There have been times when I have really doubted my ability to create. Today is not one of them to be sure. I think creative people often struggle with self doubt because we are really vulnerable when exhibiting our work. Today, however, I had so much fun creating the above portrait which is the week 23 assignment for Lifebook 2013.
Lifebook is really an online class about introspection and then using art to heal and grow. I signed up for Lifebook 2012 and did not complete one assignment, because I was afraid I could not create anything of substance. What is the difference between last year and this year? Me!!!! I am the difference. I am not taking myself too seriously. I am enjoying the process and I am opening myself up to learn. Isn't that is what life is really all about learning? When I open myself up to all that life has to offer, I have a really great time. When I close myself off, I find that negative self talk takes over and that is not good for me or anyone else for that matter.
The thought that came to me today is that it is simply amazing to see the things that have been coming out of me over the course of this year. I laugh, I cry, I feel happy all because I am willing to be open, to search my soul and then create pictures that pretty much reflect where I am at present. I have been blogging more, reading more, participating in more projects and just plain having fun.
I have given myself permission to enjoy my life and I am so glad.
Until next time, on a really pleasant journey......Pilgrim
Wednesday, June 05, 2013
Monday, June 03, 2013
3/4 side view
Continuing to practice with faces. This time I was able to try a different presentation of the nose. Very enjoyable.
Saturday, June 01, 2013
Friday, May 31, 2013
Journey continues
This portrait is on the last page of a memoir I wrote and mailed today for the Arthouse Coop memoir project.
Journey begins-through Breast Cancer
Post for today. This portrait was drawn and colored yesterday and I forgot to post.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Pages 120 -121 completed
Pages 120 -121 completed, a photo by momoo50 on Flickr.
The Post today is the completion of the week of faces challenge in the Art Doodle Love book by Dawn Sokol. I love this book and have been using it almost daily. It is a book for doodling and drawing. It is not a book to merely sit on your shelf, it is a book to handle, mark in, practice techniques, and if your are like me learn how to doodle. I look at zentangles done by others and wonder if I will ever get it. I know that I will but sometime I can be a slow learner.
Another cool thing about this book is that you can skip around and draw on a page that calls to you. I took a class in April called Expressions Ecourse taught by Regina Lord. I have learned to much and ADL allows me to practice I will keep on posting my work here as I complete pages that I love.
Keep checking back. Pilgrim
Monday, May 27, 2013
Janay day 5 of ADL faces.
Art post for the day. This is day 5 of Art Doodle Live face challenge. I live the eyes on this drawing.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Divine Color
Week 21 project for lifebook....Honoring my divine color.
There is a story behind this painting. Tulips are my favorite flower and I love purple tulips so it felt perfect to draw and paint this picture. However, getting to this place was not easy, in fact it was downright hard.
For years I have used rubber stamps and traced copyright free pictures because I did not believe that I could draw the objects. When I did try to draw it looked very childish and i was sorely discouraged. For this project I wanted to draw and paint my tulips. On Friday I did a test run (pictured in another post) by drawing Nasturiums and Oriental Poppies. I used various types of Media to color the flowers. they looked pretty good. I was sure that I would have not problem with my tulips.
'Hold your horses Sparky', my muse seemed to say. "Just what in all that is holy makes you think you can do this and post it?" Looking at the pictures posted by other artists, I immediately got intimidated and discouraged. There was just no way I could draw and paint on a large scale. All day long there was this ongoing dialogue; "no one will like it, does it really matter, will you at least try?" So at 10 pm, I sat down to create. I drew a test in my journal and then copied by test onto my canvas (note to self 140 lb watercolor paper does not hold up well with a lot of water.)
I got my supplies together, had my iPad next to me with the instructional video running, tape on paper, let's get this show on the road.
1. Wet your paper then draw outline of flower and leaves with watercolor crayons
2. Keep the paper wet by spritzing it and start to paint with broad strokes the colors of twinkling h2o's. I used colors complementary to purple for the tulip leaves and colors complementary to green for the leaves
3. the colors are going to meld, keep on spritzing. I looked at the canvas and thought "what in the Hell? This is an awful mess." One week ago I would have stopped. Not tonight, I allowed it to dry and it still looked like a purple and green blob.
4. take watercolor crayons and put highlights in the petals and leaves, keep on spritzing. Uh Oh, colors still mingling and paper is becoming rolling hills.
