Sharpies and Eggs

UPDATE: Here's a tutorial and more examples!

I've always loved Urkrainian eggs. A few weeks ago, Suzy'sSitcom blog featured some Ukrainian eggs and got my wheels turning...

Traditional eggs are made with a pysanky set, using beeswax, toxic dyes, and several hours per egg. I didn't have any of those.

So I improvised.

(I like improvising, don't I?)

And I found the easiest way ever to decorate Easter eggs with intricate designs.

Behold, the supplies I found! Acrylic paints, small brushes, and.... Sharpies. I saw a big box of multi-colored sharpies sitting on the school table (my mom has a thing with pens), and grabbed them.

I didn't use the acrylic paints at all. Sharpies are the ultimate egg-decorating-tool-cheats.

Addie blowing an egg-- actually, attempting to, because she couldn't do it.

The first step is blowing the egg. This is the grossest and possibly most confounding part of my "Ukrainian" eggs.

You use a thick needle to gently poke a hole in the top and bottom of the egg. Wiggle it around so that the bottom hole is thicker, about the width of a #2 pencil lead. Use the needle to stir up the yolk.

Then blow through the smaller, top hole. Blow until you are red in the face. Roll your eyes when your brothers gleefully exclaim how disgusting it is.

You can use the egg insides to make scrambled eggs, or just toss it.

When the egg is empty, fill it up with water and vinegar. You can use the needle to hold the "film" away from the large bottom hole and use a faucet to fill the egg. We discovered that the best way to get a vinegar/water mixture into the egg is to use a medicine squinter (the kind you get for baby medicine). My friend said that a medical syringe would be even better.

Blow the water/vinegar out of the egg and get started decorating!

Draw the design in pencil (lightly).

Then, go CRAZY with the SHARPIES!

I spent almost an hour per egg, because I'm crazy like that. I get all caught up in art and get more and more and more and more detailed.

I didn't use any dye on my eggs before decorating them, but I did discover that Sharpies can make a very beautiful dye/marbled effect.

Scribble on a small portion of an egg with a Sharpie, then use the tip of a paper towel or a Q-tip to rub the ink around on the egg. Do it in sections so the ink can't dry until it has been marbled.

This egg was made by my friend. Didn't she do a beautiful job? She loves Asian culture, and the writing on the edges of her egg is copied from a Miraculous Medal my grandma gave me. I really want to learn the story behind the medal. It's really old and the writing is some kind of Asian language.

While I went crazy with Sharpies, my siblings dyed their hard-boiled eggs the "normal" way.

My brother saw that the Sharpies said "Non-Toxic," so he decided to draw on hard-boiled eggs with Sharpies. He made a Harry and a Voldemort. They had an epic battle at our breakfast table, and William had a wee bit too much fun squishing the yolk from Voldemort's egg to a pulp.

Next year, I'll try:

Dyeing the egg beforhand

Stringing string through the egg to make an ornament (I don't have a big enough needle now)

Painting eggs with acrylics

Or maybe I'll even be able to try real pysanky.

photo from Suzys Artsy Craftsy Sitcom

You know what? I only made four eggs. And the Easter seasons lasts a whole lot longer than just Easter Sunday. I might go and make some more... there's a whole world waiting inside of those eggs and Sharpies... So many new designs to discover...

Linking to THESE wonderful blog hops! Check them out!

This Makes Me Feel Sad

I am a very, very bad blogger.

Over the past few weeks, I completely filled up our computer with files for 15-20 new blog posts, vlogs, Shoppe info, etc. (Dad had to set me up on my own harddrive!).

I certainly had a very productive Lent, and certainly as far as creativity goes! :) Stepping away from my computer time gave me unexpected time for art and school, in addition to more time with the Lord. I am only behind in one subject, math, and I am a full week ahead in History, Literature, and Theology! (This after being behind by 2 weeks in everything!)

All throughout Lent, I continually promised you "great and wonderful" posts coming in the future. I fully intended to write 3-4 posts a week, starting directly after Easter.

I did not expect this week to go the way it is!



I am in a play with a homeschool co-op. Of course, I knew that the play was this week. I knew we had tech week this week.

I totally didn't account for the fact that tech week is more than just tech, we are literally putting the show together in this one week (long story), and once you account for the driving, visiting afterwards, etc, I am spending 8+ hours each day away from home, schoolwork, and (of course!) the Internet.

