Abstract Digital Painting "On The Line"

Honestly, other then saying that this is indeed an abstract digital painting of a line, I really don't have any comments. Oh and that this is inspired by real people I've met.

To enter this giveaway

Subscribe to this YouTube channel and on this video
Subscribe to my blog and comment on this post

Bonus entries (bonus entries will not count unless you have done one of the above) are:

Like me on Facebook  (1 extra entry)

Follow me on Twitter  (1 extra entry)

Tweet about this giveaway or post about it on Facebook (1 entry each)

Or join my mailing and email lists by emailing me at armadavolya[at]hotmail[dot]com with your mailing and email addresses (1 entry each)

Abstract Digital Painting, Self Portrait

Abstract digital painting - Self Portrait of the best artist in the world, by the best artist in the world.

To enter this giveaway

Subscribe to my YouTube channel and comment on this video

Subscribe to my blog and comment on this post

Bonus entries (bonus entries will not count unless you have done one of the above) are:

Like me on Facebook (1 extra entry)

Follow me on Twitter (1 extra entry)

Tweet about this giveaway or post about it on Facebook (1 entry each)


Or join my mailing and email lists by emailing me at armadavolya[at]hotmail[dot]com with your mailing and email addresses (1 entry each)

How to Invent something new, Plagiarism and Wonderful Giveaway of a Digital Painting

First of all: I'd like to remind everyone that plagiarism is illegal and very, very uncool. Adding one extra detain or changing something small in someone's work that you do not have rights to is plagiarism, so don't do it. This Video is intended as a satire although it is inspired by real life stories.

Second of all: the giveaway. It will end on 8/11/2011 at 11:59pm who cares what time zone, I'll pick the winner the next day anyway :)
This Print will be 8.5x11

To enter giveaway you can:
Subscribe to this YouTube channel and comment on the video

Subscribe to my blog and comment on this post

Bonus entries (bonus entries will not count unless you have done one of the above) are:

Like me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ArtofArmadaVolya (1 extra entry)

Follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/ArmadaVolya (1 extra entry)

Tweet about this giveaway or post about it on Facebook (1 entry each)

Comment on this Facebook Post 

Or join my mailing and email lists by emailing me at armadavolya[at]hotmail[dot]com with your mailing and email addresses (1 entry each)

To purchase this and other prints by Crazy Tatyana please visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/ghostlydigital

PS: This digital painting has been created specially for this video and the whole process is shown in this video. It has been sped up 4x. Due to my lack of understanding of proportions the process shown here is a bit ah... stretched... the painting itself has a much skinnier hand, it looks exactly as it appears in the last 5 seconds of the video.

Print this size by Crazy Tatyana is usually sold for $500, it's pricy, I know, but she isn't Crazy Tatyana for nothing.

Digital Painting Giveaway

To enter giveaway you can:
Subscribe to this YouTube channel and comment this video
Subscribe to my blog and comment on this post

Bonus entries (bonus entries will not count unless you have done one of the above) are:

Like me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ArtofArmadaVolya (1 extra entry)

Follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/ArmadaVolya (1 extra entry)

Tweet about this giveaway or post about it on Facebook (1 entry each) 

Or join my mailing and email lists by emailing me at armadavolya[at]hotmail[dot]com with your mailing and email addresses (1 entry each)

To purchase this and other prints by Crazy Tatyana please visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/ghostlydigital

PS: this is based on a true story, I swear

Do You Want Sugar In Your CoolAid? Extra Bonus: Giveaway

I don't believe I wrote about this character on this blog, so here it is. Her name is Tatyana, and she is an artist. You can see videos with this character on my YouTube channel every week and follow the insanity.

Oh yes, and the prints really do cost $1000 each, so if you win this giveaway you will be a proud owner of a $1000 print from her greatness Tatyana

To enter giveaway you can:
Subscribe to this YouTube channel and comment on this video
Subscribe to my blog and comment on this blog post

Bonus entries (bonus entries will not count unless you have done one of the above) are:

Like me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ArtofArmadaVolya (1 extra entry)

Follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/ArmadaVolya (1 extra entry)

Or join my mailing and email lists by emailing me at armadavolya[at]hotmail[dot]com with your mailing and email addresses (1 entry each)

UNik Creations by Sara Aviva and Many Buttons

Bags, earrings, necklaces, pedants, it's all there, at UNik Creations. In this shop you can find tons of fun items that will add a little bit of fun to your everyday life. Her items are unique, one of a kind and are made from reused/recycled materials.

I have Diamond for your Pennies earrings myself and they are adorable. It's a shame I can't wear them myself, but I'm sure my friend will love them just as much.

Unfortunately this shop doesn't have enough sales to judge customer service by feedback, but from my personal experience, customer service is great. I got my earrings very fast and they came in a handmade box that I fell in love with. Policies are well written and are easy to understand, so there shouldn't be any problems there.

And this is a video where I'm talking about this wonderful shop. Enjoy :)

Rouge and Whimsy

Rouge and Whimsy is a good place to find handmade hair accessories. I got yellow headband myself and Love it. It only took a few days to get here and shipping was very reasonable. No damages, no problems, all was very nice and smooth. Headband itself looks great, feels great and is very comfortable. I often had problems with headbands being too tight or too lose, this one fits perfectly.

I have little cousins who love cute hair accessories, I bet they aren't the only once. I can definitely see all the girls in school turning green with envy if my cousin was to wear one.

All in all, great headbands for both kids and kids at heart. Girls, go get them.

And for your viewing pleasure, a YouTube video of me wearing and talking more about it. Well, I'm talking about it at the end of the video at least lol.

Last but not least, This seller has 100% positive feedback and policies are very reasonable and easy to understand. Great seller, great crafts woman, great hair accessories.

Skrynka and Beautiful Hand Embroibery from Ukraine

Skrynka is yet another one of those shops you can find a treasure in. Natalka's items are very unique and all the items looks fabulous. I know, I'm rather partial to it because I lived in Ukraine myself and love Ukrainian culture, but look at it. Isn't it just adorable? The item I featured here is my favorite, probably because I spent too much time studying EKGs, but there is a lot more. I personally love the jewelry from this shop. Have you ever heard about embroidered necklaces and earrings?


Now to the next part. This seller has 100% positive feedback and very clear policies. Natalka does everything she can to keep customers happy, so no fears here. She is shipping from Ukraine, so it will take a little longer to get it if you are in the US. Keep this in mind if you need your item soon.

The Painted Sky and Nancy Jean's Painting

Paintings of birds, nests, farmhouses, all so lovely and bring so many memories to mind. In The Painted Sky I found many of them, all so charming and all painted very well and skillfully. These charming paintings are done in acrylic, which I personally love. Many artists don't like working with it because they think it's not as good and oils, but I personally like acrylic a lot better. First of all, they aren't as toxic (though I wouldn't try eating them). Vapors from oil paint are very harmful, which is why many artists who work with them get sick from it. Acrylic also dries a lot faster, which means it will not be all sticky when you will get it. So, there you go, these paintings are non harmful and are easy to handle. They will not smudge, stick to packaging, the dust will not stick to it.

Now a short personal story about birds. When I was little, we lived in this apartment with a bird nest over our door. For some reason these birds figured that it's a perfect place to raise a family, don't know why. As a result, our door was constantly covered in... bird waste products. We didn't want to harm them, but everything humane we tried to do to get them to move was rather unsuccessful. In the end, we were the once who moved. I wonder if these birds are still living there.

And going back to The Painted Sky. This shop has 100%positive feedback and it's not surprising. Besides the fact that these paintings are absolutely adorable, this seller is also very pleasant and has everything in place to make your shopping experience better. The shop policies are all in place and are perfectly reasonable, so if you like her work, you can buy it with confidence.

Melody Milleker from Inky Strings and Recycled Goods

I ran into Inky Strings and simply couldn't not share it. It's so unusual and cute, so unique. I love finding such great artists with all these cool items in their shops. These earrings are made from paint swatches. Who would've thought of using it to make jewelry? This isn't all there is though, there are some felted key chains and last but not least watercolor and ink paintings. Those paintings/drawing are actually my favorite items in the shop, she has such interesting, style. Well, what am I telling you all this for, you can go to Inky Strings and see it for yourself.

What I do want to tell you about is that this seller is keeping her shop in good condition. All the policies are filled and they look really good. It's always good to know that if an item is defective I can return it or have it fixed. There are also some good deals you can find on Melody's tumbler. Since it's a new shop, there isn't much as far as feedback goes, but there is a coupon code for free shipping for the first 10 customers, so if you want to use it, hurry.

Wedding Invitations and Mind Blowing 3d Art

Do you need wedding invitations? This is the season. I was just directed to this site with many different wedding invitation designs and found these lovely creations. Aren't they increadable? The beautiful 3d design makes it really stand out and gives it a magical, romantic feel. I am honestly in love with it. It's a shame I'm not planning a wedding, I would definitely pick these invitations. This invitation is created by Taviori. If you wish you can also visit her site and find more of her 3d creations. It's mind-blowing as far as I see it. This is exactly why I love artistic community, you get to see so many talented people and so many wonderful pieces of art

Holiday Season is Closer Then You Think

When should we start getting ready for winter holidays? Just about now is a good time. For artists it's perfect time because all those items take time to make and creating them in advance is always helpful. Plus the retail stores are going to be looking for items for this holiday season in July, so why not have them out there and get some wholesale orders?

For buyers it's good time to get those gifts. There are going to be many sales now, so why not take advantage of it? It's getting to that time of year when you can find all the Christmas in July sales on etsy.

And yes, this is one of the paintings I'm working on for this holiday season.

Horror Art at it's Best

Horror art is hated by some and loved by others. It's a whole other universe of art and imagination. And yes, I also wanted to write about my husband.

Vincent Volya is indeed my favorite horror artist, and him being my husband might or might not have something to do with it. He rates quality of his work by people's reaction. This includes people saying how good his work is and people who are absolutely disgusted by it. Some of the best feedback he got included "I love horror books, but this I can't even look at." "You are possessed by demons." "You are on the wrong side of the fence." "Is that a face on his crotch?" As well as some snarling facial expressions. The snarl being the funniest of all the reactions.

Horror isn't the only thing Vincent draws and paints, he has fantasy, comic books, portraits and much much more. I personally love when he combines all these. His horror portraits for example are great, or how about a personalized horror comic strip? If he hasn't working on a comic book right now I would be bugging him about drawing a comic strip with me as a main character, but there will be time for that. I got my fantasy portrait already, so for now it's enough. Do you want one? Portrait or your own comic strip starring you as a main character?

I have two portraits already and some sketches. There is also a comic book starring me as a main character that is in the development. Once I fund the time to actually write everything down, he will start drawing it. 

Working Together

'Working Togather' by ArmadaVolya

Items from members of teams who work together to help one another

Original Abstract Drawing wi... hypnoteyezed $17.00	Cottage Fancy - Fabric Cover... veryprettythin... $14.00
Crocheted Extra Long Fire En... StitchKnit $17.00	Customizable Reversible Hemp... ZimikasTreasur... $3.00
Strawberry Fields - Locket N... LoveMontreal $22.00	Blue Crystal Earrings DazzlingAdornm... $12.00
Balance Good & Evil 6x6 Prin... ddfoto $28.00	Blackberry Pepper Jam - Like... dasweetzpot $7.95
Your Custom Monster Portrait... UnnervingNight... $80.00	Beach and the Palm Tree. 9x1... ArmadaVolya $150.00
Margarita Shower Invitation LJLDESIGNSSTAT... $25.00	green and cream striped slee... Faerieladyclot... $100.00
Purple Butterflies klmram $5.00	Vintage Recycled Ice Cream R... adnagam $10.00
Black and White Flocked Clut... sewnanacreatio... $26.00	Personalized Wine 8x10 Inch ... nameyourwishim... $34.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio. 

These are items from some of the members of etsy teams dedicated to working together. I hope you'll like these beautiful choices.

