Creatively Made: Mixed Media Portrait

Hi all! Been super busy with life and trying to fit in time to create too! A tricky balance, that frequently required late night sessions making a healthy mess of paint, paper, and glue in my studio. I have finally completed another project from the Creatively Made  e-course and I’m pretty pleased with the outcome. I have to admit, I am very, very rusty with my acrylic paints. Several times, I had to put down this piece and walk away frustrated. I would hang the unfinished canvas on the wall next to my desk and periodically gaze at it…looking for answers. They came…but it took time.

This project started the same as the others but this time, incorporating more color. Using a mix of vintage papers and scrapbook paper, I created the background, unifying it with layers of paint.

It was funny painting late into the night, listening to music and feeling my little baby kick inside me, almost encouraging me to keep going. I have started calling her my “Art Baby”. I haven’t painted in over ten years and somehow, I feel like she has filled me with the courage to pick up my brush again. It’s a good feeling.

I really love adding 3-D details like the lace, gems and pearls. I can’t believe I never blended collage and painting in art school! I was missing out!

Next, we have to do a self-portrait! Yikes! I’m excited to try though. We will also be making Santos dolls, which looks like a fabulous project! I will keep you posted.

Creatively Made : Second Journal Project

Hi everyone! Well, I’ve been busy creating and loving every minute of it! Our second project in the Creatively Made course was to make an altered journal. That is, buy a store-bought sketchbook and create a mixed media piece for the cover. Jeanne showed us so many wonderful techniques and I’m pretty happy with how mine came out…here are the pics…

Prepped the cover with a collage patchwork of vintage papers…

Did an image transfer using a ink-jet color copy of a magazine page. This left a ghost of an image so I could go in and draw in the details and create the hair. I had to re-create most of the face but the transfer left decent enough forms to follow.

Continued to add details, including a “dress” for my girl from some pretty wedding invitation paper. Used colored pencils and washes of acrylic paint to add color and detail.

Here’s a little tip that works great for me – pick a color palette before you begin your piece. It helps me stay focused and reassures me that my color selection is harmonious. I love using Design Seeds color books. You can get them here.  I used her “Figs” palette…

The metal key and corners can be found at Michaels in the scrapbook section (buyer beware – you may end up walking out with a whole lot of lovely bits and pieces – I do, everytime!), as can the die cut butterfly and pearls. I love adding these pretty 3D elements.

Now I just have to fill it up with more art!

Hope you are all having a beautiful week!

xo,

Etsy Love: joojoo

Last night, I went to my fabulous book club. It is an amazing group of women that I feel so lucky to be a part of. After glasses of wine, a good healthy book discussion and plenty of delicious food we did our usual round of sharing what’s been going on in our lives.

One lovely lady had just been to Panama with her husband on a wildlife adventure! They are both passionate and devoted birders -  I hadn’t known this about her. Both me and another bird fan squealed with delight as she described the amazing birds they had witnessed. I love it when you discover something about someone that connects you in a new way. By the end of the night, the three of us were talking about going on guided bird walks put on by the Audubon Society. I can’t wait!

With birds on the brain today, I stumbled upon joojoo on Etsy. Artist, Afsaneh creates the sweetest bird illustrations! I had to share…

Aren’t they precious? You must also visit her beautiful blog, here.

Hope your week is going well…I’m holding out for a sunny weekend!

xo,

Tea obsession & Tabitha Emma

Today I felt so restless. Do you ever get that? Where you just can’t sit down and focus…so annoying! Finally, I decided that a trip to the book store and a cup of tea might soothe my nerves. So off I went, grabbed a stack of inspiring mags and headed home for a cuppa.

While sifting through the gorgeous pages of Somerset Studio and sipping some steaming Chamomile tea, I figured I had better find the perfect tea pot to go with my lovely new tea cup. I headed to Etsy to begin the search…

I have yet to find the “one”, but I did stumbled upon a fabulous Aussie artist, Tabitha Emma, who seems to love tea as much as me. Aren’t these sweet? I just ordered the print below. Couldn’t resist.

And of course, any good tea party has lovely treats to go with it…

Once I find my teapot…I think I will have to get this cozy for it. Tabitha makes adorable fabric creations too!

And Grace…well, she desperately wants this cake purse! Every girl needs a cake purse right? She cracks me up.

Check out Tabitha’s gorgeous Etsy store and blog for more of her beautiful work! Aussie’s rock, don’t they? Speaking of Aussie’s, tomorrow we are headed to my home town – Sydney for our Friday Escape! woo!

xo,

p.s. If anyone knows where I can hunt for vintage tea pots online let me know!

Etsy Love: Whimsy Whimsical

Sometimes you just need something sweet. A chocolate, a little cupcake or maybe a darling note card. Yes, these handmade cards are seriously sweet, like make you cheeks-tingle-sweet. I love them!

Malaysian Artist, Yee Von creates these precious illustrations using pen and ink and then digitally colors them. She has this shop on Etsy but also features her lovely figurative work at this shop. Make sure you stop by both, they are a real treat! Her blog is also very beautiful!

Happy Wednesday!

xo,

A New Favorite Artist: Geninne D. Zlatkis

Roaming through the lovely realm of Etsy, I happened upon this wonderful artist. I truly adore her work!

As many of you know…I have a thing for birds and I just ordered one of her lovely creations. This one to be exact – Meet Bird # 13. Isn’t she precious? I was drawn to the soft hues of blue and green. I also love how the little bird looks curious, as if she’s trying to read those old labels. So sweet.

Here are some others that caught my eye…needless to say, it was tough to pick one. I think I might have to start a collection.

I really enjoy the graphic nature of her style and the beautiful incorporation of vintage labels, tags and postcards. Go visit her Etsy shop for more gorgeous art! Also, you must visit her amazing blog. So inspiring!! She was also recently a Featured Etsy seller…read her interview here.

What do you think of her work? Are you a bird fan too?

Okay, I’m off to research our next Vicarious Vacation destination: Greece!

Have a lovely Monday. Mine should be rainy but productive! I’m redesigning my studio…finally! I will be posting before and after pics soon! In the meantime, here’s my inspiration.

xo,

All images via Geninne’s Etsy Store