Lawyer by day, Rocker by night

Well, my little boy, Zach, who just turned 26 !!--will graduate from the University of Florida College of Law on May 15th.  All these years since he was 12 years old I have watched him play his guitar in praise bands at the church and numerous bands he has thrown together in college.... and his fun year in Nashville just after college and the CD his band cut...all has been a blessing to me to watch his progression. But I have never been any prouder of him than I am now. He will graduate with honors and will start work in the downtown Jacksonville Firm of Smith Hulsey in September.  (Please excuse my gush---I don't quite know what got into me--My mama taught me not to brag---but hey--just this once---ok? He's also a second degree black belt in Taekwondo...I just had to throw that in....

Filming the Brush Lettering Online Class

I have been pretty busy filming myself for the Brush Lettering online class. I have filmed 3 lessons so far out of the 4. It was quite a learning curve to do this!  The curve included learning how to use the camera, how to set it up, lighting, and iMovie. Many many hours! And I had a real scare because right in the middle of my filming I found out that EK Success is discontinuing these markers!! Yikes! But not to fear, I was contacted through my Youtube from Karetake.com who manufactures these pens. (That was surely a God thing!)--- and upon contacting them I found out that yes---they are still being produced and with rave reviews!  Thank goodness. So there are other places to find these wonderful Zig Brushables Markers.  WHEW! Anyway, just one more lesson to go and it will be in the can!  August 1st is the projected start date since Creative Workshops needs about a month to advertise.

Just a little practicin'

I have a good friend who cleaned out all of her art studio and I bought all of her Arches watercolor paper for real cheap. (Remember she who dies with the most paper wins!  :)) This is Arches hot press paper which is smooth. It is a great paper for calligraphy written with nib and gouache (opaque watercolor). This was just a little doodling practice sheet just to see how this paper would take watercolor flowers.  It's different from cold press---you have to work fast! But for me--the faster the better!  zoom....zoom....

Flat Stanley Has come to visit

Flat Stanley has come for a visit from my grand nephew, Zachry. Flat Stanley came all the way from Peachtree City, GA, for an adventure. Here is Stanley and Bucky just arriving at the Red Door for a little art time.  I take pictures of Stanley doing different things and send them back to Zachry who shares them with his second grade class. Flat Stanley will be going back to Peachtree City soon. It has been fun having him here for a visit. Bucky has enjoyed him too.

Also---->the grandbaby is due May 3rd---that's this Sunday!  We'll see if he cooperates! I am getting excited and our daughter is REALLY ready. 

Crossroads Store

Well, I have to confess, I am a DJ Pettitt wannabe. I have never met her and have never seen how she does all of her beautiful, to-die-for art, but one thing that really intrigues me is how she does her altered photographs--among lots of other art she creates. Does she paint directly over the art....just what does she do? Hopefully one day I will find out but in the meantime I think I will try altering the photographs by painting directly over the printed photo. This was a trial run and I think that next time I will put mat medium on first---I don't really know why---I just like to use acrylic over mat medium. And maybe I will make the next one a bit more painterly.

This is a little store that is just outside of West Point, GA, my old stomping grounds, on Hwy 18 on the way to Callaway Gardens. It is like stepping into the 19th century when you go in and it has probably been there that long. They are still open for business in the middle of no-where land and the neatest antiquities you have ever seen. The people who work there are antiquities also with the most southern of southern accents ---actually-- probably just like mine.

Above is the altered after photo that I painted and below is the real before photograph I took several years ago. I think I started with a rather difficult one but it was really fun. I think I will do some more! Next time---maybe a bird.

Folk Art-Grunge Edge

Here is a Folk Art painting that I painted fairly recently with some edges applied. I could sit here all day and create these edges--it's fun. This is Frida as a child before the eyebrows grew in---just kidding. Frida was actually very beautiful but oh what a tragic life. But I must get on with my other task as hand. I get rather hypnotized as I sit here applying different edges. That's not good! Hope everyone has a lovely and creative day.

PS-- I have lesson 3 completed of my online calligraphy brush marker class that will be offered through Creative Workshops. I worked the whole day yesterday. I am getting the hang of iMove and it just gets funner and funner! (new word--funner) Still don't like my wrinkled hands! I need that Avon hands stuff.

