September 2013 Calendar Spread

Ember: the banked fire

Dylusions Spray Ink (Pure Sunshine), inked edges (could have been Ranger)
Leaf stamp (Rubber Stampede), metallic markers.

August 2013 Idea-A-Day Journal Spread

Cloud shape cut out of a foam dinner plate
used approximately a 2" square

In July I saw someone Else's calendar spread, a field of flowers, but it reminded me of a painting I

loved when I was younger: Georgia O'Keeffe "Sky Above Clouds IV" .  It made me want to create

a sky full of clouds for August and do a Dream-a-Day record for August.  Cut out a cartoon cloud

shape (doesn't look like O'Keeffe after all) from a foam dinner plate.  It is so cool that I can cut out

any shape I want from a foam plate, as long as the shape falls within the approximately 2" square size,

and on a 8" X 10" journal page you can get 3 of those shapes on the left and 4 of the shapes on the

right (or do it the opposite way) to make your calendar for the month.  

I made my foam template, traced around it, drew the month/title and numbered the days.  The trouble

was, although I am a person who frequently remembers my dreams I didn't as August began.  Instead

I have been waking up with brainstorms--ideas of projects to try and solutions to problems, feeling as

strident as marching orders.  So my clouds became thought bubbles and here we are.

I used Tombo Markers for the words and numbers and to outline each thought bubble.  Sharpie Pens

and Gelli Roll Metallic Pens for details.  The background is Derwent InkTense Water soluble Pencil,

Iris Blue.  Brushed around with water.  I like the blotchy effect, like the real variations in a cloudy

sky.  Already getting ideas for what I want to focus on each day for the next months.  No surprise

since I am a person much more excited by the idea than the work involved in manifesting the idea;

although the process and all the problem solving and discovery is actually more fun in reality. 

July 2013 Mandala a Day Pages

Completed July 2013 Spread (right)

Completed July 2013 Spread (left)

Mandalas drawn with Sharpie Pens, Gelly Roll Metallic Pens,
Office Max Metallic Markers, Tombo Markers, Pitt Pens

Here is my July 2013 Mandala a Day calendar spread.  I must confess that sometimes I've had to play

catch up to keep somewhat up to date.  I've always doodled mandalas like these but have rarely used

them as part of my art creations, so it feels good to acknowledge their importance to me.  I'm part of 

Dion Dior's Wisdom Circles group on facebook and appreciate how she honors the mandala in art.

I think the thing I've learned the most by making mandalas as art on my July calendar is how

to begin to make my favorite pens work together.  I love my sparkly Gelly Roll Metallic Pens but

not all of my usual pens want to write and draw over them.  So here is what seems to work: draw

the basic mandala with the Sharpie Pen (I've got a range of colors) and then next with the Tombos 

and add sparkle with the Gelly Roll Pens.  Tough to use a brush with Twinks (Twinkling H20s) and

Silks (acrylic glaze with mica added) since the mandalas on this page are size limited. I'll post a

picture with all my mandalas completed at the end of the month.  

My birthday month has been pretty good except it's been too hot in Colorado!  As a birthday gift

to myself I got my car's air conditioning fixed--oh happy day!  Started teaching at an additional 

technical college mid-month and have been paying my time and attention to Soul Collage.  It is

really a healing process!  I'll blog about that sometime this week.  Getting excited about my August

calendar spread.  Going to do pages like Georgia O'Keeffe Traveling Above, Looking Below cloud

painting that I often used to visit at the Art Institute of Chicago.  I'm going to attempt to record a

dream each day in the cloud/day shapes.  What image or idea are you going to play with in August?