Monday, October 19, 2015

Video Tutorial: "Coloring SuperVibrant Mandalas"

This tutorial is aimed at adult fans of coloring books who don't have any formal art training, but want to improve their coloring skills.
Follow along as I color the "Mesmerizing Mandala" page from my "Windows to the Soul" coloring book, using some basic principals of Color Theory to maximize color intensity and create a vibrant color scheme that's brilliant and balanced.





Print version of the "Windows to the Soul" Coloring Book is available on Amazon:
http://tinyurl.com/p2nbsd3

Downloadable Digital Edition available on my Etsy Shop:
http://tinyurl.com/nlj2ewq

Music by Kaminanda:
https://kaminanda.bandcamp.com/

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Coloring Book Demo/Tutorial Video: Serenity Mandala from the Sacred Beauty Coloring Book


This video is the first in a series of tutorial demos for grown-up fans of coloring books. 

I believe that the more confident and familiar you are with coloring techniques and how colors work, the more satisfaction you'll get from your coloring, and the more you'll be able to fully develop your own unique sense of color.

This series of videos shares some tips, techniques and methods I use when hand-coloring, that I've learned or discovered over the years. It's aimed specifically at coloring book colorists who don't have much art experience or training, but want to improve their coloring skills.  

In addition to some essential colored pencil techniques, I offer some methods for making great color choices and creating harmonious color schemes, and demonstrate some "special effects" that you can use to take your coloring pages to the next level.

It's not a "How To" - because there's no One Right Way to color. But my hope is that this info will help you to create your own unique and beautiful results that will enhance your coloring experiences.

Please Share, Pin, Like, Comment...Yaddayaddayadda! 

#adultcoloringbooks  #coloringbooksforgrownups  #coloringbook #coloringdemo  #coloringtutorial  #colored pencil techniques

Monday, September 28, 2015

Windows to the Soul; A Mesmerizing Coloring Book


My second coloring book is now available!

Eyes are innately mesmerizing and infinitely expressive. They are, as they say, the “windows to the soul”. 


For this volume, I created 30 all new, original coloring pages integrating an eclectic variety of art styles, motifs and moods. Each of them frames mysterious eyes that seize your gaze…inviting you, challenging you to infuse them with vibrant color.


Featuring a variety of colorful themes including fantasy, steampunk, traditional cultural art styles, decorative mandalas and designs inspired by nature, this coloring book offers something for everyone, and is full of ample opportunities for fun and creative coloring.

 After I made my first coloring book (“Sacred Beauty; An Artful Coloring Book”), I knew I was hooked.  
I love designing coloring pages, and I love coloring them.  

I wanted to do another book, and I was pondering what kind of themes and imagery would make for fun, relaxing and engaging coloring experiences that would result in beautiful finished pieces.  

For me, coloring feels very much like doodling.  There is some thought that goes into it in choosing colors and creating color schemes, but it is also somewhat mindless, in a good way.  It reminds me of knitting, or…doodling.

For as long as I can remember, when mindlessly doodling, I‘ve drawn two things:  spirals and eyes….often in combination.  Not faces or anything that made sense… just these weird little abstract designs with eyes surrounded by decorative flourishes.  

  
I’m not alone in this habit.  Apparently, it’s a Thing.  Lots of people doodle eyes; angry, evil eyes, intensely gazing eyes, cartoon or anime eyes, realistic eyes, alien eyes, you name it.  I tend to draw serene eyes surrounded by lots of swirls and spirals and dots.  

Once I'd connected coloring to doodling, and explored the whole "eye doodling" phenomenon,  I realized that I'd found the basic theme for my next book.  

My next step was to think up a bunch of different designs, which was actually pretty easy.  My Muse was on board, and I started sketching like a madwoman.  

