Sunday, November 11, 2012

The Artist's Play Room Does Christmas

The Artist's Play Room  is doing Christmas this week, and I couldn't resist the opportunity to add a Christmas card:


Stamp by Stampinback

Friday, October 19, 2012

Autumn Journal Page


Journal Page 8 1/2 x 11
Watercolour Crayon

Autumn has definitely arrived in the Rain Forest.  We're dodging rain and it is looking decidedly gray.  Thank goodness for the lovely fall leaves!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Journal Fodder Junkies


I have been following the Journal Fodder Junkies blog and reading Eric and Dave's book The Journal Junkies Workshop.  This is a page I did following their "recipe" for multiple layers.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Fun at WOOL and Meeting Suzanne from Quietfire Design



I'm back from Turkey (it's fabulous, do go if you get the chance), and thinking about blogging.  But what?  Then I saw a Facebook post from Suzanne at Quietfire Design and remember how much fun WOOL was.  WOOL?  WOOL stands for "Westcoast Odyssey of Letters", the Westcoast Calligraphy Society's bi-annual conference I attended just over a week ago.  I made this piece in my "Design and Layout" class.

I also had a chance to meet Suzanne from Quietfire Design.  Suzanne is a marvelous calligrapher and past-president of the Westcoast Calligraphy Society.  She came to WOOL to teach and to offer us an opportunity to buy some of those hard-to-find calligraphy supplies.  She's doing a blinkie swap right now and I recommend you check out her site.  It includes some fabulous "new to calligraphy" tips as well as her wonderful calligraphy rubber stamps.

Monday, August 27, 2012

There Are Always Flowers

Lupins always make me smile.  They're not in season in the garden, just in my journal.


5" x 8" Journal
Watercolour
Micron, Staedtler Pens

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Adding Colour

I added a little watercolour to the little sketch I did earlier.   It looks so different with a little colour added!


Watercolour
5" x 8" Journal

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Trying My Hand at Drawing

I've tried all kinds of visual arts and crafts, avoiding drawing because "I can't draw".  (Don't most of us say that?)  I'm determined to change this, so I'm trying to draw something most days.  This one is from a photo I took in Yellowstone Park.


Saturday, August 18, 2012

More Love

I can do "love" any day, even if Joanne Sharp's Letter Love class originally fell on Valentine's Day. LOL


Watercolour and markers

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Not a Washi Tape Card

This card was inspired by Nichole Heady's washi tape card, but I  wanted to use up patterned paper, rather than make washi tape, so I cut strips of coordinating paper.  I'll do this again for a quick card.


Greeting by Daisy Bucket Designs

Friday, August 10, 2012

Letter Lovin' the Olympics

I'm enjoying the Olympics tremendously!  Like any letter lover, I noticed the unique font used for the London 2012 logos and set out to apply it.  I downloaded the font and then used the letter shapes to combine with one of the assignments in the on-line lettering course I'm taking.


Journal Page
Watercolours
Micron Pen, markers

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Graphical Cards

 Inspired by Jennifer McGuire for Hero Arts, these two cards appeal to my love of graphcis:


Image by Rubbermoon
Greeting by Biblical Impressions


Image by Rare
Greeting by Biblical Impressions

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Another Imagination Gone Wild


Artist Trading Card
Coloured with Prismacolor Pencil Crayons
Image by Rubbermoon

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Friday, July 27, 2012

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Let's Try Painting a Picture

This is something new for me - drawing and painting a picture.


4" x 5"
Watercolour Pencils and Crayons

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Playing with Funky Letters

This journal page uses Fill In, Fiesta Spirals, Cursive, Sketched, Type, Art Nouveau, and Akim Cursive letters.


Watercolour Crayons and Pencil Crayons
Micron Pens

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Monday, July 16, 2012

Time Flies.....

