New Technique, New Obsession, New Ornaments!

About a month ago I acquired a woodburning stylus and feel in love with this new medium. I've been working on some new designs, as well as adapting some oldie but goodie favorites from my glass ornament line to be burned into wood. This week I decided to test the waters, and listed two different wood burned ornament designs. They were quickly bought up within an hour of listing them, and I took that as my cue. This new style could keep me very very busy!

After painting a dozen glass ornaments yesterday, I decided to take a break from wet media and heat up the woodburner this morning. I am very happy with the results, and I plan to make more pyrography (wood burned) ornaments soon. I love the rustic, almost country feel the burn marks give the wood. As an added bonus - the smell of wood burning reminds me of Christmas time and campfires in the chilly North East. Love it!

Wishing you a very Handmade Happy Holidays!

Last year around this time I made the Handmade pledge and decided to make homemade Christmas gift or buy them handmade on Etsy. It was a huge hit and everyone loved their gifts, so I continued throughout the year with this concept giving crocheted hats, crafted tee shirts, wooden signs and figurines, hand-painted ornaments and such to my friends and family on different occasions.

This year we will also be giving handmade and homemade gifts, which means the crunch is on! Only forty some odd days until Christmas, and that's not calculating in shipping time. Better get busy!

I've started off by making a new illustration for our family holiday cards. I'm in love with this one! It seemed appropriate to have Santa acting like a cowboy considering it's our last Christmas in the wild west.

Straight from the Page II

This book of mine has been in the works for years, but finally seems to be picking up some momentum. The story is coming together, and the illustrations are starting to come to life. I'm really enjoying this process and I hope you all are enjoying seeing it evolve as much as I am. Hopefully one day soon I will be able to introduce to you the story of "Allie Cat and her Army Brat". © 2009 Deb Dunkelberg

Free Halloween Coloring Page!

I've decided to share my "Pumpkin Pickin' " illustration with the world and the artists of tomorrow. Click on the image about to see the full 8.5 X 11" coloring page, print and enjoy with your little ones.

Better yet, post a picture of your child's finished coloring page and you may just win something!

Have a happy and safe halloween!

Broadening the Scope

After developing seasonal themed illustrations for timely postcard submissions to childrens magazine publishers, it dawned on me that maybe I should begin submitting to greeting card companies. After all, I sell some of my designs on my own handmade and home-printed greeting cards in my etsy shop, why not?

I've decided to not limit myself to only children's books and magazines. While this is still my ultimate goal, I recognize that there is a much wider market for my work than I imagined at first. What about giftware such as wrapping paper? What about rubber stamps? These illustrations have to come from somewhere - why not mine! So with that in mind, I've begun a new round of submissions to various companies, hoping that someone somewhere will fall in love with my work.

New technique, new obsession.

I've always wanted to try wood burning, but my aversion to all this flammable kept me from doing so. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to get a woodburner tool with interchangeable tips and though what the hey I'll give it a try. I found that I've wrongfully prejudged woodburning. Once you learn how to respect the tool (meaning keep your fingers away from the hot tip, and don't squeeze it too hard because the handle will heat up) it's not that different from wielding a B6 graphite.

There is no shortage of scrap wood laying around with my husband's woodworking shop, so I grabbed a few pieces and began practicing. I haven't mastered all the tips yet, but I have found the round tip is what I'm most comfortable with. Having completed my first freehand project, a wooden ornament featuring the burned image of a chickadee, my mind is now overflowing with possibilities for this new tool. Now I find myself searching my house and studio for burnable objects like a pyromaniac, but with the intention to create not destroy. An unfinished jewelry box? a wooden spoon? Hmm, the possibilities!

What could be better? A tool and technique that combines my love of drawing, and my husband's love of woodworking. This could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship...

Keep an eye on DunkDesigns.etsy.com for woodburned ornaments and decor for sale soon!