Wow! Wow! Wow

It's here!! Our zine all about art cards/ACEOs! Inside find advice, featured artists, techniques, and even a puzzle all about those wonderful, collectable artist cards. Whether you are an artist or a collector, this is the zine for you.

Available on http://www.lerayjessdesigns.etsy.com/

Want to be a featured artist? You can! For a small fee, you get a 2x3" color space for an image of one of your pieces. Please email lerayjess@yahoo.com for more information. This is a quarterly publication.

Great time at stART in the Park!

It was great to meet so many people at stART in the Park in Worcester this past weekend. So happy to meet new Art Card collectors! I look forward to seeing you all at stART on the Street in September. Many new works will be available.

I am now considering starting an Indie Zine all about artist cards. Your input is most appreciated!

ALSO INTRODUCING: My first children's book, The Lucky Blue Lobster. Meet Louie and find out why he is so lucky. This is a wonderful story about being yourself and how being different is sometimes a very lucky thing. Available only on http://www.lerayjessdesigns.etsy.com/ !

View the Art in Person

Hello everyone. My ACEOs and larger artwork will be shown and be for sale at the Heirloom Artisan Expo this Sunday, 4/13, from 10-4 at the Holiday Inn in Taunton, MA. This is going to be a wonderful event featuring (and run by) etsy artists! We'd love to see you there. In fact, print out this page and bring it with you for $2 off any item at the Lerayjess Designs booth!! Be sure to view my handpainted beads at http://bostonbakedbeads.blogspot.com as well - I paint those in a style that is similar to my abstract paintings. I'll have them at the expo too.

See you there or on etsy - www.lerayjessdesigns.etsy.com .

Sister blog - Boston Baked Beads!

ACEO Market now has a sister blog - http://www.bostonbakedbeads.blogspot.com featuring beautiful hand painted porcelain beads and the Bead of the Month Club!

I just love to paint, and it has spread to my bead addiction.

Been busy in the studio

Thanks for all the great comments! I love to hear from my readers. Please feel free to comment or send me a message anytime.

I've been busy painting big and small paintings to get ready for the upcoming art show season! I've been juried into some shows: The Heirloom Artisan Expo in Taunton MA in April, and the Art in the Park festival in Worcester MA in June. I'll list their links down at the end of this post. Check it out, and come see me in person. In fact, print out this page and get $2 off any ACEO at either show.

In the paintings and ACEOs, I've been combining the triangulated style with my more colorful swirly abstracts. What do you think? My style is definitely identifiable, yet ever evolving.

www.heirloomartisanexpos.com
www.startonthestreet.org

Buy Handmade!

etsy ACEO team and blog - VISIT!

Come visit http://acetsy.blogspot.com and find out about the community of art card artists and collectors on www.etsy.com - your source for all things handmade!

Shards of Remembrance series

Here is a new ACEO I painted this morning - she is painted in watercolor and ink and is called "She Sees You". I have done a series of triangulated faces and many more can be seen at www.lerayjessdesigns.com .

New work to show off! The first ACEO is my new marketing card - I leave it around in places for others to randomly find! Fly Southwest lately? Look in your SkyMall mag - finders keepers if you find the art! I do this all over town - the waiting rooms, the Y, and many other places. Let me know if you find one!

The second image is an art card/aceo in ink titled "Chrous" from my music-themed series. I have larger acrylic and watercolor paintings in this style too. Some can be seen and purchased on http://www.lerayjessdesigns.etsy.com/.

Also at the link above is my own coloring book, with hand drawn abstract designs in my own style. So fun!

New etsy artists to share with you

Hi again - I've got some etsy artists whose work I've been admiring to share with you. Etsy.com is a great place to shop for artist cards for your collection! Take a look at:

www.juliepersons.etsy.com to see amazing felted aceos. So unique!
www.mLee.etsy.com for incredible multi-media artwork in her aceos
www.art2artcolorado.etsy.com for absolutely stunning 3-D art cards. Yes, 3-D!!

I'm always in awe of the talent of the artists I see on etsy. You should take a look. You can see mine on www.aceomarket.com and www.lerayjessdesigns.etsy.com. Shameless plug, I know, but hey, it's MY blog!

I am very interested in hearing about techniques for texture and 3-D affects on mini or regular size artwork. Please feel free to comment. I am going to experiment with different mediums in my acrylic paints to give more texture. What do you use? Are you interested in textures and effects like this in paintings? Does it give them more interest? Post a comment!

feeling more nautical today

Hello everyone. Thank you so much for your comments and visits! I am happy to connect with more artists and art card collectors and makers! There seem to be many of us.

