greenbeanbaby art

diego and his pumpkin...

i am about a good week behind on my blog... so in case you get impatient, feel free to stop by at my flickr page... anyhow, diego went to the pumpkin farm the other week... when i went to pick him up, his teachers handed me his pumpkin, which seemed to weigh more than isabella!!! it was huge!!!! on one side of it, it had this dried mud skin to it... when i asked diego to show me his pumpkin for the photo, he kept turning it over so i can get a shot of the muddy part... apparently, he picked it out for this special feature...


this was the same week where i was babysitting my niece after school... nana and diego sat at the kitchen table working on coloring and homework.... i just kept thinking how in 3yrs from now, it will be diego and isabella sitting at the table... with nana visiting and helping diego with his homework... i am actually hoping diego will attend the same school as her, the spanish immersion school... and i hope isabella will be able to attend headstart pre-school because it's an awesome program!!!!

i've been going to trainings all week and it's amazing to see what they offer us parents... and they really get the parents involved in kids' school experience... to think, this is only the beginning of being involved! this is only the start of diego's education >gasp<!!! i hope that by the time isabella is in pre-school, i can put my talents to use and contribute a bit more [not that cleaning and caring for the family 24/7 isn't enough!!]... i guess i don't want my degree to collect dust forever... seeing diego in school and going to these trainings makes me miss getting educated!!! makes me want to make a bazillion dollars doing artwork at home so i can still go to the parent meetings and see diego off to school and isabella too... ah, it rekindles dreams....

and i must say, i love that diego "reads" more! everyday, i find his nose in a book... he loves when we read to him and isabella loves getting in the mix too!!! it's so much fun watching him read to himself and it's a delight to see him bring his transformers look and find book all around! him being in school has been such an advantage to us all :)

ah, it's every mama's dream to see their child learning!

a very dawbis package

there is so much goodness to blog about and not enough hours [or hands] to do so.... this week has been filled with lovely packages, wonderful training sessions, inspiration, and yes, artwork [finally].... i'll begin the week with a post about dawn's lovely package!!!! dawn aka dawbis and i did a swap recently... we swapped paper and art since we both love each other's work and of course, paper! she made this beautiful illustration called "superheroe moms" and it is just TOO beautiful!!!


i love how her people have so much character... they look as though they can walk right out of the the 2d world and into ours... they have so much movement and life!!! and story... can't you see a poem going along with each of her illustrations? you can check out more of her work at her flickr page... she will make you smile....


okay, i mentioned she sent paper, right?! oh boy, did she!!! there was so many and all so pretty [paper can't be ugly anyhow!]... it was so much fun browsing through each sheet.... and it gave me the oomph i needed to complete a few projects over the weekend [stay tuned for that post]...


dawn sent such a wonderful package! it is always fun swapping with people and getting to know them and their work... it feels good to send a package to someone you know who will appreciate your work... and it feels, of course, darn good to get one too!!! to own someone's handmade goodness!!! it feels good to own some of dawn's work :)


anyhow, it's been a wonderful week! i will be posting more and also, daily in november thanks to nablopomo [national blog posting month]... there is literally a list by my computer of things to post about that i've not gotten around to yet... hehe... so stay tuned!!

how to protect our work

while i do not have a degree on this topic, i would like to take the time to post about how we can protect our creations... i tried to keep it simple and not get too technical but hopefully it will help you all out... and your input is definitely appreciated...

first off, adding a watermark to images of your creations, can prevent people from stealing your images... you hear throughout the blog community of ignorant and tacky people who steal photographs and images... you'd think people would understand ethics... so a simple way to deter stealers from snagging your beautiful and time-consuming creations, add a watermark... and if you don't know how to do so, keep a lookout in november for my tutorial on how to make a watermark in photoshop :)

if you make an illustration or design for someone's personal use make sure to let the person know in writing, what they can and cannot do with that artwork... why is this so important? say, i made a design for natalie's blog... it was made for the intent of her blog and anything pertaining to her blog... she could use the design on her business card to advertise her blog... BUT she CANNOT take the image [or portions] and upload it onto cafepress and stick it on mugs, shirts, etc. and resell these products... why? because i made the design for personal use and not for a major profit... it's important to let your customers know this because you charged them according to what they are planning to use your artwork for... i mean, you'd charge "x" amount of dollars for a person's simple blog and "y" amount of dollars for a design for mcdonald's right? mcdonald's plans to use it in commercials, cups, advertisement, etc. so you SHOULD charge them according to what they are going to use it for...

but what if someone wants artwork for their business? maybe they want a banner for their online shop or an icon for their business... or maybe they want artwork for a brochure they are doing... what are your rights and their rights? again, you have the option of informing that person what they can and cannot do [in writing] with your artwork they are buying... you can say that they are allowed to use it for the specific purpose of their business and anything relating to their business, or for promotional use... in my opinion, i think its a bit tacky if people are buying your art and putting it on paraphernalia solely for  making a profit... i mean, if they put it on a mug and just sold it, what is the mug for? is it to advertise their business? or is it just for people to enjoy your art [without you making money]? a good example is this: i make an image for brenda's cookbook... she takes a portion of that image and puts it on cute little aprons... then she puts those aprons in a local shop and sells them.... is that right?! no way!!!!!! now, if she puts the image on the apron and uses them as give aways with her book- that would be okay... or maybe she puts the image on a mug and it has the info of her book on the mug too... that is okay as well...

