Behind the Scenes and Inspiration: Red Kitty with a Pink Tail

One of the questions I hear most is "where do you find inspiration," followed closely by "what's the story behind that image?"  The answer to the first is "pop culture, life, music and my 'black comedy' sense of humor." While that is definitely true, it is also pretty vague, so I thought I'd start occasional posts that tell the stories behind and beyond some of my pieces.  Of course, sometimes, a painting is just a painting, so not all of my images will show up in this series.

RED KITTY WITH A PINK TAIL (2012)
mixed-media (soft pastels, charcoal, ink, molding paste) on canvas panel

people sometimes refer to this painting as "Joyce's Alzheimer's kitty"

In the summer of 2012, my mother-in-law, Joyce, was officially diagnosed with advanced Alzheimer's Dementia. It had been coming on for almost a decade of forgetting, arguing and battling until she was diagnosed in late 2011.  Things finally got so bad that she was hospitalized in the summer of 2012. While in the hospital, she insisted she saw a "red kitty with a pink tail."  She said the kitty had been coming in and out of her hospital room and asked my husband where she had gone.  He was educated enough about the disease to know telling her there was no kitty wouldn't help, so instead he asked her about it.  Joyce said that she was a "nice kitty" and when asked what the kitty was doing, Joyce replied, "Oh, you know. Kitty things."

My husband is convinced, because of my hair color at the time (crayola red, which had previously been magenta) that her brain turned "Krissi," into "kitty" and she was really talking about me. After all, I had been in and out of the room for several hours. 

The facility where she now lives promotes the idea of "going on the journey" with the Alzheimer's patients, so we continue to ask her about whatever she experiences on any given day.  The conversations have been interesting, and other "kitties" have come to visit her, but the jewel-toned Red Kitty never returned.

Prints and jewelry of Red Kitty with a Pink Tail are available at skelekitty.com.

See all Behind the Scenes/Inspiration posts.  

Is there an image you're curious about?  Drop me a line and ask me to talk about it in a future Behind the Scenes and Inspiration post.

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Yucca Flats, New Mexico

This is my new favorite blog.

It is not my favorite because it's written by two of my favorite artists, Wenchkin and Scott Krichau, who also happen to be my good friends. It's not because it often features a tripod Jack Russell Terror named "Pabst," and photos of New Mexico sunsets. Neither is it because you'll find free coloring pages and the occasional tutorial written conversationally with a twisted sense of humor and fun.  It's because when you add all those things together, you really DO end up with more than the sum of their parts.

"Two artists and one crazy dog in a busy Albuquerque neighborhood."

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New Look & Call For YOUR Questions

Howdy all!  I hope you were all able to find something to be thankful for last week (well, every day would be even better).

Hand turkey art by my friend Wenchkin,
for whose friendship and creativity I am constantly thankful

Aside from some breaks to walk Abby or spend time with friends and neighbors, I've been nose-down in the studio raising funds for my friend Allyson's dog Hank who contracted Leptospirosis (he was a stray who Al stalked, lured, caught and then fell in love with).  Hank does seem to be improving, but there is a lot of creation, packing and mailing to do before the day is out.  Then some more fundraising.

I also took an hour out of my schedule today to update the look and feel of my blog - it had been really bothering me for the last few months.  I hope you like the changes.

As the year comes to a close, I'd love to know what you would like to see from me here.  As you know, I have been posting at the group blog, Modern Rosies, since it launched in September, and I will continue to post recipes and DIY household tips over there along with the Ask Krissi's Art Studio column.

As for this blog, I have every intention of diving back into the Marketing Tidbits as soon as I look up from my orders and projects - have no fear. So are there any particular marketing questions you'd like answered?  Any tutorials that I haven't yet covered?  Anything you'd like help with? Something you're just curious about? Please, take advantage of my years of trial and error and error and error.  Clue me in on what you'd like help with by either leaving a comment on this post or dropping me an e-mail.

Thanks, as always, for reading and supporting my art and ramblings.

xo & <3

Krissi

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FAQ: Can I Use That Image? (aka Copyright 101)

Intellectual property (patents, licenses, copyrights) is a pretty tough concept to get your mind around, but you are in luck.  As it happens, before I was a full time artist, I used to negotiate licensing agreements.  True story.  And since I received two almost identical inquiries involving this very subject in the last few months, I figured it warranted its own post.

In both cases, the requests boiled down to this:


they wanted to commission a piece of art from me and then sell reproductions of the image (one on jewelry, one as prints).


