Summer of Color 3 - Orange and Hot Pink

Hello Friends! I hope you are having a fabulous weekend. We have been busy bees around here with my daughter performing in her 4th dance recital last night. (She was amazingly beautiful and we are SO incredibly proud of her hard work and dedication. Wow! Is that girl a little performer!) This last week has been all about dance, but I did find some time to work on this week's color challenge from Summer of Color 3. This week's color were orange and hot pink. Last week I worked on a black sharpie doodle, so this week I thought I would change it up and paint a whimsical girl. 

I wanted to use this sketch I did last week while my daughter was giving me a drawing lesson. :) Look how cute my little dancer's girl is. She told me what to do and I followed. I am ALWAYS learning new things from her!!

I cut out the sketched face and added her with Mod Podge to a journal page I created earlier in the week. I love how bright and cheerful this color combo looks. Isn't it fun!?

I used a paint chip that I picked up at Lowe's as her dress. I always keep my paint chips! They make for great collage goodies. There is such a wide variety of color too! I added the words SHINE ON that I had in my stash.

I had a lot of fun working on this journal page this week. I am looking forward to visiting some other Summer of Color 3 artists. Come take a look!!

From Sketch to Journal Page - She Listens

Last week, when time at my art table was slim, I started feeling the nudge. That quiet (and sometimes booming) voice calling me to get creative. I didn't want to give up my family time, so I snuggled up with my Hubs & kiddies on the couch (movie night) and did a quick sketch in my journal. 

She started out with just basic lines. Quick and loose because I wanted to watch the movie! :)

After more time the following day, she looked like this...

Now she has some color, more detail, and the words... "Listen to the whispers of the heart." I have just a few more little details to add and then some more writing.

Just a little reminder to myself (and you!) to always listen to the truth that lies deep inside your heart. Don't be discouraged by circumstances, negativity, insecurities, or the words of others. Be encouraged - you are beautiful...just as you are. Happy Friday Friends...Happy Good Friday. :)

From Sketch to Color

Happy Monday! How is your week starting? I have to admit that Mondays are not my favorite. I LOVE the weekends (don't we all?) and I spend the week counting down the days until Friday again. But, I have some coffee in me and spent the morning reading (and snuggling) with my little guy...so I feel ready to tackle the day. :)

Today I wanted to show a journal page that I worked on over the weekend. It had started out as a quick pencil sketch a couple Sundays ago. I am trying to sketch something every Sunday. It's funny. As much as more abstract art is tickling my creative artsy heart, I can never get away from "girls." I say that all the time. I love sketching and painting them. But, when I dream...I dream of painting large, massive abstracts full of color. Maybe that's a vision of what's to come. :) That's what is so exciting...the anticipation of the journey and embracing it all step by step. 

After sketching my girl, I added a thin layer of gesso to prepare the page. The pencil did smear a little bit, but I am totally OK with that. I used acrylic paint and Caran d'Ache watercolor crayons to add color. I find that I primarily use these crayons and gesso to paint in the face. I rarely add other acrylic paint to faces. I do think it would be fun to try that more though. I used my Faber-Castell PITT pens to add definition and color in the small spaces, as well as tracing over the word "loved." I'm using these pens a lot! I LOVE them. If you don't have any and want to add some goodies to your art stash, I highly recommend them. Usually, one of the last steps for me is to go back to add details with an inexpensive Pentel black pen and white Gellyroll. (By the way - just a little tidbit. I was having problems with my white pens working. I started storing them in my pen cup with the tip down & it has made a huge difference. Lol. I know, I know... so brilliant!)

  I am going to add just a bit more to her. I think she needs a little more texture in the background and perhaps some washi tape. Yes! Why not!? I love me some washi tape. Don't you!? I have a growing collection. Where do you like to buy yours? Michael's just recently got in a bunch of new designs. Very dangerous. OK, total obsessive side track! :)

Anyways, have a beautiful Monday my friends and let's go get creative!

Sunday Sketch & Words

Quick 10 minute sketch in journal

Love is always bestowed as a gift - freely, willingly and without expectation. We don't love to be loved; 

we love to love.

Leo Buscaglia

Before and After

I love seeing Before & Afters...don't you?

It is so interesting to see a  fabulous transformation.

In my head, I am picturing those makeover shows
that take someone from drab to fab.  

Better yet - shows on HGTV...where they redecorate or reorganize a room. LOVE! 

Oh MY gosh - have you seen some of the retouched Photoshop pictures of models or celebrities for magazines. Yikes! Every young girl (and guy!) should see what the "reality" really is. The sad part is that they take already stunning women and create these crazy perfected images. Now don't get me wrong - I love a good photo filter, but magazines are getting a bit nuts! 
Google it! It made me feel better. :)

Sometimes when I am working on a journal page or canvas I like the "Before" (pencil sketch) so much that I am afraid that I will mess it all up. I am afraid that once I add color and pizzazz to it, I will not like it as much. But, I have to believe that when interior designers or stylists are revamping their subjects they are not saying, "I am going to make this worse." If they are...just like us...you just work through it. Throw caution to the wind and PAINT. Pick up that brush (or pen, or make up brush, or scissors, or whatever!) and GO! 

