Monday's Mandala

This mandala was created with a Sharpie Fine Point and Prismacolor pencils.  It's number 4 in a series of 24.  Only 20 more weeks until April...

Playing with Water Soluble Pastels

Here are pages from my journal that I did last week.  I hadn't played with my water soluble pastels for awhile so I took them out one evening.  I didn't want to turn on any lights, so I decided to sketch by the light of the television as Keith and I tortured ourselves with the Food Network.

I used an ochre yellow pastel and began sketching.  I began with a fluid line and before I knew it, I was sketching faces.  The next day, I softly blended the features and I liked the ghostly appearance that resulted.  I darkened some of the features and added hair with a black pastel and did more blending.  I added blue to the shadow areas and more faces with the same blue, softening each layer.  

I continued playing with my pastels and another face emerged.  I recently discovered that I can print right to left writing each letter backwards as easily as printing normally.  Who knew!  I had no idea I could do this and it was a fluke discovery.  I incorporated printing in this style on this journal spread and I think it adds to the overall feeling of mystique created by the chiaroscuro.

Speaking of faces, my colored pencil drawing is coming along nicely.  I'm really enjoying my very laid back class.  My classmates are awesome and we're rapidly becoming friends.  I've learned a lot about colored pencil - mostly that it's nothing to be hurried!

I'm not finished with her face, but the self proclaimed "queen of color" had to get away from the skin tones for awhile and add some color!  The leaves are a pain (it crossed my mind to put a head wrap on her!), but I decided to stay true to the original image.  I only work on her during class.  The lighting there is fabulous!

I've also been using colored pencil more in my journal.  This detailed spread is collage (The sun/moon mirror, the tree and the head, torn from an old Design Tuscano catalog), Pilot VBall pen, and Prismacolor pencils.  I worked on it mostly in the evenings.  It was inspired by my prompt for March 10th: "I don't want to", and the song by Gavin Degraw, "I don't want to be".  The writing is lyrics from that song.

I hope you're having fun in your journal.  I hope you're experimenting and breaking through "blocks" that you may have.  Most of all, I hope you're finding time each day to "Celebrate, LOVE, and Create!"

Tuesday Tips and Techniques: Rubbings

I was enjoying the great outdoors yesterday morning when I suddenly remembered doing pencil rubbings as a child.  I remembered thinking that it seemed magical at the time.  Do you remember your first rubbing of a penny?  I remember doing it over and over again, each time amazed at the detail I could see.

Thus began the great hunt around my house for things that I thought might make a good rubbing.  I searched through my jewelery drawer and found earrings and a pin.  I found a tin planter in the dining room, and I found medallions on the medicine cabinet and sink in the bathroom.  I gathered a couple African artifacts with interestingly carved designs.

I used copy paper for my rubbings, and I used various colors of Prismacolor colored pencils, holding the pencil sideways.  Using a medium pressure, a rubbed my items in the same direction (mostly) and got some pretty good prints. 

By far, my favorite object to rub  was the tin planter.  The pattern transferred easily using black and sienna colored pencil.

This is a lion medallion on the bathroom sink.  It was a little awkward to get to but I wasn't too concerned about getting minute details.

The partial rubbing on the left was done with a harder pressure than the rubbing on the right.  I used the same colored pencil (black), but you can see the difference in color just by adjusting the pressure.  After I had completed a few sheets, I opened my journal to see where I could use them.

I had been watching a movie (Honeydripper), and one of the characters said, "small minds are never in shortage".  Being fond of quotes, I had to write that down!  Later in the evening, Keith and I watched "Angels and Demons".  I was happy to have my journal open as I was rather bored by the movie.  I began sketching a Rome styled building with the quote, "Let angels guide thee on thy lofty quest."  Is art a lofty quest?  I'm beginning to think so!

The images begged to have some rubbings incorporated into them, so I tore a medallion from one of the tin rubbings, the lion medallion and a Fleur De Lis (from fake stained glass on a door in my living room), and Mod Podged them to the pages.  I applied three glazes to the page: warm yellow, orange, and red.  Then I took a dark umber glaze and applied it over everything, wiping off most of it.  I darkened the edges and splattered some of the same glaze over both pages.

Here's a close-up of the lion medallion on the left side of the spread, and the medallion from the tin rubbing formed the angel's hair.  The Fleur De Lis is almost totally hidden on the right side beneath the angel's hair.

I added detail to the angel's wing and medallion with yellow colored pencil.  I may add more detail to this spread, especially on the left side. 

Moving on, I wanted to use my rubbings in a way that highlighted them, so as I was looking at the rubbings of the tin, I thought they would make a great birdhouse.  I cut one whole tin rubbing and the corner rubbing I had made from the tin.  I cut the medallion out of the center on the whole tin for an opening to my birdhouse.  I had applied a dark glaze (left over from the previous day's journaling) to the bottom of the pages. I made a yellow glaze and applied that to both pages, then I applied 2 different green and 1 blue glaze over that after the yellow glaze had dried.  I dabbed and blended the green and blue glazes so some of the yellow would show through.

I painted in black craft acrylic tree limbs and branches, and I cut a leaf stencil from a heavyweight cardstock advertisement from the mail.  I applied the "birdhouse" with Mod Podge.

I painted in the birds with black craft acrylic and the opening of the birdhouse and little bird also.  I colored details of the birdhouse and birds with colored pencils.  At the bottom of the birdhouse I wrote, "The promise of spring is heard in the songs of birds."