Creativity

That's really true isn't it? How may times have I started to chunk the piece in the trash thinking that I can't let it live on with the mistakes. Sometimes for calligraphy that is really the truth but I am finding out that with mixed-media paintings there are no mistakes---none. You can keep them all and as I always say...thank goodness for Gesso!!! And allowing myself to makes the mistakes....well, I am still working on that one---but I'm getting better.

I wrote this several days ago. I just love this quote---and I love calligraphy. It is my artistic first love. Sometimes when I venture too far away from my pens they call to me,"Martha, come write with us...we have wonderful things to say..."

Yes, I do talk to my pens but sometimes I have to scold them when they are not behaving!

What We See with the Eyes

One of the most fun things I like to do is combine my calligraphy with different backgrounds with the magic of Photoshop. I wrote this quote a few days ago and scanned it and came across this little watercolor example that I painted while watching a Youtube video. I love watercolor and should pick up my brushes more often. I am rather busy right now filming the video lessons for my online calligraphy Zig marker class. I've got two completed so far but the editing process takes a while. I am using iMovie and it is a great program--but there is a learning curve. I am very curvy these days! I'm making progress and I will let you know when it will be available. Yikes--I'm excited but scared at the same.

New Poster coming out soon

I creared this design 5 or 6 years ago. I have some posters and "Pass It On" cards with a company called Universal Designs who sells to Christian book stores and Bible outlets. I have some posters still in print and some other designs and it's really fun to stop at the Bible outlets when traveling and go in one and see my posters. But I haven't had anything new with them and quite a while although I have been sending them art. Out of the blue after several years they called and wanted to used this design for a large poster. I actually couldn't even remember the design--she had to take a picture of it so I could know what it was. I actually created this on white paper but their art department wanted to put it on a turquoise background and they always ask for approval. So here is the new large poster with Universal Designs to be coming out soon. My art has changed so much since then but hey! if they like it---I love it! :)

Fleur de lure

In the larger journal, 11 x 14. I like this journal because the pages are thick and take gesso really well. I have this wonderful color wheel I bought from Beverly Gilbert that helps you coordinate colors. I started with the peachy color and the color wheel told me that these other two colors would work well with it. It was right! I think it will be a very useful tool.

SING!

Here is another ditty with the FX edges applied. This is on a little 5 x 7 canvas board. Have you ever received those freebie note cards in the mail and usually you glance through them and then file them away and revolving file 13? I usually do that whenever things like that come in but these little birdies were a keeper. So I collaged them into a little piece.

I am working hard at filming an online brush lettering class that will be offered at Creative Workshops. I filmed the first one today and I got so frustrated--I did the whole first lesson thinking it was recording when it wasn't! ARGGG---but maybe I did better the second time. iMovie is what I am using to edit and there is a learning curve there. And--goodness gracious--my hands in the video look like I am 90 years old! Well, nothing I can do about that---but as the saying goes..."the face will deceive but the hands (and neck) never lie!" Hopefully no one will notice... But really, who cares anyhoo?? Age is just a number... and mine is unlisted. :) I also sound like backwoods Betty. I never really realized what a twang I have until I started filming myself. Ok so--byyyye y'all. See ya tomarra.

Prairie Peasant Won!!!

Congratulations to Laura of Prairie Peasant! 

 AND thank you all for your sweet comments and participating in the sursy giveaway. It was so much fun I will do it again.  I love to give sursys to people I love!!!! :)

Tulips in the Raffine Journal

This is quick watercolor in a Raffine Art Sketch Journal. I think that the paper in these journals are about as versatile as any. It takes watercolor really well as well as pencil sketches. This one is 6 x 6. One of my favorite journals!

Just a few more hours until Mr. Random. org picks his number for the drawing at 8:00pm EST. Check here if you would like to win a sursy.

Sursy Givaway!

What is a Sursy?? Well, it a southern term indigenous to the @ Columbia, South Carolina area and on eastward to Charleston. A sursy a little unexpected gift to close friends or family (blog family!) for no special occasion, particular to show affection or thanks.

I think that just about says it all!!

If you have visited my blog before and like my art, I would love to give you the sursy! Just leave me a comment----- and on Saturday at 8:00 EST pm I will choose a name a Random.org and will send your sursy on Monday---just because I am grateful for you and for anyone who will click on my blog and take a gander. Means so much to me!

This is a 5 x 5 x 1 1/2 collaged, mixed-media canvas cube on "feet" and has a beeswax overlay. You can also see it in this post. Thanks!

