Once again, Queen Kat stamps offer both whimsey and fun. Visit her store front here. I just love the large selection of stamps, accessories and just plain stuff she has available in her store.
Please check her out! I hope you all have a wonderful night!
Hi friends! This is part II of our series on our artist interviews. Last time we had Melia Newman and this time we are here with Maigan Lynn. Maigan has been with us since early 2009 and is still rocking out the mermaids and fantasy designs. She was the very first outside artist that I hired for the company and I'm so excited that she's with us all these years later.
We are debuting a new line from Maigan on May 2nd, that's next Wednesday! It's called "The Willow Lane Collection by Maigan Lynn" and on May 7th, Which just happens to be Maigan's birthday, we will have a big surprise to reveal to you and her. :) That's right! I've been keeping a secret again. :) Here's a video I made using Sophie, one of the new stamps in the Willow Lane Collection!
Let's get to know Maigan Lynn...
-What is your favorite
medium?
My favorite medium, by far, is
watercolours. For my level of patience I find oils take too long to dry,
acrylics dry too fast, and watercolours are just right for me. I can still play
around with them after they've dried.
What style do you
consider your work to be?
I consider my work to be fantasy
illustration watercolour as I mostly create illustrative characters as fairies
or mermaids.
-What made you start
doing art and when did you begin your career in art?
I know most artists will say they
had been creative for as long as they can remember, which is much the same for
me. I don't ever remember feeling like I expressed any superior talents. I just
always felt I had a bit of a different take on the tasks I was presented with
in school (elementary and high school art classes). I started to take my work a
little more seriously around 2003. I had been dealing with extreme amounts of
anxiety making it almost impossible for me to work so I had to do something and
art was the answer. It was a very meager living at first but it quickly grew
into something sustainable. It was a lot of work but I was passionate about it.
It was a lifeline for me. I had my loved ones to keep me going when times were
tough and coping seemed almost impossible but creating art gave me a purpose.
What/ Who most
inspires you?
As a Taurus I love the be surrounded
in beauty. I love the way I feel when I look at beautiful things. So I find a
lot of inspiration in artists who spark a sense of whimsy, imagination, beauty,
and fun. When I first started, Amy Brown was my biggest inspiration - she still
is. At first it was her artwork - the bratty little pixies and pretty fairies.
I loved the worlds she created. Then I read her story and how she started. It
wasn't anything extremely glamorous and I came to realize that she was a
regular person, just like me. And if she could do this as a living then why
couldn't I? My inspiration really started there but grew to include artists
like Jasmine Beckett Griffith and Rion Vernon (pinuptoons.com). I've also made
a lot of artists friends over the years who inspire me daily and there are
honestly too many of them to name without missing someone on the list. I also
find I'm inspired by nature, movies, books, and the things I see on a daily
basis. It doesn't take much to make the creative wheels turn!
Are you a full time
artist?
Yes I am and I love every minute of
it! :)
What is your favorite
subject matter and why?
Mermaids - though Fairies is a close
second! I love mermaids because they're so impossible, so beautiful, and can
take on so many different characters. Anytime I would be in a bath or swimming
as a kid I would always pretend to be a mermaid or a fish. I loved being in the
water. The magic and the colours that come to mind when I think of them always
give me that warm fuzzy happy feeling.
What are your favorite
colors to use in your artwork? Do you tend to stick to a certain palette?
Anything bright! My preferences are
the cool colours - blues, purples, greens - but there are instances when the
warm colours are necessary as well. Balance is essential. However, I do also
have an inner gothling which calls for a much darker colour pallette. It really
does depend on the tone of the art piece.
If you could meet any
artist living or dead who would it be and why?
Amy Brown - so I could see how her
mind works and just be surrounded by the magic of her mind for a day.
Jasmine Beckett Griffith - because I
am so curious about her process. It seems she's able to come up with these
absolutely gigantic paintings on a daily basis and still maintain a
social/family life.
Leonardo Da Vinci - because I know
he saw things in a way that no one else did and I want to see his mind in
action as well. I also want to know the secret to the Mona Lisa straight from
the horses mouth! :)
I would also like to meet the artist
friends I've made over the years as well. They've been such a huge help in
times when I've struggled and I'd like to be able to thank them all in person.
Even to just go out for lunch would be fun I think. :)
Stay tuned for Part III of our Artist interview series. We will have Trish Shufelt up next.
Thank you for joining us.
I had a wonderful time creating this tag using the technique from the video above. I took a really great class at Queens Ink at Savage Mills in Maryland.
The class was so wonderful. It was quiet by accident that I was there to take the class, I thought the "two tag" class was on Thrusday, it was Tuesday, I missed the two tag one for the card making one. Even though I'm primarly a paper artist/card maker, I was so thrilled to take the class. It was so fun. We pretty much used the techniques that are shown in the video above for the most part, adding my own colors, stamps and embellishments.
I went by my local Wal-mart and in the home decore' section, I found 3 stencils for $2.99. I bought three different ones and am having a blast with this technique. It works very well on manilla envelopes,folders and tags as well. Go get your cheap paper towels and go for it!
