Monday, May 25, 2015

D-Xirable Art! Rachel Anderson's Paintings!

Hello my wonderful and amazing loves,

I came across this painter/artist not too long ago and I enjoy her work so much that I decided that it would be nice to highlight her work on my blog.

Rachel Anderson is another one of my favorite painters. I love how vibrant, bright, pretty, and magical her paintings are! They are really beautiful and amazing! I also love how she paints dreamy women/fairies/mermaids and how she creates such mystical and fantasy worlds.

Rachel Anderson

I have been fascinated with the world of fantasy since I was little, when my parents began reading me books like Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. From then on my imagination was incurably overactive.

At an early age I began attempting to bring all the characters and stories in my head to life on paper. But it was not until about 2004 that I actually began to really learn the basics and improve my skill to become a professional artist.

I have always been fascinated with the spiritual realm - what it might look like if we could see it and so forth - so that influences my art a great deal. I love nature, and all the beauty that lives within it. The idea that there is an unseen world of magical creatures that are interconnected with nature and suffer if we harm it is very inspirational to my work. Our world can be sad and cruel at times, and I hope my artwork can bring some joy and magic back into it.

~Rachel Anderson (via http://www.silverstars.us)

Here are some of my favorite paintings by Rachel Anderson:

Rachel Anderson's - Andromeda

Rachel Anderson's - Astraea

Rachel Anderson's - Aurelia

Rachel Anderson's - Birth of a Star

Rachel Anderson's - Birthstones: Amethyst

Rachel Anderson's - Birthstones: Ruby

Rachel Anderson's - Birthstones: Sapphire

Rachel Anderson's - Forget Me Not

How do you create your art?
I create my paintings in Photoshop using a pressure-sensitive graphics tablet. The tablet has a "pen" that you use instead of a mouse. For those not familiar with digital painting, my process is similar to painting with oil or acrylic in that I create my paintings from scratch, stroke by stroke, using the brush tool.

Although my painting process has changed and loosened up a lot over the past few years, you can check out these tutorials I wrote a few years ago to get the general idea of how I work.

What programs/tools do you use?
I use Adobe Photoshop CS (adobe.com) and a Wacom Intuos 2 tablet (wacom.com).

How long does it take you to finish a painting?
It can take as little as a week, or as long as a month (or more!). It really depends on the size of the painting, detail involved, and time I have available for painting. My attention span is very short and I lose interest easily. So it can take months or even more than a year for me to get around to finishing a painting if I don't keep at it.

It took me about a week to finish Sunset, which is 12x18 inches, and relatively simple as far as detail goes. And Luna Moth took about a year, painting on and off. That painting is larger, 16x24 inches, and has a lot of detail. It's hard to say how long it actually took to paint without breaks.

~Rachel Anderson (via http://www.silverstars.us)

Rachel Anderson's - Iridescent

Rachel Anderson's - Lily of the Valley

Rachel Anderson's - Luminescent

Rachel Anderson's - Birthstones: Aquamarine

Rachel Anderson's - Mirabella

Rachel Anderson's - Birthstones: Blue Topaz

Rachel Anderson's - Birthstones: Emerald

Rachel Anderson's - Birthstones: Garnet

Rachel Anderson's - Birthstones: Peridot

Rachel Anderson's - Opalite

Rachel Anderson's - Rose

I am also greatly inspired by turn-of-the-century illustrators like Arthur Rackham; Pre-Raphaelites, Neo-Classicists, and Romanticists like Waterhouse and Bouguereau; styles like Art Nouveau; and modern fantasy artists like Brian Froud and Kinuko Craft. The list of artists I admire could go on and on.

~Rachel Anderson (via http://www.silverstars.us)

Rachel Anderson's - Serenity

Rachel Anderson's - Snow Fae

Rachel Anderson's - Titania

Rachel Anderson's - Twilight Shimmer

Rachel Anderson's - Ultramarine

Rachel Anderson's - Winter Rose

Thank you for reading this post! I hope you enjoyed this post about Rachel Anderson's paintings! 
Her paintings are incredibly beautiful and mystical! Here's the link to her artwork and website - http://www.silverstars.us/.

