BookSmithStudio.com | Nikki Smith Book & Visual Artist

Levitation Portrait of my Daughter

Nikki Smith — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:48:59 +0000

I took this portrait of my daughter this afternoon and thought I would share it. Notice anything odd? She is running on thin air, levitating above the ground. It was just so hard to get this photo with her eyes OPEN and a normal smile rather than a silly face! We had lots of fun, and no laws of physics were harmed in the process.

Contest Finalists – Swirls & Twirls

Nikki Smith — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 15:59:02 +0000

Sweet! It’s nice to check my inbox and see an uplifting message amidst all of my junk mail. This morning I learned that two of my images tied for third place in a competition at Fine Art America. How cool! Without further ado, here they are:

The theme of the competition was “Swirls and Twirls.” My favorite piece by a different artist in the competition is this one:

Here is what the contest administrator had to say: “Congrats to you all! Beautiful images! We had 16 pages of entries…AMAZING! Everythig, and I am so serious, everything…was so neat and beautiful and different. What a talanted group of artists! Thank you all so much of taking part in it!”

This is a good way to start the day…

Fabric Postcards! (Plus, a child’s 1st recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies)

Nikki Smith — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 04:38:48 +0000

These formerly unfinished-objects are UFO’s no more! I finally finished two of my three-plus fabric postcards for the Cloth Paper Scissors fabric postcard challenge and got them in the mail today. On time. Early, even!

The top one has one of my “wee planets” printed on white muslin and stitched to this fun, fuzzy fabric from my stash. It reminds me of a blizzard! The perfect backdrop for my Wee Winter Hotel planet — wish you were here!

Now this one is one of my favorite methods for binding books – the caterpillar stitch! I thought it would be fun to do on a fabric postcard, too. It looks amazing wrapped around the covers and spine of a book. The fabric is from a pair of pants I bought years ago with absolutely zero intention to ever wear — I knew they’d be part of an art project some day. I finally found the one!

I love adding dimension to a piece! This was such a fuzzy green yarn – perfect for this little critter. The accent beads were added last for extra texture and life. It was fun to finally up-cycle this fabric into something artsy! (And honestly, I never fit into those pants anyway… Now they have a purpose!)

I know that only the front of the postcards will be photographed for the magazine, but I had fun creating the backs, too. Mom taught me an easy blanket stitch (do I have that right?) to hold this one together. It was decorative, and much better than what I was going to attempt on my sewing machine. While she finished hand embroidering a few inches quickly on the demo fabric when she was teaching me, it took me all day to do the real thing. Not that it was that hard for me, but that I could only do it for a minute here and a minute there around chasing kiddos and trying to squeeze some real work in the day, too. I didn’t want the postcard backs to be blah, so I added a graphic element in the corner from my Wee Downtown Bryan planet and then an unusual or creative use for peanut butter on each postcard.

Why peanut butter? My mom (a.k.a. Grandma) also taught my little toddler how to make her first cookies this week. They have three ingredients -one cup of peanut butter, one cup of sugar and an egg. A simple recipe that can hold a toddler’s attention without getting too complicated or long. She loved making cookies with Grandma! (And they were delicious, too!)

P.S. If you would like to make these cookies with your little one, here is the recipe:

Child’s First Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup Peanut Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 egg

Mix 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup sugar and 1 egg together.
Roll dough into one inch balls between your palms.
Pour some more sugar on a plate and then roll each ball in the sugar so it is coated.
Place on cookie sheet two inches apart.
Use the flat side of a fork to press down on each ball in two directions to form a criss-cross pattern and flatten the cookie a bit.
PARENT STEP: Bake for 7 to 8 minutes at 350 degrees.
Cool and enjoy!

P.P.S. Oh, and if you hurry, there’s still time to send in a fabric postcard for the Cloth Paper Scissors reader challenge! Entries are due in their office by Jan. 20th. The details of the challenge are here. Or just make and send one to a friend for fun! Also, the post office has priority mail envelopes with clear windows in front if you go overboard like I did and aren’t sure if it will survive the postal machinery. Go on, you know it will be fun to do and your recipient will love it, too!

My first piece of 2012! Lindau Lighthouse in Germany

Nikki Smith — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:57:31 +0000

And I’m also finishing a few “UFOs” (unfinished objects) from last year…I’ll post them soon. Here’s to a good start in 2012!