I am a girl of the 70's. Well, I was. Those were my teenage years, the years of flower power, CCR and Blood, Sweat & Tears, sizzler suits, hot pants, bell-bottom jeans, and suede fringe jackets. Boys who were cute were foxy, and their hair was longer than ours. In high school, we were big, we were bad and we were burnt...
But all good things must come to an end...THANK GOD!!!
Now it's spin classes, annual physicals and Weight Watchers for health, the "oldies" radio station and reruns of Saturday Night Live for entertainment, and a night out usually means going out to dinner and ends around ten pm!! Not that I'm complaining. I get kinda cranky if I'm not in my pajamas, getting ready to go to bed by 10! But still, those years were good to me.
Forgive my little rant of nostalgia, it goes very well with the tie-dye patterned paper I used for my new card, along with the title of my post (thank you, Stray Cats). The Queen Kat Designs image, called Flutter Cat by artist Terrell Dorfeo, gave me such a flashback to my teen years that I had to make it, if not "vintage" (I'm not my 101 year old grandma), then a little "psychodelic".
The "Flutter Cat" image will be released this month, so if you like it, check QKD for when it goes on sale! I loved coloring him with my Copics, and the way he's curled around that flower made me cut the image in the shape of a circle.
Decorating the card front are the tiny Prima flowers, in whose centers I placed tiny pearls, and two colors of raffia. I added more pearls to the iamge for a little bling.
I hope you like my kitty. Happy crafting!!
Hi everyone! to kick off our new video series we have an interview from the lovely Melia Newman! Here's the interview I did with her. You'll find the video of a card I made using a stamp set by Melia at the end of the interview. I hope you enjoy! Please stop by Melia's Facebook page and like it.
-What is your favorite medium? Currently watercolor and pen and ink, and I have recently become obsessed with face painting and learning digital art. What style do you consider your work to be? Cute fantasy
-What made you start doing art and when did you begin your career in art? I have been making art all my life. My grandmother was a landscape artist and to keep me out of her hair so she could paint I was given art supplies. The beginning of my career was a bit of a winding path. I actually got my degree in art, but was so burned out by the time I graduated that I had no interest in painting. I took art quilting and was selling those on ebay about 9 months after graduation. Then found myself spending more time designing my embroidery patterns than quilting and figured out I needed to go back to more traditional art mediums. I started a pop cubist style that was heavily influenced by my time quilting. Most I was doing belly dancers, since I was dancing at the time. Then the cats started taking over and the cubist style didn't work for them, so my style evolved to more cute and whimsical. Then I got bored and started adding butterfly wings. Before I knew it I was doing fantasy work, which suddenly made me feel free to do whatever I wanted, so the dragons I drew in my youth began making an appearance again.
-What/ Who most inspires you? The kids, both the human ones and the furry ones. My dragons often are inspred by our German Shepherd Wolfie and my son. The fairy cats have a bit of my daughter's and our 3 cats in them.
-What is your favorite subject matter and why? That changes so often. I will obsesses over mercats for months and then suddenly I have to draw dragons, and after a few weeks I can't stop drawing art nouveau inspired pin up fairies.
-What are your favorite colors to use in your artwork? Purple Do you tend to stick to a certain palette? No, I love color and will look for excuses to buy new paints, so I color with just about all the colors. I might stick to a particular set of colors for a month or two then move on.
-If you could meet any artist living or dead who would it be and why? Such a long list for that. Mucha, Manet, Romero Britto, Laurel Burch, Shag, Suess, Frazetta, those Scottish sitters that were involved in the Art Nouveau movement I can't remember their names..
You can find melia's website at: http://www.bemusedart.com
and her Fan Page at: http://www.facebook.com/BeMuses
This is the card that I made with Melia's stamp set called Whip Dip
This is the video I made using some fun techniques to make the card above. I show you how to use Liquid Applique, Odorless Mineral Spirits to color and Random Stamping for Backgrounds. Please be patient with my video. It's a new camera. My old one konked out on me and I'm still learning the boundries for this new one. :)
Welcome to Queen Kat on a new day of the week! Monday! I actually like Monday.
Yes, I admit that is a bit nuts, but when your husband and kids are constantly under foot all weekend, it is a nice break. You can catch up on the chores and laundry created by the weekend. You can create, and just relax and enjoy down time.
Today in my beginner series, I will show you how to make your own alcohol inks, use store bought ones and make a wonderful back ground paper for all of your paper crafting needs. This versatile technique can be used on many other projects.
Please email me at Ms.Rhetta@gmail.com if you have any questions. Stamp Happy be a blessing.
That's the name of this Queen Kat Designs April release stamp, Blue Hair Dollie, by artist Ady Almanza.
I love this image. She looks like she's staring up at something, and as far as cards go, the sky's the limit as to embellishments. I placed stars above her head for her to look toward, but a sentiment, flowers, butterflies, anything at all would work here!
