Collaged Face-Misty homework

This was fun to do, if you don't mind little bits of paper flying everywhere. I transfered a face on to wood and started tearing pieces from magazine pages that I had torn out with the same values. I think it turned out pretty cool looking although I don't know if I would be of the artistic mindset to do alot of these. But I should just try one more though

Misty class-Shiva sticks

In the journal with graphite first then shiva.
I really like the oil sticks the best of all the mediums to paint a face. I drew the face with graphite pencil first, then colored pencils to get some color down then add shiva oil sticks. I drew her in the composition notebook and pasted her into one of my larger journals over a watercolor wash. Then added stamps and punchanella. I love shive oil sticks. They are creamy and dreamy!!! It may just become my medium of choice for faces. You can also paint the face with acrylics then add shiva as a final coat to smooth everything out as long as the acrylic is dry.

Also, I have signed up for another faces class by Sharon Tomlinson of All Norah's Art! I have actually been waiting for her to do a class ever since I found her blog some time ago. I don't buy clothes or go to the malls anymore--I buy art classes! I get paint all over my clothes anyway---:)
Have a great weekend!

One more...

Still using graphite and colored pencils. This method is easier for me. Then Suzi adds paints to it also but I didn't add paint to this one. But she does look fairly young, maybe 13. I want 10!!! It's just another look. Both are a good method, Suzi's and Misty's. Suzi's is easier for me at this point but I am going to work on Misty's techniques.

This is a journal page with magazine clippings and a girl I painted and collaged her on. ( I think she felt she wasn't perfect so she decided to go and get lip collagen injections.) Either that or I am subliminally painting myself with my own mysteriously puffy lips from some mysterious unknown allergen or----whatever! Actually I am much better now since I have taken the gluten out of my diet. But that is another story....

This journal page was actually a fun and serendipitous time of collagilating. She looks as if she has a scarf on which was totally unplanned and ---I do love a scarf. I painted this girl following Suzi instruction. Am I getting dizzy doing both classes??--yes, just a bit.

Exotic girl

Yes, I know, she is rather exotic looking but this is from Misty's class where you put the shadows in first and build it up. She started off looking very very bad and with much finagling and with no clue what it would end up looking like this is what emerged. Maybe she is Hawaiian or maybe Spanish.

A younger girl!! And a few more journal pages...

*****This is actually a little later addition to the post. As K said in the comments pearls might have been too old for a little girl so I changed them to pink. That was a good suggestion because it gave the opportunity to repeat the pink just a bit. Now they are just beads.

OK, well, this little girl went down a few years. Thanks so much for all of your suggestions and I think it helped. In the sketch she looks about 7 and painted she looks about 9 or 10. Yay! I printed her out on 300 lb watercolor paper (and prayed as it went through!) then I painted her with a dry brush acrylic. You can still see the lines form the notebook. You would think I could draw in something else without lines if I am planning on using it! There is just something about lines that is extremely comforting to me. It must go back to my calligraphy roots.
Below are two more spreads in the journal that I did a few days ago.
Again, I pasted another girl into my journal from the composition notebook. I was just going to leave her in grayscale but then decided to put a little bit of color on her with colored pencils. I guess I am in a pink mood. I do like pink and green together.

This was a page in the journal that just had some thick acrylic splotches in the background so I decided to draw another Gypsy. Actually I painted her about a week ago in Suzi's and forgot to blog her. I did put her up on Flickr though. I gessoed her face and added some skin tone then completed her as Suzi has taught us using colored pencils. It gives a different texture and I actually had a heck of a time getting the waxy colored pencils to mark over the slick acrylic. Clear gesso would have been the answer but I thought of it too late.

Is she any younger?

