Paint a Night sky with Watercolours

 I'm playing in my journal and trying to see if there was a simple way to paint a night sky with watercolours.

Here is the result of sprinkling kosher salt over it:



It didn't really work at all and just left traces of salt all over the surface.

This is the result of dipping an old toothbrush into melted wax and running a toothpick across it to spray the page with droplets:



A lot better but not quite there. The wax leaves a residue on the paper, though I'm not sure if it matters yet.

Any other ideas?

Clear your workspace today. Seriously.

So far, I am quite enjoying "I'd Rather Be In The Studio". Of course, I haven't been painting... ha! But I still feel like I'm crossing things off of my imaginary to-do list. I don't feel quite ready for the second action (Organize Information), but there was mention of getting rid of clutter and I have to agree: a messy space results in stress and procrastination.

I love peeking into workspaces so here's one of mine this morning...



Geez... I love how the lamp is upside down. It just completes the feeling of chaos.
So there's a half gift-wrapped painting on the desk because I lost my ribbons.
Scissors on the floor (!),
scrapbook paper stack is falling apart,
missing paintbrushes...
Behind the curtain is an empty water glass from who-knows-when.
Overflowing recycling stack & bin
I can see a framed painting from the blueberry festival just waiting to be smashed...



Guess what, I found my ribbons!

Having an empty desktop actually RELAXES me just to look at it. It never gets too out of control, but I get so easily frustrated when I'm in the middle of a project and can't find the scissors (only to find out they're right under the project I'm working on, argh!).

Honestly, just clearing the desk takes about 2 minutes if everything has its own place. If not, that's a new weekend project to consider! I love my pegboard and can't imagine not having it!

Also, I'm sending out the newsletter tomorrow. If you want to see cake pictures (not published on the blog) then sign up on the right! ------------------------------>

From the Post - Stickers!!

Soooo guess what else I got in the mail? Stickers! Tiny, adorable and super high quality square stickers. Love love love love them. But I don't know exactly what I plan to do with them... I might save them for art shows, or should I come up with some new creative idea?



Since the wedding cake is finished, and my life may shuffle back into normalcy, I feel a bit revitalized! So I finally went ahead and downloaded I'd Rather Be In The Studio. I am taking it in slowly and purposefully and hope that it is just the kick I need to make things happen.

The first step is to define success, and you know, I have to wonder if a million other people are also reading this book because I've been thinking an awful lot about defining success lately.  If you had one big unrealistic expectation, what would it be?

Me, I like to keep it simple. What seemed like unrealistic wishes to me a few years ago quickly became reality! I never thought I'd be a homeowner or a driver and now I'm BOTH! It makes me wonder what other dreams could come true?

What is my art business dream?

Oh ummm let's see.

I will feel successful when...
When I can make at least $800/month through my business! It's small potatoes, but at that point it could replace my day job entirely and I could be my own boss. Awesome.
I dream of having a tiny art studio in a cozy area with lots of foot traffic! I would open the doors and have little parties with visitors!
I'd love to have at least one solo exhibition, even if it was just once, even in just a local gallery. That would blow my mind. Of course, I'd love if it resulted in lots of visitors and some sales!

Just thinking about it gives me such a boost that I could go on and on and come up with bigger and bigger wishes!

If you could have everything you've ever wanted, what would it be?

From the Post - Moo cards

Awwwww yeah! Free Moo cards arrived today! I looovvee the mini cards. It's less fun to have so many of the same image (usually they are all different ones), but I can't complain. I can't wait to give them out!

Journal Post 8/26/12

On a day where nothing is satisfying, and there's nothing I really want to DO, I know I can just open up my art journal and randomly doodle on its pages. Even if I don't appreciate these doodles now, eventually it will be covered up with scrawling words... it will become something new and different and alive.

Unfit Creature of the Night

Here's a closer look at Unfit Creature of the Night.





When I was dripping the paint outwards from the night sky, I used paper towel to soak up any puddles. To my surprise, it left an interesting pattern onto the painting! Looks kind of neat!



