Comfort Cottage

Be Kind To Your Dreams

This is a special post in honor of the fourth anniversary of Pink Saturday.  For the past four years, Beverly at How Sweet The Sound has been bringing hundreds of sweet and creative bloggers together in a celebration of all things pink.  I've come to believe that our weekly virtual gatherings  have far more to offer than a love of pink.  They are a celebration of life and friendship.  Each person who participates brings to the table his or her own special corner of the world.  It is here that we learn both how we are different, and how we are the same.  To all of the friends I've made, from every corner of the globe,  Happy Pink Saturday!!!

Over the years, we've shared so much.  I've come to view my world from a completely different perspective.  Everything I see and do becomes something I want to share with all of you.  My latest piece of art and the message it brings is for you.

 

 

Be Kind To Your Dreams

10" x 10"

Mixed Media on Canvas

 

To join our birthday celebration, just click on the Pink Saturday icon in my right sidebar.  I hope you have a lovely weekend!

 

Until next time,

 

The Whisper

It seems as if everywhere we turn, there is someone telling us what we should do, who we should be, where we should go.  Some of these voices will be well-meaning, but some will have their own agenda.  It can be really easy to lose our way in all of the noise.  Before we know it, we are doing things and going places we never intended.  One day, if we are lucky, we wake up and wonder just whose life it is we are living.   We really need to keep listening for the whisper from within...the one that comes from the most authentic part of ourselves.  What is your soul trying to tell you?

 

 

The Whisper

10" x 10"

Mixed Media on Canvas

 

I prepared my canvas by collaging it with various vintage printed materials.  They were adhered with matte gel medium.  I added layers of painted, sponged and splattered  texture with Liquitex heavy-bodied acrylics.  I lightly sketched in the face before painting it.  I enhanced edges with Derwent Tinted Charcoal pencils.  I sketched in the vine, painted it and enhanced edges with a Sakura Pigma Micron pen and a white gel pen.  The rose, bird, mariner's compass and words were printed out from my computer and adhered with gel medium.  I added finishing touches of paint and sealed the surface with a matte acrylic spray.

 

I'm hoping to have more to show you before the end of the week.  There may also be another quilt/fabric adventure with my sister/partner-in-crime.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

 

Until next time,

 

Rise

I have a new mixed-media painting to show you, and I'm very excited about it.  Those of you who have become familiar with my art have probably noticed that there is not a face to be found in all of my works (At least, not a human one).  To quote Emerson, "Unless you have tried to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow."   Today, it was time to grow.

 

Rise

11" x 14"

Mixed Media on Canvas

 

I used gel medium to adhere various vintage ephemera to the canvas.  This was followed by sponging/tapping/splattering acrylic gouache.  I lightly penciled in the face before I painted it.  I added the bird, vines, flowers and my own words.  I printed out the words and the bird from my computer and adhered them with gel medium.  I used Derwent Tinted Charcoal pencils,  a Sakura Micron pen, and oil pastels to enhance edges.  After the paint is fully cured, I'll spray with an acrylic matte varnish.  The edges of the canvas are painted black.

May we have the courage to pick ourselves up...one more time.

 

Until next time,

 

Finished Pages

Yesterday I shared the beginnings of two new art journal pages.  Today was a productive day in the studio.  I finished both pages!

 

 

 

How was your weekend?  I hope the weather where you are was as delightful as it was here.  Tomorrow, I'm off to New Jersey to see my niece's new Bernese mountain dog puppy, Moses.  I'll try to get lots of pictures!  See you again soon.

 

Until next time,

 

Art Journal Fun And A Gift For You

When reading a book I purchased recently, I came face to face with the art of Teesha Moore, who is well known for her beautiful art journal pages, amongst many other things.  The book is Creative Wildfire by L. K. Ludwig.  Teesha is one of the featured artists. 

