How Do You Fill your Art Dresser?

Since I posted all this as an informative in a group chat on FB, I figured why not make a show at tell post here.  This is my dresser. They top two levels are smaller drawers but deep and the bottom two are actually one drawer.

The top drawers from left to right... I don't super organize. The are drawers I can grab what I need and shut them. No need to over organize. Left is all paint supplies, watercolors, tube watercolors, palettes, etc. Middle is my most used favorite supplies, neo colors, prismacolors, gelli plate, stuff like that. and the far right is my memory card, computer stuff spot

The second level is adhesives, tapes, glues, hot glue gun tape type stuff. The middle is art I rotate for decor from swaps and my own making, and the far is the "office" drawer: rubber bands, staples, pencils, school supplies.

 The bottom drawers are extra deep like a file cabinet. The left is ephemera organized in file folders, patterns, vintage clip art, book pages, rub ons,. The middle is my file drawer of page protectors, binders, altered composition notebooks, art projects. The last drawer is all my card stock. It all works since everything has its "spot". Hope this gives you insight. Side note I picked up this dresser from craigslist for $25! Already painted.

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.