The Documented Life Project

Since I'm totally absorbed in art journaling at the moment, I have been spending a lot of time looking at other folks' journal pages and it's so inspiring! During the process of browsing all that creativity, I stumbled across another year-long journal project The Documented Life. So guess what? Yep, I'm joining that challenge as well! These weekly challenges are so motivating for me and help me to push myself to let the creativity in my run wild! I just love it.

So here are the first few pages of my new Documented Life journal. I'm still kind of playing catch up on that since it started January 1st. But we can do whichever prompts we'd like, and skip some if we want, and add our own as well. It's very open and free to let us do what we want. 

Top Left photo is from the "Door" prompt.

Top Right is the "Doodle a Border" prompt (my granddaughter wanted me to drop her Loopsy gals).

Bottom Left is my own intro page with a quote I found and love.

And Bottom Right is for the "Selfie" prompt.

So far so fun! I do most of these sitting on the couch in the evening. I've got a little art tote bag full of supplies for when I am not in my studio. I am still adding stuff to it because you know how it goes--you'll be doing some art project and you need something and you don't have it. So annoying! So I'm trying to add more things to fulfill any creative whims I might have while journaling on the couch. Because I just can't always go outside to my studio--and believe me, when we have windchills in the -30's, going outside is the LAST thing I want to do. LOL. But I do prefer the studio because really, it has everything in it that I need! But I'm determined to get my little art tote up to snuff with lots of doo-dads and what-nots.

If you do Art Journals, The Documented Life is a great creative project to join into. Click the link below for me info!

THE DOCUMENTED LIFE PROJECT

Now I need to get off this PC and get some journaling done! :)

Art Journals Smile and Character

Over the weekend I was able to complete my entries for weeks 3 & 4 in the Journal52 weekly art journal workshop. The prompts were: You Make Me Smile, and a Character. Below are my journal pages.

This is my Smile Flower Fairy, who happens to be my mom when she was little. Photos and memories are all I have left of my mom now, so I love using photos of my mom in my art when I can.

This is my Character, Michael Jackson, as the Smooth Criminal character from Moonwalker. It's one of my favorite MJ short films, and I love his character in it. It's epic and iconic MJ at his finest. So that was an easy choice for this journal page.

I did work some more on my Floral Beauty mixed media painting, but she is giving me fits. I don't like her hair at all, so I may have to re-work it. We'll see how it goes when I meet her again in my studio. No photos of her until I actually like what I'm seeing! :)

Angel Watercolor

I really don't do a lot of Watercolors; it's just not my favorite medium to work with. When I do use it, it tends to be more for backgrounds, or just for nature paintings--not for people or faces etc. But I found this Angel Watercolor in my studio yesterday when I was looking for something else (that happens to me a lot!), so I thought I'd share it with you. 

The subject of this painting was actually a resin statue that I have in the yard outside my studio. The statue itself is all gray--meant to look like rock. So it was a challenge turning what I was looking at into what I really "saw." :) But I had fun doing it. Her hands are too small and her eyes aren't the greatest, and her feathers could use more details...but hey, that's OK. Sometimes you just have to stop before you mess things up REALLY bad! LOL. And it was good practice for me, if nothing else.

I did one watercolor when I was teaching high school art that I really loved. It was a fish, and it was to be a gift for my husband. I wish I could share that one with you! Sadly, it was stolen by a student and never returned. I can't even tell you how much that broke my heart when it happened, since it was supposed to be an anniversary gift for the Hubs. And it really was the best watercolor I ever did. But oh well. Gotta let it go sometimes and move on. :)

Journal52 Off We Go

I've decided to start a new visual journal this year (well, more than one actually), and I was lucky enough to come across a wonderful, year-long art journal workshop to participate in. It's offered for free by Chelle Stein at her Journal52 blog. A new prompt is posted each week, and we create entries inspired by the prompt. I'm a little late in starting, so these are my first two entries in the art journal workshop.

Week 1 Prompt: Up, Up and Away

Hope Floats

Based on one of my favorite quotes from the movie, Hope Floats.

 

Week 2 Prompt: Somewhere, A Simple Place

By the Water

My favorite simple place is anywhere near the water.

This features one of my favorite poem snippets from William Blake.

 

I'm really excited by this weekly art journal workshop and can't wait to create the next entry! I'll be starting some other art journals this year as well. I've also started a mini one that I am keeping by my couch and drawing in during the evenings. It's little, lined, and more like a little notebook than a drawing journal. But I wanted to do something different just to focus on drawing a little something every day, or adding quotes or what-not. And it's small enough that I can toss it in my purse and take it with me when I go somewhere. So I may share some little drawings from that as well on occasion.

If you are interested in this workshop be sure to check out the Journal52 blog to get more information.

Step Into It MJ Art

I haven't done a Three Muses blog challenge for a bit, so I thought I'd join in this week's challenge, the theme of which is Music. As always, when I think of music, I think of Michael Jackson. So my digital art creation was inspired by the King of Pop.

"People ask me how I make music. I tell them I just step into it. It’s like stepping into a river and joining the flow. Every moment in the river has its song. So I stay in the moment and listen. What I hear is never the same. A walk through the woods brings a light, crackling song: Leaves rustle in the wind, birds chatter and squirrels scold, twigs crunch underfoot and the beat of my heart holds it all together. When you join the flow, the music is inside and outside, and both are the same. As long as I can listen to the moment, I’ll always have music."

~ Michael Jackson, Dancing the Dream

Mixed Media Floral Beauty WIP

I was able to get into the studio over the weekend for a bit. I wasn't out there as long as I wanted to be though because the snow was coming down so fast I was afraid I'd get snowed in there. LOL. But I did get a new Mixed Media painting started, so I thought I'd share my work in progress with you.

I started by adhering some floral tissue paper to a canvas with matte medium. I love this technique because the tissue gets all wrinkly and gives the canvas great texture. I actually wasn't sure what I was going to do next, but something made me add a face. And the swirl that is her hair in a bun is enhanced from a swirl design in the tissue paper. It just happened to be in a good spot and looked like a bun to me. I'll be adding some more layers and effects next time, so it's not finished yet. But it's off to a good start. :)

Angel Among Stars Digital Art

I've been unable to get into my studio for the last few weeks or so due to an electrical problem that left me without power. So I haven't had any tangible art to share. And what with the holidays and all, it was nice to have a little break to enjoy the family anyway. I'm hoping to get back in there on Sunday though, now that the power's been restored. But in the mean time I've created an digital art I thought I'd share.

I was kind of thinking of my mom when I created this...since she is somewhere in the great beyond, a Heavenly body whom I like to think is watching over me. I hope she is anyway. So she was my angel inspiration for this creation.

I hope everyone has much love and many blessings in this new year. Be well!