The end of Mixed Mayhem Studios

Hello, friends. I've decided to end the era of Mixed Mayhem Studios. It's been a weird, bumpy ride. I am basically doing a hard reset of my studio practice. I began in 2011 and the internet and world on the whole was a much different place than it is now. I feel like my website and blogs are grossly outdated and don't really feel like "me" anymore. This isn't the end of my art, but just the end of this particular era. I'll be back once I've taken some time to re-evaluate things.

The final prompt for the #3x3designchallenge from @sketchdesignrepeat is "Fungi Forest." I really loved this prompt but found myself short on time this week, so I went with something simple and delicate. #darkandmoody #mushrooms #fungiforest #surfacepatterndesign #digitalart #artchallenges #designchallenge https://www.instagram.com/p/CpoRodPIp2K/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Kind of squeaking in at the last moment with the 2nd prompt for the #3x3designchallenge for the week from @sketchdesignrepeat - The prompt was, "Nice To Sea You." I love plants and corals, so that's what I ended up drawing when I finally managed to pull myself away from work and my other art I had fixated on. It's a pretty cute pattern. I'll definitely have to play more with the undersea/nautical theme. #artchallenge #surfacepatterndesign #designchallenge #undersea #underwater #corals https://www.instagram.com/p/CpWgJ-7oFR0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Something interesting about my art being applied to surface pattern designs I would like to point out - the first two images in this group of photos are part of the same design. Some of my art doesn't immediately make for a good surface pattern, so I design a "sticker" type of emblem with my design or pattern. You can see an example of this on the t-shirt shown on the second image just past the cute mini skirt. The skirt has a full, seamless surface pattern that matches that emblem. I do this with a lot of my art, especially my abstract work. I do really love how these look on all over print products. I want to completely redecorate my house with throw pillows and fill my closet with these cute A-line dresses! By the way, Redbubble is still having a sale this week for 20% off site wide. You can find these designs and more of my work at redbubble.com - search for store name "mixedmayhem" @redbubble #redbubbleartists #printondemandart #surfacepatterndesign #modernartist #abstractartist https://www.instagram.com/p/CpWLWKfP3ia/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Just a little work in progress that I've been chipping away at this week. I have just about figured out the right brushes to use when working on my tablet to make my work look suspiciously close to my traditional paintings. I'm thinking about attempting to completely recreate one of my traditional works just to compare the similarities. It would definitely make for an interesting experiment! This piece is as of yet untitled. It features teal/aqua blues, a mauve pinkish purple, and lighter pink details. I'm probably going to toss in some darker navy or purple for contrast. #workinprogress #wip #dfwartist #fortworthartist #modernart #escapism #abstractexpressionism #digitalart https://www.instagram.com/p/CpVscZ1ODXo/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I messed up big time recently! It has been long enough since I submitted work to be printed, that I forgot the crucial step of verifying my color modes before uploading files to be printed on demand. Thankfully, nothing was purchased before I caught the mistake, and I have made all sorts of corrections since then. Namely, I took down my Society6 store since it just wasn't worth the aggravation to get everything set up yet again, and I updated all of my files on Redbubble and my fine art print shop to include removing any previous designs that just wouldn't print correctly.

So what was all this fuss really about and is the extra work really worth it? I think so! Because check out this print sample or my work (image shown above), "Take One," I recently received from my shop. Those colors are so bold and bright, and they look identical, if not better than the digital file!

Correct color profiles are absolutely a crucial element to ensure your art prints correctly. Two commonly used color systems in the industry are CMYK and sRGB. CMYK is used primarily for printing, while sRGB is used for digital displays such as computer monitors and mobile devices. Let’s take a closer look at these two color systems and their differences.

CMYK is an acronym for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black; this may seem familiar if you've ever changed out the ink cartridges on your home printer. These four colors are used in combination to create a wide range of colors and when printed on paper, they create a color space known as subtractive color. In other words, the ink absorbs light and subtracts color from the white paper. CMYK is used primarily in printing because it can produce a large number of colors and shades with high accuracy, which is ideal for a fine art print.

