inspiring designs

1968 Ford Mustang Illustration

illustrations

This project was done as a Christmas present for my boyfriend’s dad, he is rebuilding a 1968 Ford Mustang – yellow with two black racing stripes & soft top. I made the license plate his dad’s initials with the number of the month he was born & the year (BN•0462).

Something that was very important for this project is having good reference photos – especially to be sure you are basing your piece on the right model. I had 1 car for the model, 1 car for the colour & two cars with a side view that both had soft tops.

A great tool I just picked up from the dollarstore was a water tray with a brush cleaner that holds brushes around the edges. I bought one for facepainting & then picked up a larger one for painting, the brush cleaner works awesome! Before I would use jars and containers but sometimes I forget to take my brushes out of the water and the finished on the brushes start to crumble & break off – this is particularity annoying when the finish starts to flake off onto the pice your painting.

Another great tool is a Staywet or Stawet Pallet, preventing paint waste by keeping paint moist (even acrylics) for days! It is especially helpful when this painting will take a few days to complete. This is how it works: there is a sponge saturated with water placed in a deep tray & some special paper that has soaked in hot water for about 15 minutes before being placed on the wet sponge. Once this is done you can place your paint directly on the special paper (which is also reusable) & when you are either taking a break or putting the paint away for the day you place the lid on top of the tray – be sure it is sealed tight – to keep the paint moist. Just do not leave it for too long where the sponge or paper could mold – this happened to me while in school, I forgot about it for about a month or two & did not clean it our or let the sponge dry out so it started to mold; I bleached the container & bought a replacement sponge & paper set, which are not expensive at all.

Here is the process & final outcome:

Blank Surface
Reference Photos
Plastic Paint Brush Holder/Cleaner
Sta-wet Pallet
Pencil Sketch
Penciled Background & Inked Car
Car base paint phase 2
All Taped with Final Details
Removing Background Tape
Final Outcome
Final Outcome
Final Outcome
Final Outcome
Car Process
Materials & Process

This was another experimental piece, I was not too sure how it was going to turn out as my paining skills & knowledge need some work; that being said, I am pleased with the final outcome & think his dad will really like it.

You can follow me on my social to see my projects & process in real time.

Thank you for reading 🙂

Deer Illustration & Tinted Charcoal – Sold

illustrations, Skulls

This started off as an experimental piece, I bought a pack of 2 larger black canvases  (18”x24”) to play around with & was not totally sure what I was going to do with it but knew that I wanted to try something new.

After some thought and staring at the blank canvas I decided to re-create number 31 of my Inktober sketches; it is one that I wanted to expand on since the small sketch was created.

I started of with a light pencil sketch – lighting is very important as graphite is a bit hard to see on black, so doing this with angled light or in front of a window helps – once the sketch was complete I used tinted charcoal with some light pastels to make the illustration pop. I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out!

About a day after posting it on Instagram someone I used to work with bought it for a family member for Christmas. I was surprised & delighted at how quickly it sold, at first I was unsure about selling it as it was an experiment that worked out better than anticipated 🙂


Shortly after selling it, I started to sketch out a design for the second black canvas. More on this to come once complete. Follow me on my social to see my process & projects happening in real time.

Thank you for reading 🙂

Airbrushing Course

Blog Post

I was planning on making a post for this in late November after the course…but it did not go as planned, late is better than never right!

The airbrush course was AWESOME! if you are interested in airbrushing this is an excellent course to take, the instructor is very knowledgeable & has his shop open to people looking for a place to airbrush every Wednesday after 5 (unless otherwise posted) so people can get together & help each other out with their projects or just to hang out & have a good time, how awesome is that?!

The first day we started off with learning how the airbrush works & different parts of an airbrush, later which are good ones to get along with some tips & tricks the instructor has leaned from trial & error or through others he knows in the industry. Then we discussed paints, mixtures, where to buy it, brands, solvent vs water-based, etc. & learned about some  resources available in Edmonton to find supplies. Later we learned how to do proper dagger strokes, dots, shading & messed around with some stencils before starting our project. We learned how to properly prep surfaces, about paper tape masking, layering & finally started the painting process.

The second day we had a bit of a review with a bit of Q & A, some warm up/practice before continuing on our projects we later finished that day.

We also learned that if you ever need any clear coating done it is very dangerous to attempt at home without the proper set up – while the paint is curing the fumes become lethal. Our instructor informed us to get it done at a body shop with a proper paint bay – he also does it for about $25 (depending on the size of the project I would assume that price could go up). This keeps you & your family or whoever you may be living with safe, not to mention the clear coat finish is applied by a professional!

Here are some pics I also shared on my Instagram while taking the course back in November, you can follow me on my social to see real time posts (links below):

I was talking to the instructor, we both felt we had met before, as it turns out he has participated in Edmonton’s Artwalk a few times the last couple of years & it was actually one of his pieces that got me interested in airbrushing! I remember going to my first Artwalk with my boyfriend & seeing this amazing elephant painted on metal that had some grinder designs in it, it was amazing & I was inspired to try it!

