Small Art, Hearts on Canvas

I came across these sweet little canvases on easels and fell in love with them, they are an ideal size for popping on a desk or shelf.

 A lovely gift for a valentine, the red and purple go so well together.

Painted with acrylic paints and varnished, the varnish will protect the painting from dust, UV rays and yellowing. Plus it adds a layer of shine that somehow, almost as if by magic, brings out the vibrancy of the colours.

 Do you like the painted water droplets? I accidentally dropped a spot of water on the canvas and liked the look of it so painted these droplets on. That's the nice thing about painting, there are no rules. 

 This second canvas has a rich red heart on a golden bronze coloured background.

The little easel is really sweet, made from wood and is a great way to display this small piece of artwork.

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I hope you've enjoyed seeing my little heart canvases.

Jan 💖

Moonlight Silhoulette of a Unicorn and Other Animals

Following on from my Sunrise Silhouette painting I thought I'd do a Moonlight selection, once again using the sketches and artwork I already have as inspiration,

I've already done a few star and moon gazey paintings, here is a selection that I used as a starting point, there are a couple of  Aceo's of a hare and a fox, a framed picture of a moon gazing hare and a unicorn on canvas.

For this Moon Light series I wanted the colours to be a bit more dramatic so like my previous Sun series I painted the center the palest colour, in this case, white.






 I then gradually went darker as I went outwards with the edges a very dark blue, almost black but not quite as I needed the black lines of the trees to show up. I love painting the Unicorn, you can see the process of choosing the silhouette in my previous post

I painted the hearts in the same way and chose the Wolf, the Fox and the Hare for the center, the back of these hearts are painted blue with silver hearts.

The Unicorn plaque has a 'D' fixing on the back for hanging up or why not prop it on a shelf or desk using a little easel or plate display stand.

You can find all these items in my Handcrafted by Picto Folksy Shop

Thank you for checking out my blog

Jan x 
I'm going to link this post over on the Folksy Forum and Twitter for #FolksyFriday

Woodland Silhouettes and Forest Creatures

I've been having a play and experiment with silhouettes and as I have already got lots of photographs and sketches I decided to work with what I had.

I trawled through my photo's for background colour inspiration.I liked the orange and yellow sunrise.

Sunrise or Sunset, you decide

 

Unicorn on Canvas

I chose a prancing unicorn painting as my first subject matter, I've used this image in a few of my paintings and everyone loves Unicorns don't they?





I played around with PhotoScape.org to get different looks, I liked the black unicorn and thought it would stand out nicely against the orange background.
(PhotoScape is photo editing software and you can get it as a free download), I can't get my head around PhotoShop and PhotoScape is easy as well as free, so that's a bonus.

A selection of silhouettes

I went through my stash of wood and decided on a rectangle and some wooden hearts. I started with the background using orange and yellow. These colours work well for either a sunset or a sunrise.

Work in Progress

On the rectangle I painted trees up the sides following the arch shape of the sky, they help to frame the unicorn and add some interest.

Unicorn Work in Progress

For the hearts I thought other woodland creatures would carry on the theme.

Woodland Hearts

 

Woodland Hanging Hearts

I added a 'D' hook to the back of the wood so it can easily be hung up from a hook or nail or it could be put on a little desk easel or propped on a shelf.

Unicorn Silhouette

I have loved working with these colours, they are so bright and cheerful.

Prancing Unicorn

I think I'll pop these into my Jan Ryan Art Etsy Shop if for any reason you can't see them you can always message me via my shops or my Handcrafted by Picto Facebook page.  

That's all from me for now

Jan x

A Pony for Folksy Friday

Folksy Friday is a way to try and get the name of the online shopping venue known to the masses, Folksy is a place to buy hand crafted gifts and handmade goods.
When you buy an item from Folksy, you buy directly from one of over 15,000 UK based designers.

It's 3 little ponies for this weeks Folksy Friday, the link for each shop is under the photo

Painted Pony

 By

Handcrafted by Picto 

Dappled Pony on Rocker

By

Keepsakes Rocking Hosres

Grazing Pony

By

Clare Sherwen

I hope you've enjoyed my selection this week

Jan x

2018, meandering thoughts and Folksy Bunting

Well that's it for another year, Christmas is over, New Years Day has passed and we have a whole new time ahead of us, I haven't penciled in on the calendar anything new or different for 2018, any plans I make invariably go astray, I'm just going to roll along and see where this path takes me. Don't get me wrong, there's lots of things I want to do and experiment with but I'm not going to stick to any particular order or time. One thing I'd like to try and do is to keep up with this blog, as long as there aren't too many long gaps between posts then I'm happy.