That's your Tuesday Tips and Techniques for today.  I hope you'll go on a search around your house and give rubbings a try.  Whatever your preference for art journaling, remember: "Celebrate, LOVE, and Create!"

She's A Maniac!

First of all, welcome to February!  A month for love and lovers, and a month closer to SPRING!  I know we're already into day three, but I'm happy to say I've been busy with art activities this week including writing an e-zine article, judging an art show and taking my first colored pencil drawing class.  In addition, I've been trying to put one of my creative muses in check!  So...let's catch up.  This is going to be a lengthy post, so pull up a comfy chair and bring along your favorite beverage!

My "inner child muse" is a maniac!  Every year, she comes out after the holidays and because she has more time to look at fabulous art on the Internet, she wants to try EVERYTHING!  She's like an out-of-control 5-year-old constantly wanting this and that.  She seriously had me thinking about ordering an encaustic wax kit a couple weeks ago, and she keeps nagging at me to do some more silk screening projects.  I finally had to put my foot down.  I had to remind her that I still have unfinished mosaic projects and scads of stamping supplies and inks that have been untouched for months.  I told her I need to make use of the supplies I already have and that there's much more creative experimentation to be had with them.  She's not real happy, but she'll recover.  I was able to quite her by taking a colored pencil drawing class.

I judged an art show on Tuesday, and as it turns out, the Jennifer Kosarko (who hired me to judge) is teaching a drawing class on Wednesday mornings.  I had my first 3 hr session yesterday morning.  I'm using this photo from my picture file, torn from an old National Geographic magazine.  I really want to learn how to capture skin tones accurately. 

I learned a lot yesterday!  I confirmed that I am indeed, heavy handed.  Jennifer's method of colored pencil drawing requires layers, upon layers of color, and a very light hand.  It took me three hours to get to "light hand".  This method is tedious, exacting, and methodical.  All of the things I am not.  It is also very time consuming.  Colored pencil will never be my main medium, but I am having a lot of fun learning these new techniques.

Jennifer first enlarged my photo so I could trace it on a light box.  (I've altered the image making it darker so you can see it! It's much lighter and less grainy than it appears here.)  That was the first "something new" for me.  I've never used a light box before.  (Using the light box shortened the amount of time I would have spent accurately sketching in the face.)  We're using Prismacolors (ironically I gifted myself with a 72 tin earlier this year) The first color I was instructed to use was Lemon Yellow, applied in tiny, lightly applied circles.  I didn't reach "lightly" until I started on her neck.  This was followed by a layer of Peach, leaving the lips alone until 4-5 layers down the road.  Jennifer completed the eye instructing me along the way.  There are 5 colors in the eye.  My next layer will be Blush Pink.  I can hardly wait to see the finished skin tone.  I'm sure it will be rich and full of depth.

I created around 8 journal spreads for the e-zine article.  Here are a couple of cropped images.  I used an Asian inspired stamp on the jacket.  That's the first time I've incorporated a stamp into any of my journal pages, and it was a lot of fun.  I'll be using stamps again.  I also used water soluble crayon, craft acrylics and colored pencil in this spread.  I'll be talking more about the e-zine when it comes out next month.

Here is another cropped image taken from a 2 page spread.  I spent over an hour cutting out scads of flowers from a gardening catalog, and I even found a couple butterflies.  This spread is an homage to Frida and includes an interactive window.  I applied heavy body gesso to the background and used blue craft acrylic.  I applied the cutouts with a glue stick.

So, that's what I've been up to.  I'm still playing catch up, so I'll be posting Tuesday Tips and Techniques, Wednesday's Word and Thursday's Child tomorrow - on a Friday.  Gotta love it!

I have to share one more thing with you today.  My dear twitter friend and Angelia's Art Journals follower, Luna Raven, nominated me for a Shorty Award.  I'm so surprised and honored!  This sassy gal has got it going on herself, so take a trip through her blog - you're going to love it!

I've posted a link to the Shorty Award nominations on my sidebar, so if you'd like, cast your vote for me or one of the other fabulous 1,000 nominees in the art category.  In the meantime, have a fabulous day and remember: "Celebrate, LOVE, and Create!"

Playing with Colored Pencil

My art goodies that arrived last week included Prismacolor Premier colored pencils and Verithins.   I've tried different brands of colored pencils, and I have to say that for the money, I like Prismacolor hands down.  They are richly pigmented and go down very smoothly.

I left my jammies on and piled into the bed with a new journal, my pencils and hot, steamy coffee.  Armed with my supplies, I watched a couple movies beginning with Gorillas in the Mist and ending with another favorite, Good Will Hunting.

I didn't have anything in mind except to play with colors. I felt like a little kid with the "big box" of Crayolas!  I really splurged and bought the box of 72.  My first box of Prismacolors had been a gift of 36.  The first thing I had to do was sharpen them.  I love that the tin included a sharpener.  I bet I can keep track of this one - maybe!

I randomly began sketching in the leaf.  From there, I drew the eye at the bottom and the page evolved from there.  I experimented with layering different colors for skin tones, and I included about 5 different colors for the eye.  I continued with the stripes and glass reflections and ended with the fish.

It's not complete and perhaps never will be as I've grown bored with it already.  What I haven't grown bored with are the colored pencils.  I really liked using the Verithins for details such as the eyelashes and I think they would also work nicely for adding fish scale too.

I hope you're inspired to pull out your colored pencils or other supplies that you haven't used in a while.  Let your imagination run free and embrace your creativity!  As always, "Celebrate, LOVE, and Create!"