Featured Artist of the Week -Deb

This week I have a great artist for you to meet.  Just looking at her art makes me smile!!!
HERE IS DEB!
My name is Deb, I am a mother and also a grandmother to  three girls and one boy.
They are a great inspiration for a lot of my artwork.
I do “Live” caricatures at private parties
as well custom caricatures from photographs.
I draw both adults and children and furry kids too.
I have been striving to create unique gift items that incorporate caricatures.
I have a range of affordable items to purchase for ones self or to give as a gift.
In 2011 I came up with Bobbles they are three dimensional caricatures
and the little heads really bobble.
My oldest grand daughter was the inspiration for my very first
bobble head caricature as it was made for a birthday gift for her.
Birthday Bobble Head Caricature
Over the year they developed and became more detailed, larger and
can include pets, room settings, careers and hobbies.
During the holidays and really any time of year I create
what I call danglers. I make both hearts and stars with
caricatures hand painted with inks and watercolors
again both people and animals adorn these.
Since I do a variety of different mediums I have a variety of ways to offer
my caricatures. I renamed my shop  The Caricature Shoppe just be fore Christmas 2011
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CaricatureShoppe
I am also recently incorporating realistic animal portraits into my shop which
I started with the new year, these are done from photographs and are available
as a digital print or an original print.

If you want to see a bit more of what Deb does, check out her FB page!  Go give her some love!

If you are an artists, or know of an artist you think deserves to be featured, please let me know with an email, karengass144@gmail.com 

 

My featured artists will go on to be featured on three more blogs this month. First she was featured on Bridgett’s blog, Slave to My Needles Tuesday , today it's here, and then on the Indie Mosaic blog! So you get maximum exposure! Since we all do different things you will reach different readers on each of our blogs and you really get your name out there! It’s really great. And best of all: It’s free! If you enjoyed reading this and want to be featured yourself, or know of someone that you think should be featured, please let me know through an email, or a comment on this post. I would also recommend that you check out the upcoming artists in the calendar in the Indie Mosaic board!

Featured Artist of the Week -Jess

I have a wonderfully interesting artist for you to meet, today and she has one heck of a sense of humor as well.  Here she is!!!!

Hey. I’m Jess, and I crochet monsters. That’s what I say to people when they ask me what I do. I also make hats, assorted monster accessories, design crochet patterns, and then there’s the butts. The reaction to that part is always fun. I crochet cat and pug butt ornaments and keychains. They make me laugh.

Bad hat my foot! I LOVE THIS ONE!

I started off as a bad hat maker, who had no concept of gauge or texture or sizing. It was a disaster. I moved to crocheted flowers and then to beaded crochet jewelry. Eventually I fell into doll making, and the monsters kind of took over.
My monsters are my main gig, as they make me the happiest creatively. I also have 2 little boys who seem to dig them. Monsters it is! I was crocheting only art doll monsters for a while, but my kids couldn’t play with them. They were stuffed with plastic bags, which is very earth friendly, but kids don’t get that. This brought about the monster plush dolls that the kiddies can play with.

squeeeee! So cute!

I’m trying to figure out how to make all of this as eco-friendly as possible. I still stuff my monster sculptures with plastic bags, and I’m hoping to move entirely to wool and other renewable fibers. First I have to work through my stash of acrylic and various fun furs. For now, new yarn coming in is renewable only and the kids get monsters stuffed with wool instead of polyester fiberfill. It’s a work in progress.

So creative!!!!

The cat butts and pug butts, along with the crochet pattern designing, breaks up the monster work. This keeps me from feeling like it’s the same old thing everyday. I’m working on building up my online presence, doing more craft shows, and getting my work into art galleries. In the meantime, you can find me in the garden or snowboarding with my kids… or fighting with the knitting that I’m still trying to master.

Website: http://knotbygranma.com

Etsy: http://knotbygranma.etsy.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/knotbygranma
Facebook: http://facebook.com/knotbygranma
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/knotbygranma

If you are an artist, or know of an artist you think deserves to be featured, please let me know by leaving a comment here. 

This Featured Artist just came from Slave To My Needles, then the Indie Mosaic blog and was just featured on Bridgett’s blog! So you get maximum exposure! Since we all do different things you will reach different readers on each of our blogs and you really get your name out there! It’s really great. And best of all: It’s free! If you enjoyed reading this and want to be featured, or know of someone that you think should be featured, leave a comment on this post, or email me at karengass144@gmail.com. I would also recommend that you check out the upcoming artists in the calendar on the Indie Mosaic board!

Featured Artist of the Week - Chris French (sorry, a day late)

Welcome to our Featured Artist segment of our blog.  We hope these posts will help you get to know our artists, some of which are registered at Indie Mosaic’s forum, where you are welcome to register as a buyer to place your custom requests and/or an artist so people can get to know you and what you offer.
We will be featuring a new artist every Thursday….So sign up to get all our posts right into your inbox.

This week’s featured artist, is a fiber artist.
Here is the bunny man, himself….Chris French!!!
I spin. I knit. I bunny. Well, I raise French & German angora bunnies that lovingly provide fabulous fiber that I blend into alpaca and wool for handspun yarn.
My journey in crafting spans a number of decades. I first learned to knit and crochet when I was in the 4^th grade—I was in an accident and was bedridden for several months due to a fractured pelvis. One of my friend’s mother taught me the basics, and that was the beginning of lots of fun times learning about the two crafts.

I LOVE THESE COLOURS!!!!