5. Put saran wrap peices on the leaves, gauze on the leaves to get texture. Put extra colors on the leaves cover entire canvas with saran wrap and put a heavy object on top while it dries. Let it dry for a half an hour,
6. Remove heavy object, pull back large saran wrap and spritz with gold
7. put saran wrap back and heavy object let dry for couple of hours
There are more steps, but it still looked like a hilly blob. Idea surfaced why not outline the flowers with black posca pen to give definition. Enhance the background with some yellow. Put in white highlights and add more water color crayon. Discovered that the crayon will melt under heat gun. You can take a tissue to smooth the crayon---it is really a cool discovery.
I like the randomness and softness of this piece. I like the fact that I stuck with it, I like the fact that I am growing and not giving in to the negative self talk.
Heck, I just love this painting. I am pretty proud of me for this one. I am getting ready to go and sign it.
There is a story behind this painting. Tulips are my favorite flower and I love purple tulips so it felt perfect to draw and paint this picture. However, getting to this place was not easy, in fact it was downright hard.
For years I have used rubber stamps and traced copyright free pictures because I did not believe that I could draw the objects. When I did try to draw it looked very childish and i was sorely discouraged. For this project I wanted to draw and paint my tulips. On Friday I did a test run (pictured in another post) by drawing Nasturiums and Oriental Poppies. I used various types of Media to color the flowers. they looked pretty good. I was sure that I would have not problem with my tulips.
'Hold your horses Sparky', my muse seemed to say. "Just what in all that is holy makes you think you can do this and post it?" Looking at the pictures posted by other artists, I immediately got intimidated and discouraged. There was just no way I could draw and paint on a large scale. All day long there was this ongoing dialogue; "no one will like it, does it really matter, will you at least try?" So at 10 pm, I sat down to create. I drew a test in my journal and then copied by test onto my canvas (note to self 140 lb watercolor paper does not hold up well with a lot of water.)
I got my supplies together, had my iPad next to me with the instructional video running, tape on paper, let's get this show on the road.
1. Wet your paper then draw outline of flower and leaves with watercolor crayons
2. Keep the paper wet by spritzing it and start to paint with broad strokes the colors of twinkling h2o's. I used colors complementary to purple for the tulip leaves and colors complementary to green for the leaves
3. the colors are going to meld, keep on spritzing. I looked at the canvas and thought "what in the Hell? This is an awful mess." One week ago I would have stopped. Not tonight, I allowed it to dry and it still looked like a purple and green blob.
4. take watercolor crayons and put highlights in the petals and leaves, keep on spritzing. Uh Oh, colors still mingling and paper is becoming rolling hills.
5. Put saran wrap peices on the leaves, gauze on the leaves to get texture. Put extra colors on the leaves cover entire canvas with saran wrap and put a heavy object on top while it dries. Let it dry for a half an hour,
6. Remove heavy object, pull back large saran wrap and spritz with gold
7. put saran wrap back and heavy object let dry for couple of hours
There are more steps, but it still looked like a hilly blob. Idea surfaced why not outline the flowers with black posca pen to give definition. Enhance the background with some yellow. Put in white highlights and add more water color crayon. Discovered that the crayon will melt under heat gun. You can take a tissue to smooth the crayon---it is really a cool discovery.
I like the randomness and softness of this piece. I like the fact that I stuck with it, I like the fact that I am growing and not giving in to the negative self talk.
Heck, I just love this painting. I am pretty proud of me for this one. I am getting ready to go and sign it.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Friday, May 24, 2013
Bookbinding
Bookbinding, a set on Flickr.
Art post for today. The photos above are of the first book I have made using a cereal box. I sewed 4 signatures in to the cover. It was an interesting process. It took a lot of nerve and courage for me to do this book.
HOW DID I DO IT?
First I cut off the excess edges from the box which left a wonderful structure. Next I gessoed the front back and spine. I then made a template with the number of holes I wanted in the Spine for sewing. I used a 5 hole straight stitch design using black waxed linen thread. The signatures are independent of each other (I did not use a copic stitch or anything like that). I sewed in each signature and then rounded the corners to give it a finished look.
I still need to work on the cover and spine little more and then I am going to use this book for sketching. I have never really sketched, but I want to practice before my trip to China. I am going to make a travel journal similar to this one, just a little smaller for ease of transport. This book is about 9x12 and is a bit cumbersome for travel.
