Art is stopping the boredom.

When my arm was out of action for so long I couldn't do much. Watching art videos online did make me want to start doing something again so I was really happy when I got to use my right hand again. The following pages were done during that period.

 This lesson about the inner child was created by Sam Kira. It is watercolours, acrylics and pencils. I tried to do the eyes differently than normal but I don't like them as much. I will stick with my own style I think.

The next lesson was done with Tracy Verdugo.  It was meant to be an abstract style painting but I couldn't resist turning it into leaves. Acrylics and markers were used here. The shiny paint is the Luminarte silks paints. They are very cool. 

This whimsy lesson was done with Willowing. I used a scrap of material for the dress. The rest is watercolour and pencil. This is probably the first whimsy drawing that I have done that I really like.

The monochromatic lesson was created by Rhomany. I didn't want to use black because I had done that earlier in the year so I did it all with one blue inktense pencil except for the white highlights in the eyes. The image I used to copy for the pose was a magazine ad. 

Jane Davenport taught this lesson. It was mermaids but because I have done live lessons with Jane where we did a mermaid I chose to do a girl instead. It was one of the most inspired pieces I have done so far for Life Book. Some lessons get the ideas flowing more easily. Acrylics and pencils. 

The Christmas doll was a lesson taught by Adriana Almanza.  It was meant to be a Halloween witch but it was well into December when I did it so I made it a Christmas doll instead. This is another page started with acrylics and finished with pencils. I used a stencil for the border.  

The last page here was a watercolour lesson with Wyanne. We used masking fluid to cover areas we wanted to save while we worked on the background. After removing the masking fluid I used a limited amount of pencil to add some details. I had to put the quote on because I tore the page when I wasn't careful removing the masking fluid. I had a lot of fun doing this lesson. It reminded me how cool watercolours can be.

I may not make it back here before Christmas so I wish you all a very happy Christmas and hope you get to spend quality time with all those you love.

I am back :-)

 Hello friends.  Sorry it has been so long since my last post. I had the arm/wrist surgery and recovery was a lot slower than I thought it would be. I didn't realize I would be so restricted in what I could do after I got the cast off. I had very little movement in my wrist and no strength at all, so sitting at the computer typing for any length of time was not something I could do. I did manage to do some art while I was relaxing, even a little bit when I was temporarily left handed.These pages are from the Life Book course.

This first page was taught by Connie Hozvicka who does fearless painting. It was a fun page to do and because I was doing it with one hand I had to tape the page down to keep it still while I worked on it. I applied molding paste to the page for texture then painted it with acrylics. I dipped my hand in paint then stamped that onto the page, filling in missed areas with a paint brush. I used a stencil and sprays to make the pattern. The background is lumiere metallic paints and a few simple daisies. I was very surprised how much I could do with one hand and it helped me see I should keep going.

This next Life Book page was a lesson with Guadalupe Cabal. It was drawing a mandala using rulers and compasses. Again it was a lesson I could do left handed, using weights to hold the ruler in place. I would probably do more shading if I did one with my right hand but I am happy with the way this one turned out.

The next lesson was with Tam who runs Life Book. I collaged paper and material onto the page then embellished it with some machine and hand stitching. The bird is a print of a watercolour I did a couple of years ago. I printed it onto the calico back of a piece of canvas. The flowers didn't stand out at first so I filled them in with pan pastels. It was a fun experimental page and the last one I had to do left handed because it was the week my plaster cast was changed to a plastic one that allowed me to start using my right hand.

How to choose a new colour palette.

Kylie Fowler (blissful pumpkin) taught the latest Life Book lesson which was a whimisical angel. I really liked her style so this one is very similar to her example. I mostly used watercolour crayons with a little pen and marker. The green hearts are cut out of material.

 I chose the colour palette for the angel painting using this colour palette from Design Seeds (link on the right). It is a great way to use colour combinations that I don't naturally choose. I start by going through the palettes on the website while I am thinking about my painting. I wanted to use orange this time so this palette appealed to me the most. I then find 5 paint colours that are similar to the original photo but I don't worry too much if they are a little different. I make sure they all work with one and other then start painting. Why don't you give it a go? Choose a palette that appeals to you and make a journal page. Put a link to your creation in the comments so we can see how you interpreted the palette.

