Life Book Week 5 - Kylie's Lesson

Kylie's lesson in week 5 of Life Book was both inspirational and so much fun!
It took me 6 days to complete it and I definitely had some moments in which I wanted to rip it apart and throw it away, but I just put it away for the day and picked it up the next.
I tried to make sure that I did something on it everyday.



It started with a tissue paper and scrapbook paper collage, a layer of gesso and a layer of watered down pink acrylic paint, then a watered down layer of brown acrylic paint.


Next, I started working on the background.
These are a selection of words that I feel describe me.

I worked on clothing and color a wee bit and totally messed up my own teeth!


And finally I reached a point where I was pretty happy with my project!


I was not super happy with the paper I used underneath the face, it ended up being a lined scrapbook paper and I hadn't realized that until after I got the photo transfer of the face down, but oh well.
And, while I was burnishing the photo transfer it started to peel! Oh no!
I just went with it though.


After I finished burnishing the transfer I still had to shade it in and add some color and while it is not perfect, I really ended up liking this project! It was a really great learning experience, it inspired me, gave me a hundred more ideas, and I think that photo transfers are going to become one of my most favorite new techniques!

Yes indeedy!

30 Days in your Art Journal

I bounded into a small amount of extra money and I signed up for yet another class!
This'll probably be the last for a bit but I should have plenty to blog about with all the classes and challenges I have taken on.
Just soaking up the art, thanks.

So, my new class is 30 Days in your Art Journal with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer and just two days in and I simply ADORE it!
I went to get back into my Book of Days because I had been neglecting it and I found that I was completely blocked. I was so worried about all the time I had missed and overwhelmed with the fact that I would have to make all of that up. I have been keeping up with a daily journal in my day planner, mostly these symptoms I suffer but often notes about what inspires me or what I am thankful for. But I let it go so long that all I could think about what how overwhelming it would be to catch up. And thus, I kept tucking my Book of Days back at the bottom of my stack of journals.
:(

So, last night I made a decision to wipe the slate clean and "forgive" the time I fell behind. I came up with this idea...

Picture is a little blurry, I think I had a fingerprint on my lens.

So, what I did was took a printed picture from the Star Wars: The Old Republic website, I think it was one of their wallpapers.
I simply folded it in half and tore around the edges, slapped it in the book with some Mod Podge, scribbled with watercolor crayons all around the edge, and wet that up with a brush with water and gesso on it.
When dry I wrote about the game having kept me busy and away from art for so long.
There, slate = clean!
Moving on!

The next page is the first day of my 30 Days in your Art Journal and while I have pictures of it in the process, I really don't want to share it until it's a completed page. At the very least, until I have more than a couple pictures to show off.
I am enjoying this class greatly though, I can see myself going through it a couple times through until some of the processes are ingrained as habits.

I am also still taking my Life Book course. I hit a bit of a snag with one of the lessons and lost interest for a while. But I recently wandered back in and moved on to the next lesson and am having a blast with it. I will just go back to the one I skipped later, I am sure it will hold more relevance to me at a later time.

I am also immensely enjoying my Face 2 Face class, in which Mika is teaching us how to draw faces!
This class has to be my most favorite because I am learning SO much from it, but I am taking it real slow and getting in a lot of practice tries into my sketch journal. I don't sketch everyday but I would say that I make some effort about 5 days a week.
I wont inundate you with magazine sketches until I come up with something really good!

So, there is my current class review. So far I haven't regretted a penny spent on any of my classes.
And I even have a wish list of classes to take or things to learn, including.
I hear Rhomany has a great Lettering class, I could stand to learn how to draw letters better.
And I have always wanted to take the She Art workshop by Christy Tomlinson.
And lastly, I am really interested in Angels in my Studio, a class I stumbled across while surfing blogs!

We'll see what's next as I really need some new supplies so funds may have to go towards that for a bit!

Face 2 Face - more magazine sketching

I finished this picture late last night.
Now, let me be clear, the point isn't to add all the shading as it should be, really, it is to work on proportions, to practice, and for training.



I was drawn to this picture because of the mouth, I always do pictures with closed mouths.
So, last night when I was done with it I HATED this picture. Put it away a little bit frustrated, but this afternoon when I pulled it out to take pictures to send to Mika I thought it wasn't so bad after all.
It's an honest attempt and I can only get better.
At least it is closer to the photo than my last one was!

Hubby bought me a new journal so I think later tonight or tomorrow I will work on some backgrounds.

