Star Girl

 I have been practicing some faces lately with the format that consists of draw an oval, line down the center, line across the center and divid the bottom half for all of the main features. Each one starts out with a grid face and gets turned into a unique individual. I always feel like I'm drawing the same way but each picture turns out very different. The left is a girl face with short hair and I know I'm going to give her black hair. That was all I had "planned".

 I decided I wanted a galaxy in her eyes, but I didn't think it would be as obvious enough by itself. I used masking fluid, which is essentially rubber cement like when you were a kid, that when it dries you can rub it off the paper. I haven't tried rubber cement so I can't suggest it as a reliable alternative. I covered all the places around the eye so I could give her a galaxy mask.

I made a galaxy mask as well as painted the background similarly to tie it together. I used Water color paints as well as neo color II water soluble crayons to hi light certain areas with darker or brighter colors. After adding the galaxy, and while I still had the mask on, I used a watered down gesso to add the "stars" with a splatter technique.   I let all of this dry completely and well. I have never tried to dry paint on top of the mask because I use my heat  gun as I am usually a go- go- go- creative type of artist. I was afraid to burn/melt the mask onto the page..So again, DON'T try that at home.
When it was completely dry, I have to admit this was super fun! I rubbed off the mask like a big gooey rubbery booger. A throwback to childhood for sure!
I used my Prismacolor Premier colored pencils to color in the hair and rest of the face. I used dark blue underneath the hair to give it dimension as I find just black ends up having little texture and a funny flat appearance.

Here is my finished Star Girl. All shading was completed with the Prismacolor Premier pencils. They are a dream to color with because they blend, color over each other and are so creamy smooth. This journal is a Canson Mixed Media (Light blue cover) Journal. One of my favorites because I can leave all the work inside and attached or detach and frame for the wall.  White water based Sharpie is my go to paint pen for eye hi lights and doesn't dry up after one use.

1970's Inspired ATC's

My online art swap group has hosted a monthly ATC decade swap over the year 2016. I jumped in at 1970 and these are my creations. My favorite part of these ATC's is that I created them both in 2 10 minute period to alleviate missed deadlines. Ok, so that wasn't my MOST favorite part, which was actually the use of some very vintage feel fabric I had from my mom's over flowing fabric closet before she moved out of state. Check out the cards below. One is inspired by fashion, and the other..I couldn't resist Twiggy. While I was only barely born in the mid 1970's, I've heard of and can recognize the icon that is Twiggy.

A Little Self Doubt Turns into A FABULOUS Project!

In my previous post I was ruminating about an elementary art project and how I would tie the art lesson into the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Well, I did. I taught this lesson to two different 5th grade advanced students throughout the period of one full day.

The Right to Freedom. Freedom to create art, freedom to express ourselves, freedom to choose colors and techniques in "Making our Mark"

Each student was allowed to make their own color palette and many chose upwards of 5-6 colors each. No-one shared palettes or colors or had to share "mixed-up" colors. It was FABULOUS. They cut out the silhouette profile picture I had take the previous Friday and used it as a mask over their colorful marks. This mask was painted over with thinned white gesso and the results were outstanding. The final touch was writing their personal mission statement, or finishing the sentence "I'm making my mark in the world through..".  Two students, one of them being my son, chose to exercise their rights and write nothing at all, letting the art speak for itself. Check out all of these amazing pieces below.

Art Docent High Personal Expectations and Blocks

Alright. This never happens and I can usually pull something out of nowhere pretty easy, but I'm choking on an art docent lesson. It's the first time for my son's teacher this year and we have roughly 45 minutes. 2 classes, but 45 min each. ANYHOW..she wants to tie to curriculum but then kind of dropped that idea when I asked about it later on. So it's this Friday. I wanted to do altered pizza boxes because we have a company that will give the shirt off their back to our school and would have donated, but they just donated 35 pizzas for the halloween party and donated huge to our fund run..45 empty pizza boxes is a no go. ...I am posting pictures of what I came up with that ties into "our voice" and rights, and individualism..."Making your mark". which ties into the art concept of mark making. 1) paint a paper with whatever colors and mark making tool you want (individualizes it) 2) cut out your picture and place in the middle 3) gesso the edges then the rest of the paper with one light layer to keep some color. 4) shade around the silhouette, and write "making my mark in the world through ________" (obviously I chose art) 5) entangle doodles in black ink around it. 