I had fun using my Epic Six and the Dahlia die to frame out my image, and colored her with my trusty Copics. I'm leaving the inside blank until I have a need for this card, so it could be anything, from a birthday card to a handwritten note from me to you!
Check out all the April releases at QKD's Shoppe!! Happy crafting!!
Queen Kat Designs Stamp Co. (www.katstamps.com) announces its latest search for loyal, dedicated and excited Royal Court members! You must be a STAMPER and card maker to apply. We are a stamp manufacturer that makes laser etched rubber stamps. We are looking for people who LOVE to stamp and can do so on a deadline with a smile
*Must love to color!* *Must be able to do a minimum of 4-6 cards a month* *Must be able to blog 1 time a week on your own blog* *Must be able to blog 1 time a week on one of our company blogs* *Must be able to participate on our Facebook Fan Page each week* *Must be able to post your own creations to our online gallery*
Work Description: *4-6 Hand stamped cards a month (photographs only, you keep your cards) *1 Blog post a week on your personal blog (using 1 of the cards you made for your monthly quota) *1 Blog post on one of the 2 Queen Kat Designs Blogs or the Fan Page ( Francis Mary Blog or the QKD Company blog, you will be assigned to 1 of the blogs upon hire) *Participation on the QKD Facebook Fan page at least three times a week *Check in on the Court’s private message board at least 3 times a week to make sure you’re up to date
Perks of the team: +Worldwide exposure to your work through our blogs and online idea gallery +Free rubber stamps each month of your term +30% off any rubber stamps in our online store for your term (this also includes fabric blocks and iron on transfers) +And more… Please see info below and take your time to prepare a well thought out application. Make 3 cards showcasing your best work and blog about them on your blog with a link to the Queen Kat Designs Royal Court Call. (Cards must be new for this call and can use any stamps and products you want. Of course we are partial to QKD stamps but welcome submissions with any stamps.) b. Email us the link to your blog post to: royalcall@katstamps.com with the following (all in 1 email please!) c. Include the following information in the body of your email: Your full name, mailing address, phone number, blog or website address, email address. Current bloggers only! This call is open to anyone in the WORLD!!. d. Provide one paragraph about yourself telling us about you and make sure your personality shines through.
General Questions… 1. Would you say you are primarily a stamper or a scrap booker? 2. How long have you been stamping/ scrapbooking? 3. Have you participated in any other design teams? If so, please explain (guest designer, regular designer, for store, for manufacturer, for kit company), and if currently on other teams, please list those teams and your commitment. Please list the work load and the length of your commitments as well as names of companies. 4. What is your motivation for participating in our design team? (Be candid) 5. Do you currently own any Queen Kat Designs stamps? If not, why not? (Please be candid) 6. Are you able/ willing to make at least one post per week to promote our products? 7. Are you able/ willing to commit to a 6 month term with QKD at this time?
Applications are due by May 5th at 10am MST New Royal Court members will be contacted by May 7th via email.
Please send everything in 1 email to: royalcall@katstamps.com
This image is Virgo. One of the many great stamps available at Queen Kat. She is not what I had intended to thave a brand new post for Monday. However, we as a family is stuck in Sandiego CA. My post is at home on my personal computer. SO, until I can get to it later this week I wanted to at least get you guys to go do some shoppoing.
Queen Kat is so much fun, Her store and fun stuff is so much great fun to work with. Go check it out and stay tuned to the blog for for more information and a new post later this week. Thanks for your patience!
Sometimes we need a little encouragement or a reminder to tell our partners that we love them. Here is my humorous way of reminding my girlfriend to let her hubby know that she loves him, while poking fun at the whole thing at the same time. His birthday is later this month, and I love both of them dearly.
Here's a sneak peek at a new stamp from Queen Kat Design's called Queen of Frogs by artist Sandra Caldwell. I love this image and have more in store for you!
Meanwhile, this card features her highness amid a background of flowers. I received an assortment of diecut cards and love the look of them. This one reminded me of latticvework in a garden, so I had to use something with flowers on it. The caption reads: "Have you kissed Your frog today?"
Queen of Frogs is being released this month, along with a number of gorgeous, funny and bold new stamps from many different artists. Come have a peek at them HERE.
I created the card above using the Clockwork owl by Hazel Fisher. I must admit at first I couldn't see the potential of this stamp offered by Queen Kat. The stamp is available on her fantastic web site.
I took a couple of months off to re-group following some personal family problems that emerged. We are all doing well and by the grace of God we will be better because of our current situation.
I am so happy to be part of such a wonderful Design team. The stamps are whimsical and offer themselves to a variety of uses. The owl reminded me of vigilance. A word we don't see often these days.
Webster's offers this definition: vig·i·lance /ˈvɪdʒələns/ Show Spelled[vij-uh-luhns]
noun 1. state or quality of being vigilant; watchfulness: Vigilance is required in the event of treachery.
In a time of economic down turn, uncertainty in the world market economy, we must be vigilant, keep watch and be aware.
I hope you all will have a wonderful week. Stamp Happy be a blessing!
