Live, Love, Laugh

I thought I would never get this done.  The base was relatively easy to make.  The background is acrylic pain on watercolour paper.  The heart is made with poured acrylic as described by Debbie Arnold in THIS video.

I don't have gel medium (mine went hard and I wasn't able to recover it) so I used the same purple acrylic paint to adhere the heart.  The result was an unexpected shadow which I really like.  There's a bot of a shine from the iridescent copper/metallic copper paint I used.  This is the same pain I used on the back of the tags.

The pockets for the tags was made with standard vellum.  I initially stuck it down with double sided tape but didn't like how it looked.  The stitching was the best way to cover up the marks from the strips of glue.  I liked how it looked so much that I decided to stitch around the heart as well.

The tags were made with acrylic paint.  I cut them out added the paper on the back and covered that with the metallic copper acrylic paint.  I added the hole protectors on the back and front then used a pen with white artist ink to write the titles.  On the back of the tags, I put stickers that correspond to the three topics.

Here are the tags outside the page.  I haven't made up my mind about adding string to the end of the tags so for now they are going to remain plain.

Is this Love?

I wasn't sure what to do this week.  That's what happens when a good resolutions meets up with bad planning.  It is one of the reasons New Year's resolutions never make it very far.  Carried on the wave of excitement and anticipation I made a decision but didn't put a lot of thought into what that decision was going to mean in real terms.

It is a testament to my dedication that I not only made it through week three but that I have every intention of going froward from here.  But I cannot ignore the fact that I only made it this far with some help.

Stuck for an ideas I went trolling through my favourite source of ideas...the internet.  This weeks page is a reproduction of Limor Webber's mixed media Friday art journal page on YouTube.  You can visit the thread HERE.  This particular page was inspired by THIS VIDEO. 

I used different colours and since I didn't have the templates she did, I either made them for myself using cereal box card.  The repeated print pattern on the (handmade) envelope was made by pulling stamps from different stamp packs that fit the theme onto an acrylic block and stamping them as a single image.

Music to Inspire

Sometimes music can inspire but most of the time it helps me find the words to say what can't always come out of my mouth.  Knowing this I decided to put together a 'Creative Path Soundtrack'.  Music that helps me see clearly who I am and what I'm worth.  Music that makes me believe anything is possible.  Music to listen to when I can't remember why I'm doing this art journey to begin with. Music to feel by and dance to...music to live.

Sadly, I didn't do a step by step show of how I made the art journal page because I wasn't sure what I where I was going with it until it was done. But here is the final product:

I did the art journal page first using (very watery) acrylic paint then added salt to give it texture.  I spattered black paint with a mask over the main area.  Using a roller I added gold paint over the whole.  I used a credit card to add even more black paint around the main area so it could *pop*.

With a butterfly stencil I painted in the black butterfly at the top then used more of the diluted acrylic paint in the main area to make a brighter/darker butterfly.  I scanned that image into my computer.  Using it as a template I added the text and the veins on the butterflies.

I then used photo editing software (Microsoft Office Picture Manager and Windows Paint) to create the front and back of the music CD.  I added the song tracks and titles then printed them out.  I burned the music on a CD and the final product goes into the binder with everything else.

CD Front

CD Back

The Creative Path - Cover

This is the first page of my art journal for this year.  The step to create it were relatively simple.

I used a piece of cardboard-box card (can't remember where I got it from but it was 12x12in).  I covered the back in fabric to reinforce it and give it some interest.  Once that was dry, I trimmed the whole to be an A4 size (8.25x11.75in) with an additional 1in tab.  I'll be using A4 sized paper for most of the projects.

I covered the front with gesso primer and let that dry completely.  I drew my image with pencil and painted it in using acrylic paint.  I finished by adding the silver embellishment with "The Creative Path" embossed with a stylus, punching out the three holes on the side and putting in the three binding clips and adding the lettering.

The final product...and the start of my creative journey:

Touchstones

There is an exercise in Julie Cameron's book "The Artist's Way" that asks one to write their touchstones.  At first I wanted it to be those big things that change the course of the entire world.  Turns out there is nothing like that.  Small things, beautiful things, fun things; those are my touch stones.  Another page in my idea book (well just the other side of the same one with flowers really) and I'm all set for week 2 of AEDM.

Being spelling challenged can lead to unexpected creativity...BELIEVE IT!

