Creative Resolutions 2023

It's time for me to look back at my 2022 creative resolutions and set new goals for 2023. One of my priorities for 2022 was to tackle some of the resolutions I didn't complete in past years. Let's look at how I did.

Of the eight resolutions I made, I completed six and made partial progress on two. 

First, the resolutions I completed: 

• I made 50 scrapbook layouts in 2022. Technically, that's two short of one per week, but close enough. I have more than 2 pages on my desk right now that are 75% done. 
• I took a LOT of art classes during 2022. Counting just the Sketchbook Party, that's 16 classes. There were many others.  
• Before summer started, I  finished the goal to make artwork outdoors three times without having put in intentional effort to do so. 
• I had so much fun creating artwork inspired by contemporary artists Julie Fei-Fan Balzer and  Deb Weiers, and by artists no longer living, including Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, and Pablo Picasso. 
• I just finished up the series of 10 crafts based on crowd-sourced answers to prompts. Of the projects I made, I am the most happy with the Statue of Liberty at sunset. It's something I never would have made without this creative goal. 
• I visited a lot more than three art museums, galleries, or studios. Two of my favorites were in Tacoma. 

I gave myself partial credit for two resolutions:

• I did 10 consecutive days of a 30-day drawing challenge. I thought I'd come back to it, but I always had other projects I'd rather do. I could have forced myself, of course, but that isn't in the spirit of my creative resolutions.
• I checked out the books for my Library Roulette project, but haven't started the projects yet.  

As usual, I've put a lot of thought into my 2023 resolutions. I want goals that I'm excited to do, that are measurable, and that push me creatively. Here is what I hope to complete in 2023:

Have you made creative resolutions for 2023? If so, please tell me in the comments what you hope to accomplish!

The Best of 2022

Each December, I look back through the year's projects and pick my favorites, starting with kids crafts and then moving to scrapbook layouts. In my effort to complete one of my 2022 creative resolutions, I forgot to make this annual post. Better late than never!

These are my favorite kids crafts from 2022: 

Marshmallow Bunnies

Paper Plate Count

Earth Day Nature Collage

Conversation Heart Bouquet of Flowers

Pretzel Monarch Butterflies

Kitten Tooth Fairy Pillow

Scarecrow Mason Jar

These are my favorite scrapbook layouts from 2022:

Amtrak Trip

Eagle Scout!

Trouble deRosier, Interior Designer

March in Rolling Hills

Estajonesiers

High Squirrel Density

Tacoma and Olympia

Rainbow Halloween Costume

All in all, 2022 was a pretty good year, creatively speaking. I'm excited to see what 2023 brings!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I hope you've all had a great start to 2023.

I made some shiny, sparkly artwork in my new sketchbook to mark the occasion. The scanner picked up some of the shine, but none of the sparkle, so you'll just have to imagine it. 

 

After finishing Sketchbook Party, I added their recommended sketchbook to my wishlist and was delighted to open it at Christmas. (Affiliate link here and below.) I was eager to jump in and give it a try. 

I put down a border of painters tape, then painted the entire page with a flat black. When it was dry, I transferred my design using this method. 

I traced over the pencil marks with a white gelly roll pen. 

I chose five colors of acrylic paint for my fireworks: pink, orange, yellow, blue, and purple. I started by putting dots of color in various places, then I added fireworks bursts. 

When I was happy with the amount of fireworks, I let them dry, then painted the numbers with white gesso before finishing them with Treasure Gold. When that was dry, I added Extreme Glitter (gold and champagne) to all of the fireworks. The result is so sparkly and shiny!

I have big plans for this sketchbook in 2023. I'll give you a bit more information about that on Wednesday. 

Merry Christmas 2022!

Happy holidays from the deRosier family!

 

I will be taking my annual blog break and will return on January 2. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. 

Presidents Day Craft: Presidential Seal and Oath of Office

For the tenth and final question in my craft series based on crowd-sourced responses, I asked my friends to name an under-rated holiday. To choose what to make, I looked at which of the holidays mentioned is most in need of a classroom craft and I decided on Presidents Day (no apostrophe). Yes, plenty of Presidents Day crafts exist already, but they are overwhelmingly about Washington and Lincoln and almost exclusively target early elementary age. I wanted something for upper elementary that focuses on all presidents, not just the two best-known. I decided to create a coloring page of the Presidential Seal, paired with information about the Seal and the Presidential Oath of Office on the reverse. 

I started with this image from the State Department and made a few digital tweaks (specifically to the shield) to turn it into a coloring page. 

The folks from Ohuhu just sent me their new Kaala series dual-tip alcohol markers to try out, so that's what I used for coloring. I've been wanting to try Ohuhu for a long time because I've heard great things. And now I know that everything I've heard is true! I love these markers. The Kaala series has 150 colors (168 pens) in four different sets (Basic Tones, Illustration Tones, Skin Tones, and Landscape Tones). The color range is beautiful, although I only used 8 for this project. Seven are listed below, plus I used a cool grey to shade the E PLURIBUS UNUM banner. 

The Kaalas feature a fine tip for drawing (perfect for coloring in the letters in the seal and the tiny spaces between the stars) and a slim broad tip for coloring larger spaces and making angled lines. The markers are labeled on both the color-coded top and with a sticker along the side, which I loved. 

After coloring, I created a second printable for the reverse. I added some information about the Presidential Seal, then left space for students to write the Presidential Oath of Office. 

Here's how it looks filled in:

After students have colored the front and written on the back, they can turn them into a mobile. Cut out both parts and sandwich them together with a little bit of glue. Punch a hole and add a piece of yarn to hang the mobile. 

I loved trying out the Kaala markers and can't wait to use all of the colors. And that isn't all that Ohuhu sent me! Expect to see a lot of projects using Ohuhu products in 2023!