Graffifi-Town

I painted this background the other day while enjoying Alisa's class and loving all of her fun and funky images. I really didn't know what to do with it, whether to write a big graffiti word on it or not. So today Mattie Lou muse suggested I paint Graffiti-town on it so ok, Mattie Lou is always wild and crazy so I followed her advice. It's a happy little Graffiti-town. Look closely over the door posts.

Dream Graffiti on Wood

This is on a 24 x 24 piece of Birch wood. I have always wanted to work larger and this is the largest graffiti-like painting that I have done. It really was fun and it actually took several hours to create the layers. You have to walk away and look and think --or just walk away completely for a while. As you might notice on the top picture I decided to put that great quote by Thoreau since I already had the word,"DREAM". I am thinking that I might put this into an upcoming show in July called "Art-rageous." I think this would classify as artrageous. I am planning to paint another one and I have some crackle paste drying on that one. We'll see how it turns out. You never know until it's finished. And Bucky did his pose for you. He likes his summer hair cut.

Getting ready for the oil painting direction...

I have been thinking for quite some time now that I wanted to have some proper instruction in oil painting. I guess it's pretty much the last frontier for me where painting is concerned so I have signed up for 6 weeks of studio painting in the studio of a wonderful artist here in Jacksonville. I like her so much and I know that she is one of the best teachers so ...we'll see what happens. Besides calligraphy, I think painting is my next best passion. I want to paint with a palette knife for that chunky look but I do know that I will have to learn some basics before I can do that. The top image is painted in oil with a brush and a palette knife and the second image was painted with a palette knife only with Open Acrylics from Golden. I was just seeing how it all felt before starting my class. I do like the Open acrylics too--it behaves a lot like oils. I felt like I was flying by the seat of my pants (hee hee--remember yesterday's post??) with the palette knife. I love the look but there is definitely a learning curve. I am really hoping that I can find my "style" and that I can use these oils with other mixed media. I may hate it and just do a drive-through of another art style--like I have done so aften in my journey although I have enjoyed every town! It would be nice to settle down in a style for a while! It doesn't start until May 20 but she gave me some homework to do.....the dreaded black and white sphere value study. I was about to say...I've already done that ...but I stopped myself and realized that one more time won't kill me.

Aspire to be True--Journal Page

Doodling in the journal sometimes brings unexpected things. Like, I didn't expect that her doodle hair would look like snails in her hair! But I am loving the copics for the face and I have finally gotten the colors that I think work for faces. This is in journal #7 or 8. I have that many floating around. I am a journal junkie, I admit it but my favorite one right now is the one I journaled in the other day which is this one.

more girl friends...

Monica has graciously let me take her "The Parfume of Life" class".

I am really enjoying it although I painted this girl before I saw how she blends her acrylics! Can't wait to try it. I am sure it really won't be quite as easy as she makes it look!

The top sketch is from the journal as I was watching TV. I think I will try and paint the top one too---with acrylics and maybe even Copics. Can't spray her though--I am afraid the air compressor is not quite that precise!

More Painted Photos

The top image is the painted photograph and the second is the actual photograph of Macaulay's birthday flowers from Marc. I actually printed this one with a Photoshop pallet knife filter to help further separate the colors then I painted it with acrylic. All of these things are trial and error, just trying different ways to paint it.  It is a 5 x 7. 

Background...kinda spooky and eerie

This background started off black and the colors were built up using a dry brush technique with a crummy bristle brush.  Then stamps were added. It is 7 x 7 . It looks rather spooky with the black leaves.  Just a spooky day I guess. 

Also, my sunflowers are in this Treasury--it's the second image of the sunflowers in the glass vase. Pretty cool! 

Neat Technique

Here is the background. It is on an 8 x 8 canvas panel.  See the textures? Neat, huh?

I think it is because the rubber backing of these stamps is sticky and tacky and that helps pull the paint off of the canvas. Anyway, I thought it was a cool texture. I love geometric shapes.


I am also very excited to be starting another online watercolor class with Michelle Brown. This time we will be painting Spring Flowers. Should be fun! We are studying and drawing the flowers now. If we don't understand the flower then it will be more difficult to paint it.

I will post a better picture of it soon--when I get over to my studio. Come back and see it.

A Virtuous Woman

This is on the background of the first canvas I posted several days back. The Scripture is from Proverbs 31--"Strength and dignity are her clothing and she smiles at the days to come".... and there is Scripture along the sides.

Backgrounds for...something

I enjoy making backgrounds---when they turn out. I actually like these but then, I have been watching people do great backgrounds on Youtube for several days so this might have helped. The top image is on a a 9 x 12 canvas and the square ones are 8x8 canvas panel. I am really trying to just create intuitively and not think or plan too much. I also have a girl that has been in progress that I will post tomorrow.

