Ya baby!

Further experimentation with texture, this time drawing directly with pastel onto gessoed* journal pages. My subject this time were a couple of Chinese ya pears.

(*Gesso - a primer used to prepare canvas, paper or other grounds for painting on. The one I use is a white acrylic one which looks just like white paint, but it has a different texture to it.)

Apologies for the week long absence from my blog. It's been an activity filled week!

New things that I have started this week include a new practise of dynamic yoga and the reading and following of Fearless Creating.

New things that I am soon to start include salt dough making as featured on Na's & Lesley's blogs, rubber stamp making as featured on Lesley's blog and knitting (at long last!).

This year I am not going to buy any Christmas cards or presents. Everything is going to be handmade. All I need now is a device that enables me to be in two places at the same time so that while I am at my desk at work, I can also be at home making things. I believe Hermione had one in one of the Harry Potter books, that enabled her to take two classes at once. Anyone want to share the spell with me? (I am such a geek).

what a lovely pair

I saw these William pears on a fruit stall the other day and had to get them. I love their shapes, just lovely to draw.

These were drawn with charcoal and pastels (top photo), and then painted over with acrylic gel medium. Once the medium was dry, I dragged a dry brush lightly loaded with white gesso across the top (bottom photo).

latest mandalas

today's mandala

art journal pages

Lately I find myself wondering exactly why I am keeping an art journal. I haven't really thought about it, asked myself what I want from it, or understood why I am doing it. I want to create, yes. But I think what I really want is to find my own voice as an "artist", my own meaning, my own deep processes, my own work.

Lately as I’ve been trying to find ideas to work on and develop, I realise that most of my ideas have come from looking at other artists’ work and from waiting to be inspired. I know that it is hard to find an original idea, and I’m not even sure that that is exactly the point, but an obvious sense of “imitation” is as far as it’s gone for me and it’s not enough. The deepest I felt I went in my art was when I was doing that zen leaf drawing. Everything else has felt like bouncing around on the surface of things, course work included.

On my course work I feel like I am working harder, but at someone else’s task, not my own. I want my art to come from me. But am I ready for that, do I even understand what that means? This goes for both my writing and my drawing. I feel like I need some direction and help. And since I have a phobia of adult education classes (how ironic), I started browsing on Amazon on artist sketchbooks and I came across a book entitled Fearless Creating by Eric Maisel. I'm hopeful that it can help me. Let’s wait and see. I wonder how other people do it, how do they find their own voice, their own work?

In the meantime, I guess all I can do is keep creating, keep asking myself these questions, keep looking at and learning from other people’s art.

My favourite work of everything I have done are my blind contour ink portraits, my Damascus picture, some of my shoe drawings, my zen leaf drawing. These feel most like “my” work. The things they have in common are strong line and/or bold colour and a distinct viewpoint that is perhaps what could be called style. But what does this mean, if anything, and where do I go from here?

~

Changing the subject completely...did you know Alison Krauss and Robert Plant have done an album together? It's called Raising Sand, and it's beautiful.

And tomorrow night, I'm going to see Iron & Wine! Yay!!!!

Rocks, wire, scissors (and fimo)

I know love is beautiful, but sometimes, it also feels like this, even when it's the best thing in the world.

I LOVE PASTELS

You know what? I really love pastels. And I'm going to stop thinking that using pastels isn't "real" art. I know that paint is the most used medium by artists making pictures and I do want to learn to paint, but my first love is pastels. Pastels and drawing. I adore drawing. I adore making lines. I love lines. So here's one I made earlier, in its different stages.

It's been awhile since I've done one of these...

The joy of diversions

Really, there are so many things I should have been doing today. Like my painting course homework, writing overdue letters, returning phone calls, eating lunch. But here's what I did instead...see the little guy leaning on Lottie? Well I made him! For some inexplicable reason, I had this strong desire to make a felt cat. So I did. He's my first. Isn't he tiny? I didn't know what to stuff him with so I used some old bubble wrap!

And now there's even less time to do the things I should have got done today. Oh well, at least I did some art journalling. And I also finally did some yoga after a very lengthy "break" from all forms of exercise due to sheer lard-ass laziness.

Ok, I don't feel so bad now.

Grow

grow
Originally uploaded by the heartful blogger

You never know what will grow out of a magic bean...

Still unable to upload pictures onto blogger!!!!

Blogger has not allowed me to upload any pictures for the last few days and they still haven't solved the problem!!!!! Arrrrrgggggghhhhhhh!!!!!!! So I'm gonna have to cheat and go via flickr, apologies for the funny format of the above post.

I've been away for a few days, here's where I went...

I love autumn!!

More pictures will be posted up on my photo blog in a few days.

More painting!

And I did this to use up the leftover paint...

Composition exercises

So I decided to just skip that whole dull chapter of my painting course that was going to require me to first sketch and then paint four pictures of different views from different rooms in my house. Perhaps I'll do that another time when I live somewhere with coloured walls, less clutter and more convenient angles and corners. The example they had in the course notes actually featured a room that had not only a piano, but a large dining table, beautiful chairs and lamps, not to mention lovely windows. Lucky for some...

