Pretty Pink Owl

At school each year, my school does a 'Mystery Friend' thing where we draw a staff member's name and become their Mystery Friend for the year. We each fill out surveys about things we like (favorite colors, foods, places to go, etc.) so that we'll know what kinds of things our recipient friends like. Then once a month, we buy little fun gifts to brighten their day. I always have such fun doing this. This year, I was so happy to be able to create something special for my teacher friend, who absolutely loves owls.

I had never painted an owl before this one. All I knew was that I wanted to do something cute and a little whimsical. So this Pretty Pink Owl was the result. I painted it on a wood canvas that I found at Walmart. It's fun to paint on different surfaces sometimes and I really enjoyed doing this. 

On the last day of school I was finally able to give my teacher friend this gift. The end of the school year was beyond strange and sad and maddening at times, thanks to the pandemic. But it was so nice to be able to give this to my friend and see her smile upon receiving it. We couldn't hug, because social distancing. But I felt her hug regardless. I absolutely love creating art for other people. It gives me so much joy, and this gift was no exception.

Dream Wish Imagine Art Journal Spread

I was looking through the blog and I realized I had not yet shared my latest art journal spread. Not sure where my mind is sometimes. I'll just blame it on the pandemic crisis and leave it that. But here it is: Dream, Wish, Imagine.

This is a mixed media journal spread. I used Inktense Pencils, colored pencils, and a little bit of acrylics as well. Sometimes, a girl just has to dream, wish, or imagine. Don't you agree?

I hope you have a creative weekend!

What is an Artist?

This art quote speaks so much in so few words, so I had to make this to share with you. It really speaks to me as an artist.

An Artist is a world trapped in a person.

So very, very true.

Jamie and Claire Blue Digital Art

I felt like creating some Digital Art today. It's been awhile since I've made any since I've been painting more of late. But it was nice to remind myself why I love digital art in the first place: it lets me be creative, I can fix mistakes easily, and there's no mess! My inspiration for this digital art was Jamie Fraser and Claire Fraser from Outlander. 

You'd probably be surprised how many ways I did this before I was happy with it. It went through many different colors: black and white, red, brown/tan. I just wasn't sure which color looked right. So I kept playing with it, and as soon as I made this color, I knew it was what it needed to be. 

Anyone else a wee bit Outlander-obsessed? Not saying I am.

Not saying I'm not either. ;) 

Since I was working on school stuff today, it was nice to be able to take a break and get creative, without ever having to leave my office. Now it's time to get back to work!

3 Poppies Mixed Media

I've been working on this painting of 3 Poppies for awhile. I'm still doing school work as needed, but it's nice to have some extra time for painting while I'm not at school teaching everyday. Still miss my kiddos though, even the ornery ones!

Anyhoodle, thought I'd share a couple of photos of the acrylic painting in process before I share the finished project. I did some underpainting of the poppies before painting on the red color. That always seems to help cover the white of the canvas easier.

And this is the finished painting. I used primarily acrylics, but also used Prismacolor colored pencils for some details and shading, which is what makes this mixed media. 

I really love how this turned out. I don't know what it is about poppies, but they seem to find their way into my paintings every now and again. I think I'm going to hang this one in the studio. I love the bright color of the poppies. It just makes me happy, and every studio needs a little spot of happy.

Through the Rabbit Hole

I created an art journal spread over the weekend, inspired by a prompt on a Jane Davenport group on FB that I belong to. She has a month of challenges planned for April, all based on the theme of Alice in Wonderland. The prompt for April 1st is 'Through the Rabbit Hole.'

I'm not sharing this in the FB group, simply because the group is meant for sharing things created with Jane's art supplies. I don't have many of her art supplies, so it wouldn't be right to share this in the group. But I love the Alice theme, so I'm just going to occasionally create in response to some of the prompts--for the fun of it. 

Almost all of this was created using Neocolor II crayons. I love how versatile they are and I think the pigment is great too. The only thing that isn't Neocolor is the paint used for the little glass bottle. The glass part was painted with Metallic Accents watercolors by Prima. Those are always fun to use because they have a lot of shimmer to them. You can almost see that in the photo. 

This art journal spread also seems timely, because it seems as though we've all fallen into some sort of rabbit hole of late. The world is a weird place right now, my friends. Fortunately, I can escape the madness of it through art.

Stay safe and well!

Mermaid Shimmer

I was in the mood to paint some Mermaids the other day. My granddaughter had just finished an underwater silhouette painting with a turtle and some other sea-life in it, so that must be what inspired me to create this.