Craftgawker Feature – Wee Planet Tutorial

Nikki Smith — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 19:02:30 +0000

Just a little something fun – my Wee Planet tutorial was featured in CraftGawker!

If you subscribe to Cloth Paper Scissors magazine (and I recommend it highly!), then please check out the upcoming March/April 2012 issue. I’ll be giving a step-by-step Wee Planet tutorial for PhotoShop Elements. And if you create your own Wee Planet, drop me a link – I’d love to see it!

Hot Air Balloons in Colorado Springs

Nikki Smith — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:02:32 +0000

Depicted in this painting is the hot air balloon launch for the annual Colorado Springs Balloon Classic, overlooking Prospect Lake in downtown Colorado Springs. This is colorful and vibrant artwork will delight the eye and and brighten any room. There is nothing like the feeling of flying free in the crisp, cool air letting your cares fall away and your spirits soar. I hope you get as much enjoyment from this painting as I had in creating it!

Wee Rossnowlagh Beach

Nikki Smith — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:25:58 +0000

A luxury vacation planet, Wee Rossnowlagh Beach offers private sandy beaches perfect for getting away from it all. Go on, relax with the family on the seaside and then write that novel you’ve always planned. There’s no time like today and there’s no place quite like this anywhere else in the known galaxy.

A huge thank-you to photographer Matt Mason for providing the source panorama of Rossnowlagh in County Donegal, Ireland. I was so excited when Matt answered my Open Call for Panoramas! He shared several interesting photos that may end up as newly discovered planets soon, so stay tuned!

Wee Rossnowlagh Beach Planet is available as a framed Fine Art print on archival paper or canvas in my shop.

Sweet! My Pink Cactus photo won 1st place!

Nikki Smith — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 02:34:47 +0000

I was honored to find out that my “Pink Cactus” macro photograph won 1st place (which comes with bragging rights) in the PINK competition on Fine Art America today. Thank-you to everyone who voted or participated in this contest!

This is a beautiful close-up photograph of a native Texas pink cactus. I love the texture and color of in this macro shot – nature is amazing! This photo was taken in Kyle, TX near Austin.

P.S. My mother-in-law will be pleased – it is in her garden!

Photo Collage Portrait – Beta

On Art, Luck, Failure and Growth

Nikki Smith — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:54:39 +0000

I believe we can make (or at least influence) our own luck. We learn, we observe, we inquire, we act, we fail, we re-examine, we apply what we’ve learned, we try again, we learn something new in the attempt, we share our successes, failures, strategies and insights. We grow.

Or we don’t try, we don’t fail, we don’t learn, we don’t succeed and we don’t grow.

Personally, I’m for trying. I love making art. It is a need and a passion that I ignored for too many years. My life has been enriched and my spirits raised by making room for making art. It may not be practical, it may not pay the bills, but it dramatically improves the quality of my life — I have more moments of wonder, I smile more, I am more “whole” as a person.

And if my artwork resonates with someone else, if I can make that connection, then – wow. I’ve moved them and it moves me. What a high.

Far from home: Planet Mars, Phoenix Mars Lander (Educator discount!)

Nikki Smith — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:45:25 +0000

Without further ado, here is my latest fine art planet print (educators and home school parents – read on for an educational discount):

This was a fascinating project to work on! This view of Mars from the Phoenix Mars Lander combines hundreds of images taken during the first several weeks after NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander arrived on an arctic plain at 68.22 degrees north latitude, 234.25 degrees east longitude on Mars. The landing was on May 25, 2008. These images were first combined into a 360 degree panorama and then converted to a “planet view” (stereographic projection) by artist Nikki Smith.

Note that there is a vanishing point (pinch) in the center of the image where the robotic arm could not photograph itself.

Shown in approximately true color, this shows the polygonal patterning of ground at the landing area, similar to patterns in permafrost areas on Earth. Trenches where Phoenix’s robotic arm has been exposing subsurface material are visible. The spacecraft’s meteorology mast, topped by the telltale wind gauge, extends into the sky.

I am offering a 25% discount on the print price to the first 100 educators or home school parents who wish to purchase a fine art print or stretched canvas of Planet Mars, Phoenix Mars Lander. Just click here to view and customize your fine art or canvas print, add it to your cart, and enter code “TPYESZ” to obtain the discount. (Note that the discount applies to the print price only, not to materials, shipping or labor which go to FAA.)

I hope you enjoy this most unusual view of the Martian landscape – it is out of this world, literally!