°°°A CrEaTiVe JoUrNeY°°°

Owl amongst the poppies-Daily painting

2012-01-30T18:24:00.000+01:00

This is another painting in my journal. On Wednesday it will start its travels around Europe.
I was trying to do watercolour poppies but my little travel watercolour set is limited and I don't have any inks or proper brushes. I was watching Mitsi Brown on youtube on how she did some beautiful watercolour flowers. I don't like mine at all but I will practice. My supply wish list is forever getting bigger but I must use what I have at home because it can get to be an expensive hobby!!. The painting came out more vibrant than it really is because of my scanner settings which I am trying to adjust Poem by Anon

Owl amongst the poppies

Daily painting and Heart Pin

2012-01-29T18:42:00.001+01:00

This is a page that I made using watercolours,white paint ,rubber stamps and ink. This is in my journal for the European round robin private swap.
I got my inspiration looking at some Klimt portraits and backgrounds.

I also made my first pin! There-s a pin swap going on in Milliande Ning group that is still running. This pin is for a heart theme and is made from the lid of a sardine tin cut using a Sizzix machine and heart die. The face is made of paper clay which I covered in gold leaf.

Daily Painting ~Magnolia

2012-01-28T19:03:00.001+01:00

This is another daily painting. I skipped 2 days. This was created using Gouache pans and watercolours.The background was stamped and coloured over.8x8 watercolour paper.

MAGNOLIA~

Day 7- seed journal

2012-01-28T00:16:00.001+01:00

I did this rather quickly after watching Milliande's video for day 7 of the seed journal. Materials used are black Stabilo pencil, watercolours, white acrylic paint, mechanical pencil and black nib pen,inks and rubber stamp.

Tuesday's daily sketch

2012-01-24T20:01:00.000+01:00

This is a very rough sketch that I intend to paint over which is why the shading and tones are not elaborated on. You can probably guess who I based this portrait on and it will probably look even less like her when I get the paint slapped over it. I ,agree with Diego, that only she can paint herself. :)

My Love- 4x4 Friday Challenge

2012-01-23T17:50:00.000+01:00

Well! It has been a while since I made one of these for 4x4 Friday It's a sort of Valentine's theme. I made two 4x4 and both created using mainly watercolours.

Saturday's painting

2012-01-21T23:39:00.000+01:00

I'm still doing my painting a day and here is what Saturday produced, something rather different and unexpected. As I was scribbling on the page these words and title popped into my head :
'Life's journey's never end for the soul must travel'
For Nigel:

Pomegranate -Seed Journal Day 6

2012-01-19T19:46:00.000+01:00

Day 6 of the seed journal is Pomegranate

I love mythology and I wish that my memory was better so that I could remember all of the stories. This page was influenced by the mythological stories relating to the pomegranate, a heavily guarded and sacred fruit of life to many goddesses and a symbol of fertility. Apart from the obvious one relating to Persephone, it was said that from the god Dionysus, came the first pomegranate tree from his blood of when he was cut into pieces and boiled as an infant by the Titans. Greek myth tells that Rhoeo, the nymph came to Greece as a seed in a chest. Sekmet, was given a potion of beer and pomegranate, which stained the beer making it look like blood, that made her too drunk when she gorged on it stopping her rampage.

I took the pomegranate and incorporated it into the heavily pregnant belly of a love goddess.

Material used: Cotmans Watercolours, white gel pen, pencil, white acrylic paint and black waterproof ink pen.

Thursday's muse bringeth ...

2012-01-19T11:40:00.000+01:00

...forth yet more blues and faces!
I am doing this challenge and was thinking that I do not know whether to embrace this daily challenge or to feel a little defeated. I write this because I once learned to paint in a certain style which I am just not able to do at this moment in time. It's not like riding a bike and the more that I try the further away I get from it. So, I am not happy with my face styles but I am determined to keep this daily process going until it comes back to me. It is not lost. It is just waiting for me to be ready.
This is the cover of last year's art journal which has only 3 pages left until it is complete.

People have been talking about this past full moon and how it's making some of us feel weepy or completely zapped of energy. How it seems to put many more stumbling blocks in our path. It might even be the after effects of an over done festive season because I seem to encounter many more cranky people than usual or folk who are very edgy or aggressive. I did, however, not come across any Were wolves or Wabbits!!!

Also, things have been breaking down all at once...the washing machine...the computer...the fireplace...PLEASE ,moon, spare my car! Touch wood ;)

Jan. 9, 2:30 a.m. EST -- Full Wolf Moon.

Everyday painting -Tuesday and Wednesday

2012-01-18T09:54:00.001+01:00

I'm starting to enjoy doing these everyday and I don't know when I'll stop! I am getting back my will to wanting to better myself at painting,again.
It seems that the old PC needs badly upgrading and will soon be heading to the knackers yard but until I can afford a new one I'll have to put up constantly rebooting this one.

Tuesday's sketch was drawn from a bridal magazine and her lips were not that full but my mind tends to draw things that aren't real,anyway ;)

Wednesday's painting.

I forgot to post this picture of a beautiful handmade angel sent to me at Christmas. Thanks,Dawna ♥

Drawing or painting everyday challenge

2012-01-16T21:36:00.004+01:00

My computer has been in the shop for over a week,now and I have not been able to get online much which is good and bad! It's good because it pushed me to get creative. I'm doing the Loving Mixed Media Challenge of either drawing or painting something everyday. There are lots of really talented artists on there and you should see some of the things they turn out in a day! Even though I would not usually show things that I am not happy with, I am forcing myself to do this exercise daily. Better this kind of exercise rather than the physical 3 mile walk one! Ha! Not having my PC is bad because I have 2 online classes just about to start.

I am also combining this challenge with the Journal with Milliande Seed Theme. Don't know if I can face anymore seeds,now!

Day 5 -Seed theme Journal

Day 4- Seed theme journal

Sunday-did this whilst sick in bed,yesterday.

I also made another squash book last wee. Those things are addictive! Both were shipped over the pond as gifts.

Squash Book and Seed Challenges

2012-01-08T00:23:00.001+01:00

This is the first time that I've ever made one of these. Much Fun! There's a challenge in the Hinges Group over at Milliande Ning Site, to make a Squash book. Mine is 13 cm x 13 cm and the cover has a picture of Frida which was printed onto cotton fabric. The inside was all hand drawn,painted and stamped.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Day 3-journalling with Milliande 'Words that begin with the letter S. I did a couple of pages for this challenge plus I too some photos of seeds and pods.

Rather whimsical and child like. Oh! I know that your 5 year old can do better ;)

Seeds from Catalpa,Spruce,Lilac pods and a decayed walnut

Ivy

'Out with the old in with the new' and tutorial

2012-01-04T16:43:00.002+01:00

I'm doing a prompt in a private journal group and the theme is 'Out with the old and in with the new'
Out with the old for me will be getting rid of negative people that I have known and getting rid of those who remember me only when they need something! We all have one of those friends! In with the new is to look at life with more positivity and to surround myself with like minded people. The new me would like to take bigger and better steps but I'm actually going to put my money where my mouth is this year ;) Why did I chose a raven? The raven is a wise old bird who chooses wisely and knows its pickings.