My short answer was "no" to both because, whether or not they purchase a physical painting from me, the image still belongs to me.  That's where the "intellectual" part of intellectual property comes in - the idea (and execution of that idea) is my property.  Yep.  No matter what they pay for the paintings themselves, such payment does not include the right to use the images.

Still a little confused?  No problem.

Think of it this way:  Let's say you go to Borders or your local book store (they still have those, right?) and you buy a copy of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows.  You own that physical book, that thing with pages (the "tangible property") - you paid for it.  You may put it on the shelf or dog-ear the corners, sell it in a garage sale or even, God forbid, burn it if you want to.  However, you don't own the rights to the IDEAS contained therein.  You may not make copies of the book and sell them.  You may not make a movie of the book.... unless of course you have permission from Ms. Rowling (customarily in the form of a license agreement and huge-ass amounts of cash going from you to her).

Art works very much in the same way.  Let's say you pay me for a custom painting of your cat.  No matter how much I charge you for that painting - you are only paying for my time, supplies and creativity, not for the rights to use the image.  So even if I charge you an exorbitant amount, you still may not make copies, prints, Christmas cards (not even for your own use) unless we have a written agreement where I specifically give you those rights (which would be under a License Agreement).  Yeah, I know, even though it's YOUR cat.  Even if I painted from a photo you took.

2011 ADDENDUM:  The reverse/reciprocal is also true: I have the right to do whatever I want with the image.  As the artist, I may create prints, cards or another painting OR I may license the rights to someone else to make items using the image: rubber stamps, posters, car wraps, whatever.  The recipient of the original has no rights outside of the ownership of the tangible, physical property (painting) and may not dictate what the artist may or may not do with the image.  Even if it's a painting of YOUR cat.  Even if it was painted from your photo. 

Another intellectual property tidbit: you need to enforce your intellectual property rights or you lose them.  That's why the Disney Corporation protects Mickey so vehemently.  It's also why I do not ever make exceptions - not even for friends.  I mean, you all saw The Godfather, right?  "It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business." 

Anyway, I hope this helped to give you a very brief overview of intellectual property as it pertains to questions I get asked pretty often.   If you have more questions, let me know!

Krissi

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New Project - kitties (with fur, even!)

Howdy there gang!  While I constantly insist that I blog without obligation, I thought I'd apologize for being AWOL recently just the same.

Along with the usual flurry of activity that comes with the month of October -my wedding anniversary, frenzied outings before the weather turns, not to mention Halloween & Day of the Dead- I've been down and out with an ear infection that was more persistent that my Jack Russell Terrier after a ground squirrel.

The last couple of weeks have been spent sleeping, reading trashy novels and sketching for practice, so I don't have a lot to show you, but yesterday I got back to work on a commissioned piece for fellow artist Jen X of her kitties, Neptune (who has gone to The Great Kitty Beyond) and Stardust.


I had done a sketch of Stardust back at the end of August, then got focused on other projects.



Finally, yesterday I got inspired on the colors and layout of the piece for Jen, and started sketching the second kitty, Neppie.




And now, to the actual canvas I go to start the layout and sketching of the actual piece!

Oh, and by the way, Skelekitty is annoyed that I'm drawing cats with fur - as you might suspect, she prefers a little more bone showing.

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Twisted Minds Think Alike

The story of "Gwen" the new American Girl doll who, as it turns out at the end of the accompanying book, is homeless, finally hit NPR last week.  After hearing people voice their opinions on what I see as a complete and total non-controversy (well, except for the $95 price-tag on the doll alone), I inevitably started thinking: you know, what images we expose our children to, what we should hide from them, what constitutes "promoting" something, blah, blah, blah...

As usual, my thoughts followed a tangential path and I came up with what I THOUGHT was a terrific idea for a painting: Teen Pregnancy Barbie. I spent quite a bit time brainstorming and sketching ideas for her clothing (hot pink half shirt with "Porn Star" in crystals). I also thought up all kinds of extras and accessories: "Baby Daddy Ken" (not included, of course), maternity prom gowns and several other things that Ron and I thought struck the perfect balance between offensively funny and socially significant.

So today, while searching the internet for pictures of Barbie's face (I don't own an actual Mattel Barbie doll - why would I?), the funny all came crashing down.

I discovered that an artist by the name of Nina Westerberg created a multimedia art project called, yep, you guessed it, "Teen Pregnancy Barbie."

Here's a link to Nina's PowerPoint presentation.

At first, I felt terribly chagrined and, for lack of a better word, "uncool" for not having known about this piece earlier.  On the other hand, I did come up with the idea independently (albeit 3+ years late), and it turned out to be one that got people pretty worked up.

