The Blog Has Moved

Just a reminder that my blog is being hosted on a new site.  Go check out my latest posts at this link. www.katerobertsonstudios.com/blog

My New Website

Hello faithful readers. The time has arrived. I can now say that Kate Robertson Studios is ready for your leisurely viewing. The new address is

http://www.katerobertsonstudios.com.

Queen of Creativity blog along with Safe Harbor Coaching and all my other interests will now be included on one comprehensive site. Welcome to my new home.

A note to subscribers to my newsletter. I'll be moving all of you over to a new list. If you want to receive the free gifts included though you will need to sign up again on the new website. Those free gifts include my ebook "How To Get Your Creative Mojo Back."

It's been a long haul from the initial concept to hiring Kim LeClair to help me develop a plan. It's been more than a year. I let it slide for awhile when I planned and then took my trip to Ireland. Kim was fantastic, she is a great idea person. She helped me discover what I wanted my site to be and gave me the tools to make it happen. Without her guidance through the maze of theme choices and the intricacies of Wordpress. I never would have finished it. I have learned oh so much this past year. I couldn't have done it without you Kim, thank you so much.

I'd also like to thank my coach Ginny Lennox who helped keep me on task. Creating this baby was a huge undertaking but by breaking it down into small steps it did become manageable. Your guidance really made a difference, thank you.

Enjoy the new site and don't forget to bookmark it so you can visit again.

Be The Heroine In Your Own Story

In  my novel my main character Caitlin is on a mission. She is searching for her father, the father she thought was dead. It involves a long quest across strange lands with many new trials. In the current scene I am writing she has been captured by yet another group of brigands who seem bent on preventing her from reaching her goal.

When I think about this story I can't help but think of my own dreams. They are like taking a long journey or like a quest in a fantasy novel. If you were to think of your dream as a fantasy novel, what stage would you be at. I asked myself these questions.
Have I just left my home?
Has the bad guy shown up yet?
Do I make foolish mistakes?
Do I get frustrated the first time something goes wrong.
Do I have the guts and drive of a warrior to keep going?
What do I do when all hope seems lost?

I can relate to all these questions to my own creative journey. The parallels are interesting. I have often heard that we are the heroine in our own stories. I like the sound of that. When I get the most frustrated I need to remind myself I am the heroine, and the heroine does not give up.  She dusts off her bow or her sword and she tackles those getting in her way again and again.  I have long believed that creativity is a process, a series of steps. You just don't sit down and create a masterpiece the first time out.

If the heroine of my story reached her goal in the first fifty pages, what fun would that be. We want to be able to see her struggle, to gain insight by those struggles and for her to persevere in the end. Its the same way with our own creative projects. We learn so much in the process. If I didn't struggle to make a piece of art, it would be flat and lifeless. It's in the whole process where we lay out our emotions out in the paint that adds the layer and depth to paintings that we love. Where would Van Gogh's work be without the angst of his life. The more I think about this the more I realize both art and writing teach us in the same way. We can be the heroine in our own stories.

If you were look at your creative dream as if it were a fantasy novel, what part of the story are you in right now?

A Chartres Style Labyrinth

I created this labyrinth for the mandala course I have been taking.  I have been wanting to draw this labyrinth for awhile. I was amazed how long it took me, but I really like the results. I used Caran d'ache watercolor pencils for the color and water of course. All the dots were made with a gel pen. I used some De_Atramentis turquoise ink and a dip pen for the journaling. This ink was fabulous to work with.

I've got few changes coming up on the blog. Creating content for the art show I doing in July leaves little time for other art that I can show on the blog.  I have decided to mix things up a bit. Doing this show has been quite a journey so far. On Monday's if I have no art from the weekend I'll be talking about my experiences of preparing for a big art show like this. On Wednesdays I will talk about writing in some form and Fridays I'll be sharing art.

New Website

I am still fine tuning my new website.  I hope to announce the new address soon. I'll be moving the blog to that site too.  It will be a comprehensive site that combines my coaching site, my own art and my blog. I think you will all really like it.

Express Your Creativity Week 15

Welcome to Express Your Creativity. Here you can share paintings, sketches, art journal pages, poetry, photography, fiber arts like knitting and weaving, favorite recipes, organizational and decorating ideas, and more. The only requirement is that it is something that you have created in some way. I hope you will join me here and please pass it on. Please make sure to list your posts url and not your blogs url. This makes it easier for any late comers to find your post. If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Linky, this is how it works. You type in your name in the first box and the url/link to your post, not your blog address about your creative efforts this week. When you return your name will already be populated, you just need to paste in the new posts link.

