A Mouse's Dream

And now I will give my answer to the perennial question of what mice dream about. My daughter says this is creepy and maybe she is right.......but the mouse looks happy enough to be jerking the cat around by the strings for once!



Here's Sandy Shaw's Puppet on a String:





What do you think mice dream about?


Linking up to Friday Sketches, Paint Party Friday and Illustration Friday where the inspiration was puppets!

Mice Amongst the Poppies

What fun to try my hand at painting some tiny mice scurrying around in a poppy field. I started with putting masking tape around the edges of the paper. Then I put in a lot of the grasses with masking fluid and a fine brush. Next I started painting in the vivid poppies with watercolor. And the background, and the little mice.

Next I removed the masking fluid....what fun!

Ripping off the masking tape was tricky but fun too.  Then I really felt I needed to put in more detail in pastel and I really wanted more vivid color with the poppies...so I grabbed my pastels and went to work. Enjoy them! Squeak squeak

Mice Amongst the Poppies, mixed media, 9 x 13'

Linking up to Illustration Friday under the theme of SUMMER  ..... and to Paint Party Friday! Click the button and come join in the fun....you can buy this print at Redbubble HERE

Harvest Mouse

 

Working with masking fluid can be fun. I find it gives a lovely texture to animal fur, like with this harvest mouse. I wanted the husks of corn to have lovely pure white highlights too so I go to work with my masking fluid. I love watching the stages of how others create their art works so hope you enjoy seeing how I did this.

Next I started putting on several layers of watercolor.

Then I started peeling off the dried masking fluid. I really love doing that! The mouse is really starting to come to life here.

A bit more yellow in background and foreground methinks. A few details sketched in with black pen. Then let me peel off more of this delightfully stringy masking tape .... and voila!



Harvest Mouse, 12 x 18', watercolor

That's all folks! Turned out rather interesting I think.

Linking up to Crafting Along and Paint Party Friday so come check out a bunch of amazing artists!

Buy prints and cards of this adorable harvest mouse at Redbubble by clicking HERE.

Naughty Mouse Christmas Card

Tired of the same old same old Crimbo cards? Well search no more because I've got a tutorial for a fun and frisky Christmas card that'll raise a laugh in even your crotchiest relative!

Who's been nibbling on Santa's cookie that was lovingly left out for him by the kids of the house?

Open up the card and find out that this cheeky mouse has had a mouthful.

Dontcha just love it? I'm mega excited because I'm entering my Naughty Mouse Christmas Card into the Christmas Card Craft Off - so hurry over it you want to join in the fun.

So now for the tutorial. Let's get started!

1. First take some white card stock.

2. Draw two large circles on the card side by side, overlapping the edge - as you want a straight edge for the card to stand on.

3. Draw a smaller circle inside the right circle - this will form the mouse's body.

 4. Draw a smaller circle here to form the mouse's head.

5. Use a bottle cap to draw the mouse's ears. 

6. Cut out a Santa hat out of red card stock for the mouse.

7. Draw in the arms and mittens of the mouse.



8. Cut out the card.

9. Cut out a mouth in a circular piece of brown card stock and glue onto front of the card.

10. Write: 'Who's Been Nibbling Santa's Cookie?' in the mouth.

11. Cut out 'chocolate chips' from black card stock and stick onto front of cookie.

12. Cut out a mouse's nibble on the lower left hand corner of the card.

13. Sketch in mouse's face with pencil and use pink crayon to color the mouse's cheeks.

14. When you are satisfied with your sketch fill in with marker.

15. Cut out a cookie slice, add teeth marks and cookie crumbs (bits of paper) from brown card stock and adhere to the card.

16. Glue red mittens, a pompom to the hat and write 'Gotcha' on the left inside of the card.

If you enjoyed this fun card join me at the All Things Thursday Blog Hop for lots of other fun crafty ideas!