Category Archives: Journaling

Mar31

Watercolor Demo by Millie…

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I am amazed that the love of painting clearly is a driver in Millie’s life. I’ve grown to love her zest in life, the drive to still do videos, and the knowledge and confidence she shares with us as viewers.  I’ve always believed that there is at least one thing you can learn by being in a class, or watching a video such as this one.

Today I’m showing “Millie Gift Smith‘s,”   Part 1 –   Michigan Landscape in Watercolor.  In my view,  watching this video gives me more self-confidence.  Being perfect is a cruel allusion someone has dreamed up to make us feel less that we are!  It took me a while, but I finally learned (in my opinion), perfect is for cameras, interesting, clever, and creative is for artists!

Watch how Millie teaches us to easily  paint with watercolors.  You don’t need to know everything,  just where to get the information you need.  I’d say this video is a good way to start using watercolors.

Mar30

My Granddaughter the Artist!

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Last weekend my Granddaughter Sage spent the weekend with us. Before she left her house, she told me she wanted an art weekend.  Actually she said, ” I want to be able to do art all weekend, just two days to do art, nothing else!”

I think God created granddaughters because we have to make up for what we couldn’t do with our own kids!

Somebody wants to spend the weekend with me…

Sage finished three paintings over the weekend, one of the three was a school project.  This piece of her project was completed in a half day.     (We got that out-of-the-way!)  The other painting was wrapped & given to her Mom as soon as she appeared.  (Still needs her Mom at eleven.) 

I had such a great time with my granddaughter, and she had a great time creating.  (I’m blessed!)

While Sage was painting, and drying her work, I had to work on something.  I didn’t want to be looking over her shoulder all day, I wanted her to build her confidence by having some guidance, and letting her fly. ( She’s a flier!)

I worked on my Daisy Dog Pic…  Admittedly, I was once again playing, and nothing happened to me…No Anti-playing Police, or the Poor Linework Police, not even the police that monitor the imperfection on ones creative process!

There was a time when I would never have painted with a color that shouldn’t be in its place.  It would have to be real or, I wouldn’t do it.  I’ve over come nearly a lifetime of being taught perfection, and it being demanded.  I broke out of the box, years ago, but not without the expense of everything I painted not being  any good  – because it wasn’t perfect.   I looked around and realized Everything is perfect in its imperfection.

(I love doing different things, and with different ways of expression.) 

Mar28

Sometimes We Have to Play!

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Last week several of us got together for our Diva Day. We just played with paint, paper, & a serious supply of plastic wrap.

There are times when playing is the only thing that starts the juices rolling, and this was one of those times.  Since we only get together once a month, talking is mostly what we do.  But we did play, each in our own way.

The process we played with is to cover the paper with paint, and put plastic wrap over the top.  Twist and pull, leave a pattern on the paper, then leave it alone and let it dry.  The darker the paint the more intense the pattern.  If it dries to light, do it over with a darker color.  Or do it a second time to allow for more layers of pattern.  There isn’t any right or wrong way to do this!

When the plastic wrap is dry, and it’s pulled off, start looking for images in the dried pattern.  Again, anything goes.  Whatever you see, either outline it, and paint around it, or just paint around it.  That is called “Negative Space Painting.”  The idea is to blend out the paint you are using for outlining.  Keep it wet, and work it until you have defined images on the paper.

This will be totally different for some, and easy for others.  It took me forever to wrap my head around this method, but it’s fun, and pushes your brain to thinking creatively.

Here are a couple of examples of Negative Space painting…..

Artichoke Flower

God of Wine

Traces of the Past

I hope you have fun trying this, if it doesn’t work the first time, try it again…..OR, use watercolor, or acrylic ink and pour the paint over the paper.  Remember to use watercolor paper, and if pouring a color is what you like don’t forget to wet your paper first. Both mediums will work.  Watercolor will take longer to dry, and has it’s challenges.  Acrylic dries faster, so keeping it open might be a challenge for some.

Thanks for checking in, and trying something new.

Mar24

Holly, Moley

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Exactly!

I am over the purse thing.  After helping some of the girls with purses, figuring out my own design, and all the chaos that goes with a room full of purse painters…….I’m over it!

I painted two purses….one to small for me to use, a little  leather travel bag I purchased on Cedros St. years ago to travel with.  Turns out,  it’s so small it won’t hold my sunglasses, or much of my wallet.  So of course, I had to paint it.

Paint on leather

The other a canvas travel bag that should eliminate my wallet, but hold my sunglasses.  The thing is,  I got over it before I finished, and that is not good!  When that happens, I start making mistakes, and mistakes I made.  Dripping paint where is shouldn’t have been.  Smearing from the side of my hand, things like that.  So I did exactly the same thing I’d do in a painting.  There are no mistakes, only opportunities to be creative!  Well, I don’t know about that.  In this case I’m not so sure that worked.  Line work was used to pull it together and poka-dots were used to cover other opportunities.

“I should have stopped here!”

All in all…..

I meant to do that!

 

Mar14

Backgrounds…

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I found this demo on YouTube, and if you want to check out more of Betty’s art, go to Betty Frank Krause/Betty Krause Art.  There is so much really easy information here.  Some of us might know all about it, but some will find it helpful.

Everytime I watch something, or take a class, I find there is always something I’d forgotten, or didn’t know at all.  Always I walk away with something helpful.  I hope you do the same.

Again Betty is all about art, different kinds of art, and if you look at her website, you are sure to find something you can use.

Mar10

Oh What A Beautiful Morning!

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Good morning everyone.  I awakened this morning with the sun shinning in my bedroom window.   Bouncing out of bed all I could think of was,  how blessed I am to be living in beautiful Southern California.  The weather is moderate, temperatures are mostly perfect, and we have a roof over our heads.  Schmaltzy I know, but my heart is filled with joy at the prospects of the day.

With a cup of coffee by my side, and some Nora Jones singing in the background I’m thinking of all of you and the creativity each of you have to offer.  Many of us don’t feel like we have anything to offer, and creating anything is just not worth it.  My feeling is that everything we do is worth something.  If we create for the love of creating anything, that’s a good thing.  I have to remember, “It’s the journey, not the destination!”

Wednesday some of my friends and myself were playing with our iPads.  We were trying to find an app that allowed us even more options for creativity, and then learn to use that app.    That’s where the picture came from.  It’s an old picture of my old self with red hair,  feathers for earrings, and glasses.   An abstract watercolor from Sketch Master, one  the apps I’ve collected.  Just a start in the world of iPads, something my friends and I are just learning, and  It’s fun and different for me, but even though it’s something I don’t want to get involved in, there is something to experimentation.

I do love to experiment! 

This is pretty cool also!  A negative of a picture.  Maybe this would help with learning to negative shape paint, or sketch.  It would be a great exercise for learning to draw.  Can you see how this might be helpful?  I always try new things, it never hurts.

Have a great weekend. and look at your surroundings as if there is information to be used in your creativity!