This will be my first blog tutorial! I hope that you enjoy seeing how I created this 8x8 page in my journal.
PLEASE ask permission should you wish to use any part of this tutorial . I don not mind sharing information but that does not give you the right to use it for your own profit. If you want to use any content from my blog please conatct me and ask permission. Thank you ☺

Materials uses: Adirondack Spray Dye inks,acrylic paints,white acrylic ink, stencils made from heavy cardstock,cutting blade knife,white gel pen,brushes,grid template, text rubber stamp, waterproof black ink pen and blue Copic marker.

cut out circle from cardstock or old file folders

Add Dye ink and water in a mini spray bottle for circles

make a bird template and spray with undiluted dye ink

write over bird with acrylic ink

use something to create lines with paint

cover the bird with template and spray or paint around it with red ink or paint

use white acrylic paint to paint around the circle and red dye ink to outline the bird.

doodle and write on your page. Use Copic marker to outline and write

Day 2 .Seed Vessel

2012-01-04T12:19:00.000+01:00

This is my page for the SEED theme,journaling will Milliande. More faces :)

So, I have had these ring bound Pink Piglette journals for a quite a while now. I am NOT a ring bound fan because I do not like the interruption that it causes in a spread but I don't like to waste what I have,either.

Material used: Cotman watrcolours,white gel pen, waterproof micro pen,stencils,inks,gel medium ,black watercolour pencil and check stamp

Seed Journal-Art journaling with Milliande

2012-01-03T11:34:00.002+01:00

I was thrilled like many to see that Milliande, is sharing with us another journal accompanied with videos. The theme is SEEDS. The first prompt is Which seed are you? and here is my interpretation:

I couldn't choose any specific seed to represent myself but I do like pods. They attract me for some reason. I included a poppy head,which has many seeds and they represent my many hopes,dreams and visualisations that I'm hoping that 2012 will scatter even further.

Would you like to play? Pop over to Milliande's blog and get inspired by watching her play in her video:

WINNER for my cards giveaway

2012-01-02T11:56:00.000+01:00

IT'S NUMBER 3!

CONGRATULATIONS BARB! ☺

I will contact you soon. Thanks, for participating,everyone ♥

GIVEAWAY and Free stuff for you to use

2011-12-29T22:38:00.000+01:00

There is an abundance of free designs out there to use but I thought that I would give back and share a few of my own designs. Too many times have I clicked on links to FREE tutorials and links only to find that they request that you join their group, blog or website in order to watch their tutorials. I know that Art is not free but don't say that it is when it really isn't. You get something but you must jump through certain hoops in order to get it. The word 'FREE' no longer applies. I HATE leading people on and so many people simply cannot afford to pay for materials, classes or donate.

I have been quite lucky in my life in that I have met many people who have sent me gifts for no reason at all. I would like to extend that gift to you. I have created some backgrounds for you to use PLUS, I am giving away a set of printed cards of my artworks The OWL and The RAVEN. All you have to do is leave a comment on my blog with your email address, so that I can contact you should you be a winner:
WINNER WILL BE DRAWN ON 2nd JANUARY 2012

Both cards supplied with envelopes and are also available on my etsy
http://www.etsy.com/listing/89256319/the-owl-and-the-raven-greeting-cards

The Following are free backgrounds for you to use. I'd appreciate attribution.

Loosely Stippling

2011-12-26T23:01:00.002+01:00

I write 'loosely' because I'm very lazy when it comes to detailing. Stippling is the creation of a pattern simulating shading by using small dots. My dots are rather large and not really simulating shading but I like the effect that the various sized dots create in this work:

I used to sort of stipple as a child. I would hold my pencil at the very tip end and let it bounce endlessly onto a sheet of white paper. I loved the the peppery effect that it created. I was inspired to paint this week after watching the following video. This guy is amazing and a human printer!:

Hero from Miguel Endara on Vimeo.

I also thought that is was time to practice watercolouring and so I pulled out my dusty tin sets of Inkintense pencils and Neocolor watercolour pastels. Watercolouring and I don't really get along :

The last page is just a simple collage created on a randomly painted background using acrylic paints and a credit card to scrape them around. I love this shade of blue and I think that it's my new favourite shade.

Ho! Ho! Ho! Winter Blessings to you!

2011-12-21T21:47:00.001+01:00

I don't usually do cute-ish and I don't usually do festive stuff but look what turned out on this journal spread! This little bird is quite grumpy because it's so cold that all of the little iggly, squiggly worms are frozen underground! So, what better to eat that a tasty can 'o worms although not as good as the fresh ones!

oil pastels on watercolour paper

I have also been trying to be creative in the kitchen which has led me to put on all of those pounds that I lost. I thought that it was only the turkeys that were supposed to fattened up at this time of year? LOL Here's my first first Lemon Meringue Pie. It came out quite successfully apart from the fact that it was almost inedible due to the fact that I added the juices of 5 lemons instead on only 2! I do tend to exaggerate when being creative!

I would just like to wish you all a VERY happy festive season, whatever you may be celebrating. THANK YOU for taking the time to follow me and comment on my posts. ♥

The end is near.

2011-12-17T16:41:00.000+01:00

The end is near for me trying to finish my personal Art Journal! I started it in January 2011 for the Milliande Journal page challenges. I have only 5 pages left, A4 in size and it seems like I have 50 pages left! I want to finish it but I still have yet to decorate the covers,too.

Anyway, here are a couple of pages that I worked on and it seems that the Ravens are back! I just find them captivating:

Oil Pastels

I just finished this page about ten minutes ago. I have been dying to try out my new Louvre oil pastel set that I bought for my birthday. The stationary shop just ordered them and it was a novelty to find sets like these. They're not that good and not very buttery. In fact they were difficult to blend. The Staedtler brand in the kid's section are much better quality!

This last page was made using Neocolor watercolour pastels,acrylic paint, gel pen and some images. The wee 'hooses' I drew by hand ☺

The beginnings of another circle journal

2011-12-05T17:57:00.003+01:00

It's been a while since my last and first time participating in a circle journal.
A group of us got together on Facebook and decided that we would to a European only, round robin. It will start in February 2012 but I am preparing the covers and the sign in pages. I've forgotten most of my scrapbooking skills and I'm feeling a bit 'rusty' with getting back into art journaling.
Remember the Sketchbook project book that I bought and was supposed to work in? Well, that was supposed to keep me in practice but the book fell apart not long after working in two spreads and I decided not to waste anymore time on it. So, that's nearly $30 down the shoot! Never again!
Here's a taste of I've prepared so far although I have not chosen a title,yet. I think that it will have no theme:

Back for journal cover

Created pocket for artists to decorate and sign the tags. Sign in Page.

Inbetween that I did a journal page for one of the ladies in our group,Trine, who asked us to create a page and send it to her. The theme is Timeout and we are only allowed to used certain materials

Fractured Fairytales Altered Book

2011-11-14T10:12:00.001+01:00

There's a challenge that was organised by the group that attended the workshop in Portugal with the all too fabulous Michael DeMeng. We kept our Yahoo group going and for the theme Colleen, chose Fractured Fairytales. I wasn't very familiar with this but basically it's just taking classic fairytales and rearranging the story with twists of humour. Michael, had mentioned that he really enjoys writing these.
My tale was based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid and I made her into a not so sweet, hairless creature! Of course, we all know that they aren't really sweet anyway !

