Random update

Changed my blogger header and wanted to share some partial pen and paper doodle mashups I've done recently. Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!

Some recent pen and paper works. The black and white piece is still unfinished and the second is only a partial of the original, in varying colors. Been working on lots of full page doodles lately. It's always a bit of a challenge to try to fill the entire page with unique ideas.

Angry birds

Have you played it yet? You'll enjoy it. ;) It's extremely addictive. I've only played the original one myself, but am hoping to try out the other versions soon. Even came up with an idea for a new version. Zombirds! XD Nom nom nom. Happy Thursday!

Who, me?

Trying out new mediums and combinations. Both created on paper/canvas, separately and then scanned. Combined and altered in Photoshop.

Some random photos from my phone lately. They've been inspiring me, so I thought they might inspire you guys, too. ;)

Smash it, smoosh it, love it!

I recently picked up one of K and Company's Smash Journals (I think it is the ECO GREEN Smash Folio? Though my cover looks a little different.) at my local Michael's Craft Store. And I LOVE it! I already had a few of the Smash embellishment/journaling pads, but I had no idea how much fun and liberating having a smash journal could be. I normally want my art to look 'perfect'. Not as in it needs to look perfect, but it needed to feel perfect. To feel right, if that makes sense. So I tend to hesitate on most of these sorts of projects, always worrying I'll screw up the way it will look or the feel it will give off. But this time, I threw all those thoughts out the window and just went with it. It's been so much fun. I've not completed a single page yet, but have started several. And the great thing about this book is that it allows for all sorts of creativity. You can make each page as whatever theme or look that you want. Which is perfect for me, as my ideas and inspirations change on a daily, or even hourly, basis. I've always adored mixed media creations. I've been dabbling more in them lately, but this is probably the biggest overall project I've started with them. I can't wait to see the book in it's final form. And to get a few more of these asap! If you're struggling with some ideas on what exactly you can really do with this book, just look at the ones submitted via the K and Company blog. You'll be flowing with creativity in no time. ;) And here's some of my pages so far if you want to check them out. COVER

Pages layout 1

Pages layout 2

And here's another mini journal I started before this project. Not really sure how I plan to 'finish' them at this point. Guess I'll just keep smashing things in and see where I get. ;) Pages layout 3

Facebook Giveaway for April!

Do you have a facebook account? Then come join us! Because it' time for April's giveaway! :D This one is a little bit different and way more awesome. Instead of just doing some doodle cards, I decided to step things up. Since so many people I know seem to be having a birthday this month, I decided to put a celebratory spin on this one. ;) So this giveaway comes with a whole doodle mini booklet (signed and numbered with 22 original doodles)...AND two bonus cards for you to send to your friends (for any celebration, not just birthdays)!! :D Now, for the rules: Simply tell me ONE of the following: Your favorite birthday gift, party, or memory. AND if you refer a friend to like my page, you'll get DOUBLE entry points into the drawing!! :D If your birthday is this month, you'll get TRIPLE entry points!!! (To ensure both me and you know you are entered, I will 'like' your post. If you do not see that I, Mindy Lou Hagan Studios, has liked your post before the end of the giveaway, then make sure you give me a heads up, otherwise I won't know you entered and you'll lose out. This happened before, so be sure to check back that I have 'liked' your post!!!) And if you refer a friend(s), make sure they specfify YOUR name in the post, so you'll get the double points. ;) I'll leave this open until...Friday, April 27th, sometime in the afternoon? Fine print: All images are copyrighted and not to be sold, reproduced, or altered without my permission. For personal use only. All items will be shipped as cheaply and easily as possible and Mindy Lou Hagan Studios will not be responsible for damages or loss of items. Items will not be replaced if lost or damaged. It is the entrants responsibility to ensure proper entry based on the specified rules above. Mindy Lou Hagan Studios is not responsible for any 'lost' entries or 'missed' entries. Should you have any further questions, feel free to ask. This giveaway is open to all fans. :) THIS IS ONLY FOR MY FAN PAGE. ENTRIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED VIA ANY OTHER PAGE/WEBSITE/ETC., ONLY THROUGH THE MINDY LOU HAGAN STUDIOS FAN PAGE. YOU CAN FIND THE PAGE AT: MINDY LOU HAGAN STUDIOS

I didn't want to shell out a ton of money for a nook cover....

...So I improvised and made my own. ;) I've been looking for a nook cover since I got mine, but they were either over what I really wanted to pay or I just knew they wouldn't suit my needs the way I wanted them to. Most premade items seem to turn out that way for me. :/ So while rummaging through my things and tossing stuff out I didn't use, I ran across this. Inside, it originally housed a glued in box (about two inches thick) full of art items (pencils, erasers, sharpeners, rulers, etc.) on one side and a sketch book and instruction booklet on the other. So, keeping the sketchbook/booklet side in tact, I ripped out the glued in box and tried hot gluing in some new scrapbook paper. Didn't work the first time, as the glue dried too quickly. :/ So I pulled off what I could and tried again, this time covering it with a piece of felt first so that I could push it down as I went without creating any unsightly bumps. Then just glued the scrapbook paper down over that when I got done. :) Instantly perfect and useful nook tablet to suit ME! (Also added in a pencil holder under the felt as well.) Then I put figured out where I wanted my tablet to sit, glued down the velcro pieces (stuck together), then pulled off the backing for the nook side (keeping them stuck together) and placed the nook exactly where it fit perfectly inside. :) So far it has worked great and held up perfectly fine. It's a bit bigger then my nook and thicker, but since I'm normally carrying around a sketchbook and other bits of paper and things, it suits me perfectly. My moleskin fits inside the side flaps as well, so nothing easily falls out as it would have if the pocket were open. For once, I'm glad I improvised. ;)

Has it been that long?!!!

