start of something new

i've only done 2 new ones on this concept. & i've already gotten way more detailed than i intended to. wanted them to be Big & ABsTraCt... alas, you can tell what they are. maybe i'll zoom in even MORe on #3.... ?

anyway, you can obviously tell what they are.

started with a background of acryclic streaks & then built up layers and layers of gouache strokes. really wanted them all to go the same way, but i'm kind of "re-drawing" the pattern each time i head in with a new color, so the wings kind of shift, so sometimes cross-hatching happens when my vision changes direction. we'll see what happens as this series progresses, i suppose.

oh, babyface!

so a couple years ago i had to go to like 6 weddings.
this year everybody's having babies.
so this is the block for the card i'm making alllll of them. ;)
of course i'm throwing in a bookbag and sandra boynton board books in their gifts, too... but this lil' monster was just looking to join a family & add some chaos. he packs his teddy bear, too.
who sometimes takes the blame.

just add color

so my coloring book is here!
here are a few screen shots (well, photos of my imac screen) showing what i went through to make all my doodles accessibly colorable just for you!

i scanned in pages & pages & pages (60+) of sketchbook doodles- mostly from paper scraps, receipts, moleskins, workbooks, and bulletins and meeting notes on a legal pad... sized & arranged on a photoshop board to the size i wanted to print.
moved that over to illustator, added a new layer, locked the one with all the scribbly drawings, and traced them with a wacom pen on the blank layer. then i hid the scribbly layer, turned all of my digital lines black, then went back in with a white pen to clean up, add eye-lights, and make some warbly lines so they looked like woodblock prints. fun!

so after hours and hours of having to stare @ a computer, i give you what was once pen doodles in the margins of my artsy can't-stay-still-while-watching-a-movie-or-listening-to-someone-talk life! = )

the finished coloring books are available here:
www.halthegal.etsy.com

facebook or something like it

so i'm on twitter (still learning balance- hm.)
& have a facebook "like me" page now.

so please keep up there as i'm apparently quite aloof in the blogosphere.
i'll try to be better, but i cannae make a promise or few i don't want to neglect.

www.facebook.com/halthegal
www.twitter.com/halthegal

& of course i'm hoping you shop here nearly exclusively:
www.halthegal.etsy.com


see ya online! yippee!

this calls for a happy dance

the indie craft parade is here! just a little more than 24 hours away, myself and beaucoup other amazing artisans will be downtown greenville peddling their artsy wares. see you then!

umbrellas for all.

here's a peek @ a few final paintings for the new show @ art & light gallery opening june 4... enJOY!

also, here's my show statement, in case you care:

umbrellas are used for extremes-- sunshine when pale happens to be fashionable, or rain when you don't want your shoes squeaking & sloshing all day. mostly, i never carry one. but i have always been a fan of defying superstition-- opening them inside to make colorful, albeit uncomfortable, forts.

they are marvels of engineering-- from bamboo infrastructures with hand-painted delicate paper shades to keep out the sun, to giant beach plants so you can find your family when the tide surreptitiously wafts you further down the shore. they are beacons of identity (just how much do you want to stand out in a bleak, soggy crowd?!), and a surreal icon of flight (thank you, mr. r. magritte!)

by exploring their purpose, and seeking to add color to an enjoyably overcast & drizzly day (my quiet faves so long as i don't have to go anywhere, & unfortunately for as much as i adore brite colors, i look fantastic in grey), i humbly present to you a fanciful collection of this unique icon of shelter and protection. they are picturesque in snow, but not fun on a crowded sidewalk. they're also completely unnecessary, but still pretty, when singing of joy & love (thank you, mr. g. kelly!)

the umbrella identifies, protects, or just makes a handy cinematic prop in the game of fighting, or celebrating, the Heaven-sent elements.

peace, joy, & color to you,
*hallie g.

never enough hours

but always enough color....
coming soon in person!!!