I have created a blog button for those participating who might want to post this on your blog. You'll find it on the sidebar to your right.

In this months Mandala magic we are in the labyrinth stage. Part of the process was to create a dream catcher in our journals. I created mine with Neocolor II watercolor crayons. I used Prismacolor colored pencils to add a little more color. I find that adding colored pencil on top of other work makes it richer. I'll add journaling to the page next.

Now its  your turn to share any creativity from the week.

Monarch Butterfly's

This week I have been busy working on the new website I have been developing. Its been a really long process. I have literally been working on this for months. Things are finally starting to pull together but still there is so much to finish up. Just when you think we are done there are a million little details that need fixing. Its seems like an endless task.

I have also been working on some paintings for the show I am doing in July.  So I have art but nothing that I can really show you. So perhaps some photos will do.

I thought I would show you some monarch butterfly pics I took last summer.

Writual Blessings

I drew this mandala in my sketchbook yesterday at church. I started with the spiral in the center and kept going.  It was a relaxing way to listen to the sermon and keep my hands busy.  I have been drawing in church for so long now that I don't think I could sit there without doing something.

On Saturday I got my Writual Blessings Deck. These cards are from writing coach Cynthia Morris. They are a deck for writers. They come in a nice organza bag and have delightful illustrations and words of wisdom.

The card use Cynthia's own watercolor illustrations. They are charming and delightful. I think they will be great to use.

Here is another one. They are the size of an iPhone, so they fit nicely into your purse to take to a writing date. You can get your own set here

Express Your Creativity Week 14

Welcome to Express Your Creativity. Here you can share paintings, sketches, art journal pages, poetry, photography, fiber arts like knitting and weaving, favorite recipes, organizational and decorating ideas, and more. The only requirement is that it is something that you have created in some way. I hope you will join me here and please pass it on. Please make sure to list your posts url and not your blogs url. This makes it easier for any late comers to find your post. If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Linky, this is how it works. You type in your name in the first box and the url/link to your post, not your blog address about your creative efforts this week. When you return your name will already be populated, you just need to paste in the new posts link.

I have created a blog button for those participating who might want to post this on your blog. You'll find it on the sidebar to your right.

I saw these in someones post and they looked so cool.  I was about to order from Dick Blick so I picked 3 of my favorite colors and added them to my order. They came on Wednesday. Oh my I am in love with these pens. Now I need every color. They are made by Derwent and are called graphic line painters and they come in 20 colors. The paint flows out of them beautifully. I am including two videos showing these in action. Oh the possibilities for using these are endless.

I made this collage over a painted background. The image seemed to fit with the background but also seemed to fit the upcoming holiday.

Now its your turn to share.

What Is Urban Sketching

Aa you know I am a big fan of Sketchbook Skool and Urban sketching in general. I found this video yesterday and it really explains what urban sketching is. Some of the sketches I do qualify and some do not. You will find out more by watching. Its a great discussion. Don't let the title fool you, urban sketching doesn't even have to be in an urban setting. It means documenting the world as you find it. I hope you enjoy the discussion between Danny Gregory and Jason Das.

This sketch I created from a postcard so of course it doesn't qualify but its still a fun sketch. It is called Men an tol Madron, Cornwall, England. Cornwall is a place I would love to visit.

Using Found Items In Your Art

See these cute little cards. I found them in the paint dept of a local store. They are 2/12 " x 4". Immediately I thought, tags and collage. They were solids that I picked up too. I think they will be fun to play with for sure. As a creative I always have my eyes open for surprise materials. From junk mail to paint chips there is a wealth of material out there if you just look for it.

This is a drawing in graphite of the Callanish standing stones on the Isle of Lewis off the coast of Scotland.  I would love to see them for real someday. I find it interesting that some of the pictures I have seen of standing stones actually look like people, like some of the figures that I paint.  I've been wanting to add some of these stones to one of my paintings so I thought drawing some might be a first step.

Do you ever take your sketches or your art journal pages and make them into paintings?