Face 2 Face - learning proportions and placement

Yesterday I started my Face 2 Face class on Motley Soul and WOW.
Within the first few minutes of having access I was so excited and completely enthralled.
The videos are great but Mika has provided sooooo much printed materials, it's crazy!
I feel like I am taking a real art class in college but without all the stress of a GPA, I am just left to learn and enjoy it!

Just with the first class I have learned proportions and placement, some of which I did already know but I have learned a couple of easy tricks that help me immensely!
I am just floored with how great this class is, and Mika, though she is busy is always willing to lend me her ear and give advise to a newb artist!


Learning proportions and placement, trying to get it straight in my head just where everything goes.

This was my first sketch done without the help of the provided grid paper.
For some reason my lips always come out HUGE! Working on that.

Attempting to sketch a picture. Yeah, it's way off, I have a ways to go but I wont give up!

So, I am pleased with my purchase of this class and I look forward to learning!
If you haven't joined the Motley Soul Mixed Media Art Community yet, you should!

Creative Motivation

Oh where, oh where has my creative motivation gone?

Got my new computer in, also got a new phone (hubs thoroughly spoiled me) but somewhere along the way I lost some creative motivation. Due to space issues I do not have a room of my own for a studio, due to space issues I had to move all my art supplies out of my room into the dining room where it sits all stacked up on the floor at one end of the dining room.
I stayed much more motivated with my supplies within reach in my bedroom.
I have to see if I can find a way to remedy this.

So, I am hoping that my motivation will return as I signed up for a class I have wanted to take since it was advertised the first time. I started drawing last year and I just adore it, I need a lot of practice, but I adore it! My friend, Mika, over at Motley Soul Mixed Media has a class called Face 2 Face where she teaches you to draw faces. I bought it last night, just got access and started with the first video and I think this is just what I need to regain some artistic motivation!

I also have my Life Book course to get back to, but I need motivation first.
I think I will start by moving some select supplies back to my bedroom again, and then I will complete Mika's drawing exercises, and then I will get back into Life Book.
That's the plan anyway!

Oh, and I just have to share my most beautiful journal! I won this journal from the Motley Soul Mixed Media site for being THE most active member in the month of December (I think)!
I LOVE this journal! I have been loving on it since it came in but I have yet to put anything IN it.
Well, now I do!

No computer blues...

So, you will all have noticed (or maybe not) that I went quiet.
Well, I am still here. I am waiting for my new computer to come in.
I had just gotten my desktop back from my son, who was using it for school.
He bought himself a shiny new one and gave me mine back. Unfortunately I didn't have it but for a little while, I hadn't even finished moving everything onto it thank goodness, and it died.
We tried to have it fixed, but it didn't work. I think we have to replace some vital parts, which may prove impossible with the type pf computer it is (thanks HP).
: /

So, hubby let me order my replacement yesterday! Yay tax refund!
It's a gaming computer because I am an avid gamer, so it has to be built specially.
I am expecting it to arrive sometime in the next two weeks!
I am sure you'll see me around much more after that!

I also have been having bouts of this... thing.
Drs say it may or may not be Multiple Sclerosis. The Dr who read my MRI said there was a likelyhood but my Dr says they can't be sure until I have a lumbar puncture done and I wont get a lumbar puncture until I can see a neurologist, and I can't see a neurologist until June.
Some days are much, much, MUCH worse than others.

Anyhow, be back with you as soon as I get my computer!

Book of Days Journal Page - What Challenges Me?

Been keeping myself busy lately and making a great effort to stay creative everyday!
I have been working on my Book of Days, trying to catch up because I found the group about a week into the month.
Having a lot of fun with it!

This is my page for this week, the prompt was what challenges me and that would be procrastination and motivation and those are two of the things that I am trying to change about myself this year. I am such a bad procrastinator.
And the quote, I picked that up out my book of favorite quotes. It reminds me that I should not waste time by wasting time.

What's on your Workdesk Wednesday 136

Off to a rockin' start this Wednesday, feeling good, got a baby that is in an awesome mood, good coffee and an arty to-do list.
I do so love being a stay at home mom on a day like this, now let's just hope that I don't get pooped or thrown up on!

So, this morning I am working on my Book of Days.

Effy's prompt this week is "Things that Challenge You" and the technique is Mosaic. And that is what I am working on here, plus some mail art.
I am still working out what challenges me, I think it will be motivation as I do have trouble with getting motivated to do certain things sometimes. I am not sure yet though.

I am really sticking close to what Effy showed us in her video as I really liked how hers came out. I had considered doing a torn mosaic, like on the cover of my first art journal. But it would be a really heavy layer, heavier than even this, so I may try it after I have gotten the few supplies I need to reinforce the book a little more.