Not to mention the fact that two different friends are spending two seperate days at our house between rehersals. Even though we homeschool, I've never had friends over during the schoolday. Don't get me wrong-- I LOVE having friends over, but this week it means no free time. Plus, we've got more unexpected things going on the next couple of days. Mom uncharacterically gave me a free pass on schoolwork this week. That worries me. She's usually big on deadlines! :)

Right now I'm functionining on four hours of sleep and a fried brain. Life's really not as bad as I make it out to be. I just get pessimistic when tired. Don't worry if you can't read this post. It just means that I'm a sleeptyper, a zombie of sorts, and I tend to misspell things at 11 at night!

In any case, I wanted you give you a heads-up on why you still don't have any of those awesome posts yet. It's unfair to you, who I've been promising them to! I feel really bad about this, believe me, but blogging isn't the greatest of my priorities at this moment. Next week... I tentatively promise. I'll do by absolute best.

Just to let you know, I've got several custom orders I'm working on in my oh-so-much-freetime, which is where all of my computer time this week is going. One of this is my biggest order ever. I'm excited. :)

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I would like to ask for some prayers! Firstly, please pray for the people in a nearby town. Several very large tornados caused huge amounts of destruction (as I understand it, there are well over 2,000 homes damaged). Thankfully my friends there (and their property) are safe-- actually, it is an Easter miracle in my opinion. No one died or was seriously injured, at all by this big storm.

Please pray for the play, which is going much better than it was but still needs alot of work before preformances in 3 days. Also that I can figure out what is wrong with my software (I can't edit pictures or videos!!!).

See y'all after Easter!

I know that blogging has been slow. But, hey, I warned you!

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I know I mentioned this in my first vlog, but I've been asked several times why I use the name "Shealynn." It seems to have thrown many of my new friends for a loop, because my real name is not spelled that way.

Long story short, once upon a time I thought I'd start a blog to share my art on. I was trying to be safe on the internet, but I love my name like crazy (thank you, Mom and Dad!) and didn't want to use anything else. So I turned Shaylynn into Shealynn.

Originally, that was the way my name was going to be spelt. However, my parents recognized that people would be likely to say "Shee-ah-lynn" rather than "Shay-lynn..." So Shaylynn it is!

In case you were wondering, Shealynn is NOT pronounced "Shee-ah-lynn." It's still "Shay-lynn."

The whole "its-not-my-real-name-and-is-therefore-safer-online" logic doesn't work for me anymore. Ever since I began working on the Ink and Fairydust magazine, I've decided to use my real name online. It's a good way to "get the word out" for the future-- I hope to be a graphics designer. :) The best way to be safe online is never to give away personal information, which I never do.

I still love "Shealynn's Faerie Shoppe." It's so olde-fashioned and fairylike.

(By the way, do you know what the etymology for Shaylynn is? It means "fairy of the deep pond," or "fairy of the palace." How cool is that? It's way too appropriate).

Does that clear up some confusion? Hopefully? Maybe? Not really...? Bummer. I always do a terrible job of explaining things.

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SNEAK PEAKS!

These are just a few of the posts that will begin shooting up around the blog like mushrooms in a fairy ring.

Guess away. ^_^

Wire Knots and Buttons

Guess what I've been up to? 

Making totally cool rings. ^_^

I've made some rings before (check out the fairy "vine rings"), but recently decided that I was lacking in the ring-making-skills-department.

So I taught myself how to make some 8 different styles of rings! It took a couple hours of experimentation (not to mention about 3 foot of twisted, ruined wire), but I think I've got it down now.

Here's a ring that I've been wearing constantly for about 3 weeks. It was my first "success." :) I've actually been surprised at just how well it it holding up.
UPDATE: Check out the ring follow-up, 6 months later.

I've considered selling these on my Shoppe... however, since I am not using a ring mandrel (hello, cheap dry-erase marker), I really have no way of knowing the exact sizes. And that's not the best for online selling. :D

(I've made about twice this many rings...)

AND... guess what? I filmed tutorials for 4 different styles of rings! Look for the videos after Easter. :) {Find the tutorials HERE!}

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Sidenote #1: You know that I'm not blogging much until Lent is over... but as soon as Easter comes, you guys are in for a treat. I've got nine new tutorials lined up and about ten other projects to share. :)

Sidenote #2: Another thing to look for after Easter-- a blog re-do! I'm keeping the main graphics, but there will be much more color. Perhaps an entirely new background, too. And much more organization.

Sidenote #3: I don't really have anything to share here... I just like using the word sidenote. :D

Mine, My Own, My Precious

Just a quickie post today. Sorry!

A few weeks ago, I made a little hair clip for a St. Patrick's Day English Country Dance. The dance was snowed out, but I've still been putting this hair clip to good use!

