Pretty and Really Smart

I have been having so much fun drawing these girls. Danielle Donaldson

has the most wonderful class called "Creative Girl--Storybook and Studious Girls"

and her girls are so just adorable. I highly recommend her class.

My girls are a bit different which is what I was striving for. It's all about

"creative practice"---learning from someone you admire but then making it your own.

Take lots of practice!

Little Still Life

I have been sick all week with either the flu or a virus--whatever it is it's been terrible.  I haven't done anything art wise so today I just had to rally enough to paint a little watercolor from a set up I put together. This is one of my new pitchers from ebay.

I didn't have the energy to get out the oil paints but hopefully this little set up can become an oil painting too.

Quickie Watercolor from my Imagination

I have been watching Charles Reid's watercolors and I am fascinated at how wonderful his watercolors are. His techniques are quite different. I'm going to practice his style. I need to be doing some leaves for DLP before the week is up and I get behind!

"Delightful" Hearts--Week 25 of DLP

I love this Scripture so when this week of "Documented Life Project's" challenge was to put hearts on our page I was excited to write out this Scripture. I used cold press watercolor paper so sometimes my lines are rather squiggly but actually that's the point of this lettering style.  Watercolor hearts are always fun!

Potted Plants

These flower pots are a quick go-to for me when I have had to do all sorts of uncreative stuff like wash clothes and add up receipts for taxes among other Monday stuff that required my attention. When I only have 20 minutes before washing my face and going to bed these pots are just the answer when the day is almost gone and nothing was created. I hate it when a day goes by and I didn't get to pick up a paint brush.

Cezanne's Apples

It has been such a busy weekend that I had no time at all to squeeze out any oils and paint. But sometimes I can do a watercolor much quicker and easier. These are some of Cezanne's Apples from the photo image below. I love (love love love love...) his paintings with it's rich texture, depth and color. This started as a quick sketch but actually took me longer than my alloted 20 minutes for the sketches. His are painted in oils but it was fun to look at his and try to figure out what he did. My image was from the internet and it was not a crisp image so I really couldn't figure it out so well. But it was fun to paint. I always enjoy using my watercolors.  He painted many other paintings that I love (love love love love...)  and might try painting some of them with his technique---whatever that is...:))

Quick!

I have 20 minutes until the video transfers...go outside, sit down, look at the plant---DRAW!--don't fret--just draw---draw what you see...yes, it's wonky---go with it. Grab the watercolors--add color--the black pen bleeds--it's ok!---go for it---paint----the video is almost ready----STOP!  All done.

Stars in their eyes...

I haven't painted any girls in so long I thought I would see if I still could paint some. They are mostly watercolor with some acrylic and punchanella thrown in. If you look closely, they really do have stars in their eyes.

Doodle Flowers in Greenville

I drew these out after the baby, Macaulay and Baby Daddy had gone to bed. I know that I needed to color it in quickly then I could sit around and doodle with the Sharpie and white paint pen. I am admiring Alisa Burke right now so these are similar to her wonderful and fabulous doodles---actually she is quite fabulous herself. I am thinking about taking an online class from her next...Graffiti Chic. I am in a messy splattery mood these days.

Tulip Time

The tulips are just so beautiful now. I haven't seen any growing in a garden around here but I do see them in Publix and that might be the closest I will see them. So I decided I just needed to paint some flowers today. Sometimes I get too far away from my watercolor and have to move back in. I used Hydrus watercolors because they are very bright and I wanted bright. And bright they are. I outlined with a nib and India ink and wrote Spring Tulips with that nib. Ok, that made me happy!

Happy Easter

I have been carving some stamps for some graffiti-type fabric that I am planning to paint and I decided to carve an egg. I painted some watercolor on it and stamped.

Have a wonderful and blessed Easter holiday!

