Etsy just announced their new Share & Save Program. It’s not much and I am sure the program is probably set up to benefit getting them more site traffic then it really is about helping us artists, however every bit counts and I prefer to try to get some money back from them somehow since they take too much from us artists.
So PLEASE bookmark my trackable link https://livingdeadgirlnicole.etsy.com and utilize it whenever you want to buy from my Etsy shop so I can receive more of my earnings.
I will be participating in another artist auction at the @the_technicolor_auction_house! This month’s theme is 4/20 and inspired by the amazing, healing herb that is cannabis.🌿💨
The auction begins THIS Friday, April 1st at 7pm EST and ends Sunday April 4th at 7pm EST.
I will have my last Limited Edition Moffin Stash Box up for bidding! The rest have all sold out!
Items will continue to be posted up until auction day. When the auction begins you can comment on the posts to place your bids. See full rules here.
Please go follow the @the_technicolor_auction_house for item updates and like ❤️ the items in the posts to show the artists that are participating some love.
You can also help by sharing this blog post to help spread the word.
On a side note: who would like to see me make more of these?
Having a compromised immune system has kept me indoors for weeks now due to COVID, but the positive side to this is that it has gotten me inspired to use this time indoors to create! I started a new “magical” line of products that I can not wait to show you. However I find that the best way to photograph and showcase these items will be outdoors. So once I am able to keep social distancing at bay and the weather stays nice enough to give me the opportunity to photograph them I will get them posted. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, I do have something I want to share that I just completed this weekend. It is a new Spitting Image portrait that I was able to tick off my art bucket list. As someone who still wishes it was the 90s, had a huge Brandon Lee Rapid Fire poster on her bedroom wall (in high school), and has been in complete awe of the movie The Crow all these years…this was a long time coming.
I was inspired and named this art piece after one of my favorite lines that Eric Draven says to Sgt. Albrecht when he is describing his wife Shelly to him. There are many lines in the movie The Crow that I love but like Shelly, I too tend to notice and appreciate the “little things” in life that most people tend to overlook. Eric tells Sgt. Albrecht how trivial he thought her concept of those things were until it was too late. It’s something you can tell he realizes that he appreciated and loved about her but most importantly how right she was. It also makes you as the viewer realize how precious life is and the turmoil of emotions and pain he is going through. The same realization we all felt when Brandon himself died unexpectedly when filming the movie. To me it really encapsulates everything the movie is to me. So I titled it… “Nothing Is Trivial”….
I decided to do this one in my Split Face portrait style as I wanted to capture Eric before his death and after he was resurrected as “The Crow” not only with his face but also with the use of color. I used pencil, charcoal and chalk pastels to bring my vision to life. I am glad I waited all these years to draw this one. I hope as the 27th anniversary of his passing approaches that this reminds people of Brandon Lee’s legacy, the incredible gift of his talents and how precious life really is.
To see more of my portrait work visit the Spitting Image page of my Portfolio site. If you are interested in purchasing prints or t-shirts of this piece you can do so by visiting my Amazon Shop! Please also note that once Closet Collectibles is re-opened after the Government Shutdown I will drop prints off there so that they are available to purchase in person as well.
A return client contacted me before the holidays asking if I could make a custom hair piece for his wife. This was not just any hair piece but one that was very special and meaningful. Her Dad had passed away and was a squadron leader for the Royal Air Force. The goal was to make the barrette in his honor. A memorial piece she could wear and cherish for years to come to help keep her Dad close to her.
First we needed fighter planes and that is when the wonderful world of 3D printers came into play. The client was able to help me find the exact planes he wanted. Since they were 3D printed they were “clear” in color so I painted them with model paint to get them the right shade of grey.
Next he wanted me to stick with the colors of their emblem. He sent me this photo to use for inspiration He didn’t care how I did it but the colors were important. Which when I saw it immediately thought of one of my favorite movies.. Tank Girl but I had to stay on course ha ha.
I decided to use the emblem as my basis for the barrette itself. I wanted to stick with the same layout as I felt that would make it much more meaningful and literally symbolic. I kept the same layout with the feathers. Alternating the colors exactly the way the emblem was.
Here was the end result….
The client was very happy with what I came up with and said his wife absolutely loves it. I could not be more honored to be asked to make such a memorable piece of wearable art. One that brought light and happiness into someone’s holiday and when they look at it they can think of someone that meant so much to them.
Making this barrette reminded me of one of the reasons I love making hair pieces and how different they are from what you can buy in the store. What I create is not only unique or customizable, but when it is not being worn it can be clipped on to something as a decor or put on display. Sylvia Soska recently told me her and Jen have their American Mary barrettes I made them on their alter. They are very versatile pieces which is why I refer to them as wearable art… because really that’s what they are.