Question - has anyone tried selling ACEOs at art festivals along with larger works? What sort of interest have you gotten? Feel free to comment.

Lately I've been working on nautical and water - themed pieces. I'm in my "blue phase" I guess! I've done some more musical pieces too. Take a peek at http://lerayjessdesigns.etsy.com to see some of the newest. I've been mixing inks and watercolors too. I'll post a few more here soon.

The basic process

Let me tell you a little about my basic process for making ACEOs. Fair warning, however, if you try this: they are very addictive little things.

I start by cutting either 140lb. watercolor paper or bristol board into 2.5x3.5" rectangles. This is the standard size for art cards. This is also the size trading cards (baseball, etc) come in, so ACEOs can fit into trading card protectors for collecting.

My latest series of watercolor paintings has also included inks. For "Fruit Slice" (see the images to the right), I began with the black ink and gave the card a black edge. Then, with ink, I created the abstract design, and then painted with bright bold watercolors. When it was dry, I varnished both sides to protect the watercolor. I usually varnish watercolor for safekeeping, but not always inks. I'd love to hear about other artists' methods!

Many times, these little works of art are the basis for larger works.

I keep all ACEOs in resealable protective card sleeves. This makes a nice presentation, and the card stays in good condition.

You can see many examples - for sale! - on www.aceomarket.com. Please visit!

Lucky Blue Wha??

I have posted a picture of one of my Lucky Blue Lobster ACEOs - one in a series, listed at www.lerayjessdesigns.etsy.com. What's a blue lobster, you ask? They are a naturally occurring phenomenon in nature and are very rare. Only about 1 in 2 million lobsters have this genetic difference and it is considered quite lucky to find one! Lucky for the lobsters too - no one eats them. Each LBL ACEO comes with a fortune for you inside the card sleeve, with its message hidden until you open it. How fun! A great little gift, too.

Another etsy shop to check out: www.artbymercer.etsy.com - wonderful artwork and ACEOs there.

**SPECIAL** $2.00 off any ACEO in my shop (which I also ship worldwide for FREE) if you mention this blog!! Offer good until midnight EST Sat. Feb 16, 2008.

I'm off to browse etsy!

Some great shops on etsy - please visit them!

Hi again, world. I am slowly learning my way around blogville. So glad to have you visit! I have been busy today, painting away. I am on a roll lately - I've been painting ACEOs and larger works - very colorful abstracts with black lines. One series has a music theme; one series is more floral/fruit. I'm focusing on watercolor and inks. We were snowed in today (near Boston), and I was happy as could be, painting away! These ACEOs are very addicting, and so is etsy. If you haven't discovered it yet, www.etsy.com is a "site for all things handmade", and the handcrafted items and artwork there are wonderful. Check it out.

Two incredible shops on etsy (besides mine, www.lerayjessdesigns.etsy.com , shameless plug) are:
www.jerz.etsy.com with incredible things including reconstructed clothing - so unique!
www.art2theextreme.etsy.com with art and many fantastic things!

Please take a look at these shops. Plus, if you are as addicted to ACEOs as I am, you should take a look at www.aceomagazine.com and www.aceomarket.com.

Photos of my work

Ok - I've figured out how to show my work here. I will update my gallery often, so check back soon. I'd love to get comments (hint hint). Many more ACEOs available on www.aceomarket.com .

Welcome fellow etsyers!

Hello to all my fellow etsy artists and crafters. You are a very talented bunch, and I will be featuring my favorites periodically.

New photos later tonight!

Hello World!

Hello everyone! Welcome to ACEO/Art Card Artist blog. ACEOs are mini artworks, usually 2.5 x 3.5" which is trading card size. I have many for sale at http://www.lerayjessdesigns.etsy.com/ and my brand new site dedicated to ACEOs, http://www.aceomarket.com/ ! Free shipping worldwide.

Artist cards (ACEOs) are original artwork and are highly collectable. They are an affordable way to enjoy the work of your favorite artists. I usually display mine in small frames or on tiny easels, but they can be kept in photo albums or trading card sleeves too!

My work is primarily abstract. I use ink, watercolor, and acrylic, depending on mood. I hope to use this blog to connect with you and to explain my methods and work. Please visit http://www.aceomarket.com/ today and let me know what you think!

ALSO: $2 off any ACEO on http://www.lerayjessdesigns.etsy.com/ if you mention this blog.

More (and larger) paintings available on http://www.lerayjessdesigns.com/.