Great Digital Playdays

I love digital art!  Still!  Here is an example of why.  I occasionally have what I call "Playday" in Photoshop CS or Paint Shop Pro 4.  Recently, I decided to really have a go at Paint Shop Pro since I had only worked with it a couple of times.  Here is what I did in about 30 minutes or so.

Oh wow! I actually was able to add some of these images to my custom patterns! So much fun!  I also had some fun with my new brushes, custom patterns, and custom shapes.  Here is what I did on that day.

Remembering Pink Saturday

When most were blogging, there were many creative challenges I participated in.  It was really fun and kept me very active in the arts and also helped me to connect with many other very talented artists from all over the world.   
And then there was Pink Saturday.  I wasn't a huge pink fan so that helped me to start enjoying that color.  Anyway, as I was recently working with Pink in Photoshop and my jewelry making, it brought me back into such fond memories of looking forward to Saturday and what I could contribute to Pink Saturday.  I'm not sure if it is still a functioning blog but here is my contribution for 2019.

Please bear with me ~ I have a lot to share since I've been gone so long.

Wow!  This took me forever to figure this much out so far!  Much has changed since I was last here.  So...for now, I am here.  Let's see how my memory kicks in for this and how much I need to re-learn.  Hopefully I will bounce right back into this blogging scene.
Please bear with me as I try out some functions.  First and foremost for me is to be able to add an image or more since that is what I often do.

 Okay!  Success on the image post!  I think this is a good start so now I will continue with the most current updates over the past few years.  

Let's see how that all works out. ;) 

I am really looking forward to spring this year!  Already have some new flowers to plant!  Can't wait to get them into the memory garden.

And this is something new I am currently working on.  Digitally in Photoshop I am cleaning up my sketches to create a color book.  I know this will take quite a bit of time but I am having such fun that time just seems to fly by.

These two images are from my 2019 Spring sketches and completed in Photoshop CS.  Yes, I still love creating digitally.  For those of you who know me, you know how much I love drawing birds, flowers, animals, and very weird critters.  I am stylizing way more these days and hoping to complete most of my illustrations for a couple of larger projects.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have created seasonal recipe cards.  Here is my latest for Spring.

If you are interested in the recipe cards, please don't hesitate in letting me know and I will post the rest of them for you to print.  I have made them in two sizes - 3"x5" and 4"x6" so please let me know what size you would want as well.

I began painting rocks almost two years ago as another form of art therapy.  My hands really needed the therapy due to the nerve damage from the surgery I had almost 5 years ago.  These are just a few I painted one year ago. 

Last year was a busy year of many projects from beading to painting rocks and wooden ornaments as well as working with polymer clay and making lots of strange  and cute critters.  I even entered a clay food dragon contest.  This little omelet dragon with a separate egg is only 1 3/4" x 1/4" in size.  So fun!

 Just a few more of my miniature clay critters from last year.

 And a few more of the painted wooden ornaments.  I think I painted 4 dozen.

I still haven't done anything with my pressed leaves from two years ago.  Maybe this fall I will use them to make a wooden serving tray.  Anyone have any suggestions?  I have several layers to play with.

Although these sock beanie critters are pretty much finished, I still need to sew the hats on.  I can't believe I made these almost three years ago.  I have several new ones just waiting to be put together.    Hopefully soon, I will get to them.  Oh ~ and there in front is just one more of my clay critters.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't have any images of the aromatherapy products I have created but I really enjoy working with essential oils and their medicinal values.  I can tell you that I hope to expand my line in the near future.  So far, my favorites are room sprays.  I have one to keep the bugs away called Patio Spray and another I use on my feet regularly I call No more Sore.  My feet rarely have pain anymore.  

In my past, I made homemade candles so I would love to get back into making those and use essential oils to give them a customized scent.  On that same kind of idea, I would also love to make homemade soaps.  Researching lotions, salves, lip balm, and wax treatments for future ideas as well. 