The next Life Book lesson was with Tam. It is a free hand drawn Mandala. I did use a template to draw the circles but the rest is hand drawn. All watercolours and pen.

Next week I am having surgery on my right wrist so I probably won't be blogging for a while unless I can work the mouse with my left hand. The worst part is that I won't be able to draw for a while and I am going to be so bored. See you after I get the cast off on October 4, fingers crossed.

More 21 Secrets art works

Well my plan to share more work at once didn't work out. I forgot about all the events we had in the family over the last week or so that would keep me away from the blog.

This first picture is a fearless painting I did in the 21 Secrets class with Connie Hozvicka. It was a lot of fun and a great way to get some art done when you have no idea what to paint. I used acrylics and oil pastels. I haven't used oil pastels since I was at school and had forgotten how much fun they are to blend with. I totally loved them. 

This next painting was part of the same lesson and is a whole lot of fantasy. It is not my usual style at all but it was what appeared and it has grown on me. It is almost exclusively watercolour but there is a little bit of pencil too. When I look at these two paintings together they don't even look like the same artist did them, lol.

 These next two pages were done in a lesson with Christy Tomlinson. When I do the lessons I like to try the teacher's style to see how I like it. I quite liked the faceless style of the girls that Christy paints. It takes the pressure off and seemed to allow me to be more free with the rest of the page. 
 

I made these flowers from a mould ages ago and finally got to use them in this lesson. Very messy and great fun. I am learning to make a mess sometimes and enjoying it.

 The next two pages are from a lesson with Diana Trout. The first one was a doodle page. I like this sort of drawing, very free and relaxed. I simply draw an object with a black pen (most of them are pretty simple shapes), then go over it a second time. It looks sketchy that way and if I didn't draw a straight line the first time it doesn't matter because it looks like I meant to do it like that.

The second page involved collage on the first layer and some fish that just appeared. The words actually came out of a car magazine but they seemed to fit on the page. I enjoy doing these pages that don't really make any sense at all. It is something that I have done a lot of with the 21 Secrets course and I like looking at these pages when I want some inspiration.

21 Secrets of art journaling.

 I hadn't realised that I have been a little slack posting to my blog. I have been doing a lot of art in the 21 Secrets class but neglected to share it. Over the next few days I will try to get it uploaded.

The first class I will share was a lesson with Kelly Barton. It was a simple little journal done with any acrylics that inspired. I chose to do a little poem about a very hot summer. Keeping the drawings simple made the pages quick to do and fun to play with.

It was a great lesson and I will do it again when I feel like playing with colour. I like to have some less cluttered  pages in my journals.

The next lesson was with Martha Lever. We used credit cards to make flowers. It was not
 a technique that I will probably use again. I like painting flowers realistically and the abstract nature of these ones does not really appeal to me. At least I tried it out.

 

That is it for now but expect more from me soon.

Is that an angel I see?

I have a lot of pages from 21 Secrets online class that I have not shared with you yet. I will try to get them on the blog over the next week or so.

The first two pages are from the class with Dina Wakley. They are mostly acrylic with Conte pencil outlines and some glitter sprays. Both pages started off with the same colours but then I finished them quite differently. I love experimenting with techniques on my art journal pages.

 

The next class was with Dion Dior who has a very inspiring blog.  We did Mandalas and I used Luminarte twinkling H2Os to colour the green one. 

 I used my new Silks acrylics on the second page. I then used dimensional paint for the outline. It is a nice effect.

Stretching myself with colour

I have decided to use colour palettes that I wouldn't normally choose for the rest of my Life Book lessons this year. It is a good way to experiment and have some fun.

This lesson was done with Adriana Almanza. It is meant to be a doll fairy, not really my style at all but I had a go with it. Initially I drew the face low on the page like the original lesson but decided it looked unbalanced to me so I ripped off the top of the page and put it back on at the bottom. I had to add an extra piece of paper because now it was too short. You can't tell in the photo but the wings are shiny too.

The next page was a lesson done with Samantha Kira. It is a collage style background that is more random and messy than my usual style but I like it. I chose a different colour palette this time. I picked 3 colours from my paint stash and went with those.