I thought about things that would offer opportunities for lots of color choices...things like butterflies and flowers and animal patterns and stained glass and mandalas.  I thought about things that accented eyes - masks and helmets and makeup.  I thought about various traditional art styles that would work - like Dia De Los Muertos face paint and Maori warrior facial tattoos.  I also wanted to make this book more appealing to male colorists, since my first book was pretty feminine in nature.  So there is a steampunk design featuring ornate mechanical bits, a grizzled warrior, a pirate, even a creepy alien.  Something for everyone, and every mood!
 I also wanted to offer a variety of levels of intricacy, so some of these designs are simpler and others are packed with details.  

The artwork is accompanied by "Inspirations" and "Trys".  
The Inspirations are basically keywords that you can enter into a Google image search to find loads of visual reference for inspiration and ideas.  They are things I referred to when creating the designs, and coloring them myself.  I encourage you to utilize these - and to take some time to study the images that come up.  Getting familiar with different color combinations will add to your own inner library of ideas and help you develop your own sense of color.
The "Trys" are suggestions for various color scheme ideas to explore, or coloring techniques to apply.  They are totally optional - but I wanted to share some of the possibilities that I thought of while designing and coloring the imagery.

"Windows to the Soul" is available as a print edition from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Soul-Mesmerizing-Coloring-Book/dp/1517346029/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1443403183&sr=1-1&keywords=Windows+to+the+soul+coloring







and as a downloadable digital edition from my Etsy Shop:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/249785780/windows-to-the-soul-coloring-book?ref=listing-shop-header-0






I'd love to hear your feedback on it, and see your finished colored pages!  Please feel free to comment here, or post to my Art of Cristina McAllister Facebook Page.  And please post a review to the Amazon listing page - those reviews really do make a huge difference!

Sunday, September 13, 2015

COLORING BOOK!!!!!


I've published a coloring book!
It's available on Amazon at the following link:
http://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Beauty-Coloring-Cristina-McAllister/dp/1516976134/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

You can also download a digital edition from my Etsy shop:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/246343169/sacred-beauty-coloring-book-digital


Several weeks ago, someone posted an article about coloring books for grown-ups on Facebook and I was intrigued!  It has become a hugely popular activity, and a bunch of really cool coloring books have been released in recent years.  These aren't the cheesy, simplistic cartoon character coloring books you remember from childhood, but gorgeous, complex designs that offer a fun, engaging and relaxing creative experience.

I realized instantly that my artwork would be PERFECT for coloring!  After all, when I created the original artwork, I basically made black & white designs and then colored them in Photoshop.  So converting my full-color artwork into color-able pages was simply a matter of going back to my black & white files and doing some reworking.

As I re-evaluated my drawings with hand-coloring in mind, I realized that I really enjoy designing coloring pages!  And I really enjoy coloring, which was something that mostly bored me as a kid.



I published through Createspace, Amazon.com's Print On Demand Self Publishing platform, and found the process to be surprisingly quick and easy.  Within 3 weeks, I had put my book together, uploaded it and it was listed on Amazon.com.  Amazing!

The response has be incredible, and people really seem to be enjoying the book.  I'm working on getting my wholesale distribution set up, hopefully in time to get some books in stores for the holiday shopping season.
And I'm working on my second book, which I think is going to be even better!





Friday, July 31, 2015

Forget Frozen – Why Strange Magic is the Fairytale Our Young Women (and Men) Should Be Crazy About




This film was slammed pretty hard by the critics, and I went into it warily. Being a visual artist and writer myself,  I am a huge fan of quality animation, but I am well aware that a lot of it is crap, too.  I was pleasantly surprised by Strange Magic, and the more I watched the more I realized that not only is it a beautiful and lushly-realized, nuanced story with some great messages…it’s actually kind of revolutionary as far as feature animated films.  I suspect that the critics hated it because they didn’t GET IT.  Probably because they are mostly men.  And that’s not a slam on men…it’s an acknowledgement that men don’t have the perspective of growing up as young women. 

SPOILERS WARNING.