My next book will have a mixture of papers and I may use binding tape for the spine. We shall see.
Anyway, I enjoyed this project and my bookbinding skills are definitely improving. WooHoo.
Art post for today. The photos above are of the first book I have made using a cereal box. I sewed 4 signatures in to the cover. It was an interesting process. It took a lot of nerve and courage for me to do this book.
HOW DID I DO IT?
First I cut off the excess edges from the box which left a wonderful structure. Next I gessoed the front back and spine. I then made a template with the number of holes I wanted in the Spine for sewing. I used a 5 hole straight stitch design using black waxed linen thread. The signatures are independent of each other (I did not use a copic stitch or anything like that). I sewed in each signature and then rounded the corners to give it a finished look.
I still need to work on the cover and spine little more and then I am going to use this book for sketching. I have never really sketched, but I want to practice before my trip to China. I am going to make a travel journal similar to this one, just a little smaller for ease of transport. This book is about 9x12 and is a bit cumbersome for travel.
My next book will have a mixture of papers and I may use binding tape for the spine. We shall see.
Anyway, I enjoyed this project and my bookbinding skills are definitely improving. WooHoo.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Chrissy
Art post for today. I have been practicing for nearly two months and I am starting to see a marked improvement. Have not really tried copying a picture. The portraits I am drawing now are from the imagination. Maybe next month the goal will be using pictures as a guide.
I have been able to accomplish another marvel, I am blogging everyday and that is nice. I mean really nice. I have had this blog since 2006, that is seven years dear reader and I have not been consistent, truly I have been basically absent on the blog scene and that is a shame. But now I have a reason, I have a voice, I have seen the need to put my thoughts out into the universe even it I am the only one who sees them.
This morning I sat on the patio and read with a light breeze blowing. It was exquisite. Last year I promised myself that I would do what I did today and just did not follow through. This week I have been in my chair, feet up, watching videos, writing and reading just about everyday and I love it. Living in Henderson Nevada and facing the west, I have morning cool and afternoon heat, so my time for enjoying this space are early morning and late evening and that is just fine. My challenge is to keep my pledge to myself and add this process to my self care program. I am going to be 64 this year and I intend to spend the next 18 months preparing myself physically, spiritually and emotionally for the glorious 65 in November 2014.
What does all of this have to do with the picture posted above? A lot really and at the same time not much. It means a lot if I follow through with my goals and plans; not much if I fall back to habits that keep me doubting myself, not doing what I am called to do and making excuses.
Let's see and measure how I do. Hold me accountable dear reader. Pilgrim
I have been able to accomplish another marvel, I am blogging everyday and that is nice. I mean really nice. I have had this blog since 2006, that is seven years dear reader and I have not been consistent, truly I have been basically absent on the blog scene and that is a shame. But now I have a reason, I have a voice, I have seen the need to put my thoughts out into the universe even it I am the only one who sees them.
This morning I sat on the patio and read with a light breeze blowing. It was exquisite. Last year I promised myself that I would do what I did today and just did not follow through. This week I have been in my chair, feet up, watching videos, writing and reading just about everyday and I love it. Living in Henderson Nevada and facing the west, I have morning cool and afternoon heat, so my time for enjoying this space are early morning and late evening and that is just fine. My challenge is to keep my pledge to myself and add this process to my self care program. I am going to be 64 this year and I intend to spend the next 18 months preparing myself physically, spiritually and emotionally for the glorious 65 in November 2014.
What does all of this have to do with the picture posted above? A lot really and at the same time not much. It means a lot if I follow through with my goals and plans; not much if I fall back to habits that keep me doubting myself, not doing what I am called to do and making excuses.
Let's see and measure how I do. Hold me accountable dear reader. Pilgrim
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Marissa
Art post for today. Practice drawing. Introducing Marissa. Notice the snazzy hat. I need to work on eyes, they are not symmetrical. But I am pleased overall with this practice session.
I have been participating in several online projects that give me the opportunity to draw faces. Today I started working on two pages in Art Doodle Love where I have to draw a face a day for 7 days. Today is day one.
I have been participating in several online projects that give me the opportunity to draw faces. Today I started working on two pages in Art Doodle Love where I have to draw a face a day for 7 days. Today is day one.
Monday, May 20, 2013
My Muse
Art post for today. It took me two weeks to complete work on my muse a blinged out quirky bird. I love these birds, they are so fun and they show a happy side of me.
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