This lack of knowledge about what has and hasn't been done before makes me want to take a series of art history classes - starting with the Dutch Masters and going right through to current performance, Pop Art and Low Brow stuff.  Not that such information would prevent me from making another time-consuming near mis-step, but at least I wouldn't come across as Little Miss Smugly Defensive like Kenley "but I don't look at other designers" Collins from season 5 of Project Runway.

Well, I guess that's it for today.  Back to the idea pool, I guess.

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Art Journaling, or "NOW I get it!"

Art journaling is all the rage with mixed media folks these days, but I'll admit that I've never been one to use an art journal.  Frankly, I just didn't see the point of creating a little book of art drawings that I wouldn't be able to hang on the wall. I mean, let's face it, I'm clearly not the kind of person who feels a need to keep much of anything to myself.  Besides, art is for sharing.  Even the most emotional paintings I make just for me, like the canvases I painted to work through my kitty Finnegan's death, often end up finding new homes.

However, once I started to look at my little Moleskine sketch journal as a place to test out techniques, exercise my brain, play with imagery and plain ol' PRACTICE DRAWING, stuff started to happen.


It's pretty.  However, it's not something I want to put on a more permanent canvas for a gallery as a representation of my personal style, but I got ideas for other paintings while I was working on this.  So yeah.  I get it now.  Art journaling.  Neato.

p.s.  Testing out one of the images as my banner for a few days, but I'm not settled on anything yet.

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A New Name & Maybe A New Look

Hi everyone!  As I'm sure you have all noticed by now, the name Krissi's Stitchery really doesn't really reflect this blog or the medium of my work anymore.  Therefore, the name, along with the old banner, has gone bye bye:

and has been replaced with the name "Krissi's Studio" (tagline yet to be determined).  Skelekitty's blog, "Skelekitty and Friends," may get a little makeover, but the name and content will continue on as-is.

I thought maybe some of you would have opinions (ahem, or rather, "I KNOW"), so this is your chance to vote on possible backgrounds for the blog.

INSTRUCTIONS (not really much):

1. I am looking for something that captures my artistic style & sense of fun, as well as the spirit of my blog's content.
2. Remember that text will be covering a good portion of the image
3. Post your likes, dislikes, suggestions in the comments section, on Flickr, under the facebook post (if you're reading from there) or send me an e-mail.  Whatever form of communication you like is fine with me.
   

And now, in no particular order (click on images to view details):
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10.

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12,

13.

14.

I started with a few and then got totally overwhelmed and ran out of steam.  Therefore, if you would like to suggest another (non-Skelekitty) image, please feel free to write your candidate in!

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Skelekitty's First Fan Art

Skelekitty Dharma Station
Originally uploaded by Skelekitty (Krissi Sandvik)

As a lot of you know, I've been working in a loosely interpreted jolly roger theme of late.  Somewhere in a facebook conversation, I asked folks what theme they'd like to see show up next.  Well a long-time friend, Denise, who is a fan of both LOST and Skelekitty, suggested mixing together images from the show and of that crazy cat, and before I could even put together a sketch, I found this in my e-mail In Box!

Hmmmm....  I wonder what kind of goings-on would happen at The Dharma Initiative's "Skelekitty Station."  What do you think they might study there?

This first piece of Skelekitty fan art DEFINITELY earns Denise a Skelekitty Stamp of Approval for her blog.


Now I'm just waiting for that first Skelekitty fan tattoo!

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3 New Pieces (One Is Still Available)

Poison, featuring Skelekitty, is the second in my Jolly Roger series (the first of which is detailed below).

It is an 8x10" acrylic on wood and is priced to sell at only $50 (plus CA sales tax - if applicable, and $7 shipping / insurance). I've already had several inquiries, but as of this posting, it's available.

A little low on scratch? Worry not. Open edition prints are also available for an even better price of $16 each (and if you purchase more than one, shipping on the rest -up to 5- is FREE!)

The first painting in the series was the result of me playing around with an idea to do a skull & "crossbones," but with chiles instead. I thought it was a pretty silly idea, but figured it would keep me out of trouble for a day or two, and at least I'd be amused (even if no-one else was). However, the Jolly Jalepeno as my Aunt Merry calls it, found a new home in Texas with my pal Jill of Swag Arts before it was even half way finished! This once again proves that I am no judge of what will work and what won't - y'all remember that Skelekitty started off as my idea of a one-hit-tongue-in-cheek donation, right?

