Last year my awesome friend Heidi and I started a personal challenge between the two of us called the Just Two Words Project. Each week we would each choose a word and illustrated something that used both words. We also chose a different type of finished piece that the two words would be used with.

This was a fun assignment that forced us to step outside our minds a bit and draw using prompts that weren’t entirely our own. I myself feel like it was some of my best work last year, and I loved working on all of them.

The only flaw in our project was we were doing it once a week. That was asking a lot of ourselves, and I think our real work started to take over and the Just Two Words project got pushed aside.

A few weeks ago, almost at the same time, we started to think about the project again. We both decided that maybe we should start it up again, but this time instead of once a week, we would do once a month! Then to step it up one more notch, we decided to make it a public prompt. Anyone can join. I think this will be a great way to build community among like minded people and see all the different ways people view two simple words.

As you can see from the first image in this post, we are starting the project up again today, February 1st! The words are Alphabet and Fish and the finished project is to be a rug. Your illustrations can be hand drawn, painted, digital or whatever othermedium you work in. You can start at any point during the month and you can post your finished piece anytime you like during February!

We are so so excited to see what everyone else comes up with and hope that everyone uses the hashtag #justtwowordsproject on every post and the #justtwowordseb for this month.

At the end of each month we will do a blog post on our own blogs showcasing our favorite posts by others along with a separate post showing our own designs. I personally like to wait until the end to show what I’ve worked on, kind of like a small little secret.

OK, I think that’s all the info needed. Have fun doing all the art!!

A few weeks ago I received an email from Zazzle.com with a coupon code for 50% off fleece blankets. I didn’t know that you could get custom made fleece blankets made, and the idea excited me. So I headed on over to their site and quickly uploaded a file and ordered myself a custom fleece blanket.

It wasn’t hard to pick out a design either. CT has been asking for the bedding set that I designed for the “Just Two Words” project a few months back. I haven’t figured out the best way to make it yet, and figured this would be the next best thing. I ordered the 50″x60″ size to try and mimic a large quilt.

I knew CT would be dragging it around with her everywhere, so I made the background dark grey instead of beige to help ward back stains as much as I could.

It only took a week for the blanket to come in, which I found pretty awesome for the fact that it’s custom. The actual blanket is super super soft and fluffy and the design was almost just right (I’ve since adjusted it, as you can see below). The colors are much more saturated than on the screen, but I like them better that way. Though I worry what that would do to an actual photograph.

All in all I am super happy with the finished piece and plan on ordering more in the future. Has anyone else tried out Zazzle’s other custom pieces? I’m eyeing a lamp shade bath mat currently.

Oh and for those few emails I received after posting the photo on Instagram, I did indeed add this blanket to my Zazzle shop for others to buy too. While I was at it, I played around with a few dozen other types of products. Some are a bit silly, but others are pretty neat!

Pin It]]> http://artschooldropout.net/blog/bursting-at-the-seams-with-love-fleece-blanket/feed/ 0 http://artschooldropout.net/blog/just-two-words-project-sewing-machine-diamonds/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=just-two-words-project-sewing-machine-diamonds http://artschooldropout.net/blog/just-two-words-project-sewing-machine-diamonds/#comments Wed, 24 Jun 2015 00:06:36 +0000 jesseesuem http://artschooldropout.net/blog/?p=3865 Continue reading →]]> The next Just Two Words Project on the list was Sewing Machine & Diamonds. I know Sewing Machine is technically two words, but I was half asleep when I chose it, Which means Heidi chose Diamonds. The end results was the be a mug design…

I thought it would be neat to make an illustration of my own machine, that way I could buy the mug afterwards! So that’s what I did, my own machine with some diamond stitching behind it!

Super simple in my opinion and not exactly my normal style of work. Actually, I feel like these projects are pulling me away from my doodle like drawings. I don’t feel like these illustrations belong to me. It’s been a weird feeling.

I still bought the mug though! Why wouldn’t I? I added it to my Society6 shop, so anyone could buy it too!

You should check out Heidi’s mug design! It’s very retro and super cute.

For me this was a no brainer, because you know, cooked crabs are orange! Im a Maryland girl born and raised, so crabs are a staple meal. They train you to pick crabs young here! Well, at least I was taught young. They are one of my favorite meals and I have loads of crab artwork and toys laying around the house.

I started by designing a basic repeat pattern for the umbrella itself. I started with the above sketch and went from there.

