Wednesday's Word: Explore!

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore. Dream. Discover."  ~Mark Twain

Have you lost your sense of adventure?  Have you become complacent in your life never seeking out new things?  Are you creating in the same way, eating the same meals, following the same routine day to day?   Maybe you should reintroduce the word "EXPLORE" into your life!  Now, more than ever, we have the power to explore easily from the comfort of our own home. 

Whether it's people, places or things, the opportunity to explore something new is here on the Internet.  With a simple google search, you can visit any region of the world or find a tutorial on making fried rice, or research where bumblebees go in the winter.  Anything you want to know can be found with a simple search, and lucky for we creative types, that includes all forms of creating great art.

Step outside your comfort and explore all the wonderful possibilities that creativity has to offer.  Take a class, go to the art museum and study the masters, or search YouTube or Google to explore what others are doing.  You owe to yourself to expand your horizons.  You might just discover something exciting and new!  Wherever you decide to explore, remember: "Celebrate, LOVE and Create!"

"After all these years, I am still involved in the process of self-discovery.  It's better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe.  Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life."  ~Sophia Loren

Tuesday Tips and Techniques: Mask It!

Leaving areas of your paper white when applying your background color is as easy as using pieces of torn or cut paper!  I had scraps of white copy paper left over from cutting out my zendoodles, so I decided to tear some of them into random shapes to use as masks before painting my background with water color.

I moved them around on the pages until I had a pleasing arrangement, and I decided to use a wash of watercolor in blues and purple.  I held the torn paper down by using my index finger in the middle of each piece.

Using this method, I found it best to apply the paint from the center of the torn paper to the outside of the pages.  This was to reduce any bleeding of the paint beneath the masks.

I removed the masks and was left with three white images that reminded me of a kneeling figure and two angels.  I let the pages dry and added another wash to blend the stark, white images into the page. 

Then I took a wet brush and lifted the paint to make "wings" on the angels.  I  also added a horizon and tree line.

I continued working on my pages by adding background trees in a medium blue, working darker and darker until I was using black for the foreground trees.  I also added black to the kneeling figure.  I used about a 50/50 solution of artist acrylic and water to highlight the angels making sure that the trees and branches would show through the angels so they would appear to be transparent.

I finished the pages by adding some directional strokes on the angels and wings, highlights on the kneeling figure, and little star shapes and swirls.  I also added some highlights to the tree trunks in the foreground.

Masking with paper is a quick way to give your pages some added dimension.  Try applying paint, then masks, then more paint.  The possibilities are endless!

And don't forget to save those pieces of paper that you've used for masking.  They'll be great collaged as additional texture on those next journal pages.  Whatever you do, remember, "Celebrate, LOVE, and Create!"

Leaving My Comfort Zone

Every now and then I go on the hunt for new ideas and new techniques.  I've found plenty of both at Milliande.ning.com.  I decided to continue the Journal January prompts this past weekend, and boy, did I ever step out of my comfort zone!

I had already used her Day 4 prompt when I created this page.  It wasn't really out of my comfort zone, but it did set me on the zebra stripe thought process.

I went back to Day 1, which required using a zebra as part of the image.  Hmmmm....me? Draw a zebra?  (downloading her zebra printout just wasn't an option for my artist)  So, after sketching out 3 animals that looked like everything from pigs to new species, I finally came up with a zebra that I liked.  I kept the original and scanned and cut out the zebra from those.  The original has some "goof" lines, so I'll have to always cut it out to use in my artwork.

I wanted to use more than one zebra for my page, so I used 3.  I have a thing about using even numbers of images in my work, so I always use an odd number of like images.  I used Prismacolor pencils to add color.  (You KNOW I couldn't leave it black and white!)

Having completed Day 1 (and Day 4), I moved on to the prompt for Day 2 which required a "zendoodle".  A what?  A zendoodle.  I had noticed zendoodle displays in my craft store, but I hadn't really paid much attention to them.  Doodling little areas in black and white - NOT my thing.  But what the heck, I decided to give it a try and it was really a lot of fun.  I began with the head of a zebra and began drawing in areas to doodle from there. 

I like the resulting image, but honestly, it's a fussy method that I probably won't be prone to revisiting.  (I still have a tedious, colored pencil drawing class to get through!)  When I finished this zebra mandala, I scanned and copied the image in a couple different sizes.  I cut the zebra head from a couple of the mandalas and used some of the pieces in my page design.  And of course, I had to add some color.  I just couldn't leave the black and white design as it was - it was screaming for some red at the very least!

I like the way this page turned out, and I will probably continue using some of her journal prompts.  It's not that I don't have enough journaling ideas of my own - I have more than I have time to create.  What I like about using others' journal prompts is that it gets me to see things in different ways and it prompts me to try new things.

If you're interested in checking out the journaling prompts, there's a blog button for Journal January on my sidebar, and a link to Milliande's ning site at the top of this post.  I have also included a blog button for "Inspired By?", the new Milliande prompt for February.  February's Inspired By? is Miro - right up my alley! I can't wait to explore him.  "Messin' with the Masters" is something you know I like to do!  Whatever medium or prompts you enjoy using, remember: "Celebrate, LOVE and Create!"

Three In One

OK...I hope you've got your comfy spot and favorite beverage set again, because here are the three days worth of posts I promised for today!

Before I get started, I want to mention a couple things.  First, one of my dear followers mentioned that she has a difficult time reading and listening to the music at the same time, so I've moved the music box to the top of the sidebar.  All you have to do is click the middle button to stop the music.  I hope this helps anyone who prefers to not to listen!  Secondly, I've decided that "Thursday's Child" is a bit much for me to handle at this time.  It's a lot more labor intensive than I anticipated, so I'm still mulling over what to do with this feature.  I was experiencing technical difficulties posting the last interview to the page, so I'm going to have to figure that out as well. 