Other projects that I would love to get the time for consists of quilling (if my fingers can still do that), macrame and crazy quilting.  I know...crazy quilting from a crazy person!  Wink, wink.  And last but never least is my spiritual quest.  I love all the new books, oracle cards, ruins, pendulum work, Reiki and boards.  Now I just have to make it a habit to spend a minimum of 30 minutes per day for it all.

Oh, and did I mention exercise and diet yet?  Ha!  Well, that will just have to be another blog post later. 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So please leave a comment/message if you enjoyed this and want to see and read more.  I would love to hear from you all!  I promise now that I've caught up just a bit, I will keep the next blog posts shorter.  I have missed you all. 

 

 

Now that I see I can work my blog efficiently enough I would like to share my  sad news so I can move forward the rest of the way as my son would like me to.  I really don't know how to put words to how I feel because it is the toughest thing I have had to face in my lifetime.  At least I am going to attempt to do this.  It is difficult to type through the tears and emotion that this creates.  I thought it would get easier as time passed but I honestly don't know if it ever will.  I lost my son to Duchenne, Muscular Dystrophy last year on June 5th.  He would have turned 35 in September so he lived a pretty long life, considering the disease he had.  Doctors had told us early on he would be lucky to see 21 so you can understand why I said he lived a pretty long life.  

I could write a book about Greg but instead I think I will share with you what his close friends and sister had to say because they all said it so well.

Robin wrote...I will always remember our times in Mountainar, Buddy. Your laugh and smile and humor will be a light for all who love you. Thanks for the Kats.  

Ben wrote...Yesterday we lost an amazing person and artist.  Most of the world will never know.  But I did and it enriched my life. He always had a smile and always working on his comic. He worked hard and overcomed many obstacles.  A true inspiration to us all . Greg Collins you will be missed and you will live on in the memories of the ones you have touched and in your art.

Elizabeth wrote...Wearing my Kat-Nap tee in honor of my childhood friend who passed away last night. There aren't enough words for me to describe his sweetness and perseverance. We loved him.

Miranda wrote...

This is my friend Greg. If you never met him then you really missed out. I make no exaggeration when I say he was like a brother to me. We met one Summer when he moved to the tiny town of Mountainair many years ago. My brothers and I hung out with Greg so much that his mother practically adopted us. Greg and I went to college together, acted in a theater group for awhile (we wrote and acted in a play together!), went to awesome rock concerts, gaming conventions, and confided many of our hopes and fears in each other.
Greg left this world earlier in the week and it's been incredibly difficult to accept. I never deserved such a good friend. He left an indelible mark in my heart, and I'm very grateful for having known him. I love you, Greg.

Brandon wrote...I just read that Greg Collins passed away earlier this week. If you've been to any number of comic conventions in the area over the last few years, you may recognize him. He always stopped by my table, without fail, and I loved chatting with him. It was a sincere pleasure to know him, even if only in a semi-personal setting like that. Rest In Peace, my good man.

Travis wrote...Oh man... oh god dammit.

I've had my head in my own stuff so long that I just found out that the world has lost a FANTASTIC individual.
Greg Collins was an awesome guy. He was the very pinnacle of drive and determination. He never let anything hold him back from creating, and for that I always saw him as a huge source of inspiration. I admired him and sought him out at every show. His comics were funny and his designs were unique. Not a lot of us are doing what he did, and certainly not against the odds he faced... and always with a smile.

The last few years I noticed that he wasn't attending a lot of the shows. I'd heard his health was in decline. But I held out hope that I'd see him swing past my table and we'd catch up.
I'm sorry to hear he's gone and I regret the times we won't have at cons talking and laughing about cats, Star Wars and all sorts of geeky shit.
But you live on in us, Greg... and I'm proud to have known you.
When I was producing my first book under CEP, he was nice enough to make a great piece for the pin up section. It's still one of my favorites... and now it means so much more.
Thank you, Greg. You were something else. And I'll miss you.
RIP.