I actually missed the deadline for making this but they kindly decided to give everyone a few more weeks. Phew! This took me about 4 days to make. When I get started on a project I keep at it whilst the Muse is kindly giving me tons of inspiration. I put a lot of work into this, starting with tediously carving out the niche from the many book pages. I also constructed the cage from jewellery wire. That wasn't easy! In the cage you will find a half eaten arm, a boiled bairn (baby), an eyeball and a tail. That's the Siren's lunch ;) I also created lots of texture on these pages.

I used an old, one armed Barbie type doll. It only cost me an euro. I cut off her middle half and constructed her fish tail body from clay, cutting out and sticking on each single scale. My inspiration came from a resin relief that I bought whilst in Portugal, taken from an actual ancient stone carving of a Siren. I used real shells that I took from a trip to the beach and textured gel to create the bloody surroundings around the tail. The roses are made from tin.

The tale is meant to be weird and silly.

Whilst at the Portugal, Michael kindly gave us all a colour guide booklet that he also sells on his website. This is an excellent guide when deciding which effects and colours you wish to use. Some are already included in his book but this little stack is really handy. Dusty Diablos is a great inspiration to me and The Secret Of rusty Things, is on it's way :)

Just lately...

2011-11-03T22:19:00.001+01:00

...I've been in a very creative mood. Ever get when your whole body is bursting with creative ideas and inspirations but you never actually do anything productive? That's me!

This is journal page that was inspired by the beautiful work of fellow blogger Janet Ghio, and her Goddess paintings. This is my Goddess of the sea. I drew from a photo of a statue of a local saint. I am very drawn to Icons:

Some of you may know that I am hosting an altered matchbox swap in the Milliande Ning group.The theme is Fairytale Christmas. Here is my sample:

NEWS BREAK: I have a stalker! Dear stalker, if I have not replied to your emails and have blocked you from every site that you have seeked me out on, it just means that I do NOT wish to keep in contact with you. Please, take the hint and LEAVE ME ALONE! I am a quite a patient person but enough is enough. It's sad that you refuse to understand...

Moving on...I am still doing classwork for Mitsy Brown's Discover What's Inside, Mixed Media worshop. This is what I have made, and you can see the video for this on the right hand column of my blog page:

Have a good weekend, everyone and I just want to share one last picture that I took of our local cemetery on the evening of 31st October, the day before the national holiday of the Feast of the Dead.

Seasonal Photography

2011-10-29T13:40:00.001+02:00

The night of All Hallows is fast approaching. I love this time of year with the warmness of all of the changing colours that this season brings and that comforting smoky smell that fill air from wood burning chimneys.
I also love the fun, spooky and Hallowe'en side of things and it's times like this that I wish that Hallowe'en was celebrated more in the style that I was accustomed to, so that I could dress up myself and attend local parties. You'll find a few with lots of teens and kids but rarely for big grown ups like me :) This part of the world is very small is so many ways.

I've altering some photographs and having fun with captions. I hope that you enjoy them!

Every Hallowe'en I buy myself a new decoration.

My display

Italian Befana, that I pull out for All Hallows

This morning's foto of my Elm Tree

Huge pods from my Catalpa tree

A creative sunday

2011-10-23T23:29:00.001+02:00

It's been too long since I worked in my art journal and today I turned out two spreads and a video! With the not so nice weather coming in along with colds and viruses, is usually when my muse comes more alive.
The log fire is lit along with cinnamon and spicy incense and candles. It smells so cosy and delicious! It's nearly All Hallows already! Where did these last few months go? It's been a fun year with highs and lows...lessons learned and dreams that got much bigger. Enjoy the video!

Klimt Inspired Challenge

2011-10-12T18:54:00.000+02:00

Hey-Hello!

Jane De Rosier aka Gritty Jane, has a Klimt inspired work as a challenge. There are no winners. There are no prizes and it's not a competition. When I heard about this challenge I, started looking into more of Klimt's works. There were some that I was not familiar with. I ordered this great BIG book Gustav Klimt by Rachel Barnes. I have never felt so drawn to an artist's work.
Anyway, this is the result that I came up with :

This is acrylic and oil pastels on board 40cm x 60 cm

Of things weird and wonderful

2011-10-02T21:05:00.000+02:00

I'm trying out something different and this style of art is totally new to me. I'm taking Mitsi Brown's Discover What's Inside, workshop. This is a Mixed Media workshop and one that I ,recommend especially if you like the styles of Basquiat and Jesse Reno. It's great for beginners,too.

Hmm! The first painting is supposed to tell a story like every picture. What do you see? The next image was me practising doing backgrounds without thinking too much about where I was going with them. It's not so easy for me to switch off when it comes to splashing paint!

Mitsi, also shows you how to carve stamps, use colours and gives you lots of freedom.

If you read my post about Portugal, then you'll know how much I loved this trip which was like a dream come true for me. So, I decided to make a little video with a collection of our photographs. I hope that you enjoy watching it !

CIAO!

Hallowe'en -'tis never too early!

2011-09-23T17:39:00.004+02:00

It's NEVER to early for HaLlOwE'eN! I've been working on a couple of things:

I actually made this over a month ago and all that was left to do was to attach the plexi glass to the card and paint the back. I learned this technique from Gary Reef over at Loving Mixed Media. I used a solvent ink to stamp the compass onto the plexi and I highlighted some areas with a white pen.

Witch hanging

The witch's face is made from papeclay and I remoulded it to create the hooked nose and larger lips. I made the hat from paper and covered it with cloth, glued on the hair, and stuck her onto a plastic lid (from a cheese tub), which I painted black. I used crimson coloured ribbon to cover the lid. The hanging is a piece of plastic coated wire found in hardware stores that I added beads to.

This is a large decorated matchbox that I made for the Milliande Hallowe'en matchbox swap. Come and play along!

I've been trying hard all week to do some painting. It's been a while since I worked in my art journal and I'm a bit rusty. Nothing came out the way that I wanted it to! I guess that my mind is on other things!

I used moulding paste to create lots of different kinds of texture after first painting the woman. I used real bird feathers on her hair. I used a combination of acrylic paints ,watecolour crayons and pens. The inspiration to do a textured piece came from flicking through one of the latest books that I purchased, 'Flavor for Mixed Media' by Mary Beth Shaw. I can't say that I am very impressed by this it but it has a number of nice projects from many guest artists and only 2 or 3 from the actual author. I was expecting a lot more techniques!

Lastly, I leave you with an image from another of my favourite holidays

Trips to Tivoli,Rome

2011-09-04T12:08:00.001+02:00

No art in this post except that of the beauty of Tivoli,Italy.
Before going to Portugal, we took a couple of trips to Tivoli, to see the beautiful villas of Adriana, D'Este and Gregoriana. All very impressive in their own way. I LOVE going to Rome. I always feel at home,there and it just has this energy that attracts me:

Villa Adriana

It was blazing hot that day, reaching 40°C!! We decided to make a trip to the next Villa: D'Este. This was just amazing and I have never experienced such beauty! The systems that channelled the water to each fountain just took my breath away. A little expensive was the entry fee IMO but worth it. We needed a refreshing place to go that day and this hit the spot. The pictures don't do the place justice.

Just one of the 99 fountains that lined this pathway!

Statue of Athena

Artemis of Ephesus

The following Saturday, we decided to visit Villa Gregoriana. This was a beautiful walk through a huge woodland park which ended with the beautiful site of the temple of Vesta .There were also pathways with viewpoints to the enormousness waterfall and Neptune's grotto ,and hundreds of steps to climb!

