Express Your Creativity Week 9

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.

It's my birthday today, so let the Celebrations begin. I am having a game night at my house to celebrate. I am making a Williamsburg Orange cake, its my favorite and very yummy. Doesn't it look grand. Its from an old Betty Crocker cookbook and you can find the recipe online.

I have been doing a class from 21 Secrets Fall called Paint the colors of your heart. First we did a meditation and charcoal drawing about how we were feeling energetically. It looks like a swirling vortex to me.

Then we created the drawing in color.  I used Portfolio Oil pastels for this.  I love the pretty shades I was able to create. The center of the top loop seem to be like an egg cracking open with possibility. It also has a yin/yang feel about it.

Then we did another meditation and painted the colors of our heart. I started with a small center and then saw waves of energy floating outward from my heart. I added the green for the heart chakra. I painted the lines with a script liner brush. Then I realized my heart is a big flower. It reminds me of a poinsettia. Maybe I was channeling my inner Georgia O'Keefe. What a fun class this was.


Now its your turn to share.  I would love to have you join in and tell others about this opportunity to share your creativity.

Trying New Things in My Journals

This week in my journal I have been exploring backgrounds of a different sort.  By this I mean I have been using different materials and trying not to do the same thing I do everytime. I didn't want to jump to stencils and stamps like I usually do. I wanted some more abstract looks.

This one was created with a brayer, using red, yellow and orange paints.

A brayer is a tool that looks like this. I squirted  3 colors of paint on the page and rolled it all around the page. Its made by Speedball and I got it from Dick Blick.

This one was created the same way. I used the same paints but added blue at the last minute.  I like how the blue is so irregular.

This one had journaling and gesso underneath. I was looking for more of an abstract look.  I used green yellow and brown paint and a soft rubber brayer.

This is left over paint on the brayer from the page before. It is kind of like a ghost print from a gelli plate.

Then I moved to a different journal and liquid watercolors. These are Dr.Ph Martin's Hydrus fine art liquid watercolor. I dropped them on a page I had sprayed with water and they really ran. Actually a bit too much. I scooped up some of the extra paint with scraps of watercolor paper.

This time I dropped the watercolor on a dry page and then sprayed it with water. I love how both of these look.  Now the hard part, what to do next on all these pages.

How often do you try and mix it up? Its easy to get in a rut. What is your go to way to spark a new practice in your own art?

Kate

In My Sketchbook

I finished filling up a sketchbook last week. That is always exciting when that happens. I didn't think I was close but an impromptu trip resulted in a lot of sketches being made in just one day.

I called this an abstract spinning wheel since it was so off on proportions and all but I kind of like the wonkiness of it now.

We made a day trip over to Jackson Wyoming. Its about 90 miles from home. I started to daw what was in front of me as we traveled.  I was surprised that I could draw in a moving car.

We passed a hillside of windmills on the way.  I hesitated to draw them because most of it came from memory when we drove past them. I still think you get the feel of them although they look a little different.

The road changed and now we are on Highway 26 headed straight to Jackson, there was no snow, and lots of green fields.

We stopped at a rest stop and I drew the outhouse while my hubby took Belle for a little walk.

In Alpine we stopped for breakfast, these two guys were chatting away so it was easy to capture them.

This restaurant is called the Yankee Doodles cafe and has more patriotic stuff per square inch than any place I have ever been.

This is my sketch when driving home.  We took what is called the pass, its a scary curvy road on the side of a mountain, my least favorite road to travel on. It's  a shorter route so when its clear we take it.  There had been an avalanche earlier that they were still clearing away. This troad gets closed often in winter.

Sunday Sketches

I have 2 sketches to share today. Both of these were created in church.  The first, this young girl was created in a Stillman and Birn alpha series sketchbook in colored pencil.  I am trying to get more comfortable in the medium. So that means practice practice and more practice.

This other one is also a little challenge I am making for myself. To get more comfortable drawing people. Church is a perfect place for this.  I am just going to have to sit in a different spot now and then, or I will be drawing the same people. Tell me are you a creature of habit, do you always sit in the same spot?

You can check out other sketchers at Blue Chair Diary.

Express Your Creativity - Week 8

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 one of those pages I was going to cover with collage, but I am glad I stuck with it.  I worked at it long after I wrote the words. This is in my old paintings journal.  I used acrylics paints, reinkers, stampi nk pads, stencils, gelli roll white pen, Permapaque black marker, stabilo pencil, and gelatos.