A good portion of the background of this watercolor painting was created with Metallic Accents watercolors by Prima. I love those watercolors because they have a neat shimmer to them--as you'd expect from something metallic. I like the idea of having the background sparkle a bit, but that also makes it challenging to photograph it well. So, you can't see all of the background fish; and one of the darker fish is cut off too since I wasn't paying good enough attention as I snapped the pic. Oh well. The darker parts of the painting are all done with acrylics. 

I'm still not actually sure I'm finished with this. It looks unfinished to me. So for now, we'll call this a work in progress. I do like it so far, but sometimes I don't know exactly how I want to finish a painting. So I have to step away from it for awhile and then (hopefully) come back to it at a later time. Do you ever do that?

High School Art Throw Back Thursday

I've started moving my outdoor studio into a spare room in my house, since my outdoor studio is out of commission. My husband built that studio and I've always loved it, but I think the move indoors will be a good one. I'll have everything close by for whenever I want to get creative, and everything will be temperature controlled--unlike my outdoor studio, which only had A/C when I was out there using it. So, I ended up with lots of supplies getting ruined and thrown out. I'll still keep my stained glass supplies and some other odds and ends I don't use as much outside though, so the building will still get some use. I'm looking forward to getting a new indoor creative space though!

As I've been moving stuff inside, I look in wonder at all of the supplies and projects I've amassed over the years...all the way back to my high school art days. I have a small collection of projects from my high school Ceramics class, so I thought I'd share those as a Throwback Thursday post.

First up, a simple slab pot with a 2-color glaze. It's not very impressive, I grant you. But it's functional, and I like the colors. It's the perfect size for paintbrushes or pens.

In It With All My Heart

I've begun working on an art project with my kinders based on Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night. It's one of my favorite artworks, and I love using it to inspire little artists. With Vincent on my mind this week, I found a quote of his that I wanted to share.

I am seeking.

I am striving.

I am in it with all my heart.

~Vincent van Gogh

Me too, Vincent. Me too.

Fairy Girl and Her Little Bird

I haven't been able to get into my studio for awhile. It's unusable temporarily, so I've not been able to paint in for what seems like forever. I miss my paintbrushes! But I felt like doing something creative this evening, so I decided to work in one of my small art journals.

I used my Jane Davenport Magic Wand Pencils for this. I love how smooth the colored pencils are. And of course, I always love creating some sort of Fairy Art. That's always fun. Just something quick to do while I have the energy and time to do it. One of the fun things about art journaling is that you don't have to obsess about anything, or worry about trying to make it perfect. There's not really any right or wrong with an art journal. It's just about doing what you feel like doing. 

I hope I'll get to use my studio again soon though. I'm kind of going through paint withdrawals. In the meantime, I'll keep doing some art journaling here and there until I can use my studio again.

Art Supplies and My Creative Flow

When you're in your studio or craft room creating, and you're in your own little creative zone, how do you feel when someone walks in and disturbs you? This pretty much sums it up for me:

I just can't stand it when someone interrupts my creative flow. I literally have to stop what I'm doing and wait until the interruption is over before I can move on.

And how do you respond when your husband or significant other or friend confronts you about how much money you spend on art supplies? 

I'll just add that my husband honestly doesn't do this to me. He really doesn't care how much I spend on art supplies, just like I don't really care how much he spends on tools. Neither of us goes crazy about things like that. I just thought this would be a funny art meme to share with you today. We all need a little chuckle now and again.

Just a Little Gnome

I felt like working a little bit in one of my art journals the other day, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I tossed around a few ideas and decided to draw a gnome. Sometimes, just drawing something cute and simple is enough to satisfy my creative urges. 

One of the things I like best about art journaling is that I don't put pressure on myself to do something complicated or time-consuming. I just do what I feel like doing. Sometimes I do mixed media, sometimes watercolor, sometimes collage, and sometimes just a quick little drawing like my little gnome. That's the great part about art journals though: there is no right or wrong. Just create what you want, simply because that's what you feel like creating!

I Don't Mean to Brag But

I thought I'd start the new year with an art meme so that all of us artsy folks can start the new year with a giggle. If you're like me, you buy art supplies as easily as you buy toilet paper. I mean, you gotta have it! After all, there's really no such thing as too many art supplies. Am I right? 

Considering that I have a $100 gift card to Hobby Lobby (a gift from Santa), I'd say this is quite the accomplishment...even if we are only on the second day of the new year. I know all you artists and crafters can definitely relate.

Happy New Year!