H, I And Pattern Play

I realized that I hadn’t shared my letters, “H” and “I” from my watercolor Alphabet Journal that I did in July on my blog.

I added the collage portion to these letters last weekend.  I think this page is extra happy:

And you all know how much “I” love flowers!

Last night, I had only a few minutes to paint before dinner so I created this experiment in watercolor:

Watercolor pattern play is relaxing and fun!  I encourage you to give it a try!

Cheers! 🙂

 

The Feckenham Family…

The Feckenham family had similar features…

And could easily be found in a crowd!

Hope these funny faces give you a smile today!

Cheers! 🙂

A Hand-Made Paper Wreath

Remember this “handala” mandala from last week?

Well, I finished it this week…

I used a flower stencil, a black Micron .01 pen and a new 2-inch circle punch:

Creating a Hand-made Paper Wreath:

And I used hand-painted papers for my circles…

I encourage you to try your “hand” at making a paper wreath!

Cheers! 🙂

The Power Of Touch

I do not believe we can ever understand the depth of love…

And the power of touch!

I started my two hands in watercolor last week, if you recall:

And added the finishing “touches” in ink over the weekend.

Two people who “touched” my life with love recently passed.  One a family member and the other the mother of a friend.  Both ladies were 95 years old.

It has made me think more about how others touch my life and how I have the power to touch others with love.

Cheers! 🙂

E, F and G

I have been adding collage to finish some of my watercolor alphabet journal pages from the month of July.

I thought you might enjoy seeing them – before and after collage photos:

Letter “E” is for eyes:

For the collaged “hair,” I colored Swedish tracing paper with Derwent Ink Tense Blocks, added water to blend the colors and let dry.  I then sewed them to my paper with a light gray thread.  Her eyes were a little more sultry than I intended!  😉

Letter “F” is for Fridays, frogs, flowers and ferns:

I stapled my handpainted collage papers to my watercolor paper.  I then covered the staples by gluing a circle over them.  The black letter “f” is a sticker.

Letter “G” is for mixing greens:

I attached the collage paper with a flower brad, glued a paper scrap with a square on top and added the “good” fortune:  You will hear good news today!

I hope to finish letters, “H” and “I” next week!

Happy Friday! Cheers! 🙂

A Hand-Drawn Mandala

I recently purchased this book on Mandala Art from Amazon:

Since I am exploring art with my hand this week, I decided to try a hand-drawn mandala:

First, I drew my hand and then reduced its size on a copier.  Next, I started with my flower pattern in the center, moving outwards, something I learned from the book.

Note:  It helped to copy my reduced image of my hand on card stock for a stencil.

I used my stenciled hand to create a pattern on the rough grain, 140 lb cold press watercolor paper.  I used a purchased stencil for the heart and tulip.  I drew the diamonds and swirls free-hand as you can see above.

Experimenting with Ecoline liquid watercolors, I used yellow, red and green directly from the bottle without diluting it.

WOWZA!  That red is so vibrant!! ❤️

I used Winsor & Newton Watercolor in Pernament Magenta for the flower petals in the center and Colbalt Turquoise Light for the tulip shapes – that I diluted with water.   Interestingly, the yellow Ecoline color bled when I applied the turquoise color on top but not when I applied the Ecoline red undiluted on top of the yellow.)

After the paint dried, I outlined my pencil lines with a .05 Micron black pen for definition:

I’m not sure that I am done so I will let it rest a few days…

Have you ever created a Mandala?

Cheers! 🙂

Two Hands

I experimented yesterday with tracing both hands with a black Micron pen:

My right hand on top of my left hand… Then adding watercolor to both:

I used watercolor paper by Daler Rowney, Langton Prestige in rough grain for my above experiment.  I love how a pinch of salt into the wet paint gives a nice texture.

I also experimented on Arches, 140 lb hot press watercolor paper with a different paint color palette:

The smooth texture doesn’t react to the salt or the watercolor in the same way as the rough grain:

Yet, it gives my two hands a different dimension.  I plan to doodle on this one as it is much easier to draw on with ink.

I like the first painting for its simplicity and the second one for its complexity of layers.  How about you?

Cheers! 🙂

Rocking It…

OK, I agree, my title is a bit punny for one of the last five watercolors I did in July:

Next, I decided to expand my horizons (so to speak) and painted this landscape:

Not a subject I normally paint, so I was pleased with it… below is my reference photo I used from a photo I took of a nearby creek:

We recently had a full moon that inspired these summer stars:

I enjoyed playing with a dagger brush and different color combinations for them.

Time was short so I experimented to create this fantastic feather:

I used a straw to blow wet pools of watercolor paint and gold acrylic ink to give it some pizazz!  The collaged letter, “F” I created from one of my leftover watercolor circles from a previous project.

I ended my last painting for July with this door and quote:

I was ready to close the “door” on this project and start something new!

Thank you ALL for your encouragement on this month’s project, as always, I appreciate your kind comments and likes of support… it means so much to me!

Cheers! 🙂

X, Y, Z And…

I made it through the alphabet for my art journal!  WHOOT!

And I completed 31 days of watercolor in July for World Watercolor Month!!

I thought you might enjoy seeing my finished alphabet pages…

An X-ray Tetra Fish for “X”:

“Y” is for Yellow:

“Z” for Zentangled zoodles… Which are zucchini noodles!

I still want to add paper collage and a few extra details to complete these pages… so stay tuned! 🙂

And I completed 5 additional watercolor pages to finish my 31 days – I will post them later this week…

I am happy to be done so I can focus on some other art projects.  Yet, I had so much fun!

I enjoyed my extra time at the lake last week... I think my highlights were swimming in the lake – three times a day, reading a super good book, painting outside daily, making paper butterflies with a friend, daily naps and cool evenings.

Wishing you a happy day doing what you love!

Cheers! 🙂

Watermelon Birds?!

Nothing beats the heat like a slice of watermelon…

These weird birds made their “appearance” for the letter, “W”:

They are wacky Watermelon birds!

I used watermelon images from my Bon Appétit magazine and painted their beaks with watercolor. A few details were added with a pencil, black micron pen and white gel pen.

Carla Sonheim is offering FREE art videos for Kid’s Art Camp this week.  Each day is a short video.  I always enjoy participating and seeing what others create.  Any age can sign up.  I encourage you to check it out at CarlaSonheim.com

These “wild” birds were from lesson one:

I hope you join in the fun… and be sure to have a slice of watermelon!

Happy Weird Bird Wednesday!

Cheers!