Available here.

step by step - Unfit Creature of the Night part two

Yesterday I wanted to post a photo of all the cupcakes I'd been slaving over for the past couple of weeks, but wouldn't you know it - I didn't bring a camera. D'oh!

So instead, here's Unfit with a layer of colour. 



Second layer with splashes off of the side...

 

Then finished it off with some charcoal and ink details. Tiny but cute. 

Step by Step - Unfit part 1

As an artist, I don't actually do a lot of planning. The impression I get is that ideas need to be hatched out a million ways, sketched until they are just perfect before they can be properly used. 



Ehhhhh I don't really do that. I probably go about as far as a composition sketch. Or I might practice something a few times if it looks difficult.

Instead I just make smaller paintings. Less pressure! :D

This week has been terrible for sleep, so not a lot has happened this week. Sorry about that.

handmade art journal - flutter

This is the last art journal that I will be making for a little while. I really like this one!  I'd love to see it filled with drawings, papers, photos, memories... whatever!



Available here.

Journal post 8-14-12

A quick journal layout with some pretty papers and cast offs from sprayed stencils. I like it. Very simple.



I recently ordered some fun stickers and I can't wait to see what they look like! I don't even have a plan for them at all, it just seemed like a fun thing to do. There are thoughts about maybe putting together a small subscription that would include a few stickers, for example, though nothing is set in stone. Just playing with ideas.



Today I am just soooo tired! My cats seem more or less back to normal but their feeding has become so complicated. My work schedule is a nightmare so I won't get much sleep at all this week. I have to make lots and lots of cupcakes again, but this time, I can only bake a dozen at a time (no trays, of course) so it took me FIVE HOURS and I think I only got 200 or 300 cupcakes baked.

If you ever wanna try making cupcakes in a convection oven - don't! :P

(Cupcakes look really silly after baking in a wind tunnel. )

Mirror Mirror

One of my paintings will be in Mirror Mirror, starting August 18 2012 at the Surrey Arts Centre. Why don't you come see it? :D

Pretty Cake Journal

Seems to be wedding cake fever around here! Can one make a text-collage wedding cake in real life? I don't know. I bet there is an edible pattern sheet that can do this. It would look really neat! 



Available here. 

Making art with pressed flowers

Hydrangeas make the best pressed flowers!  I have a few different flowers in my book, but none of them seem to hold their shape nearly as well as these ones. The colour is also fantastic, but I'm not sure if it will stay violet.

I'm trying out a slow-drying acrylic medium to see if it will help seal it against the page, because that's what I've got around the house. If that fails, I think I've got a sealant glue somewhere... 

Normally, I wouldn't worry too much about it in the case of mixed media art, as it is usually protected well. But this is for an art journal cover so it has to be a bit more durable! :P

Journal Flip - Life Like Weeds

I've been busy the last couple of days trying to cover ground on this faux wedding cake I agreed to make, so today I decided to post the journal flip I'd been putting off for way too long.

I wanted to make different kinds of videos, but it's difficult without proper equipment (like... maybe a camera that takes sound would be nice!). This journal flip was just never going to get done if I waited for ideal circumstances so I quickly filmed this and put it together.

Cloverdale Blueberry Artwalk

I am sooo tired! It was so hot even under the tent, that once the sun started poking in from the side I thought I was going to spontaneously combust! The day went nicely, but it seemed that everyone was too afraid to touch anything! Oh well.

Jury Day

Okay, well good luck for the blueberry festival! See you there. 

Mini Painting - Whirly Curls

 While I was waiting for something, I decided to make another mini painting from an old sketch. This one is called "Whirly Curls".



Adding a layer of colour immediately made the pen ink run. Oops! But that's okay.



Purple curls!



I guess she is going to have red hair, too!

 

Fix up the inky lines and we're done.

I've been hella busy this week; the blueberry art show is one day away and I am completely flipping out over my undetermined set up! eep! They only just sent out an email with actual useful information that I can use but alas, it is too late. I am self conscious about our DIY wooden display easel and the fact that my art is just too small to look normal on one, heh.

I'm getting the idea that other artists who didn't make it in time will be looking and judging, saying, I could have made better use of that space! Yeah.