Enchanted Adornments

Hello! Here's a sneak peek at my advance copy of Enchanted Adornments! It's taken me about a week to fully absorb the concept that this is my book and its going out into the world in about a month. I suppose its strange since I worked on it for so long and it seems so personal, with my name on the cover and picture in the back. Generally, the idea of creating work to be sent out into the world is exciting for me, but its always under the comforting and somewhat anonymous name Green Girl Studios, which could be Greg, me or Andrew. I always feel a touch silly when I'm in the spotlight, I prefer the quiet of the background. Anyway, here are my thoughts on this project.
The new cover is great, its simple with colors I love and my favorite pieces beautifully photographed. Its also a nice matte finish, with front and back flaps that give it a nice sturdy feel.

Here's one of the technique pages, organized neatly and not visually crowded or with photos that are too small to see what's going on in them. I was very adamant about the photography being useful, I hate when project photos are tiny or have that annoying fade out so you can't see how something is put together. This book is loaded with close-ups for optimal scrutiny (gulp). The techniques chapter is also sizeable, almost fifty pages worth of info on polymer, pmc, resin and other materials.


The fun part: projects! I designed twenty projects utilizing the techniques covered in the first section. These chapters combine an ongoing story to illustrate how inspiration can come from anywhere and its transformation into art. Illustrating the journal pages was the most fun part for me, or maybe it was coming up with the stories....


This is one of my favorite pieces, although it was a tough one to get right! Its toward the back, since the projects get progressively more difficult. I also loved painting the magpie!

This piece is the crown jewel of the collection! It took me ages and loads of pmc to get this to look exactly the way I wanted it too. Sometimes, being particular can be a nuisance, especially since I like to make detailed renderings before I even open the clay. This is not to say that I'm against spontaneous work or that I'm not capable of experimentation....I just like to think it out in my sketchbook for awhile, before I commit to anything. This piece proves that what works on paper doesn't always work in three dimensions, a good reminder to me to just jump in and do! I learned a lot about myself as an artist, writer and collaborator while working on this book. It was definitely a team effort and sometimes frustrating, but I think the outcome surpasses all my expectations. I have to say, I'm pleased as pie with this book! Which is saying a lot, coming from my biggest critic (me - not my mom). Anyway, I showed the book to my friends and was happy with the positive feedback, especially delighted to hear they thought it was a good deal for the money ( a very high compliment to me). Now all I have to worry about is promoting it! I will probably be in labor when it hits the shelves Nov.1! Hopefully earlier, I am getting huge!

I am so grateful that Lorelei and Andrew have helped so much in getting the word out! Any helpful ideas to make it a success would be greatly appreaciated!