Sursy Giveaway Tomorrow!!

Stay tuned for the giveaway tomorrow---and to find out what a sursy is!

Poppies Pop up everywhere

This is collage, some brush lettering, zinc white then I wiped it down.  I added the word Poppy last then sanded it off a bit. The "jazz lettering" is going down the middle.  Jazz lettering??---it doesn't say anything really.  This was fun and quick--no thinking too much.  That works for me!

Tulips in Bloom

I am playing around with some graphic edges in a program that I have just purchased. So here are a few different edges on a little acrylic ditty. Believe me, the edges go on and on...more later with the edges. Have a great day.

Baby Marc's room!

We had fun fixing up the baby's room in Greenville, SC. Our son, Zach, mathematically measured all pictures (he is very left brained as well as right brained) and he and his dad hung everything. Marc, Macaulay's husband, was at work so when he got home it was all finished.
Zach even assembled a very cool swing that you can add iPod songs to and also assembled the jogging stroller. He was most helpful! Now he is back at law school at the University of FL for the last grueling 2 1/2 weeks until final exams are over and he is ALL DONE. If all goes well--he will finish his last exam on May 1st then be ready to come for the birthing around May 3rd--ish. And that is, if baby Marc cooperates. We'll see!

Believe

Have blessed Easter.

She dreams of the day...

I made this little 4 x 4 wall hanging ditty for a friend who is having a hard time right now with life stuff...and I know she dreams of the day when it will be over. One day it will. God is faithful and prayer availeth much!  I used a coaster and printed on paper-backed printable fabric. I could have just as well used paper but I kinda wanted a bit more rustic look.

Just one last thing for the baby's room!

We will be heading up to South Carolina for Easter and I will be taking all the paintings for the grand baby's room. This was the last of my paintings before little Marc comes on (or around) May 3rd. I got the letters at Hobby Lobby. I also painted a lampshade that really turned out cute but I will take a picture of that in the room. I can't wait to see the room all finished. Maybe I can take some pictures or a video of the finished room and post them next week. I have a post for tomorrow and an Easter post also so come back and visit even though I will be out of town.

Home Page for my Website

I have been working furiously to get my website up before my show at Reddi Arts in May. I created it in iWeb and after having a lesson at the Apple store I think I have about conquered the program. It is not really very hard and the site is looking pretty good so far. I will give you a link when it is looking better. Anyway, this is on the home page. Ok--go ahead and look if you want to:

www.reddoorartstudio.com

I still need to put in the flowers and miscellaneous paintings---whew! Getting there!

Girls In the Small Journal

Make sure you always take your small Molskine or whatever journal you have with you at all times--especially when you waiting in the Dr's office. The time flies by and you don't think about being at the dr's office and before you know it they call you and your's done. I actually like using a regular pencil although I do like using a 2or 3B. But usually it is so messy and smuggie that I would rather just use the regular HB. Have a wonderful day!

It is a dog or---three flowers??

Can you tell what it is?? It is a little pink Scottie dog or is a miss-happen flower painting? I will leave that up to you! :) Have a wonderful day.

More in the big journal...

More collage, circles with my favorite stamp-- toilet tissue paper roll, calligrapher marker and white paint pen for the lettering. This 12 x 14 journal has nice thick pages and takes gesso and paint really nicely. I am not sure who makes this journal but it is one of my favorites. Have any of you noticed the yucky yellow/green pages in the Molskine sketch journals if you have bought a new one lately? Lots of people are complaining about it and you should ask the retailer to open it up for you before you buy it and see if it's these new yucky pages. I usually just buy the watercolor pages anyway in the Molskine. Have a nice Monday!

Seek Peace and Pursue It

This is in the smaller journal, still trying to just have fun slapping on paint. The "slap on bug" sometimes hits me at 11:00 at night. I need to show you my little art studio at home. I actually get a lot done in that one too--it's a walk in closet. But very functional.

Have a blessed Sunday.

Birds In the Journal

This is in my Moleskine journal. The birds are a stamp that is just the outline of the birds that I painted and the swirls are a hand carved stamp. I love to carve stamps and I need to use them more in my backgrounds. This Moleskine is a sketch pad so I coat it with Gesso before I paint although you probably don't really need to. But when you coat the pages with Gesso it makes the pages kind feel like leather when you're done.

