Tag Archives: inspiration

Sep11

Green With Envy!

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Green With Envy!

There are many things in this world that are green, but I wanted to sketch and paint something not normally green.  It wasn’t cool for me to sketch the things I suggested, especially since I wanted to be a little more outside the box! My feeling is I missed the mark on this one, because the more I tried to think of something, the fewer ideas I came up with.  It was starting to feel more  like a chore, and less like the fun it’s supposed to be!

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Today my sketch was of our cat Kramer.  A rough sketch I must admit.  After I sketched him on paper , I used acrylic ink on him for his “Green with Envy” color!  Here’s what I have learned over the weeks since I’ve been sketching regularly.   I mix media, literally!   I’m always working with different kinds of materials.  Sometimes fabric, sometimes acrylic, watercolor, pencil, charcoal, and yes even metal!  The sky is the limit for me.  I always purchase mixed media journals, and finally I realized that’s not cutting it!  I really need to purchase watercolor journals, and here is why….

If I use anything wet, such as acrylic, or watercolor, even glue, the paper buckles and looses its integrity, sometimes even tearing.  I guess I’m rougher on my materials than I realized!  Watercolor paper is much hardier, and will take the beating I give it!  I just started a new “Mixed Media” journal  and it dawned on me,  there are a hundred pages, and I am not liking the paper.  Now, that in itself isn’t the problem.  I could give it away to one of the grandkids.

Prior to ever using a journal, I decorate the cover and make it look “artisie fartsie!” (This is a technical term I use often.)  So now I’ve spent time embellishing the cover just the way I wanted it, and I really don’t like the paper inside the journal….What to do?   I could coat each piece with medium before I sketch.   Does anyone have any suggestions, because I really don’t think I have an answer?

Do any of you decorate your visual journals, if so send me a picture, I’d love to see what the rest of you do.

Tomorrow I’m going to do a charcoal sketch, maybe even use watercolor crayons for shading instead of charcoal.  Join in on the fun, I’d love to see what inspires you.  remember to post on FaceBook, or email the pictures to me at Karensamenow@me.com

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Sep10

To Cool For School!

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To Cool For School!

This is such a beautiful morning, I’m so inspired by the artwork I’ve been seeing, by the slightly cooler weather, the rainy Sunday afternoon, and by the creative energy my friends so generously share!  I spent Saturday with two of my grandkids!  My granddaughter  Sage, was telling me she found a big bag of broken, used crayons at school ready to be trashed.  Sage went to the teacher , and asked if she could  have them.  Happy to rid themselves of another bag of trash, they gave her permission.  She was the happiest of campers!  I asked Sage what she was intending for the crayons, and she responded,”art work!” Used crayons to work into art, ” Now thats my girl!”

While we were on a family vacation the end of July, one of the projects I planned for the kids was to melt crayons on a canvas.  If you ever try this fun project, make sure to buy good crayons, I didn’t!  Since I had two kids to work with, and I thought I needed many crayons, I bought eight packs from the dollar store, they don’t melt very well,  and it took me two and a half days!  Finally I gave in, and   pulled out the heat gun.  Yes, even on vacation, I take my heat gun, ’cause, ” you never know!”    The crayons finally melted, Sage chose flowers to add to her work of art, and she was happily showing everyone what she had created!

Since our Monday challenge is to sketch something repurposed, I do this regularly,  I’ve been trying to think of something just a little different to show you.  We probably repurpose things without even realizing it.  Things such as using a wine bottle for a flower vase, or an empty jelly  jar as a juice glass.  I frequently cut pockets off an old pair of jeans to reuse on a journal cover, or  cut up a piece of fabric to use in a journal, or even in a painting.  What can you come up with?   Every time I think I’m really clever, one of my artist friends, shows me something I never would have thought of.    It takes a little thinking outside the box, but we can all do it!

How cool is it to make musical instruments out of fallen trees, or old spoons?  I have instruments such as these all over the house.  Drums are fun and pretty easy to make, although the one I sketched was a little more complex.  My son Chris brought me a hand made Rain Stick over the weekend, and these are the items I chose to sketch.  They really do work, and are fun to have around the house for parties, or even for the grandkids to play with when visiting!

What can you come up with?  It doesn’t have to be this complex, or it can be more so.  There are times when we have all the time in the world to create, and at times very little if any, so do what you can.  The idea is each day if we can do a little something, pretty soon the gates open up, and creativity just flows abundantly.

How about if tomorrow  the challenge is to draw and/or, paint something “green!”  Anything green, a kid green with envy,  a green dog, an avocado, the sky is the limit!  Check back to see what I created, and post yours on FB!