The blog of picture book artist and illustrator Mike Mooney

Custom Chess T-Shirts For Sale

12/28/2015

I love chess and this is no secret. I am sure you picked up on that already if you read my post from last month. That said, there's not a lot of cool chess t shirts that are available to purchase.

A few years ago I had this idea for an illustration that I thought was funny and also thought it would make a great chess shirt. I designed it and placed it on some shirts.

What do you think of my custom chess shirt design?

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Jellyfish Art Prints That Will Transform Your Room

12/23/2015

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If you aren't an interior designer and you need some guidance to figure out what you want to actually hang on your walls without spending top dollars on expensive paintings from a gallery, you are in luck. As I am sure you already know there are alternative solutions to original art in your home and gallery prices.

If you are into the ocean, then I recommend some really cool jellyfish prints for you walls. Jellyfish art is hot right now and it's going to turn your boring walls into a professional gallery! This will transform your living room or bedroom and really impress your friends.

Here are a few jellyfish photos I took that that look amazing printed large and mounted on the wall.

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Why I Create Abstract Animal Art

12/20/2015

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Animals are amazing creatures. Every animal has their own unique characteristics that I find very fascinating. There are many artists that create amazing and beautiful abstract animal paintings and drawings. A few years ago I started to create some of my own animal art, here's a couple moose drawings I did in charcoal:

Moose 1- Charcoal on paper

Moose 2- Charcoal on paper

Why do I create abstract animal art?

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How Shel Silverstein and his art inspired me to create a book

12/18/2015

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Art from the Back Rooms of My mind

I've been creating art for ages now, since before I was in high school, creating art was something I always wanted to do. High school is where I started to use ink as a medium. My love for ink art quickly grew and it's still one of my favorite mediums to work in.

I am told that my mom had read some Shel Silverstein poems to my brothers and I when we were younger, but I can't recall the poems or the artwork, but I am sure it's true. I recently picked up a couple of Shel Silverstein books with the suggestion from my wife. She had read his books back in the day and thought we shared a similar style. She was right! As soon as I picked up one of his books and saw Shel Silverstein's art, I instantly felt a connection.

Here are a few Shel Silverstein illustrations that I particularly find quite humorous.

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How I Use My Imagination To Create Chess Art

12/14/2015

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As an artist and avid chess player, it was very natural to incorporate my love of chess into my art. Now, although I love the game and play daily-it's easy to do phone with apps these days- I am no where near a grand master's level rank. That's ok with me because it keeps me coming back and allows me to learn more about the game and improve the weak points of my game.

The first chess painting I created is called A Master's Mind. A Master's Mind is an oil painting on canvas and one of my favorites. This is my interpretation of how a grand master's mind works when playing chess. Thinking 10 moves ahead, weaving pieces across the board and capturing their opponents pieces before they ever saw it coming.

This had been the only chess art I created until a couple of years ago when I started working on a new creation. I had put the new chess painting on the shelf because of other projects I have been working on, but I am picking it back up!

Abstract Chess Art oil painting

View A Master's Mind here.

Chess art I am currently working on. (Sneak peak)

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5 Easy Tips On How To Boost Your Creativity Today

12/12/2015

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“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” — Mary Lou Cook

One of the biggest challenges for creative people is keeping the creative juices flowing. This post is for anyone and everyone looking for ways to enhance their creativity.

It's not easy, day in and day out to stay fresh and come up with new ideas consistently. I have experience working with a high growth startup company where we help clients generate and create new topics to write about it. The ability to come up with ideas to talk about on your blog can be challenging! Sometimes writers, bloggers, artists, and anyone that is in a creative rut, could use a little creativity boost from time to time.

I know this topic has been written about before and others after me will add their own two cents to the conversation. Nonetheless, I wanted to add my tips and tricks with the intentions of being helpful and assist you in getting out of any creative funk you might be in.

Here are my top five ways to increase your creativity.

“You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.” - Jack London

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Kids book Available

Custom Chess T-Shirts For Sale

Jellyfish Art Prints That Will Transform Your Room

Why I Create Abstract Animal Art

How Shel Silverstein and his art inspired me to create a book

How I Use My Imagination To Create Chess Art

Chess art I am currently working on. (Sneak peak)

5 Easy Tips On How To Boost Your Creativity Today

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