Transfer Girl

This girl was a failed transfer in this little 6x6 journal I have (which I love!) and I almost tore her out but there was something I liked about the look of it. I decided to try to bring her face forward and just leave most of the distressed background.
 Note to self: don't tear anything out too quickly--you just never know what the muse will have you do with it later.

I painted her...

 I really enjoyed painting her with a layer of Caran d' ache then layers of acrylic. I also love using the stabilo black pencil for the eyes and eye lashes because you can smudge it a bit so they don't look quite so cartoonish.

I like to name all my girls but sometimes I forget.
 Her name is Penelope.

I drew a girl instead

...instead of shopping on black Friday, that is...

I chickened out and decided I would stay home and shop online

and draw a girl. I will paint her and blog her tomorrow.

Shopping!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I will return hopefully----that is if I don't get trampled at the Black Friday sales.

Thankful

I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.

Another Fab Fabriano Journal

I think I am addicted to spraying these pages. It's so FUN!

More pictures here.

Loyal

She is colored with copic markers and a couple of them were running out of ink which prevented me from blending the face properly. But no worries...sometimes we do have a blotchy face don't we?

Hope Angel

This is the healing angel we were to draw and paint in Tam's class. I think mine turned out to be more of a hope angel bringing things she hopes for me.  I have enjoyed Tam's class. She is drawn in the food composition journal. I enjoyed painting her with my new replacement Claudine Hellmuth paints. I like them a lot.

Sketch du jour

Ok, well, here I go a' sketchin'!

The chair on the right is a far better rendition of the chairs than the one on the left.

I actually should go outside in this beautiful weather and actually I think I will but first I wanted to attempt the chairs. The box---well, we just won't discuss it. I am still only using a pen because with a pencil I fiddle way too much and I want to see if I can just go for it. Of course if I were drawing something for a painting or something then I would use a pencil.

I really am going to pull out my "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" and try to go through it--again. I did it years ago but didn't make it all the way through. It got too hard so---I put it down. I guess I didn't realize at that point that drawing what you see is a difficult task (at least for me) and pushing through is what makes us better artists.
Also, here is a YouTube of how I spray the pages for the journals. 

Old-->New Sketchbook

This is my old-->new  sketchbook that only had two pages filled so I am planning on using this for my sketchbook. It is a Bee Sketchbook with really nice paper that accepts wet media and just about everything else. I decided to use my newest girl on the front with some collaged pieces in the background. I actually created the front digitally and printed it on --Staples brand injet photo paper (matte) which is very affordable and excellent! I am so excited to have found it. Then I added Golden Polymer Gloss Medium to seal it give it a sheen.

Now, I will see if I can keep my promise to myself to draw something everyday. I guess time will tell.

And for me the thing that helps is to have a cute journal to grab. Anything that helps!

Now this was FUN!

Ok, I have found my new fun thing, making these journals! I absolutely love spraying paper whether it is copic spray, Montana paints or Adirondack inks. I love the way they disperse on the paper and well--yum yum yum!

This one is fashioned after Teesha's 16 page journal but it is a little different with the blank pages added. These are quick and easy to make but the spraying takes some time. But as I said---it's FUN!

Here are more pics.

Just draw it!

I used my 20% off birthday coupon at ReddiArts yesterday and bought this Koi watercolor set because the one thing I really want to do (and always have wanted to do) is keep a sketch book going. Alisa Burke is my inspiration here because hers is so fabulous. She doesn't use a pencil, she draws with a pen. That is what I did on this one. The watering can is on the front porch so I sat in the beautiful warm sun and just went for it. This sketch journal doesn't like the water too much so I need to pull one of mine out that will take water much better than this one. I hope I can keep it up. I am really going to give it my best shot. Drawing is so important and it's truly "no pain, no gain."
Have a wonderful Sunday!

New Journals!

I have really enjoyed spraying these pages and making a smaller journal. I really think I am addicted to spraying on color. I used Adirondack Color Wash Inks which I love! Watch your fingers though because it will stain. So much for nice looking nails. Oh, the plight of the artist!

More pics here and here.

Pretty in Pink

She was going to have white hair but there as pink on my brush and thought...ok.. pink's good too. As you see she does not have lines because she is painted in another one of my many journals that are partially completed.  One of these days maybe I will draw a whole girl--body and all.

Queen for a Day

I really did have a wonderful birthday and I want to thank you all for my birthday wishes. Some of you came on over from my good buddy, Lori's, blog and I thank all of you too!!!  Yes, it was a wonderful, beautiful day.

It's a really good day

PSALM 118:24

I Will Go

I am still drawing faces in the composition journal. I really don't mind the lines. I love lines---why do I love lines? I guess lines are a comfort zone for me. I don't really know why. There must be some deep seated thing going on in me. Maybe it's just something to hold on to. Of course I like drawing faces without the lines too on a canvas but it's not as comfortable as in my composition journal.
"I will go" is from the book of Ruth. I love that sweet story of Ruth and Boaz.

Two Sweet Friends

Here are two little friends that I think I might cut out and place on some sort of background in my journal as Tam did in her class.  I try so hard to paint whimsey girls but for some reason the realistic always tries to push through. I love the faces Tam paints and she says everything needs to be exaggerated--bigger heads and eyes etc. She did a little button nose which might help more but I usually try and paint the nose. It's the hardest part for me.  Well, the mouth is hard too but you just keep drawing and erasing, drawing and erasing until she emerges. She is always there.

She searched for years

This is in the composition journal again. I am still enjoying Tam's class and we were to draw ourselves and write something about our lives. This of course doesn't look like me but I suppose all my girls are my alter me in some way or other.

New Chunky Book

I haven't made a book in quite a while but I always have a drawer full of pieces that I can put in. This book is a bigger one, 11 x 12, and I had fun making the file folder pockets. I have a great desire to use a coptic stitch to sew these books but I chickened out on this one and decided to just use the Rubicoil. I love the Rubicoil because I can tie on all sorts of fibers. It was fun!

Miss Fabulous, Fashionable "F"

Miss Fabulous and Fashionable "F" went to Fashion Week in New York with her friend, Miss Dottie "D", and her twin sister, Miss Eclectic "E" to see the finale of "Project Runway." Needless to day, they were VERY bummed that the fabulous Mondo didn't win and the "other girl" with the extremely drab clothes won. So this is Miss F's tribute to the fabulous, Mondo.  She was very fortunate to have inherited a fortune so she promptly bought Mondo's last show stopper design right out from under Heidi Klum.

PS If you didn't watch this season of "Project Runway" then you might be very confused about this post!

She Has Great Peace

I am trying to draw a face within the areas of my Moleskine where I had already added backgrounds. I also had previously added the lettering. She is right in the seam so it was difficult to paint her and I don't like to put the focal point in the center of the page but in this case there was no other choice. She is meditating on the Word. She looks rather deep in thought, doesn't she? Perhaps someone just offended her and she is remembering that verse and holding her tongue.

Junk In-->Junk Out

This is a little whimsey girl from Tam's class that I sketched into my composition journal where I keep my food lists. I colored her in with colored pencils. I am enjoying Tam's free class so much that I might even take some of her other classes. I really like her.