Buttonwillow Says...

It's cold and gray here in the Northwest.
Now accepting surplus sunbeams.
Send directly to Susan Faye World Headquarters.
Thanks.

Story Time at the Garden Shed Continues ...

Words and images copyright 2011 Susan Faye. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in ANY form, including electronically, without express written permission of the artist. Thank you for respecting this policy with regards to ALL artists--it's good karma!!

Gardner the Garden-Shed-Fluff-Monster

Maine Coon Tabby Cat Gardner takes great pride in his magnificent mane and sensational stripes. He also takes great pride in the job title that Gardenkeeper Carletta has bestowed upon him: Fluff Monster.

As Official Fluff Monster of the Garden Shed, Gardner's duties include: stalking creeping crawlies, swatting at fluttering flitteries, and shedding a continuous stream of the finest fluff for feathered friends to gather and use to floof up their nests.

Right about now Gardner would like to speed up the fluff-distribution process, as the sunbeams of summer are warming up and heavy fur coats are becoming out-of-season. Carletta will soon come to his aid with a soft brush and a good grooming, but in the meantime, he wishes he could figure out how to get inside that cool garden shed. How did Flora get in there??

READ PART I OF STORY TIME AT THE GARDEN SHED HERE: PART I

READ PART II OF STORY TIME AT THE GARDEN SHED HERE: PART II

LEARN MORE ABOUT MAINE COON TABBY CATS HERE: Main Coon Rescue

Like Flora Cat, Gardner is the star of two new handcrafted glass pendants and matching earrings now available in my Etsy shop. I've handcrafted each of these pieces of wearable art using a mini paper print of my artwork which has been preserved under crystal-clear glass. The pendants are artist-signed on the back, then sealed. A silvertone bail is added on the back. The earrings have a solid lime green back and feature a sterling silver earwire.





Also available: my collectible Garden Shed mini art zine

Enjoy!

Story Time with Flora Cat

Words and images copyright 2011 Susan Faye. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in ANY form, including electronically, without express written permission of the artist. Thank you for respecting this policy with regards to ALL artists--it's good karma!!

FLORA THE GARDEN CAT

Garden cat Flora loves the summer sunshine, but when it shines too brightly onto her silky white fur, she heads for the cool blue shadows of the garden shed.

It's fun to play hide 'n' seek from Maine Coon tabby cat Gardner among the flower pots and watering cans. Sometimes Flora looks right at him through the window and he doesn't even see her. (Gardner is easily distracted by lady bug beetles and other bitty-crawly-fluttery things in the garden)...

READ PART I OF STORY TIME AT THE GARDEN SHED HERE: PART I


Flora Cat is the star of two new handcrafted glass pendants and matching earrings now available in my Etsy shop.


I used the citrus-y colors of summer in this artwork. The lemon yellow and lime green of the garden shed get a breezy cool-down from the deep blue window.

I was happily surprised by the Mondrian-like geometric pop-art effect of the window lines when I cropped the art for the square pendant:

I've handcrafted each of these pieces of wearable art using a mini paper print of my artwork which has been preserved under crystal-clear glass. The pendants are artist-signed on the back, then sealed. A silvertone bail is added on the back. The earrings have a solid lime green back; the larger dangle earrings feature a sterling silver earwire.



You'll find these brand new designs in my Etsy shop at this link: Susan Faye Jewelry.


Enjoy!

Buttonwillow Tweets

It was inevitable.

Buttonwillow now has her very own Twitter account.

As for me, I have resisted jumping on the Twitter bandwagon due to time constraints. During this time, BeeDub has been begging for her own blog and pleading for her own Facebook page, pointing out that her idol Skeezix has both, (not to mention his own online magazine called Mousebreath). I held firm and said no. When she heard that there was something called "Twitter" she said:

Oh brother.

Here she is, longingly watching "things that tweet" on a winter's day last year..

How could I say no? If you are a twitterer, tweeter, or a "thing that tweets," would you please humor the fluffball and follow her? Just click on any of the buttons below that she insisted should go into this post:

Follow @ButtonwillowCat

Thanks!

My Very First Mini Art Zine Is On The Scene!

