New Acrylic Painting - Tulips

This is my latest painting. I haven't given it a title. Suggestions are welcome. It's on 10x20 stretched canvas. It's not exactly how I envisioned it going, but that's not unusual. I used the color palette I showed you in a previous post. As the painting developed, I added Golden's Green Gold and just a touch of Hansa Yellow Medium. Just for fun, I used some metallics for accents. Golden's Bronze fine and Lumiere Metallic Green, Metallic Copper and Purple Pearl.
This is a detail from the painting. You might be able to see the reflection off some of the metallic accents. I was careful to use them sparingly.
The painting is darker under my home's normal lighting, but I really prefer it as it's shown here with the mid morning sun on it.

GPP Crusade 28: Portion Control Part 5

Here's another installment of my portion controlled shape, circles. This first image is a large piece of waxed paper that I used to blot paint from the surface of my painting several times. The last blotting was when I used gesso to stamp circles on the canvas. I think I used a cardboard tube to make the circles. The paint was rather juicy, so I blotted the surface with the waxed paper. When I lifted it up, I was happy with both surfaces. I set the waxed paper aside. I'd like to use it in a collage, but I'm not sure I can successfully adhere it since it IS waxed paper. If anyone has a tip on this, please leave a comment. BTW - this blotting was taken from one of the layers of the painted canvas board I showed you in my last post.

This is a journal page I started last Saturday. I lightly drew a circle, then I wrote the words, "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever" around the circle. I was in the middle of a Bible study where I came across that verse. I thought it was perfect for a circle. I've added paint to the paper different times this week. You can see that the writing is pretty much gone. I may or may not add more paint. I might journal on it or not.
In my last post I showed how I played with a color palette for my latest painting. Here are a couple more examples. I was using up the last dabs of paint on the palette so it wouldn't go to waste. If I use my stay wet palette, I can save paint for several days. However, I have a different color scheme on in right now, so it's not available. I'm really getting excited about the possibilities all my circle play will give me for digital manipulations. By avoiding journaling (at least at this stage), I've got images that I can explore further with Photoshop Elements. Now that's another crusade for another day.

GPP Crusade 28: Portion Control Part 4

I've started a new painting this week. No, this isn't THE painting, although it IS a painting. So confusing!
When I don't use a familiar color scheme, I like to play with the paints a bit before I go to the canvas or paper. I had a subject in mind, but I wanted to approach the color a little differently than I have done previously. I went to Nita Leland's "Color Confidence" for some inspiration. Although I didn't strictly follow one of her triads, I did find some direction.
Here are test blots of acrylic paint that have been smeared on the paper with a palette knife. I like to start with a limited palette of three. In this case, I tried two different reds. I settled on the Alizarin Crimson Permanent Hue because of it's transparency vs. the Cad. Red Deep Hue that is more opaque. My blue and "yellow" were both transparent. I've added white to the mix to make tints.
I decided to play along with the Crusade and my circles as I work my painting. Instead of doing color trials just on paper, I chose a canvas board to play on as well. That's what is seen at the top of today's post. I'm not sure if I'll add another layer to it. I was going to post an earlier layer of the process, but I took a really lousy shot. I've got more to show you with my circle play, but I've got to run for now.

GPP Crusade 28: Portion Control Part 3

After warming up with the pages in my last post, I went very abstract with my circles. The paper was painted with an uneven mix of yellow. Next I used an incomplete cardstock circle as a mask. Using a stipple brush, I rubbed paint onto the surface starting on the circle mask and moving outward. Using the corrugated insulation paper from a cup of gourmet coffee, I punched circles. Paint was applied thinly and I used them as stamps. I also painted onto a round makeup sponge and used it to stamp more layers of color. I used the circle template as a stencil just a tiny bit, but turned it over and pressed the dabs of paint around the edge of the circle onto the paper for more texture. I just kept building layers of color until I was satisfied with the composition.
I'm looking at this image two days later thinking I could have given it more punch. But the photograph is a bit flat compared to the reality. And I can always do more and go further next time. Right? Right! Some of you would have journaled in such a lovely fashion over this. I can image it. I just have a horrible time doing it myself. It's such a luxury to be able to play with words in PS Elements. Well, time to get something done around here. See you later.

GPP Crusade 28: Portion Control Part 2

It was our favorite night of television, but the circle was calling me! So I sat in front of the tv with some art supplies and started drawing. I used a Pitt calligraphy marker to trace a small circle. My thoughts went to a string of pearls. (Yes, I am that simple.) Well, that's how the queen of O's was started. After drawing the necklace, I sketched the rest with a pencil. I can't tell you very much about what was on tv, since I headed for the art table so I could apply paint to paper. I've been using up paint on my palette that is left over from my bird of paradise painting. I just used sequin waste and a stipple brush to stencil in the background. I layered it for depth and to break up the circles a bit.
Now my engine was fired up and I was ready for more. What else could I do with the same tools - sequin waste and circle templates. By placing the sequin waste down first and laying the circle template on top of it, I came up with some pretty nifty circles. I used the same stipple brush and acrylic paint. The paint was a little wetter than I would use for a clean edge. I purposely smudged the edges a bit after removing the template. I saw a group of topiaries, so I just filled in with simple shapes.
This technique could really be expanded on and I think I'll be playing with it a bit more. I did one more page that night, but I'll save it for my next post.