Neptune's Grotto. Villa Gregoriana,Tivoli

House carved out of the mountain side

I always knew that I'd see hell!

walkway tunnel through the mountain

houses found at the exit of the park

Temple of Vesta

Who's been sitting on my seat?

Hopefully, our next trip will be to the Owl House in Rome!

Michael DeMeng in Portugal

2011-08-30T15:40:00.005+02:00

I almost forgot about this blog!

Well, just got back yesterday from a fabulously wonderful trip to Portugal. My favourite part was Michael DeMeng's workshop, of course! I love this guy not just because he's a talented artist but mainly because he's so charismatic, intelligent, hilarious, organised, kind, thoughtful, compassionate and energetic. He's a thinker. I see a lot of similarities in his fiance, Andrea, too. Not only does he have great teaching skills but he and Andrea also made sure that everyone had a safe and enjoyable trip. We had Suze Weinberg, who was hilarious and her husband Lenny, who is such the navigator! Lenny is SUPER cool and I adore him,too. I was very lucky to be with such great people. Fortuna, was certainly by my side.

back cover

I was a workshop 'virgin' and this was a brilliant experience for me. Like Margarida (the organiser) wrote '..sometimes dreams do come true'

Michael, me, Wendy and Colleen

Front cover of my book.

We had the most fabulous group of people. I felt like I, knew all of them already. My dream is to do another workshop with the same group of people. The trips were tiring but we got to see so many beautiful places and my favourite was Mad Man's Palace in Sintra. Picture above shows where we climbed down the spiral staircase to be symbolically reborn , exiting a long dark tunnel. Not an experience for anyone who suffers from claustrophobia.

We got to visit Cuca' Garden and we had lunch ,there. She is a ceramist who makes fun and quirky animals. Then there was the toy museum, the famous doll hospital and a special visit to an authentic Fado house, which made the most amazing dinner with Brontosaurus steaks and cod steaks. DELICIOUS. I've never eaten so much good food in all of my life. The Fado (which means to lament), goes on until around 4am but we all conked out by 1am! We got to hear the beautiful sound of the 12 string guitar.

There are so many wonderful pictures that I have taken and quite a few are posted on my facebook. Portugal is very similar to Italy, including the cuisine that I had. I actually like Portuguese food better and my waistline is proof of that! It has many beautiful traditions and culture that will be appreciated by the 'true' traveller. The people are extremely friendly and helpful but I will say one thing: they drive worse than the Italians! Things are quite cheap to buy and I treated myself to many beautiful pieces of artisan jewellery and handmade scarves.

Margarida was a fantastic guide and my family and I, would not have seen all of these things if it were not for her great choices of places to see.

One last thing that I must mention is that I got to meet someone else that I have always admired : Sue Roddis. This was a very special trip for me in so many ways. Thank you, Sue, for not letting me get lost in the back streets of Portugal LOL! ♥

FOX GROVE: Art and Poem

2011-08-12T16:03:00.002+02:00

This is piece was made using Marion Grace Wooley's poem FOX GROVE. I have her permission to use this particular poem and this piece ONLY, will be for sale on my ETSY. It's going for a very good price ;)

This was done on board using oil pastels and measures 20 inches x 20 inches.

Owl Stained plexi glass and Angels

2011-08-12T13:17:00.001+02:00

I haven't done this is years and only tried it once before,then! I painted the owl on the plexi glass and then stuck it to the top of my window.

I also did a couple of Angel sun catchers. The reason that I came upon this idea was after reading about a little girl called Faith. There was a request to send her a little something:

"At this stage we will be here until at least early December.
Faith has Acute Lymphoblastic Luekaemia and was diagnosed on 27th may after 5 wks of being very ill. She was airlifted to Royal childrens hospital and began chemo right away. The first round lasted 4 wks and made her very lethargic, unable to walk properly and her hair begin to fall out. After this round she didnt quite reach remission ...'

I made her a little healing angel which I stupidly broke whilst trying to a drill hole at the top. Then I decided to break the rest of it on purpose and glue it back together,again. This would be the little angel that was once broken and was then mended. Faith.
I have made a further two angels and one is in my Etsy store.

Faith's mended Angel

Publish Post

For sale on my Etsy

Teaming up for Art and Poetry

2011-08-11T05:51:00.002+02:00

I am excited to announce that I have teamed up with writer MARION GRACE WOOLEY.
She is the author of the book Angorichina

I will be creating some ORIGINAL mixed media pieces that incorporate a selection of Marion's poems. I have completed two 20" x 20" works so far and they will be up for sale very shortly HERE. These will be one offs that will be signed by both Marion and myself.

Here's are the first two:

TASTE THE RAIN

RITE WORKER

" The Art of Breakfast" Prompt inspired by Danny Gregory

2011-08-02T09:04:00.000+02:00

This is an art journal prompt in the Milliande Ning Group.

I have not done many of these kinds of illustrations and I, have to say that I really love Danny Gregory's work! He inspired me incredibly so! I have to thank Milliande, for introducing him to us. Look him up on Youtube.

In his video he uses these concentrated watercolours that are on my 2012 wishlist ;) They're a bit expensive but I am told that a little goes a loooooooooooooong way. I used Inkintense pencils for my sketch on a Gesso background, which is why the colouring is a little blotchy. I had no choice but to use gesso as the book is the 2012 sketchbook project one.

Owl oil pastels.

2011-07-25T22:05:00.000+02:00

I'm giving these oils pastels a good run whilst I'm in the mood to use them ;) I am quite proud of this owl, not because I think that it good but because I always avoid drawing animals. I have it in my head that they are so difficult to do that I, just shouldn't attempt to do them. But I did :)

These economical oil pastels are good but they wear down awfully quickly. Well, this is a cm 24.5 x 34.5 page.

Oil Pastel portrait

2011-07-25T10:14:00.001+02:00

This is my first portrait using oil pastels. I quite like this medium and was always apprehensive to use them because I thought that they would be difficult to blend. Surprisingly to me, they weren't and they felt completely natural to me to use and I love blending with my fingers. These were a very inexpensive brand that I used from the children's stationary section that had 12 basic colours. I sure would love to try out the artistic brands that seem very expensive!

Here's the video:

Trees For Life Charity Exhibition

2011-07-22T18:24:00.001+02:00

This is what I will be sending to Scotland, for the Trees for Life Project. It's a mixed media piece that measure 23 x 16 cm. GAIA

Please, hop over to the website TREES FOR LIFE Charity Exhibition .

"This is a fantastic opportunity to support a great cause and to own an original work of art. Moreover, every artist is very generously donating 100% of the sales to the award winning Scottish charity Trees for Life!
The United Nations declared 2011 International Year of Forests and this year Trees for Life aims to plant its one millionth tree! This would be an amazing achievement and we want to help make this a reality by raising £10 000 through this exhibition."

The disappointing Sketchbook Project

2011-07-17T21:42:00.002+02:00

first spread.

This is the actual sketchbook

I , blogged a while back about how excited I was to be part of the The Sketchbook Project 2012, for the first time. On receiving it about 2 months ago I, cannot tell you just how extremely disappointed I was with this VERY flimsy book. I mentioned this fact on my FB page and many were just as disappointed as I was. I could not believe the crap quality and how much they asked us to pay for this. I know that some of the costs go towards the running of this project but this is not acceptable.