The pictures are a couple of versions. I would matte them on black paper. 5th grade advanced studies class...what do you/your same aged children think? Thanks for helping out..I'm freaking out..thats not normal. Funny side note I laid out my example pictures and they look cool as a multiplicity project 

Music Inspires Me

I'm pretty sure I was born with the heart of an artist. I started taking piano lessons in 2nd grade. This of course turned into daily practice, weekly lessons, hours upon hours of scales and exercises and repeated one hands at a time until I made it through the entire beginner series, recital and theory books.  Second grade seems like so long ago. Because it was. Not only did I play in 2nd grade, but all the way through 3 teachers, and into college where I studied to become a music teacher, band in particular. At a not so focused time in my life along with focusing primarily on playing the flute, the piano was a background notion to the pricey lessons and favoritism shown by certain flute professor. 

In the long run in worked out because I am not a music teacher, nor a band director, I sold the flute but happily have my childhood piano in my home. I took out a box of music that has been packed up for at least 8 years and was able to sight read and play it so well, that my fingers would keep moving and my eyes would lose their place on the page. What does it mean today? It means I can play by ear as well. I can pick up a background song in a show I like and figure it out. I can bust out a 21-Pilots song from the Suicide Squad movie and at the same time pound the keys into submission with some Bach, or Rachmaninoff, or anything similar to it. It's fantastic. 

So I did this the other night for a few hours non stop. It was amazing, and freeing, and exhilarating at the same time.  What ensued was this journal page of wildly inspired bright colors and lots of white. Brushes in both hands and a freedom and happiness that has been lost for some time. Truly an original artwork by me, unprompted, except of course by the sound of music. 

Is it Too Early For Halloween????

I LOVE fall/autumn. It is my favorite season and time of year, probably because it was in October, the month that I was born is a little known holiday called HALLOWEEN! I like to draw unusual and dark things as well as the bright and sunny. I am however taking a little break from drawing the "mixed media girl faces" that are common in lots of works.  I was inspired to create this very cheery background and didn't know what I wanted to use it for. The rub on numbers are transfers from Tim Holtz, and I have no idea what I'm going to use them for now that they are permanently affixed to my page.

As a juxtaposition of colors and ideas, I sourced a vintage witch halloween mask for my "girl" on this layout. I was intending to draw a mask with a persons eyes showing through as if they were actually wearing it. Nope. The colors did not work for me in that way, and I kinda just forgot.

I'm going to affectionately call this one "What's up Witches!"

Prior to this drawing I was inspired by a friend's photograph to sketch a character from our Experience Music Project (EMP) Museum in Seattle. I have never been and now I don't know really why not.  Anyhow my sketch is this shell of a guy, (aka Jess' boyfriend), also made it into my journal. I need things that are different and challenging, and interesting to my brain to keep my art up to par.

For the Love of Art and my Sanity!!!

For the love of art...I am contemplating Reflections..which is a PTA program ...again. ONLY because it is an outlet to do art with kids. It is a lot of work, and I would prob handle it differently. I am not the PTA president along side it as I was doing all of the other events as well. I just think art is so important and no-one is stepping up for it. BUT>>> I do not want to turn into the stressed anger raging B*$ch that it turned me into last year taking away time from my kiddo and family. SO...do I just help at random when I feel like it (because it might not be a program at all)..or do I bite the bullet an do it because I love art so dang much?? I am going to be an art docent already at the school of a previous teacher so I have an art outlet there..I am a lousy bystander and outsider watcher...Am I a "Yes" girl or a no, I need to focus on my sons year and academics and just take the easy road and learn to say no and walk away.??? (I think my husband would disown me if I said yes again..but it's not really his decision)...torn..(like a piece of distressed art paper) lol!

The Little Prince - Inspired Art

Mixed Media Butterfly Tutorial

I just made a video tutorial for my Mixed Media Butterflies! You can check it out here:

Utilizing my Patience with Art - Mad Hatter : Alice In Wonderland interpretive series

When it comes down to it, I got sucked into the mixed media monster and have enjoyed my time there. Not to say that I am leaving forever, but that I have just decided to step away from the online scene a bit and get back to my drawing roots. 