With love,
LaTasha B.
x0x0x0x

Saturday, May 23, 2015

D-Xirably Friends/Sisters! Big Sis Ja's Twiny Book!

Hello, my wonderful and amazing loves!

Today is my twiny/big sis, Ja's, birthday! 
Happy birthday, my beautiful and amazing twiny!

We've been best friends since we met in high school! We share a ton of amazing memories together! My life wouldn't be as incredible without her in it! She's the best twiny EVER!

My twiny/big sis, Ja, and I on her birthday! :)

So, in honor of her birthday today, I'm posting the pages from her twiny book that she made for us! It's so incredibly cute and super sweet! I just love it and her so much!
This book is so sweet and so precious!

"I'm not good with words like my twiny is... but she is my twiny for life because she is always looking out for me, there for me, listening to me, laughing/joking with me, but most importantly she always has my back and is willing to put a smile on my face during my good days and bad days."
~Reja J/Ja

"It all started in High School =). O How time flys lol!!"
My twiny, Ja, and I at my high school graduation, 2008!

My twiny, Ja, and I at her senior/my junior prom, 2007!

"1st Twiny Vacation"
Yes, baby! My twiny, Ja, and  at Universal Studios Orlando in Orlando, Florida! Vacation 2009!

Another picture of this page...

And another...

My twiny, Ja, and I at Clearwater Beach, Florida!
Vacation 2009!

"College Times...Good times!!!"
Yes, it was! My twiny, Ja, and I both went to Rockhurst University!

Another picture of this page...

My twiny, Ja, and I going to another Rockhurst University party!

My twiny, Ja, and I going to a Rockhurst University party!

More pictures of College times!
My twiny, Ja, and I going to more Rockhurst University parties!

My twiny, Ja, and I going to a Rockhurst Unversity party!

My twiny, Ja, and I going to a Rockhurst University party!

"U know we Got to Have our Happy Hour Time lol!"
Happy hour pictures!

Another picture of this page...

My twiny, Ja, and I in Columbia, MO at Applebee's! Vacation 2012!

My twiny, Ja, and I enjoying Happy Hour!

"CASINO TIME!"
My twiny, Ja, and I at Hollywood Casino in Kansas!

Another picture of this page...

My twiny, Ja, on the slots at the casino!

Me on my favorite slot machine at the casino! Pink Diamond! :)

"Twiny Art!"
My twiny, Ja, and I painting at Colors and Bottles KC!

Me painting at Colors and Bottles KC!

My twiny, Ja, and I painting at Colors and Bottles KC!

"Random Twiny Day's!!! Gotta LOVE Twiny Days... Random or Not :)!!!"

My twiny, Ja, and I at a KC (Kansas City) Royals game!

Top to Bottom: Me at the Plaza for Twiny Day!
My twiny, Ja, and I at World's of Fun for Twiny Day!
My twiny, Ja, at the Plaza for Twiny Day!

Another picture of this page...

"CONCERT TIME!!!"
My twiny, Ja, and I before the Ed Sheeran Concert in Kansas City!

Another picture of this page...

My twiny, Ja, and I in Downtown KC before the Ed Sheeran concert!

Another picture of this page...

My twiny, Ja, and I at Ed Sheeran's concert at the Sprint Center!

Another picture of this page...

"TWINY'S 4 LIFE!!!"
My twiny, Ja, and I in Columbia, MO! Vacation 2012!

Another picture of this page...


"I'm thankful for my best friend and big sis, Ja. I love her and the moments and memories that we've shared together. She's the sweetest, most kindest soul I've ever met. Even during my lowest points in life, she has been there for me right by my side. I'm so glad that God brought you into my life. It's nice to have someone in your life who's as crazy as you are! :)"
~LaTasha B/T-Sha Sha

The sweetest twiny book ever! I just love my twiny!

Again, happy birthday to my big sis, Ja, who's the best twiny ever! 
I hope you have one as amazing and incredible as you are!
Love you, forever and always! 
Here's to MANY more years together and PLENTY of more memories!

Hope you enjoyed the pics and post!

Love always,
LaTasha B.
x0x0x0x!