My computer paper is better quality than the paper used for this book. It's a shame because I had been told that the books were much MUCH better in previous projects. It's quite safe to say that I'll not be participating , again.

So, after pondering whether to actually work in my pamphlet book I, started glueing 3 or 4 pages together to give the papers some strength to work on. Now, I am left with only 6 or 7 spreads . I, thought about rebinding the book but what's the point? I would end up making a completely new book not being able to salvage anything from the original except for the obligatory bar code. Yes, I decided not to put the effort in ;)

My first spread was made in the Graffiti style that I have been learning to do recently. The face on the left is a stencil that I made of my own face. OH! I wonder why I don't look happy in that picture?? :)

The Shaman journal page

2011-07-14T19:09:00.001+02:00

The Shaman

I had another go at the LMM painting challenge, trying to make it lighter this time. I just found out that I was supposed to dilute the bitumen! This is why the last piece was much darker. For those of you who have asked how to use bitumen in your work, you can look up Gary Reef videos on Youtube.

Gary, is the nicest guy that you'll ever meet! He is very generous in sharing some of his techniques and inspires thousands of people to no end! I admire his talent and his energy.

The second image is a journal page. I'm experimenting with making and using my own stencil and the Koi fish is one of them. It was great to get my fingers into the paint jars, again and I'm enjoying the new style that I trying out. I plan on doing a very large piece to hang in our bedroom. I'm not sure how that's going to work out except that it will be fun getting messy!

Graffiti Mix

2011-07-11T09:39:00.000+02:00

A journal page graffiti style.

I'm quite liking the style and it's not as easy as it look. Most of us pass by some sort of graffiti everyday without taking a second look but now I am beginning to appreciate certain works .

I'm taking Alisa Burke's 'Graffiti Chic' online workshop. I think that she is brilliant :)

Goddess in Blue

2011-07-09T18:29:00.000+02:00

I really felt like painting something,yesterday. I had this piece of wood board left over form another project and I decided that I wanted to do another portrait. After it was finished, I decided to call her the Goddess in Blue.

LMM Painting Challenge

2011-07-07T21:03:00.000+02:00

Gary Reef, is having a painting challenge over on Loving Mixed Media.

He demonstrates how he did his piece step by step and based on those techniques, we were to create our own art piece

I ,used Bitumen for the first time and I , like the effect but Turpentine stinks to high heaven! I managed to spill some Bitumen on my crocs and it's a good thing that they are the cheap ones!

To create this piece I used: Wood board, acrylic paints, stencils,bitumen and markers.

Plaque and Lake visit photographs

2011-07-04T21:43:00.004+02:00

Yes, another Sacred Heart. I, was asked to create another one as an exchange (and with a very talented artist at that). I, made this one a bit different because I don't like to replicate my pieces exactly.
I'm not sure if it will be liked as much as the last one but I, don't mind. It would rather keep a sacred heart for myself, having given the last one to a super person.

We went to the Lake on Sunday and I took some pictures for the first time! I , usually don't photograph when I go out or I forget the camera!

Archway entrance to old ex houses, now used for storage.

A dirty pedal boat!

This is the road that goes around the lake.

Did I ever show you guys what I found in a second hand store last month? It cost me 7 Euros and it's an ex ashtray. I don't know what I am going to do with it,yet. As luck would have it, my husband mentioned that his father had another at home, so now I have two flies (one borrowed ;)

Graffiti Altered Book cover

2011-06-28T22:23:00.000+02:00

Well, the altrered book workshop is sadly coming to an end. I had lots of fun making these books and the class was great, too. One of the lessons was to alter the cover of a book and here is mine.

Dream Bird canvas

2011-06-26T22:21:00.000+02:00

Today, I had this incredible urge to paint something bright and multicoloured. BOY! Did I need that colour boost like a smoker needs nicotine! I, have given up smoking recently,too !! EEK!

I've had these 40 x 40 cm canvases sitting in a corner for over a year, now collecting dust. I , prefer to work on a solid surface where I can bang, splosh, splash, scrape and abuse the surface to my hearts content! With the gesso on the canvas plus the heat, the paints were drying quicker than I would have liked them to.

Just trying out a different style for a change.

Lady Of The Roses

2011-06-23T20:26:00.001+02:00

Lady Of The Roses

I finally got around to finishing my painting for the Gritty Jane Portraits and Papers, class. It took me a few weeks but I pushed myself to finish it not 30 minutes ago.

I am quite content with it although I know that there are things that I could have done better but with practice I'll get there.

This portrait on canvas measures 60 x 49 cm.

Spiritual Bouquet

2011-06-23T10:36:00.002+02:00

Spiritual Bouquet

I decided to buy Traci Bautista's Bouquet class, which is really just 4 PDFs written on multi coloured backgrounds, which makes what little there is difficult to read. There are 4 video that also show very little , in my opinion.
It's basically just sticking down floral shapes and colouring around them with paint. The supply list is quite extensive and I, would have preferred more video demonstrations especially on where and how to write but that's another separate course that you have to buy.

I've been playing around with Das clay,too. Here's what I have had fun making and painting:

Etsy Store items

2011-06-17T20:19:00.000+02:00

Sacred Heart Wall Hanging

The Blue girl

WYRD

I'm fairly new to ETSY , and so I thought that I'd plug myself on my blog!!
All three of my altered book wall hangings are for sale. Please, hop over and spread the word :)

Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaank you! ☺☺☺

Matchbox Callenge

2011-06-09T14:32:00.001+02:00

Well, just when I thought that I couldn't do another matchbox, out pops another ;)

This challenge is on Loving Mixed Media, and I have been some using of the techniques that I have learned on the Book Course.

The face is made from paper clay, which I just recently discovered and love! With the warm weather,here this took about only an hour to dry! Great stuff!

The Sacred Heart Book

2011-06-06T09:30:00.000+02:00

Two photos: one by night and one by day!
This will be another book wall hanging. The wings were made from copper coloured metal and embossed and the book itself was a large diary.

Work on nearly forgotten Journal!

2011-06-04T18:16:00.001+02:00

This portrait was a practice painting on a journal page, for the Gritty Jane's Paper and Painting online course.

I had to take two photographs so that one showed the truer colours and the other showed the texture created on the background and gold beading on her head piece.

Practice sketch

first sketch

second sketch

I haven't worked in my journal for a long time and have almost forgotten what to do in one! This page is just to keep me in practice.

Meet Mrs Biggles! I just decided to call her that because of her Goggles.

Altered Book 2

2011-06-02T20:52:00.001+02:00

This is my second book for Gary Reef's Class.

This book used to be a Mills and Boon hardback, which I completely altered. The heart seems fitting :)

If you're interested in the Altered Book or Altered Box online course, you can see more info here:

http://lovingmixedmedia.com/

Gary Reef : Altered Book course

2011-05-30T21:09:00.001+02:00

This book is a wall hanging. The only thing that it is missing is a small, inside light that I will add later. The frame was very old , delicate and brittle which is why some of the ornate parts are missing.
The letter R, is now back where is should be. I was too lazy to more photos ;)

Frida Kahlo Shrine- salmon tin!

2011-04-28T22:19:00.000+02:00

I don't usually publish unfinished pieces and this photo was taken whilst her wings were still drying.

