More colored pencil work

Hi Folks! Its been awhile, huh? The holidays are never easy for me, and i've been sick for a lot of January. That is what I get for working with toddlers :)

I am working on a few projects at the moment. I decided that I should get back to basics by doing an art journal again. I am doing it differently though; I want to prep all the pages ahead of time and then go in and write my thoughts in later, and add in more decorations if I feel like it. I've done about 6 pages so far, I just need to take some pictures!

Flora Bowley's Bloom True online workshop starts TODAY. I am so excited/nervous. Her paintings is all about using your intuition, getting past your logical brain, your constant negative thoughts...etc. This is such perfect timing for this, but I almost never "let go" when I do art. I think about it (even if its just a paint color), and keep thinking re-working while I do it. I am nervous if I will be able to do it, but I'm going to try.

Lastly, I am working on another tutorial from Arlene Steinberg's "Masterful Color" book. This drawing was much harder than a pear and some grapes. I spent the entire superbowl yesterday sketching it! I realized once I put it on my computer that the top petal is too wide and too short, so it needs to be fixed. That being said, I am proud of my work! I have a hard time drawing, and I got to draw from her line drawing so it was easier...but I think it looks like a flower :)

The next step will be fixing the shape and then start adding some 

colored pencil a la Arlene style.

I think now that I am in a class I will be so much more inspired to 

actually do some artwork instead of putzing around,

doing half-finished projects.

That is what I am hoping, so hopefully this blog will be updated more :)

Colored Pencil and Mandalas

There is a lot on mandalas on the internet,

about peace, meditation, healing.

I am not sure how much to believe, but I do know that

I can lose myself in creating the repeating patterns.

My interests are so off the wall. One week I want to do ballpoint pen art.

Another, colored pencil.

My acrylics gather dust, and then suddenly I will use them.

This painting is not finished.

It needs something, but I don't know what.

This picture doesn't do it justice--the colors glow off the page.

It just feels good to be putting color to the page again.

Sketchbook Project 2012

Hi folks,

I've had a rough few months, but maybe see a tiny light poking

through the murky darkness I've been in.

What shocked me into realizing how much I was

spiraling was almost losing my job.

I've been at this company for 6.5 years.

I like everyone I work with, and it is a very good company

to work for overall.

I got written up TWICE in one week.

I have never been written up.

I cried and cried in my boss's office.

I thought that I was going to be out of a job,

and it scared the shit out of me.

My boss asked if I was suicidal (eep!!!)

She came and met with my therapist.

My boss is amazing.

She somehow believed in me when I couldn't.

She was willing to fight for me, stick with me,

when I could have been fired a long time ago.

I owe my life to her--and I mean that pretty literally.

So, for those who have been kind and sweet and

waited patiently for me to return, I thank you.

From the bottom of my heart.

I am oh so slowly starting to feel like doing art again.

Little things, in small increments.

Therapy has been a catalyst in inspiring me.

Listening to U2's "Running to Stand Still,"

(the entire song speaks to me)

I was inspired to paint this.

I brought it into therapy, and it took until the last 2 minutes

to show it. 

You know, its scary to show these vulnerable parts of you,

even if it is in painting form.

I explained that the river is the journey I'm on.

Its bumpy, and sort of dark.

The dark cloud pouring rain is how I feel most of the time.

And yet, at the bottom is this curious little bit.

Hearts. Hope. Light.

I originally was only going to do a small heart,

but ended up with three.

My therapist loved it.

She noticed how the hearts are connected,

that they may be smaller than the cloud,

but they still are a big part of the painting.

That the rain(tears) change once it hits the river.

Its funny how other people see what you do so differently.

My Nonni said that it is a bit "scary," but also       

  hopeful, like going from the unconscious to the conscious.

And, now onto the title of my post!

I gave up on my 2011 sketchbook, but I learned a lot.

I learned that I needed to pick a solid theme,

one where I knew I could keep a running idea throughout it.

"In Flight" didn't really work for me.

It was too broad, and I just did a hodgepodge of drawings.

Art House just announced the 2012 Sketchbook Project!!!

I now can pick out of any of the topics.

I now have a better idea of what I want/can do.

I now have more time to accomplish the project.

So, I signed up.

I'm proud of myself. I didn't deem myself a failure

because I didn't finish last year's.

I took it as a learning experience.

I am willing to try again.

If I don't finish it, then I don't.

But, I am starting 4 months earlier than before,

and I have a topic that I think suits me perfectly:

Fears and Tears

#1: I immediately thought of Tears for Fears, you know, the band

#2: This couldn't speak to what I am going through more perfectly.

I have so many fears, and the tears, well they come along with the territory.

What a great adjunct to therapy this will be.

I hope so at least.

Holidays are O-V-E-R!

WHEW.

I don't have my own family (as in marriage/kids),

but the gift buying/wrapping/driving 9 hours/spending time with family

is tiring and emotionally draining.

This year, I had the 4 paintings for my Aunts that needed to be done

by Christmas as well.

OH MY.

The pressure I put on myself was too much.

I kept thinking and worrying about what my aunts would want,

what they would like.

