Illustration Friday - Wish

Sometimes I wish my hair was purple...

Illustration Friday - the theme this week is WISH

Art Journal Page 9/24/14 - Little Princess

I took sort of a different approach today. I had several head sketches hanging around and a few ideas I wanted to explore so I worked on 4 different heads at the same time and then waited to see which one "spoke" to me once they were done.

The one with the dark brown hair was my attempt at a Day of the Dead type girl. I don't love her. In fact I loved her much more BEFORE I added all the Day of the Dead stuff to her. I may re-draw her and just do her without all the design on her face, but keeping the flower petals around the eye.

The orange haired face is headed for a little Halloween page I think. I had to cut off her long eyelashes, but I'll be adding them back on once she has a page of her own. I see her with a witch's hat.

And the short haired blondie is based (loosely--you know I don't do perfect likeness) on Kaley Cuoco and her new short haircut. I watched The Big Bang Theory Last night. :)

But in the end, the little pink haired sweetie and I bonded today so I created a page just for her and her little yellow bird friend.

I've had those little scrap pieces of paper doily hanging around ever since my art class girls did PAPER ANGELS last December. I knew I wanted to use them for an Elizabethan type collar and this face was perfect for what I had in mind. She's a little bit 19th century clown, a little bit Alice in Wonderland, and a little bit Marie Antoinette. How's that for an interesting combination?

IF - Novelty

Her entire background is torn pages from a novel. What a novelty. :)

Illustration Friday - the theme this week is novelty

Art Journal Page 9/21/14 - Bunny

Following my usual process. This little gal was inspired by a student at my daughter's school. She was in line behind us for a parent teacher conference last week and had the most wonderful purple stripe in her hair and a sassy little flip bob hairstyle. As soon as I saw her I knew I wanted to do a drawing with a purple stripe in her hair.

I think she had a plain t shirt on or a band shirt, but I thought a bunny shirt would be quite fun. 

Here she is with her neighboring page in my Art Journal. (Not sure what I'm going to do with those squares. I'm still thinking about it. They are leftover inchies and twinchies glued onto the page).

NEW Painting - Sharon (AVAILABLE)

I just listed this one is my ETSY shop. (Update: Sharon has SOLD)

Title: Sharon
Size: 6" x 5"
Media: Acrylics and Mixed Media on 3/4" MDF wood

You may have seen her on the blog before. "Sharon" is my Coloring Book Method example. To see how she came to be, click HERE.

Art Journal Page 9/16/14 - Apple Girl

The kids are back in school and we're having a rare cloudy (almost!) chilly day so my thoughts are turning to Fall.

I wanted to include lots of September elements into this page. (I was so tempted to jump right into a Halloween page, but then decided to give September it's due!) So there's apples and pencils and numbers and letters, all set against a sheet of handwriting practice paper.

Here's how this one began...

As usual, I did my initial drawing on some scrap computer paper. I rarely have a specific plan in mind. Today I just had September in mind and it sort of went from there. Once I got the hair drawn I KNEW I would paint it red to look like an apple.

After I get the first lines drawn, I go back over everything and add thick lines and emphasize certain areas.

I added paint to the face and cut out her dress and leaves for her hair. Then I just start laying things down on my page and play around until I get it just how I want it.

She's quite apple-y delicious, I think.

Art Journal Page 9/14/14 - Circle Girl

A fun Sunday afternoon spent working in my art journal. I found this brilliant circle tutorial on the Me, With My Head in the Clouds blog and I was totally inspired. I used some of the circles I did here on this journal page and I have an envelope full of others to use on later projects. SO much fun!!

For this page I followed the same steps as the page I did a couple of days ago. I think I love doing these cut out girls so much because it's like playing with paper dolls. It really does just feel like play to me.

I painted her head on a recipe page I printed a long time ago and never actually made. My daughter looked over my shoulder while I was painting the fun purple hair and said, "So does that mean you're never going to make those pretzel bites because they look good!" :) Ah, the things we sacrifice for art!!

And here she is hanging out with her neighbor. I'm never quite sure if doing full page spreads like this makes the pages too busy. I try to have some elements that tie them together a little--in this case it's the black polka dot paper and smudges of creamy yellow paint. But I still think I like the pages better on their own.

Art Journal Page 9/12/14 - True Girl

I go between a lined spiral notebook that I just draw faces in, a composition book that I do lettering in (but faces find their way there too), and an art journal. Tonight I spent a lovely evening in the Art Journal. I had a quiet house and a few ideas floating around so I settled in and got down to business.

HERE'S THE PROCESS: 

I started this page with a pencil sketch of a face. I went over that with my trusted Papermate Flair pen. I'm working on scrap computer paper. I love that in places you'll be able to see the printed text through the paint.

Here comes my Coloring Book Method again. I simply fill in the spaces with paint--just like you would in a coloring book. I use the surrounding paper to sample the colors and check the paint consistency. It's quite handy actually. I also cut out a shape to be her dress.I LOVE that paper. It's from the inside of an envelope and I've been saving it for a special project and I think it's just perfect as her sassy frock.

I add a few lines with my Micron pens and give her cheeks some color with a colored pencil. I also add a bit of shading on the face with colored pencil. Then I cut out the head.

I get an idea of my page layout. Here I'm using scraps or paper from junk mail, scrapbook paper, a fee schedule from the 1980's I found at work, etc. I just pull out my scrap box and see what speaks to me. None of it is glued down yet. I play around with the layout quite a bit before I actually adhere anything to the page.

I add a bit more paper and washi tape and I soften parts of it with white paint. Then I glue everything in the background down with Mod Podge.

Last, I glue down the figure and add some embellishment with Micron Pens and a date stamp in the bottom left corner. And this page is done!

NEW Painting - Olga Owns an Owl (AVAILABLE)

 Olga Owns and Owl, 16" x 8", acrylic, paper, ink on canvas

 Here are a few step by step WIP pictures for Olga:

This painting is done using my Coloring Book Method. So I begin with the outline, done with a paint pen.

 I then add in the mixed media elements--in this case newspaper and scrapbook paper.

 And a little bit more--some playful polka dots in the background.

Then comes the paint. And after that, I go back in and clean up the outline lines, add ink elements, and some other details. And then, voila...

THIS PAINTING IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN MY ETSY SHOP.

NEW Painting - Home for Supper (AVAILABLE)

Home for Supper, 10" x 10", paint and other mixed media on canvas

I have been studying the work of Mindy Lacefield and doing some of her online and printed (in her books--I have them all and they are wonderful!) classes. This painting is so inspired by her fun, whimsical style.

THIS PAINTING IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN MY ETSY SHOP

NEW Painting - Eloise Enjoys Elegant Earrings (AVAILABLE)

Eloise Enjoys Elegant Earrings, 16" x 8", acrylic paint, paper, ink on canvas

 Here is the inspiration sketch for this fun painting:

 And here is a detailed step by step WIP for Eloise:

This painting is done using my Coloring Book Method. So I begin with the outline, done with a paint pen.

I then add in the mixed media elements--in this case magazine pages and scrapbook paper.

And a little bit more--I decided to make her eyes and lips really pop!

Then comes the paint. And after that, I go back in and clean up the outline lines, add ink elements, and some other details. And then, voila...

THIS PAINTING IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN MY ETSY SHOP! SOLD