"Mix It Up with Melange" and "Mixed Media Monday" Challenges

As a busy mother of three I find it necessary to be fastidious with time management...therefore I have created one piece of art to answer the calls of two challenges this week. Hey, a girl's gotta do, what a girl's gotta do :)

This mixed media collage is my response to the ON THE BEACH prompt from Mixed Media Monday and the FUN prompt from Mix It Up with Melange.

"the girls always had fun on the beach"...works for me :)

I encourage you to visit the challenge blogs and take part in the fun or at the very least look at all the wonderful art submitted by participants.

This collage is available in my Etsy shop.

© Nancy Lefko

Illustration Friday ~ Theater

I knew that with the prompt THEATER, my collage for Illustration Friday this week would feature a Broadway beauty. Here she is in all her glory...100% diva.

This collage is available in my Etsy shop. ** SOLD **

© Nancy Lefko

Journal Fun

It really has felt like Spring the last couple of days. The sun has been shining, the daffodils are up, the trees are budding and even the bugs are back. It feels wonderful.

Another wonderful feeling is found in journaling. I love mixing it up in my journal with watercolor pencils, acrylics, collage elements and Pitt pens.

It will be quite awhile before my flower gardens come into bloom, and I don't even have a vegetable garden, but I'm content knowing that the gardens are waking up from their winter nap.



© Nancy Lefko

Inspire Me Thursday ~ Push

When I read the prompt for Inspire Me Thursday, my maternal instincts went into overdrive...the first vision I had was pushing a baby carriage. I suppose that may be due to the fact that I am dealing with separation anxiety this week. My two high school boys are away in Florida with their HS band. So, it looks like I'm missing them, huh?

In any case, here is my interpretation of PUSH for Inspire Me Thursday. This collage is available in my Etsy shop.

© Nancy Lefko

"Mix It Up with Melange" Challenge ~ Ticket

The Melange Team on Etsy is pleased to announce the premier prompt in their new weekly challenge, "Mix It Up with Melange." Given the word, TICKET, I thought of that great tune "Ticket to Ride," and out came this collage.

I encourage you to visit the Melange blog, join in the fun and come back every Wednesday for a new prompt. The first participant to post a link to their submission (and of course, link back to the Melange blog :) will have their art featured in the blog post. Sounds like a good deal to me! Go check it out.

This collage is available in my Etsy shop.

© Nancy Lefko

Published in Cloth, Paper, Scissors

It is a joy to announce that I have again been published in Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine. I share this joy with my faithful blog readers, because your continual support and encouragement is what gives me the confidence to submit my work for publication. I get my share of "no thanks" letters too, but it truly is a thrill when the publisher says, "YES."

The May/June copy of CPS is not yet in stores, but when it is I'd love for you to check out my piece in the Reader Gallery and also look for the wonderful article by my friend Pam Carriker. Also, in the Homework section of the magazine, Jodi Ohl has a couple of great tips for you. Pam, Jodi and I belong to the Melange Team at Etsy, a wonderfully supportive group of mixed media artists. Also gracing the pages of CPS is a new friend, Sue Pelletier.

I am thrilled to share space with these talented ladies in Cloth, Paper, Scissors next month.



© Nancy Lefko

Watercolor Pencils

I just love watercolor pencils. Why did it take me so long to discover these gems? I love their ease of use; especially since I have always wanted to learn watercolor, but never had the patience or opportunity. Now I feel as if I can get the watercolor effect with the ease of a pencil...this is great! My next purchase will surely be a paintbrush with a water reservoir so that I can take along my watercolor journal and pencils when I travel.

Thanks to Pam for inspiring this "Trio of Pears." I agree with her...pears are great fun to draw. And now they can even be done in watercolor...yippee!

© Nancy Lefko

My New Moleskine

I received a brand new Watercolor Moleskine in the mail the other day. I could hardly wait to open it and have fun experimenting. But with lots to do, it wasn't until today that I had a chance to play.

After an acrylic wash I stamped an image and followed that with cone flowers using my new watercolor pencils....what fun!! (I had a feeling I would like the watercolor pencils and I was right.) I added a bit of Prismacolor pencil and finished it off with some sketchy Pitt pen and added in the journaling. I'm hooked.

I have to thank my dear friend Pam Carriker for opening up to me the world of art journaling. I never thought much about journaling before I took Pam's class, but I truly enjoy this art form. It is such a pleasure to create art simply for the fun of it without wondering if it will "sell." It's great fun to create art that is all mine. I have three journals going now and I do believe I'll be happily journaling for years to come.