Express Your Creativity Week 13

Welcome to Express Your Creativity. Here you can share paintings, sketches, art journal pages, poetry, photography, fiber arts like knitting and weaving, favorite recipes, organizational and decorating ideas, and more. The only requirement is that it is something that you have created in some way. I hope you will join me here and please pass it on. Please make sure to list your posts url and not your blogs url. This makes it easier for any late comers to find your post. If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Linky, this is how it works. You type in your name in the first box and the url/link to your post, not your blog address about your creative efforts this week. When you return your name will already be populated, you just need to paste in the new posts link.

I have created a blog button for those participating who might want to post this on your blog. You'll find it on the sidebar to your right.

This is the mandala I started last week. I think it looks nice over this background. I found it quite enjoyable to work on.

This self portrait was created from a photo on grey toned paper using colored pencil. I really like working on this paper. I have been trying to used colored pencil more often. I figure soon I'll be comfortable with it.

These pages are from the Mandala Magic course I am taking with Julie Gibbons. They all relate to the Bliss stage of the Great Round of Mandala. The one on the left is made with shaving cream and spray inks. The one on the right was made with nail polish.

The two on the left being smaller I called them moons. The top one is a transparency and ink mandala and the pinkish one was created with nail polish. The one on the right was created with shaving cream. It reminds me of Jupiter.

  





















This page was made using my birth chart as a mandala. The papers I used to collage with were gelli prints.  I picked watery looking pages to go with the theme of bliss.


Now its your turn to share.

The Art Of Work

I started following Jeff Goins work last year. I joined his 500 words group on facebook and enjoyed the inspiring posts he creates for writers. His new book comes out today. I signed up to be a part of his launch team for selfish reasons. I just wanted to know what a launch team did and how it worked. The surprise for me was how good this book truly was. I knew that Jeff was a good writer but I had no idea what a pivotal book he had written.

The art of work is all about finding your life purpose, your calling, what you were meant to do in the world.  Is that all its is? Its peppered with examples of real people's lives, exploring how they found their calling and how they keep it all going. The stories are heart wrenching and inspiring too. These are people you are going to love to hear about. I was

As I read the book I recognized myself in the trials of the examples shared.  Not only does Jeff take you through all the steps of discovering your calling but he also guides you with steps to stay the course. Its full of wisdom for everyone. My copy is full of underlined passages, way too many to include here. I can't recommend it highly enough.  The Art of Work is now available on Amazon and other bookseller outlets.

Marbling With Nail Polish

My daughter sent me a pin from Pinterest so I thought I would give it a try. Marbling with nail polish sounded fascinating.

Here are the papers I made. The instruction can be found on this blog.  A couple words of advice. You have to do this outside, the smell of the nail polish can be unpleasant. You really have to work fast. Drip in the polish swirl it around and add your paper.  I found watercolor paper worked the best. Also have nail polish remover on hand, you will need it.  I also wore gloves.  Any utensils or pan you use will be a mess afterwards. I bought a cheap dispan to use for the process.

A closer look on one of the pages. Often I think I added too much polish. With the limited color range I think this turned out better.

This one looked like a flower to me. So I grabbed a black sharpee poster paint water soluble marker and went to town on it.

It was so much fun to doodle on this page. I'll glue it into one of my art journals.  The other papers will become either cards of parts of new journal pages. I think doodling on them is a great way to use them.

Now would I do this again, probably not. I used polish I had on hand and if I had to go buy all these colors, it would be cost prohibitive.  I think it would make more sense to get a marbling kit.

Express Your Creativity - Week 12

Welcome to Express Your Creativity. Here you can share paintings, sketches, art journal pages, poetry, photography, fiber arts like knitting and weaving, favorite recipes, organizational and decorating ideas, and more. The only requirement is that it is something that you have created in some way. I hope you will join me here and please pass it on. Please make sure to list your posts url and not your blogs url. This makes it easier for any late comers to find your post. If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Linky, this is how it works. You type in your name in the first box and the url/link to your post, not your blog address about your creative efforts this week. When you return your name will already be populated, you just need to paste in the new posts link.

I have created a blog button for those participating who might want to post this on your blog. You'll find it on the sidebar to your right.

My Week

I have been laid low with a awful stomach flu since last Friday.  I didn't get to as many as your blogs as I would have liked.  I apologize for that. Thank to all of you who continue to post here each week.