Just on a Snippet Whim

This watercolor paper was staring at me from within my collage pieces drawer...
and I thought they they needed some lettering on them.
I love writing on watercolor paper with a calligraphy nib. It's bumpy and rough and wonderful.
And also remember that artists cannot fail...it is success to be one!
...and, yes, "As for me and my house...." also true....
AND how true is this one too?!!!

Just a few snippets for you!

5 minute Flowers

I am still kicking around the idea of a little tutorial class on how to paint these 5 minute flowers. You would be surprised how easy it is but I do have a magic brush that helps which you really don't have to have. So maybe as spring blooms forth so will this little class.

A cute pic, a watercolor and more in the red art journal

I was going to use this as a background for a face but I kinda liked it by itself

This girl is painted more with Suzi style and the other girl from the spread is more Misty's style start with adding in the darks first. This girl had a mishap with her hair so in my frustration I painted over her hair with the green and it looked kinda good so I went with it. Serendipity! When you add in the darks first sometimes you don't have as much control but it is a good exercise in releasing control. That's not easy for me! Have a wonderful day.

Lost Sleep over Journal Pages

Well, I am trying to do the "no pressure, no think" journal pages. Can anyone tell whose book I am reading right now about journaling? Hint--it's "Blissful". Anyway, sometimes I just try different things and usually it ends up going into the "can the journal page be saved?" mode. And unfortunately I can't leave it for the next day if I didn't save it--it has to be fixed RIGHT NOW!! Is anybody else out there as crazy as me about this? I can be trying to go to sleep and I can hear that pitiful little journal page crying and whining and Mama has to get up and fix it. Then, I can't get back to sleep. Oh, how we artists do suffer!!! Anyway, one of these pages was the whiney one that kept me up. And actually, looking at it now, it wasn't worth the lost sleep. Sorry little journal page.

A purple Daisy Day

Well, ya know sometimes how life sometimes overwhelms and things crash in and stress is rampant? Well, that calls for a Purple Daisy day. It just makes me happy. Have a wonderful and blessed Sunday everyone.

AND, thanks so much for all of your comments on my blog givaway the other day! That was a happy thing too! I will do that again before Christmas. Love and hugs to all you BFFBFs. :)

Art Opening Last Night

Last night was the art opening of the "From the Studio Of..." show at the Women's Center here in Jacksonville. It was very exciting to see my art up on the wall along with all the other wonderful art. There were so many different styles from great Jacksonville artists and I feel very privileged to be apart of it. AND...I sold this piece! It's always nice to sell one---even though you feel like you are selling a part of yourself.

Have a wonderful weekend everybody!!!

Birds of a Feather and Tea Cups

Just a couple of little watercolor painting---stitched. Fun! * I love birds. The birds are 5x8 and the tea cups are 41/2 x 6.

Also here is my good buddy, Julie, and her Calligra-FUN practice. I am so proud of all my students. They have all caught on very quickly and turned out some very impressive work!!!

Pots of Flowers Paper Quilts

These are little 3x3 images of some watercolor pots of flowers I have painted in the past and I was thinking that maybe I can make a series of paper quilts with them. These turned out to be about 8x8 and I would frame them for that "Piece by Piece" Show that is coming up. It's not until January but I am into the paper quilt thing so I thought I better go with it while I am in the zone. I would frame with white mat and plain black frame. I am into the plain black frame thing for art. My new found framer can frame these at an affordable price and if they don't sell then I could swap them out and put something else in them. Most of the pieces will end up being about 12 x 12 framed.

Watercolor Photo Painting

I have taken several pictures of things from the studio and plan to turn them into line drawings to paint some simple watercolors from the photographs. I printed these two line drawings on Arches 140 LB paper. It's fun and quick. My goal was actually to paint them more whimsical-like such as Kelli Nina Perkins does (she has a great DVD). But they always end up with fairly realistic colors.  Maybe I will paint them again with bright and outrageous colors and see what happens.  I just love the yummy colors she uses. It takes courage to use those bright colors and I must try and see if I can overcome my fear!!!  Just do it!