 

 

Creative Wildfire is packed with ideas on approaches to art journaling, beginning to advanced techniques and interviews with many artists.  It will truly set a fire under the aspiring journal artist, and if you haven't started that journal yet, you will want to after reading this!

Being a fan of Teesha's art, I, of course, had to check out her website.  Wow!  It is an amazing and inspiring place.  She has wonderful videos to watch, including a fabulous series on art journaling.  If you have been curious about what an art journal is, or how to go about creating one, this is the video to see.  I've watched the first part of the series (It's free!)  and I've begun creating my pages.

 

 

The first step is simple and it gets you past "blank page syndrome".  You know the symptoms: vacant stare, eyes glazed over, mind empty.  It's easy to treat.  Just add color!  Simple craft paints will do.  Watercolors are great too.

 

 

Next, I added some borders.  Journal fodder can be found anywhere: old magazines, junk mail, scrapbooking papers, gardening catalogues, the phone bill (You might want to pay it first.)  Just don't think too hard about it - work from your heart.  No one has to see it but you.  It's your personal art laboratory where you can cause the kind of explosion that won't bring the bomb squad to your door:  a color explosion.

 

 

There is another source of collage material that's probably the most satisfying.  Grab some old collages or paintings you've done, or even some of your childrens' art.  Try scanning or photographing them and zooming in on small areas on your computer.  You might be surprised at what you discover.  There are probably dozens of interesting things within a single composition.  Enlarge isolated areas and print them out on regular paper.  You can cut them up and use them in your journal pages.  Your journal will begin to reflect your own heart.

 

 

 

I used parts of some of the work I did for Strathmore's Online Workshop, and some parts of existing journal pages.  I also used some of the free offerings I found on Flicker.com.  I would like to reach the point where I am using even more of my own art: which brings me to the gift part of this post.  I used watercolors, water-soluble crayons, markers, and gel pens to make something I can cut up and use in my pages.  I would like to offer you the use of this page for your personal use in your own journals.  Just click on the image to get the largest size and then right-click on it and choose the "save image as" option.  Be patient, it's a full-size page.

 

 

I'll show you more as I develop my pages further.  I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.  Have fun journaling!

 

Until next time,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Rental

It's that time of year when one's thoughts turn to spring, and the longing to be in some distant paradise grows strong.  It's all my hubby's fault :)  A few weeks ago, I came downstairs, groggily wiping the sleep out of my eyes.  Hubby had gone shopping, presumably for food. He called up the stairs to me that he had gotten me a treat.  I arrived in the kitchen expecting chocolate muffins, and didn't notice the very large box on the island.  As I searched the bags for those elusive muffins, he finally pointed at the box rather gleefully and said, "Didn't you see what I got for you?"  I nearly fell over as a bright and shiny new Epson Artisan printer stared back at me.  I wanted to tell you about it, but after my son was injured, everything else was pushed to the back burner.  But the plot thickens...

Last weekend, again, first thing in the morning, he went "food" shopping.   Now, let me explain that my printer wasn't the only piece of equipment that was standing on it's last leg.  My computer had begun to sound like a jet taking off, it didn't like to boot, and after my last experience with another of these infernal machines burning up, I had the feeling that I should have a fire extinguisher handy before I turned it on!  Unbeknownst to me, the tax return had shown up the day before.  My darling hubby presented me with a new computer, courtesy of our little windfall.  I need to start getting up earlier on the weekends to keep an eye on him :)

 

So what, you ask, does this have to do with longing to be in a distant paradise?  I began printing out photos from my trip to Maine yesterday!  Also, I finished a new piece of art - a mixed media collage based on one of my photos.

 

Summer Rental

16" x 20"

Mixed media on canvas board

 

I never thought that wall joint compound and plaster bandaging could be so exciting.  I used them to create a textured surface before painting.  After I did the inital laying in of color, I used some of the fire-trap-of-a-magazine-collection in my studio to add more color and texture.  Tearing paper is very satisfying :)  I adhered the paper with Liquitex Matte Medium.  I did the final acrylic glazes and enhanced some of the edges with a General's Carbon pencil.  It's not as soft and crumbly as a charcoal pencil, but it gives a good dark line over the paint and plaster.

