Cigar Box Purse w/ a Custom Portrait!

 

I enjoyed this project so much. This photo is my favorite photo in the world! It's my son. He's very special to my husband and I. For 10 years we tried and prayed to have a baby...and this sounds strange, but, I'm glad we never did. If we had we would have never adopted this awesome, talented, intelligent young man. (He was a baby, straight from the hospital when we adopted him). 

A friend of mine and I took our children to JC Pennys to get photos done (he was six months old...and just started sitting up good on his own.) He adored Elmo back then and used to sit in a large laundry basket watching MoMo as he used to call him!

• You can see the progression of the portrait at http://melsartdiner.blogspot.com/2009/08/little-portrait-progression.html
  
• I have decoupaged it (Mod Podge of course)...with beautiful green paper, stickers, rub-ons, buttons and other assorted goodies onto a wooden cigar box.
• First I decoupaged a couple of gorgeous scrapbook papers onto it with mat Mod Podge and finished it off with gloss Mod Podge using artistic brush strokes to make it "painterly"
• After I finished putting all that I wanted on the cigar box, (including the portrait - which had been sprayed several times with a fixative), and when the Mod Podge was dry I applied a clear varnish to take away tackiness and protect it!
• I used very nice glass and metal jewelry beads with a sturdy wax covered string for the handle. And finished the purse by padding the inside with batting and covered with a black and white gingham fabric. I also added some stretchy elastic ribbon for holding valuables... and a mirror... inside the purse.
• Hope you enjoy seeing this little project!
• You can see a more detailed step by step blog of the making of a cigar box purse at: http://melsartdiner.blogspot.com/2009/08/blue-beaded-cigar-box-purse.html
• Get your own custom box with a portrait at www.melhowardportraits.etsy.com
  

Done with charcoal drawing

I'm done with this beautiful animal. I really love how she turned out. I feel that she is so life like that while I was drawing her I could nearly feel her breath and see her eye sparkle...I know that's crazy, but when you're drawing someone or something it really is amazing how alive they become as your drawing them. Thank you to Lisa Burleson of TLCFrenchies.com for your belief that I could do a good job for you!

Here's another drawing progression. (charcoal drawing of a french bulldog) for Lisa B. at www.tlcfrenchies.com

I'm really pleased at how she's turning out. I like the effect of the charcoal. It's so fun to draw with!

Drawing a dog with charcoal

I am working on a drawing for someone with charcoal. It's a french bulldog. I haven't drawing with charcoal for a while. But I'm finding that I'm enjoying it alot. It is so much more sensitive than graphite. I can really work like crazy with graphite and mess with it and let my hand rest about anywhere without messing it up. But charcoal wipes off so easily. I find myself doing hand-acrobatics! Almost like twister for hands! But it blends easier and I can play around with the kneaded eraser so much more productively. Like I said, I'm enjoying it!

Here's a picture of my progress: