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)

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.

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.

Black and White Juried Art Show

Black and White show will take place July16-Aug 21 in New York City. They are inviting artists to submit their art for a chance to win one of two prizes, $1000 Best of Show award and $500 People's Choice award.
The submission deadline is June 8, so if you would like to enter, hurry. You can find all the details as Black and White Art Show web site

And on a totally unrelated topic, woo hoo, I just finished another painting. Took me long enough....

Youtube For Learning and Selling

Youtube is a great tool. You can have a few laughs as well as learn something there. There are many videos on youtube showing how to do certain things. The drawing and painting tutorials are always helpful. You might think you already know how to draw it, but after watching a few videos you might find a few more tricks. You might simply find a new way to do something. You might figure out how to do it faster. Or you might decide to combine what you are already doing with what you have seen and develop a new way do draw or paint the same thing. Simple watching others paint helped me a lot in figuring out how to draw and paint realistically and it gave me ideas for my future projects.

You can also find new was to promote your art and how to add new gadgets to your site. I am not very good with programing for example. If I have to add something to my template, it's a disaster. It's always helpful to read how to do it, but to see it being done makes it ever easier.

Last but not least you can always promote yourself through youtube. There are many great artists who became very popular because of youtube. It takes some time to make a video, but it's worth it. People like to see the artist behind the art, youtube is a great way to give people what they want. Starting a youtube channel is very easy, so there really is no reason not to do it.

Call for Artists Eclectic Summer Showcase International Exhibition

1st annual Eclectic Summer Showcase International Exhibition [Juried] is calling for artists. organized by The Gallore Gallery in Middletown, Connecticut. Deadline is May 3. Artwork they are looking for includes sculptures, drawings, paintings,collages, & photography submitted work must not exceed 40" in any direction. Submission is $35.00 for 3 images $45 for 8 images. Winner[s] & selected will be notified on or before or on June 6th. You can find out more at Gallore Gallery website

And last but not least, my youtube channel is up and running and that means that so is my giveaway. You can enter the giveaway at Armada Volya's Art Corner. Good Luck

A Great Tool to Make Your Tweeter and Facebook Life Easy

I can't for the life of me remember to log in to twitter and Facebook and get my updates out there. I might do it once or twice a day, but I feel that it's not really enough with so much going on. I found one site that was scheduling tweets to be posted at a later date, and that worked really well for me. I still needed something for Facebook though. This is when I found out that Stumble has a tool just for me, it's su.pr and it's a life saver. It shortens URL as well as lets you schedule your tweets and Facebook updates at the same time. It limits the number of characters to 140 however since that's the limit on tweeter. Not only does it schedule as many tweets as you would like at the times you would like, it also lets you see how many people clicked on it within the first 15 minutes. This lets me figure out once are most popular and how to write better quality tweets. I highly recommend it, it's great.

For your viewing pleasure I posted one of my small paintings from Ancestor Spirit collection. I'll be giving it away some time soon. Will post here once it's up for grabs. Have I ever mentioned how much fun those giveaways are? That's what I've been tweeting about all evening, what giveaways I found and how much I love them btw.

My Beloved Self. Because I Deserve It

I realized that Though I often talk about other artists, I don't really talk about myself much. I know it's kind of cool to be all mysterious, but I figured I'll tell you who I really am.

I was born in Ukraine in 1986, not long before Chernobyl accident. I got lucky, we went to the Middle East just a few days before the reactor melted, so I didn't get the huge dose of radiation like so many others. Naturally once my family learned about it, they had no desire to go back there. We were looking for better life, a better place and as a result ended up moving a lot. I lived in 6 countries and I don't even know if I can count how many towns and cities. US is actually the country where I wiled the longest, 8.5 years so far. Second place goes to Russia with 6 years.

Many people told me that I look Spanish (meaning South American), and even tried talking to me in Spanish. Didn't work all that well since I only speak Russian, Ukrainian and English. The reason I look Spanish is because of the mix of Russian, Tadzhik, Native American and a few other races in my blood. Tadzhik part is the main one to blame because the side of the family that is Native American looks more European by now. And don't even ask me how my Native American great grandma ended up in Kyrgyzstan, because I have no clue.