Basically, it’s a Feminist Fairy Rock Opera that explores the complexities of Love.  It’s a Coming-of-Age story about young women that doesn’t romanticize romance, but portrays the experience of learning to navigate romantic relationships in a way that was pretty darn familiar to me, as a woman.  It portrays the challenges of girls struggling to establish their independence in a world dominated by men who want to control, manipulate and protect them, and it does so with insight and compassion.   

One thing I saw a lot of critics mention was that there was too much music.  Now, I’ll admit that I find some animated films where folks start bursting into song a bit annoying.  But this is a musical.  If you’re  not aware, musicals are insanely popular with young people, and for good reason.  If you don’t like musicals, steer clear (and if you're a critic who criticizes musicals for having music, you're a pretty lame film critic, IMHO). But if you can appreciate the art of using relevant pop music to express character and advance plot, Strange Magic ROCKS at this.  The musical selection is eclectic, recasting beloved songs from such popular artists as The Four Tops, Bob Marley, Beyonce, Dionne Warwick, Queen, Heart, ELO and the Troggs, to name a few.  The arrangements are great, and they are integrated into the film quite skillfully, evoking relevant emotions and often, charming humor.  It's self aware enough to even acknowledge that breaking into song is silly (and sometimes annoying).

Now, this is a story about Fairy Princesses falling in love.  But it’s not your average, sugar-coated Disney tale (don’t be fooled by the saccharine setup…stick with it!).  There is a Handsome Prince (who is not actually a Prince…not yet, anyway.  He has to marry the princess first to achieve that goal).  It’s quickly established that despite this guy’s good looks and popularity, his actions mark him as a manipulative, selfish bully who’s only after the crown.  The rest of the story follows MaryAnn’s journey after she discovers his true nature and processes her first major heartbreak.

Her initial response is to swear off love.  Former goth girls will relate to the impulse to harden our hearts and toughen up.  She decides she doesn’t need a man, and she focuses her energy on becoming her own protector.  One scene references the classic scene in Star Wars of Luke Skywalker honing his lightsaber skills with the training drone.  Some folks found this annoying but f them.  One of the reasons George Lucas made this film is because he has daughters and wanted to make a “Star Wars for Girls”. 
Critics bashed the fact that the King (and father of the girls) looks like Lucas – an obvious vanity cameo, right?  But the King is kind of a boob.  He’s a clueless, overprotective single Dad whose heart is in the right place, but is admittedly ill-equipped to guide his girls.  Like a LOT of dads.  I applaud Lucas for portraying the Father’s Dilemma of wanting to protect his adolescent girls with sensitivity and self-depreciating humor, as opposed to the traditional notion, which is to pull out the shotgun when the predatory boys come sniffing around. 

The film also features an over-involved, inept matchmaker of a Mother who is determined to make sure her boy (who happens to be the Bad Guy) finds love, despite his bitter rejection of the “L” Word.  Both families seem to be missing one parent, a factor that is not insignificant.
The interaction between parents and their willful children is handled beautifully – the children love their parents, and understand that they are trying to look out for them, however annoying they might be.  They don’t resort to destructive parent-hating rebellion, yet still manage to exert their independence.   

So – the Dad’s a boob and the handsome boy is a jerk.  Sounds pretty anti-male, right?  Nope.  While there are male characters that represent the dangerous, confusing and frustrating interactions between men and women, there are other male characters that are awesome.  They just happen not to be the ones who are handsome, popular and/or powerful (or white).  They are flawed, but brave, loving, respectful, and perhaps most important of all, willing to take the risk of vulnerability.

The plot is fairly complex and moves pretty darn fast in places.  Some folks may think it’s too advanced for kids, but I think our kids are up to the challenge.  You know how kids watch these things over and over again…if they miss something the first time around, repeated viewings will clarify things.  It did for me, with the added benefit of spotting little details that enhance the story.