This is my collage dreamboard for the New Moon which was on Wednesday of this week. The new moon is a good time to think about what you may want to manifest in your life. I really love the practice of making these moon inspired collages. ‪



Now its your turn to share what you've created this week.

In My Sketchbook

I got this in the mail today. Danny Gregory's new book is all about creating a drawing habit in just a few minutes a day. Its full of great exercises and much wisdom. As with all Danny's books its full of wonderful drawings and ways to inspire. If you have ever thought you'd like to draw this is the perfect book to get you started. I highly recommend it.

I am sharing some sketches from Sketchbook Skool Bootkamp.  It's our last week. We have been focusing on drawing animals and nature. This was my first try of my cat Boromir. She is grey and white so I used colored pencil. We are supposed to focus on certain parts and then the whole like it was a field study. I didn't have much room on the page. Next time I'll do a 2 page layout. I used my new Stillman and Birn Alpha Series sketchbook. The paper is very nice for pencils, I haven't tried pen or wet media yet.

Our next exercise was to draw water, but it was too cold out for me.  So I sat in my car and made this drawing.

My Gifts All The Way From Scotland

Back in December I signed up for Julie Gibbons year long program Mandala Magic. Then I won her giveaway of the class and two books on Mandalas. I have felt blessed indeed. My package of books and other gifts arrived last week.

This first one has line drawn mandala that you can color in your own way.  Some of them are quite intricate and beautiful. I am going to have hours and hours of fun coloring in these beauties.

The Mandala Source Book is fabulous, with 150 mandalas and narrative about each I know I will perusing through this book for some time.

This is called Two Trees From One Root.  I call it the tree mandala, I think its just beautiful. Then I discovered several other tree inspired Mandalas in the book. The book is broken down into three categories of mandala; Healing Nature and Other.

This one is called the Salmon of Knowledge. When I first saw it I thought Pisces since that is my astrological sign.



















I also received a few extra's, this beautiful card of Julie's art.

This are small reproduction of her art I think they are about 2 X 2".  What fun.

Then there was more wrapped in tissue paper, At first I thought this was a yak but on closer look a Hairy Coo from Scotland. Also got a tiny plaque that will hang in my studio. It says "What would you do if you knew you could not fail" What a great treat all of this was. Thank you Julie.

Express Your Creativity Week 7

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.

Now its your turn to share.

Back To The Gelli Plate

I have been teaching an Art Journaling class and having a blast at it. My last class is this week and I planned to show my students mono printing with a gelli plate. It had been awhile since I had made any any prints. So today I did some playing around with paper and paint. I used computer paper to see how it would work and it worked fine.  Its much thinner than card stock and will be easy to glue in to my journal. Here are a few of my prints.

Have you ever made mono prints, they are really fun and quite addictive. Its hard to stop making them. There is always one more thing to try. I'll be using these for collage in my art journals. My favorite is the last one.

Sketchbook Skool - Urban Sketching

We've been doing urban sketching in bootkamp.  It is something I really need to work on. First it was buildings. Its been so cold I did not want to sit outside so I drew this view from inside my car.

Then it was people.  I went to the local library to do some sketching.

Everyone is working on their computers. I am finding these exercises hard, but the only way you get better is to keep doing it.

Here I spent time at creating a longer drawing.  It took me quite some time to draw all of those bricks. I used ink and pitt pens in shades of grey and watercolor paint. The drawing is far from perfect but it does have character and it tells me I can draw buildings if I just keep practicing.

I also captured my lunch before eating it.  I usually forget about that and then its too late.  A fun exercise.

Raven Comes To Call

My raven was drawn on grey paper with Prismacolor colored pencils. He is a little short and squat but I choose to think of him as puffed up. Posting for Sunday Sketches today. If you are part of that group I invite you to come back on Friday and share something for Express Your Creativity.

Express Your Creativity Week 6

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.

Today I am sharing some work in an old book journal.  I am using this journal to teach an Art Journaling Class.

This is a face that came out of the background.

Here I was showing how to make a stenciled background and a silhouette.

This was just a collage I did on my own at home. The tag in the background was made with a mono print.




















Another collage with a stencilled and masked background.

Now its your turn to share what you've created this week.