I wanted to be a shrink for a few years. Went to nursing school first with plans to go to medical school after. This was actually a good decision because by the end of nursing school I figured out it wasn't for me. I found art to be more healing. I was doing some kind of art or another my whole life without even realizing it. I actually thought I was bad at art for the most part. This was until I started taking pottery in college and realized that I can learn new skills very fast. Within just a few days I was able to make bottles on the potters wheel. All the little things I drew and painted started coming to mind, making me realize that although I might not be the best artist as far as realism goes (and as far as I'm concerned, the only way I'll ever be good enough in realism is if it looks like a photograph) I'm actually really good at abstract and surrealism. Most importantly my ability to learn fast allowed me to get better and better in no time. Looking at some of the "art" on displays in galleries I figured that I'm am actually rather good. Honestly, things that pass for art these days...

My journey through life and my own artistic path brought me to the stage in life where I spend 80 hours a week, sometimes more to create and promote. And a few more hours to convince my mum that I'm not just sitting home all day sleeping and that artists are actually making really good money and aren't all starving. I think the second part is harder then the first since my mum is even more stubborn than I am, and I'm really stubborn.

I'd like to add that my family made it very easy for me to choose my way in life (well, in a way, my mum still tries to make me go back to nursing school). Both my father and my mother are from well educated families that value knowledge. I had genetic advantage, since both my mother and my father are good at art and are very intelligent. Having thousands of books at my disposal and every encouragement to read them (my family had a huge private library) I learned to love good literature and was never intimidated by books. I consider myself a book addict who can easily buy 26 books in one day (I really needed to celebrate free comic book day). I only wish I had more time to read.

Now I live in Erie PA with my husband and two cats. Vincent (husband) is very supportive and helps me develop my skills. Cuteness (40lb cat filed with love from tail to ears) keeps me in line and reminds me to take frequent breaks from work to give him hugs. Monkey (crazy year old orange kitten with suicidal tendencies) gives me claw filled foot massages and reminds me to get fresh air by making me drag him back inside every time he walks on the wrong side of the rail around the balcony. 

I'll leave this self centered post on this note and will go read some blogs now.

Abena Asomaningand Fair and Fauna shop

Abena Asomaningand is an etsian with a floral flair. I'm a sucker for nature, so I couldn't not review an artist who incorporates flowers into her artwork. I personally find graphic design to be a real pain, literally. It hurts my eyes to look at the screen when I draw and it takes me way too long. The way I dealt with it is the same exact way Abena does it. Draw it first by hand, color it on the computer. This actually benefits the final product, all the lines look much more organic but it clearly looks digital. You can see it on this piece here. Slightly imperfect edges on the flowers are making it look more real. In nature you will never find a perfect shape, everything is slightly of balance, lines are slightly warped. Digital paintings done with vector graphics especially have everything perfectly shaped. Combining something hand drawn with graphic design can bring interesting results however. Perfectly even color that can be achieved with the computer is especially important. There are just so many things that absolutely must have perfect colors, t-shirt designs being one of these. Combination and overlapping of the colors in photoshop (or gimp in my case) can bring to life interesting designs, as shown here on this piece. It also gives artist a lot of freedom to work with. I can't begin to tell you how many times a small mistake in a drawing or a painting cost me countless wasted hours. Computers can help with that. You can quickly change colors and pick the perfect combination. You can also customize for each and every customer. If for example I wanted this print but with red background to match my living room decor, it can be done. Hence the great advantage. This is exactly what Abena is doing. She can customize the drawing to have the exact color you want and keep you perfectly happy.

Soooooo... if you like Abena's artwork, do get it.

Now more about this seller. Since it's a brand new shop, there isn't really any feedback yet, but everyone has to start somewhere. Policies in this shop are very clear and to the point. Abena Asomaningand has a blog where you can get to know her better. She is also involved in local art communities. I have an impression that Abena is dedicated to what she does and will do what it takes to climb to the top, and that would include keeping customers happy.

