Adventures of a School Photographer: On Schedule

Waiting for the next class to come...

Sunday School: Peace and Dove

      Happy Sunday, everyone!  I hope you're having a great day off.  Me, before a day of chilling out and a nice long nap, I had church and then Sunday School where I teach (or attempt to teach) kindergarden.  Like pretty much any other kindergardeners, these girls are big fans of coloring and crafts.  There's a wealth of information and craft ideas online and that's where I found this one.  Since today's lesson centered on the Holy Spirit, we made doves.
      I don't remember where I found this, but I thought this project looked simple enough.  All you need is some
paper plates, markers, glue, and scissors.  First, you draw the basic body shape on a plate and cut it out.  Second, you cut a second plate in half for the wings.  Finally, glue the wings on and add the eyes and beak.  Keep paper towels on hand for spilled glue and juice!

Meet Malachi

At one point, I started using Irish names for the titles.  This one of a
winged lion (a symbol of St. Mark) is called Malachi which means "my angel" or
"messenger of God."

     Hello, all.  I've been busy the last couple of days and had a few early mornings, but I still found some time here and there to work on some of my projects including my series of paintings (and sometimes drawings) inspired by the illustrations in the Book of Kells.
     The latest is my second on gessobord which I enjoy because of the lack of canvas texture when I scan them.  The problem is the board can be hard to draw on and even harder to erase so painting a design on them seems to require some preplanning so I first drew my design on a piece of Bristol board and transferred the design with transfer paper (found in art supply stores.)
     While I work on the painting a bit at a time, which can be quite labor-intensive, I've been also coloring in the template with my favorite brand of art marker.  I hope you like it.  Check out the series so far at www.ravenmaidcreative.com

Origami Raven

     I was trying to learn how to make an origami raven today.  After watching the video a bunch of times and going through several pieces of paper, I think I came pretty close.  You can learn, too, at

 http://www.wikihow.com/Make-an-Origami-Raven.

Alternative Drawing: Pens vs Sabres

     This is a drawing where each colored line represents the general path the action takes between whistles during the Pittsburgh vs. Buffalo hockey game.  Yep, even watching sports can be an artform.

Table Top Art: Coaster Sketch

I got out of work early today and headed out in search of a meatless meal.  Chillaxing in a booth and catching the beginning of the Pens vs. Jets game, I sketched this on the back of a coaster.

Found Crosses Project: Start

      This is a project based on an exercise in a Keri Smith book entitled “Found Faces” which entails photographing faces found in one’s environment that are naturally occurring.  During the season of Lent, my objective is to find and photograph crosses in this way as both an act of devotion and a daily reminder to seek and follow Christ.  (I'm thinking about basing this project out of my Facebook page so be sure to check it out!)

ATCs: Irish Blessings

     I just thought I'd show you what I was up to the other day.  These cards were made on illustration ATC cards and include acrylic paint, pen, and collage.  They also feature some traditional Irish blessings.  I was thinking using Irish blessings with modern mixed media would make an interesting series.  We'll see, I reckon.

An Artist's Grocery List

Even your grocery list can be a work of art!

At the Good Ol' Hockey Game

     It's been a rough couple of years for the Erie Otters Hockey Club.  Though they've struggled quite a bit these last couple years, we still love them.  A friend and I attended a game last night. The Otters got beat pretty good unfortunately, but some fans got to meet Hall of Famer Bobby Orr and get a few autographs.   I'm a Pens fan all the way, but I still thought it was cool.  A couple times I pulled out my sketchbook and made a few quick sketches.  Enjoy.