Mandala Flower Doodles on Envelopes

Mandala Flower Doodles

Tombo and Martha Stewart brush markers,

Pitt Pen, business envelopes

Something has come together for me recently.  I've been doodling

mandalas for many years.  All my day timers, papers and notebooks

are decorated with mandala doodles.  Not consciously "art", just

doodles.  In my "real art" life I've been going to the Botanic Garden

in Denver and drawing flowers, my favorite thing.  As I'm writing

this I realize that this is like my art and doodling during art school.

In the studio I was painting in a Neo Expressionist style and in

private I made botanical sketches.  Hmmmm.  

Know it has a lot to do with what is artistically intuitive and natural

and what is considered "legitimate" art.  Not sure what it means

but I had a revelation when I posted my mandala flower sketch on

the Dion Dior's facebook page Wisdom Circles.  Without thinking I

wrote "Wisdom Grows". Caused a psychic shiver.  Something about

drawing and painting and doodling the circular shapes of flowers

connects parts of myself as well as petals and stems.

Art Supply Testing Journal

I never decided between circle or square test spots but like the bright and messy result.

Page one (mostly warms) of my Derwent Inktense Water Soluble Pencils

Tombos are water soluble markers that come in blendable bright colors.

Thanks to Joanne Sharpe of Whimspirations fame http://joannezsharpe.blogspot.com/ for

teaching me to keep an art supply testing journal.  Such a great resource and reference for

choosing materials and colors for a project.  Plus the pages are so pretty I just had to share.

Every time I get new supplies I make a color range page for them.  Why wasn't I taught this 

practice in art school?  Helps me to develop a deeper relationship with materials and colors.

Think my next art supply testing journal is going to have heavier wet media friendly pages.

Probably a small Strathmore Visual Journal.  This one was just a composition book with

pairs of pages glue sticked together to make more sturdy pages.

 

ARTbundance Muse

Creativity Muse "Flo"

Pencil, Sharpie Pen, Yasutomo Metallic Watercolors,
Sakura Gelly Roll Metallic Pens, Tombo Markers

Taking a course from Artella called ARTbundance ACT 7.  Our first ARTsignment was to make a drawing of our creativity muse.  My muse is named "Flo" and she is a genie who lives in a teapot rather than an Aladdin's lamp. Tea and tea pots to me represent comfort, friends, conversation, warmth and energy.  The Goddess necklace seems to represent a connection with the ancient, the earth and the creative energy of the Great Mother.  Her third eye represents being awake and aware, intuition and insight.  The palette looks like a seed and represents the growth that comes from my labor as an artist.  The paintbrush tree grows and produces fruits in the form of saleable artworks.  All the rainbows flow from my work as an artist.  The rainbows not only fill my cup but also the cups of others (counseling, teaching).   Art related books also flow from the inspiration and ideas that come from my connection to spirit and its manifestation in my work.  Her blue hair seems related to keeping a cool head, being a "senior" and having "fun" hair.  Her wings represent connection to idea and spirit and also are a reminder to keep things light. 


The assignment to make a picture of my ARTbundance Muse coincided with an assignment in Joanne Sharpe's Color Love 101 class, to create a "Color Love Girl".    I made the drawing below but Flo seems like the best solution to both assignments.  I have been drawing flowers and landscapes for sometime now, it has been a long time since I have drawn faces.  Interesting.  I will keep you informed about my progress in the ACT 7 training.  Feeling more creative already!  The Color Love Girl was created with Koi Watercolors, Sharpie Pen and Sakura Gelly Roll Metallic Pens.

Trying New Color Combos

Gardening Magazine Blossum and Starry Night Redux

Raven in Scrub Pines and Koi

These are my sketches using pencil and Sharpie Pen colored in with Derwent's Inktense
watercolor pencils, one of my favorite mediums.  I have been in Joanne Sharpe's
Colorloving 101 online class and she has encouraged us to try colors that we would not
usually use together.    This is also such a terrific way to get to know you supplies!
6 randomly selected colors.  Think of an image that would be well rendered in this range,
Only use the 6 colors.  A fun challenge!

I chose the Starry Night image because the Ionian Green is just the color of the Cyprus
tree to me.  I cheated, just a little, on the Raven picture.  My sky just got too dark so
I added the Intense white over it.

I challenge you to randomly select 5 to 6 colors, or try out the color scheme from a
famous painting.  It is easy to get into a color rut so this is a great way to deepen your
relationship with colors and materials and find new color favorites.





A Good Day to Cry

A Good Day to Cry

Yasutomo Iridescent watercolors, Imagine Fireworks Crafts Spray,
Sharpie pen,  Staedtler aquarell pencils, Office Max metallic marker,
Recollections Opaque Marker.