Since I have been so sick I don't have much to share.  I have been cleaning up my studio. You know how that is at one point you just have to do a major overhaul or you can't get anything done. I am going to be doing some major work and I wanted lots of workstations set up so I can move from one project to the next. It took me two days to get it all set up.

This is a little peek into a painting I am working on.

Here is another section.  I am loving all the color buried in all the layers.

I took this watercolor background and began a mandala.  I haven't gotten very far with it yet.

After a trip to the Dentist and a Dr. appointment I needed a lift so I went shopping at Michaels. I wanted some orange paint but ended up with a lot more. The white paper in the background is for scrapbooking but I will use it as a stencil. I got it on clearance for.49. The small toned gray sketchbook was on clearance for 5.99 so I got a couple good deals. I used a coupon on the inks.  They are the metallic set which includes silver, copper and gold. I will use them for drips in paintings and other accents.  I really like adding copper to a piece.

I'd love to see what you have been doing so please share your work below.

In My Journal - Back To The Sea

This two page spread had me longing for the ocean, the sea, that great body of water that is so far away from me.

 

I so love to work with these colors. All the doodling was so much fun. I could spend hours just creating patterns and see what happens next. This kind of page feeds my soul in ways that others don't. Someday I hope to live by the sea, I don't know if that will ever happen. At minimum I would love to be closer so a trip to the ocean doesn't take all day.

Is there a place where you would like to live?

Profile Sketching

This is a pic of my friend Misty.  I thought it would be a great photo to work on my profile faces. So I asked Misty for permission to use her photo. She gracefully consented.

This was my first attempt with a grey colored pencil.

This was created with a sepia charcoal pencil. I think its better but I think I'll keep trying. I have been down and out with the stomach flu this past weekend.  So I hope to be back in the swing soon. It's been a nasty flu so I hoping it's over soon.

Express Your Creativity Week 11

Welcome to Express Your Creativity. Here you can share paintings, sketches, art journal pages, poetry, photography, fiber arts like knitting and weaving, favorite recipes, organizational and decorating ideas, and more. The only requirement is that it is something that you have created in some way. I hope you will join me here and please pass it on. Please make sure to list your posts url and not your blogs url. This makes it easier for any late comers to find your post. If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Linky, this is how it works. You type in your name in the first box and the url/link to your post, not your blog address about your creative efforts this week. When you return your name will already be populated, you just need to paste in the new posts link.

I have created a blog button for those participating who might want to post this on your blog. You'll find it on the sidebar to your right.

These are collages in my recycled paintings journal. I seem to be in a red period.

This one used a flyer from an exhibit I attended about Kimonos.  Did you know that kimonos un-sewn when they are washed.  Then the pieces are sewn back together to be worn. Their rectangular pieces make this relatively easily. Can you imagine doing that with all your clothes.

I created the background with a brayer and then drew the feathers on top.  I have a journal that I got as a gift that has feathers all over it.  I used it for inspiration. I use markers,, gel pens and pitt brush pens to make the feathers.  Feathers are fun to draw.  I never tire of them, they are one of my personal symbols.

Do you draw any of your personal symbols?  

What Do Your Pinterest Boards Say About You

My daughter is visiting from Portland for a few days so there is no art to share.  So I am sharing an article that I shared in my newsletter back in January.

Have you fallen in love with Pinterest yet. If you are not on Pinterest let me tell you what it is all about. Its a collection site where you can pin things that you have found on the Internet. It keeps them all in one place in nice orderly folders. You can also like something which puts it all in one continuous stream of images. I find that helpful when I want to be inspired but don't have a category in mind. That is not all it is though. You can also follow other people's boards and they can follow you. Say you create a board about Art journaling and follow a few other people who have done the same. Any time they post a new pin it will show up in your feed. You have the opportunity to pin more things than if you didn't follow anyone. It creates a whole world of people out there collecting the same thing you do. I have found some pretty amazing things that way.You can also search Pinterest categories and find things that way. I only do that when my followers are not pinning what I am looking for.

Sometimes I go along pinning things but never go back to look at what I have collected. If you do that they what really is the point. Now I regularly go back and look at my boards. As I looked through my boards for ideas for dinner and drawing I thought.

"What does my collection of boards say about me." 