Well, maybe she is 14 or 15 but I want age 10 or 12! Thanks for all of your suggestions as to how to draw and paint a younger girl. I tried to heed them all and I SO appreciate all of your suggestions. But I don't think she turned out young enough. I started from black which I probably should not have done to try to accomplish this but I am kinda liking starting from black. Maybe her nose is not big or wide enough. Well, I'll keep trying. This is in the Moleshine journal. Tomorrow I have a few more girls painted with different techniques...Misty's and Suzi's.

More from Suzi class and Dancing Queen

I am trying so hard to make my girls younger looking. For some reason they stay around late teens or early twenties. I want to paint little girls that are about 10-or 12. I can't quite figure out what accomplishes that. Bigger eyes??? Rounder face?? Not sure. Maybe I will ask Suzi. I have tried not to bother her but maybe I will ask her that question. I am enjoying her class. I love seeing how free she is and her colors she uses. She explains things really thoroughly. This was a fun page that started off with just some stamp images and it just began to take form. I debated on whether to put the hearts on her face. I am such a realist but I am trying so hard to try something new. Hearts on the face---it's all good!
Misty's class is good too. Misty and Suzi are both are extremely talented and at either ends of the spectrum as to their painted faces. I am really amazed at both of them.

Peace like a River

I am debating whether to put more writing. I will leave it for now. She is another girl I sketched on the sofa while watching "24". It's intense so I like to sketch when I watch it. Don't we all hope that there is a "Jack Bauer" working out there under cover for our gov't? Some of you probably have no idea what I am talking about! I glued her into the Moleskine journal. This is how I heard someone pronounce that:
Mole-ska-na: with a long "a" over the second "a" and the accent on the second syllable---but who knows. This person seemed like she knew.

Have a blessed Sunday everyone.

Saturday Page

I sometimes draw and doodle in my composition notebook and it turns out to be a face I like so I decided to tear her out and paste her in the journal. So here is the Friday night and Saturday morning page. This is couch art actually. As we watch TV I have some art stuff around. My hands just won't stop. Is that a good thing?? Maybe...maybe not. Sometimes I need to do some laundry and vacuum the floor. Oh so many distractions! Have a great weekend!!

"Avatar" girl and wood thing

This is the girl from yesterday's post. In Suzi's class she tells us to put clear gesso over the pencil drawing. Finally a use for that clear gesso I bought a while back! I sanded her a bit then started coloring her with colored pencils. I wish there was a class just to draw hair! Well, I guess this is what mine would look like if it was this length with no hairspray, gel, curling iron, teasing comb....
This girl looks like she could be an earthly cousin of the girl in Avatar. Maybe the eyes a just a bit too far apart---but now I am thinking aloud. Sorry.

Below is something that I started painting on 12x 12 wood just to try out some new Sonja Joe paints. It started as just a background and developed into this. And I wanted to use my word for this year. Then...and I don't know what got into me...I got out my hand saw and wood and made this easy frame with strips of wood that have been hanging around the studio for who knows how long. You don't have to miter the edges and it's easy.

Misty Mawn Class and journal page

I think that Misty's class is going to be really good. After taking Suzi Blu's class and now taking Misty's I should be able to improve my faces. I can't show you the profile drawing, though. Oh my goodness...it was REALLY bad!
Below is a journal page.

Yes, it is all by grace isn't it?

More girls and a "Flapper"

I painted the girl yesterday. I am trying to paint or draw a face a day for practice using different techniques. I decided to place her on a couple of backgrounds because it is fun to do that. I could have gotten out my DJ book and done something more " el manipulation de la extrema" (new Spanish art word I just made up :) but that's for another day. DJ's class is great but I know for me that to learn something on Photoshop and retain it you have to do it alot--and have a need for it so for me I will be referring to her book quite often!

Now for the journal page---ok---don't gasp...