Final one...finished!

The original plan was to do this one actually directly on the wall---yikes!--but I decided that since I had done the two other canvases then this would be easier. And actually it really went pretty fast. I need to paint the sides then I will be finished. We will be up in South Carolina for Easter so I will take a picture or film them and blog it. That will be fun!

Workshop with Golden Open Acrylics

Ok well, I made the plunge---to try Golden Open acrylics. I loved this workshop with local artist Diane Fraser. She is such a great teacher and gave us lots of information (aha moments!) and introduced us to these great acrylics. They are more transparent than the regular acrylics so you use them along with the regular acrylics but the glazing and workable effect is amazing. AND they stay on your pallet and wet for an hour or even longer. She is an oil painter and she said this is a great invention by Golden. I loved them and had to get all the colors but I will use them for my faces since it stays workable and blend-able longer. So basically you under-paint with regular acrylics then glaze (and glaze and glaze, if desired!)) with the opens. I love em!

Froggies All finished!

So here are the frogs all finished up. I thought the white stripes were way to busy on the sides so I just left them black.  It was all fun to do. I probably will fiddle some more. I am thinking that the circles around the background might need to be outlined in black but I don't know. Right now it's a darker green. Maybe I will take a good photo and fiddle with it in Photoshop. Then I can see if that works. 

Look who helped---Grampa! He did a great job putting on some dots.

Sunday Word

Have a blessed Sunday!

Painting the Frogs

These two paintings on canvas are for our daughter in Greenville, SC, for baby Marc's room. He is expected to arrive around May 3rd. I am not used to working so big but it was great for me to stretch myself. And actually it has been fun. Anyway, this is what I have been working on.

Brush Lettering with the Zigs

I love these Zig markers and they come in so many colors it will make your head swim. Of course I have to have all the colors. They are fun to use but of course you don't have to do lettering with them--you can just color anything with them. I don't work for Zig--Marvys work too. Hope you enjoy this little video.

AND also--they DO still make these markers they are just harder to find in the retail stores but you can find them online. I was mistaken in the video. Sorry Zig!

Red Door Art Studio Tour

Thanks for visiting my studio. I have such fun there.
Here is the link for Sharon and Jenn.

And Sharon is so right in her comment she left---I really don't work here I play here!! It is the little playhouse I never had as a child. This bungalow is just around the corner from where I live so sometimes Bucky and I walk over.  I love my neighbors here also---it's just a cozy little street with bungalows all around. This is a very quaint little area of Jacksonville in this Riverside area of town. And just a bit more information---when my mother died 8 years ago I kept that house where I grew up in West Point, Georgia. It was a very large house and I tried to keep it up and visit there. But as time went by, the cost involved grew and GREW and it just didn't seem to be the best way to spend all that money so I sold the house to my nephew, David. He is a builder so he has fixed it up and it is still in the family--- and so beautiful. So with that money, a bought this bungalow. I still miss the house in Georgia--- so much (many wonderful memories there--tears are stinging my eyes) but when I come into the Red Door it makes it all better. You can take the girl out of Georgia but you can't take Georgia out of the girl! Georgia is always on my mind.

Two Girls in the Journal

These are in my Moleskine---(I heard this was pronounced Mol-ska-na) Sounds better than Molskin---anyway, the girl on the left is colored with Graphitint pencils and the girl on the right is Shiva. Everything gives a different look-it just depends on the look you are going for. I find that drawing faces is relaxing to me. I draw them when I am engaged in my my other addictions---Americal Idol and Dancing with the Stars. I am still liking the Shiva the best for the faces. If you add Gamsol then you can blend them. Then sometimes in my journal I add acrylic over the Shiva for more texture for the hair. Actually the Shiva police would probably come and get me for this but it's not for sale so---anything goes in the Mol-ska-na!

First Video with my Flip Camera

I needed a third hand to film this. My arm wasn't long enough to get a good shot and turn the pages too. I will be glad when my tripod gets here so I can place it back further. Hopefully I will get better at movie making! The journal was so fun to make. I cut some 81/2 x11 card stock paper in half and punched holes with the Rubicoil then bound the book first with the covers. Then I was ready to staple in the art pieces to the pages. I guess I could have left the whole size of the letter sized paper but this way I used less card stock and it wold be a bit less bulky. Worked pretty well.

