I've been playing with watercolors. This is a Stampin Up image. I stamped on a sample piece of watercolor paper and used a water brush and a set of Winsor Newton watercolors.
I could tell you everything wrong with the way I painted these but I won't. I'm just beginning my watercolor journey and I know that if I sent one of these as a card the recipient would see a pretty scene with a boat.
I've been told that learning to paint is all about practice, practice, practice. I will continue to practice.
I find water coloring stamped images very relaxing. No stress of trying to draw something. I'm realizing I have to really think about where the sky peeks through the trees and where a shadow might be. I am hoping this new way of "seeing" is a learned skill because it's not instinctive to me yet.
A friend suggested I look at one part at a time instead of the whole picture. I'll give that a try next time. What is your most relaxing form of creating?
Link to: Paint party Friday
I recently purchased the Dina Wakley class, Paint it Out from Interweave. This is a great class. I really enjoyed her step by step process.
Dina is great fun as a teacher. I love that she doesn't take things too seriously. It is so cool when she says, "It's just paper. We can buy more paper." I also love it that she ends up with paint on her hands and arm.
This is my first try at layering the way she suggested. I realized after the fact that I left out two layers. Oh well, I'll give those a shot later.
I really like how the yellow, green and pink peek through in different places. I loved using the exaggerated writing technique she used. It was very freeing to write with giant loopy letters and not care if anyone could read it.
It's like there are all kind of things hiding on my pages just waiting to be found!
The supplies I used are: three colors of acrylic paint plus white, baby wipes, a Lori homemade oval stencil, a Delta rectangles stencil and white and navy Stabilo All pencils. I also used a piece of plastic window screening as a stencil to make the tiny squares.
Link to: Dina Wakley, Paint Party Friday, Mixed Media Monthly Challenge, Rubber Dance Monthly Challenge
The Documented Life Project had a Fabric prompt in May. This is my take on that.
This piece of fabric is from a nightgown I bought years ago. It had all these wild images all over it. I'm sure I looked like a hippy from the 70s wearing it but it was comfortable so I went with it. I love how the background of the fabric looks like a cloudy sky.
This was a very quick page. I put the fabric on sticky back paper and then glued it with gel medium to the page. I embossed the birds on paper using Versa Mark Ink and black embossing powder. I cut the little birds out and used a glue stick to glue them. The words are stamped on the fabric and cut out as well.
The birds and words are both Rubber Dance Stamps.
Summer of Color 5 - Color By Number begins this week. I have participated the last two years and have had so much fun. This is truly a mixed media event. Last year there were people who did sewing, embroidery, canvases, art journals and much more. It was very cool to see the same colors used in so many different mediums. This is also an event that many people do with there children. There are Giveaways each week and the whole event is free. Be sure to check out Kristen's Blog Twinkle, Twinkle .
In honor of Summer of Color 5, I decided to post this very colorful page I did in my art journal. I think I used every color of the rainbow. The flowers are cut using a Sizzix die and old encyclopedia pages painted with inexpensive craft paint. The background is a stamp from Club Stamp and Archival ink. The centers of the flowers are done with glitter clue.
I really encourage you to participate in Summer of Color. I have been a crafter in many years so I have a lot of different supplies. I am thinking many of you may also have a lot of things you haven't used. Why don't you give Summer of Color a try? You could use some of your stash!
Summer of Color 5, Paint Party Friday, Mixed Media Monthly Challenge
Wooo Hoooo, I'm excited to announce that I'm the Guest Blogger for Journal 52 this week. The theme is WINGS. That theme is right up my alley. Birds, Butterflies and Dragonflies are all reoccurring themes in my art journal. If you would like to see the step by step tutorial of how I made this page, head on over the Journal 52.
I have just started reading Paint Mojo by Tracy Verdugo. There is a chapter on symbols and things that occur in your work over and over. Things that fly are mine. I've been thinking about why. Do those creatures symbolize anything for me?
At first I thought, "No, I just like them." I've mulled it over a while and here is what I think today. Birds, Butterflies and Dragonflies all have a few things in common. They fly is the most evident one. What does that mean to me? Flying symbolizes freedom for me. They flit from place to place free and happy.
More specifically... Birds are small but very strong creatures. It takes a lot of effort to fly and they do it with ease. They have to make a new home every spring. That takes amazing strength in my book.
Butterflies are all about change. They start out as fuzzy worms and turn into something beautiful. They totally remake themselves in order to fly free. This has really been brought home to me this year because my friends, Wee Man and Twinkle Toes Allan have a Butterfly project going. Check out their blog. It's amazing to watch the change take place.
Dragonflies... remind me of floating and of water. "They are fast agile fliers, sometimes migrating across oceans, and are often but not always found near water. They are symbols of courage, strength and happiness in Japan."
You may be wondering what the heck does this have to do with me? Over the last 16 years, I've made many changes in my life. I feel like I have come out of my cocoon and that I'm finally becoming who I am suppose to be.
Mentally, emotionally and artistically, I feel like I have more courage and strength than I did when I was younger. I know I am happier inside my skin. Even though I still go to work everyday and do all the things I have to do to survive... I feel free. I feel lighter and more content than I have in my whole life.
And as for water.... my favorite place to be is the ocean. I don't live near the ocean and I miss visiting the beach very much. I feel closer to God and more at peace when I'm at the beach.
Do you have reoccurring themes in your art journal?
Link to: Journal 52, Paint Party Friday, Art Journal Everyday, Twinkle's Twaddle & Wee Man of course
One more project for the Rubber Dance May Challenge. How could I resist with the challenge that calls for yellow, purple and pink. I love these bright colors so I was really up for this challenge.
The darling cat with the stars and moon background is a Rubber Dance stamp. I stamped the moon a second time and cut it out and mounted it on a piece of foam. That little bit of elevation really makes it pop. The purple is a Crafters Workshop hexagon stencil and purple craft paint.
The cat and hexagons are layered on yellow card stock and then on a white card base. This was a fast and easy card. What can I say, that cat is so darn cute!!
I'm linking to Rubber Dance and Paint Party Friday. My friend, Tracey Fletcher King is the spotlight artist over there this week. Be sure to check out Tracey's beautiful flowers.
Link to: Rubber Dance, Paint Party Friday
