Derwent Art Academy

Well, I am back posting on my blog, and it hasn't been 6 months yet- LOL!
I am just checking in to document the last two classes of my online art/drawing course.

This is my submission for the fifth class which was watercolors. I have dabbled in a lot of different mediums, but watercolor always stumps me- many people comment that it is so easy, but I find that I rework it too much- it is kind of one of those that you have to just put it down on paper, and then walk away from it. 

The sixth class was oil pastels- I have used these even less than watercolors! It was fun, to have an assignment, that forced me to work with these mediums, and not be scared of them- I think that has been the biggest thing I have learned from these courses.

I could have done this in the reverse, where I scratched the black off of the negative space, but I thought I would give this look a go to start- I think it is pretty cool looking.

Playing Catch-Up

Well, I have been busy creating art, I just have not been posting here on my blog. I guess I have just been busy. I feel bad for not posting, so I am going to try to catch-up and share a bit.

Here are my journal pages and projects that are still "in progress" for my Artist Dates on the Milliande Creativity Club for women.

This is a journal page, that I started by water coloring and then using a rubber band printing over the top. The challenge was to use rubber bands in your art process in some way. I plan to alter it still, and then to journal on it.

The next challenge was to make painted papers. We were able to do anything we wanted with the painted papers. I plan to adhere mine to some journal pages.
At the time I was working on a swap for another group, Paper Traders, the swap was Anything Zetti, so I used a bit of my painted papers for the backgrounds of my ATC's.

This last one is the Artist Date challenge called Belle of the Ball, and it was to invite the Strawberry Princess to the Christmas Ball. I am still working on mine, but I have my Princess drawn, and I am not sure yet how I will finish painting her, or making a background. It might just stay as a solo princess painting.

This House Is Me

This is page two in my art journal. The journal prompt was to draw or create a house that shows the essence of you. I guess I was feeling a little childish when I colored my house, because I made it very rainbow, and I colored it with cheap little kids watercolor paints from the department store. I intended to make flower boxes under the windows when I got done with coloring it, but then I wanted to keep it really simple, so I didn't draw them in. I was also feeling rather dreamy as I was drawing- hoping for someday to have a home. Not a large home, but one with a pitched roof, and foyer. (Not a mobile home like we live in now.) I know they are big dreams, but they are dreams, and if I don't dream, then I will not have anything to work for right? Now, I am not sure that I want a rainbow colored house. No! I think maybe a sage, or gray colored one, with white trim, and maybe a white picket fence. Very traditional looking, but I am not really picky. I suppose if someone gave me a rainbow colored house I would be thrilled, and I would save my pennies and repaint it someday!

Bog of Eternal Stench

I have not had a chance to put anything up on my blog in quite awhile. I have been so busy lately! I have been doing a lot with art, but I have not actually gotten a ton completed. One of the things that I NEEDED to get finished was the pages for Nadines Mythical Creatures Round Robin Journal for our Paper Traders group. She has so many wonderful pages so far, that I was feeling REALLY intimidated by them, and was having a hard time finding my muse. I ended up doing part of it, and then setting it aside for awhile, and then picking it back up and finishing it. The Hoggle character on the left side and the Ludo character on the right side are raised with foam tape, and there are places on the bog that are brushed with a "soupy" green metallic watercolor wash. The owl is watercolor washed with gold.

In the top left corner I attatched, with green eyelets, a "melted" transparency that was also sponged with the green metallic color that was mixed with gel medium so it would stick to it. Printed on it is a conversation from the movie "Labyrinth" that occurred between Sarah, the main character and Hoggle, her "best friend" but the one who is supposed to be leading her astray, but doesn't have the heart to do anything mean; and Ludo, the large creature who doesn't really know very many words, but also has a kind heart, and is trying to help Sarah to reach the castle in time to find her baby brother Toby.

Altered Journal - cover

Hi all-

This is the cover to my art journal.

It started out as a baby book. It was printed paper, light blue with darker light blue printed baby words. For one, I don't have babies at home anymore, and I never did have a boy. But I found this little book in the clearance at a shop that was going out of business, and it is the perfect size for me to play with.

SO....I altered it.

First I gave it a going over in streaks up and down and side to side with white gesso.

Let it dry, and then started adding things.

The letters are adhesive rub-ons, (you rub them on, and then when you pull the top paper off, they are sticky) I then glittered them.

I put down the images of the birds, and then the chipboard flowers in the corner.

When that was all dry, I gave it all a wash with pearlescent watercolor.

I did not really like the way it covered up the glitter, so I took a wet paper towel and tried to remove the watercolor from just the glitter letters. It seemed to work out ok.

When that was all good and dry, I added some glitter heart clear backed stickers here and there.

It looks quite pearly in real life, but I realize it is hard to see in the scan.

Because of the rings, it ended up getting a lot of light in on the left side, and the pearl finish doesn't really show.

It was pretty easy to do, but was kind of fun to see it just come together. No planning- just "plopping" as I call it.

Anyway- Hope you like it.