She Wore Flowers In Her Hair

I am an avid reader (when I’m not painting/creating) and this quote is from one of my favourite books – The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy.

At one point during the creating of this page my 4 year old son said to me ‘Has a rainbow been sick in your book Mummy?’. Oh how I laughed… and got the gesso out!

I posted this in Joanne Sharpe’s facebook group for her book ‘The Art of Whimsical Lettering’ because I was so pleased with the way the quote came out (and my courage to put it on the page!) and several people asked questions so, in case you have the same ones, I’ll leave my answers here too.

1. The butterflies in the background come from the original paper. I used a piece of beautiful butterfly wrapping paper when hand making the journal this piece is in. When I gesso’d it to add inks and paints I only did so thinly over the edge of the page so the butterflies are still peeking through.

2. The skin tone on the girl is created by mixing a tiny bit of watercolour  (quinacrodone rust & quinacrodone rose)  with gesso and then shading with prismacolor pencils.

3. The flowers in her hair were created with a modelling paste stencil (after all the background and face had been completed) which I then brushed diluted watercolour over the top of.

Do you use quotes from your favourite books in your work? Or have a favourite recipe for skin tones you’d like to share?

Lettering and Hafiz

As an art journaler I sometimes like to add quotes & thoughts to my pieces. But, like a lot of people, I find my handwriting messy and quite often end up resorting to using Photoshop to add words.

Like this.

I made the background using glimmer mists and Dr P.H. Martin Bombay inks (which are permanent) along with stencils, some acrylics, gesso and modelling paste.

Afterwards I scanned it and added the quote with Photoshop.

I loved the process of making the background but I felt like I’d cheated with the words.

Then my copy of Joanne Sharpe’s new book – The Art of Whimsical Lettering arrived.

It’s packed full of ideas and exercises to help with your lettering so I set to straight away and began practising, practising, practising.

And after a few days I felt confident to try another quote from Hafiz on a background I’d made at the same time as the previous one.

I didn’t cheat. And it turned out OK.

Do you like your writing? What books have inspired you to try something you were afraid of? What have you practised every day and then felt able to try?

Fragility and Flowers

I’ve wanted to be able to draw/paint flowers for a long time but I never seem to have the patience to get in all the detail they seem to need.

However, it struck me this week that they didn’t have to be that complicated to still get their fleeting fragility (which is what they symbolise to me) onto the page. As I’ve been feeling pretty fragile all this week it seemed a good time to try a different approach.

Instead of trying to capture every crinkle, every shadow, I’ve gone for something much more illustrative and simple. Using acrylic ink & a dip pen to create an outline, I drew the basic contour onto a pre prepared layered background. Then, after the ink had dried, I went in with Twinkling H2Os and used wet on wet to get a mottled  textured petal coverage. Of course they don’t look ‘real’, but I do think it’s kept the fragility that the flowers represent to me so I’ll definitely be trying this more.

The quote is from Alice in Wonderland. When I read the book as a young girl I always knew the flowers who say the words were referring to girls like me.

Do you have any tips for drawing/painting flowers? Or any special symbols for how you’re feeling now?

A Little Bit Crazy

It’s been a lot crazy round here the last few weeks and I think it’s only the start. My parents are visiting from overseas, I’ve done an intensive training course and exam (which I passed) for a new consulting business, and I’m now part of Lulu Art‘s design team. It’s pure magic.

Lulu Art is an awesome online mixed media art supplies shop here in Australia and the choice of products is incredible. And I’m not just saying that because I’m part of the design team. The owner is an artist/art journaller herself and really knows the kinds of products we all love.

I haven’t had much time for art in amongst the crazy but managed to put this piece together for a round robin journal swap I’m doing. This is a photo because I can’t get neon to scan – if anyone knows how to please leave full instructions in the comments.