I also totally dug the Sugarplum Fairy character.  Though the wisest and most magically powerful of them all, she has been imprisoned for years and her frustration at this is hilariously palpable, yet there is also a suggestion that her incarceration is all part of a larger plan to teach some valuable lessons.  She’s an enchanting representation of the elemental goddess figure, at once powerful and vulnerable, helpful and dangerous, loving yet mischievous.  And ultimately, the secret of her Love Potion is the most profound (and relevant in this day and age) lesson of all.

Which brings me to some other refreshing elements.  The Love Potion brings up issues which are relevant in our world of Gamergate-style male entitlement and date rape drugs.  While not explicitly delving into these topics, it does depict a young woman delirious with potion-induced infatuation, and an older male being honorable and NOT taking advantage of her.   It also explores the phenomenon of the “friendzone” with insight and sensitivity.

 In one scene that touches on the confusing mixed messages we send our young women, the King Dad urges his older daughter to get back on the dating horse after a traumatic heartbreak so she can find a man to love and protect her.  A moment later he worriedly complains about how his younger, boy-crazy daughter is too flirty.  The older daughter’s response is a justified gnashing of teeth that the King seems oblivious to, but is all too familiar to most of us female types.

It also champions the notion that even “ugly”, “unpopular” people can be lovable.  The trope of the Misunderstood Bad Guy is quite beautifully handled, and the development of the relationship between the Bog King and MaryAnn results in some Falling In Love scenes that I found quite enchanting.

Ultimately, I found much to love about this film, and I wrote this because I don’t want it to pass into obscurity because of the petty complaints of clueless critics.

Because here’s the thing – girls DO need and deserve their own Star Wars -not that Star Wars doesn’t work for girls as well as boys.  But I think they do need to see female characters embarking on their own Heroes’ Journey.  This film acknowledges that young girls ARE innocent and dumb and DO need to be protected…but they also need to be respected and allowed to learn the (sometimes harsh) lessons of life. A girl’s path to maturity is often filled with different dangers and challenges than boys face, but they can learn to navigate this dangerous world, and be heroes themselves. 
That’s an empowering and progressive message I think our young women AND young men need to hear, and Strange Magic manages to tell this story in a way that’s appealing to kids and adults, boys and girls. 

Friday, July 10, 2015

How Did You Make That???"; The Wonders of Kraft*Tex

For the past several months I've been making a bunch of different kinds of accessories featuring intricate cut-out designs backed with iridescent film.
I started with a vision of what I wanted to make; an insect or fairy wing effect (which also turns out to be reminiscent of stained glass), and specifically set out to find materials that would work.

I had certain requirements for my structural material.  It had to be flexible but not floppy, durable, paintable, glueable, non-toxic and cut well on my Zing electronic cutting machine.
I experimented with several materials; EVA craft foam, different fabrics, leather, faux leather, plastic crafting sheets, various kinds of paper and cardstock.

The papers cut beautifully, but weren't terribly durable.
The fabrics, leather, faux leather and foam were too soft, stretchy and/or fibrous to cut intricate detail well.  The plastic sheets looked flimsy and cheap.

I needed something that cut like paper but held up like leather. I started looking into synthetic papers (of which there are a number), and ultimately came across this stuff: Kraft*Tex.

What is Kraft*Tex?  Turns out you may have been wearing it most of your life without realizing it.  Kraft*Tex is what those leathery tags on the backs of your Levi's jeans are made of.
It's been used in the garment industry for decades, and only recently been marketed as a crafting material. 

In it's raw form it looks like a sturdy cardstock, with one paper-smooth side and one subtly textured side. But if you scrunch it up, or wash it, it gets creased and crinkled, which gives it a very convincing leather appearance.  It starts out rather stiff, but over time and use, it softens into more of a fabric-like feel.  It can be sewn, folded, molded into 3-dimenional shapes...probably a bunch of other stuff, too!

It is very durable, washable, flexible, paintable, glueable, non-toxic and, once I hammered out the settings and mounting techniques, it cuts like a dream on the Zing.