I start Workshop 2 at Strathmore Online Workshops on Wednesday.  Watercolorist Cathy Johnson will be leading the workshop.  I had purchased her first book, Creating Textures In Watercolor in 1992.   She has a wonderful blog, Artist's Journal Workshop where you can find all sorts of ideas, inspiration, and other artists.

Her new book, Artist's Journal Workshop:  Creating Your Life in Words and Pictures, was released this year.

That's all for now.  Tomorrow, it's off to New Jersey to see my sister.

Until next time,

 

Feloons

This one was inspired by my sister's cat, Gus. He's a huge orange tabby that looks like a balloon with four paws. I just couldn't help myself :)

 

Feloons

18 x 24

Mixed media on 140lb Cold Pressed Paper

Materials: DaVinci watercolors, Caran D'Ache Neocolor IIs, Portfolio Oil Pastels; Decoart Americana Acrylics, Speedball Super-Pigmented Black Ink, Bic Wite-Out Correction Pen, Watercolor brushes round, size 8 and flat size 10, liner size 2, bubble wrap, hand-carved rubber stamps

 

Until next time,

 

Paint Out Loud

I worked on another spontaneous water-media painting today.  Come on in to the studio and I'll share the process!

 

 

Initially, it looked rather ugly, but I'm learning to roll with the process.  If I let that pesky inner critic of mine get the upper hand, I'd never get past the first step!  I sprayed some watered down watercolor over some stencils.  Then, I remembered Traci, our wonderful workshop teacher suggesting that we find different ways to make marks with common objects.  I took a bamboo skewer (the kind that normal people would make shish-kabob with), dipped it into acrylic ink, and dragged it across the paper to make star shapes.

 

 

Using Davinci watercolor in Indian Yellow, I painted some shapes with a size 8 round brush.

 

 

I chose three of my hand-carved rubber stamps, and stamped patterns using Caran D'Ache Neocolor II crayons to apply color.

 

 

As I developed this painting, I started thinking about what I'm about as an artist and a person.  Mostly, what you see is what you get with me.  I'm excited about making art, enthusiastic, and I believe in letting it show.  I'm not afraid of color (can't you tell?) and I want people to be excited when they look at my art.  No snoring allowed!  I want my art to exude joy.  Life has enough of its own troubles with adding somber, sad art to the mix.  I want to lift others out of that sadness, and make their hearts skip a beat!  The affirmations I've included in this piece reflect this philosophy.  I penned them with a Sakura Brush marker.  I love the Sakura pigma pens.  Once they dry, you can get them wet or paint over them, and they absolutely will not smear or bleed!

 

 

At this point, the piece needed something to help tie it together.  Since I've used so many warm colors in it, I decided to spray a watered-down wash of DaVinci Lemon Yellow over it.  It is the cooler of the yellows, and it served to make the other elements pop out more.  I then used a Bic Wite-Out Correction pen to "find the doodle in the doodle" as Traci says.  As I stepped back, I realized that it needed some cooler dark accents.  I used a Cobalt Blue Neocolor II crayon for this.

 

 

The last step was to use a red Sharpie pen to add more linework to the red flowers.  The best, however was yet to come.  Traci told us to take close-ups of selected pieces of the finished work.  As I looked at these photos, I began seeing all sorts of possibilities.

 

 

Some of them would make fabulous original note cards.

 

 

This would make a great framed print for the studio.

 

 

This would be great printed on a coffee mug for a favorite artist friend.

 

 

And wouldn't this make a cool cover for an art journal, or sketchbook journal?