I've had a lot of fun over the past week designing my very first collectible mini art "zine". A zine is usually described as an inexpensively produced (often photo-copied), self-published booklet with a circulation of less than 5000. Originally, they were in the format of underground comics but now cover all kinds of topics and styles. You can find lots of original and creative zines on Etsy.com.


I made my first one using my latest artwork "The Garden Shed". It is a single piece of 8.5 x 11" paper (100 percent recycled) that is folded, then strategically snipped in one spot...then re-folded into a little 8-page booklet. I also made a matching envelope for it!

The trick is to first divide the page into eighths and lay out your pages in a certain order so that when finished, they are in the right order.

Then there are a series of origami-like folds...

and one strategic snip:

Then re-folding like this:

And voila! You have a mini zine!

Want to try it for yourself? There are lots of tutorials on the internet, but here is my favorite from The Crafty Chica :



Copies of my very first art zine edition "The Garden Shed" are now available in my Etsy shop at a very special introductory price at this link: Susan's Very First Art Zine!
They make great little gift inserts or can be sent as a greeting card. The story ends with the message "Summer is here! Let's Celebrate!" Surprise your favorite youngster, cat lady or garden goddess with this cheerful story about the joy of backyard gardening!

Enjoy!

Some Happy Solstice Snapshots

What are the chances of seeing a real live bird land on top of a real live cat's head?

Not likely. But how about a real live bird landing on a folk art cat's head? It's almost just as silly.

Here are some more Solstice Delights:
A black-headed grosbeak...

A summer bouquet

Mr. Evening Grosbeak

And Mrs. Evening Grosbeak...

And an extra special treat, direct from the backyard greenhouse...

Yum!
Hope your Solstice was extra special too!

Welcome Summer! Introducing The First Of A New Series

I'M CELEBRATING SUMMER WITH SOME BRAND NEW ART!

I'm excited to introduce the first in a series of illustrations called "Gardenkeepers". Inspired by my own horticultural adventures in my humble posy patch and greenhouse, I am working on 12 new images that depict the joys of tilling the soil, sowing seeds of happiness and going green. Each illustration will feature a different gardenkeeper girl enjoying the beauty and wonder of Mother Nature with help from a furry friend or two.

The first of the series is "Gardenkeeper Carletta" and her garden tool shed. It's hard to start a posey patch if you don't have the right tools and a place to keep them! When summer arrives, I think of citrus-y colors: lime, lemon, orange, pink grapefruit and I wanted to incorporate them into this piece.

Here is my initial sketch in pencil on graph paper:
I then used waterproof Micron pens to draw the black and white outlines on my watercolor paper, then painted the details with watercolor paints. Once the image was scanned into my computer, I added a solid blue sky using my very favorite color at the moment: turquoise-aqua-Caribbean-sky-blue! You can read more about Gardenkeeper Carletta and her garden helpers in last week's post: Story Time With Captain Wheeler Von Barrow IV

Here is the finished artwork, now available as a print in my Etsy Shop:

It's an 8 x 10" inkjet print on high quality matte photo paper, printed with Epson Durabrite Ultra inks. The print will be signed by me. [NOTE: the image in the listing is low resolution --rest assured, your print will be crisp and detailed]. You can pop it into a standard size 8 x 10" frame. It's an easy way to brighten up a child's room or surprise your favorite cat lady or garden goddess.

There are three variations also available in print form (click on each image for more information):

The Garden Shed

Wheelbarrow Cat (Captain Wheeler Von Barrow IV)

and "Invitation to a Wheelbarrow Ride"

Enjoy!

as seen on:

A Parade of Paternal Pet Papas

In honor of today's festivities, here is a little gallery of Dog Dudes, Feline Fellas, and Pet Papas who prove without a doubt that men are nurturers too, whether it's doting on their own offspring or their beloved furbabies...

Retired Police Chief Rick and Bo


Colin and the Girrrrrrls

Olivia's Dad

Alex's Friend of Felines

Linnea's Sweetie Pies

Gregg and His Loved Ones

Tracy and Asa

Jeremy and His Honey Bunches

Tommy and His Music Makers

Dan and Samantha and the Furkids

Callie and Zeke's Dads

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!