On the other hand, sRGB is an RGB (red, green, blue) color space used for digital displays used by most computer monitors, televisions, and other digital displays like tablets and phones. The sRGB color space is considered an “additive” color model, which means the colors are added together to create the final color.

The key difference between the two color systems is their color gamut. A color gamut refers to the range of colors that can be produced within a particular color space. CMYK has a more limited color gamut compared to sRGB which is why when converting from RGB to CYMK, you may notice some color loss in your art that you didn't intend for. This is because the inks used in printing cannot reproduce the same range of colors as a digital display, so when designing for print, it is important to keep in mind the limitations of the CMYK color space.

So how do you get around the color loss issue? If you're creating digital work, change your color profile to CYMK for your working color palette while working on your designs. This ensures bright, crisp colors when you print without the loss of the vivid hues you originally chose. When scanning traditional artwork, you should have the option in your scanner's software to choose a CYMK mode. I personally use a lot of .png files which means my CYMK files are typically saved to sRGB automatically for display and is the preferred file format for most of the print-on-demand services I use.

I hope this helps with any color profile woes you may have! Let me know if you have any questions, and I will do my best to assist.

Much love,

P.S. Here's the latest deal from Skillshare that I received via email. Full disclosure: These are affiliate links, but I genuinely love this service and have paid for it out of my own pocket on many occasions! I use Skillshare classes to boost my inspiration to make art and to learn new skills. I'm even hoping to launch my own classes on Skillshare, soon! In the interim, here are some handy discounts:

Get 30% off of a Premium Skillshare Membership

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It’s been a while since I last made an abstract, meditative piece. I decided I wanted to play with deep blue colors with bright accents, and this is the result! #surfacepatterndesign #instaart #instaartist #dfwartist #fortworthartist #abstractart #modernart #meditativepractice #doodleart #patternart #printondemandart #redbubble https://www.instagram.com/p/CpA6K_KNxR-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I recently discovered how to make seamless, repeating patterns in Photoshop and in my favorite art program on my android tablet (Infinite Painter). I decided I wanted some cutesy, doodled roses, so that's exactly what I created. I've already uploaded the design to Redbubble (shop: mixedmayhem), and this will eventually be available as fabric on Spoonflower. I meant to record the process, but I guess I checked the wrong box, because that didn't happen. Oops. Maybe better luck next time. #surfacepatterndesign #instaart #instaartist #dfwartist #fortworthartist #floralart #roseart #roses #doodleart #patternart #printondemandart #redbubble https://www.instagram.com/p/Co_JZkmu3c8/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I joined the #3x3designchallenge from #sketchdesignrepeat and our first prompt was "Get Frosty." It certainly feels a little funny working on a snowman while winter is nearly over, but it came out so cute! And what good practice. ❤️ My snow-marshmallow-chibi is drinking a cup of hot chocolate and holding onto a candy cane. Peppermint mochas are my favorite seasonal treat, so that was my inspiration. I also thought about the sort of silly, cutesy wrapping paper my mom and I like to buy. This year, it was narwhals on a pink background wearing Santa hats. 🎅 Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy my snowman design as much as I enjoyed creating it. I may even release this design with additional color options this next holiday season. ❤️ #surfacepatterndesign #designchallenge #snowman #snowmanchibi #hotchocolate #kawaii #holidayart #christmasdesigns #igartist #artistsofig #instaartist #hearts #babyblue #getfrosty #snowy #wrappingpaper https://www.instagram.com/p/Co860KCsqWH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I am still making coloring book pages! So. Many. Pages. I love it though! This series is an all caps alphabet so that you can make your own monograms for your home, office, classroom, etc! Each letter has its own pattern with no repeats. You can find this listing on Etsy (username: mixedmayhemdigital) along with my other books and projects. P.S. This download isn't just a pdf but includes PNG files for all my crafty digital artists out there. #surfacepattern #patterndesign #mixedmedia #digitalmixedmedia #igartist #instaartist #fortworthartist #dfwartist #artistsupportpost #alphabetart #monogram #ink #originalart #etsyartist #digitaldownloads #digitaldownloadart #artforsale https://www.instagram.com/p/Co507MnLGvp/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I've been revisiting some older paintings by rendering them into patterns to create new designs. This is one of my favorites that came about from this exploration. These are the leaves off my marker and ink drawing, "Red Dream Flowers." I never realized just how much detail I had put into them! #surfacepattern #patterndesign #mixedmedia #digitalmixedmedia #igartist #instaartist #fortworthartist #dfwartist #artistsupportpost #greenery #teal #spring #originalart #markers #ink https://www.instagram.com/p/Co2ZK9mOavG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Since realizing that several of my previous designs were not going to turn out correctly when printed (CYMK vs RGB issues... yikes). I reworked a lot of the designs, at least the ones that I could salvage, and this is one of them! I like it even more than the original. So cute and vibrant! Little kid me would most certainly have a poster of this in her room and probably a t-shirt. You can find this design and more like it in my Redbubble shop (username: mixedmayhem) #surfacepattern #patterndesign #hibiscus #digitalart #igartist #instaartist #fortworthartist #dfwartist #artistsupportpost #tropicalflowers #teal #spring #originalart #flowerart #digitalartist #artforsale https://www.instagram.com/p/Co0P1zWu2uE/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Happy Friday! I hope you have a restful weekend ahead of you. I'll be trying to work in my garden, writing blog posts, and making art! #artistlife #instaartist #igartist #happyfriday #friyay #weekendplans #digitalartist #digitalart #dfwartist #fortworthartist https://www.instagram.com/p/CoxdWB6tvvN/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

