Inspire - Mandala

This is my spread from Spectrum's Inspire section on creating sacred mandala's. I have been having problems getting to my writing so I wanted to create this mandala with the intention of making it better. The page was gessoed first to add some texture. Then I added golden paints in favorite colors, turquoise thalo, quinacridone, nickel azo gold, indian yellow hue, manganese blue and titanium white. I used a catalyst mini blade to spread the paint and then sprayed water on the page to move the paint around and let it dry.

The mandala was drawn with a compass.  I added the inner circle with some paper I had stamped words on. The rest was drawn with a Scarlet lime pen and a Prismacolor marker.

I perused Pinterest inspiration boards for great quotes on writing. The face was a stencil that I painted black. I chose to add a feminine image along with birds from nature and images relating to writing. I used colored pencil on the black and white print of pens. This piece became a conglomeration of many things.

This bird is a stamp. I chose a light area to add her so the words would show up.

Little sweet spots of other birds were added. I love all the different colors that show up in this background close up. This was a fun piece to create and is full of deep meaning for me.

Dick Blick is Nirvana

I just got back from my trip to Portland so there is not much to share for this Paint Party Friday. I do have new paints though, and I am having a blast with them.

When I was in Portland I was fortunate to be able to go to the Blick Art Supplies store.  When I walked into the very large store I could feel heart palpitations, it was like nirvana.  I had to catch my breath. Aisle after aisle of art supplies, it was like walking into a catalog. I didn't know where to look first, so I began with what I remembered I had placed on my wish list.  I order most of my art supplies from Dick Blick so this was just like heaven.  To be able to pick up colors and look at them was such a treat. I usually am relying on color samples and you never know how true they are.  They did not have everything like the catalog does but oh there was plenty to tempt me.  I came home with these new fluorescent paints.  I just love the bold colors.

I played with the colors on this page.  They are very transparent and fun to work with. I used some Daler Rowney acrylic ink for the drips. That is so fun to use.  All you need is a little dropper full and a spray bottle and all sorts of shapes begin to appear.  This page was really all about play and exploration.

This is the cover of one of my 16 page journals.  I covered it with a gelli print.  The raven was drawn on old book page in charcoal and then glued down.  He looked pretty light so I added black gelatos on top and then a wet paintbrush.  I may add more to this cover later.

This is a work in process, in the same journal.  Just leftover paint from my palette made the background.  I have started the first layers of the face. Then I had an appointment so I needed to quit working on it till later. It feels great to be making some art again.

Head on over to Paint Party Friday's blog to see what others have been doing.  Its always a treat.

Happy Birdies

Its been a rough few days, on Thursday I had an emergency trip to the dentist which led to a visit with a root canal specialist on Friday. My worst dental experience ever. I was having dental surgery to clena out an abcess and deal with a problem root. The novacaine was not working so I had to endure the surgery with nothing. It was a horrific. Recovery has been slow too. I can eat a little better now but my mouth is still sore. what an ordeal that was.

Needless to say there has not been much art created around here. I have been drawing and coloring in these little birdies on old book pages. I think they look happy.

I started with a shape in charcoal pencil and used various mediums to color them in.

This one I modeled after the Eastern Blue bird. I gessoed the page first and then used gelatos. I think the gesso makes the color come out richer.

This is a piece of watercolor paper that I am playing with. I started with golden fluid paint and Daler-Rowney Inks. This is just a first step, I'll be adding many layers after this one.

I've been into knitting a lot this winter. I really fell in love with Dr. Who and there are some fun things to knit from the show. I decided to start with these

Since I am not a pink kind of girl I chose this yarn, its a merino wool/mulberry silk blend in a beautiful shade of teal. The yarn feels so luscious.

My friend Cyndi from Salt Lake and I were going to do these at the same time.  I decided to head over to Ravelry, its an awesome site for knitters and crocheters. I thought I'd start a group where we could knit this together. I never imagined that 58 other people would join in. What fun. Its great to see these fingerless mitts made in so many different yarns.  I am having  fun with it.

I ended have to start over several times but now I think I have got the hang of it.

Art supply goodness

This year for my birthday I asked for money for art supplies.  There were things I wanted that I had to buy online so this is what I got. It doesn't look like much but I had to order from three separate places which meant paying for shipping 3 times, I hate that. These were items I really wanted so I was willing to put up with the shipping.

Gel pens, I really love the Uniball Signo Broad Gel pens.  They come in tons of colors but I really like the black and white















Ahh some golden fluids, may favorites.  The cobalt and raw umber are refills but the others are new colors for me.  I do have the Manganese blue and Indian Yellow Hue in their heavy bodied versions. They are both fab colors so I wanted them in the fluid versions too. The Burnt umber light is a new brown to try.