You should have seen my desk yesterday, well... you couldn't even see it, it was buried! :D

Yesterday's projects were my journal spread for this weeks journaling in my Book of Days (pictures of that coming at the end of the week when i am done journaling on the spread) and a thank you card I Zentangled for my son's teacher.

And this is the string I started with on simple folded card stock.


And this is it once I was finished. I am not super original with my patterns right now as I am still learning them and there are sooooooo many to learn. So I used my favorites, Zedbra, Cracked, Strircles, Networking, and one that, honestly I can never remember the name for, but it is one of my most favorites and it is the one behind the "lie" in the name.


And lastly, is the one I drew on the inside before I wrote the thank you note, and it is called Ribbon Bow.


So, happy Wednesday everyone!

2012's word is CHERISH

Because this year I celebrate and cherish everything that I was, that made me who I am, I cherish ME!
I cherish art, my art journal, other's art journals, and I cherish sharing with these wonderful arty people with good hearts.
And above all else I cherish my family and friends because life is really, really short.

One of my goals this year is to learn as much as I can about art/art journaling by immersing myself in it and being cretaive everyday, so I joined in on Effy Wild's Book of Days.
I found it and I am already making an honest effort to journal for at least 5 minutes everyday even if it is about stupid things.
So, I thought this would be a great addition to my year of art! And so far I have had so much fun with it!

I started by going shopping for a new journal as my current journal doesn't have enough room in it for 52 new spreads plus any "special day" pages. And of course, I couldn't find anything here in town. So, I took some advice and started looking at my old books for one to alter.
I found one!

Not that I want to see this book destroyed.
No, I find this book very dear to me and I decided it would become my Book of Days for 2012!


A photo from inside my book, these are flowers I pressed years ago on my last trip to Louisiana, when I bought the book.

And, on to the project at hand...



These are the pages I started with.



And after some paint, post-its, watercolor crayons, printed words and numbers, and more paint, this is what the layout looks like.

The words, close-up. I took them off some scrapbook paper I was going to use but the design was just too big to fit in my book.

And finally...

Yeah. I think I over grunged the word Cherish and the numbers. But eh, I am still happy with it!
It was fun and tomorrow I will work on the layout for this week.

I avoided dishes and laundry to complete this today, so I guess if I want a place to sleep tonight and bottles to feed the baby out of, I guess I had better get to washing.
Please excuse me!
:D

It's not all about the pretty and likable...

I have been working for two days on my week 3 project for Tam's Fabulous Faces class and I can honestly say that I am less than pleased with the results, yet they deserve to be posted because it is not all about what my inner critic thinks is pretty and likeable.

The first picture is stylized more or less after Tam's lesson, except, I couldn't get the ears right so I turned them into pointy elf ears.

Her skin was also supposed to have a blue tint to it but I had some serious issues with painting and shading this picture.
My portraits never come out smooth, polished, and pretty like some of those that I see on the forums. So, obviously I haven't mastered the art of coloring with what ever media I am attempting with.
I tried acrylics, and watercolor crayons & pencils. This mish-mash of media really took a toll on the picture itself and left me burnt out and tired. I went to bed really unhappy with the project but knowing that I could start over today!

And so, I started over today. I wouldn't say that I love this finish picture either.
But I will say that I think watercolor pencils might be the media for me, at least right now.
I had a much easier time with them, I enjoyed the coloring and diluting process much more with less give of myself and painting takes, takes, takes.
I am really only unhappy with some of the dimensions and that it does not meet my expectations. Little bubble head here doesn't match what was in my head when I started drawing this picture.
But, it is close! For that I am thankful because I am still yet a beginner.
So I will take what I can get and move on to finishing this as a journal spread tomorrow maybe.

I am seriously considering copics at this point. Or looking into some watercolor marker of some sort...

Oh! And I am joining in on Effy Wild's Book of Days project and I can't wait to do a spread for last week. I have already been working on recording something in my day planner everyday, would be a great chance to incorporate this into a journal spread!
_______________________________________
Updated: 1/11/12 9:28pm
Ah I realized tonight where I had seen a bubble head picture before, I was pretty sure it was one of Tam's pictures I had seen somewhere along the way, and it very well may be that she has bubble headed girls as well but I couldn't find them when I started looking again.
However, tonight it dawned on me!
My good friend Mika over at Motley Soul has done something very similar but by far much more beautiful! I remember seeing it as one of the very first things I found when i started searching for information on art journaling. I would like the exact picture but I think she may be attaching it to one of her future classes, so I will refrain but you can find it on Motley Soul!
Just wanna give credit where credit is due!