This is an altered Salmon tin and not a sardine tin! Thankfully, the salmon tins are much larger and sardines are just 'bleughh', to eat! ;)

I mentioned that it is unfinished and I may add some finishing touches to the wings. I feel that they need to be distressed. When I figure out what I am going to use to distress the tin, I'll let you know. This is my first altered tin and I am new to working with metal.

The top is an old belt buckle, cut (snapped) and embellished with charms. The tail was a pack of sewing embellishments found at a second hand store. I embossed the wings and covered Frida's cut out with beads. The black and red ones were part of a necklace bought last year at the beach.

A very nice lady called Lynn, sent me some skull charms,today and I used them right away!

Hail Frida!

Arty swaps and other creations

2011-04-25T10:38:00.000+02:00

Here are the two pages for April's Journal page swap. The first prompt is 'Make a wish' and the second is 'childlike dreams' Pages are 5" x 7".
Yes, I am going through a Frida phase ;)

Last month was a bookmarks swap and I made these:

Now, I am quite proud of this! I have always wanted to print onto fabric as I have several projects in mind, including a fabric journal. I fell in love with fabric Journals when I first saw them on one of my OWOH winners blog, Suzi from Australia. Here's what I printed first try:

printed on Muslin

...and more Matchboxes for the 'Bird Shrine' swap over at Milliande, that I am hosting. I still have one to complete:

Birdhouse made from matchsticks

These Dotee Dolls for Easter arrived at my door last week. These were part of a swap and aren't they gorgeous? The Day of Dead is one that I made for the current doll swap

...longest blog post EVER!

I joined the 2012 Sketchbook Project

2011-04-19T13:49:00.001+02:00

2012 SKETCHBOOK PROJECT

I really wanted to participate in this and have only recently learned about last year's project. So, I decided to order my journal and chose to do the theme 'UNTITLED'. I'm not very good at sticking to themes for long periods and I KNOW that it teaches you to stretch your imagination and creativity, but I feel very unpredictable this year....well...more than usual ;)

SO! Just letting my fellow Bloggers know that it's time to SIGN UP!

I'm excited about this ☺

Concept of a box, journal spread

2011-04-16T16:53:00.001+02:00

"Your concept of a box", journal page promp @ Milliande.

This is my interpretation of the theme. This is the 'box' that many of create or put ourselves in and I think that the longer that you decide stay in that box, it can cause you to become 'bitter' or to shut people out, hence the thorns.

House swap

2011-04-13T19:52:00.000+02:00

These 5 houses are part of a swap. The faces and heart piece, are made from clay and then painted with acrylics.

The last of the ravens!

2011-04-09T19:32:00.001+02:00

Torment Van Gogh and Poe

These are the final pages for the last Raven themed circle journal swap. Phew!

I struggled with these and I hope that Suzanne, will be pleased with them.

Can't wait to get mine,soon.

OHOW PRIZE received ☺

2011-03-31T15:42:00.000+02:00

Just look at what I won! THANK YOU LyNn FuRmAn.

I am ashamed to say that I can longer find her blog or email address! I am hoping that Lynn will see this post or that someone will be kind enough to let me know if they remember which OWOH giveaway that this beauty came from! She sent it 2nd March.

Anyway, this is the perfect gift for me. I love butterflies, the colour blue and I occasionally embroider. It was worked on fine, evenweave linen and displayed in this gorgeous little embroidery hoop.

Thanks, ever so much♥

I was lucky to win 4 times,this year. Two more to arrive☺

Frida Kahlo prompt

2011-03-30T19:09:00.003+02:00

This spread was created for Milliande,Ning Group prompt, by Lorraine (her blog: Love Of collage) 'The Outrageousness Of Frida Kahlo'

A Journal Page : ShE PoWeR

2011-03-29T12:23:00.001+02:00

This spread was made for a FB friend, Tina Buckley. She had her journal book which had travelled to various countries and had made blank pages,still. So, she asked her friends to make and send her some pages.

Materials used: Gold, decoupage cut outs, acrylics,gel medium, Gold and Broken China embossing powders, holographic planet sticker and letter die cuts, sent to me by Mary Larner ☺

MaTcHbOx ShRiNeS

2011-03-24T09:54:00.002+01:00

Milagro Heart

The sacred shrine

These were created for a decorated matchbox prompt. These are great fun to do and can be very addictive! I usually really dislike working on things that small!

SoNg Of SpRiNg

2011-03-15T19:42:00.000+01:00

Spring is just around the corner for those of us who are in the Northern Hemisphere.
This is my journal page for the theme Spring.

"I AM" journal prompt

2011-03-08T17:15:00.001+01:00

I have been playing around with making backgrounds using different kinds inks,stencils and bleach.

using undiluted bleach

with diluted bleach

ChAgAll Prompt : The sinister ways of Vava

2011-03-05T20:12:00.000+01:00

Milliande Art Journaler's prompt: Chagall

See how I created this page HERE

This prompts was suggested to me by a member at Milliande's Ning group.

Page created using acrylics over collage.

Inspiration was taken from Chagall's painting of his wife Valentina, nicknamed 'Vava', who was a forceful but clever woman. She isolated him from the outside world, even from his daughter from a previous relationship, yet he was happy.

OWOH PRIZE RECEIVED

2011-03-04T09:41:00.001+01:00

THESE ARE THE GORGEOUS PRIZES THAT I WON FROM JOHANNA !!! I don't know if you can make them out on this image, but there are also some BRAILLE pages, which are not easy to find. I don't think that I could bare to use them all. Luckily, she sent me many.

I actually received these last week and am getting to publish them only now.

THANK YOU ,JOHANNA ♥

Singin' In The Rain

2011-02-26T17:43:00.002+01:00

This is a prompt for the Journalers @Milliande Ning Group. Her inspiration for this came from the Gene Kelly song and film. I used know this song by heart...Lalla,la,la,....Lalla,la,la...☺

We've not had much rain lately, but some very cold winds and snow in nearby regions. BBrrrr!

I must share this: Anne is giving away some FABULICIOUS gifts on her blog El Milagro Studio HOP OVER!

ReAcHiNg HaNd

2011-02-23T10:39:00.002+01:00

JUST ANOTHER JOURNAL PAGE.

I had painted this page a very LOUD red a long while ago. It was paint left over from another piece and I didn't want to waste it.

Watch how I created this piece on Vimeo ------------->> look in right column.

OWOH PRIZE WINNERS

2011-02-17T21:45:00.000+01:00

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING WINNERS FOR THIS VERY LAST OWOH, GIVEAWAY 2011:

USING RANDOM ORG:

IST PRIZE WINNER: SHARNE GREGORY
2ND WINNER : ASHLEY DAUGHERTY
3RD PRIZE goes to : SUZY

WOOHOO, LADIES ♥

I'LL BE IN TOUCH

My first video : Stories Of Women

2011-02-16T23:45:00.001+01:00

CLICK HERE ----> http://vimeo.com/20032551

Milliande Art Journal Promp: Stories of women

Well, I made my first video! For one who is slightly technologically challenged, I'm quite proud of myself . I spent most of the day learning how to edit this. So, you'll forgive me for the little errors here, and also there;) Ooops, a daisy!
I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did making it?