Oh goodness.....she became a flapper! And I think she might look like a "he" in drag. That's a first for me. "She" was having a bad hair day so "she" decided to put on this headband. Well, sometimes they are beautiful and sometimes--not so much. That's what makes the art-world go round. I am getting close to the end of this little red journal. I only have 31/2 more full spreads. I guess you could say that is seven pages. As you see this page started with a little "Teesha-i-zation" (new word for wikipedia) and the renew today was from a magazine. I did the border first awhile back and then later added the "girl" and the Scripture. I thought it fit rather well...the renew today ad from the mag and the Scripture.

Below is another page spread that I forgot to post the other day.

Artist to Artist....The Doorway to inspiration...what does it all mean? Nothing really, I'm just collagilating again and enjoying the process.

Watch for Gypsies

Well, I guess only Suzi could get me to paint fire engine red hair. That's what I love about her class, she encourages everyone to play and experiment and ...paint red hair! Ok, I can do that!

Walk in Love

This is another girl drawn while still in Suzi's Les Petit Academy. I think it would be much better if it had a pink background. hee hee

Pray for Haiti Journal Page

This page was left without writing so I thought it should be the Haiti page. I had already written the Scripture about the beautiful feet so I felt that it was the right time to fill it in. Yes, what a terrible thing has happened and we will never know why these bad things happen in this world. We will know one day though. It will all become clear.


Now on a happier note:

Les Petit Academy

Well, as I said yesterday I am in art school. Did I say that? Well, I am taking two classes right now one being Suzi Blu's "The Goddess and the Poet". Sometimes when I am feeling a little "blu" and I need a little entertainment I wander on over to Suzi's Youtubes. Suzi is quite unique and I do love her whimisical faces that she paints. But don't let the whimsy fool you...Suzi is very thorough in her teaching and stresses value, line and form which will make a beautiful face. I have so enjoyed doing her class. I am only half way through. I so want to create a whimisical face and as hard as I try I just can't make mine look like hers but...I said that for a reason.... that's a good thing! I am thankful that I can't make mine too much like hers but I love her technique and colors---and she keeps my attention--which is actually hard to do. Does anyone else have Artist ADD? I love her dreamy faces with the half closed eyes and I think that if I am ever to draw a whimisical face...I am in the right class. Misty Mawn starts Frisay so I will be quite busy for a while.

Carmen with some effects

Here is Carmen with a few added layers to her that I learned from DJ. It's a great class but I am also taking Suzi Blu's class and enjoying watching Suzi paint---and talk and emote. She's a wonderful artist. I want to paint whimisical people so I thought she was the class to take for that. I'll show you some of those girls when I am finished with them. I am surely taking a full sememter of classes because Misty's starts tomorrow. Luckily Suzi's can be saved for later and I am looking forward to Misty's. It should be great. I'll let you know

Jessica and Carmen

Well, I am not sure if I really like the look of these girls when I start from black. Sometimes they don't turn out any thing near what I originally drew. It certainly is a challenge to construct a face this way but I do like the tones in the face but the eyes get kinda off kilter. The top girl has some big hair for sure and I guess I really could have corrected that. I do follow a face in a magazine just to see where the shadows are which helps but again, it looks nothing like the magazine. I will probably fiddle with miss big hair some more and maybe spiffy up her blouse a bit. The girl on the bottom looks like a Carmen and let's see, the girl on the top looks like a Jessica. I will probably use these images with some neat things I have learned in DJ's class.

Two more journal pages

Here are two more pages in the red journal. I really do like the size of this 6x6 journal. The poppies and the girl are printed on regular copy paper and collaged in. That always makes for easy pages and I do like writing around the box. I am about half way through with the red journal. I would like to do a journal with just faces in it using all the techniques that I have learned but I will do that after Misty's class.

Watch and Pray--Sunday journal entry

I have been taking DJ Pettitt's Photoshop online class and first I would like to say what a wonderful job she has done on this workshop and how difficult it must have been to compile all of this excellent information. I thought I knew a lot about Photoshop but she has given me valuable information and more that just a few---"aha, so that's how she does it!!!" The girl in the journal entry was one I painted and blogged several days ago--- then I added a another layer filled with white then erased with a brush I made out of a sunflower drawing I did. Got it? Well, you will just have to take her class to explain it all! It's rather complicated but yet, once you learn it, oh, so easy...and addicting!

