My Weekend CREATE-ing

Hello Everyone!

I hope the weekend treated you all well!  Mine was amazing!

My Mom and I went to the CREATE Mixed Media Retreat, finally, after waiting for over 6 months for it to arrive.  I don't know if you remember that I asked my Husband for this gift last Christmas....a Christmas, Birthday, Anniversary gift all rolled into one....

My Mom wanted to attend with me, so it was nice to have a Partner in Crime to go with.  Plus, she lives just 15 minutes from where it was held here in California, so we didn't have to spend the money on hotel rooms.
If money was no option, one could take (4) six hour classes and (4) three hour classes over 5 days.  We took (3) three hour classes and (2) 6 hour ones....5 classes in all.

On Wednesday, we took a class called "Carved Birches - no cutting tools required" given by Staci Swider.

This was a 3 hour class.  We used 12x12 canvases, acrylic paint and oil pastels.  The neat birch tree effect was created with molding paste, crackle medium and house paint!  A really cool effect!

 

My oil pastels weren't blending very well, so the teacher let me borrow one of hers.  It was some French brand of oil pastel....and it was like butter! So creamy!  I need to add those to my wish list!

 

Thursday night, we took a class called "Crinkly Iridescent Vestiges" given by Helen Shafer Garcia.

 

 

 

We were given a special Masa Paper (rice paper) that we drew simple images on, crinkled up and soaked in water.  We outlined our drawings in a wonderful acrylic ink and watched them bleed. 

 

 

We filled them in with watercolors and embellished when dry.  We worked on several, but this is the only one I finished.

 

 

 

We took a 6 hour class Friday morning called "Unleash your Creative Spirit" with Staci Swider again.  This was so different than what I'm used to, that it really forced me to just go with the process.

 

Here's my view of the class from my side of the room :)

 

 

 

We started with a 2 foot square wood panel.  We covered it in gesso and acrylic paint (I used my hands the whole time).  We dripped water over the top and swirled it around by moving the panel to and fro.  We soaked up the water and some paint with a large piece of watercolor paper.  We did this as many times as we liked........then, we were told to find something hidden, looking at the panel in all directions.  Some found faces, others found animals.....

 

 

I saw a giraffe :)

 

 

We were told to incorporate some of the watercolor paper into the panel. 

 

 

We used oil pastels to define our lines....otherwise, it was all painted using just my fingers!

 

 

Saturday morning, we took a 6 hour course by Chris Cozen called "Incised to Perfection: Working with Color, Pattern and Texture"

 

 

There were lots and lots of layers put on this piece with flowers being "found" in the random designs.  Stencils and course molding paste were used.

 

 

I didn't realize you could paint over molding paste with watered down acrylic and have it bleed over the surface. Interesting.

We worked on 2 canvases, but I didn't come close to finishing the 2nd.

 

 

 Our last class on Saturday evening was called "Chip Off the Old Block" given by Pam Carriker.

We were given tips and guidance for carving our own stamps.

I've tried this before, but not for a long time.  I tried to pick an image that I could get a lot of use out of.

 

 

I carved both sides so I would have both wings.  I'm sure you'll be seeing more of these in art to come ;)

 

 

Thanks for letting me share my class projects with you!  Attending them was a wish come true....

 

I think we'll try to go next year, too! We'll see what the Hubby says....heehee ;P

 

Big paint covered hugs to you all!

Cam 

 

Painting Happy!

Hello Everyone!

I'm so excited to share a new piece of art with you!  But, before I do, I need to give you a bit of info on how she came to be.....

You see, I was lucky enough to take a very special online painting course called Paint Happy.
It is given by the wonderful Micki Wilde of The Secret Hermit.



I've long been a fan of her work.

She makes whimsy and cheeriness look so easy....her faces are so full of warmth and character....her backgrounds are delicious....and it is evident that she adores what she does. 

What's amazing about this course is that it addresses every single one of those truths so that you can have them, too!  It delivers so much good and useful information on how to keep your art playful and meaningful, even if it sprang from a darker place.

Wait til you get to the part about your Wolf!  I don't want to give too much away...but that part was really powerful for me.  There is a wolf in me that hasn't yet gotten onto the page.  When it does, I'll share it here.
Here, check out the promo video for the course.  You'll see why I'm so excited!
 

 

Now, onto my art! 

 

I had so much fun making this piece.  I find I can be way too serious when I create.  I can get too hung up on details and my own weird sense of perfection that it can suck a lot of the enjoyment out of making art....and it seems to take a lot longer, too.

 

I whipped this one out pretty quickly (humming all the while, I might add)...and I couldn't be happier with the results! 

You can see the influence of Micki's style in her sweet face.

 

 

...and look at how her ideas and techniques transformed my background!

You can click to enlarge if you like :)

 

 

So much bright, doodly, colorful play!

 

I can't wait to try out more of her suggestions!

If you'd like to take the course or see more of her fantastic art, please visit her Etsy Shop and her Blog!

Everyone deserves to enjoy what they do!

 

 

Big neon colored hugs!

Cam

I've Got 3 Words for You....

I'm so sorry!
Well, those aren't the words I was talking about, but they are oh-so-true!
 I've been away from my blog for far too long....forgive me....pretty please :)

You see, it was Maggie's 7th Birthday last week and we had 2 parties for her over the past 2 Saturdays....one for family...and one for just school friends.  I've been cleaning, planning, cooking, decorating and basically in Party Mode for 2 weeks straight.  I can't wait to get all the photos up here to show you, but that will be another post.