All I did was sew some fake leaves and the most awesome button ever onto a hair clip. I'm planning on using that button for a craft in the future, but for now, it makes one pretty hair flower. :)

P.S. Excuse the blech pictures. That's what I get for snapping them in the bathroom after a long day!

P.P.S. I'm still on the lookout for guest bloggers!

P.P.S. I do have about fifteen or so projects that I've worked on. All will be rather big posts. :) Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until after Easter!

P.P.P.S. and Kind of Random: I broke my first board yesterday, with a flying sidekick! Our Taekwando group did a demo for Fr. Leo's talk (which was amazing, he is a truly dynamic priest and boy his food is yummie).
I'm kind of mad at myself, because I wasn't able to break the board at the demo, but I did do it afterwards! Haha, when I actually broke it I'd changed out of my uniform and was wearing a skirt and leggings. What can I say, I'm a tomboy in skirts.

Random Musings on Colors, Shapes, and Miracles

 I found this post buried deep in the "edit posts" section of my blog dashboard. I wrote this on one of those days when you could just feel the Creator at work, when everything from the curling pages of my literature book to the dirt on a pair of shoes held a sort of unimaginable wonder that sends shivers of joy tickling down your arms.


I hope you have days like that, too. I hope you are trying, (as I am trying)  to see God everywhere... Everything He has made has some reflection of His goodness and truth and beauty...


I normally don't post my random musings on this blog. Normally I post about art and craft projects. But you can't do anything creative without inspiration.


And so, since I've nothing else to post today, you get a random musing from yours truly.


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(Okay, this post is one of the dangerous things that simply makes no sense. It's one of those thoughts, like an image, that are bright and beautiful in your mind but are the dullest, plainest things when put onto paper.)

I'm an artist. (Obviously.) I love shapes and color... I've often thought that they are some of God's greatest gifts.

Color. I simply love it. Blues you can swim in. Reds you can taste. Browns that smell like fresh-cut wood or brownies. Of course, color isn't really like that. But how can you explain the absolute beauty of color? The richness which you can drown in or fly in or simply stare at for ages... Rainbows of light, dancing across your vision... It is so strange, that colors are so tangible?

And shapes. I've been known to stare at random things, committing them to memory. There was once a picture book of Heidi in my grandmother's house, and when I was just five or six I would spend hours at night (being far too full of soda to sleep), admiring the clean lines and the messy lines and the squares and circles and colors and shapes...

I recently found that book after several years. I knew every page. I knew the colors... and I knew the story. Is that weird? Is it strange that the things I remember most about our vacation is one moment when I opened my eyes in the salty water and saw the light swirling in a rainbow under the surface of the ocean?

What never ceases to amaze me is how God made shapes and colors... and makes them real. Is that so strange, too? Let me explain. Ever since I was little, I've trained myself to dissect what I see into shapes and colors. Kind of like that Tanagram game (though I am never any good at Tanagram). I see a box, but it is also a cube. And a cube is made of squares. Squares are made of exquisite straight lines. And the colors on the box... Each a world in and of it's own. So it is that lines and colors and squares and cubes form a box-- and what a box! A box is a box! How miraculous!


(Honestly, try to stay with me. Boxes are boxes and that is a miracle. And THAT is a fact.)

It's like science, just a little bit. Protons, neutrons, electrons, and forces make an atom... an atom makes a molecule... Zoom out so far that it makes your head spin, and you see a person. A living, breathing person made in the image and likeness of God. Zoom out farther. There are more. Zoom out farther. There is a whole universe. Zoom back in... who knows how far God has zoomed? And what the real miracles is (aside from the fact that any of this exists) is the fact that all this makes a world. A world to honor God.

Where am I going with this again? (You'd better get the computer to always rebel against me when I get into my musing mode. Then you won't get strange, rambling posts that aren't anything like the beauty that was bouncing around in my brain. Just like art, you know. It never turns out the way you wanted.)

Everything is such a miracle. Especially colors and shapes that combine to make a visual world so beautiful that it simply amazes.

Here's a fun exercise to try. You've seen your house a million times. Look at it again. Zoom in. See the indiviual shapes. The colors. The fact that that bush looks an awful lot like a sleeping cat. Really look. Really think.

Now look at your house again.

It is a house. Isn't that the most amazing thing in the world? And, even more than that, it is a house that is a home. It's more than a house; it's a place with memories.

If you look at a thing 999 times, you are perfectly safe; if you look at it for the 1000th time, you are in danger of seeing it for the first time.