Sometimes I have those days when tears seem to be closer to running down my cheeks. 
Same life facts as yesterday, likely the same as tomorrow, but something triggers that feeling,
and suddenly I'm crying in the car on the way to a starbuck's for an iced tea and Michael's for
craft supplies for a kid's summer program; activities that would usually put a smile on my face. 

I already had this pinkish background with blue sprayed spots so thought I would do a
"Good Day to Cry" page and also my number 8 lesson from Joanne Sharpe's "Letter Love":
Groovy Gridlines.  I got the idea of doing bumpy lines in watercolor pencil and letting
the drips drip down when I added water.   I felt satisfied with my journal entry on the
right side, especially the last sentences:
"Some days are just like this.  Great to have this page to mop it up."



The Whimsey Grid



Letter Love Lesson 5 "Whimsey Grid"

Office Max metallic markers, Sharpie Highlighters, Copic Sketch Markers,
Recollections Signature Special white marker, Sharpie Pen, Identi-pen Markers
Hampton Art Glimmer Chalk, Faber Castell Pitt Pen

The Whimsey Grid is what Joanne Sharpe calls this undulating grid.  I can see lots of possibilities:
looks like flags or streamers floating in the wind.  Prayer Flags. 
Could be the index for a book (yes, it will be).  Lists of goals and inspirational words. 
A life spanning to-do list.  Since its so playful its a great place to experiment with fonts. 
Reminds me also, a bit, of Art Nouveau.  Love those expressive and organic lilting lines.

Letter Love Lesson 4: Create 20 "Fun Fonts"



Really like the "Floral", "Forest", "Eve", "Flood Light"



Really like the "Flo" and "Electric" and "Art Makes You Grow"

In Joanne Sharpe's "Letter Love" online class.  I've only just completed Lesson 4.  So much fun to realize that I can create my own fonts!  Also found out that I can have them made into fonts for my computer at http://www.fontifier.com/ .  Not sure if I will but that sounds so cool.  Also found out that the Denver Botanic Gardens is offering a class called "Botangles".  Botanically based Zentangle type doodles.  It's in October, can't wait.  In the meantime I'm going to make flower specific alphabets (for example, Rose or Lotus).  Very appealing to not only draw flowers but "write" in them too.

Play! Practice! Write! Repeat!



Play! Practice! Write! Repeat!
Letter Love Lesson 3

As you can see I am inexperienced with my lettering but Joanne was right to recommend that we make a sign for our work area encouraging us to Play! Practice! Write! Repeat!.  I discovered two big things.  One, Copics can bleed through watercolor paper.  The other revelation is that my Office Max Metallic Pens act as a resist with Copics.  I just meant to outline my letters in Ultramarine Copic but discovered the resist effect.  Then I couldn't stop.  Turned out pretty crazy but I'm glad that I had a chance to Play! with markers, Practice! my lettering skills, Write! and embellish.  I know I will Repeat! this activity SOON.  Decided that I can't really afford a good Copic marker color range so I bought some Sharpie Highlighters (great colors) and Prismacolor Markers as well.  

Letter Love Alphabet Practice



Alphabet Practice with Copics, Identipen,
Sharpie Pen and Pitt Pens

Lesson one in Letter Love, with Joanne Sharpe was to make a journal cover for a composition book practice book using duct tape and basic lettering.  Lesson 2 was to practice upper and lower case letters and experiment with different kinds of pens.  The big thing I discovered was that a shadow on the letter makes any alphabet look good.  I remembered that Teesha Moore said to choose a light source direction for your whole journal.  I like the idea of a light source from the right which I associate with the future.  Just tickles me to have that light coming into my journal from the future.  Optimistic!  

Joanne Sharpe's Letter Love



Composition book with duct tape: Duck Red,
"Fancy That" patterned tape, Gelly Roll "stardust"
clear gel pen (Sakura), Identipen black, Martha
Stewart dual-tip marker "Love Bird"

I am so psyched!  I just started Joanne Sharpe's lettering class "Letter Love" http://joannezsharpe.blogspot.com/p/online-classes.html and just started the day one homework.  We were asked to decorate a simple composition book with duck tape and some sort of lettering.  The duct tape strengthens the book since it will be getting a workout with the course exercises.  I have lacked confidence in my lettering skill--which has kept me for putting words and pictures together the way I really want to.  I am so excited to finally get some artsy and professional training.  Also interesting to see how an online class like this is run.  Website, Videos, Flicker, Yahoo Group, Facebook Group, emails.  Very cool.  I'll keep you posted as I make my journal into more confident lettering.