New Challenge

OK.  As anyone who follows this blog knows (all 2 of you...), I don't post very often.  I have a very busy life and seldom get to do "just for me" things.  And, as my DH knows, I'm not very fast so even when I get an opportunity, I seldom get much of any consequence accomplished if I don't have much time.

SOOOO......I am going to try to participate in the Sketchbook Challenge (notice the new badge posted in the right sidebar).  It should help me to do SOMEthing at least once per month (even though I think it is an everyday challenge...I do what I can).  Several very talented artists are going to be hosting the challenge and I am excited to see what they have to show us as the year progresses.  Hopefully it will result in me doing more art/sketching/journaling this year and maybe even some more posts to this blog.  I haven't given up on this blog.  I just haven't found a way to work it in more regular.

Apparently, just like my opportunities to do any kind of art.

I do have some things I can post from my latest trip to Seattle for JournalFest that was held the last weekend in October.  Maybe I can get something up on that soon.

Out and About Again

I'm trying to do better on my posting frequency. And I'm trying to do more sketches/drawing so hopefully I will improve. Here's one I did at lunch yesterday.

It was SO nice out. I'm enjoying spring here for a change. We usually don't have much of a spring--just straight from winter to summer!

Artfest 2010

I went to Artfest in Port Townsend, WA again this year.  I had a great time as always.

I had some really good classes and got to see some of my "arty" friends that I only get to see when I go out west.  (Amy, Lorraine, Renee, Taylor and Lisa) 

Artfest is the creative event hosted by Tracy and Teesha Moore (Tracy, me and Teesha)(http://www.teeshaslandofodd.com/artfest/classes.html) near Seattle.  I have had a great time everytime I attend one of their events and I ALWAYS learn something--even if it is not what I had intended to learn to begin with.  It is such a creative atmosphere and it is so freeing to experience that environment.

My first class was with Jill Berry--Artfest Journal.  It was pretty cool.

It was an accordian spine style book that was designed to allow you to work on the pages outside of the book before it is constructed.  Then you fold your papers in half and put the book together.  We got lots of helpful journaling tips as well.  We even went "out in the field" and did wax rubbings of things we saw around us.  I got some from the restaurant where I ate lunch that day (the Asian Noodle?--it's on Taylor and it is delicious...always try to go there at least once when I visit).  I got the door handle to the restaurant and also some paneling on the walls.  The others came from memorial plaques around the Parade Grounds flag pole at Fort Worden.

My second class was with Misty Mawn--drawing faces.  It was the one I was really looking forward to and was by far the most difficult for me.  Here are my creations:

I still am making my eyes too large but considering this is the first "face" drawing class I've ever taken (and I've never really tried to draw portraits before) I don't think it is too terribly bad.  I have hope that lots of practice will help!  :-)

My last class was with LK Ludwig--Open Doors Journal.  This journal design has two sets of signatures sewn into both the left and the right sides of the back base.  The pages open from the middle to both sides.  We did some backgrounds on some of the papers we put into the journal. I loved making it.  It was a wonderful class and LK is FULL of tips and tricks!

I used canvas board for my covers since we weren't going to have to sew through the covers.  It is an awesome sew-n-glue binding.

Yes, well I've already broken my rule from earlier--quick posts, not marathons!  :-0~  Oh well.  It is a big subject and I'm not a big one for suspense.  Hope you enjoyed!

Quick Sketch

I don't have time to say much about this but I wanted to post it.  I need to post more often and perhaps if I didn't try to make it a thesis each time I would be more likely to do just that.  SO.....here is a little sketch I did while at lunch yesterday.  I was eating at an outdoor table at Arte's Pizza.  Great food.  Quaint atmosphere there on the sidewalk.  Nobody is treated as a stranger in my town....

There you go.  Yay!  A post for today any way.  If you are out there actually looking at this blog please leave a comment.  Thanks~!

Finished Journal Pages

OK. I'm actually posting 3 times in one month! Watch out--the sky may fall! Ha!

I finished the journal pages that I prepped and showed you in the last post. Here they are in their finished form.

Yes, I like to write. Love to write. Write a lot.....all the time.... I also played with different things on the pages. You probably can't tell from the photos, but I used different techniques to color the background. I used Panpastels, watercolor, acrylic wash, Prismacolor Art Stix, Prismacolor Nupastels and some air brushing. I also added some of my newly purchased Japanese tape to the edges of some of the pages. LOVE LOVE LOVE that stuff!

Well, gotta run. Gotta get some more clothes in the wash and finish getting some supper ready for the DH. Can't play all the time, huh? :-)

Journal Prep

OK, I'm a few days late, but I'm back! I wanted to do some journaling on the way back from Seattle but didn't feel like writing. Instead, I took one of my Moleskin journals and created some "backgrounds" for journaling later. I cut up parts and pieces of my travel documents and glued them on the pages. Believe it or not, I did this for the better part of at least 4-5 hours on various planes! One of the stewards found it quite comical but interesting. Here are the pages. Hopefully I can follow up with some of them filled in and further embellished soon!

I'm Back!

A LONG time with no posting. Hopefully I'll do better this year! I just got back from play: the retreat in Port Townsend, WA. I had a GREAT time! I made a 5.5" x 5.5" journal with a polymer clay cover, wooden back and fully painted water color paper pages. I really like the journal. Here are some pictures of it:

The card on this page was made by Maurine Dyson-Berris. It was so cool and I loved the quote and the colors so I had to use it on my first page.

On the second spread, I used an ATC from Andrea Sanjani. I loved the quote on it, too and the colors just seemed to go well with it.

Then I did a spread from scratch when I got home. A friend of mine gave me some Bible verses that I really liked and I knew I had to put them in my journal. I purchased the "dancing girls" stencils from Tracy and Teesha. I sponged some ink through them and then outlined them in black. They are still not quite as dark as I would like them to be but they'll have to do, I guess.

I also visited the "local" art supply store while I was there. Here are some of the supplies that I purchased. I had been wanting to get these Copic MultiLiner pens in the colors the last trip I made there but decided I needed to wait until another trip. Well, this was "another trip"! I also purchased stuff from Tracy and Teesha during the retreat. Here are some of the things that I got from them...

I used the Ice Resin to make the shiny pool around the bird on the cover of my journal. It is really neat stuff. Dries clear and very, very hard. It is the same 2-part epoxy they have been coating gymnasium floors with for years. You gotta love it.

Well, I think I'll stop here. That way I'll have some other things I can post in the next few days! Imagine...another post in less than 4 months! Ha!