now, say you sell an illustration or some works of art on etsy [for example]... that illustration, assuming, is for personal use... this means, the customer cannot resell it for profit... of course, people resell items on ebay all the time... i don't think it's right for people to resell handmade goods but i'm unsure of the legalities on this topic... so for the record, i am specifically talking about a person taking your illustration and reselling it [or portions of it] to a store and giving you no credit whatsoever... after all, i don't buy samantha's sewing goodness and resell them to a local store here... and i won't buy diane's art and resell prints my etsy shop... i don't have that right, even though i bought her work! i can't take her images and make notecards and try to make a profit... you'd think this was a very obvious no-no but it's good to clarify for those who like to bend the rules...

while the creative commons copyright is wonderful for crafters and artists, i think people tend to abuse this form of copyright... it's okay to be inspired by other people's work... but it's also really wonderful to give them credit!!!! and it's also courteous not to use their designs and sell items.... for example, my cut paper kits are all for personal use... no one is allowed to make them and then sell them on etsy or at craft fairs [or anywhere else]... it was merely a tool for enjoyment... you could make a card for a friend, but you cannot sell that card to a friend... it's not like a box of betty crocker cake mix where you make it, bake it, and sell it at a school bake sale...

i hope you found this post informative and simple enough to understand... this info has been put on the side of my blog as a separate page... i will also be adding a tutorial and a FAQ page about my artwork.... in due time though so please bare with me!

school. books. meetings.

with diego in headstart, and with me working on a children's book, there are books everywhere... neat little piles in the corner of the living room... a small pile by his bed and under isabella's crib... there is a pile next to the bookshelf as well as a few sitting on the kitchen table... there are books in my room and books in my studio.... but while i make it sound like a library here, the books are around so we can read and enjoy and be inspired....

although diego loves superman and marvel characters, he is a big fan of jane yolen's dinosaur series... first i will read him the book, then ramel will read it to him, then diego will "read" it to us...  isabella will try to eat it... eitehr way, its a great way to spend time with eachother, as well as scope out ideas from mark teague's amazing illustrations... we really want to get the rest of them!!! they were once part of ramel's collection but i think diego has become the new owner...

there are a bazillion books in this house... including "everybody poops" diego had such an expression on his face as we read it and observed the very informative illustrations... he also gets the li'l scholastic newsletter once a month...  we try to order a couple each time, since a portion goes to his school... and every time we read to him, it is counted as volunteer time and it also helps the school... to think, our reading will help another child be able to join head start next year...

i'm trying to be involved in diego's school... there are parent meetings, volunteer time, and more meetings... with headstart, they promote this and really help parents get to know the system and what is out there [that we may be in need of]... i decided to run for office for our school site [there are several headstart sites here in milwaukee] and became the chairperson! i walked out of there, excited but wondering how i can handle this with my sweet isabella, my art, my family, everything! but there is a way, right?! the staff promised they wouldn't mind that she'd tag along... so immediately, there was another meeting for leadership training for other chairpersons and representatives at the head start... sites....

this was an all day event... diego went to school all day and i went to the meeting... with isabella... now, at this meeting they voted for an overall chairperson and  guess who is that chairperson?! yup, the lady with the baby :)... isabella probably helped me win the vote with her cute smile... the staff there also said it wouldn't be a problem that she's going to tag along... maybe because she is cute and friendly and  was so well behaved, they saw her her as not a bother... i  mean, this girl was all smiles, and barely shed a tear! she slept thru a portion of the meeting as well and saved her bowel movements for the moment we got home...

so i went from being merely a parent to focusing on being as involved as i can be... i thought i'd be unable to do much with isabella so small but that isn't  true... she is going to learn about policies and systems and leadership at six months!!! she really was well behaved the entire time and once we got home, she turned up the volume... and took a two diapered dump.... blech!

we heart blake's art

there are so many talented artists out there...like blake aka trophiogrande... while i am a fan of blake's work, diego is also quite the fan!!!  everytime we check out his newest creations, diego is busy pointing out all the monsters and creatures.... he points out  which colors are what and always seems to stick close the the computer when we are surfing thru blake's flickr page...


so with blake's permission, iron on transfers were made with his art... a shirt was made for diego, and a onesie for isabella... and to show blake how cool his artwork is to wear, i tried very hard to take semi-decent photos of the kids sporting his talent.... one kid kept crawling away and the other felt inclined to jump up and down... they definitely were not zonin' out like the creature on their shirt!


see?! blake's art is cool for everyone!!!!  you gotta check out his etsy shop! he has these awesome fingerprint creature prints...and his prices are darn good too!!


so be sure to check out blake's work... diego does and he LOVES it! [and as we know, diego can be QUITE honest- haha]...

the honesty of children....

it's so much fun talking to a toddler.... and it's so much fun asking them a thousand questions and listening to them answer them, proving that you aren't doing such a bad job teaching them... and with help of school, it is wonderful to see your child get smarter and smarter each day....

so diego and i point at stuff and i will ask him his colors... he is pretty good at telling me all his colors too... do you think i'd confuse him if we started naming the colors turquoise, fuschia, evergreen, etc?! either way, he is as honest as can be....

pointing to my eyes, i go "what color are my eyes?"