These are dauber caps, the screw on to craft paint bottles. This way you can use your own favorite colors or mix new ones.  Ranger sells their paint with the caps already there but I want to make some of my own with goldens and folk art paints.

I wanted to try some of the new Strathmore journals.  Since I have 2 of the Canson Mixed media ones I went for a watercolor journal.  The interesting thing is that the cover is paper that you just tear off. The real cover is thick and is a brown alligator like surface.  It was shiny so it didn't photograph well. I am looking forward to trying this out.

Don't forget to enter my give away. I am giving away a space in my online class and Pam Carriker's Book Art at the Speed of life.  You can enter at this post

You won't believe the deal I got today

I was in Michaels yesterday and I saw this. A pad of paper for mixed media made by Canson. The paper was really nice so I went to buy one to try it out and they were buy one get one free, what a deal. I went to look at the clearance section where all the golden paint has been and it was all gone. So I asked my favorite clerk if they had just moved it or if someone had come in and bought it all. She said they had sold it in the bins for a $1.00 a piece in the area where you walk in the store. I was a little sorry I had missed that. But she said we have some left and we are going to be making grab bags of it. If I come back tomorrow I should be able to get some.

So I went back this morning and this is what I came home with

I got all of this for $6.00

It looks like a store on my kitchen table. I bought 3 grab bags. They let me go in the back room and just fill up my bags.  I got 65 bottles of Golden Fluids, 2 heavy body acrylics, 18 tubes of watercolor paint, 21 small jars of all sorts of mediums. 8 big jars of mediums and 8 jars of Liquitex paints. If I had paid full price this would be at least 700.00 worth of materials.  Can you believe it.  Some of the mediums I don't even know how to use yet but I have a lot of new stuff to play with. Now I need to find somewhere to put all of it.

It's a day for Ducks

Its a day for the ducks. Rain rain and more rain. I also have a day of medical appointments or perhaps I should say week. I had one yesterday, two today and another on Thursday. I am just getting it all done in one week, I hadn't planned it that way but that is they way it seems to be turning out.

My first attempts at a face from the class I am taking was a disaster. I think I will paint over it and start over. So as a result I have no art to show. Remember when I bought all that Golden paint and figured that Michael's was not going to carry it anymore. Well I was wrong, they now have a new display and are carrying some paints in tubes and some fluid acrylics in bigger bottles. Its just that the color selection is limited and they have a smaller selection of mediums. Its not as bad as it could be. In fact there is a new color (Indian Yellow Hue) that I wanted to try. They did not carry it before and are carrying now so that was great. I am glad I didn't have to mail order it. I always spend too much money when I order on line.

Remember when I was taking GutArt and sharing so much of it.  Well Mystele is offering the class again. Go here for details.  It was one of the best classes I have taken.

Postcard Swap

I have not gotten my tenth postcard so it must be lost in the mail somewhere so I will show what I did receive in the postcard swap hosted by iHanna. I also got an ATC so I included that in the picture. This was one of the most fun swaps I have done.  Thanks to all the lovely ladies who sent me cards.

This is a journal page in response to a prompt on Creativity Portal. They do a prompt a day with a picture to inspire you to create. The question was What is Zen to you? This was fun and I kept it simple because that is what Zen means to me. It seemed to call out to me to be very sparse.

I have been wanting to make some more striped paper so these are my efforts so far. I threw fabric in one of the pieces. I had made that fabric paper for one of the sketchbook exchanges I worked on and just loved the feel of it so I may do more.

I signed up to take Mystele's, e-growth class. Art Sentiments. Its all about making little pieces of art to give as small gifts to friends in need or just because. Its one of those crafts where you can utilize your whole arsenal of supplies. You start with a a copy of a piece of your own art and create something new by using paper, collage, trims, sewing, painting, stamping, beads and more. What a fun little class that has been. I am almost done with a little sample but its not quite ready to show yet.

I went back to Michael's to get some more of that clearance Golden paint and someone had come in and bought almost everything in the store. It was sad to see the shelf bare. I picked up 2 bottles of fluid acrylics in colors I did not own at 2.99 ea and a jar of Hansa Yellow opaque in a jar for 4.99. The only other colors they had were cadmium orange which I refuse to use do to its toxicity.

Thanks to everyone who has commented on my new banner and the support regarding yesterdays post too.  You are all awesome individuals that I feel blessed to know.