So, now that I'm officially "free", I've resumed my regularly scheduled activities! That means going to the gym. Boo! But also, painting! Yay!

I rescued a whole deck of these adorable flashcards from the trash a while back.

 

I started by gessoing them and adhering some paper to them.

 

 

Then I used my new favorite technique of scribbling on watercolor pencils....

 

 

....and gessoing again over it.

 

 

Then came some stamping.  I have a new "screen" background stamp that I tried here for the first time :)

 

 

Here's where the steps weren't documented so well....haha!  You know how it goes, you start getting to the heart of the painting and it's hard to remember to stop and snap a photo :)

 

 

I nearly finished one before I remembered to stop.

 

I tried something different for me.  I sketched out the faces in watercolor pencil which I later used to add the shading to the face.

 

 

Here they are all finished....complete with touches of glitter....because who doesn't love glitter?!

 

 

The 3 words I have for you are......"Gratitude"

 

 

"Stillness"

 

 

...and "Simplicity"

 

 

Gentle reminders for good vibes :)

All in the shop.

 

I hope my Stateside friends had an awesome Mother's Day yesterday....and that all my friends had wonderful weekends!  I'll be back with party pics soon.

 

Here's a sneak peek ;P

 

 

 

I'll be going now...but just 3 more words before I do.....

Thanks for visiting!!!

 

...okay, and maybe 3 more...

Love you guys!

 

Cam

Jumping Jellyfish, Batman!

Hello again Dear Ones!

Sorry, this post has absolutely nothing to do with Batman.
I just couldn't help myself....haha!

I'm doing 2 posts in one day!  Unheard of around here!
I thought it would be a good idea to keep this show and tell separate from the Giveaway below, but I just couldn't wait til later in the week to post again.  I just don't have that kind of patience when I have new art to share....haha!

This is "She Dreamed"

5 x 7 inch mixed media on canvas

 

I just love hunting through old books and finding just the right words to put together.  I've used this saying before.  Of course, I'm a big fan of dreaming.....and consider it lucky when I can find the word in the text :)

 

 

The eyes of an art piece are always what speak to me most.....I think hers are filled with lovely thoughts.  What do you think she is dreaming of?

 

 

She and her jellyfriends are currently in the shop :)

 

I'm keeping this post short and sweet....

Hope you have an amazing week ahead, and please don't forget to visit the post below for a Giveaway, if you haven't done so already.

 

Gotta jump in my Batmobile and run to the store now....

Hugs all around!

Cam

Tuesdays with Maggie

Maggie has been home for Spring Break, so I've been trying to alter my weekly routine to include her in them.  This way, I still try to stay on task and we can do something together. Of course, it takes a bit longer....haha!

Tuesdays are my designated art day.

I made some room at my table and we worked side by side.
We started with 2 sheets of 9 x 12 inch white Bristol Board.  We chose patterned papers to tear and adhere to them.

 

Here they are all covered.  Mine is on the left.  Hers on the right.

 

 

We then took some watercolor pencils and scribbled them on in different spots.  We applied gesso to the surface to pick up the color and tone down the papers.

 

 

Then it was time for paint and stamping....

Here, Maggie is rubbing the stamp pad directly onto her surface.

 

 

They looked like this after that layer.

 

 

Now we were ready for our main images and inspirational quotes.

Maggie wrote her own :)

 

 

"Enjoy wildlife,

Be friendly,

live life.

Enjoy!"

 

Then she chose this image to put on her piece.

 

 

Her finished art :)

 

 

I still hadn't decided what I wanted to do with mine when she proclaimed she was done and went to play.   

She compares herself to me sometimes and feels badly that she can't draw or paint like I do.  I tell her it's taken me years and years of practicing and doing art regularly to be where I am today....and I'm still learning and improving...and that she will, too.  So, I was planning on keeping things loose and simplistic, so we could both do similar styles, when we began.

 

 

But since she was done...well, I could let loose....haha!

So I began to see a face in my background.

 

 

I sketched her out in white pencil and began applying washes of thinned acrylic paint.

Those are the 3 colors to the left there that I usually use for my fleshtones.

Americana Brand - Light Buttermilk, Fleshtone and Light Cinnamon.

 

 

I apologize for not having more in-between stages, but I started working quickly once I figured out what I wanted to paint.  I chose a Rumi quote to feature "Unfold your own Myth"

 

 

Above are her finished eyes....

 

...and below, the finished piece.

 

 

All those layers paid off, I think. It gives the background such a lush look.

She has the quotes "Reveal the greatest version of you" and "The possibilities of one human soul will never be found in another" written on her, also.

Click to enlarge if you like :)

 

 

 

She has a neat Renaissance feel to her. 

She is listed  in the shop, fyi. 

 

Love that Maggie and I both made art this week.

 

I also received some awesome art from my friend, Micki Wilde aka The Secret Hermit

 

 

 

Isn't she adorable?!

And look at that yummy texture!

 

 

Thank you, Dear Micki!

Please visit her shop to see more of her whimsical girls :)

 

I'll be by to visit before the big weekend festivities!

Don't overdo the chocolate....or, instead, do indulge, but hide all the evidence....heehee!

 

Reveal your gifts to the world, beautiful creative kindreds!

Cam