Flowers

I have an idea book and it's where I scribble everything I come up with.  I recently added a few watercolour pages to it in an attempt to force my visual art creativity.  This was the first attempt.  I used acrylic in watercolour technique and although I'm still working on my washes, I think the final product was alright...for a quick study.

Creativity Is...

Last chance on stamp it coral!  I had one last use of my potato stamp but it was so poor, I had to go over it with fresh paint.  But it gave me the idea for the rest of the page.  I'm not sure why but it feels like I've used all these colours before and it's starting to bug me.  I'm not bad at colour mixing but unless I already know what colour I'm looking for, I just use whatever is in the tube.  The result...an oddly repetitive look that I am beginning to hate.

This has room for me to write something out and I think I'll use some white ink for that.  Overall not a bad page but still...those colours!

Stamp It!

One more usage of the stamp this time with a yellow background then aging the whole with black distressing ink.  Discovered that distressing ink doesn't stick too well to an acrylic base and getting this wet even in the least makes a mess of the effect so I might try it again with watercolour and see how it comes out.  Still decided to post it even though I probably won't do anything more with it.

All that is Gold

I love stamps but it's hard to get the in the middle of Nairobi.  In frustration I decided to revert to an old childhood idea of using potato stamps.  I love how this worked out and although I had forgotten to do that background before stamping away, I was able to add a layer of yellow paint mixed with glazing medium.  

Oddly enough this print reminds me of 60's curtain fabric.  I wondered if I could do it on a piece of cloth to see if I would get the same effect but the downside of potato stamps is how quickly they deteriorate.  It's a lesson in creativity with speed.

The vellum was a gift from a friend and I have a whole roll of it.  Didn't know what to do with it until I saw some scrapbook ideas that used it to cover pictures or write text.  I printed this on my home printer and cut it out then fastened it with eyelets.  I love the quote by Tolkien and got really lucky when I found the Free Font Aniron too.  I'd say this was a happy convergence but I prefer SERENDIPITY.

Marble Background...Maybe

I was attempting a tile in marble effect like I have seen in several home decorating books in the hope of doing the same on a larger scale.  Do not be deceived.  It is nowhere near as easy as they make it out to be.  Alright so maybe doing it on such a small scale isn't the best way to attempt it, but I thought it will look at least a little bit like their final picture...something CLOSE would have been alright.  Instead, I have this thing that looks more like a blue zebra than anything else.  Ugh!

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this now but perhaps I'll stick with the blue zebra and find something that goes with it.  And as for the painting job I wanted to do...I'll leave that to the professionals.

Lighthouse

Lighthouse 8.5 x 8.5 in acrylic

I love lighthouses.  Whether it is the reality that they show weary and lost travellers where they ought to go (or not go) or because they are often engineered to withstand the ravages of time and weather is always an inspiration to me.  I want to be a lighthouse...and very often I long for someone or something to be a lighthouse for me.  It would be so nice if I could rely on something to stop me from breaking against the rocks that will send my life crashing into a thousand little pieces of flotsam and jetsam. 

There have been a few lighthouses in my life and not always the ones I expected.  I've talked with complete strangers and found something wonderful in the most unlikely places.  I have talked to friends and felt like I had come home.  There are times when I read a book and it changed my life.  

In reality, we might not all be sea faring folk but the hazards that come with living a full and happy life can be dangerous sometimes.  It is always good to know that wherever we might walk there was someone there before and they have left a little warning to tell us what to avoid and where to go.  Perhaps in time, I will be the one others look to for that flash of insight or that steady glow but until then, I might just have to keep collecting the lighthouses I like.

Reston Lloyd Rectangular Stove Burner Covers, Set of 2, Lighthouse

Beauty's Mark

 

Beauty's Mark 8.5 x 8.5 in acrylic and pen

A background + impromptu poem = art page

This is what I got when I wasn't looking.  I had the page for a while and didn't know what to do with it.  I would have let it fall into disuse always labeling it as an unused background then I figured I could do something with it...it didn't matter what.  Then I started talking about something and kept going until the page was full and this is what I got.

Someone I showed it to said the swirls made him feel dizzy.  I can't be sure but there is an element of it.  But then again, I just wanted to do something different.  This definitely qualifies.

Faith and Love

faith and love 8.5 x 8.5 in acrylic (with a few embellishments)

There is something interesting about planning.  I always have expectations of how things are going to work.  I sit down and think of it and I start putting it together...then it goes however it wishes.  The strange thing is the same thing doesn't happen when I refuse to plan.  When there is no plan, it goes exactly how I want it to go and yet ends up absolutely nowhere.  Can you understand my frustration?