Fast forward to college in the early 1980s, and I discovered Lopi sweaters—I must have made six or seven of them! At that time I was knitting English style and learned to knit Continental so that I could knit with both hands to manage the two-color rows. I didn’t know it was called Continental knitting; I just called it left handed knitting!
Twenty years ago I learned to spin. I bought a second-hand Louet S-10, found a local spinning group, and I was off. A couple of years later my partner purchased me a Reeves 22” Saxony style wheel, that Rick Reeves made with the mother-of-all (flyer, etc) on the right side so I could spin left handed. It sounds complicated, but in short, I draft the fiber from the orifice on the right, across my front, and to the left, drawing back for a modified longdraw. This works well for quick spinning.
Three years ago I quit my job working in the natural foods industry (first at a food co-op, then a local, natural & organic store). I have a lifetime of migraines, and working a set schedule, or even anyone else’s schedule was becoming a problem for me. I ended that job, with the goal of starting a business selling handspun yarn and handknit items. I am very fortunate to have a loving & understanding partner, who has been tremendously supportive in this dream. Later that year, Vtknitboy handspun yarns was created.
I’ve always wanted to have a small farm with sheep and alpacas, but in reality, I know it all would be too much work for me to do. So…I hopped right into the world of angora bunnies! Two years ago I got two French angora bunnies, a brother & sister. Primo Torto is a tort color French angora, and his sister, Nuit Noire, is a black French angora. Shortly after, I got a chestnut French, Chessie. Later that year I purchased Annabelle-nippy-diva, a German angora. So far, that’s the bunny family! The bulk of the fiber I use in blending for spinning comes from Annabelle. German angora bunnies are larger than French, and provide a lot more fiber. German bunnies do not shed, so I can clip her on a regular schedule. Annabelle’s fleece can vary from 10-16oz, and I clip her every 90 days. The three French bunnies yield approx 4-8oz three times a year. They shed their fiber, and I harvest it by gently brushing and combing them over a period of about 1.5 weeks.

Torto baby

Beautiful Niut! Gorgeous bunny!!!

Bunnies are just amazing! I had no idea what I was getting into. They have unique, individual personalities, love lots of attention, and have bitchy moments, just like people. They provide fiber and endless entertainment.

Annabelle before …..

… and after getting a hair cut

Their fiber is incredibly soft and warm. Estimates range from 4-8 times warmer than wool. I just figure, it’s a lot warmer, and a little goes a long way. Just adding 10-20% to wool yarn creates a fabulous garment. Most of the yarn I spin and sell contains 20-30% bunny, a lot of alpaca, and a bit of wool. I also sell hats and scarves created from my handspun. The yarn generally falls into sportweight to worsted weight category. Knitting it on large needles (approximately US 8-11) helps to highlight the bunny fiber, which will fill out and halo a bit. Many of the hats I sell are knit doublestranded, and the hand (feel) of the fabric is soft & squishy.

Chessie as a baby!

You can find hats and a couple of scarves listed on my etsy site, vtknitboy. I am currently out of handspun, but will be spinning in the next week!

Hand knitted hats, from handspun yarn, from home-raised bunnies! Does it get any better? NO!!!

You can find me on Facebook, as Chrisinvermont. Chris French, Jericho, VT. I am Vtknitboy on Ravelry, and on twitter. I would be honored to connect with you in either or both places! I have a blog that has been on vacation lately, but will be back in business this month: vtknitboy.blogspot.com
  
There you have it! The bunny-man himself! Seriously! Buying from Chris,  you know you get wonderful fibre and you also can be sure the bunnies supplying it are well taken care of and happy and healthy! It’s always important that the animals are happy! We can make sure of that by supporting artists and fibre-farmers like Chris! 
Now go and check out what he’s got listed!
Here are some more pictures of Chris’s work!
 

Annabelle before …..

Annabelle after getting a hair cut

 

Chessie as a baby!

 

 

 

 

 

Hand knitted hats, from handspun yarn, from home-raised bunnies! Does it get any better? NO!!!

Beautiful Niut! Gorgeous bunny!!!

 

 

Torto baby

If you are an artist, and would like to be featured, please send an email to spinndiva@gmail.com  with a few paragraphs about yourself  and what you do and attach a few pics.  For sure, you will go on the list of Featured Artists and we will let you know when you are scheduled and where…And where?  Well, read on…..
When you are listed to be featured, you will first be featured on Bridgett’s blog and then you will go on to be featured on three more blogs within one week’s time. First, on Louise’s blog then, on Karen’s blog, and then, on the Indie Mosaic blog! So you get maximum exposure! Since we all do different arts you will reach different readers on each of our blogs and you really get your name out there! It’s really great! And best of all: It’s FREE! 
We would also recommend that you check out the upcoming featured artists in the calendar on the Indie Mosaic board and while you are there, register as an artist and/or buyer and find the category under Library of Artists that best suits your art and tell people about yourself and what you do.  If you have a custom request you would like filled, post it with as many details as  possible under the Custom Requests category.
 (We do reserve the right to censor what we feature. We have a family friendly blog and WILL keep it that way! We hope you understand! )
Now, go check out Chris and show him some love!!! 
Thank you, Chris, for the opportunity to learn all about a very intriguing art form!!!!

Part of my Vintage Pattern Collection

My sister found a treasure filled box in her thrift shopping a few weeks ago - about 50-60 vintage patterns in Great condition, some never used or unfolded. She got them for me and shipped them to me, and I'm just today getting my favorites posted for you. So - Many Pictures coming, go get that second cup of coffee while they download :)

You can click on each one to make it bigger - my favorite? The wedding dress from Advance - and it's not a printed pattern! I will make it, maybe not as a wedding dress, but as a beautiful dress, and that will be fun! :) Oh the challenge!!!

Enjoy! Karen :)