So straight onto the chapter on composition, which was much more interesting. These are my exercises for the first part of the assignment.

Painting (4" x 3" chunky canvas)

Acrylic & Ink.

I have no idea what to call this.

Since watching Suzi Blu's Live Juicy video mentioned in my last post, I'm endeavouring to make a painting a week. This is my first! There was a sale going on at the London Graphics Centre, I got these little chunky canvases for only £1!! Both the cost and the dinky size helped to undo the daunting feeling that usually creeps up on me when faced with a pristine blank canvas.

It was fun making this. I had an idea what I wanted to do, but in the end, I like the way it turned out better than my original idea.

Painting

I'm beginning to understand why doing my painting course work is feeling like swimming through tar. The assignments are extremely prescriptive, the approach very conservative and traditional and doesn't leave much room for the imagination. No wonder I've been stuck.

On the other hand, watching Suzi Blu's videos are unsticking me and inspiring me to paint whatever the heck I want, however I want to do it. As Henry Miller said, "Paint what you like and die happy."

So I've figured out that there's no reason for me to stay within the narrow confines of the assignments. So they want me to sketch and then paint four different views in my house from one room into another. Would it really matter if I zoomed in on the four stripey coloured socks hanging off the radiator instead of trying to get the perspective and angles of the white walls correct? It is a view from one room to another after all. Besides, I can't really "fail" these assignments. I'm not getting graded for them. Whatever I send to my tutor, she always says the same thing. "You're doing fine, carry on." Honestly, if I hadn't paid several hundred pounds for the privelege of being told this, I'd quit. But then, that would be failing. And I'm not quitting. So I'm going to do it my way.

bluebird for inspire me thursday

I'm not really sure where this came from...

bad dreams

art journal 30.9.07

It's the last day of the September challenge. And while I'm not going to stop keeping my art journal, I won't be posting snippets from it anymore. Doing so has made me feel exposed, even if hardly anyone looks at this blog. So this is it!

As for October, there won't be a challenge as such. Because I have ignored my painting course work for a while now, and because I feel the time has come to go back to it, my focus for October will be to get my next assignment to my tutor by the end of the month. Hopefully by then, I will feel back in the swing of things enough to come back to my more regular art/blog activities. Thanks to those of you who have been stopping by.

The Blues for Illustration Friday

why are some parts of my blog now in german?!?!

Is this happening to anyone else? And does anyone know why?

art journal 28.9.07

art journal 27.9.07 (snippet)

art journal 26.9.07

art journal 25.9.07

art journal 23.9.07

Ha ha ha...

Just as I had given up on this art journalling business, what do I do but accidentally stumble onto this link at Inspire Me Thursday...

And guess what, I've started an art journal. If you think you can't do it, just watch the Suzi Blu videos. It always amazes me when inspiration comes from just the right source at just the right time. Ha ha ha! Never say never...

Whatever happened to my painted journal?

It's just not a good idea to force things sometimes. There must be a reason I am avoiding painting, and whatever that reason is, maybe it's a good one. Because trying to force myself to paint by setting this month's challenge has simply not worked. I've just not been doing it. Rather, I can feel myself slowly coming round to the idea of getting back to my painting course by myself, in my own time. I've also discovered that forcing myself to keep a journal hasn't worked either. Maybe I'm not ready for it, or maybe I'm not really prepared to share something like a journal for a challenge like this. Maybe it just needs to be personal and stay personal. So I'm sorry this month's challenge doesn't seem to be working out. But, we've still got about a week left, so let's see what happens.

ATC for Inspire Me Thursday

I've only recently discovered ATCs (Artist Trading Cards), and I love them!

For those who are new to ATCs, the only rules are that:

1) Cards must measure 2.5in x 3.5in

2) Cards mustn't be sold, only exchanged

You can use any medium, any materials, so anything goes! And the theme for this week's Inspire Me Thursday is to make one. I made this one using old newspaper, pastels, gel pens and beads.

I thoroughly enjoyed it so I may well make this my challenge for next month...watch this space!

Momentum for IF

I've been watching nature's momentum, as she tip toes towards broken blooms and falling leaves.

Autumn-Conker-Sea Urchin (in a limited palette)

I picked up this conker about two weeks ago. Then, it was green and whole. Now, it is brown and has split open, like a sort of sea urchin.

First journal pages

It's been a really busy week, went back to work after a two week break, and was also out three nights this week, so I haven't had much time to be creative. These are the first attempts at my painted journal. I can already see a potential problem with sharing journal pages. They are, by their nature, supposed to be personal and private. But I'll try and find a way around it so that I won't feel impeded in what I write, but still be able to share what I've done.

Hope you've all had a good week.

September Challenge

Because I've been avoiding painting, this month's challenge will be to keep a painted journal.

If you'd like to take part, treat yourself to or make yourself a journal that you can realistically keep for a month. You don't have to make entries every day, but when you do, make them with paint. If you're not sure where or how to start, have a look at the links on the sidebar for some inspiration and ideas.

If what you paint is very personal, you don't have to share it. But if you would like to share what you've done, leave me a comment with a link to your post(s) and I will put put them on the sidebar of this blog.

Enjoy!!