 

Well my friends, it is 11 p.m. in Morgantown, and I'm about to turn into a pumpkin!  I'll be back soon with more fun in the studio.  If you haven't checked out Traci Bautista's fabulous online workshop, Doodles Unleashed yet, please do.  And while you're at it, why not visit Traci's blog, Creativity Unleashed?  It is an artist's garden of inspiration.  I promise you, you'll have a fantastic time and you will come away on fire for making art.  God bless you all, and I'll see you again soon!

 

Until next time,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making My Mark

Today I'm sharing my first piece of art for Week 2 of Traci Bautista's online workshop, Doodles Unleashed.  This week we're working BIG.  The idea is to explore making marks with different water media and stamps.  The finished piece will be cut apart later in the workshop, and used for other art.  I worked it on Strathmore 400 series 140lb cold pressed watercolor paper.  I photographed my process in order to give you a closer look at how my work evolves.

I'll begin with the scene of the crime:

 

For this project, I'll be using two brushes:  a one-inch flat, and a size 8 round.  I worked at my easel so the paint could roll freely down the paper.  Watercolor paper has two sides to it-a smooth side, and a more textured side.  To enhance and speed the dripping, I used the smooth side.  I kept a spray bottle filled with water handy in case the drips didn't roll far enough down the page. 

 

 

Using my flat brush, I loosely painted lines and squiggles.  I mostly use DaVinci Tube Watercolors.  They are a professional grade product, which means that they have a very high concentration of pigment and very little filler.

 

 

Next, I added thinner lines with the round brush and some affirmation words.  I used a limited color palette.  It's important not to mix colors with their complements (Complementary colors are those that are positioned opposite one another on the color wheel).  If you do, you'll get mud!

This project gave me the chance to use my own hand-carved rubber stamps.

 

 

A few were derived from Dover images, but most are my own hand-drawn designs.  I chose two of my own designs to use for my painting.

 

At this point, I switched to using Caran D'Ache Neocolor II water-soluble crayons.  I experimented with getting a good coating of color onto the stamp.  I found that the strongest images were produced when I swiped the stamp with a damp flat brush, and then rubbed the crayon over the stamp until there was a generous coating of color on it. 

 

 

After stamping, I used Derwent watercolor pencils to enhance the images.  I kept a small cup of water close, and dipped the pencils directly into the water as I worked.

 

 

It's time to step back and assess my progress!

 

 

Now, it's time to pull it all together.  I used Portfolio Water-Soluble Oil Pastels and Caran D'ache Neocolor II crayons to add in blocks of color and accents.

 

 

 

 

After I shot this photo, I noticed the curious effect of the light filtering through the blinds.  I think that it would be interesting when printed out and incorporated into a collage.

 

 

My Neocolor IIs are my favorite art supplies!

 

 

I decided to use my alphabet stencils at the end so I could choose small parts of them and place them where they would be visible.  I sprayed watered down watercolor paint over them.  I love the look of splattered paint.  I had a Neocolor II crayon in my hand, so I tried dipping it in the water and flinging it over the paper.  It worked great!  A word of caution if you have bad aim:  cover the wall behind your easel.  Fortunately, I painted my walls with scrubbable paint.  Dark blue splatters were not what I had in mind when I decorated the room!

 

 

 

 

I hope you've enjoyed this time in my studio.  Let me know what you think of the post.  If the response is positive, I'll plan more posts like it in the future.  Happy painting!

 

Until next time,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pastels and Pattern

I took a day off from Christmas decorating to finish a new drawing.   I wanted to try accenting with pastel pencils on a colored background.  I liked the the effect.  I used Photoshop CS5 to create the basic skeleton.  After that, it was a creative, hand-drawn  free-for-all! 

 

Majandra

12" x 12"

Pastel Pencils and Pen and Ink on Canson Mi-Tientes Paper

 

I had fun creating the larger motifs.  The smaller patterning helped tie the whole thing together.  I used the pastel pencils primarily to accent, rather than fill in.

I hope you are having a good week.  God bless you!

 

Until next time,