Do you still feel young and wild and a little crazy? If so we’re in good company together. 🙂

Channelling My Inner Bride

No post last week as I was in full birthday celebration mode. My baby boy turned 4 and there were cakes to bake and dressing up costumes to make so very little time for art. I don’t mind though, as long as I get to create something, but it was so nice to come back to my little journal and make a pretty picture.

When I started she wasn’t mean to be a bride but I’d just received a new floral stencil and, when I scrubbed gesso through it, it looked just like a veil.

I’m enjoying using those little tear drop shaped ink pads with my stencils at the moment. It looks more patchy/grungy than paint and I like that.

How’s your week been? I hope you had a chance to make something and enjoy being creative.

A stone, and more easily a flower or a bird…

This post title is from a quote by Eckhart Tolle in his book ‘A New Earth’.

A stone, and more easily a flower or a bird, could show you the way back to god, to the source, to yourself.

I’ve been rereading the book recently and have realised that, this is exactly what art does for me. The act of drawing/painting/creating forces me to truly see the essence & existence by taking me away from the labels (a wing, a feather, a petal, a rock) and just experiencing the object I am drawing.

No wonder it makes me feel so good. No wonder I can’t stop doing it.

Saying Goodbye and Starting Another

I finished my Strathmore 500 Mixed Media journal this week. I felt a big sense of accomplishment as I completed the last page and looking back through the book I see that there is an incredible artistic and emotional journey contained within. No wonder it feels so good.

This is the first piece in the book.

And this is the last.

There’s been a lot of growth in between.

So now I’ve started a new journal, smaller & hand made for me by a dear arty friend with lots of different types of paper. It’s already filling with faces, creatures, textures & colours.

And grumpy cats.

The Other Half

I drew my mum and sent it to my dad for his birthday too. They look great together. Just like in real life.

Evolution

What started out as play in my journal became an act of homage to my wonderful Dad.

Doodle

I started off by doodling in my journal using a prismacolor pencil. I had some idea that I would want to paint over it and have the colour come through the paint but that was it. This doodle evolved from a video I watched on YouTube – Peter Draws.

Gesso & sprays

Then I added gesso through a stencil to make a resist and sprayed on some Dr Ph. Martin Bombay inks. They’re permanent (I add them to my own spray bottles as the come in a bottle with a dropper) so don’t reactivate with new layers. I was still thinking about painting on top of this and only wanted the doodle to come through, not the background colour. I left the piece to sit at this point and went off to make a to do list.

Pencil sketch

Which is where my Dad came to mind. It’s his birthday this month and I want to send him something special. A light bulb moment. I would use my newly discovered drawing skills and send him a picture.  I would draw him!

This is my pencil sketch. I really like it but there is lots of competing texture/colour that makes it difficult to see some parts of the drawing.

Outlining

Outlining came next. But now the shading is lost and the outline too intense. Back to the drawing board – literally!

I decided that now would be a good time to experiment for the first time with cross hatching shading with a pen. And here’s my finished piece.

My Dad

I’m going to send a print of it to my Dad and I think he’ll love it but the best thing is that I learnt new and wonderful things about his face. Things that, despite knowing him for 45 years, I didn’t know before. Lines for laughter, the shape of his eyes, what his ears are like. And by drawing him I am honouring him and his wonderful self. This is why I want to be able to make art. To honour people, objects, ideas and imaginings. What about you?

Classic Shading Practice & a Profile

It’s school holidays here and my art has to take a back seat. I managed a couple of pieces early on in the week but have been out and about visiting the aquarium/beach/parks nearby. Plenty of inspiration for future works though.

Shading practice continues… this is a classic exercise to help understand how to shade different forms. As you can see I am very afraid of the darks. I am told this is a common problem (but that doesn’t help me overcome it!). Practice is key.

And here’s a profile. Her nose and the back of her hair are my favourite bits. I have a bit of pink a thing going on at the moment. Add in some collaged paper & some gesso and I’m a happy painter.

Do you have a ‘thing’ at the moment? Where is it taking you?