A few folks have already asked for prints so, yeah, they're available too (same price & shipping deal I mentioned above).

I started working on 8x10" plaques with the art trade I did with my friend Kit Cameo. She asked for a skull with her two kitties, and the result was Kitties For Kit. While creating this piece, I realized how fun it was to work on a relatively small canvas (I had been working on 12x24" pieces of wood). Another plus of the small size is that these works are affordable for YOU!

Kitties For Kit will not be available as a print (sorry folks - funny shape = no prints).


So today, I scored myself four new plaques - all in an ever so slightly larger 9x12" size and I'll be putting my brain to work coming up with some ideas ..... NOW.





Dang.




I got nuthin'.


Well, off to bed to dream up some more "silly" ideas.

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That $%*& Just Isn't For Drinking Straight Outta The Jar....

This crafty blog was inspired by a tweet by my pal Crystal Case, well known around town as Xtal Secretin, the blogmistress of the Secretin Life Line - The Secretions' blog of fandom, punk rock, local shows & more, and now the soon-to-be "Mrs. Rat."  To me, she's just "Crystal," a sarcastic, creative, dog-loving geek who keeps me entertained on a regular basis.

In a brave, albeit erroneous, attempt to save a few Samolians, Crystal purchased [offensive content warning - reader discretion is advised] ... instant coffee.  As you might expect, the freeze-dried cremains just didn't hit the palate of this coffee lover the way she'd hoped, but she was determined not to waste what she'd purchased.

Since friends don't let friends drink icky reconstituted coffee, I sent her a response sending her over to Chef Noah here are my favorites:

• Dye fabric brown inexpensively.Soak the fabric in a bucket of strong black coffee. This technique is also a good way to cover-up a coffee stain on a white table cloth.
• Repair scratched woodwork. Mix a teaspoon instant coffee with two teaspoons water. Apply to the scratch with a cotton ball.
• Highlight brown or red hair. Rinse your hair with coffee for a rich and shiny color.
• Deodorize the refrigerator and freezer. Place a bowl filled with coffee grounds on the back shelf.
• Patch woodwork.  Mix dry instant coffee with spackling paste until you achieve the desired brown tone, fill the crack or hole,and smooth with a damp cloth.
• Clean a restaurant grill.  Pour left-over brewed coffee over a hot or cold grill and wipe clean.

I  like his tip about dying - especially if you're like me and you wear a portion of every latte you drink.  All of this got me thinking about other cool stuff you can do with instant coffee:

• Make your own Kahlua.
• Flavor up your cake/brownie batter (make cupcakes that look like little cappuccinos!).
• Add it to hot cocoa mix (my favorite is Alton Brown's homemade instant cocoa).
• Make some goodies from Folgers' website (I like the look of the no-bake mocha treats and the mocha dessert fondue).
• Add it to a multitude of cocktails and other drinks.
• Use it in crafts to give an aged look (mix with water and/or an acrylic glazing compound) - this one is a Krissi original, so no link - sorry!

If you have any more to add to the lists, feel free to add them to the comments and be sure to add links!!  Oh, and if you're here in Sacramento, buy Crystal a REAL cup of coffee, would ya?


photo by Lynne Lowe

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Custom Hot Pants (A Tutorial)

So yeah, Abby is in heat and has to wear "lady pants" for the next couple of weeks. Since I have my own disgust for non-biodegradable 'personal items' (diapers, sanitary pads, etc.), I got her washable doggie pants and inserted a washable pad (you can make them yourself out of flannel) inside them. The pants are very functional, but just didn't have ANY personality.

Not until this morning, anyway:




I'm really sorry I didn't take in-process photos for all of you, but I will divulge every SINGLE technique and product used in an attempt to make up for it.

Supplies: dog in heat, washable doggie panties, decorative fabric, embellishments, fusible medium, scissors, iron
Techniques: Fusing a design to ready-to-wear items is easy and addictive. You'll wonder why you haven't done this to EVERYTHING you wear already.
Directions and details:
I used PUP'sters brand doggie pants (by Simple Solutions) just because that's what was on the shelf at my local pet supply store. Even though Abby measures and weighs as a medium, these are a small and fit her very well. Wash the pants first to remove sizing.

Choose a design or create your own like I did for my custom denim jacket. TIP: create or pick a simple design that will be easy to cut out and not really viney florals or patterns with small thin, designs. I used "Corazones" from the Folklorico Collection by Alexander Henry 'cause I first thought how funny a flaming sacred heart would be over her little doggie-in-heat-butt. Other great designs I could have chosen for this are loteria cards (also by A.H., but tough to find if you don't already have some), dice or cards, sugar skulls, etc.