As it's Friday I thought I'd do a Folksy post. This week I choose Bunting as my theme, there are lots of choices on Folksy, these are but a few...

Folksy Friday Bunting

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Fabric Bunting from Walnut Tree Designs

Nautical Fabric Bunting

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Woolen Bunting from JB Crafts

Crochet Bunting & Beads

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Paper Bunting from The Crafty Curio Shop

Tea Time Paper Bunting

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Wooden Bunting from Handcrafted by Picto

Painted Monster Bunting from Wood

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I hope you enjoy looking at my selection, click on the links to be taken to the shops and show a bit of 💗

Jan x

Gingerbread for Christmas & Folksy Friday

Well the title says it all, this weeks Folksy Friday is all about Gingerbread, click on the links to take you to Folksy shops.

So where did gingerbread originate?  There are lots of theories almost as many as there are gingerbread men.  Some say it originated in the Middle East, from where wonderful spices were brought to the western world, but there are also references that go as far back as the ancient Greeks and Egyptians.
Queen Elizabeth I who's reign was 1558 – 1603 is often credited with the invention of the gingerbread man.  She would have gingerbread men made for visiting dignitaries in their own likenesses.

Felt Gingerbread chefs 

by

 The Crafting Gardener

Gingerbread was so popular that William Shakespeare wrote in Love’s Labor’s Lost, “An I had but one penny in the world, thou shouldst have it to buy gingerbread.”

Ceramic Gingerbread Man

by

The Dottery Potter

We like to see Gingerbread men as decorations for trees and on cards to send to family and friends.

Gingerbread Cards

     by

   Stephanie Short Stationery

The smell of it baking, mmmm conjures the memories Christmas time. The aroma the tastes and sight of Gingerbread Men, Women and Houses are a feast for the eyes and delicious on the taste buds.

Gingerbread Men Bookends

 by

We Love to Make

 Some say the tradition of making decorated gingerbread houses started in Germany in the early 1800s. According to certain researchers, the first gingerbread houses were the result of the well-known fairy tale "Hansel & Gretel" after the Brothers Grimm published Hansel and Gretel in 1812.

Wrapping Paper

by

Jane Crick 

But some say that The Brothers Grimm used the House in their story because it was already a popular tradition. 

Gingerbread House

 by

 Handcrafted by Picto

Gingerbread House Hanger

 by

Handcrafted by Picto 

Click on the links under the above photo's to take you the Folksy Shops where you can see more deliciousness.

I'm off to have a yummy bit of Gingerbread with my coffee.

Jan x 
 

Robins appear when Loved Ones are Near, Hearts for Christmas and Folksy Friday

Yesterday was an icy day with a smattering of snow but as it often is in the UK it doesn't last long, it rained all evening and washed it all away so today is wet and grey but no slippy ice.

Bbrrrr icy car window

  I've been putting the bird feeders out and they have been much used. 

I've also been painting some hearts, 

I thought Robins would suit this time of year.

Robin on a branch

A Large Hanging Heart with a Robin and Holly, 

this heart is 14cm at it's widest and tallest.

Robin in the Snow

This is another Large Heart with the Robin in the Snow, these 2 Large Hearts are painted plain blue on the back.

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These next two are Small Hearts, just 6cm tall and at the widest.

Robin in the Snow

Robins appear when loved ones are near

These small Hearts are double sided, the back of the Heart has the quote 

'Robins appear when Loved Ones are Near'

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A quartet of Robins

 Here are all 4 Hearts together, there's a big difference in size, they all have a pretty ribbon for hanging up and are finished off with varnish and a shimmer of sparkle. 

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You may find these in my Folksy Shop or in my Etsy Shop, you can always contact me via the shops or leave a comment.

Now as it's # FOLKSY FRIDAY I want to show you a few more Robins from the Folksy Folk, I'll pop their shop link under the photo's.

A Lovely Mug Cosy for those cold winter days, you can get this from Hook and Loop

This gorgeous necklace can be had at  Claire Gent Design

Happy Cards to make you smile from the lovely Tilly Print

Thank you for joining me.

Jan x