Tag Archives: sketch challenge

What About Prep Work?

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Prep work?  What do you Mean?

We always talk about inspiration, subject matter,  paints, their color,  pigmentation.  All these things are important.  But as a mixed media artist I know how much other stuff is needed just to start painting.

Do you save everything?  Are you obsessed with all kinds of things to put into your artwork?  How about fabric, have you tried that yet?    It seems that isn’t the thing I think about when I’m getting ready to create.  In reality, if you are a mixed media artist,  you collect everything.   Everything!  

My husband is very tolerant of all the mess I create.  Many times my studio is so disorganized, I move into the kitchen or dinning room.   In my defense, my studio is very small!  So small I find myself moving slowly, and very quietly into the best spots in our home.  Still not any complaining from my husband.   Doesn’t he sound like a great guy?  He is!

I have been sitting here tearing out words that look good to me in an attempt to construct a large piece of paper I can copy, tear, and insert into my mixed media work.   I don’t like to do it, and it takes time to tear and paste.  I did it, I completed and entire page….

Sketching has been on my agenda lately also.  I don’t sketch often and I need to keep my skills polished!

The classes I take are an attempt to learn new things.  A way to learn how to see differently, or look at things through a different lens.   As long as I’m learning, I’m growing.

Do you have a sketch book you can grab and a pencil or pen.   Try sitting for a few minutes and just put down on paper what you see.  Pick one thing, don’t try to draw everything, you build up to that!

Also, perfection is for cameras!!!

Don’t try to be perfect, that’s for cameras.  Everything is perfect in it own being.  The more creative the more interesting, and you don’t have to beat yourselves up!  Don’t expect to do a great job at first, it takes time, and practice.

 

 

California Vibe!

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David Lobenberg nails it for me!  I love his style and relaxed way of teaching.  AND… I love the California Vibe he adds to his watercolors.  It is said that watercolors are the most difficult.  In some ways I would agree, in other ways I have to say that once I learned watercolor, the transition into acrylics and particularly abstract, were way more difficult.  It doesn’t have to be that way, but I always make things harder than necessary.

David makes it look so easy I want to take his classes, how about you?  This must be why I live in California…

Time Out for Art

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Collage by Sage Emery

Collage by Sage Emery

Last year my granddaughter Sage, who was seven at the time, created this Halloween collage.  I love the way she tore papers, glued them onto a canvas, and stenciled over the papers.  All this time without even realizing it, she was checking for balance, and she put a great deal of thought into her design.   I think it turned out pretty good for a seven-year old.

Today,  I asked her what her plans were for a free day, and she replied since it was cold out, she thought she’d do some sketching!   That’s my girl!!!

My inspiration in part comes from Zebra Designs & Destinations, I’m going to show her this blog in hope she will find some kind of inspiration also, check them out, it’s a pretty interesting blog!

Time To Create Again!

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Anyone who knows me, knows I haven’t been very productive in quite a while.  I’ve tried, but somehow I just haven’t been able to find inspiration…until now!

A couple of months ago, I signed up to be part of the Sketchbook Project!

For the last few summers I have watched each year as this project unfolds, and in the back of my mind, thinking one year I would join in.  This was that year!  Of course, I needed another project, but what better time to start an art project than when you’re  busy, right?  My thinking was that it is only 32 pages, and certainly a little project like that would be a snap for me!  The other thing is, we are all busy all the time anyway, so why wait?

After getting back into our home since having bamboo floors laid in the entire house (studio included), I think I’m ready to start thinking about putting pen to paper, and leaving my mark on whatever community it will be going to.  That’s not to say that everything is perfect in our home.  After all, some of the paintings still remain stacked in the corner waiting to find their rightful place on the wall.  The livingroom looks new, and fresh.   I’ve changed things around, replaced some things, and gotten rid of others.  It feels like a new home to me, and now I’m ready to get back to sketching, and painting!

It’s interesting how something like this can give us an entire new outlook on just about everything, and I find myself energized, and inspired!

Who knows how long it will take me to complete this sketchbook.  The project needs to be mailed back by January 15, 2014, so I really do have plenty of time.  Anything goes this time, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do, anything, whatever feels right!  Poetry, sketches, collage, ink, pen, you name it.

In the next few weeks, or maybe I should say, next couple of months, I’ll be posting the pages I work on, and you can tell me what you think.  Make suggestions,  I’m always open for comments, in fact I love getting comments, it keeps me motivated!

Sketchbook Project

Sketchbook Project

This little Sketchbook will be going to the Central Part of the Mid-West!

This little Sketchbook will be going to the Central Part of the Mid-West!

So for now,…..  Start a project, and share it with me!   I’ll be back!

Sketching From Memory

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