A stone, or more easily a flower or a bird...

Art Journal Round Robin

I have the good fortune to be included in an Australian Art Journal Round Robin and my book will begin its journey around the country tomorrow. It's going to be such a treat and privilege to draw & paint & create in a fellow artist's journal and I'm a little awed at the talent that will end up contributing to my journal.

Here's an in progress shot of my cover. The theme of the journal is 'a stone, a bird or a flower' and I am asking contributors to create a page that brings them out of the every day and back to their true self. I'll post a scan of the completed cover when it's finished.

Exciting times!

Crayon Resist

Remember doing this when you were a kid? With Crayola crayons, copy paper & wishy washy cheap paint? I've updated it and used a white Neocolor II, Fabriano Hot Press watercolour paper & my Peerless watercolours. I see a lot of mileage in this background style!

Into the Wild Wood

I'm taking part in an international art journal page swap over the next 10 months and our first one is due to be posted on the 1st of August. Lots of people have chosen themes for their pages, but not the person I'm sending to first.  So I went with our theme of woodland creatures.

The Wild Wood is a place in English folk law where you meet your darkest fears and work beyond them. It's a rite of passage to take you beyond the every day and into more sacred things.The Wood usually provides you a guide in the form of a woodland creature or bird.

I think of art a bit like this. It's a way of going beyond the mundane and making things sacred. The act of creating is a form of worship, a way of making every day things special. Sketching your hand or a flower that's in front of you, or drawing from your imagination all makes you look and see the wonder that is our universe. And art usually provides you some guides in the form of other artists to inspire you, teach you & travel along with you.

I hope you come with me into the Wild Wood.

Instagram

Are you on Instagram? If not why not!? It's a great way to share your art and get inspired by other people's work. I generally search on the tags #art #artjournal #mixedmedia and #paint #painting #illustration and I always find something (or many things) I like. I'm not there to copy, but to see how other people are exploring the world they live in.

This piece, in my new winter journal, called Grumpy Cat in a Blanket, has received a heap of likes in the last few days. My husband says that's what the internet is for... videos/photos of cats and dogs. :-)

Baby, it's cold outside

Played around with a stencil, some Brilliance stamp pads, white Dylusions spray, a pretty acrylic & Prismacolor pencil face and some distress stains today. When my mojo is on holiday they're my go to supplies/basics and I usually end up liking the process of creating.

First I used the stamp pads (the tear drop shaped ones) to go roughly over the stencil. I wasn't looking for perfection, just some shiny colour. Then I drew a face & hair shape and painted the face in with flesh tone acrylic. Next I shaded and played with the face using Prismacolor pencil. I really enjoy watching it appear from the flatness.

Finally I painted the hair & the background with Ranger's Distress Stains.

Nothing new or revolutionary here. Just something I enjoyed putting together while my mojo packed her holiday bags and got on the next flight home.

Before You Art...

...find a place to lie very still for 5 minutes. Listen, see, smell, breathe, feel your skin. Do not judge.

Now go and make art.