Ecem Duman from Pilumunus and Handmade Jewelry

Every now and again I run into incredible items on etsy and get shocked at the price. These accessories in Pilumunus shop are a good example of it. They are so cheap, it's hard not to buy them. The shipping is cheap as well btw even though this seller is from Turkey. I can only look at this necklace and think how many long hours it took to create something this beautiful. I have worked with beads myself and know how long is takes to create even a fraction of something like this. What is even more surprising is that she hasn't sold anything yet. It's sad really, but at this price, I don't see why people aren't grabbing these necklaces left and right. I mean, honestly, $25 for something like this? Ok, with shipping it's $30, still, it's nothing.

I really enjoy these items and can only imagine what other goodies she can make. I personally would like to see some bridal items from her, I think she'd be able to make some good once.

Sooooo... yeah, give her a chance guys, I think she is great and deserves a sale or two.

Dreamers Aura Photagraphy

Do you like colorful photography? This shop has so many interesting, colorful photos, it's hard to chose the best. I personally like the almost otherworldly look of some of the photos. The prints are high quality and can be customized to your preference.You can also ask for special made cards, journals and much, much more to be created specially for you.

The seller is very friendly and although there is no feedback since it's a brand new shop, I have a feeling that you will get god customer service from this photographer. Mainly because she seems to be very open to any ideas and feedback, and will answer all your questions if you have any. Policies are very easy to understand and very fair btw.

Well, I'll have to keep it short, because I really need to get some sleep, but check this shop out and see if you like something there.

Top hats From Mad Little Hatter

Do you want to get the party started? These little hats from Mad Little Hatter are absolutely perfect for the costume parties. There are many fun styles that would fit just about any outfit and they are so adorable. To put it in the crazy cat lady's words, I want to have them all, with a cute little tops, and the cute little rims and the bows, I want a house full of and I want them of a rainbow..."

Seriously, these hats are adorable. They are also made from some recycled goodies, which makes them perfect. These hats are also for some strange reason are very cheap... but that only makes it easier to have a house full of them doesn't it?

And the last but not least, this seller has 100% positive feedback, although she hasn't sold that many yet since she started selling them on etsy recently. She does have easy to understand policies as well. Oh, and if you didn't find a hat that would match your outfit, you can always ask for one to be designed specially for you.

Go Top Hats!!!

Rainbow Lollies and Jewelry.

Finally!!! I chose a picture of earrings to show you, these are from Rainbow Lollies etsy shop. Why, oh why did I do it, now I'll spend all night crying over how I can't wear them (my piercings healed because I didn't wear earrings for too long). I love everything unique, unusual. Things you wouldn't see anyone else wearing. Things that don't even looks anything like something everyone else has. This is exactly why I am featuring these earrings form Rainbow Lollies. I have never seen earrings like these. They look very neat, and classic. I think these specific earrings would go really well with something formal. Not too flashy, but with taste and style. Imagine a meeting at work, and you need to look good, but professional. You are wearing pastel, pink or beige perhaps, and these sweet little guys. Wouldn't it look perfect together? These aren't the only style earrings in this shop, there are fun looking once, with dinosaurs and angels, but these caught my eye because they are so refreshing, classic and at the same time unusual.

How can I not tell you about why you should feel safe shopping in this shop? I can't. This seller has 100% positive feedback, is very pleasant, all the policies are very clear. She is opened to custom orders or just a good old chat. Feel free to send her a message if you have any questions and special requests.

Mona's Box & Bags

 Mona's Box and Bags is one of those etsy shops you want to come back to. The items are very colorful and skillfully made, the seller is pleasant, and all in all, shopping there as a treat. Boxes and bags aren't the only items in this shop however. You can find clothing and even jewelry there as well. I personally love all the items for kids. I asked Mona a few questions, and here is what she answered:

Why did you choose sewing as a creative outlet?
My mother was a seamstress so I learned to sew from her. When I was younger I wanted to be a fashion designer, and now I am a stay at home Mom and sewing is a perfect way to do something on the side with children at home.

 What fabric do you prefer to use?
My choices of fabric depend on what I am creating. When I make diaper bags or children's clothes I like to use something that is easy to sew and clean, with fun prints, so I like basic cotton and use interfacing and other thickening methods to make my bags really stable. I also get iron on vinyl for my wet bag, changing mats, and wipes clutches. When making bridesmaids clutches or other formal clutches I usually use satin or silk. Silk is probably my favorite when making metal frame clutches.