But still - what IS it?  A paper?  A plastic?  A fabric?  I couldn't find the answer to this question on the web, so I emailed the manufacturer, C&T publishing, and asked them.  They replied promptly, informing me that it's a paper pulp impregnated with a kind of latex.

(Note: for those of you with latex allergies, don't worry - my accessories don't have any Kraft*Tex directly in contact with the skin).

Folks are starting to play with this amazing material - mostly making things like wallets, bags and book covers - things often made of natural leather.

But Kraft*Tex has many advantages over natural leather.  A. No animals are harmed. B. It's cheaper than leather. C. It's more consistent than real leather (which tends to have flaws and uneven thicknesses and come in irregularly sized and shaped pieces, which results in a lot of waste scraps. D. It's actually more durable than real leather of the same thickness.

Here's a video with some great info:



Monday, July 6, 2015

How Did You Make That??? "Dryad" Exceptional Adornment

This "Dryad" piece glows with the earthy colors of the forest - lush greens and fiery oranges. Graceful leaf shapes create a striking silhouette that evokes magical woodlands and forest nymphs.
The iridescence is also transparent, creating a unique stained-glass effect, and it flashes and reflects the light in a spectacular and magical way as you move.

So how did I make it?

Faerie Magic, of course!

Well, okay, perhaps that's not completely true - my magic is made with mundane materials and techniques I've developed through experimentation. 

Here's a Walk-Through of how I crafted this "Dryad" adornment.




Sketches and test prints

I keep a sketchpad nearby and scribble my rough ideas when they come to me.  These sketches are then either scanned into my computer, or simply used as a guide to create the final designs in Adobe Illustrator.

Designing shapes in Illustrator.



The design is in black and white - the white parts will end up being cut away, leaving the intricate black shapes.  I have to be mindful of how to construct the designs so that they cut well on my electronic cutting machine.  It's a balance of visual harmony and structural integrity.  In the case of this piece, which will be made out of several individual pieces connected with rivets, I designed each piece separately, carefully shaping them so they will fit together correctly.  At this point, I'll print out the design and roughly cut it out with scissors and hold it up to my neck to see if the sizing works, and adjust the design until I'm satisfied.

Setting up the cutting sheet in Make-The-Cut

 Once I'm happy with the design, the pieces are imported into the Make-The-Cut software that works with my Zing cutting machine.  The pieces are arranged on the virtual cutting mat, which corresponds to the actual cutting mat that is inserted into the machine.  A piece of Kraft*Tex (a marvelous material that I will write more about soon), is cut and pressed firmly to the mat, which has a tacky temporary adhesive on it.  The machine then cuts the shapes from the Kraft*Tex.

Gluing pieces to iridescent film
Once the pieces are cut, I choose some iridescent film colors.  In this case, I layered 2 colors of film, and alternated the order of the colors; the oak leaf shapes have orange/green on top and a more blue-green underneath, so the orangey tones are more visible, with the blue-greens adding subtle undertones.  The other leaves have the blue-green film on top, with the orange/green underneath, so their main color tone is more green, with the oranges as the undertones.  This ended up working out beautifully to create 2 alternating colors that harmonized perfectly together.

The Kraft*Tex pieces are sprayed on the backside with a spray adhesive and pressed face-up onto the top layer of film.  The second film color is then layered below this and ironed for a few seconds to melt the 2 film layers together.  The heat also shrinks and the film a bit, creating some organic dimension and texture, and sometimes shifts the colors a bit in serendipitous ways.  Too much heat/ironing can burn holes in the film, so this is a tricky step.

After ironing the 2 layers of film
Next, the excess film is trimmed off by carefully running an Exact-O knife around the edges of each piece on the back side.

Trimming excess film
The front of each piece is then brushed with a clear gloss acrylic medium, which seals the surface and laminates the Kraft*Tex layer to the film layer.

Applying acrylic medium
I do 2 coats of this, brushing the first coat in one direction, so the liquid pools up against one side of each cut-out area, let it dry, then apply a second coat in the other direction.