Here is a screenshot of the elephant off of his website bakerboyzdesigns.ca, as usual pictures do not do it justice as seeing it in the daylight where all the colours & details are visual. But You can check out his work & business on this site, portfolio is awesome!

Elephant by Baker Boyz Designs inc.

Elephant by Baker Boyz Designs inc.
screenshot from http://bakerboyzdesigns.ca/

I am very excited to do more airbrushing with the new found knowledge in my brain, to practice & make pieces for people. I already have a cool project in mind that I cannot wait to start for my dad’s enclosed trailer!

Thank you for reading 🙂

Holiday Crafting: Wood

crafting, Holiday

Here are some wood pieces I painted with chalkboard paint & used different materials (inks, paint, twine, chalkboard felts, gel, etc.) for all of these freehanded designs.


The Cheeky Naughty or Nice Paddle – all two sold, the third sold at silent auction for my day job’s christmas party for united way
Happy Holidays Gold Tree – still available
Happy Holidays with small reindeer head– still available
Happy Holidays & Gold Gel – sold
Merry Christmas Gold Tree– still available

Let me know what you think, I am thinking of making more next year & might try to sell some on etsy.

If you see anything you might like here just email me, glass vases also still available, click here to view (Link to vase post to come)

Thank you for reading 🙂

Hand Crafted Holiday Vases

Blog Post, crafting, Holiday

Center pieces are always great to have to dress up any holiday party table, you can use anything from flowers to candles & set a warm, festive mood.

IMG_0130

This project was inspired by the Halloween centerpiece I made for my home/Night of Fear Festival table.

While out shopping with my mom the inspiration hit, we saw the aisle of ribbon at Michael’s & I instantly thought of my halloween vase & how I could create holiday centerpieces. While we were at our local Dollarama, it was close to closing time, I had a last minute idea to grab some small ornaments to add a little sparkle to the vases to make them complete.

In total I decorated 9 vases and 2 jars with lids.

Here is what you will need:

glass vases, glass jars with lids – Dollarama or Michael’s
white denim – Michael’s
ribbon, burlap wrap, twine – Michael’s/Walmart/Dollarama
Small ornaments – Dollarama
glue gun & glue sticks – Walmart/Dollarama

Here was my process:

Made 1 sketch to isolate my idea, then started to wing the ribbon designs one by one with different layers of ribbons or burlap wrap, using hot glue to attach the material to the white denim I picked up (this comes in a roll that is about 6” high). While making these I found the white denim was a great to use not only as a base for the material but as another rustic element integrated into the design.

I wanting to make sure the “sleeves” made for the vases were removable (so they could be washed if need be) this denim was key, it is woven tight enough that the hot glue did not go through the material onto the glass; therefore, the sleeves were not glued to the glass & are removable.

Step 1:
Wrap the denim around the vase so it had about a 1/2 inch overlap, this will be the seam used to glue the material around the vase – in retrospect I realized this project could of been done not just with hot glue but sewn together as well.

Step 2:
Keep the denim flat & layout the other ribbons/burlap wrap & cut to match the denim’s length.

Step 3:
Layout the designs you want to make with all the different layers of ribbons & glue to the denim

Step 4:
Prepare the ornaments, mine had small pieces of ribbon for hanging on a tree that I removed so the twine could be use to wrap the ornaments around the vase – be sure your twine is long enough to go around the vase & tie into a bow in the back.

Step 5:
Wrap the ribbon “sleeves” around the vase & hot glue the material (or sew) the 1/2 inch overlapping seam, finish off by tying the prepared ornaments around the vase – you can also go one step further and glue the twine to the seam in the back to better secure it in place.

Let me know what you think of this project & if you make any on your own please share with me on my social with the #inspiringdeisngsvase

You can also see real time posts of what will come next on my social.

Thank you for reading 🙂

Hand Made Holiday Gift Tags!

Blog Post, crafting, Holiday

Starting the process with thumbnailing some rough sketches to map out designs; this initial process is very important, it is more efficient & you have less mistakes when you plan your work out.

I then painted some 96# Bristol Board paper with different colour inks, carved my stamps & stamped away! once the stamping ink was dry I used my jumbo Recollections Lever Stamp to cut tags out of my stamped designs, put together different sets, packaged them using sandwich bags & the extra inked strips of paper.

Here are some of my sketches, final sketches, stamps & packaging:

For real time posts, follow my on my social.

Thank you for reading 🙂

Upcoming Airbrushing Course

Blog Post

This weekend I will be attending an Airbrush course at Nait, I am super stoked to learn more about airbrushing and how to expand my knowledge from airbrushing on canvas and people to automobiles, skateboard decks, trailers, other surfaces and more!

Here is a link to the course if you are in the area and interested in it yourself:
Nait Custom Airbrushing Course

I will touch base on how the course went and some of the things learned later this month. Follow me on my social to for real time updates during the weekend!

Thank you for reading 🙂

Huevember 2015?

Blog Post, Creative Challenges, illustrations

This year was the first year I participated in Inktober (LINK) and am very proud of myself for competing the challenge; I was talking to my friend about how exciting it was for me to start, participate and complete and while she was on her Tumblr she saw a post about Huevember!