GPP Crusade 28: Portion Control

I jumped on the GPP Crusade wagon last month using circles for my shape. I decided to follow through on this month's crusade using the same shape. After all, I'd invested in some circle punches last fall and I thought this would be a good time to play with them. I also have a Fiskar circle cutter that I got out last month when working on some cards. It's not my favorite tool. I'm just not very proficient with it. But I saved some of my practice pieces and they ended up being used as masks. I had some scrapbook paper with circles that caught my eye, so I built a page based on it.So far this month I've been spending more of my creative time on a large painting, but I must be thinking about this crusade a lot. I even woke up with a circle idea in the middle of the night! Temporarily forgotten, a conversation later the next day jogged my memory, so I wrote down my idea. Now... to have some time to play with it.
I did this earlier in the month. I took a couple wine corks and carved lines into them. Then I stamped the circles with ink. The rest of the design was done with gel pens and a circle template. There's not much portion control here. I think I did that before Michelle announced the details of this crusade.

This is just a quickie I did at the beginning of the month. I just used highlighters and ink and the waste from a page of stickers. I used the sticker waste like a stencil and filled in the colors somewhat randomly, but with a plan. Then I moved the waste and traced the circles with a pen. Last night I did more and I'll be posting them soon.

WIP - Bird Of Paradise

A few months ago I posted this painting when it still had a white background. I used Photoshop Elements to preview possible backgrounds. In the past couple weeks I started putting paint on the canvas again. It was scary. That seems so dumb because it's just a canvas with paint on it. But I was more tired of it not being done than I was scared of messing it up.
I think I'm just about done now. I'm keeping it in a prominent spot so I can spy anything that might bother me.

Journal Prompt - I Am ...

This prompt was so open-ended and my focus has shifted from my journal to working on completing a painting that I started a couple years ago. But I found the regular journaling to be a helpful exercise, so I opened up to a blank page last night and used some of the paint that had accumulated on my palette to fill in the page. After it dried I picked up the first writing instrument I saw which happened to be a black china marker. Why that was on my art table I do not know. I don't even know when I bought it or why. But I liked the bold lines it made. I decided to make abstract tulips. Then I played with the colors on my palette to paint the image in an unexpected scheme. I turned off the narrative that told me what wouldn't work. In the end, it's not my favorite page. But it turned out better than I thought it would at one point. The light wasn't good today, so this image looks pretty drab.
So - I'm not being very open about myself with the prompt "I Am". I like getting prompts for journaling, but they can be difficult to follow when I have my own agenda.

Remember - "He Knows My Name"

Misty Mawn prompted us to journal/make art inspired by a song. For some time I have wanted to do something in response to Tommy Walker's song "He Knows My Name". I first heard the song while my Dad was still alive, but Alzheimer's Disease had stolen our names from his memory. The song was and is a comfort to me and reminds me of the promises of God, our Father & Maker, who will ALWAYS know my name. He knows me. He knew my Dad.

So I sketched a woman who is feeling sad, but she is not desolate because she remembers these words when she hears these words.
I collaged some scrapbook & found papers onto a gessoed illustration board. Some of the paper bubbled & so I distressed the surface by sanding off the bubbles. There are arms reaching down and you can see part of one of the hands if you look closely. I sketched the woman with watersoluble graphite & painted her with a combination of acrylic & gesso. Stenciled motifs were also done with acrylic paint. Chalk pastel was used for accents. I stamped the word remember with chalk ink on paper I had distressed.
Here's Tommy Walker's song.

Need some Inspiration - Google Themes

iGoogle is my home page and I love all the ways it can be customized. One of my favorites is the variety of themes you can choose. Fractals has been my theme for the past few weeks since I put Christmas to rest. The fractals changes every so often and they are astoundingly beautiful.
I suppose I could have captured this better, but I just used my camera because I forgot how to do a screen shot at the time this one was up.

Art Journal Day 31 - Playful

A little tidying up produced a small stack of tags I'd saved because I found them interesting in one way or another. I saw this "Playful" tag and knew it would be my next journal page's theme.
I'm interested in exploring various versions of this scroll tree that I developed after being inspired by Pam Carriker's video using Pitt Pens earlier in the month.
The base is one that was prepped with left over paint from my palette. You may have noticed there's a lot of blue in my work this week. Instead of using white paint, I've been using gesso. It makes the page toothier for this mixed media work. First I stamped the flock of birds with pigment ink. I added some colored pencil to beef up the color.
I decided to try colored pencils for the tree. In this case I used Col-erase pencils and I really liked how they went down on this surface.
The tag was altered with distress inks and applied to the page. Lastly I used graphite to write a few verbs along the tree that describe where this month long journaling journey has taken me.

A couple nights ago I painted the cover of my journal. This is a standard 5.5 x 8.5 Strathmore sketch book. At the beginning of the month I prepped the cover with gesso and a layer of rice paper. More gesso was added. When we did our pink page, I added a bit to the cover. But I just didn't know what to put on it yet. Sometime in this past week or so I realized what a wonderful journey this has been for me. The consistent practice has led me to developing some themes. I've found new ways to express myself. I surprised myself a few times. I've made new friends for which I'm grateful.
So my journal is titled "Journey" and I chose a motif that I'm having fun with trying out in different media. I may add more words to the cover, but I'm not sure.Sometimes I forget what a treat traditional watercolor is. Sure, it can be very challenging and it takes patience. I enjoy the quietness of the process as compared to how I work in traditional acrylic.
So, before I close - how about a little give-away? To celebrate the end of January Art Journal month, I will give away a postcard sized original.
Here's what you need to do leave a comment stating what you think my "playful" tag came from. If you are correct, I'll put your name in the hat twice.
Comments for the give-away will be open until midnight CST on Wed. Feb. 4th. NOW CLOSED. I WILL BE IN TOUCH. The Playful label came off a Cacique bra. Now you know.