Evolution of a City

Today I will take you on a tour of my city...Nashville.

Well, sort of.  I will show you how my cityscape painting of Nashville came to be through progression photos!

Here is where I began with my 24x48 canvas.

And this is where I ended.

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

This painting will debut at my next show, Centennial Holiday Show, November 22-23. Hope to see you there.

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check my past posts and some of my free tutorials on my blog page above or at  Kirsten Reed Designs or just follow me on Bloglovin' and get them delivered to your inbox!

A Little TAP and StencilGirl Make a Great Gift!

Welcome to the Lesley Riley Transfer Artist Paper & Stencil Girl Blog Hop! Whew...that is quite a mouthful! 

I used this wonderful product to make a special gift for a friend.  I took a photo I had of my friend with her brother and sister and printed it on my inkjet printer to the Lesley Riley TAP (Transfer Artist Paper).  I went ahead and used up the entire sheet by printing multiple copies.  

I then cut out one photo and ironed it on to a piece of muslin until I was sure the entire image had transferred.

 

I then cut another piece of muslin to paint on for the backside.

Quick REALITY Check: (just in case you were thinking this cleverly cropped photo above was of a neat desk...this one below shows the true story!!!) hahahaha! Just keeping it real!

Okay, so back to the painting.  I used this marvelous paint from pebeo paints ~ a iridescent silver.  I can not tell you how much I LOVE these paints ~ especially when I am creating Christmas ornaments and paintings! They make me sparkle inside!

So I spread the paint on the muslin, with some paper towels to absorb seepage through the back.

Then I took Lizzie Mayne's Art Nouveau stencil from StencilGirl and black paint to add a pattern and contrast.

This is what it looked like when I finished the back.

I sewed the two sides together, added ribbon and stuffed slightly.

I trimmed the ragged edges of the muslin with pinking shears and then added some "jooj" to make it pop!  I used some scrap ribbon and made a ribbon bow, glued it to the bottom of the ornament and added a little button.

 And there you have a beautiful, handmade special gift for anyone on your list!

If you enjoyed this tutorial, be sure to check my other free tutorials on my blog page above or at

  Kirsten Reed Designs or just follow me on Bloglovin' and get them delivered to your inbox!

Here are links to supplies I used:

GIVEAWAY!!!

Do you want to try TAP and StencilGirl stencils? We have you covered!! Just leave a comment and enter to win this FABULOUS pack that will get you started. All comments left on all posts are eligible to win! 

Keep on hopping along today and tomorrow with these lovelies!

Today

StencilGirl Talk

Kirsten Reed -- that's me and you are here!

Linda Kittmer

Julia Kellogg

Friday 

StencilGirl Talk

Carolyn Dube

Maria McGuire

A sneak peek at some new pieces...

Here is a quick sneak peek at a couple of my new pieces you can purchase at the City Farmhouse Pop-Up Show at 3090 Hillsboro Rd.

Show hours are Friday 9-5 or Saturday 8-3.  Early buying hours (requiring a $25 weekend ticket) are Friday from 9-12.

See you there!

Owl Together

Been having so many owls pop up into my paintings lately...and I have just loved painting them.  I began to wonder why I am drawn to them.

I did a little research to see what meaning I could glean from their constant presence.  Owls were considered a symbol of status, wealth and intelligence in Greco-Roman culture.  They are nocturnal creatures and are thought to symbolize dreams, secret knowledge and foresight.  Because they are night animals they are thought to symbolize the ability to see through deceit and illusion.  The owl is also believed to be a guide to uncover your hidden potential and abilities.

Interesting little tidbits for my winged creatures!

I notice I like my owls a little plump and I try to paint their personalities in their eyes. Here are a few recent ones I have painted over the past few months:


Owl Together 30"x40" Acrylic on Canvas

Sweet Wisdom 10"x14" Acrylic on Wood

You are My Moon 16"x20"  Acrylic on Wood

Learn 6"x6" Acrylic on Canvas

Owl 18"x24" Acrylic on Wood

And these little 6"x6" guys who will be at my show this weekend!

Let's "owl" have a great week!

Hopping along with THE StencilGirl and her book!

Welcome to the blog hop celebrating THE one and only Stencil Girl ~ Mary Beth Shaw!

We are celebrating MaryBeth this week by demonstrating techniques published in her book Stencil Girl Mixed Media Techniques for making & Using Stencils available at StencilGirlProducts for only $24.95.  It is a great resource to have on your shelf when you are "stuck" and need some inspiration.  Hopefully, the design team can help inspire you this week while we show you how we tackled the techniques in the book!

I worked with the Magazine Magic technique on page 31 in the Stencil Girl book.

For the magazine rubbing, I used Mary C. Nasser's map stencil.  I placed the stencil under the magazine page and began rubbing lightly with fine grain sandpaper until I reached the desired effect.  I chose portions of the magazine that had interesting texture already because I am TEXTURE GEEK! :)

Ooooh....just love the texture this stencil gave the paper!

I tore the paper into layers ~ dark, lighter, and light.  I then laid them out to form a trio of collages.

After they were glued down, I added some more texture with molding paste and Maria McGuire's Tiny Medallion stencil.

I then tore book paper and stamped the words Live, Laugh and Love.  I edged the molding paste and paper in brown staz-on ink but for some reason when I sealed it, it turned greenish.  Weird.  Not sure why that happened but I think it looks kind of interesting!

Thank you for stopping by and watching me demonstrate Magazine Magic!

If you enjoyed this tutorial, be sure to check my other free tutorials on my blog page above or at

  Kirsten Reed Designs or just follow me on Bloglovin' and get them delivered to your inbox!

GIVEAWAY!!!

We are giving away one stencil per day with the comments left on all the blogs in the hop! There will be a Grand Prize of Stencil Girl Mixed Media Techniques book and a package of stencils chosen from ALL the comments left for the week. So be sure to leave a comment to increase your chances of winning!

Here is the rest of this week's line up:

Monday

StencilGirl Talk

MaryBeth Shaw

Mary Nasser

Tuesday

StencilGirl Talk

Janet Joehlin

Jennifer Priest

Michael Trent

Wednesday

StencilGirl Talk

Julia Kellogg

Kirsten Reed - you are here

Thursday

StencilGirl Talk

Leslie Tucker Jenison

Linda Kittmer

Friday

StencilGirl Talk

Carolyn Dube

Gwen Lafleur

Maria McGuire

Introducing a new series

I challenged myself recently to paint while staying in one color palette. One of my favorite color palettes is the teal, yellow, cream, and brown one.  I find it very soothing.  So I thought of soothing images to marry with this palette of colors I love ~ southern cotton, peonies and angels.

Here is a peek:

Southern Charm - 24x48" Acrylic on Canvas

High Cotton - 12"x24" Acrylic on Canvas

Angel - 4"x6" Acrylic on Canvas

White Peonies - 12"x24" Acrylic on Canvas

Angels - 4"x6" Acrylic on Canvas

 Angels in Our Midst - 36"x36" Acrylic on Canvas

For pricing information, please contact me through email at: kirstenreed@yahoo.com.
You can see these pieces in person at my first fall show at the Hayloft at Port Royal October 2-4!

Would love to hear what you think!