What would look good hanging in their house,

even though I haven't even been in all their houses,

or feel like I know them as well as I "should" to be able to paint them something.

Brooklyn Bridge

This one, for my Aunt who lives in NYC took me the longest,

was the hardest, and was the most rewarding in the end.

She is SUCH a New Yorker through and through

and I wanted that conveyed through the painting for her.

My original plan was to do a NYC skyline, 

with the Brooklyn Bridge in front of it.

The lights aglow at night, with them shining into the water.

I did sketches, and realized how much I can NOT draw.

But after many sketches, I got a vague hint of how I wanted to draw it.

Translating onto canvas worked out well enough.

Then I tried painting my "vision," and I hated it.

It just wasn't me at all. I was trying to make

this painting look more realistic vs abstract,

and I just am not good enough to make it look well-done.

Next, I worked on my Aunt's painting who lives in Arizona.

Somehow, I forgot to take a picture of this!!! GRRRRRR.

Lets just use our imaginations, shall we? :)

I had a thought that I would have a flower as the central focus,

but with fun, happy colors. 

Colors that remind me of Arizona, and my Aunt,

who is bubbly and happy and positive.

Since my "vision" was more abstract,

I decided to just throw down those colors that reminded me of her and AZ.

Crimson. Teal. Orange. Yellow. Red.

LOVE

I poured paint on a canvas, smooshed it around

and already loved it more than the other painting I had been laboring on.

*I wish I had the picture. I am going to hopefully get one from my Nonni*

EPIPHANY!!!

I immediately loved this painting because it involved my favorite colors,

more abstract technique and I thought,

"Hmmm...maybe I need to stop worrying about what they will think,

but what makes me happy."

This is hard for me--but it was irrefutable proof that it made my artwork better.

The painting above is the result of that.

1,000 times better than what it was.

A little further onward, lend thy guiding hand to these dark steps

a little further on--John Milton

For my Aunt who lost her husband to cancer in May.

She's going through such a hard time, that I hope this quote can ease her pain a little.

For my Aunt that I feel like I know the least.

Hers was hard, and this was the first one completed--

before my ephiphany; therefore I like it the least.

My cousin told me she likes pinks and browns,

so that is all that I had to go on.

I am happy the holidays are over.

I am hoping 2011 will resolve in more focus on artwork

and what I want to do with it,

and less on spiraling into depressions and avoiding art when I should be embracing it.

I created my first paintings for my wall

I was browsing through Etsy last week and saw so many amazing and awesome paintings. 

The wealth of talent just on Etsy is really great. I love the internet and the connection 

it gives to people around the world. Here are some of my favorite Etsy links. 

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=40291579&ref=cat3_gallery_16

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=38931999

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=38906822&ref=cat3_gallery_19

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8858814&ref=cat3_gallery_8

I just love how these artists use color in a modern and abstract way. I aspire to be 

able to paint and have people be moved by the color, the composition and whatever 

is inspiring to them. I was inspired to try and create something fun and colorful. 

I always loved trees, and thought to make a 3-series panel

of a tree spanning across the three canvases. I wanted

to make the sky fade from blue --> purple --> red --> orange --yellow

I am happy with how it turned out, though

I know I have SO much to learn. 

You can tell it can be so much more, but that is ok.

Each panel is 10" x 10"

The finished product on the wall. 

A canvas in progress

A friend of mine has seen a couple of my art journal pages and has decided she wants me to paint her something for her home!! What?! The only instructions I have are "Paint from your soul" LOL! I love her.

Here is a few progress pictures. It is not done, and I'm stuck in a rut. It is so much more important than anything I make for myself. People. Will. See. This. I want it to be good! I am not that happy with it right now...but I don't know where to go from here. Any ideas, please let me know!

 

 

 

Under the Sea

I can't stop singing The Beatles--Octupus's Garden, and made a journal entry inspired by the lyrics. I am jumping around, as I am posting a journal entry from tonight. I used my fluid acrylics, Sumi-e ink to write the lyrics, and a sharpie poster paint pen (say THAT fast 3 times!) to accent the lyrics. I was going for an underwater theme. Obviously. I need a better scanner, but it looks much more awesome in person.

Layer Love

Julie Prichard's Layer Love class taught me so much about how to create interesting paintings and full of depth and texture. Here are a few where I put those techniques to use!

 

 

This last one is the last I did in the spiral journal before I moved onto 9x12 Watercolor paper. Much more freeing and space!

More Art Journalling

This is another pre-Julie class. I had just bought some Golden Fluid Acrylics, and was testing them out in my journal.

This was the opposite spread of that page. I wrote things that I was inspired by to help me get going!

This spread I was less than enthused with. It has about 17 layers of paint trying to cover up my mistakes. I haven't written in it, and actually have moved on from this spiral journal I was working in. Spiral wasn't really working for me

This was a spread from Julie's class. I REALLY like how it turned out. I woke up one day with the lyrics "Free your mind and the rest will follow." How appropriate! That lyric would NOT leave my brain for days, nor had I even heard that song. I knew it was some sort of sign that it needed to go in my journal. Now, if I could only follow that advice.