© Nancy Lefko

Illustration Friday ~ Fleeting

The prompt from Illustration Friday this week made me think of how swiftly time passes...I guess that is most noticeable in our children and how quickly they grow. It made me remember to enjoy every moment of every day, no matter how mundane, as life is far too FLEETING and we'd best enjoy the ride while we can.

Collage available in my Etsy shop. **SOLD**

© Nancy Lefko

Mixed Media Monday ~ Stripes and Polka Dots

I'm getting better...it's only Tuesday and I have my piece for the Mixed Media Monday challenge all finished! It was easy with stripes and polka dots as the prompt. Anyone who has seen my earlier work knows that my gals often wear the signature striped stockings; I knew in an instant that those would be featured in my piece for this challenge. I decided to go "really tall" and give this gal some extra long gams. She was so much fun to make that I might have to give her some friends the next time I get time in my studio :)

Available in my Etsy shop.

© Nancy Lefko

Mind Wide Open Challenge ~ Moments

I absolutely love the monthly challenges at Mind Wide Open. Each month Gail supplies the most wonderful image for inspiration and it always stirs my muse. I used this month's image and prompt as inspiration for a journal page. With college fast approaching for my oldest son, I find myself consumed with thoughts of my young fleeing the nest...hence the theme of this journal page.

It would be time well spent for you to take a look at the entrants at Mind Wide Open when they are posted tomorrow. There is always a wealth of beautiful artwork there to enjoy.

© Nancy Lefko

New Workshop ~ Registration Open

Spring is here and so is a new collage workshop I am offering at Creative Workshops. It's the time of year to use beautiful springtime fabrics and luscious paint colors in a PAINTED FABRIC COLLAGE WORKSHOP. Registration is now open for this three session class that will commence on May 25, 2009. For those of you unfamiliar with the classes at Creative Workshops, they are designed for you to participate in at your own pace...which is wonderfully convenient. I am a student at Creative Workshops, as well as a teacher, and I enjoy the ability to "attend" class when it fits MY schedule. If you are like me in that respect, pop on over to Creative Workshops and take a look at the wonderful classes that are offered.

Below I have included specific information about my new workshop. Come on over and play!

Workshop Description:
Do you share my love of patchwork, paint and collage? If so, you are in the right place. In this three session workshop we will combine techniques and materials to create pieces of art suitable for framing or fashioning into wall-hangings.

This class will be a combination of images, written instructions, printable pdf's and video.

Supply List:
* 1/2 yard fabric (for background and backing)
* 1/4 yard total of 3 or 4 coordinating fabrics
* scraps of muslin fabric
* 1/2 yard Heat Bond®
* 1/2 yard fusible interfacing (mid-weight)
* clear gesso
* fluid acrylic paints
* FABRIC paintbrushes, variety of sizes (I use Loew Cornell, sold in pkg. of 4 at JoAnn's)
* foam brush
* charcoal pencil (medium hardness)
* white gel pen
* blending stump
* small alphabet stamps
* Staz-On® ink (black)
* sewing machine and black thread (optional) or black embroidery floss
and sewing needle
* 2B (regular) pencil
* brayer
* bubble wrap®
* grosgrain ribbon (optional)
* buttons (optional)
* iron
* ironing board

Workshop begins May 25, 2009
Fee: $38.00

© Nancy Lefko

Mixed Media Monday ~ Come Fly with Me

It took me all week to get into my studio and complete my piece for Mixed Media Monday; actually the first piece I have ever created for this particular challenge. I am so late I considered not posting my link on their site, but thought, "what the heck; better late than never." This mixed media collage which uses paints, paper and charcoal is entitled, "Set Free Your Dreams." Please take a look at the wonderful art posted by others at this inspiring site.

Collage available in my Etsy shop.

© Nancy Lefko

Thank You, QueenBe

My sincere thanks to my friend, Carol, aka QueenBe, for posting on her blog an interview with me. Carol and I met through an Etsy group of like-minded artists and we have developed a special friendship. I am honored that Carol chose me as one of her blog interviewees and I hope you will take the time to visit Carol's blog and Etsy shop for the treats this talented lady has to offer.

Thanks so much, Carol.

image © Carol Berger

Melange Team on Etsy

I have the true pleasure of being part of a wonderful group of Mixed Media Artists known as the Melange Team on Etsy. It was pure serendipity when I met many of these ladies on a forum discussing mixed media/collage techniques. Since that first visit our group has grown and we now have a brand new blog thanks to the talents of many of our members. We communicate daily at the forum and also at our Yahoo group and share our lives as well as our art. I feel so blessed to have these marvelous friends in my life and they bring me such joy. They are also among the most talented artists one could ever meet. Stop by our team Etsy shop for a treat...there is much to behold.