Acrylic medium pooling around edges of cut-outs
Once the varnish on the front is fully dry, I apply a thick coat of Diamond Glaze to the back side of each piece.
Applying Diamond Glaze to back side
This non-toxic liquid is self-leveling and hardens to a clear, durable, yet flexible resin-like surface.  This gives each piece a bit more substance and weight, seals and protects the film layer and creates a smooth feel against the skin.

Diamond Glazed backsides
 Once the glaze has cured, a coat of clear satin polyurethane is sprayed onto the front side of the pieces. This adds a water-resistant protective seal coat, and dulls the glossy varnish down a bit, which gives the Kraft*Tex a more "leathery" look that I think looks better than the shiny gloss finish.  

Spraying on polyurethane sealer
I use the massive Uline catalogs the company keeps sending (despite contacting them twice to tell them I don't want paper catalogs) as a quick and easy spraying surface.  Simply flip open to a clean spread, set the pieces down, spray and carefully relocate to the drying area, then close the catalog.  The sprayed pages stick together, so when most of the pages are stuck, I throw it into the recycling bin and grab the next one on the stack.  

Satin finish has dried and gems applied
 Next, embellishments such as Czech glass crystals or glue-on rivets are applied with Gem-Tac, a heavy-duty adhesive made to attach jewels to clothing.  It dries clear and flexible and strong.  

Assembling the pieces with rivets
Once the pieces are finished, they are arranged in proper order, being careful to get the overlapping parts correct, and brass rivets are hammered through the hinges.  A pair of long ribbons are attached with crimped findings and the piece is finished!

The finished product!

These simple materials have now been transformed into an Exceptional Adornment!  Lightweight and flexible, with movable rivet hinges and long ribbon ties so you can adjust the shape, fit and hang; you can wear this piece as a necklace or a choker, with a few bobby pins you can fashion a headpiece, or use some hidden safety pins through the ribbons to adorn your decolletage...make a hatband or attach to a belt - the possibilities are as endless as your imagination!  

Thursday, June 18, 2015

New Iridescent Flutter Earrings (and Facing Some Insecurity)!


I've been working with Kraft*Tex and iridescent films for awhile now with the DreamCuffs, but I've got ideas for other kinds of accessories as well.  
The past few weeks I've been working on some new earrings, and as usual, they surprised me!
I expected the cool color-shifting iridescent effect, but what I didn't anticipate is the way they move and reflect.  They are almost feather-light, and flutter in the breeze and as you move around - like shimmering aspen leaves!  
And as they are fluttering, they are casting sun-dappled reflections (the iridescent film shows on both the front and the back sides), as well as looking transparent from certain angles, creating a stained glass effect - flashing and glowing and generally creating an effect more magical than I'd ever hoped!


These earrings are also helping me face my insecurity about photos of myself.  
I am, as many of us are, quite self-conscious about this kind of thing.  I'm plump, I'm pushing 43 years of age, my hair is thin and fine and the gray has been creeping in for years, the wrinkles are starting to appear, the dark circles are chronic and hereditary. I'm no supermodel!
I know intellectually, and truly in my heart, that I am beautiful as I am (double chins, nascent wrinkles and gray hairs and all!), and that I don't have to be a supermodel to be beautiful.  

But when it comes to my business, I want to present my products well, and having professionally photographed, pretty girls modelling your fashions is apparently how successful designers present their work.  But paying for a pro photographer and having to arrange for a younger, thinner, hotter friend to model would require more patience (and $) than I possess when in a creative frenzy.  
My demand for instant gratification is overcoming my insecurity!  Whoo-hoo!


To be honest, I'm pretty put off by a lot of the fashion world, and how people are presented.  I don't really want to perpetuate the impossible, sometimes outright deceitful beauty standards that have been dominating.  My definition of beauty is WAY bigger than that.  I find beauty in people of all types!

