Artist Interview - Rhiannon Stone

Rhiannon Stone is a mixed-media artist, photography enthusiast, blogger and all-round Awesome Person. 

Her blog is Pierced Beauty where she writes about her journey to becoming an artist and the assorted things that make life beautiful. 

I asked her some hard hitting questions!

If you woke up tomorrow as an animal, what would you be? 
A leopard. They are just such amazing and elegant animals plus I love all kinds of cats. Big cats, wild cats, domestic cats. That and I love everything leopard print (which I'm sure Alana can confirm!)

Describe your Art: 
This is a hard one. I don't feel like I have found my 'style' yet so its hard to describe but I think I would say my art as honest and full of emotion.

I create art that has feeling, and is relatable. I love using words (which is why art journaling is a perfect fit for me) and creating something beautiful. I love using colour, despite tending to wear black most of the time.

What are your favourite materials to Art* with? 
I have two big passions; art journaling & painting as well as photography.

For art journaling and painting my favourite materials would be gesso, watercolours, acrylics, bubble wrap, sponges, indian ink, sakura gelly rollers and all sorts of collected images. Most are from free promotional magazines you can pick up at coffee shops, or sewing patterns from Opp shops (about $0.50 each!). I love collecting clothes tags, receipts, lace, pretty packaging and old books.

 For my photography, I'm currently saving for a new camera (Canon 600D + 18-135mm lens) but in the meantime my partner is nice enough to let me use his camera (Canon 550D + 18-135mm lens). I love being able to play around with the photos in Photoshop afterwards to create new effects or looks.
There are a lot of wonderful bloggers/artists out there that share Photoshop actions they have created which is quite fun to try (check out Alex Beadon & Carrie from WishWishWish as a starting point)

Where do you get inspiration from? 
I am a sucker for websites like Pinterest and I spend hours looking through my favourite set of blogs. I do make a point to focus on what is around me everyday (instead of what is on a screen in front of me) as well though. A small flower growing through a cracked footpath, a particularly colourful sunset, even just spending the day with friends. Look for every day things in your life that you love. It doesn't have to be something huge, it can be as small as the pattern on your coffee.

Do you sell your art/do commissions? (and if yes, where and what's the process?) 
At this stage I don't do commissions (although it is something I would like to do eventually). I am however working on resurrecting my Etsy shop and hope to be open within the next 2 months. If you would like to be kept up to date with all the happenings head to my Facebook page or blog for the latest updates.

Where do you hang-out online? 
I am all over the interwebs! Primarily over on my blog (www.rhiannonstone.blogspot.com) but you can find me at all these other places:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/piercedbeautydesigns
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/rhiannon_e_stone
Pinterest: pinterest.com/piercedbeauty
Tumblr: pierced-beauty.tumblr.com
Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/piercedbeauty

Do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring artsy people? 
Keep learning and keep trying new things. I still consider myself to be relatively new to the art scene so I am continuously looking for new techniques and ideas. If I ever get stuck for motivation I find a tutorial for a new technique and give it a go. The absolute biggest thing to remember though is that absolutely no one starts out amazing. I have done a lot of art journal pages that I don't like but from that I learn things that I do like.


 *Yes - I'm using "art" as a verb.

Artist's Mannequin

I seem to be 'collecting' these things:

I don't know why.
They're something that tends to be bought by new art students and people who want others to know that they're "Arty".

Maybe that's why I have so many of the damn things - They get abandoned with me when their well meaning and eager young owners realize just how useless they are as a drawing aid (unless the thing you want to draw is a wooden artist's mannequin, of course).

They do, however, make a great substrate for painting on....

I also had a go at "fixing" the pelvis on this one - with the end result that its arms are now way too long for it's body. Oh well.

I went a bit mad with the hotglue gun too...

Musical Bradley Doll

Finally finished!
That was only, what, 3 years?

Dolls Galore!

I've been hard at work - casting wee dolls. These girls are up for 'adoption'...


I've had the Mother-in-law working on the wee dresses for me. She is an awesome seamstress - and I'm very grateful for the chance to not lose my temper at tiny scraps of fabric, as it's most undignified...

And I got a new camera from my mother for Christmas (Thanks Mum!) - it's a simple point-n-shoot, but it's 10 megapixels and has optical zoom and a macro function so I'm finally able to put up some un-blurry photos...

ATC

ATC

Another finished thing.

What happens when I find an interestingly shaped boardbook in the clearance bin?

I become all inspired and junk, and finish something the same day that I start it.

Yay me!

Goddess
By Me - 27/12/2008
Polymer Clay Figure/Mixed media - boardbook substrate

Sometimes I finish things...

... not often, but it does happen.

The poem is Song of the Goddess by Scott Cunningham

The Goddess Within

By Me - 2008

Mixed media - boardbook substrate

Altering a boardbook - preparing the surface...

Start by carefully peeling off the glossy printed top layer of paper. Try to remove as little of the bookboard as possible. You could sand the gloss off, but I find the paper-peeling far more satisfying.


The naked book and a selection of papers...


A note before starting to apply the papers - I am an extremely messy worker, and like to cover the cover of the book last, so that I don't get glue all over it.
Apply copious amounts of gluestick - make sure you cover the entire surface with glue - otherwise you get air pockets and/or the paper may peel off.


Place the paper over top of your page and burnish it. Start at the centre of the page and (pushing down hard) work your way to the edges. I often have a little bit of glue ooze out - try not to get any on your burnishing tool.
You can use a fancy-schmancy bone folder for this, but as mine was covered in polymer clay at the time, I used a clean popsicle stick.


Flip it over and trim the excess paper from the back with a SHARP blade.
(A sharp knife is a safe knife)


I sometimes hang the book over the edge of the table to get to the fiddly bits near the spine.


The first covered page....


If the paper you want to use is smaller than the page, use two pieces. Glue one down as usual, but don't trim the paper yet.


Tear a thin strip off one edge of the second piece. If you don't want any white (the paper's core) showing, make sure that you pull the part of the paper that you want to use towards you (if you do want the white tear to show, pull it away from you).


Apply lots of glue and overlap the torn edge.
You can do this with lots of bits of paper if you want your base to be all collagey and stuff...


The re-covered book, ready for scribbling in....

...and Princess Aurora? The story in this boardbook was terrible. I felt no guilt at all in tearing it up...