Position some fusible medium on the reverse side of your fabric, covering the design you want to cut out completely (with a little extra, just in case). Because I was dealing with a heavy material (denim), I used Heat N Bond Ultra, which I don't usually like because the fusible "glue" tends to soak through the fabrics. Because this project was using a dark design on a lightish denim, and I planned to embellish over the design, I wasn't going to worry about it (and I really want the design to stay put on her little doggie butt). If you don't have HnB Ultra in your stash, you can fuse several layers of a regular weight medium onto the fabric (I usually use Wonder Under).

Once the glue cools, peel the paper backing off and begin to cut out the design with SHARP scissors. (If you sew on a regular basis, you should have a pair that are dedicated ONLY to fabric and which never ever cut anything else. Want to know why? Try cutting a detailed design from fabric with paper crafting scissors and look at the weave unravel!) TIP: Make sure you cut out the design AFTER you remove the paper. If you remove the paper afterward, you will pull your design out of shape and ruin the sharp outline.

OK, now for the fun stuff! Iron on your newly created "patch" onto the pants and embellish to your heart's delight!



I used 3mm Swarovski hotfix crystals in diamond (clear) & siam around the hear and citron at the tips of the "holy rays." The glitter is Stickles glitter glue by Ranger products in burgundy/xmas red/orange peel all kinda painted on and smushed together on the flame, and gold on the "rays."

I think she feels sassier already  I know I do.

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You're in Charge (sorta)

In every single survey or profile that poses the question, 'what is your pet peeve?' I always answer without hesitation, unsolicited advice. This is very much true in life with a few exceptions, like when Yoli or Nik -as two of my closest friends- tell me I'm being a dick I know they're doing it for my own good and not to hurt my feelings or further some hidden agenda.

However, my distaste for unsolicited advice doesn't really hold so true with my art. Every once in a while, I like feedback - ESPECIALLY from other artists and/or collectors and/or potential collectors and/or "just fans." Today is one of those days. You're in control. So tell me: What do you like? What do you want to see? What do you want to see MORE of? What don't you care for? Pretend art were free, what piece would you want? If you wish to refresh your memory with photos of the creations over the past couple of years before committing to an answer (or list of 10), take a gander here and here.

You can post your comments here or e-mail them directly to me. As always, I'm reachable at art@krissisandvik.com. I am curious to hear what you have to say.

Have a good weekend!

Krissi

p.s. Just for fun, here's a photo I took in June. This is my idea of the good life:

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"Walking EYE!"

" Walking EYE, Hank! They're all the same."
Originally uploaded by krissi's stitchery & mexiphemera

October is coming up quickly and, thought I've enjoyed drawing the pretty girls in the Mixed-Media with Suzi Blu "Les Petites Dolls" online class lately, I wanted to take those techniques and do something just a little more "me."

On Friday night, after an evening of geeking out to yet another DVD marathon of The Venture Bros., Ron asked, "can you do a Walking EYE" painting? Oh yeah. You KNOW I got up early on Saturday and immediately sat down to create one ... giggling my butt off while I did it.

So here it is, probably "mostly finished" 'cause I still think that there might need to be a quote or something else over The Monarch butterflies. Which quotation, I know not.

UPDATE: Quote is, "When word of this gets out, business will pick right up!" 

HERE IT IS... THE FINISHED PAINTING.

Text was added via gel transfer technique using Golden regular gel medium (gloss).

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Ladies, you REALLY need to get one of these!

Questions, questions, all the time I get questions!

Here's one I hear a lot, "where do you get all of your ideas for Skelekitty?" Most of the time, I get 'em from this guy here:

This is my hubby, for those of you who haven't yet met him. We met over 20 years ago in college (January 1986) and, after he teased me relentlessly for a few years, went our separate ways.  A mere 12 years later we were dating and five years after that we were married.  I know - we shouldn't have rushed it.

Ron swears he's not an artist, but he IS a creative thinker and comes up with some good ideas. He is responsible for the rubber stamps becoming a reality, and came up with quite a few of the image ideas including the concept for Skelekitty's new blog image (which I made a reality last night and this morning):


My point here is that you never know what creativity lurks within your own family.  If someone is willing to talk ideas out with you, take advantage of it.  You never know how it might change your life!

She'll be going up on my blog as the link to the official SK page soon -- hopefully today (if the birdies stop screaming their heads off and give me more than 2 minutes in a row).

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