This is another challenge similar to Inktober but with Hues: 30 hue pieces in 30 days, you can add other colours as long as that hue of the day is the focal point.

This image is what she sent me:

Click Here for the Huevember Facebook Page

I was very excited to hear about this challenge as well, this is something that would be more challenging for me as I feel like colour theory is a department I should work on to improve. I do not think I will participate in this challenge this year but will next year…or later in the year as another month’s project 😛 we will see how she goes. I have some plans to make some creative pieces to sell for the Holiday Season this year and need to focus on these ideas before taking on another challenge, more on this to come later this month.

If you choose to participate in Huevember post it on your social and tag me, I would love to see what you come up with for this challenge!

Instagram & Twitter: @noelle_fontaine

Thank you for reading 🙂

Welcoming November!!

Blog Post

October was probably my busiest Month this year!

Between teaching myself…rather giving my self crash courses on how to do Special FX make up & Face Painting, the first Global News Press release for Night of Fear Festival, where I painted my sister as a green zombie & did some special FX make to promote me at the event: Press Release Link

Making 17-20 zombies with another spray artist and an Author helping with latex  the following weekend: Night Of Fear Fest Zombies

Branding & building a new Facebook page, website, signage, price lists, signup sheets & business cards for my side project: Inspiring Designs Body Art to further my creative career in other ways while making a little bit of extra income.

Thanksgiving with my boyfriend’s family & celebrating his birthday.

A 4-5 hour pro-bono face painting session at Spirit Halloween to promote my business then go to an AMAZING Slipknot concert the next day – my boyfriend’s b-day present & some tasty treats I made that he likes to eat.

My Niece’s 9th birthday, baking then decorating her cake & my side of the family’s Thanksgiving the following weekend. (Link to come)

Being haunted by some old ghosts that just wont leave me alone.

Making my Niece & Nephew’s Halloween costumes. (Link to come)

The actual 2 day Night Of Fear Festival Event (LINK) Making my first official client into an undead creature: Link to the Undead Then taking my niece & nephew trick or treating – my dad usually takes them every year but last minute was not able to come out sooner; since they are 7 & 9 I brought them out to start and my dad came by later to join us 🙂 While doing this my sister Marie and her boyfriend were able to come over and tend to the trick or treaters for me – they were coming over to watch horror movies while I did the door anyway this year so it worked out perfect.

Finally, I decided to also take on another awesome creative challenge: Inktober! You can read more about this and see my illustrations by clicking here: INKTOBER to read my Inktober blog post.

…it was a very busy month to say the least lol so I am welcoming November with open arms to hopefully catch up on some sleep and experiment with other creative things 🙂

Thank you for reading 🙂

Inktober 2015 – Achievement Unlocked!

Blog Post, Creative Challenges

This year, on top of my side project (airbrush tattoos & face painting) and making my niece & nephew’s Halloween costumes, I made the commitment to participate in INKTOBER!!

I heard about this last year through some friends, I saw they were posting numbered ink illustrations almost everyday, I thought “WOW! they have been doing a lot of ink in a short amount of time, whats motivating them? and what is up with the numbers?!” so I asked them and they told me about Inktober.

Inktober was started from an illustrator named Jake Parker, who’s work is amazing! Mr. Jake Parker wanted to work on his inking skills and build good drawing habits, thus creating a challenge for himself to stay motivated while practicing. What started out as a  personal challenge is now practiced by many illustrators and artists around the world.

The challenge is to create 31 ink based illustrations, sketches or drawings in 31 days; now one can draw 1 drawing each day or as many as you like in a day as long as the end result is 31 inked pieces (pencil underdrawings are okay too) and having a fun time challenging yourself while practicing your inking skills.

Use any style of ink: Felt, Pen or Brush & Ink, Ballpoint, Ink Wash; you can also take go further by combining your ink illustrations with other mediums: Pencil Crayon, Water Colours, Paint, Digital and more!

The point it to challenge yourself and practice, but having fun doing it!

Find out more about Inktober at the creators site here: INKTOBER

  • Inktober Logo: Inktober.com

Last year it was a bit too late for me to participate, so I made sure I made a note to give this challenge a try for the coming year!

I have completed the challenge and can honestly say I loved it! It has challenged me to make time to sit down and draw; something I was planning on trying to do myself, but to no avail started even though I purchased a small moleskin sketchbook in attempts to create an initiative to start, but it was not really until this challenge have I really made the time to do so; i also made a good dent in the number of pages filled in this book.

Inktober inspired me to practice creative thinking and inking skills, challenging to adopt the discipline of making time to sketch at least 1 thing (big or small) each day to improve my skills.

It is a fun challenge your can share with your friends and family or other creatives on any social platform your can post images to; search and tag your work #inktober to see who else is participating and what they were inspired to create.

You can follow me on Instagram @noelle_fontaine or any of my other social media platforms to see what other illustrations or designs come up next.

Let me know your thoughts, favourites and critiques.

Check out my 2015-2019 Inktober collection!

Thank you for reading and have fun inking!  🙂