Saturday, January 26, 2019

Getting into Gouache

Just finished a lesson presented by Toni Burt as part of Olga Furman's Paint Your Heart and Soul 2019. This was the second time I broke out my set of gouache paints since I bought them. I love how these paints work like watercolors (still in the beginning stage with this medium) yet have greater opacity, somewhere between watercolors and acrylics. There was a great lesson on mixing earthy colors (flesh and other tones).

The picture was created over a collaged background using sheet music adhered and sealed with matte gel. The face and features were lightly sketched with Cretacolor graphite pencil prior to painting. Gouche was built up in several layers (burnt umber, burnt sienna, yellow ochre, white). Wings courtesy of our oak tree.

Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Watercolor-Based Mixed Media

I'm not sure if you have ever heard of Wyanne Thompson, but she is without a doubt one of the bravest women I have ever encountered. She is a renowned watercolor artist who battled oral cancer and has come out victorious. What an inspiration she is, continuing to teach and create through all her struggles! The image below is my take on her lesson "I Am Free" (Lesson 12 of Effy Wild's Radiant II: Art Journals).


Media used here: watercolor (several brands and types), masking fluid, pastels, and gel pens. 

My was my first attempt at using masking fluid for both writing and drawing. I can see many applications available with this product, though I didn't have much success using it later with acrylic paints. (I think the paints were not dry enough when I attempted to remove the masking fluid; a lot of the paper beneath tore. That was not a happy experience, but I am committed to try again with the acrylics to determine the exact cause of the near disaster.) 


Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Stepping Into 2019

I am so glad to be back! 2019 is going to be one of my best art years ever. I was sidetracked for about a year by an auto-immune illness brought on by an antibiotic I took and the death of my mother-in-law, but I am back. And, boy, does it feel good. 

I barely created during 2018, but took an Advent calendar challenge through Wanderlust with Kasia Avery that got me back into my journal in December. Then I discovered I had purchased Effy Wild's Radiant II: Art Journals and never started the course, so I spent the latter part of December discovering Effy's technique for how to get the most out of an art class. I have to tell you that even though it adds a lot of time, the opportunity to be self-reflective and document what I learned through the process is exciting and oh, so beneficial. I have even devised my own notebook for the class, which is something I intend to do with all the classes I take from this point forward.

Below you will find my New Year's Eve creation, setting my intentions for 2019 to draw closer, go deeper, and move into higher spiritual realms this year. I hope all my art will reflect this desire.


So, I also decided that after 2 years as a Wanderlust student I was going to delve into different waters. I am eagerly awaiting my first lesson (tomorrow is the day) from Olga Furman's Paint Your Heart and Soul. It was difficult to cut the umbilical cord with Wanderlust (and who knows, I may return one day), but I am ready to launch out into deeper artistic waters, fully developing my style. Hope to see you around with me!

Much love, joy, and health to you and yours this 2019!

Week 4: #100daysoftags

  Week 4!  Lots of yumminess this week, incorporating bits of papers that normally would be thrown away and dollar store finds into my colla...