Sorry for the lack of posts. Been updating my fan page on Facebook more then anything lately, since I visit it most often. Check it out at Mindy Lou Hagan Studios!

Rather then writing a long post here, I'll just share some of my latest photos with you. :)

Regarding the Giveaway

For those (I believe it may only have been three people?) who shared my giveaway here, I just wanted to say thanks. Because of the lack of entries, I decided to do the entire giveaway on my facebook fan page instead. I will try to more in the future, but they will probably only be done on my facebook page for now. Simply because it's a bit easier to figure out who has entered and to comment and whatnot. Sorry for the inconvenience. Hopefully my next giveaway will be much more exciting and fun. :D

Time for a Giveaway!!!!

TIME FOR A GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

Finally got this together! Still wish I had more time and energy to put more into it but for now, this will have to settle as my first official giveaway. :D One of the sets is going to be given away here and the other on my facebook fan page.

Okay, first off, The Rules:

There aren't many. Mostly, just that the same person can't win both prizes. That would hardly seem fair. Second, that you must like my facebook page or be a follower of my blog. Third, that you must advertise the giveaway in a post somehow with the link shared on this post. This can be via your blog, just a status on facebook, through your fanpage, whatever. As long as you spread the word about the giveaway and post the link here or on my facebook fan page post, you're entered. :D
All of my giveaways probably won't follow these same rules but I figured as my first giveaway, I'd make it a sort of promotional thing. ;D I also plan on doing more giveaways when I reach some of the 100 follower marks (100 likes, 500, etc.) so the more people who like my page, the more possibilities of a giveaway! :D You can enter via both my blog and facebook page for double the chance to win.

Second, the prizes! :D

Each set comes with a brand new, signed (by both me, the author - Tabitha Grace Smith- and Jack and Machu) copy of both Jack the Kitten is Very Brave, and Machu the Cat is Very Hungry. Also included is a special signed 'Color me Silly' zine created by me with some coloring pages of some of my line work. These are my first zine's and are probably going to be seriously limited edition until I hopefully get to create some more. :D (I think it's between 12 to 14 pages long.) Additionaly, I have created two sets of necklace items. Each set is unique to either Jack or Machu so in one set, there is a Jack oriented (blue) thread spool necklace with an accompanying bell as well as envelopes with kitten related items. The second set is for Machu which is pretty much the same items, only in his 'color' (red). So you're getting at least $50 worth of one of a kind prizes. :D

The contest will run for two weeks. So starting today and ending November 16th, midnight my time, which is Eastern Time (USA). So any entries from now until midnight November 16th will be entered. Any posts after that are disqualified. I will probably use a randomizer to pick the winners. I think that's about it.

Ready...set...go! :D

Edit: This is open to anyone and everywhere, regardless of area. This may change for future giveaways, depending on cost and shipping issues, but for this giveaway, everyone is welcome to enter. :D

A bunch of stuff crammed into one post.

I think the title says it all. LoL! Our internet has been having issues so posting hasn't been too easy lately. What we get for living in a rural area I suppose. Anyway, Just a few new things I wanted to share. First of all, my books have arrived! :D Now just need to start getting everything together for my giveaway.



Then, probably a month ago I experimented with some spray bottles, food coloring, water and paper mixed with found objects. After finding that besides dying my hands, you can create some awesome pictures with the negative space left behind. (Which I already knew but hadn't really tryed much myself.) Anyway, this was one of the results of digitally enhancing some of those images. I'll try to share the original pieces as well to show what neat things you can come up with, but wanted to share this for now just for fun. :)



And here's a little monster who seems to have fell in to a box of thumb tacks, as one of my friends suggested. ;D Poor thing. He was just trying to be helpful. LoL! At least it didn't get his eye or any vital organs.




And a couple of sketch dump pages of some stuff I've done over the last few months or more. These are just a handful of what I've drawn, though they're probably the better stuff of them all.





Oh, and a bracelet to share. I did three of these in all so far, one of which was given to a friend on her birthday awhile back. What do you think, worth pursuing? I liked the mix of leather with the bracelet and beads. Sort of gave it a more elegant look somehow.

Art Supplies

I love seeing what other people use to create their art and what they have in their supplies, so I thought it might be fun to share what I normally use for my art. I think the photo is self explanatory enough, so I'll cease writing and let you simply enjoy the pic. ;)

Happy Birthday Blog!

On August 9th of 2007, I added my first post to the world of blogdom. And I'm still at it, though not quite as vigorously, some years later in 2011. I think i said it had been five years, but I think it's really been four? I've grown to be terrible at math these last few years. LoL! Still, a birthday is a birthday no matter the age, so wanted to wish all those following me or visiting a very wonderful day and hope that you have enjoyed my works thus far and will continue to do so in the future. ;) And stay tuned for my giveaway! :D Shouldn't be too long now. ;)

Machu the cat is Very Hungry, now available for preorder!

Sorry for the absence. I've been updating my facebook page more often then here, so feel free to check it out.

But I wanted to stop by here and let everyone now, preorders for my latest illustrated book are now up for grabs. ;D Just head over to Jack and Machu's page to reserve your copy (they're limited edition copies signed by the author and our stars, Jack and Machu). And don't forget to check our their facebook fan page for all the latest going on with our favorite kittens, Machu and Jack. ;D

And here are some sample pages from the book for your viewing pleasure. ;) Enjoy!