IF: Contraption

This week's Illustration Friday was contraption.  I had an image of a magical drawing machine (a 'black box') that takes random pencil lines and creates a realistic drawing.  Here's my attempt at putting that image from my brain to paper.  I made a copy of a drawing I did when learning from Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain; cut it to be partially done by the drawing machine; pasted it in an acrylic painted "frame"; made the drawing machine from paper painted with acrylic; then added the pencil lines.  I kinda got what was in my head ... but best of all I actually enjoyed the process and didn't stress (well, not too much:).  Thanks for viewing and have a great day!

IF: Hibernate

I was totally lacking creative inspiration for 'hibernate' as the topic for Illustration Friday this week, so I decided to just sit and create something.  I was really stressing trying to do something really original, so instead I just played with different mediums.  Watercolor, acrylic, marker, tissue paper and modge podge (I LOVE modge podge!).  So this is what happened ... and after I stopped trying so hard, I just had fun with it.  It's still hard not to judge myself, but I know I won't learn or improve my skills if I don't just keep trying and sharing my work.  I am a beginner and that's OK!

So thanks for viewing and for 'listening' (free therapy is great!!).  And I apologize for the photo of my sketchbook page ... my scanner is not cooperating these days.  Hope to figure that out soon!

IF: Ferocious

A ferocious tornado for Illustration Friday.  This is my 2nd time playing with watercolors ... I like how it turned out, not too bad for a newbie.  Thank you to my friends Kris and Steve Loya for the instruction, supplies, inspiration and challenge to do this!  I like the trick with the salt - watercolor is fun!

Art & Intuition

I went to an amazing workshop on Art & Intuition led by my talented friend Jennifer Halls (www.youknow.net).  It was at a beautiful retreat center called Laughing Waters (a wonderful little waterfall out the back door) just outside of Asheville, NC.  This retreat helped me more fully trust my intution (it was kickin'!) and break through much of my fear around creating 'art'.  We did many quick and collaborative projects in a 'Visual Journaling' style.  After I got home, I decided my journal needed a facelift and put this together - I love it!

I'm very into squeezing paint onto a surface and then working it ... as well as using images from magazines that grab me ... this one was from the Whole Living Mag that arrived the day after I got home.  There was an article on developing your senses and intuition and the image was perfect.  I opened the magazine straight to that article to read it - but ended up grabbing my scissors and creating this instead (still haven't read it yet, but I'm sure it's good and I will at some point in time:).

IF: Soaked

This week's topic of soaked was perfect since it was pouring down rain when I started painting the background of this mixed media (I'm guessing on that label) project.  Acrylic paint on watercolor paper with a sketch I did enlarged on the copier.  I 'modge podged' it on my painted paper with a gold glittery glue (hard to see the effect in this photo but very cool when the sun shines on it!) then painted the hair, shirt and lips.  I am very happy with the fact that I was able to capture the image and feeling that was swirling around in my head ... progress!

PS - I painted this at the same time ... called Then Comes the Sun

The Red Tent

I just devoured the book The Red Tent that my sister gave to me to read (that her friend gave her, that her mom gave her ... that I will give to my cousin ... it's one to be passed from woman to woman:).  Highly recommend it!  One night last week I decided to sketch the woman (likely Dinah - who the story is about) on the cover.  My best sketch yet!  I'm feeling quite proud of it:)  It's nice to pause and celebrate - it keeps me trying more!

CCCCCC Sundays

I decided to invite some girlfriends over to hang out and have some creative time.  It is very helpful for me to have some structure, support and accountability when it comes to creating things ... so having great friends, yummy snacks and a blank canvas is the perfect setting for magic to happen!

As I was waiting for our first gathering to arrive, I kept thinking of all these names (with a C theme for some reason) of what we could call ourselves.  Cool chicks communing and creating in Clarke County ... when we got together, there were many more C names added to the mix.  I'm sure there will be many more to come:)

Here is my first creation:

I used to love doodling in high school - I would draw shapes and keep outlining them until I ran out of paper.  I guess this is a new take on that old trick.  Black paper and white pencil.  I like it:)