Week 21 of the Documented Life Project

This week's challenge was to stitch something on our journal page and I LOVE to stitch on paper with my sewing machine so this one was really fun. Just all sorts of fun stuff going on---stenciling, stamps calligraphy, CalligraFun and of course---stitches!

Better not be color blind to see this page!

Just a little journal sketch

As I listen to Michael Nobbs and try to be "sustainably creative" everyday, this is the one thing that I managed today. Just a quick sketch in my journal with my Tombos of some funky apples in a wooden bowl.

Also, there were a few questions about yesterday's post about the monitor.  I went to Best Buy and asked them if I could display my iPad on an external monitor and they said I could with the right adaptor cord. So that's what I did. Now I paint at my easel by looking at the monitor. That is if I am not painting from a still life.
 No more printing out images to paint.

Lisa Marie Perhaps?

I was looking into one of my many half-done journals and found this girl. She was done in colored pencils first as you can see from the second image but I decided to put some acrylic flesh tone over her face. Suzi Blu uses "Santa's Flesh" by Delta Creamcoat for her Petit Dolls class. I only know this because she mentioned that in her other class I was taking at the time. She also uses Titan Buff. Both are great for mixing flesh tones. I have no idea how she really uses the Santa's Flesh but I have discovered that it is semi-opaque so therefore it makes a wonderful glaze over colored pencils. I like it! By the way, Suzi's class was great and I highly recommend it. The one I took was "The Goddess and the Poet"--of which I am neither! I am thinking about going back and doing the Petit Dolls. I am the perpetual student I guess. Learning and growing is a good thing, this Martha says!

Oh, and who I meant was Lisa Marie Presley when she was younger. Maybe there is something in the eyes that reminded me of her...maybe. Remember, she had her father's eyes.

Poppy Day again!

I was watching TV and drawing in the little journal. I haven't drawn poppies in a while and I missed them. This time I used colored pencils. I keep forgetting just how much I love colored pencils. I love anything and applies color to paper. If is was on a regular sheet I probably would have let the top Poppy bend over to the right or the left but--no room for that is this little journal.

Portrait Practice in the Journal

The one thing that I have been searching for is to find out what medium paints the best face---for me. I have tried watercolor, acrylic, Caran d'Ache and Shiva and the winner is---as of today---Shiva Oil Sticks. I didn't really know the way to use them so I just decided to use them like any other oil paint and add some Gamsol. So this is the result. She probably doesn't look too much different from my other girls but I have struggled so much with the acrylic which leaves lots of brush strokes. Maybe that's ok but I am still searching. So this face was a pleasure to paint---you can change it and add more and change it and add more and it's just dreamy. I love it- so for now---I will use Shiva for all my faces---but will still use acrylic for the backgrounds. You can paint Shiva over acrylic but not acrylic over Shiva.