Front Door Art Prompt

2011-02-06T16:21:00.000+01:00

Day 20:Doorway Milliande journal prompts

Two blogs in one day! I thought that this turned out quite cute. It didn't take long to do either, whilst I really dislike the ones that I slogged 2 days over! Hmmfff!

Prompts and more...

2011-02-06T13:36:00.000+01:00

Milliande journal prompts

Another handmade journal

sideview

I did four pages for the Milliande Journal page prompts. From top left :Mirror Mirror, Inpsired by Mirò, Vertical stripes and crossword.

I also made another handmade journal from cardstock and filled this with light, watercolour paper. The first journal that I made for the giveaway, was actually made from a cardboard box that contained some delicious Amaretti...they,too, got recycled :)

LeT tHe FuN bEgIn! OWOH

2011-01-31T11:06:00.003+01:00

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

'Its open to all active bloggers worldwide'

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I AM SO EXCITED TO BE PART OF THIS FINAL YEAR OF ONE WORLD ONE HEART
I AM GIVING AWAY NOT ONE, BUT THREE PRIZES.
PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO PARTICIPATE, AT THE END OF THIS POST.
THE FIRST PRIZE WINNER, WILL RECEIVE THE PRIZES SHOWN IN THE ABOVE FOTOS: HANDMADE BOOK FILLED WITH WATERCOLOUR PAPER, PAPER LOVE ANGEL, HANDMADE HEART OWL, FLOWER BRADS, CALLIGRAPHY PEN,7 PKTS PEELS OFFS, BUTTERFLY KEYRING,TOMBOLA CHIPS AND HANDMADE TREE PENDANT.

SECOND PRIZE: TWO CROSS STITCH KITS

THIRD PRIZE: JADE COLOURED,GLASS HEART PENDANT ON SILVER CHAIN.

TO GET A CHANCE TO WIN THESE PRIZES, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS COMMENT ON THIS POST, LEAVING EITHER YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS OR YOUR BLOG LINK, SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU.

IF I RECEIVE NO RESPONSE FROM EITHER OF THE WINNERS WITHIN 14 DAYS OF ME CONTACTING THEM, THEN I THINK IT ONLY FAIR THAT I SHOULD DRAW ANOTHER WINNER.

On february 17th winners will be picked.

LET THE FUN BEGIN!
GOOD LUCK,EVERYONE ♥

One World One Heart :sneak peak

2011-01-30T17:01:00.000+01:00

I got this idea from another blogger :) This is just a sneak peak, at a handmade book for the One World One Heart. I'm not sure about the time difference, but I will have the give away, up tomorrow. I'm still making last minute gifts!

SEE YOU HERE ;)

Painted portrait

2011-01-29T16:19:00.000+01:00

Misty Mawn 'stretching within'

I painted the portrait with the intention of giving it a plain and classical background, but I can't go without my daily dose of MULTICOLOURS LOL!

Favourite number

2011-01-27T13:37:00.000+01:00

Milliande:Day 16 Draw your favourite number

My favourite number is 3 and it's a number that is very prominent in my life.

I tried my hand at pen drawing these owls ,also using coloured markers. You'll see the number 3, on the owls, in the tree and forming the birds in the sky.

Three little birds

2011-01-25T18:47:00.001+01:00

Misty Mawn, Stretching Within Workshop.

This is my first, successful gel transfer! It took Misty's talent for teaching to help me get it right after giving up on this technique, nearly two years ago. She also supplied us with these images and I have ALWAYS loved this simplistic style. Now, I know how to achieve it.

♥ Happy Dance Hour! ☻

Poem

2011-01-24T18:02:00.000+01:00

Day 23- Milliande Prompt :Poem

I wrote this poem for another prompt " I come from..."

I painted the face with veil, painted and stencil the background, used gel pens to write and I stuck down a printed image of the crow.

Misty Mawn Workshop

2011-01-23T19:11:00.000+01:00

I'm doing the new Misty Mawn, online worshop. When I first saw her work, I fell quickly in love with her style. The workshop involves a lot of effort, which everyone grows and benefits from. She gives you the techniques and you can then develop your own style.

These are large works and do not fit in the scanner, so apologise for the quality.

The first photo is a result of a tutorial on backgrounds. I then decided to turn it into a collage.

The second piece is practice for an under painting technique. I have to decided to leave it as it is as I am not confident enough to give it a wash,yet.

A Day in the Life of YOU

2011-01-22T18:23:00.000+01:00

Milliande Journal Page prompt : A Day in the Life of YOU

Yes, I know that I drew myself looking rather grumpy and very serious, but that's what I look like when I'm concentrated :) I did this whilst tending to two sick family members with stomach viruses.

Materials used: Inktense pencils, water soluble crayons, all marks Stabilo, H pencil, gesso, waterproof black pen, copic markers and a mirror.

Art Journal January Day 10 -Striped dragonfly

2011-01-16T17:53:00.000+01:00

Art Journal January Day 10 - 2011 VIDEO

Stripey Window

2011-01-11T14:42:00.000+01:00

DAY 7 : Window. Milliande Journal 2011

Here, I recycled an old 4x4 card, to put behind the window. The window was cut from cardstock. The background is a mixture of acrylic paints and water soluble crayons, written over with calligraphy ink and pen.

DAY 6 : Mrs Millipede

2011-01-08T19:35:00.000+01:00

DAY 6 : MILLIANDE JOURNAL 2011 'MILLIPEDE ME'

Challege: Do a 'millipede' , adding stripey legs.

Did you spot the millipede? (GROANS)

Materials used: Acrylic paints, rubber stamps,printed text and images, kid's colouring pencils, glue stick and white gel pen.

Paint a Zebra Hand ala Guido Daniele

2011-01-06T18:41:00.001+01:00

This was yesterday's challenge on Milliande.

This one gave me trouble! Naughty zebra! The background started out very differently and then I changed it all completely. I went to make myself a cup of instant coffee (Organic, by the way), and spotted an old coffee/Tea tin that had a similar design to what I created here. Good old coffee, eh? The problem was that I didn't actually like my zebra hand, so I decided to change the background to deflect the eyes from the bad drawing.

I researched Guido Daniele, and I instantly liked his work. Wow!

Zebra Woman

2011-01-05T01:43:00.000+01:00

I like today's challenge on Milliande. It is to paint a face and add a zebra pattern.

Art Journal January Day 4

I haven't used acrylics to paint a face in a very long time.
I'm taking advantage of doing these challenges as much as I can because from next week onwards, I sadly won't have much time to create. That won't stop me from peeking at everyone else's wondeful work.

Materials used: acrylic paints, ciao marker, wax crayons, stamps, Adirondack colorwash, pencil, gel pen and black ink pad.

In the house of zebra

2011-01-04T01:17:00.003+01:00

Day 3:Milliande Art Journal 2011

challenge: make zebra patterned, hand carved stamps and use on page.

Puff! Pant! She's keeping us on our toes :)

These Zebras are driving me nuts only because the patten is making my eyes go all funny ;)

edited to add: I am really enjoying these prompts, otherwise I wouldn't be doing them. I need to clear the black and white clutter from my workspace, so that I can think outside of the box when it comes to using the zebra pattern.

materials used:

Hand carved stamp, zebra patterned, made from a royal potato (may have been a king Edward) I used this around the sun

Hand carved stamp made from a large pencil eraser .

