Art of the month-Sketching/painting

So the Art of the month for the month of February is Sketching and painting (Drawing)

We will have a separate page for gallery of all the rocking sketches and paintings...

Keep following and enjoy THE ART :)

Paper Dogwood Flowers

How To make Dogwood Flowers:
1. Cut card stock into 5-inch squares. Fold a square in half, then fold in half again. Open square, and crease diagonally, reversing direction of fold; repeat to make another diagonal crease. 

2. Fold square back up along original creases. Trace petal template onto square. 

3. Cut out along open edges. Snip off a tiny bit of pointed tip; unfold flower. 

4. With an unused pencil eraser and green ink, stamp small marks at indents on each petal. 

5. Use a starburst-style stamp to mark center. Cut out leaves from green card stock. Secure flowers and leaves to branches with clear craft glue.

And your beautiful Dogwood Flowers are ready!

Using same procedure, you can even make this awesome Paper Cherry Blossom Display!!!

Tie-Dyed Leggings

Tools and Materials:
Soda ash
Water
Leggings made from 100 percent natural fiber, such as cotton or silk
Rubber bands
Jacquard Procion MX dye in a variety of colors
Squeeze bottles
Dawn detergent (or other mild or organic detergent)
Procedure:
1. Add 1 cup soda ash to 1 gallon of hot water. Soak leggings in this mixture for at least a half-hour. Remove leggings and wring out excess liquid.

2. Scrunch and gather tights everywhere except crotch area. Hold gathered areas in place with rubber bands.

3. Prepare up to six different colored dyes for the gathered areas of the leggings. In each squeeze bottle, mix 2 teaspoons dye with 4 ounces water, then add 4 more ounces to fill.

4. Starting with the color you want to be least prominent, squeeze dye into folds of fabric. Let dye drip onto fabric as you cover different areas, creating a trail of color.

5. Add remaining five colors, one by one, in the same manner.

6. Mix three more colors of dye in similar tones (for example: yellow, light yellow, dark yellow) for the background. One by one, completely saturate the leggings with these colors.

7. Let cure for 24 hours. Rinse thoroughly with cold running water, removing rubber bands once the water runs somewhat clear.

8. Wash with a mild detergent in warm water, avoiding detergents with harsh chemicals, which will remove the dye. Line dry or dry in a warm dryer.

Fabric-Punched Bouquet

Bring the beauty of flowers that never fade into your home with this surprisingly simple craft. These vintage-style keepsake bouquets includes pink violets, blue hydrangeas, and purple-and-gold pansies.

Tools and Materials:

• Lightweight fabrics, such as voile or Indian cotton
• Tray
• Medium paintbrush
• Liquid fabric stiffener, at crafts stores
• Petal and leaf craft punches
• Micro hole punch
• Floral pips (small wires with colored tips used to make silk flowers), at crafts stores
• Contact cement
• Floral wire
• Wire cutters
• Green floral tape
• Floral tape
• Vase (optional)

Procedure:

1. Begin by punching fabric flowers: Lay a piece of fabric in a shallow tray. With a medium paintbrush, apply enough fabric stiffener to saturate, but not soak, the fabric. Let it dry, about 1 hour. Repeat with any remaining fabric.

2. Using craft punches, punch out petals and leaves as close together on the fabric as possible.
3. Using a micro hole punch, make a hole in the center of each bloom. Slip a pip through each hole, and secure it with a dab of contact cement.
4. To make a stem, cut a length of floral wire, and wrap it around each pip with green floral tape.
5. For leaves, glue floral wire to each one to create veins and stems. Wrap stems with floral tape.
6. Gather blooms and leaves into a bouquet, and either tuck them in a vase or wrap the stems in more floral tape to join them.

Embellished Felted Ugg Boots

These beautifully embellished Ugg boots are a unique handmade holiday gift sure to make the recipient think of you every time they wear them.

Tools and Materials:

• Olive branch, deer 1, deer 2, cedar tree, and snowman templates
• Crocheted UGG boots
• Permanent marker
• Iron-off stabilizer
• Foam
• Rubber bands
• Pins
• Felting needle
• Muslin
• Iron

Procedure:

1. Download and print olive branch template. Using a permanent marker, trace template onto an iron-off stabilizer.

2. Roll up 1 inch of foam and wrap with rubber bands; stick foam inside boot. Pin stabilizer to boot, felting branch through stabilizer. Begin felting olives. Pull away leftover stabilizer.

3. Place a piece of muslin over design and give it a little steam with iron to relax fibers.

Beaded Bags

1. CUT FABRICS

Using a pencil, lightly trace the shape of the bag onto the fabric you plan to bead. Cut that piece 1/2 inch to 1 inch smaller than the trace line. Trace again onto a contrasting piece of fabric, and cut 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch smaller than the trace line.

2. SEW BEADS AND TRIM

Stitch seed beads, bugle beads, and sequins onto smaller piece of fabric, or glue beaded trim directly onto bag. If the fabric has a pattern, accentuate it -- outline a polka dot with sequins, echo stripes or plaids with bugle beads, or dot seed beads onto flowers.

3. ATTACH TO BAG

Fold the edges of the beaded piece under, and stitch to larger bottom piece; spray adhesive to the back of bottom piece, and press to bag.

Here are your beaded bags...Ready :)

Heart-Shaped Pot Holders

Cooks seeking to renew the spark in their culinary lives need look no further: Creating heart-shaped pot holders is a charming way to add whimsy and color to your kitchen's decor. They also make sweet Valentine's Day gifts. After all, these mitts are warm and fuzzy inside and all heart on the outside.

What You'll Need:

• Cotton batting
• Pins
• Cotton fabric (3 stacks of 12-by-12-inch pieces)
• Bias tape
• Sewing machine
• Scissors
• Pot holder template

Procedure:

Step 1

Before you begin, enlarge pot holder template by 200%, print and cut out as indicated. Fold three layers of cotton batting in half; align batting template's straight side with fold; pin, and cut out. Fold three stacked 12-by-12-inch pieces of cotton fabric in half; align heart template's straight side with fold; pin, and cut out. Lay pocket template on one folded fabric heart; cut on diagonal line.

Step 2

Sew bias tape to straight edge of pockets; backstitch ends.

Step 3

Layer the pieces, starting with a fabric heart (face down), batting, another fabric heart (face up), and pockets (face up); pin. Sew outside edge, leaving 1/4-inch seam allowance. Trim edge as close to stitching as possible.

Step 4

Sew bias tape to heart, starting at top center, folding ends under.

Step 5

Sew 5-inch piece of bias tape, ends turned under, into a loop. Stitch to pot holder.