The last lesson was with Willowing. I used a transfer paper to apply the photo to the page but didn't put enough alcohol on it so it is a little patchy. The butterflies and flowers are serviettes. I used some dimensional paints for the metallic outline. This is another unusual palette, I got this one from Design Seeds (link is on the right).

Something a little different.

I woke up early this morning and when I looked outside I could see frost on the lawn. It is winter here and I like trying to get photos of the early morning light. I grabbed my camera and jumped in the car. I went to a lake that is not far from me and was not disappointed with the scene I found there. The lake was covered with a heavy layer of fog that I knew would be very atmospheric in photos.

I took this first photo as I was walking towards the lake. I could see rainbows in the mist and tried to capture it with the camera. It is not a colourful as it was in person but it is pretty close. The next image was taken a little later on.

My hands are pink!!

Actually they are more magenta than pink but I think it will wear off soon. I was playing around with the paint on my latest 21 Secrets page and it seems to have stained my hands. I even used the industrial hand cleaner we have with little effect. I guess I really look like an artist today, ha ha.
I did a quick page this time. It is not meant to be a beautiful page, just a page of play. I was inspired by the colours of the image I chose to work with. In fact I like the lime and magenta so much I will use it again.

The next workshop I did was a little book that holds 7 postcards. It was a great little project that could easily be adapted to hold photos or more cards. I will be doing this one again sometime.

The postcards were stamped images that I painted with twinkling H2O watercolours. 

If you want to learn how to do this project 21 Secrets is on sale at the moment. It is $45(U.S.) for 21 lessons and is open until 1st January. Even if you don't want to do all the lessons it is very good value and a lot of fun. I have learned a lot from the various techniques in the classes that I will continue to use on my art journey.

Getting messy...

I have been getting a lot of art done lately because it is winter here and far too cold to go outside and do anything else. This is the latest little workshop I did at 21 Secrets. It was called Child's Play 2 by Alma Stoller.

I made some canvases using cardboard and paper. I have never been a fan of oval shaped canvases because I can't seem to balance the drawing properly. I did do one because it was part of the workshop but I don't think I will bother making any more of them. The other canvas was easier for me.

 Both are done with acrylics and marker. 

The next part of the workshop was an art journal page. I am making a landscape journal to see if it is easier to design pages for. I started with a collage of paper and a light coat of gesso and blue paint. 

Next I used spray ink with a stencil to make the background. I sprayed over it with water so it blended together in some areas. 

After stamping the page with some copper paint I stenciled the birds and swirls with more acrylics. They didn't stand out enough so I traced around the birds with pen. 

The birds still didn't stand out enough so I dry brushed a little blue paint over the background. Happy with that look I used a marker to write on the page. The final page has a little bit of the copper paint around the edges.

The second page I did for this class was done over a gessoed collage background. I made the tag and painted the face on it. I like the way this one turned out. The cut outs on the background were done from magazine pages. 

Busy with Life Book

I have finally had some time to myself this last couple of weeks and I have been doing a lot of online class work. Today I will share the latest few pages I have done for Life Book. 

This page is almost entirely acrylics, only black, white and cream. The little bit of colour is watercolour pencil applied when the page was dry. It is my favourite page so far. Hmm...I might have said that before, lol. Seriously though I am amazed that I was the one that painted this picture. I have learned so much this year.

This next page is a pocket page. It was bright orange with a little blue around the edges but it wasn't making me happy, so I sprayed the whole thing with blue glimmer spray and now I love it. Sometimes it is okay to keep messing with your work until you like it. The butterflies were cut out and stuck on with foam tape so they are raised.

The last page is not really a page but a series of ATC sized cards. They are meant to be little pieces of inspiration to look at in my studio. They are embossed cards with several layers of paint that has been sanded to expose the underlying colour. The images are magazine cut outs.

I have realised that I have not been sharing any of my techniques of late and that was the main reason for starting this blog. I am going to start taking more photos as I work so I can share techniques that are not specific to any class or teacher. If the technique I use was not learned in a class then I will try to remember to share it. I have learned so much from other generous artists that I want to do the same.