Merry Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas!

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday.

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For this year's Christmas card, I hand painted japanese paper with watercolor paint. For the tree I used a variety of greens, blues and purple. While wet, I splattered in some yellows and verzino violet. When dry, I splattered on some gold gauche. For the trunk I used various shades of brown.

After the very thin and fragile japanese paper was completely dry. I trimmed the paper into strips. My husband cut the strips of green into triangles while I sliced the trunks into squares. I adhered each trunk and tree onto watercolor note cards and allowed them all to dry overnight.

The next day, I signed the cards and hand wrote little notes inside each and every card. I hand addressed all the envelopes as well. I simply love a handwritten Christmas card and envelope. It's a little gift in itself.

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas

& Happy New Year Everyone!

This is my 2010 Christmas card, I hand painted lots of them! Sorry it has taken me so long to get it posted to my blog, but under the recent circumstances, I'm sure you understand.

Things are slowly getting back to normal here and hopefully I will be in a new regular routine soon.

Holiday Cheer

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Hope your holiday is filled with lots of love and good cheer.

Enjoy Christmas!

My 2009 Christmas Card,

I hand painted all of them.

Yesterday

Snowflakes 1 through 12

by Artist Rita Squier

A dozen ACEO Art Cards

Original Watercolor Paintings

Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches

Yesterday, I was cleaning up and rearranging my studio. I am starting to prepare for a new project. I found a piece of watercolor paper with pencil lines lightly drawn on it. I took out a ruler and measured it. The grid size was 2.5x3.5 inches. Perfect for art cards. I also found a few of my old watercolor Christmas cards which were the inspiration for the design. A larger painting trimmed and separated into mini paintings. I have not decided if they will be ACEOs, art cards for sale or ATCs, artist trading cards.

Watercolor Christmas Cards

I started taking watercolor painting classes in 1995 and ever since then each year I hand paint all of my Christmas Cards.  Now, there has been only three times since then, that I did not hand paint them.  Twice I painted one painting and then reproduced the painting and created Christmas cards, that got me a little slack but not as much as the year I actually purchased a box of Christmas cards to send out.  My family and friends seem to think I have to hand paint my cards every year and if I don't they feel free to complain.  They don't hand make their own cards.  

Last year's Christmas card was a pen and ink line drawing of a barn, which was then hand painted.  I enlisted the help of my husband.  The only thing the same on each card was the line drawing of the barn.  Everyone received a uniquely painted barn and snowy surroundings.  

Yesterday I finally got the chance to start painting this years Christmas cards, I normally don't wait this long.  The theme will remain a secret, at least until mailing.  I have 20 painted so far and have quite a few to go ... I'm not sure but I think I may be on my own painting this year's Christmas cards.  Although, I was offered help if needed.