Queen of Flowers II – A mixed media collage

Hi everyone! Happy Friday! This week flew by and I am just now getting the chance to sit down and visit with you. How has life been treating you?

I wanted to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for the sweet and encouraging comments left after my last post. It’s always a bit scary to share my artwork – so please know that I greatly appreciate the support! Art is such a core part of me. When I actually take time to do it, I am amazed at how it fills me with happiness and peace. I was so pleased with the last collage that I did a second one. I snapped pics of my progress with my phone to document the evolution of the piece.

Similar to the last project – I started by collaging bits of vintage ephemera to the inside of an old book cover.

Enter my muse (another Anthropologie model) who I painted over, inked her face and hair and added scrapbook papers for her dress. You can also see in the upper right hand corner I added some pink acrylic paint to start balancing the color composition.

The last details were added to complete her, including a sweet antique Australian stamp (a little shout-out to my homeland!), a jeweled crown and of course a bird. Gotta have a bird.

I stamped the cover of the book with this chickadee stamp and added the word “fly”.

So there you have it, another little collage project that I was able to complete in a couple of days during Claire’s naptime. So much more fun than folding laundry!

I have just listed prints of this collage and the last one in my Society 6 shop too!

Have a beautiful weekend!

xo,

Ivy

 

Queen of Flowers – A mixed media collage

Hi all! How have you been? I’ve kinda gone off the radar this past week because I have been desperately trying to fit in some creative time to paint, draw and just play with my plethora of art supplies. I have been taking Jeanne Oliver’s latest art course and I can’t get enough of watching her videos and learning new techniques. There is something about watching her paint that makes my hands itch for my own paint brushes. Often, I find myself day dreaming about my next piece so it gives me great pleasure to finally spend some time creating in the tangible world!

Mother’s Day weekend was the catalyst to actually getting my hands dirty and creating. I found myself alone in a hotel room with nothing to do. So I made a cup of tea, flipped on the fireplace and got out my collage box. (I assembled a small box of collage materials so I can easily pick up the box and go anywhere with it. Highly recommend doing this!) And so the her majesty was born…

I began the process by layering vintage paper elements into a patchwork onto the back of a vintage book cover with Liquitex Matte Medium.

Then I glazed the background with sepia and cream acrylic washes to unify the papers.

Using a model from an Anthropologie catalog, I found my muse and glued her down. Then using various pieces of scrapbook paper I created her gown and painted over the model to create my own girl. A die-cut crown was added to confirm her royal status and I inked over her to add definition to her form. More strips of scrapbook paper in deep pink balanced the piece. The sweet bird was printed onto tracing paper and then added. A few pieces of washi tape completed my composition.

Lastly, I stamped a tree image on the back of the book cover. It kinda smudged but I rather like that it is imperfect. :)

I had so much fun creating this that I started a second one. I will share that one with you soon. Who knew the back of an old book could provide such a great canvas for some art – plus the size is manageable and approachable.

Thanks for letting me share this process with you. Please let me know about any creative projects you are working on. I would love to hear about them!

Have a fabulous day!

xo,

Ivy

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.

Sketchbook Project: The Sage

I know, I know…its been forever since I’ve posted another page from the Sketchbook project that I’m doing. I’ve been a slacker.

Well…finally the creative bug got to me and I had to paint and collage last night. I wouldn’t stop until I had completed this piece. It’s been hanging out in my head for a while.

Since my topic for the sketchbook is “Boys & Girls”, I wanted to explore the different archetypes surrounding the two sexes. The sage figure has always been one that has intrigued me. At first, this composition was rather serious but when the butterflies alighted upon the page, I couldn’t help but think that every old man, every bearded wizard, was once a boy. A boy who was playful and curious and full of life. So in the end, as the piece evolved, it became a little playful, a tad nostalgic. As the ancient sage wanders the forest, he thinks back to the vibrancy of his youth…and the temptation of mischief.

{click on image to view larger}

I hope to do another one this weekend…

Have a fabulous Friday!

xo,