My current most favorite design! This has sat in my sketchbook for ages, and thanks to my new phone and a little Photoshop wizardry, it is now available on Redbubble on 90 different products. I am going to be getting some decor for my own house and probably a t-shirt or two on the days I feel rainbow-y. #watercolorart #mixedmedia #digitalmixedmedia #artistsofinstagram #igartist #instaartist #artforsale #redbubble #printondemand #tropicalflowers #floralart #ink #mandala #pattern #colorfulart #cheerful #flowerart #flowers https://www.instagram.com/p/CoxFTJvrhmD/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Just in case you hadn't already heard, not only are both my coloring books available on Amazon (search for author B.R.Kuhlman), but they're also both now available for digital download on Etsy at a discounted rate since it's for a digital file (shop name: mixedmayhemdigital). There's also a discounted bundle that includes access to both books, and other listings for some adorable color-your-own (CYO) Valentine's Day Cards. I have a lot of really fun coloring book-themed items planned out that I hope to have released within the next week or so. If you're feeling a little impatient and want even MORE coloring book goodness, my Patreon (username: mixedmayhem) has several freebie coloring book pages including a free mini Valentine's Day book -- you don't even have to become a Patron! But my Patrons do get a lot of fun things, including additional mini coloring books and pages that only they get to access. :) Anyhow. That's what I've been working on over the last several days. I am looking forward to a relatively chill weekend to work on lots of art and even do a little coloring of my own. #instaartist #igartist #dfwartist #artist #fortworthartist #adultcoloringbooks #selfpublished #colorist #lineartist #freecoloringbooks #patterndesigner #valentinesdaycards #coloryourown #CYO #artforsale https://www.instagram.com/p/Codzlz2NfD9/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Very excited to have just signed up for the 3×3 Design Challenge hosted by @sketchdesignrepeat and I can't wait to add new art to my portfolio — February 17 can't come soon enough! #sketchdesignrepeat #3x3designchallenge https://www.instagram.com/p/CoXyf-0O7dv/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I realized I never shared these mandala flowers! They're one of my favorite things to draw on my tablet, and I managed to get a very "traditional" paint stroke look to them. Which one is your favorite and what color scheme should I play with next? Prints are available on my website - link in bio! #digitalartwork #digitalpainting #mandalapaintings #mandalaart #fineartprints #dfwartist #fortworthartist https://www.instagram.com/p/CoVS8qoPitP/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=