~G. K. Chesterton

Wonder. Why don't we have wonder in the ordinary things? The guy I just quoted, G.K. Chesterton, wanted the world the re-awaken wonder.

We've become dull in our thinking, and forgotten that every thing we know and everything we will ever know is a miracle beyond comprehension.

Take just a moment, right now. Look at your computer  monitor. (Or ipod. Or whatever you happen to be reading this blog on.) Look at its shape. Look at its color. Choose a color and stare at it and wonder. Think about what all goes into a computer. How many thousands of atoms? How does it all work? Wonder.

Art is, to me, simply observing the miracles God has given us. And that is a perfectly legitimate way of glorifying God, isn't it?

How to Look at Art {Guest Post}

Today I am happy to introduce Rosemary, who will be sharing some wonderful tips for appreciating artwork. :)

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Hello, beautiful and talented readers of this blog! I am Rosemary (also known as R. A.), and I will be guest blogging here today! I have two blogs: { A True Word }, where I post poetry, and { The Daily Painting }, where in 2010 I posted a painting every day the whole year (I still update it, but not daily). And it is my love for art (specifically painting) that Shaylynn wants me to share with you today! I'm going to give you a quick lesson in how to look at/appreciate a painting. Here's my little disclaimer: I'm not an expert. I'm just a highschool girl who reads art criticism for fun. And the things you are about to read are just tips, not rules!

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(Note from Shaylynn: Click each image to go to Rosemary's full post on each painting, and larger images).

READ THE TITLE. The first thing you should do is identify the subject matter and the title can be helpful. This may seem obvious, but titles can be easy to ignore. Even if the painting seems self explanatory, read the title! It could give the painting a whole different spin.



Home Again, John Atkinson Grimshaw

 

Especially if the title contains what sounds like an allusion. If it sounds like one, google it! It may give a new layer of meaning to the painting.

The Gift that is Better than Rubies, Eleanor Fortescue Brickdale



The pale Complexion of True Love, Eleanor Fortescue Brickdale

The title might not always illuminate things though. Sometimes you'll have to work out the meaning for yourself.




The Message, Thomas Cooper Gotch

Which leads us on to our next next tip . . .

LOOK. Really look at the painting. Look in the three distances: foreground, middleground, and background. Make sure you don't miss anything! It might be an important part of the story, or a symbol.



Tristan and Isolde with the Potion, John William Waterhouse



Virgin with Children. Filipino Lippi

O Swallow, Swallow. John Melhuish Strudwick

LOOK SOME MORE. Look at line, light, and color. Is the painting organized, or jumbled? How did the artist use light? What is the main color theme? How do all these elements make you feel, and why do they make you feel that way?



The Allotment Garden. Sir George Clausen

St. George and the Dragon. Raphael

Bonaparte, Calm on a Fiery Steed, Crossing the Alps.  Jacques-Louis David



Reverie. Marcus Stone

Invocation. Lord Frederick Leighton

SPOT SYMBOLISM. In poetry, every word can be charged with meaning. In painting, everything can be. Recognizing symbolism is invaluable to understanding a painting. It opens up a world of meaning. Be sure to look for significance in the objects, colors, and placements in a painting. Try not to overdo it though. Sometimes a flower is just a flower (still, it’s nice to know what that flower could mean).



Song of Love. Edward Burne-Jones

Flowers and plants can carry the whole meaning of the painting.

Even very little things can take on symbolic meaning, like the tiny pair of scissors hanging from this girl's dress, continuing the theme of severance and perhaps making the farewell seem more final than it did before.



The Farewell. James Jacques Tissot

Pay attention to placement of people and objects.



The Madonna of the Meadow. Giovanni Bellini

BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN? What was the artist trying to say about the subject? What was the artist’s purpose in painting this picture. Don't get frustrated if you can't answer those questions. Not all paintings have a purpose. 

I encourage everyone to make an attempt to appreciate all art. Even if you don't like a painting, realize that someone did and try to see why. Some of the tips above can still apply to abstract paintings and help you appreciate them.

Now, I'm sure this post has kindled in you a new love and interest and art, and you are anxious to go and find more paintings to ogle and cherish! But where? Fear not! I am going to share with you a secret I have not shared with any other blog yet: my top websites for looking at and reading about art! And even if you're not quite that enamoured, I think you will find the following websites interesting!

