Creative Scratchings

Janis Fowler, Artist

City Kitty

PCC: Tell us a little about yourself.
CS: I'm a self-taught artist who lives in Austin, Texas. I studied architecture in college but I now mostly focus on art (my original love). I love creating things of all types.... woodworking, drawing, painting, building models, really anything.

PCC: What do you create?
CS: I mostly focus on drawing- I love creating portraits in particular... animals or people. I love the control that drawing gives me, and I like not having to wait for layers to dry like you have in painting.

PCC:  What made you want to become an artist/fall in love with your craft?
CS: I've always been an artist! I can remember coloring on my mother's rug (she was not enthused) when I was young- and I have always used drawing as a way of dealing with stress or upset. It really is my "happy place".

Sophistipig

PCC: Tell us about your process. What materials do you use?
CS: I am inspired by personalities- which is why I really love doing portrait work! I am also often inspired by music or life events that have a profound effect on me. I generally use charcoal, pastel, colored pencil, and often times in a mixed-media application.
My favorite works of my own are probably all of the animals that I did in the "Eastside Zoo" section of my shop. They were all portraits of my friends here in Austin- envisioned as animals. So a lot of my friends' personalities went into the drawings, and they are special to me because of that. I generally tend toward a whimsical yet realistic style.

Armadillex

PCC: What else are you passionate about?
CS:  I love my cat, I love reading, I love lazy days when I can let myself loose with my art- just really brainstorm and not have anything on my plate that has to get done. This is when I'm generally most productive.
    I work at an art store with several artist friends, and I really love it! Any time I can be surrounded by art, art supplies, and passionate people who love what they do I know I'm in the right place.

PCC: How do we find you?  
CS:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CreativeScratchings
https://www.facebook.com/artworkbyjanis
follow me on instagram @fowlmouthed

More cool paintings from Creative Scratchings:

How Much?

Tall Boys

Yoloswagrabbit

Lorri Allisen Designs

Lorri Allisen, Artist

PCC: Tell us about yourself.
LA: My Name is Lorri Allisen, and I live in Innisfail, Alberta, which is about an hour north of Calgary. I have 3 children and 3 grandchildren. I have been designing pattern packets since 2005. It was fellow artist Renee Mullins who encouraged me to do so. In November of 2004 I was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm that was at risk of rupture and I had surgery for the aneurysm on Dec. 15th, 2004, where they inserted tiny platinum coils into the aneurysm to harden the blood and prevent it from growing larger. As a result of the surgery I had brain swelling and vision problems. Up until then I had been selling my original painted pieces on eBay and found I could not see well enough to paint after the surgery.

Renee suggested I start a new venture until my eyesight returned and suggested I create

Frosty & Flakey

patterns for my previously painted pieces to sell to other artists. A couple of months and lots of typing later, Prairie Blessings Designs was born. Within a couple more months my eyesight returned to normal.

I was, and still am very grateful to Renee, as almost 10 years later I am still happily working at this new business. Thankfully the aneurysm is still solid and there are no new aneurysms. 




PCC: What do you create?

Winter Friends

LA: I create painting pattern packets for other artists. I sell some of the original pieces I paint for my pattern packets, and some end up as gifts for family members.

PCC: What made you want to become an artist/fall in love with your craft?
LA: I have loved to draw and paint since I was a very small child, and the passion for art just got stronger as the years went by. I have never taken professional art courses, but there have been art teachers throughout my elementary and high school years that were very influential and encouraging to me. I find drawing and painting to be very relaxing.

PCC: Tell us about your process. What materials do you use?
LA: I am a big fan of repurposing and recycling, so many of the designs I have painted throughout the years have been on items I have found in thrift stores. I also use wood and canvas...and when I can get my hands on old bed springs, do like to create Nodders.

I start by making a sketch, then transfering onto my surface. Once the item is painted, it is time to start the process of typing out and creating the pattern packet, adding colour photos, and listed the pattern on my web site and in my Etsy store.

Snow Day

I am a Helping Artist for DecoArt, and love using their Americana paints. The colours are wonderful. I also love many of their other painting products...chalky paint, Glamour Dust, etc.  I am also part of Terrye French's Painting With Friends family of artists, and have designed pattern packets for her. You can find the patterns Terrye and I designed on her blog.

PCC: Tell us what you’re passionate about outside of your art. 

LA: I am a big animal lover, and would have many as pets if was able to. I have two cats...both girls. Hannah is a snowshoe (Siamese and American Housecat mix), and Cola who is a black tabby. We have an amazing zoo in our little town, that is known worldwide (Discovery Wildlife Park), and I had the pleasure of working there last summer. DWP is known for their bears...kodiaks, and black bears. Their trainer Ruth LaBarge puts on bear shows daily, not only to show off the talents of these bears, but also to educate the visitors on bears and how to act safely in bear country. During these shows the guests can have their picture taken with the bears if they wish. My son Andrew and I had ours taken with a couple kodiaks (Betty and Whopper), and a large black bear named Bonkers who kisses visitors on the cheek during their photos.