I will continue my "Tuesday Tips and Techniques" as well as "Wednesday's Word".  I enjoy bringing these features to you and I hope you're enjoying them too.  "Angelia's Art Journal's" is still in it's infancy, and I'm still evolving and growing and (hopefully) making improvements along the way!

I want to say again that I appreciate EACH AND EVERY COMMENT, and I am trying my best to answer each one.  I know I've missed some along the way, but please know that I do read each comment.  Thanks to all of you for your support.  I maintain this blog for YOU!

LINKS! If you've created pages from inspiration you've found here on a post, I encourage each of you to post links to your pages in the comments section.  We would ALL love to see what everyone is doing!

I hope to begin instructional videos soon.  My tech guy (one of my sweet sons, Mike) is helping me walk through the tech problems such as converting and editing MP4s (I think that's what we're doing! LOL), positioning of the camera, etc.  I'm determined!  OK, enough of my babbling.  On to the art!

TUESDAY TIPS and TECHNIQUES

Wax Paper

Wax paper is your friend.  Most commonly, I use it between pages in my journal that tend to be a little sticky or between pages that have oil pastels that tend to smear.  It's invaluable for those purposes but it's fun to use in creating pages too.

Using a stylus or old ink pen, you can emboss your page using wax paper. Using a fairly heavy pressure, the wax from the paper is left on the page as a resist.  This technique works really great with watercolor or colored pencils.

I've used a fine point Sharpie that's beginning to run out of ink so you can see what I'm doing.  I've made vines, spirals and random lines as a background.

Here's a close up of a watercolor wash on top of the embossed area. Some of the areas where I wasn't so heavy handed left less wax so the lines are much thinner.

After the first wash dried, I took the wax paper and drew a face on the upper right side of the page.  The dark areas are the areas that I want to retain the original wash and remain as highlights on the face.  You have to think in terms of "opposite" when you're doing this.

Here you can see the dark blue wash that I applied.  As the was began drying, I added more pigment to the areas that I wanted to be even darker.

Here's a close up of the left eye.  I love the way the eyes turned out!  I haven't decided what else I'll do with this page, but I'll post a picture of the page when I've finished.

Wednesday's Word

"MUSE"

I've given a lot of thought to my creative muse this week, and I've decided that I have a team of muses.  Yesterday, I told you about my inner child muse, but what I've discovered is I think I have a team of muses, each with a distinct personality.

I'm happy to say that my other muses are much calmer than my inner child muse.  I have a muse that loves the outdoors.  All of her inspirations come from the things of nature.  She's the muse that loves the lake and long strolls through the woods.  She loves flowers and animals and the way the clouds move through the sky.  She is my messenger of SPIRIT.

I have another muse who is "the philosopher".  She loves exploring the unseen and mystical.  She loves the night sky and lives among the stars.  She loves symbolism and has connections with the ancient worlds.  She knows the secrets of the indigenous people of the land.  She is solemn and sensible.  She is the muse that grounds me.  She is my SOUL.

My other muse is "the explorer".  She thrives on experiences, visiting new places and meeting new people.  She is the "class clown" and is the one who continually gets me into trouble!  She doesn't know the meaning of "politically correct".  She speaks her mind and really doesn't mean any harm when she thinks without speaking.  She loves laughter and happy times.  She loves words and language.  She loves communicating with everyone and thrives on art shows and creative websites.  She is my hoarder.  She is my MIND.


All of my muses keep me busy and are part of who I am.  There's never a dull moment with my muses around.  What are your muses like?  Do you have one?  Do you have many?  Do they come and go?  Can you summon them at will?  Do new muses come along?  Create a journaling spread about YOUR muse!

"I follow the muse, and that's when it always works perfectly for me." ~Jackie De Shannon

"The most potent muse of all is our own inner child." ~Stephen Nachmanovitch

"There is something else at work here that is beyond me." ~Genie Francis

THURSDAY'S CHILD

An'Angelia Thompson

Since I don't have a new interview to share with you, I thought you might enjoy seeing a snippet of my life.  I created this video as part of the 21 Secrets workshop that I was so honored to be a part of.  What began as a trip to my old neighborhood for "just a couple of pictures" for a completely different story, turned into a life changing experience for me.  I hope you enjoy my video.  I recommend watching it in full screen so you can see the subtitles.  Thanks for watching!

"Going Home" from An' Angelia Thompson on Vimeo.

VIDEO NOTES:

Circumstances had to be "just right" for me to stumble across that marble.  Just the very top of it was showing through the dirt and the sun was hitting it just right.  I walked right over it and had to step backwards to see what it was.  The large maple tree where I played marbles is long gone, so for me to find this (obviously old) marble was somewhat of a miracle.  The whole experience was incredible for me.

When Mom died, my brother and sister and I had to pick out her headstone.  We had decided that since Mom so loved roses, we would incorporate roses into the things we had to get for her memorial service and burial.  It was important to my sister and me to have three roses on her headstone, representing one for each of her children.  That there were three red roses left blooming on that rosebush hit me after I got home and looked at the pictures.  Coincidence?  I chose to believe not.

Here are my completed journal pages.  I painted over the letter to Mom and the words, "everybody sails alone but we can travel side by side" are lyrics from KT Tunstall's song, "Heal Over".

Well, that's it for today, dear friends.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend filled with lots of creativity.  I'll see you again Monday, so until then 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!"