Disclaimer: Just a warning, you might not like all the art you see and I can't vouch for all the material on these websites. Be careful as you surf!

www.artrenewal.org
The Art Renewal Center is dedicated to creating the largest online museum, to promoting a return of training, standards and excellence in the visual art, and more. Their website has a wealth of images, and also a lot of great info, like essays and FAQ about art (Some I found especially helpful were their articles on the difference between bad art and good art).

www.artmagick.com
"Your source of visual intoxication." How true! This website has an online museum like ARC, but it is much smaller and the focus is on Symbolist and Pre Raphaelite art. The quality of the reproductions is not always as good as ARC's, but Artmagick had the incredibly useful idea of organizing their artwork by "themes": http://www.artmagick.com/pictures/themes.aspx You can look only at art related to fairies, Arthurian mythology, or even only at paintings featuring brunettes! Plus, you have the option of saving your favorite paintings into "art albums!" http://www.artmagick.com/albums/

www.victorianweb.org
The ultimate source for all things Victorian! They have info on everything you can think of, and also a section just for the visual arts: http://www.victorianweb.org/art/index.html They have biographies of artists, a selection of their drawings and paintings, and sometimes information on individual paintings (like contemporary opinions and quotes).

www.wikipedia.org
Don't laugh. Wikipedia has some great entries on works of art! If you're puzzling over the symbolism in a painting, wikipedia may be able to help. But as usual, use with caution.
http://thedailypainting.blogspot.com/2010/01/christ-in-house-of-his-parents.html

www.thedailypainting.blogspot.com
This is my humble art blog. Not daily anymore, but there are still over 365 paintings (sometimes accompanied by fun facts or info) to look at. I’m always open to recommendations, and I love talking about art!

(Note from Shaylynn: Also check out the Google Art Project for some amazingly detailed photographs of paintings from museums around the world.)

I hope this article helped you to appreciate art more fully and I hope my writing wasn't too awful. Also, go buy some jewelry from Shaylynn! I have a charm bracelet from her shoppe and it is adorable. ;)


R. A.

Randomnosity (and new I&F!)

First off.... in case you were wondering about yesterday's post, just look at the date. April Fool's. Of course I didn't trick anyone... buy my friend Lanta is just soooo amazingly goofy. :) I just had to feature her. And I did seriously write that essay on Lembas and Twinkies for school. Got an A on it, too.

Also, did you notice my header on April Fool's Day? It's an animated gif. The text changes. :)

The only problem? In getting my ordinary header back up, I somehow managed to un-center it. And it won't go back where it belongs.


April's Ink and Fairydust is released!

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This month's issue was wonderful! I did alot of work on it-- I did several backgrounds (Shieldmaiden, L.M. Montgomery, and more), drew the Shea and Bergen comic, and as always some of my photography is in there. Also I finally finished updating the website.

But don't listen to what I did, the real beauty of this issue is the wonderful work by our authors!

I do wish that the Graphics Team didn't have to write the blips for "Odds and Ends," though-- I'm getting really redundant in my paragraphs, aren't I?

Oh, how could I forget?! The front cover illustration is a collaboration between my friend Elena and I!

T'was a last minute project... I did my part in 45 minutes. Just a simple pen and ink drawing in Victorian style:

Elena did the beautiful watercolor-effect digital coloring!

Are you wondering how she did it? { Check out her guest post, here at the Faerie Blog, where she shares an amazing tutorial! }

Want to have a bit of fun? It's time for a guessing game.

I want you to guess what I have been up to! Leave a comment. Let's see how good you are at this... :)




There are now 100 unique items listed in my Artfire Shoppe! Please check it out { HERE }.

100 items takes alot of work. Each item is handmade (and quality takes time and experience!), and then I have to photograph, price, list, and describe each item... I'm just very excited to have reached this goal! And there are more coming!!

Now what would be really nice is for some more sales. My reason for wanting more sales right now is actually quite selfish-- I'm running low on jewelry, art, and craft supplies and want moooore. LOL!



This week I took 6 tests. I have 2 more to go... I'm kind of worried that my Alegbra II textbook is trying to strangle my brain. I can do the work just fine but the concepts aren't clicking completely. I feel like a parrot doing math work-- I just copy what the book says to do. And my tests are notoriously bad at making you think out of the box (or book, as the case may be).



If you haven't done so already, please do my blog Questionnaire! It should only take about 5 minutes. I'm trying to figure out what direction to take this blog, and what sorts of content you readers prefer!

One thing I am trying to figure out is selling on Etsy. I have a small shop there, and was planning on expanding. However, I am displeased with some of the choices and changes that this website is making. I won't go into details here but I really don't want to be spending $5-10 a month listing on a platform I am unhappy with. The problem is that Etsy is still the only household name in the handmade business. Maybe I'll just put custom orders up there.