So I've been modelling the earrings myself, and at first I cringed, having to look at so many images of my own face.  All I could see were the flaws. I DID manage to refrain from doing any Photoshopping beyond some cropping and general color correction.  In the first set, I didn't even put on any makeup, since I don't generally wear it unless I'm going "Out".
The more I faced these images, the more it sank in that I don't look half bad.  Good lighting, head position and camera angle can do wonders! And when I posted the pics, friends commented on how great I looked in the pictures.  So perhaps my pathetic, body dysmorphic, hyper-critical, b.s. Self Image is losing it's grip.


They liked the earrings, too.  :)

Check out my available selection at my Etsy Shop!:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/cristinamcallister?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Fantasy Fashion for Fabulous Faeries!


I started all of this with a simple question: "If I were a fashion designer in the Faerie Realm, what would I design for my clients?"
Obviously, the designs would have to be elegant and fantastical, with graceful organic shapes, magical iridescent colors, maybe some crystal gems or pixie dust to add sparkle. Inspired by Nature, infused with elegant style, uniquely expressive and eye-catching.

 

My initial vision was of a pair of shimmering bracers, with fairy-wing shapes and iridescent colors.  I liked this idea...bracers are unfortunately an underutilized accessory! They are super cool-looking, and unlike a lot of clothing options, they look great on both men and women.  Why should only fictional characters get to wear awesome bracers???





Thus "DreamCuffs" were born; handmade, unique wearable art that’s armed and dangerously fabulous!

Wear them on bare arms, or over sleeves or gloves. Add some eye-catching style to your wardrobe, accessorize your favorite costumes or build a whole new outfit around them! There’s something empowering about strapping on a pair of bracers…like you can deflect any obstacles that come your way and let your Most Fantastical Self shine!




Since then, I've been letting my imagination run wild with new designs and colors and embellishments.  Some are more feminine, some are more masculine, many could go either way, and they are designed with a flexible fit that works for most adults. Many of them feature UV accents that glow under blacklight.  I've also got more sci-fi-themed designs, as well as more abstract geometrical styles (which I'll feature in a future post). 




Whether you’re a Dreamer or a Dancer, a Performer or a Party Monster, a Burner, a LARPer, a Raver or Cosplayer, a Crafter or Costumer or Fearless Fashionista, adding a pair of DreamCuffs to your wardrobe will take your style to the next level.
And they're not just for costume events...wear them out clubbing! Wear them at faires, festivals, parties, on dates, etc. Wear them as you would any other accessory or beloved piece of jewelry.  Wear them whenever you want to feel fabulous and fantastical!




Since I am a part of the Burning Man community, and many Burners enjoy playing with fire, I have also designed DreamCuffs to be safe to wear while fire-spinning. They are made with a leather base layer and have been fire-tested by striking them with lit poi and running flames over them for several seconds and they did not ignite or char. I can't guarantee that they won't catch if you wear them while fire-spinning, and you should always have a fire safely to assist you (of course!), but they performed well in our fire tests. 



One of the unique features of my DreamCuffs are the iridescent colors.  After a lot of experimentation and exploration of various materials, I found some iridescent films that come in a variety of colors.  And each color is actually several colors - as the light plays over them, the shades shift, revealing a magical spectrum of shimmering hues.  Adding a layer of painted color under the film creates different effects as well.  Metallic paints give the most vivid results, paler or more opaque colors create a pearlescent or opalline effect. Blending 2 or more colors creates a subtle gradient or pattern that is visible from certain angles, adding even more dynamic color play.  Every pair I make surprises me with some unexpected but gorgeous color combinations that naturally coordinate with a variety of colors, so they are flexible as far as what to wear them with.
The photos don't capture the true, live effect.  You have to see them in motion, in different kinds of light, to appreciate the lush depth and brilliant shifting shades.



 
 Check out my Etsy Shop to see what I currently have available.  I can also create custom color DreamCuffs just for you!  Choose a design and color combination and we'll work together to make you something gorgeous to compliment your outfit or express your favorite style.