Small Art

Well, not that small.
Sort of small.
If you've been following along at home, you, the reader, know that I found these things called ACEOs.
These are diminutive works of mostly original art, sometimes prints or giclee, that are done on 3.5" x 2.5" cards or paper, the same size as trading cards.
I stumbled upon these things while doing a search for all things giraffeness over on Etsy.
Boy, these things are moving up on the evil list as I just can't seem to get enough of them.
I mean I must have looked at like thousands of em, seriously.
The great thing about them is that for the most part, they are ridiculously inexpensive.
I should know, being a graduate of the School of Delusional Economics and Wishful Thinking(SDEWT).
Here's a sample of what I got so far:



Cool giraffeness by emi.
I also got some bonus stuff from her.




Two watercolors by Nakisha.
I sort of gravitate towards watercolors. The colors are a bit more subtle and they tend to be not so busy.



Pencil drawing by Shelby Harbison.
I got that off evil eBay.
I'm a sucker for anything that resembles Art Deco.
I got a bunch more coming, so I'll be showing them off as they arrive.
The thing I like about this, is that they're like swatches.
Sort of.
I mean there's a lot of art for sale on the interwebs. The good thing is that it's easy to find something that catches your eyeballs, something you wouldn't mind owning.
Most of it is really really inexpensive.
Except that you can't reach out and touch it.
Not yet anyways.
Posted images don't always do justice to the full sized works so that's sort of pain.
Well with these thingys, you can sort of sample the artist in small scale before stepping up to the plate and getting something larger.
I like to shop Etsy for most of the time you get to read a little about the person you are purchasing from.
With evil eBay, you takes your chances.
What do you mean Mr. Flat Tire? If you like it just buy it!
Okay, I sort of go by that, but it makes a difference to me if the artist has had some training.
Boy, that's really elitist!
I know, I know, but let's put it this way, if I'm looking for an engineer, I'm not hiring you because you like engineering. I'm hiring you because you liked engineering enough to go to school to learn more about it.
More about that later.
So anyways, I'm so excited about this stuff, I decided to have a go at it even though I have limited skills with a pencil or brush:



I dig working with lines.
The minimalist in me appreciates the thought that goes into them.
Let's face it, less is more.
I also have a love hate relationship with values.
Using light and dark.
I hate doing it, but I really appreciate it when it's pulled off correctly.
Interesting, the latest Art in America has an article on Caravaggio, a dude who used this method with great effect.
By the way there's an Italian word for this, don't make me look it up.
Oh, okay: chiaroscuro.
Means light and dark.
The thingy I did above is called Corner!
I've had this image in my head for a while now, maybe because I'm sort of about to turn a corner at work and it also reminds me of when I bussed tables at a restaurant.
Whenever you came to a corner you would say out loud corner! to let folks know you were coming.
Anyways, I did a whole study of this image, I'll post them all up so you, the reader, can see the progression.
Check these things out!
For the price of lunch, you too can own some original art!