Luckily, this one - even with out working as I had expected - turned out alright.  Plus, I truly believe what Dwight Moody said.  After all, without the faith that anyone was reading this blog, I would have nothing at all to say.  And without the love I have for what I do, I would not get out of bed. 

Heart & Sun

heart 3.5 x 3.5in acrylic on paper

sun 3.5 x 3.5 in acrylic on paper

Could one throw together a picture for the sake of it?  Never thought I would but here is an example.  I had a page set up for Zentangles then got bored after four.  With two squares left, I found it easier to use the excess paint from other attempts and do these two lovely little tit-bits.  I should have tried a little harder but they weren't supposed to be ART.  I figure if I ever want to do something like that again, I'll have to put a little more effort, if not a little more thought.

Hearts version 2.0

I discovered Zentangles by accident. I was looking through the blogs I follow when I found this post by Karen Blados. I had never heard about them before but I loved the idea so I followed the links and found - to my surprise - that there wasn't anything to it. Since then I've been doing it any chance I get. (June's last entry into Illustration Friday was just one of many examples.)

I also wanted to get the idea for the hearts right. So I used a stencil this time and found the ability to change angles and have neater lines a lot more pleasing. Adding the Zentangles was my way of giving the background some depth. I can't really be sure if that worked but I like this so that's probably all that counts.

Love

I've had love on my mind for some time. It's probably because I don't really have love in y heart...or rather because I haven't really felt it. There seems to be a break between what I think and feel about love and what everyone I know thinks about it. Then I remembered I had this poem in one of my books and for some reason it reminded me of everything I have ever hoped love to be...and sadly never truly known.

Granted, the desire to blame others for not getting it right is all to clear to me. There are times when it is probably fair to say I do not know how to let love in rather than complain that others do not know how to love me. That's why I am trying to stop thinking about it so much and let it come from where love should - the heart. Perhaps if I can stop my logical mind from derailing me with its ideas of reciprocity and equality, I may finally get to the point where I can engender humility, charity and yes, a little love.

Cup of Soup...Art

I bought a copy of "1000 Artist Journal Pages" and have come to enjoy flipping through it. I like all the levels of art it shows. Yet I never knew what to do with it beyond that. So when I found myself with a little left-over paint, I thought I might try an imitation.

This particular page was inspired by Kathy Welsh as featured in "1000 Artist Journal Pages" by Dawn DeVries Sokol. Number 0038 in the entire collection, I was attracted to the bold happy colours. I wasn't really interested in getting the final product perfect and adding and taking away elements was my way of stamping it with my brand of ART. I guess that's the true joy of a well written book or the inspiration that comes from being with other artists even from so far away - it calls me to be more than I am and sometimes more than I think I can be.

Bark from Excess

Ever wondered what to do with those dollops of excess acrylic paint? Well, I figured it out. When concentrated they are great for impasto work like this. Just paint over the page then scrape off whatever design you think of. If there isn't that much, you can mix it with water and make an excellent wash. And there are a few variations between the two that allow the use of different colours, textures and even brush strokes. I guess I will never have any wasted paint again.

Love and Wonder a.k.a. Rainbow II

There is something great about flying off the sit of my pants. A blank page staring at you has none of the inherent artistic fear if you have no clue what you are going to do and the moment lends itself to 'whatever will be will be'. Many times I have been pleasantly surprised by the outcome of no plan. It might therefore come as a bit of a surprise when I now say, there is a lot of value in some planning.

The first time I attempted this image, I didn't know what I was doing with the exception of a vague idea of the outcome. With my first failure behind me and a clearer idea of what I wanted, I pulled out Betty Edwards' book "Color" and read up on my colour theory. The joy of understanding my error was surpassed by the result of putting that knowledge into effect.

This is the outcome of planning and information and I realize now that neither of them can distract from the creative desire. If anything, they add a wonderful new dimension to a world that is more and more amazing with each observation I make. Learning by doing is a great teacher...but then again so is learning by learning.

Love and Light

This is very similar to the previous post but I didn't realize I was replicating until it was done. I wanted a rainbow gradient but there was a point to the greenery and the flowing red river. When I remember what that is...I'll let you know.

There is something wonderful about the rainbow. While it might have only seven distinct colours, the in-betweens are full to the brim of some of the most amazing shades of colour. I do not know if I will ever be able to fully reproduce it, but the attempt is worth it in every way.