Hello everyone!

I’ve spent another weekend in the basement getting flower boxes and birdhouses put together. This group can be found on my Etsy page – click here.

The weather hasn’t felt much like spring, even though the calendar says it is, but building these always gives me hope of warm days and a yard full of birds. I’m planning on making a flower box for my wife and I this year, I’ve yet to do that! We went plant shopping this weekend and bought some really nice looking herbs to plant in our box. I hope to build our flower box in the next few weeks, at least in time for planting.

I still have plenty of great looking vehicle plates, if anyone has a special request please feel free to contact me using the “contact me” page. I also was able to secure an order for 200 motorcycle plates. I have to admit I’m pretty excited about that. I’m buying these sight-unseen, but it sounds like a nice assortment. Once those arrive I’ll start madly building birdhouses and listing them on Etsy.

That’s all I have for now, I hope everyone is enjoying their spring!

Thanks…Erik

It took a few attempts, but I finally came up with plan/pattern for a little birdhouse. The first one uses a plate for the bottom, but I’m thinking I’ll use treated lumber for the rest. I think the lumber will give everyone more mounting options. Everything is riveted together, but the bottom will be screwed on to make spring cleaning easier. I used a vehicle plate for the roof, it seems a bit too big, but I think it also gives it a whimsical appearance. I just happened to grab an Iowa plate for the roof, the roof states will vary. The rest of the house, well, let’s just say there will be a lot of Iowa houses out there! I did leave a nice vent between the top of the sides and the roof so the little birds don’t bake in there!

I’m pretty happy with how this came out. I just need to figure out the pricing and shipping and I’ll be able to start listing these on my Etsy page!

Thanks for stopping by…Erik

The spring weather has really hit the garden at our house, the bulbs are blooming, the perennials are sprouting, the roses are budding out. It’s planting time! I spent some quality time at the workbench this weekend and built five more flower boxes, one was a special order, the other four were loaded on Etsy. Here’s a sample…

I received a fresh shipment of plates last week, and there are some real gems in there. If you don’t see a plate that sparks ya, feel free to contact me, I may have the plate in my stash.

Here’s the link for my Etsy store – License Plate Flower Boxes

Happy Spring everyone!

Well, it looks like spring is here. About a month early, but who can complain about that with all the flowers blooming?

It’s been a while since I’ve grabbed my pencils or pens. I keep telling myself, and my wife, “I’m going to make art this weekend!” But every Sunday night, as were sitting to eat supper, I say the same thing, “I didn’t make art!” I guess by the time the house chores and projects are done, the family obligations have been met, and the errands run, there just isn’t any weekend left. I tell myself that’s good, because it means I’m not just sitting around looking for things to do, or complaining about being bored. But somehow, I need to set aside some time for art.

My plan this weekend is to make some art. If I can stay away from the license plates and flower boxes, I should be good to go. I guess everyone will know the first of next week if it really happened, I’ll be sure to post what ever I accomplish!

Happy Spring everyone – Erik

This contest had three categories – fireplace, snow, and pine. And of course I choose snow, because drawing snow in pen and ink should be easy……

I had to use the old garden shed as the subject for my snow drawing, I just can’t get away from the sheds! I’m pretty happy with the way this came out. I like the colors, the pen work isn’t too heavy, and I’m pleased with my snow-covered ground. My only complaint is with the illustration board. It is the hot press board from Crescent. The surface of the board is great for the line work. It held-up without getting fuzzy or scratched, I was able to go over some areas with the pen while the watercolors were still a bit wet. The watercolors sat on the surface and kept their intensity. But….the board is SO not white! I know most watercolor paper is off-white, but this is really bad. I guess I must continue my search for a hot press/smooth drawing surface that can stand up to pen work, and take some watercolor washes…looks like I need to do some shopping!

That’s all for now, I gotta go watch the snow fall…Erik

Hey all….

With the holiday quickly approaching, I thought it would be wise for me to bang-out a few more flower boxes! I’ve added three more flower boxes to my Etsy Store, and I’m hoping to add a few more next week. I just received a new order of old plates last week…and they look great! Some new states, some old, but plenty to choose from. If anyone has a special request, I may be able to fill it. I don’t have every state, but ya never know…I may have the one you’re looking for!

Here’s the link to my Etsy Store  – Click Me!

Happy Shopping…Erik!

Here is another installment for the Sketchbook Project.

I’m calling this one Anna’s Treehouse, she’s a friend of mine at work. She was looking through my treehouse book and suggested I draw a treehouse on a beach. And so I did!

I wanted to keep the open air feel of the beach, so there is no roof over this one, except for the palms of course. And every treehouse on a beach needs a tiki torch and a few tropical refreshments! As the gentle breeze blows across the sides of the treehouse I can almost imagine myself there. Thanks for the idea Anna!

Cheers…Erik

In my push to make more art, I committed myself to an online Holiday Card Competition, and a Holiday Artist Trading Card swap. Both of these are hosted on Grumbacher’s Facebook Page - http://www.facebook.com/Grumbacher

I’m real happy with how both of these came out. I designed the holiday card as a 5 x 7 folded card. I used 140 pound hot press paper. I couldn’t even begin to guess on the brand, at one point I bought several sheets, each of a different brand. As time went on, and I kept cutting the sheets down, and I forgot to label each piece.

I like the hot press paper because I can really lay down some nice pen work. Since I prefer to use the watercolors as a wash, the smooth surface really works well for that.

The ATC is the first one I’ve ever made. I’ve always thought it would be fun to try, so I did. It was fun! I’ll pop that in the mail tomorrow. If anyone reading this is interested in starting a holiday swap, let me know!

That’s all for now. I hope to get a few more treehouses finished this weekend, but who knows…

Thanks everyone for taking the time to read my rambles and drop a comment…I do appreciate it!

Erik

I’m not feeling real chatty today, so here it is, my treehouse. I know I should elaborate about this more than I am, but I truly can’t come up with anything else to add to this! HAHAHA! Sorry folks…the tall silent has struck again! HA!

Happy dreams of treehouses…Erik

Alrighty now…two more treehouse drawings are complete!

I need to give credit and thanks to fellow artist – blogger JSD undercoversurfer for the idea for the treehouse on the side of the hill. She was kind enough to leave me comment about my last treehouse drawing describing what her childhood treehouse looked like. I’m sure this isn’t an exact match, but it was a great idea and inspiration just the same. Thanks JSD.

The second treehouse was my little nod to Halloween. I know it’s not real spooky, or even haunted looking, but I wanted the gnarled root walls to give it a spooky/creepy feel. I think that worked. I just couldn’t bring myself to draw a giant skull with a tree growing on top of it. Sorry folks…

Well, as I’ve said before, I’m not a talker, so this is all I’ve got for now. Feel free to leave me comments or questions. Both are always welcome!

Thanks…Erik