What colors/themes you like to work with?
I get teased because I am almost always wearing brown and turquoise, or brown and pink! As in my avatar photo. But I also love the bright colors from Amy Butler fabrics and have been using a lot of yellow recently. Though I think brown, and damask prints are my most commonly used themes that I work with.

What's your favorite item in your shop?
Currently, my favorite item in my shop would have to be the diaper bag gift set! It is a wonderful all inclusive set that makes expectant Moms giddy! Especially with the embroidered personalization.



A couple more things I wanted to mention about this shop is that it has a 100% positive feedback and store policies are very simple and easy to understand. You can also use coupon code monasbox15 and get 15% off your next purchase.

Collaborate and Grow

'Blasting Away' by ArmadaVolya

Working with others is always easier then on your own. This is a collection of items from Network Blast team where a group of highly dedicated sellers are helping one another by promoting each other.

Set of Four Bright Cheerful ... TheBlueLantern $8.00	Pink wire and black swarovsk... DazzlingAdornm... $12.00
5 Prints fo Letters of your ... ArmadaVolya $40.00	White Eyelet Petticoat/Skirt... StitchKnit $32.00
Burgundy Feather Masquerade ... deesdreammasks $25.00	Blackberry Pepper Jam - Like... dasweetzpot $7.95
Original Colored Pencil Abst... hypnoteyezed $13.00	Hopebasket Tea Towel - Hand ... veryprettythin... $12.00
Free Shipping Vintage Lot 4 ... gem6691 $25.00	HUGE Sesame Street inspired ... delightfulprin... $20.00
Stock the Bar Invitation LJLDESIGNSSTAT... $25.00	Your Custom Portrait as a Fa... UnnervingNight... $80.00
Birdy Birdcage 9 inch russia... vanrobmac $25.00	White Bells - Quartz Earring... AndreaFuentesD... $15.00
Blue Ocean 8x8x1 Mounted Pho... ddfoto $35.00	TeeLosophy 901: V-Neck Tank Sol9 $19.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Why would you want to promote others? Isn't it a competition? This is actually what I get asked all the time, and here is my answer. No, it's not really a competition and you need to promote others to help yourself as much as others. People love being promoted, honestly. And those who you promote will often promote you in exchange. As for competition, well, we all work in different styles and mediums. We have different taste and vision. No one will paint what I paint, no one will create what you create. Just because someone bought your painting doesn't mean that the same person will not buy mine. Just because someone likes your watercolor paintings doesn't mean he/she will like mine. We are all unique and because of it we really aren't competing for the same customers.

I didn't include some people in this treasury because they didn't fit in btw, but I will post about them in a near future to make up for it.

PHOTOcentric, a Juried Photography Exhibition - Call for Photographers

Juried exhibition is looking for photographers to submit their work. This contest is open for all photographic mediums and is looking to fill these categories: Landscape, Portrait, Architecture and Open. To enter this competition, a $40 fee is required and up to 5 images can be submitted. If you wish to submit additional images, additional $5 fee per image will be charged. A total of $2200 will be given out in awards including $1000 best in show award. For more information feel free to visit Garrison Art Center's official site

How to Scare Away Potential Customers.

It's very easy to scare away potential customers, but most people have enough sense not to do it. Some people simply don't realize that although someone might like the product being offered, they might not like customer service provided. When selling on line, customer service is highly important. In person, we can touch the product, look around and fall in love with it enough to buy it even if customer service isn't the best. Even then however stores can loose a lot of customers. On line, we have to know that the item will be shipped promptly, packaged well enough to not get damaged and that it will be of high quality. How can I trust all these things to be done for me if I can clearly tell that customer service in this online store is a train wreck?

