!) Well, I'm off to go finish my painting from the previous post... hope to be done with it today!

Progress on Flying Pigs

2009-10-26T21:04:00.003-05:00

{Work in Progress, 2009}

{My Palette, 2009}

If you regularly read this blog, you have probably seen some of the stages of this illustration. There were several areas that I wasn't happy with. For instance, I didn't like the background; it looked too cheerful. I didn't like the standard lighting on the characters; didn't evoke the sense of mood I want to portray. Due to my unhappiness with certain compositional elements, I have been reworking areas and I wanted to share my progress so far. I also included a photo of my palette, because it is always interesting to see all the little colors I've mixed during a painting session and I don't even realize how full the palette is until I am cleaning up.

Autumn Spice Headbands

2009-10-22T15:05:00.004-05:00

{I'm wearing one of my autumn inspired headbands, 2009}

{Headbands: Details and Colors , 2009}

When I got my hair cut too short to wear in a ponytail, I decided I wanted to make some autumn inspired headbands. I made one for myself, and then I made five more variations to sell at the Market Street Media Foundry Market Day. The sale is this Saturday (October 24, 2009) from 9-5. Not only can you find reasonable art and craft deals, this particular Market Day event is also having a rummage sale. If you are in the Des Moines area, stop by for some great finds and even better deals!

Market Street Media Foundry

118 SE 4th Street

Des Moines, Iowa 50309

Illustration Friday - Frozen

2009-10-19T09:15:00.003-05:00

{Ink Pen in Moleskine, 2009}

I did a pen sketch in my sketchbook last night. This is probably all I will have time for this week, but I still think the little sketch has quite a bit of personality! I am busy preparing for Market Day (this Saturday, October 24th...stop by if you are in the Des Moines area!) and also some other little mysterious illustration based things that need to be tied up into neat little bows in the next few weeks.

And the Winner is...

2009-10-17T13:24:00.005-05:00

{Oliver waiting to choose the WINNER!, 2009}

{Oliver with the WINNING entrant!, 2009}

I want to thank everyone for playing along in celebration of my 300th blog post! Join me in congratulating Margaret, who is the winning entrant! I have e-mailed her, and once the finished painting is done, I will post it on this blog. Also, special thanks to Oliver, for helping to choose the winner. You can't get any more random than that, can you?!

Illustration Friday - Flying

2009-10-15T18:33:00.002-05:00

{Oil on Board, 2009}

This is a little piece of the illustration that I am currently working on. I am hoping to be done with the whole thing very soon. When I finish it, I will, of course, post it here!

Also, you can comment on my previous post until Saturday with a chance to win a painting! Check out the details HERE!

300th Post Giveaway!

2009-10-13T10:58:00.007-05:00

{Oil on Canvas, 2009}

I am working on some smaller paintings to sell at Market Day in Des Moines on October 24th. This painting measures 4"x12" and will be put up for sale. I will post more as I finish them!

NOW, FOR THE EXCITING NEWS!

This post represents my 300th post on this blog! In honor of this post, I am going to be giving away an original mini painting of which the winner will choose the subject matter. Here is a concise list of the details:

1. To enter, you simply need to leave a comment. In that comment, you MUST include at least your FIRST NAME and a current E-MAIL address. (A link to your blog or something that I can contact you with works too!)
2. YOU CAN ONLY ENTER ONCE. Additional comments will be discarded before the drawing.
3. Contest closes on Saturday, October 17, 2009 at Noon Central: UTC-6/DST-5.

4. One winner chosen at random will win a custom painted mini canvas (4"x4").
5. Once chosen, the winner will be notified and they will choose the subject matter of their painting!
6. The painting will be completed and posted on this blog for all the world to see!

* EDIT: The contest is NOW CLOSED. Thanks for all of you who participated! I will post the winner before 4pm today! Thanks!!*