I have 76 boards which seems like a lot at first look. I have pinned 2,808 things and have liked 332 of them. I have 8 boards related to animals, 6 related to food, 8 boards related to writing,17 boards relating to art. The is a smattering of other boards in a variety of categories and some that can fit into multiple categories. When I look at all those boards, I can see what I spend my time on. I can see what I am attracted to. I can see the beginning of plans and dreams to make one or another thing reality. I have found many recipes that I now cook regularly. I have created several craft items from my boards along with being inspired in my own art by what I collected. From the tutorials I have learned how to do new things. It's also a place when I can post my own art to inspire others.

Take a look at your Pinterest Boards and see what they say about you. Are they a representative of your life?  What dreams do you have that are not represented there. Maybe starting a board about it will jump start a desire or passion that could become your life's work. The possibilities are endless.

In My Sketchbook

My hubby took me out for a birthday lunch. I took along my sketchbook to record the event. Johnny Carino's has the best bread and garlic dipping sauce.

Then I had the house salas which was nice and cold and yummy. My entree was the Italian pot roast which wasn't that easy to draw. It sort of looks just like my salad.

Sunday Sketches

This is a little storyboard type sketch about my day yesterday. Posting on Sunday Sketches today.

Full Crow Moon

Its the Full Crow Moon or the Full Ash Moon this evening as I write this. I chose aspects from both of these moon's lore. Change and transformation are what the crow brings while the ash moon points us to water and emotions and our connection to it. They seem to be connected in my life as well. Lots of change is brewing for me. Its wonderful seeing it laid out in this imagery.

I made it through the dental surgery this morning and am feeling better than I thought I would. So glad recovery is coming along nicely. Now comes the waiting time. I have to wait 4 months until they can install the implant. I think this year is going to be all about patience.

Express Your Creativity Week 10

Welcome to Express Your Creativity. Here you can share paintings, sketches, art journal pages, poetry, photography, fiber arts like knitting and weaving, favorite recipes, organizational and decorating ideas, and more. The only requirement is that it is something that you have created in some way. I hope you will join me here and please pass it on. Please make sure to list your posts url and not your blogs url. This makes it easier for any late comers to find your post. If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Linky, this is how it works. You type in your name in the first box and the url/link to your post, not your blog address about your creative efforts this week. When you return your name will already be populated, you just need to paste in the new posts link.

I have created a blog button for those participating who might want to post this on your blog. You'll find it on the sidebar to your right.

I am posting a little early. In the morning I am having the first steps of an implant done. So tomorrow I get the tooth pulled and a bone graph done. I will try and check back when I am feeling better.

I had a busy day planned last week on my birthday but I really wanted to allow a little time for art.  I thought an art journal page was a perfect idea. This was one of watercolor backgrounds I made last week. I just grabbed a black marker and began. Making those first marks can be hard but you just need to take a deep breath and commit to it. The background was painted over with acrylic paint as was her dress.

Now its your turn to express your creativity.

Getting Acrylic Paint Out of Your clothes

I've got a video to share today. I found this while perusing another video on YouTube.  I wish I had known about this a long time ago.  I know we all get paint on our clothes one time or another no matter how careful we are. I love the simplicity of this technique.

Shaving Cream and Spray Inks

In my Mandala magic course this month with Julie Gibbons, we made Mandalas with shaving cream. I had heard about this technique in another class but never tried it for some odd reason. It is messy but fun. In just minutes, you get some amazing backgrounds.

Supplies needed

*a paper plate,
*shaving cream, can't be gel. I bought the cheapest no brand shaving cream
* card stock or watercolor paper, I preferred the water color paper.
*spray inks, I used Dylusions brand.
Its messy have lots of paper towels to clean up.

I placed some paper towels on a tray and then put the plate on there. Spray Ink can travel far so make sure to cover your work surface. Cover with shaving cream and smooth it with a ruler or piece of wood.

Spray the ink on plate, use as many colors as you like.

Take a chopstick or a pencil and swirl the colors together. Put you paper on top and tap it so it connects with the foam and then draw towards you.  The ink will transfer to the paper.  Then wipe off the shaving cream.


Admire your work.  Add more ink and do the same for more prints.  You may need to add more shaving cream at some point.  Play and have fun.

I think this one looks like Jupiter.

Each one is different and so much fun to play with.  You don't have to do these as circles either. I made the Jupiter on a full sheet of paper and then cut it into the circle shape.