Now, why am I writing this post? Well, it's simple, something unimaginable happened, I got the worst customer service I have ever seen in one of the etsy shops. It was in fact a train wreck that just kept on crashing. Lets start from the beginning however. I entered a giveaway for a $25 certificate for anything in the shop. It was a bridal shop and although I am not planning a wedding, I know a few people who are. I figured that if I win it, I can either buy something for my friend's wedding or see if they can use this certificate. To enter the giveaway I followed the seller's blog, twitter account, liked her facebook page and favorited her etsy shop. I'm registered on each of these sites under the same exact name. Each of these sites can be used to find and contact me right? I received a message on etsy stating that it was very hard to find me and that I won. I must say, I was really exited that I won, so it took me a few minutes to realize that apparently it is very hard to check who is following you on all these accounts. I decided not to pay attention to this and instead went to the shop to look through the items and see what my friends might need. I found one item I liked and it was the only item I could afford, so I clicked on it to see the details. It is a hair pin with a flower on it. Costs $20. Shipping however was insane. It's $10.70 to ship it within the US and $46 worldwide. Honestly, I have been shipping packages much heavier than a hair pin (a few books at a time to be exact) and it cost me under $30. When I see someone with shipping prices like this, this is what I think: this person is trying to lure customers in by underpricing items but makes up for it by overcharging the shipping. I have seen it done on ebay, but never on etsy. It was actually rather shocking to me. I figured however that since I needed to ship it to the US it wouldn't be that bad because I had that $25 that can cover the shipping.

I wanted to ask my friends however if they wanted anything from this store so that I don't waste it on something no one will need. I also wanted to see if I can have my friends use the certificate, so I asked the seller if it would be OK with her. She said she doesn't normally do this, but she will do it this time if I give her the email address of the person I want to use this certificate. Well... I find giving email addresses out without permission to be disrespectful. Plus I really don't know email addresses of most of my friends since it's not the way we usually comunicate. I told her that I would have to get back to her on this after I talk to my friends. As soon as I sent here this message, I got on the phone and started calling my friends. In under an hour I was done and logged back in, ready to give the needed information. To my surprise, I found 3 messages from this seller in my inbox. First message was asking me for the name. Second message was sent about 15 minutes later stating that if she doesn't get the name within 16 minutes, she will have to pick a new winner since she doesn't want me to sell the certificate. The third message came just a few minutes before I logged back in stating that she picked a new winner. She gave me exactly 34 minutes to respond to her.

The end result, even though my friends loved her items and were willing to pay the full price, they ended up not getting anything after I read the messages I received because they didn't want their handmade wedding accessory from someone who would give this type of customer service. Even though I was thinking about using this certificate myself if I couldn't transfer it, I ended up not buying anything there because I don't like being accused in lying (I clearly stated that I wanted this certificate for one of my friends.) Plus she lost a few more potential customers because IF I would've gotten good customer service, I would've written about it on both of my blogs, posted it on all of the social networks I can and mentioned it in one of my YouTube videos.

So, in total, she made mistakes by
1. having the first message in accusatory, poor little me tone.
2. overcharging for shipping.
3. Suspecting a potential customer in trying to cheat her somehow (I don't actually understand why she was so against selling the certificate in the first place to be honest, financially it wouldn't have mattered to her) even though there really was no reason for suspicion as far as I can see. Besides, when I win items in giveaways I very often give them to others anyway, never heard anyone complain about using giveaways to get someone a gift.
4. Expecting to get a response in 34 minutes (honestly, people have lives, what if I had a fire alarm go off in the building, you know how long it takes to get that settled?)
5. Asking for something that is wildly accepted to be confidential (meaning email address of a third party)

Did I miss anything? I think I got all the most important mistakes she made during this little ordeal. Hmm... oh, she also wasted my time, but that's actually not as annoying as the rest of it.

I can add one more thing that happens to me every now and again as far as poor customer service goes although it didn't happen this time. When I am on the phone with a company sometimes the person on the other end starts talking very slowly and repeats everything twice after they hear me speak. That's because I have a slight accent. People who have English as their second language often know it better then some of the people who spoke it their whole life.

Something that often happens to others, mostly those who have long hair or facial hair is that they are sometimes being followed in the store by one of the employees because they are potential thieves. I must say, I've met a lot of people who match the description (my husband included) who would give money to a total stranger even when they themselves are broke. They would most certainly not steal. I do on the other hand know some clean shaven, suit and tie kind of guys who do steal all the time.

Is there anything you can think of? Something that would make you run away screaming from a store?

PS: I decided not to include a link to this shop because it might help her google rankings and because I don't care much for acknowledging shops like that.