After I finished the umbrella, I felt like I should keep going. So of course I designed an entire line of crab fabric. I made sure to include some crab crackers and a mallet on some, then some Old Bay on others. Oh and I didn’t forget the uncooked blue crab in murky Chesapeake water! I made it all. Ha. I think this might be my new fabric line, I have plans to make an entire quilt using it!!!

You can find all of these prints in my Spoonflower shop, and maybe soon I’ll have some premade zipper pouches too, because “why not?”

Anyway, back to the Just Two Words Project…

I am still loving this and its been both challenging and fun each week. You should go check out Heidi’s post from this set, I love the direction she went.

I was super excited when I heard the word combo this week! I love drawing houses and was expecting to do something intricate when I thought of the word, but then when I heard Folk my mind switched gears and I couldn’t stop thinking about simple block houses and lots of swirly vines and flowers.

The word Folk is very broad. One of the definitions is “of or relating to the traditional art or culture of a community or nation” which is what first came to my mind and is the idea I ran with. I have always associated the word with Amish and/or Scandinavian art. So I decided to blend the two a bit, which is where I came up with the above design. Every single part came from hours of doodling in my sketchbook. I drew so many swirls, vines, tulips and houses. If I illustrated all of them I’d have a few dozen fabric lines. I loved this theme!

I may have loved setting up the examples even more! I had never used Photoshop mock-up files before, but I think i’m hooked now. I want to see how all of my designs will look as bedspreads, sheets, couches, dresses and more. This may be a new addiction, just saying.

The saddest part of this project is I don’t have a way of making the actual set. Technically I could piece some stuff together, but pieced fitted sheets aren’t very comfortable. The closest I could get was Society6 and their Duvet Cover option. It’s not exactly the same though because the back isn’t that cute little bird fabric, but it’s still neat. Oh and I made a matching rug too, because, “why not?”!

I’ve also ordered swatches from Spoonflower of those two fabrics shown as sheets, along with a baby cheater quilt version of that comforter. I’ll post photos once they come in!

Phew, I think that’s it! Heidi is on vacation, so were taking a week off since she won’t have time and I need to catch up on a few other projects. I’m excited to hear what the next set of words will be though, These challenges really were just the thing I needed.

If you’d like to read more about this project, check out the first blog post I wrote about it.

Most of my sketches were embarrassing and ridiculous, so I won’t be sharing too many of them this time around.

In the end I felt like a Dachshund wearing a trendy all over print shirt covered in cameras fit the bill enough. I made it a double sided card where the front half of the pup is on the front and the back is, well, on the back. I can’t decide if I’m done with this, or if I want to revisit it. I don’t know.

Heidi actually did really well with this challenge and created an entire Stationary suite! I mean cards, letterhead, postcards and more. It’s crazy awesome! You should check it out.

The next theme is already in progress, and I can’t wait to share what I made!!!!

If you’d like to read more about this project, check out the first blog post I wrote about it.

I brought this frustration up to my friend Heidi not too long ago. She has been spending time watching the CreativeBug Fabric Design course and wanted to test out her new knowledge. She had the brilliant idea of giving ourselves weekly (or biweekly) design challenges that had a specific theme and end project. For the theme we would each choose a word and combine them. We also wouldn’t share anything we had drawn until the next week or so, that way the finished project was a complete surprise and we didn’t influence one another. The second I heard this idea I said “YES!” and possibly some curse words.

Last week was our first week and the theme was Bugs & Teacups and the finished piece was to be a repeat pattern. At first I was super excited and went straight to my sketchbook. I drew pages of bugs, started scanning them in and digitizing them. I won’t lie, I got super frustrated with the teacups and put off drawing them for as long as I could. I just wanted to draw bugs. I may have sent text’s stating just how much I hated Teacups…

We started this challenge on Monday, and I didn’t get to the teacups until Saturday night. I’m glad I waited though because I’m really happy with how they ended up. I placed a bug on each cup, except for one, which had a bug crawling out of it. Kind of like it was hiding among the bug illustrations. This concept is where I came up with the name for the line, In Plain Sight.

I’m not 100% sure what I will do with this collection. It was made for fun and to add to my portfolio. I DID order some spoonflower swatches just to see, but I can’t guarantee that I will sell fabric. I’m still trying to decide. the best part though? I can change my mind whenever I like!

I absolutely loved this challenge, and I loved seeing what Heidi came up with too. We both have very different styles and view things in different ways. She has this magic ability to make everything super cute, and I like to go the geometric route. This weeks challenge has already been chosen, and I’m really looking forward to Monday to share my idea and see what Heidi came up. Mondays wont be as bad now, huh?