 Betty, Whopper, and Bonkers are all actors and have been in many tv commercials and movies. Many of the other animals at DWP are also actors that have been in movies and commercials. The zoo also has tigers, jaguars, wolves, monkeys, a camel, elk, deer, a llama, raccoon, beaver, an alligator, ostrich, and many other animals. Visitors from all over the world come to visit this unique zoo. I worked mostly in the concession, but my favourite daily duty was going around the zoo in a golf cart to clean the railings, benches, and picnic tables because it allowed me the time to visit the animals.

PCC: How do we find you? 
LA:
www.prairieblessings.net
www.etsy.com/ca/shop/LorriAllisenDesigns 
www.facebook.com/pages/Prairie-Blessings-Designs/ 



Other Designs from Lorri Allisen that we love:

Pear Noel

Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread & Snowman

 

Dear Santa

Frosty Friends

Holiday Sweets

Heidi Shaulis

Heidi Shaulis, Artist

The Catland Way

PCC: Tell us a little about yourself
HS: I’m an artist living in North Jersey, right outside NYC. 

PCC: What do you create?
HS: Oil paintings of cats as well as dogs and other animals. I also use my images to make prints, cards, and most recently, glass-tile jewelry.

We Wish You a Meowy Christmas

PCC: What made you want to become an artist/fall in love with your craft?
HS: I actually started out as an archaeologist and did that for many years. While I was in graduate school (UPenn) I started painting as a hobby, and loved it right from the start. I kept at it and years later, in 1999, when my sons were little, I decided to start trying to sell my artwork on the internet so I could work at home and be there for my children. It was 1999 and the internet was just starting to be a good place to sell…I couldn’t believe it when my paintings sold! To get to paint and make a living at it was a dream come true.

Hungry Silver Tabby

PCC: Tell us about your process. What materials do you use? 
HS: My materials are alkyd oil paints and walnut oils on stretched canvas. I’m self-taught and so have come up with my own style and techniques using trial and error. Jewel tones and a feeling of depth are my goal, which I achieve by glazing thin layers of color over another. It’s a time consuming process, since oils need time to dry…paintings usually take months to finish (working on several at a time helps!)

PCC: Tell us what you’re passionate about outside of your art 
HS: My loves: Cats, dogs, and all animals in general. Vintage things (can’t pass a thrift store without rummaging for a bit). Country living (I’ve spent a large portion of my life in Vermont). Hiking in the woods. Baking. Old houses. And of course, my family.

PCC: How do we find you?
www.heidishaulis.com
www.facebook.com/heidishaulispaintings
www.etsy.com/shop/heidishaulis
https://twitter.com/thepurrmeister
http://instagram.com/HeidiShaulis

Other Art from Heidi that we Love:

Red Tuxedo Cat

Pink Tuxedo

How to Train Your Human

Rodney Raccon

Paws II

2 Wishes

Milk for Two

2 Red Deer in the Snow

Little White Cat

Winter Siamese

Ginger Tabby

Winter Grey Tabby Cat  

Charlie's Christmas Tree

Black Cat Takes a Nap

Handy Happy Hearts

Lena Kriuchkova, Artist/Crafter

PCC: Tell us a little about yourself.

Christmas Birds

LK: I'm 35 years old, live in Ukraine and crafts are my full-time job. I can't say when I started, I just kept trying this and that as long as I remember myself. When I was 7 years old I loved making stuffed toys. When I was 11, I learned knitting. When I was 25, I fell in love with ceramics.
When I was 32, I opened my first shop at Etsy. I have a very active toddler son which is lots of fun, troubles and inspiration for me. 

Christmas Animals

Christmas Penguins

PCC: What do you create? 
LK: I make all kinds of hearts for my shop HandyHappyHearts. Within the brand HandyHappy I divide it into several branches like stuffed toys and artist bears, hearts, paintings, small houses, vintage fabrics. As I love taking photos and I love books, I also tried to run 2 other shops but realized it's too much for me for now. Although I keep planning to make more paintings and finally start making artist dolls one day. 



PCC: What made you want to become an artist/fall in love with your craft?

LK: I love rustic style and shabby looks as well as beautiful wedding photo-shoots. It's what brought me to the style I have with the hearts. I plan to keep developing rustic and shabby lines. 

Christmas Houses

PCC: Tell us about your process. What materials do you use? 

LK: I use salt dough which is very sturdy material and durable and also this is the only one which gives all this whimsical wrinkly look. Recently I started to use MDF for making more light looking hearts. I love MDF for being wood at the same time for keeping woods safe as in fact it's made of wooden destash. 

Santa Ornaments

PCC: Tell us what you’re passionate about outside of your art

LK: I'm an Irish dancer and I love travelling and taking photos. That's all what I have times for after my son and shops :-)

PCC: How do we find you?
www.etsy.com/shop/HandyHappyHearts
www.etsy.com/shop/HandyHappyTeddy
www.etsy.com/shop/HandyHappyVintage
www.etsy.com/shop/HandyHappy
www.facebook.com/pages/HandyHappy/1005461522804692



More Christmas Hearts from Handy Happy Hearts that make us swoon:
(check back around Valentines to see more from her)

Kids Ornaments

Girl with Deer

Christmas Animals

Penguins

Teddy Bear

Cottage

Vintage Christmas

Starry Night

Winter Night