Journals upon endless spiraled drawing journals fill a shelf in my closet and I have really missed that part of my creating. Mixed media and collage have been fun and quick and easy for me, but I've found a new/old meditative and rewarding practice in creating something from my own interests. Starting with an idea, putting it onto paper with no guidance but my inner picture and skills I've acquired.  I've decided to put together my own series of Alice in Wonderland characters. One's that are original to my drawing style and reflect my abilities. No reference pics, no drawing from a picture, just what I see to create. 

First on the drawing pad is the Mad Hatter. I will preface this by saying the following disclaimer. **Yes, the Mad Hatter exists in many forms. Yes my drawing doesn't look like Johnny Depp, or any likeness to him, nor should it. That is NOT the point of this creation.** This is my interpretation using my inner ideas to create an original piece of work. I did reference a photograph purely to match colors**. 

Laying out on the lawn on a sunny weekend day. I drew the pencil sketch of this idea on my large Canson Mixed Media pad. So the size is roughly, NO, accurately 14x17". Pencil, Acrylic Paint, Black fine line permanent marker. The process of this project is simply the pictures. They speak for themselves. I rather enjoy tapping into my ability to have patience and must say this picture is a pride piece that I will hang on my wall at home. 

Drawn with white face and shading

I do have to say this shot just screams Clockwork Orange.

Velvety Hat

No Flash Natural Lighting

Flash 

Journal Work - What's Coming Up on my Pages

Just a pictorial walk through of the journal pages I've been working on lately. Actually all within a short period of time just working to get color on a page, some emotive textures and scrapings, and giving each one a voice with words or texture.  This is all in the progress of starting a new Dylusions Journal which I love and own too many of. Maybe 5??? They are all filled but this one wishin a year or 2.

I am on a new color combination kick of Daler Rowney Blue which has a bright hue to it, but when thinned a beautiful transparent water look, a liquitiex acrylic teal, and a bright pink of the first brand and style as above. Add some white and black gesso and "Say hello to my little art."

This 2nd page is in same journal.  Underneath lies a very inorganic red-yellow-blue-sharpie exercise I did for an on line tutorial. Not my jam. So it became this creation below. 

What I love:

1. Blended colors

2. Depth of colors and paints

3. White gesso scraped to look like the gears stencil underneath

4. Anchor sticker because it is showing up in a lot of my art

5. The blue pink black white combo as above

Photography is another piece of my creative outlet arsenal. I used to get doubles of every picture I would take just to have a copy to cut up for scrapbooking. I haven't done that in a long time. This photo is one of my all time favorites because I am drawn to color and interesting lines. This is simply a picture of used  brushes before I was going to throw them away. I had to take a snap. Fast forward to today, this photo still floats around my art room but I've permanently affixed it in my journal and replicated it with net-color II's. These colors make me happy and I adore this page. I've also added words to remind me how I felt about the picture and why it is significant to me.

Up next, this abstract crazy creation of bright colors that would replicate the crazy feeling that has been swirling around in my head. Not my usual, but the blue and greens mixing together brought out the ocean influence in the next pages. 

My favorite technique here was wiping away paint from the middle of the yellow smears to expose the contrasting color underneath.

 Blue green inspired this page. I may add more, I may not. I just love the colors blended. Go Seahawks! Still more of just an ocean inspired color scheme. Mermaids have been popping up in my ideas lately.

Finally, the swirling mind is connected to this magazine image. I would think I would alter her face, but I just connect with it so strongly. The waves in her mind continued on the page. I then finally started writing where I am in life and where I want to be. I've been very introspective in realizing I'm done "waiting" for the right time to do things in my life. I've spoken up about things I've held onto for 10+ years. If I make the effort I know at least I will never regret not saying what I needed to say. That is the value of this page and incorporating more of the writing part of journaling back into my art. I am a writer at heart. I thrive on it.

 Until I have another power creation weekend,  thanks for checking out my artwork and I hope it inspires you.  Side note: glasses have been a recurring theme as well. You'll see it in a upcoming post with a magazine transfer success!

Clay Octopus

Just as it sounds. Clay Octopus. I have a thing for water and sea creatures. Especially the octopus. I have had the pleasure of scuba diving with some of these amazing creatures as they live in the waters near me. (Not recently, but one trip I saw an octopus as well as a large Santa lawn ornament. Underwater. 

I used some white sculpey to create the basic shapes of the legs. The little tentacle suction cups are easy very small rolled dots of clay that were intended with a round end stylus and pushed on. Of course, he has a fun bumpy texture and he's not really that big. Love him just the same. Expanding my creative playing field one medium at a time.