"BROWN"

"what color is my hair?"

"ummm, BLACK"

"what color is my skin?!"

"WHITE"

[and  here is where i laugh at the fact that even diego declares me as pale!]

what color are my lips?

"PINK"

"diego, what color are my teeth?

"YELLOW!!!"

"oh geez, thanks! guess i better bust out the baking soda"

kids are incredibly honest [and i say this as i brush my teeth yet again]

the last days of summer...

can you believe that summer is nearly over?! at least it is here, in the midwest... i couldn't help but to take isabella outside and let her finally experience the grass, crawling...

dressed in a very floral tank top, she was delighted to be outside... despite her li'l cold, she was all character for the photos.. she even tugged at our long green grass and playfully threw it around...

all smiles, all crawls, all perfect sitting up... isabella is growing up so fast and i hope that i can capture every milestone, every important moment, and as many smiles as can be....

she won't be little forever... just like summer, the days fly by and every day is one we will never get back... regardless of all the troubles and stress bombarding the world, i am grateful to have such a wonderful family... and i am grateful to be able to share it with all this wonderful blogging community :)

weekend work...

there should have been more artwork made... however i felt compelled to clean and clean and clean... oh, and go to the farmer's market... and relax... and play a few games... and clean some more... maybe i just didn't want to sit in the studio when October was giving us 85º F weather.... after all, most other years, Wisconsin has a thin blanket of snow on the ground already!

either way, i made it to the studio eventually... in 2004, i made an illustration called "Sarita's red boots" for a gallery show.... you can see a printout of it in the lower left hand corner of the illustration... it was one of my favorite pieces and decided to do a revamp of her... so far, Sarita can finally see, she got a new hat, and cut her hair... she got a new shirt too and a scarf to match.... i'm not diggin' the background so it may change... this is for someone but won't say who just yet... it took about 50 sketches to give Sarita more character (ok, slight exaggeration)...

i also began working on an illustration for margaret... it's a portrait of her and her husband... most of my characters are under the age of 12 so illustrating adults can be a bit tricky... however, there is joy in making illustrations for other... and there is a sense of satisfaction in cutting out the itty bitty details that defines a person's interest [like the chicago cubs logo- yes, the letters are hand cut and logo itself is about the size of a dime!]... the background has me stumped, though.... any suggestions?

another reason tons of artwork wasn't completed: i was learning how to use my bread machine... my mom and dad found me a nearly new breadman® but it came without a manual... i found a manual online and managed to half bake a pumpkin bread loaf (the top was raw and since my oven doesn't work, the job couldn't be finished)... i couldn't figure out how to stick it back into the bread machine either... so the next day,  i tried to make a garlic basil loaf but kept peeking in to see if it was cooking.... must it be said that the loaf was a mess?! the third attempt was at garlic basil again... it worked and tasted yummy with its crunchy crust!!!!!! now, to try another flavor haha...

i took a ton of photos of isabella today, outside... and tonight should bring about more artwork [or another loaf of bread?!]... we shall see...

sweetpea swap closed [but...]

for round number 7.... thank you all who have joined! i hope you all are contacting your buddies [at some point] and having a dandy time shopping for them....

even though this round is closed, there are other lovely swaps! wendy is hosting a scrapbooking swap... be sure to check hers out and join before october 20th....

and thank you to swapdex for advertising this sweetpea swap round... they also blog about many other swaps that are around! so in case you are itching to swap, this site will satisfy such urge!

more posting tomorrow!

no art??

well, not much lately.... i've been playing video games with ramel at night... we have been in need of some time together [and so we are bumping off aliens]... it's a good way to get out the stress and worries of bills and such, in a gruesome sort of way ... i'm not the greatest at the game [i can't ever decipher which cliff is okay to jump off of or which one is suicide... i can't tell which lake is okay to walk thru or which ones you drown in]... but ramel doesn't complain and is quite the good team leader....

so instead of working on art [and i have ALOT to do], i've been spending time with family... it's not being lazy, exactly... diego and isabella keep a mama on her toes....  in between, i've done some sketches for illustrations... there are illustrations to make for a several swaps, trades, and sales.... plus, thanks to a flickr friend, we are working on children's book together so there are sketches for that too...

this weekend will mean working on a ton of work and hopefully having something to show you all when its all said and done!  after all, i have my glue... and coffee.... and dark chocolates.... and enough paper.... and a husband who is looking forward to spending time with his "boy" and "princess".... there are NO excuses to me made!!!

**note: that xbox console and controller are cut in paper... of course, i have to cutsiefy xbox!