Here is my very first YouTube Video. The quality and lighting is not that great but it will be trial and error for me until I can figure out the best way to do it.

Portrait Practice in the Journal

I love the way Sharon Tomlinson paints her portraits. They are fast and free and ----great!  She

has now started videoing herself---yea!! so check out her videos. It's very interesting how she paints these portraits from dark to light and adding Titanium white. This portrait turned out ok although I don't think I quite got it using her technique. Maybe that's because she hasn't finished her videos about it yet so I had to wing it. I'm going to stay tuned to see her next video coming soon.

I like it Grainy!

I was playing around with this great transfer paper called Sheer Heaven. This is an inkjet print of a cropped girl that I transferred with the Sheer Heaven Transfer paper. I really like the "grainy" results from the transfer although these sheets are virtually "suppose" to produce an almost photographic image. I like it grainy though and hopefully these are the results I will continue to get. It depends how much you bone fold it I guess. Pretty cool effect. The lines around it is just a Pitt marker.

In the Monskine Sketchbook Journal

I painted her with acrylic and she doesn't look as smooth as when I use Shiva oil sticks. I did smooth her cheeks a bit with the Shiva. I bought a hair stying magazine to get some new styles for my girls. This one is not having a very good hair day. Every time I draw a new girl I try and make her look different but as I look at all of them they all look like they are related---some look like sisters and some like cousins. One even looks like my mother did as a young girl. The girls are the most relaxing art that I do. I guess it's because they all become my little friends. I think her name is Crystal--bet you can tell why---her eyes.

Little Cubes of Mixed Media and Collage

Well, ok, I am now officially, head over heels, desperately in love with.... Rub Ons!! Oh my goodness, where have I been all these years?! They will rub onto anything. I read where you could make your own rub ons from transparencies. Works ok--but not nearly as good as this. Think I will buy more. I made these cubes a while back but I just put on the rub ons. That officially makes it art du jour!

I bought a FLIP video camera yesterday. Maybe I will film myself doing---hummmm---I don't know yet---but hopefully-something artsy...

Daffodils--by the hardest...

Well, maybe they are not so bad but boy! were they hard to paint. Yellows are not easy---but actually they look a little better here than in person. I might just go on to Tulips now. Those might be easier. But---we'll shall see.  I love the blue and the yellow---that is always pleasing to me.

And look below-----that was me painting the Daffodils! It took many tries to get something that looked half way bloggable. Anyway, this is what I felt like.  Ever felt like this?

Create in Me a Clean Heart

I wish I could write out a Scripture every Sunday but as soon as I plan to do it I might not be able to follow through. But for today---here is a Scripture in calligraphy and maybe I can try and write one out again some other Sunday. Have a blessed day!

Sheer Heaven Transfer Paper by Cre8it

This transfer paper is pretty amazing. I think I will enjoy using it in my journals and any place that is porous. Next I will try fabric---they said it should do great. Here is the web site and a YouTube video It is actually Sheer Heaven not sheer magic as I said in the video. Also, on the bird above--I drew the bird and colored it in with Pitt brush marker pens first, then transfered.

Loosen Up Poppies

I was getting ready to paint the Daffodils and Poppies bloomed. Actually, I was just trying to loosen up and my comfort zone is Poppies. I guess I am putting off the Daffodils because they are difficult to draw so I can imagine how difficult they will be to paint. But I will never know unless I try now will I? I will post them if succesful.

She Has Faith

This is on a flat 8 x 8 panel that started out as something completely different and evolved into this. Her head is a print on a material I recently ordered. It's called Lutrador and it looks similar to Tyvvek. There is a book out about how to use this type of fabric and I guess I need the book because I am not quite sure what to do with it. It's wasn't expensive. Anyway, I printed just the face on it and it came out quite fuzzy but then I painted over it with Shiva and I really enjoyed the surface. I have also found out that clear gesso helps to strengthen the image so I tried that and it come out a clearer image---but the point here is not to have a clear image or I would use paper. That's what this is along with acrylics, stamps, collage napkins, some brush lettering alpha stamps, and a little metal charm that says faith.

Also the lace on her dress is "rusry lace" from Carol Sloan. She has it for sale in her etsy shop. She is a new blog friend and wonderful artist. The lace doesn't show up that great in the picture but in real life it is fabulous!! Love that rusty lace, Carol! (hint hint)