Weekly Planner: Stenciled Feathers

A recent visit to the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse (https://pccr.org/) turned up a wonderful selection of used stencils for 25 cents each.  I decided to test some out in my weekly planner.  Because I wanted to be able to write with a ballpoint pen on the page, I used watercolors.  I dabbed on the paint first with a brush, but found that it spread too much, so I tried a makeup sponge.

After the paint dried, I added in some definition and design with a few Posca paint markers.

When I looked at the finished results, I liked the design, but realized that the paint was too dark for the details of the week to be legible.  

I turned the page & started fresh with the Posca markers.

Adding a few feathers in lighter colors with Posca pens worked out well, decorating the page but not being so dark or detailed that I couldn't see what I wrote on each date.

If you create something that doesn't turn out as you like, turn the page and start fresh! You now have valuable information about what doesn't work, and probably have lots of ideas on how you could do it better.

Happy Creating!

Worms Inspire Art!

In spring, my thoughts turn to gardening.  I've wanted to set up a worm composting bin for ages, and finally made it happen.  

When the UPS package of worms arrived, I assembled all the parts, added some vegetable scraps, and then created this art journal page about my vermicomposter (worm bin). I used collage, colored pencils, ink, and alphabet stamps.

The page shows the thrifted tote I punched drainage holes into the bottom of and used as the worm bin, the shredded paper that became the worms' bedding, the mortar pan to catch water drips, and the worms that I dumped on top of the bedding.  I can't tell you how exciting this is for me! 

I had a worm bin years ago when I worked as a park district naturalist.  Setting up my new worm bin brought up feelings of nostalgia and happy memories from those days.

Celebrating the things we love in our art journals is a way to deepen our enjoyment of them. 

Happy Creating!

Weekly Planner: Spray Ink & Stamps

Shopping for class materials at Michael's I found the clearance section and scored a 3-pack of Ranger Distress Oxide Spray for half price.  I love the antique paper look they create. My weekly planner is a great place to test out new supplies, so I spritzed on some Vintage Photo and added a dash of Walnut Stain.

When the ink dried, I stamped in the days of the week and dates with a little alphabet stamp kit I bought years ago.  The page still needed a bit of decoration, so I used a few hand-carved eraser and cork stamps I made years ago.

What supplies would you like to test out?  Having a weekly planner or even a sketchbook where you allow yourself to experiment with no expectations is a great way to relax and make new creative discoveries.

Happy Creating! 

Spring Cleaning & Inspiration

I've been spring cleaning of late, turning out boxes, baskets, even entire closets of stuff, and sorting out what no longer serves me.  It's a beautiful feeling to refresh our spaces just as the warmer weather arrives.

And my work turned up this little slip of wrapping paper from a gift someone gave me.  I loved the loose, playful watercolor design!

It inspired me to create a 5" x 7" card, just for fun.

May your next tidy up yield some inspiration for a creative project!

Happy Creating!

Nature Journal: Coltsfoot is Blooming!

A stroll on a sunny, almost-spring day turned up an unexpected Coltsfoot bloom (Tussilago farfara).  I snapped a photo of the flower and painted a sketch of it in my nature journal later.  

The time I spent walking was good exercise and uplifting to my spirit.  The time I spent painting felt like a meditation on the beauty of nature and the change of seasons.

The first blooms of the warming weather are all the more special after the months of cold and snow.  Giving yourself time to sketch or paint these beauties is a wonderful way to celebrate spring's renewal.

Happy Spring and Happy Creating!

Spring Flower Inspiration

A walk through the greenhouse at The Frick lifted my winter weary spirits and inspired me to paint.

Though I didn't have my paints with me in the moment, I snapped a few photos with my phone and made this watercolor sketch at home later.

Admiring blooms and playing with color always raises my mood.

What do you love to look at?  Does it lift your spirits to draw or paint those things?  

Give it a try!

Happy Creating!

Storytelling with Model Elizabeth

Our Osher Figure Drawing class was fortunate to have model Elizabeth as our collaborator in artful storytelling in our most recent class.

We looked at the art of John William Waterhouse (1849-1917), a British Pre-Raphaelite painter whose artwork took myths, the poetry of Keats and stories of contemporary authors as their subjects.  His work was rich with detail and color.  We set out in class to tell our own stories with studies of Elizabeth's elegant poses.

We began with 2 minute gestures.

In each pose, I could imagine a story being told of picking fruit from an apple tree,

or of listening dreamily to a story being told.

Perhaps now she was reaching into a pond for a magical crystal.

Here, she seemed to be admiring a lover or watching the stars.

And now, she was being coy with her fan at a party.

We moved on to a long pose, and took the first 4 minutes to create a quick gesture of that pose to help us in composing our drawings.

Elizabeth held a silk rose to her breast and several more draped at her feet.

For my final drawing, I imagined Elizabeth dreaming of her true love in a rose garden, escaping the summer heat in a shady patch on tasselled brocade pillows.

Isn't it amazing how we can infer a story from another person's posture?  

Elizabeth's imagination and elegance swept the class away into a land of stories and creativity.

Many thanks to our inspiring model, Elizabeth!