Jason wrote...Early last week I lost a very good friend, nay brother, and I’ve been trying to find the best way to express this without getting bogged down in the land of social meeds. So rather than dwell on the loss, I want to focus more on celebrating his accomplishments.
Greg was given a raw deal in life, but talking to him you would never know it. He rarely brought up his disability, and never let it stop him from achieving his goals. He trained as an artist, but also studied being a businessman, ensuring that his art would always stay in his (rather than corporate) control. Pencil and paper were his primary tools, but he was also adept at digital art and knew substantially more than the standard $20 worth of Photoshop. He learned Java programming and taught himself Flash so he could animate his characters when the time came.
Aside from his comic art, Greg had other hidden talents. In 2004, we were both part of an acting troupe that (for better or worse) decided they would tackle writing an original play that delved into the history of a small western town. In that play Greg became a researcher, getting the necessary historical information down; a writer, coming up with comedic ways of telling the story, and a remarkable actor. To this day I’ll never forget his sleazy railway salesman, or Don King impression. Plus, there ever be a better Grimace. 😊
Greg was a perennial optimist who always found ways to make things entertaining. Years ago, Greg learned about an anime convention that was happening 3 hours away from where we lived. The two of us decided to make the trip and attend only to find out that we had “crashed” a local anime convention for an elementary/middle school. Awkwardness be damned, we stayed to the very end where we participated in raffles, entered the art contest, watched way too much Dance Dance Revolution, and had a good time.
No matter the situation, Greg was always ready to seize any opportunity to share his work with others. One time, we set out to see Bruce Campbell, as he was having a book signing in town. Rather than just having Mr. Campbell sign the books we bought, Greg decided that he would make an original art piece for him instead. The art was enough to spark an interesting conversation between the two on writing comics.
Greg’s talent at networking really excelled when he started attending local and national comic conventions. There, he met and befriended the talented crew over at Mega 64, along with the three main stars of The Totally Rad Show (TRS). In October of 2010, the TRS guys even used one of Greg’s submissions as their background for their next five shows. Given that TRS was bringing in around 150,000 unique views at the time, it was a great bit of exposure for Greg and his comic characters.
Artist, businessman, actor, Greg was first and foremost a great person. He rarely complained, was difficult to anger and quick to forgive. He would give you the shirt off his back if he thought it would help, along with some kat-nap bookmarks and magnets just to be safe. 😊
He was my friend, and while I miss him dearly, looking back on his life and seeing how many people he reached, I can also say he was awesome.

And his sister, Jenn wrote...

Rip little bro, I love you and know you are in a better place now.
Greg Collins passed this evening around 8 pm. He led a great fight and I couldn't be prouder to call him my brother.

 Drawing after months in the hospital with pneumonia.

The last Free Comic Book Day Greg attended after his long battle back from pneumonia.  He was amazing and quite the trooper!  I'm sure he would beg to differ with me when I say life will never be the same without him but it's true.  He was a one of a kind and that made him beyond special to me.  

And he could always make me smile and laugh!  I would end this with saying May you rest in Peace but I am sure he wouldn't want to rest.  I think he would rather hear me say Go Fly (Soar) with the Angels!  So let it be so!    

His legacy lives on at:  www.kat-nap.com

I will keep his website open for as long as I can. 

The Memory Garden

 

Greg Collins 9/4/82 - 6/5/17

  

Long time since last post!

Hi Everyone!  Sheesh! It has been a long since I posted here!  You will have to excuse my forgetfulness for a bit while I try to remember how my blog works.  First off...like how I would have liked to write something before the images or underneath each one!  

I have much to share with you all.  As you can see from these images, I have been painting rocks.  It is quite the craze here and I have to admit that I really didn't enjoy the process at first.  It is difficult to paint on something so rough and textured but once I got the hang of it, I became hooked.  Here are just a few of what I have painted so far.  

For those of you who know me well...you know how much of an addictive and competitive personality I have.  Anyway, I have more to share so I will end this for now to move on.  

I have missed you all so much!