Surrounded by Light

This is on a 6 x 6 canvas panel and she is collaged with paper, gel transfer for my lettering then the face was painted with Claudine Hellmuth acrylic Studio Paints, which I love. The 6x6 is adhered to an Ampersand panel and the sides are collaged with pages from an old and very much falling apart antique Bible--hence the title "Surrounded by Light."

I think I might have gotten the hang of the gel transfer. This is how I did it (I am writing this to remind myself also):

1. Use a copy that is toner based

2. Put Golden soft gel on the back of the copy and on the surface

smooth out with a brayer

(I try not to put gel on the backside of the copy to be transfered so water can saturate better)

3. Let sit for about 2 minutes but make sure you can grab the corner

4. Pull the corner and HOPFULLY all the paper will pull off leaving just another thin layer underneath-if not just go on to step 5

5. Hit it with your heat gun

6. Saturate with water and rub. (Your transfer will show through when you put the water on it.) Be careful not to rub your transfer off! I use rubber gloves because it tingles my bare fingers too much

This is a combination of several techniques from my gel transfer research. So far it has worked really well.

Poppies on Paste Paper

These Poppies on paste paper that was in my stash just waiting for something. It is really an interesting piece of paster paper so please do a close up. This is acrylic and I must say I felt like I was out of practice and kept reverting back to watercolor techniques. That's ok if you are using acrylics as watercolor but in this case that was not by plan. I will adhere it to an 11 x 14 Ampersand board and maybe put it into the ReddiArts Show in March.

Paste Paper

I guess I am in a gold and crimson mood today with the paste paper. The swirl is a Tim Holtz mask which I think will be fun to have and use. This paper is much brighter in person. It was late in the day so I guess my light wasn't as good but hopefully I will fine a use for these but for now they will go into the huge backgrond stash. It is three different cuts from the same piece. I did do somt other backgrounds but I thought this one was the best.

MAKE A WISH

This is painted on 11x 14 Ampersand Artist Panel for Oil and Acrylics.

I want to fine more of these surfaces. It is a very nice board with 1 1/2 inch sides. Really nice surface for the acrylics. I actually I had on my gloves and put the paint on with my fingers to get texture. Then I just started adding stuff---punchanella, stamps, stencils, more paint. I painted the girl on 140 lb watercolor paper with acrylic and pasted her on. Her dress is collaged with tissue paper. I tried to darken around the edges so she wouldn't look so much like she was collaged on. I think it is ok--you can't really tell unless you really look up close. Then I held my breath and wrote the lettering with white gouache with a nib. It worked great. I will spray it with varnish to adhere everything. I like her freckles.

A "DREAMED UP" BACKGROUND

Sometimes I dream about art; what I will do the next day, what will I paint or letter. There is a piece of scrapbook paper that I love that I am dying to find out how they gave it the distressed look. So I dreamed about how I would do this and this is what I created from what I dreamed. Sounds crazy, doesn't it?---but I actually dreamed about how to do it. Even in our dreams we can be creative! (...hope you don't think it was a nightmare!) It looks pretty much like the paper. This is on a 9x 12 stretched canvas. I don't know what I will do with it so I will just let it sit for a while until---maybe I dream about what to do with it!

She Loves Poppies

This one was very hard to paint. I painted her face in oils and it was such a struggle. I admit I had to smooth her out a bit (ok, a lot) in Photoshop. I do like oils although I sure don't have the hang of it yet. I will try some more portraits in oil ---maybe--- after I unwind from this one. The Poppies are in acrylic as well as her green dress. The background is collaged and she is painted on an 8x10 x2 panel board that I bought from Hobby Lobby on half price and collaged over the image on the front.

"SHE DREAMS"

This collage is on 1" Poplar board 8x8. I wanted to paint on wood and in my new favorite little collage book, "Taking Flight..." the author uses wood sometimes. She says that Poplar is the best and it's very inexpensive. The very nice fellow at Lowes cut them all for me. These are all collaged first with paper without too much thinking then layers are added. The mission for me here is to try and create intutively without over thinking (I still overthink it but it's getting better.) I know that this is a far cry from the Art of Classical Calligraphy that I was trained in but I always go back to it. It is my first love and I actually practice quite alot----- but nothing blogworthy recently.

The "Day" in the piece holds very special Biblical meaning for me but it can really be any day in the future that you are looking forward to and dreaming of---getting married, having children, or grandchildren, when you feel better, when you are rich----whatever!