We're half way through July already, and summer has finally arrived on the "wet coast".  My office/studio is unbearably hot after noon.  I've had a bit of time to take Joanne Sharpe's on-line Letter Love Class, and I'm lovin' it!


Micron Pen, Pan Pastels
Composition Journal

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Do Not Worry about Tomorrow,

for tomorrow will worry about itself!

Prismacolor Pencil Crayons
Gel Pens
Stamped images by Maryse Carrier and Prima

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Before I Put the Wax Crayons Away.....

I think they've done their job for now, but before I put the wax crayons away, here's another journal page:


Wax Crayons

Friday, July 6, 2012

An Abstract Vase in Pencil Crayons

Another in the series, this one an Artist Trading Card in pencil crayons:


Artist Trading Card
Prismacolor Pencil Crayons

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Even Better in Watercolour

Working in a series is soothing; it removes part of the creative block.  I liked the abstract flowers exercise from Art Projects for Kids so much I decided to try one with watercolour crayons:


Watercolour Crayons

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

More Crayons

Art Projects for Kids is a fabulous blog filled with, yeah, art projects for kids.  I'm just an old kid, so I like lots of them.  And as wax crayons seem to be a current craze of mine, I thought I'd try the one on an abstract flower vase.  Fun!


Wax Crayons

Monday, July 2, 2012

Crayons

Do you ever suffer creative block?  I not only suffer from it, but I'm fascinated by it.  A post about crayons on Heidiology resonated with me as a possible cure.  For me, the fear of the blank page is rooted partially in perfection and waste, so the idea of taking the cheapest supplies, crayons and scrap paper, and creating something with them made sense to me.  Heidi suggests if you can't think of what to create, make a scribble and colour in the spaces.  The absolute freedom from expectations it brings is wonderful.


Sunday, July 1, 2012

Doodles and Inchies Shift

Usually I do my inchies done straight up.  Usually they are a separate layer attached with adhesive.  Today I felt like a shift, so I doodled them on the diagonal:


Artist Trading Card
Micron Pen
Tim Holtz Distress Inks

Saturday, June 30, 2012

An Owl Appeared

This ATC started with a Zentangle "string".  I patterned the outside first, with one of Joanne Fink's patterns.  Then an owl appeared to me so I added some feathers and facial features and finished it off with some colour.


Artist Trading Card
Micron Pen and Prismacolors

Artist Trading Cards are a perfect size for me.  It is hard to get too intimidated by a 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" rectangle LOL

Friday, June 29, 2012

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Dangles

I'm still doodling.  Joanne Fink calls these "Dangles".  They're fun, fast, and satisfy my "clean and graphic" style.


Artist Trading Card
Micron and Gel Pens

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

The Last Post....

in a series of bird Artist Trading Cards:


Stamped Image by I Brake for Stamps

Monday, June 25, 2012

No. 4 is a Rooster


No. 4 in a series of 6 Artist Trading Cards
Stamped Images by I Brake for Stamps

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Collaged Bird ATC

After my initial attempt, I decided to extend my bird collage into a series.  Here is #2:


Stamped images by I Brake for Stamps

Friday, June 22, 2012

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Inchies for a Birthday

Inspired by Outside the Box and Simplicity, these inchies are white embossed.


5 1/2" x 4 1/4"
Stamps by Hero Arts
Greeting by Biblical Impressions

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Rylan is 3!


Birthday Card - 5 1/2" x 4 1/4"
Distress Inks
Hand lettering
"3" stamp from Making Memories

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Monday, June 18, 2012

Happy Birthday

Image and greeting by Stamping Bella
Coloured with Prismacolor pencil crayons
Glitter Paper by My Mind's Eye

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Another Calligraphy Experiment

This is another interesting experiment from Peter Halliday's book, Calligraphy Art & Colour.

I mixed gouache with blue watercolour and used a Speedball C-2 nib. Starting in the middle of the page, I added more water each time I turned the journal to write the next line.  Fun, and practice at the same time!