Sisterly Creationz, Elegant Jewelry by Tiffany Coble

Elegant, beautiful, and with taste, what can be better? The only thing that can be better is all that plus handmade. This is exactly what you will get from this jeweler. I really love her taste, it shows in her jewelry designs. Combination of shapes and colors of the crystals is simply beautiful, on the necklace here for example it flows well, purple complements pink really well. This necklace has different cut beads, small smooth beads highlight the larger once. All in all a very good design with an elegant, soft look. As soon as I saw this shop, this beautiful style that can be seen over and over in every piece she makes, attracted my attention. Now, here is another thing I noticed. Very often when looking at handmade jewelry I find that wire doesn't look neat. It would look irregular and unprofessional. Tiffany has everything under control in that department. As someone who used to make dolls out of copper wire when I was little, I can tell you, shaping wire can be a pain. It's a skill that can be learned however, just takes a more time, the end result is worth it. The bottom line is, you can have beautiful, elegant jewelry made by a jeweler that cares about producing good quality product AND it's very, very affordable.


Now, I must be hones, there is one thing I don't like about this shop, she hasn't made a lot of sales. I know, the shop opened this year and didn't have much time to grow, but the jewelry there is too beautiful not to buy. What are people doing? GO GO GO SHOP THERE!!! With jewelry like that, there should be at the very least 10 sales a day... that is if Tiffany can keep up with it. The feed back is still 100% though, so as of now every person who bought from this shop, loved what they got, not that I'm surprised by it, it's freaking gorges.

Display Your Heart

Display Your Heart is a charming shop on etsy. It's a good place to find items you need to decorate your house, to give it a little bit of your own character, to help it stand out. I know that if was having a baby, this is where I'd be looking for room decor. At Display Your Heart you can find many styles of letters, coasters, frames and much much more that would suit almost any home. And if you can't find the style you are looking for, just contact the artist and ask for a custom order.

Now about customer satisfaction, this shop has 157 feedbacks and they are all positive, 100% customer satisfaction. Am I surprised? not at all. Reading policies I got the idea that this artist cares about customers and will work with them. Items are also good quality. They are protected with sealant and that's very important, especially for items that will be moving around and used, like clipboards for example. Just to give you an idea of how important it is, during one of the shows a wall (4x8 plywood) fell on my husbands artwork, not a scratch on any of his peaces while other people got their art damaged by the same wall. Not saying you should be throwing those cool letters around, or take a nail to it, sealant doesn't make them indestructible after all, but if you drop it by accident, it has better chance of not getting damaged.

GIMP, Free Immage Editing Sowtwear

I like everything free, who would want to spend money anyway? Photoshop is way to expensive as far as I see it, especially when you can get something very similar for free.

GIMP has all the functions you need to make a t-shirt design, digital painting, and just an every day image editing. I love it to death and I don't know what I would do without it. All of the photographs I take go through GIMP to adjust brightness and contrast, I design my business cards with it, I create t-shits designs with it and I make greeting cards with it.
For people like me, who need a program that can do all that, but have no money to buy one GIMP is perfect. On the other hand, for those who do have enough money to buy an expensive program, GIMP is good for as well, because why would you want to spend money when you don't have to?

GIMP, I'm in love with you.

Clayton Kashuba's Abstract and Fantasy Art

Do you know why I love YouTube? This is why.



I mean honestly, where else would I be able to find such a great artist and see him do his artsy magic? The above video is probably amongst my favorite digital paintings done by Clayton. Now I'll be honest, I always had a thing against digital art. I feel that art done with traditional media looks more organic. After watching videos from Clayton Kashuba I'm starting to change my mind. He gives his art more depth, it looks 3 dimensional. Strangely enough I actually like his digital art more than his traditional paintings. Not to say they aren't good, it's just that his digital paintings are great. Speaking of his paintings done with paint...



I love it. Color choice is great, I always loved contrast colors being used in abstract. Composition is great as well. What can I say, I'm an abstract addict.

YouTube is a great place for artists btw, internet is a competitive place and it takes a lot for an artist to get noticed. If you want to be noticed by google, it's easier to get your video on the first page than a regular text page. There are many success stories on YouTube, why not be one of them?