Finding A Routine

When Sarah was here for a visit she brought me a gift. She had gotten some free samples from Dick Blick.  So I got to try out their studio acrylics.

I uses them in the background of this journal page.  I only had the three primaries and then I used some white Liquitex Basics to blend some colors.  Oh, I really like this paint. Its an equivalent to the the Basics line of Liquitex but it seemed to be a better paint. There was more pigment and it comes in so many more colors.  I'll be getting a supply of them soon.  I like to use the studio grade paints for my fearless painting projects and in my journals too.  

I ordered this when I was in Ireland so I'd have some great reading when I got back home.  Its a riot of color to be sure.  There are many other contributors but it still feels like Tracy's book. She has included a lot of her own personal stories which I like. I feel I know her a little bit more. Many of the exercises I have done before but there is still a lot for me in this book.  I am about half the way through the book and am enjoying it. Tracy is one of the presenters for Spectrum this month. So I have gotten to see her on video as well as in print. That's a plus in my book.

I have been having a little difficulty getting back into the swing of things with my art.  I've done a few pages in my journal but not much else.  So many things seem to be pulling me away.  Ive been watching videos from the Spectrum months I missed.  Now making the time to do some artwork has been harder. My computer has been in the shop to get a new battery and now that its back I feel like I am playing catch up. I have been having fun sketching but I'll leave that for the next post.  My writing coaching group that I am a part of is going to be taking a lot of my time. So the blog is going to be suffering a little but stay with me.  Soon I'll be back to a regular schedule again. Finding a routine that will work for my art and writing time is my goal for this coming week. It might end up that there really is no routine, that I just need to do it, to forget about schedules and plans and go with the flow.

I've been reading Neil Gaiman's American Gods.  Have you read anything fun and enjoyable this summer?

Using High Flow Acrylics

I have really been enjoying doing faces with markers. They really help you work on letting go of imperfection. You can't erase, they are hard to paint over so what you see is what you get.  I love the freedom of that.  Yes it is a little hard at first to cover your beautiful background, but its only paint and paper. If you really mess up badly you can always collage over the page.  Give it a try.

I used watercolors for the background and high flow acrylic for her dress.   I also have ben having fun using liquid watercolors and a spray bottle, it makes the paint do such fun things. I like to think that she is contemplating something interesting.

I bought a few of the high flow acrylics by Golden a little while ago. I have started to use in all sorts of projects.  They are really thin but give good coverage.  I have been just putting a drop or two on my palette and then painting with them.  You could draw with the nozzle too.  Wonderful paint to work with. If you find yourself thinning out the Golden fluids you might really like these.

I seem to go through stages of using certain supplies in my art and then navigate to something else.  I think the change tends to spark things up.

Come April 1 I'll be doing Camp Nanowrimo.  It a little different from the November event. You get to set your own goals.  I am shooting for 10,000 words, I'll be working on my current work in progress. I think to will be fun.  We have a local group where several people are participating.  A group always helps keep me motivated.  You can join in by going to http://campnanowrimo.org.

How about you?  How do you stay motivated?

Painting the Feminine

I haven't posted any painting on Friday since I can't remember when.  This week in the studio I have been immersed in a course called Painting the Feminine.  Each day we work in our art journals to either a feminine word or concept. These are all intuitive paintings. I am including a few of my favorites from the week.

This one is for Healing.  I see the figure that emerged doing a healing dance of some sort. I love how all the colors came together.  Golden fluids, Liquitex basics and oil pastels.

This came from the prompt space and ease.  I like how everything is going upward. Vines are a favorite thing of mine to paint.

This came from the Full Wolf Moon.  The figure is releasing to the moon all those things that no longer serve her.  The wolf with her howling is releasing in her own way. It was especially fun to be painting under that full moon's energy.  We've talked about cycles in class and I have always resonated with the moon.  I'll planning to spend more time paying attention to how my creativity flows during the different moon cycles.

I am also in a class called 21 Secrets Live. I was lucky enough to win a spot in the course. It is a live course on a Spreecast where you journal along with the host and guest teacher.  I did this page during our first Spreecast.  It was so fun to be journaling along with everyone and then seeing everyone post their work.  Its the closest thing to making art with someone else.

I am linking to Paint Party Friday, make sure to check them out and see all the the posters. There is always a lot of great art to see.

Mapping 2014 Artfully

When I saw that Jill Berry who wrote Personal Geographies had a Facebook group so I joined at once. I have had her book for a long time but never managed to make any maps. Which is something I want to do. I figured that being in the group would inspire me to get going. Right away I learned about the Mapping 2014 Artfully project so I figured if I joined that would force me to act and it did.

I chose SELF CARE as my word to focus on this year. So I decided to use the map making idea to explore ways to focus on self care. I drew the figure in pencil and then used my Copic pens over the pencil marks and then erased.  The parts of the figure were painted with watercolor and then I used acrylic to fill in the background.  I really enjoyed making this map, it was a lot of fun and a great way to explore an idea.

You can check out all the other maps being shared today by going here to Jill Berry's blog.

Some Fun Links

Since Link Love changed and I have gotten in the habit of sharing links I decided to occasionally do them on my blog. I've got 3 for you today.

Using a Map for your sketchbook  This is from Jane LaFazio and is really cool. I have a map from when I went to Europe and I think this is what I will use it for.

Make your own Glimmer Mist  This technique uses liquid watercolor.  It looks like it would work really well.

Using a Gelli Plate to print on fabric. I don't know why I never thought to do this.  It looks awesome.

I did some painting in my journal today.The background I did months ago with some inexpensive oil pastels.  The face I added using Golden fluid acrylics. I seem to painting redheads lately. They are a lot of fun.

If you are local and reading this I'd like to tell you about a class I am offering in September.  I be teaching a class on making Vision Boards.  Its a fun way to to set goals for yourself. You can find details on my website.

The Three Guardians - A Painting Journey

I decided to take a break from Link Love this week.  So today I am participating in Paint Party Friday. Check out all the artists who are participating here.


Many months ago I took a Canvas Create class with Donna Downey. The painting was of a lotus and in the style of Flora Bowley. I didn't try to paint what Donna did but followed my own path.

This was my first layer using cool colors.  It is just paint and was painted with my fingers.

The second layer had some stamping and spray inks. Images started to appear to me so I pulled them out of the background. I saw the one figure on the left so I started with her and added the others in.

I added warm colors in the background and worked on three figures. I wanted them to be faceless. They slowly began to take shape.

They could be sisters but I started calling them the guardians. It wasn't till I started painting the details like the tree that I began to use a brush.  Painting with your fingers can really be liberating.

I continued to add things to their clothing. My beloved raven had to show up. I kept thinking that the painting seemed to lack something. I asked a few people and got many ideas.  I thought there was a tree on the left side. So I decided to bring that out.

Here is the final version. I put them in a night time forest.  I think each of them has special gifts to offer the world.  I hope you enjoyed seeing how this painting evolved.