Various rubber stamps

gesso

kids water soluble crayons

wax crayon, black,

gouage,red

black ciao marker

uni-ball eye micro, waterproof, black

film strip

house template

distress inks

pigment ink, black

Pink sweety/candy wrapper (happily eaten for the sake of the project ;)

Today's tip: Find a project that requires lots of wrappers, so that you can eat the candy :)

Zehorses

2011-01-03T11:34:00.000+01:00

Milliande: Art Journal 2011. Day 2

We had the choice to either draw our own zebra zen doodle mandala, or use the one provided by Milliande, cut them up and incorporate the pieces into our page. I chose the latter.

I made little 'spaced-out' zehorses :) I found it challenging to use pieces that were already busy and I'm okay with it. I don't like my writing and that's also why I'm joining in the fun, to practise and to learn from others.

Materials used: Acrylic paints, dots and swirls stencils, pigment ink, distress ink, gel pen, black Ciao marker, printed butterfly wings and zebra mandala template.

Z for ZEBRA!

2011-01-01T19:59:00.000+01:00

I am playing along with Milliande (see button in right hand column).

She chose ZEBRA, as the theme.

Materials used: Zebra image, water-soluble crayons, acrylic paints, gel pens, Copic markers, pastels, pencils for sketching, and a rubber stamp (circles).

Last day of the year

2010-12-31T17:22:00.000+01:00

This will be the last post for this year. This page is a dedication to the following year and may you all have a VERY creative one, bloggers :)

FREE Online Art Courses

2010-12-30T13:08:00.003+01:00

Who doesn't like FREEBIES?

I thought I'd share these links for FREE online classes. It would be such a waste not share them with you. Looks like I'll be EXTREMELY busy next year! Here's just a few links from Creative.E-courses:

Kim Klassen

Photoshop Skinny-Mini eCourse

- Starts January 10th

***************************

INSTRUCTOR: Pam Carriker

start date: January 1, 2011
Reusing your own artwork in your journal pages helps you get the most out of the time you put

into creating art. By using copies of previous journal pages and other art you’ve created, you

will have a great stash of collage fodder right at your fingertips! Reusing your own art allows you

to revisit your art in a totally new way and create pages that are uniquely your own. In addition to

your recycled art, collage materials can also be found in other recyclables such as, newspapers,

magazines, old book pages or other ephemera. Get the most mileage from your art and take it to

exciting new places by recycling it in your Art Journal!

*****************************

Workshop 2. Start Where You Are

Instructor: Linda Blinn

start date: March 1, 2011

In this series of workshops, Strathmore journals meet
mixed-media art techniques for a lively juxtaposition
of words and images. We will explore the philosophy
that a journal should always be a work in progress and discover the advantages of developing pages in layers
using mixed-media techniques and materials such a gels, mediums, water media, paints and sprays.

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Workshop 3. Building Your Visual Journal from the

-Page Up

Instructor: Roz Stendahl

start date: May 1, 2011

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INSTRUCTOR: Tamara Laporte

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Art, Heart & Healing

Free online mixed media class. Create art journaling, altering a childrens book, art tag, empathy monster, whimsy creatures, portraits and angels.

INSTRUCTOR: Andrea Schroeder

COST: FREE

START: self paced

LINK: http://www.abccreativity.com/creativity-e-course/

Alphastamps Giveaway

2010-12-29T17:46:00.002+01:00

Alphastamps, is one of my favourite online shops and it has some VERY talented designers. Who wouldn't want to win something from them?!

I'm off to try my luck ;)

One more raven

2010-12-27T23:06:00.001+01:00

This is the second last journal, before my very own flies home. It's been quite an artistic trip since my very own own journal left home.

This is Nigel's journal page. It doesn't have a particular theme. It was another outburst of random images and colours, that sort of comes together in the end. It kind of suits my personality ;)

People, we will soon enter into another year. I don't know if I will manage to blog before this year ends, but I do wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year.

I would like to leave ye all with a song that I love so much:

Clay Pendants and Season's Greetings

2010-12-21T11:40:00.003+01:00

It's been a busy time and I've just about abandoned my blog!

For a while,now, I decided to avoid the madness of this particular festive season, which began in October (and even earlier in some other countries). Even when trying to buy simple necessities is quite a battle. They really should put bumpers and hooters on shopping carts, and it should be obligatory!

WARNING : TROLLEY RAGE SEASON.
DANGER : OVER-LOADED SHOPPING CARTS AHEAD. HIGH RISK OF TOPPLING OVER.
I wander how much those things can really carry ?

Ho! Ho! Ho! ;)

Apart from a few exceptions, I make most of my gifts and the pendants above are all hand made from polymer clay. The heart shaped piece is a tree ornament and its centre piece is an old watch face.
I can no longer find the little metal frames anywhere (see top photo) and if anyone knows of a supplier, please contact me.

WISHING YOU ALL A JOYFUL AND HAPPY FESTIVE SEASON AND WINTER BLESSINGS TO YOU ALL.

XXX

Spirit Angel

2010-11-29T20:58:00.000+01:00

This is my Spirit Angel. Thank you Tammy, for taking the time to share your free lessons with us. She has taught us some fabulous techniques in her Art, Heart and Healing classes. Your time and love is much appreciated.

4X4 FrIdAy : Artistic Jouney

2010-11-14T19:37:00.000+01:00

Artistic Journey for 4x4 Friday

Background was made using layers of acrylic paint, applied with a plastic card. I've no idea where the images are from. Sorry. I received them in a swap.

The phrase was torn from a Tim Holtz packaging product. I'm sure that most of you recognised it : )

ANGEL: TAKE A WORD

2010-11-09T21:29:00.000+01:00

hERE Is mY eNTRY For Take A wORd

Art, Heart & Healing

2010-11-07T18:40:00.001+01:00

ART, HEART AND HEALING, is a FREE ART COURSE, kindly offered by Tammy of Willowing and artists friends. You should all go and check it out.

I saw this course whilst blog hopping and I finally managed to watch the first two videos. This spread is the result.

I would have liked to have blended the pages more and to have defined the face details better, but the gesso wouldn't allow me to blend the pastels the way that I wanted to and then the paper started to come away. It even rejected my mechanical pencil in the end!

It's very Suzi Blu style, isn't it? Due to lack of time, I only managed to watch the first 3 videos and I did very little work. Tam's classes aren't that dissimilar, but I seemed to pick her lessons up better.

Both are very good teachers.

Sorry about the first photograph. I had to use the camera because the spread wouldn't fit into the scanner.

Gingersnaps colour challenge

2010-11-03T19:18:00.000+01:00

This is my entry for the Gingersnaps challenge using the colours pumpkin, eggplant and avocado.

I used the adorable image of the Hatter, from the Alice in Wonderland Digital Stamps.
I can see why they are so popular.
This will be a gift to a little boy called robin :).

Time: Take a Word.

2010-11-01T11:03:00.001+01:00

There's a new challenge blog on the block TAKE A WORD The theme is TIME. I've a feeling that this blog will be very successful. There are 24 entries already. Don't you creative ever artists sleep?? ;)

Here is my page. Sword image from magazine, and moon and lady from Whymisical Musings. Corner piece (top right) made using Holtz Sizzix folder. Stamps used are from Paperbag studios, Alphabet Clear stamps MSE!, Paperartsy and Lost Coast Designs.