Face #23
Before & After

I really, really liked my sketches for my next two faces. Even though I had a wee bit of fear...I went for it. I am still working on them, but love how they are turning out. You can see that I am inspired by an orange and pink color palette right now.

Face #24

Before & After

Only 5 more faces to complete for my 29 Faces in May Challenge! I am pretty proud of myself for keeping up with it. I usually have a hard time keeping up...Life Book, Project Life, Laundry, Organizing the Pantry, etc. - I am coming for you! ;)~

I hope you are having a beautiful weekend. 

I am off to a birthday party and then some relaxing, movie time with my handsome Hubby. 
I am pretty lucky - He loves me "before" and "after" with no retouching! :)

Joining Sneak Peek Friday & Paint Party Friday on Saturday. See...hard time keeping up!
Happy Creating,

Little Minis

When I am trying to keep up with a challenge and 

a certain adorable little boy needs lots of attention...

my 29 Faces in May go mini. 

They are not perfect. But they are small which makes them kinda cute. :)

Face 17

Face 18

Face 19

Face 20

Not the best face & a blurry picture. Sweet! :)

XO,

Number Fifteen

The funny thing about creating 29 Faces in May is that I am sketching, drawing, and painting so much that I am losing count on which face is which. (Note to self...write the number ON the pages AS you work on them. It would be a lot easier!)

Here is face number #15.

She was drawn in my Idea Journal. 

I apologize for all the pen you can see from the other side. 

I was practicing artsy lettering with Tam.

So fun! Have I mentioned how much I am loving the exposure to all the different instructors for Life Book? Love!

Quick sketch in idea journal

As I drew her I was thinking of one word ... Beloved.

Beloved: dearly loved : dear to the heart

I pictured a girl surrounded by hearts. Hearts in her hair. Hearts on her face and little heart wings. Hearts in the background. 

I think I will create her again on canvas.  

I hope you are all having a beautiful Friday.

All I can say is TGIF! I am ready for the weekend. 

How about you?
XOXO,
I am also stopping by Studio JRU's Sneak Peek Friday. Come take a look! :)

Pencil Sketches & 11-14

I am really enjoying 29 Faces in May. I am definitely challenging myself to draw or paint a face each day, but I am not going to have a daily face post. That is just not possible for me right now. These four little cuties were drawn with pencil over the past few days. I like how they look in pencil, so I am curious to see how they evolve with paint added to them...

if I even add paint. :)

Face #11 is the little doll in the top left corner. I like how her eyes look up into the distance. Someone (Hi, my fabulous friend Diane!) had asked me if I base my girls on anyone in particular and where I get the inspiration for them. So I really thought about that for these four portraits. I find that sometimes I start with a general idea of what I want...for this girl I was thinking sweet, stylized, and something I would paint in "springy" colors. For other faces, I sometimes start with a background - and then see what story or figure develops from the beautiful mixture of paint, ink, watercolor, & paper. The faces usually come straight from the colorful little land in my head. I know I also do not try to make the faces look realistic. I prefer stylized, folkish, doll faced portraits. :)

Face #12

OK. Number 12. What can I say? I was sad. Face 12 is a pretty literal interpretation of what I was feeling when I drew her.

Me sad = face with tears. 

The morning started out fabulously glorious and then 

Eeyore's black cloud came in and settled on me. Lol.

I don't know about you, but I am very sensitive. For some reason I think our society sometimes views sensitivity as weakness. I am not weak. I am just a girl who feels with her whole heart & can get crushed very easily. Not in a "can't get out of bed" way...but, a 

"Wow. That really hurt my heart" kinda way.

There are times when oodles & bunches of people (wonderful, sparkly, loving people) surround me...but, I feel alone. Like they just don't really "get" me or listen to me or how can they not see how wrong that was or shouldn't my feelings count. I am in no way saying I am perfection - far from it - but sometimes I have to wrap the bandages 

pretty tightly around my heart. 

 Thank goodness for a God who loves me (who promises to never leave me!), my little munchkins who chase away dark clouds, and art that saves. :)

Close up of  Face #13

Face #14

Faces 13 & 14 were my attempts to work on face proportion & shading. I curled up on the couch with my journal, pencil, eraser and caught up on some TV shows. After I had the basic sketch of the face, I added some details. I determined where my light source would be so I could start shading in the right spots. I shaded the faces lightly with my pencil, then I rubbed it a bit with my finger to soften the lines. I think I need one of those blending stumps. (Of course I need it! Add it to the list. :) Oh, how I love art supplies!!) I also used my kneaded eraser a lot to bring some white highlights back. I am still going to continue working on these girls then add some paint. 

I think they are pretty cute. :)

I know portraits can be done in many different ways...

• sketched with pencil onto surface & then background created around it
• background done first & portrait "pulled" from the background
• drawn onto paper, cut out, & glued to another prepared surface
• created with just paint
• drawn with pen...no pencil involved
• painted over collaged image
• and the list goes on

If you like drawing faces, what method do you like to use?

Happy almost Tuesday friends!

I hope your week is beautiful and dark cloud free :)

XOXO,