Freebies: Urban Grunge Textures

. Posted by Sherrie Thai by Shaireproductions.com .

urban grunge texture 1 free photo by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions.com

urban grunge texture 2 free photo by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions.com

I created a new board on Pinterest for FREEBIES, Free Backgrounds and Images where you can download and use the images and resources in your projects. It’s available to use freely and without restriction for commercial and non-commercial projects. To download, simply right-click on the image above or just drag it to your desktop.

Check out https://shaireproductions.com/tag/freebies/ for more free resources πŸ™‚

Freebies: Travel Translations, Key Phrases for Asia

. Posted by Sherrie Thai by Shaireproductions.com .

Travel translations, key phrases for Asia, art by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions.com

Travel translations, key phrases for Asia, page 1

Travel translations, key phrases for Asia, page 2

Travel translations, key phrases for Asia, page 3

Travel translations, key phrases for Asia, page 4

When I travel internationally and venture out on my own, I like to be prepared with research and some handy tools. With the use of Google Translator, I compiled these key phrases to use when WIFI isn’t available (especially in remote areas) or when I like to be a more discreet traveler, devoid of tech. The phrases are translated in Hindi, Malay, Vietnamese, Thai and Mandarin Chinese (for travel to India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong, China or Macau). Thought I’d share this with my fellow globetrotters. Here is a FREE PDF DOWNLOAD you can use–hopefully this can help you along your journey.

If you find this useful, you can also check out the TRAVEL ICONS resource πŸ™‚ Safe travels friends!

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You could find more freebies at https://shaireproductions.com/tag/freebies/.

LEGAL STUFF: This document is a Creative Commons resource and is strictly for educational, entertainment and non-profit purposes only. Compiled by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions.com and sourced by Google Translator.

Artwork: Game of Thrones Art, Whitewalker, Daenerys, Jon Snow Portraits

. Posted by Sherrie Thai by Shaireproductions.com .

whitewalker night king art by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions.com

WHITEWALKER NIGHT KING, art print available on my Etsy shop. This Game of Thrones art series was super fun to do, but the Night King was by far my favorite piece to create as there were so many details and ridges to formulate. Throughout the art series, I wanted to pair the character portrait with their environment and a representative symbol. With the Night King, he raises the dead, so had to include a few whitewalker/zombie silhouettes. The amazing characters and interesting storylines (of George R. R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire”) make the series worth watching, though zombies in a fantasy world will always be a win for me πŸ™‚

daenerys art by sherrie thai of shaireproductions.com

DAENERYS art print available. From the Targaryen line, Emilia Clarke’s character is an strong-willed leader and my absolute favorite. Also known as the Unburnt, Mother of Dragons and Khaleesi, she soars into the heavens on her scaly dragon friend, Drogon.

jon snow art by sherrie thai of shaireproductions.com

JON SNOW art print available. The ever-brooding King in the North (played by Kit Harington) is an interesting character with a great heart and of course, heart-melting good looks.

got art series by sherrie thai of shaireproductions.com

GOT ART SERIES Set of 3. Add this to your collection today or as a gift for that Game of Thrones fan in your life! πŸ™‚

got pinback buttons by sherrie thai of shaireproductions.com

GAME OF THRONES PINS Set of 3. These pinback buttons of the GOT portrait series can be found on my Etsy Shop.

Artwork: Game of Thrones Longclaw Sword

. Posted by Sherrie Thai by Shaireproductions.com .

GOT Longclaw Sword, art by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions.com

GOT Longclaw Sword Sketch, art by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions.com

I will gladly admit that I’m a pretty big fan of Game of Thrones, so I created this Longclaw Sword concoction as a lil tribute to the series.

Prints are now available on my ETSY SHOP

GOT animal pins, art by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions.com

If you are so inclined, the Direwolf, Dragon and Raven GOT Animal Pins are also available! More art to come later πŸ™‚

Chocal: Womens Chocolate Coop in the DR

. Posted by Sherrie Thai by Shaireproductions.com .

Chocal photo by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions

It was a great pleasure to be able to volunteer and learn about one of my favorite things–Chocolate!!! While in the Dominican Republic, I hooked up with Chocal, a local womens cooperative of about 30 individuals, who create, manufacture and package their own chocolates straight from the cocao plant. The D.R has one of the best cocao beans in the world, but they mostly ship out the beans to Europe for manufacturing, leaving the local economy much to be desired.

With Chocal, there is economic empowerment and growth potential. They needed a bit of help with the production, so I volunteered for a few hours (through Fathom). It was fascinating to learn of their process, sorting the good beans from the bad, and wading through the camouflage of nibs vs. shells. The volunteers were very sweet, and I learned of their lives while sorting through the edible materials. With volunteering, the people that you meet are just as important as the service. I wish I could go back–the experience, though short, was very rewarding, as was the intoxicating aroma of roasted chocolate nibs. Yummy times! πŸ™‚

Printing with Plants: Eco Printing Experiments

. Posted by Sherrie Thai by Shaireproductions.com .

Eco-printing artwork by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions

At the core, leaves and flowers are organic pieces of art, filled with wonderful tannins, natural colors that can dye papers when coaxed with the right conditions. I took a 2-day course at the SF Center for the Book with Dorothy Yuki, exploring different techniques to expose the beauty of the plants on paper.

Eco-printing process by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions
The setup and process

Eco-printing artwork by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions

Eco-printing artwork by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions

Eco-printing artwork by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions

I learned that Eco-printing is all about experimentation. I happily discovered that I could produce simple concoctions without much use of chemicals, where I could then reproduce the process in my tiny home kitchen. Initially, you can dampen the paper with a Water-Vinegar solution and apply that same solution to your plants. Different plants have differing level of tannins; Roses give a nice splash of color, and a reddish Japanese Maple leaves transfer a remarkable green tone when placed in a bath solution. Ultimately, if you go simple with just a water/vinegar solution throughout the process, you can get a subtle watercolor effect, perfect for layering artwork–illustrations, calligraphy or photography.

Eco-printing process by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions

There are tons of variables, like incorporating mordants, like alum or iron, to enhance the colors of the plants, but the main transfer mechanisms of plant to paper are physical contact and simmering the plants in a bath solution (like water/vinegar for a simple treatment, or using red onion for a deep orange hue). Here, the plants have been rolled into the paper along a cylinder and bound with a string. It then soaks up the water solution for about an hour, where all the magic happens.

Eco-printing artwork by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions

Revealing the artwork from a copper pipe (with rose petals still attached)

Eco-printing artwork by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions

When the artwork is finally unrolled, it’s like Christmas! The transfer result is widely variable, so it’s a treat to see what the end result is. In this indigo blue piece, a logwood rag (of beet red), was placed on top of the plants, rolled up, and simmered in an iron water solution. The prints were laid to dry for hours, then flattened with an iron, then is ready to be used and appreciated.

Part of creating art is about learning different techniques and experimenting. I’m super happy to have been able to take this course and work with the wonders of the garden; I hope to incorporate these with my illustrations more. Stay tuned!

Artwork: Tribal Alien

. Posted by Sherrie Thai by Shaireproductions.com .

Tribal Alien by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions.com

The Aliens franchise has a new movie coming out on Friday and I wanted to take advantage of the fervor and inspiration to create a new piece. This tribal piece has a “throwback” nod to the classic 1980s movie posters with the incorporation of the vintage green glow, space pattern and digital rays. Below is the initial pen and ink drawing:

Tribal Alien Pen Drawing Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions.com