A little Springtime in the Winter Blast

Man, it's cold outside but we are warm and toasty inside. We might even get a little snow. Just a slight dusting might shut this city down! So I thought I would bring just a little bit more of springtime from Callaway Gardens. These are Geraniums and.....yep... and I am sure of it! I might not know my Orchids from Irises but I do know Geraniums. I took the picture and added some poster edges and hue and saturation and it makes it look like a painting...then the hard part..sticking it on. :)

It's a beautiful GARDEN-in the journal

When I grew up in West Point, Georgia, Callaway Gardens was only 25 minutes away and I grew up on that "beach" watching my older brother be the clown in the ski show. He was very good back then! And as I grew older I learned to appreciate the gardens and went there often. This is from my last trip before I sold the house to my nephew and knew that my travels to this place would be very few and far between--or if ever again. I am not sure if this picture is right side up or not but it doesn't really matter. They were the most beautiful Irises growing out from a rock wall with a waterfall. In Photoshop I added poster edges filter and kicked the hue and saturation way up. It just happened to blend with this watercolor page that I had done so !voila!...easy page...done!

--------update----

PS I was informed that these are Orchids. I love flowers but I'm not good at identifying them!

For the January Blessings- Journal Page

Several of my bloggette buddies are picking out words for this year so maybe I will pick a word ---or maybe several words. I think Agape will be one...watching, and... hope. Ok, so those are my three words. I'll probably change them tomorrow.

Yes, very thankful indeed. I am still working in the little Red art journal and still just trying to work intuitively and just let the pages evolve. Some start out really really bad but with a little stickability and pushing through it usually can turn out to something I can live with.

Note to God

My purpose in this painting was to just create some distressed-looking backgrounds by different techniques and transfer something onto it. This transfer of the girl is with Apollo transparency inkjet sheets and soft gel. As I was scanning it I was listening to my iTunes and this song came on. It is one of my favorites so I decided to write the first few lines of the song. You all may have seen this precious young lady named Charice but I thought you might like to see her sing this song her. Everytime I watch this YouTube it brings tears to my eyes.

Pears- Journal Page

The pears and the pepper are actually colored by copic markers and collaged on. The great thing about these copics is that it is alcohol based and they won't smear at all so you can glue and paint over them and all is well.

I love adding words to my journal pages that are "Gotha-sized". Maybe I will do an online workshop to teach how to do these letterforms. I would only use calligraphy markers so that would be the only supply. It is surprisingly easy. Here are some examples here, and here, and here. There are various others but these are just a few. Maybe so...

And I just had to post this---bear with me. There are far off family members to check my blog. Baby Marc is walking behind the Radio Flyer that Nana bought him for Christmas. He's working so hard!

Painting the girls

I have been taking Jane DesRosier (Gritty Jane)'s online class.

This ethnic-looking girl is painted starting from black, adding darker values and using blue/ green tones for the contours of her face to create the shape. The lighter tones are added. So now I know how she achieves the wonderful depth she gets in her paintings and with her faces. Since the class was only several hours long, I decided to do her class this weekend. It really will take some practice but I want to learn all the different ways to paint a face since that is what I love to do the best.

The painting below was also starting from black. I painted her just before Christmas before I had even signed up for Jane's class. I thought it was rather interesting that I started this one from black then that's what Jane taught in her class. This girl actually started out to be an angel with a halo which turned into a hat and wings that turned into trees. She looks a bit miffed because I think she actually wanted to be an angel.

Create Art Journal Page

Here's another page from the little red journal. I have also been doing a new online class this weekend that I will show you on Monday. This online class is probably the most difficult for me to do so far but I am hoping it is something that I might be able to incorporate into my art this year. You'll see...