Creating Christmas

Merry Winter Quail (c) by Christina Mann Designs is available for licensing.

Because I absolutely love the art of Victoria Johnson, it was a real gift to obtain her knowledgable guidance through a 3-week online class called "Create Christmas." 

Merry Winter Quail (c) wrapping paper by Christina Mann Designs is available for licensing.

With the beautiful color palettes Victoria provided and all the great design tips, I've been working on some holiday designs for my portfolio.  {Of course, I had to create some repeats, a skill I learned from the masterful Jessica Swift!}

I'm posting just a very few of the many designs I created.

Merry Winter Grouse (c) by Christina Mann Designs is available for licensing.

Even though it is a very busy season, the class was very worthwhile and I would definitely recommend it!

Cocoa Joy (c) by Christina Mann Designs is available for licensing.

Next up: bootcamp with Lilla!

Mega Bat Calendar Page for October

Hello October!

To celebrate this Spooktacular month

I'm sharing a free printable

calendar page featuring

my hand-painted mega bat!

Just click the photo above to

get your instant download.

Also, if you want some black cat

social media buttons for your blog,
visit my maker blog 
at I Gotta Create!

Happy October!

Get great clip art for the Fall season HERE

Rustic Fall Gourds - now in Digital Clip Art!

I've updated some of my

Autumn gourd paintings and made

digital clip art, instantly available

when you purchase them

for just $3 at my Etsy.

Enjoy creating one-of-a-kind

printables, cards, scrapbook pages

or what-have-you for

personal use!

Silly Chicken in Marker

Chicken eyes Caterpillar enamel dish set by Christina Mann Designs

Sometimes you gotta get a little funky!

I played around with markers

to make this curious little hen

eyeing her next meal.

Chicken eyeing Caterpillar

I don't know... 

that caterpillar looks like he

might be able to talk her

out of it!

I couldn't resist mocking them up
on a few items...

Chicken eyes Caterpillar enamel mug and saucer set by Christina Mann Designs

I love the idea of them on enamel mugs and saucers!

Tea Towel Mockup

And wouldn't they be adorable on a tea towel?

This is part of my 100-day project:

100 Days of Things That Fly.

Check it out on Instagram!

What art media and tools

are you playing with?

Rose's Garden Journal

This journal cover was inspired by 

a mini-assignment

for painting roses,

my 100-Day Project painting

"things that fly,"

and one of the first known

women landscape designers.

Artist and agent Lilla Rogers introduced us

to Gertrude Jekyll, one of the first 

women landscape designers, as part of

her Make Art That Sells Bootcamp class.

The quote on my cover comes from Gertrude,

(although the woman image is not her).

I enjoyed painting the

combination of wild and cultivated roses,

But I loved painting the woman

and the Prairie Warbler birds!

The birds are part of my 100-Day Project,

which you can view on Instagram.

Prairie Warblers in Gouache

I was nervous about making the
100-Day Project commitment.
With my busy schedule, 
would I be able to keep up?
Not one to set aside a commitment,
would it be fair to myself to take this on?
How will I manage when I'm crunched for time
or feeling stressed, and
what will the results look like?


It's easy to see from the above montage
that time and one's mind frame make a difference.
The top bird is quite wonky...
I had less than my 30-minute practice window 
to devote to it.
But still, she's kinda cute in my eyes! 

The idea is to do it for the process!

Enjoy the moment Anyway.

Not every day is perfect: some days
you're wonky and some days you soar.
And interestingly enough, 
that ends up being its own kind of perfect.

These Prairie Warbler birds are part of 
my 100-Day Project,
"100 Days of Things That Fly,"

which you can view on Instagram.

Hummingbird

Here's a joyful little messenger

of Spring!

This tiny little colorful hummingbird

is part of my 100 Days Project.

I'm doing 100 Days of Things That Fly.

A bit of hand lettering with my
paintbrush made for some additional practice.
The fun part is not planning,
just doing!

Do it for the process!

Here's a quick recap of my early

posts to the project:

There is more to see
than these first nine days...

Thank you to everyone
who has been cheering me on!
You can join me HERE.