Weird Birds

This pattern has been showing up a lot in my journal:

I usually fill in the shape with collage paper scraps like this one:

I decided to try making a weird bird with this shape. I colored it with Copic markers and added a few doodles.

Here is the first one:

I had so much fun, I created a second one:

And a third one!

One never knows where the NEXT weird bird idea will come from!

Happy Weird Bird Wednesday!

Cheers! 🙂

An Amazing Day

I have been enjoying the free online art class:

“The Layered Page” with Kellee Wynne Studios! I discovered it on Instagram. You can find it at KelleeWynneStudios.com

I have been creating larger pages with acrylic paint and stencils that will become mini books. Kellee shows you how to do this in her videos.

This led to experimenting in my sketchbook with marks and bubble wrap:

And creating smaller cards that are 5.5 x 3.5 inches:

I decided to make positive affirmation cards with some of the smaller cards:

And I created my own layered pages with paper collage in my art journal:

Perhaps my art will inspire you to create art you enjoy!

I hope you have an amazing day!

Cheers! 🙂

P.S. I have decided to take a blogging break so I can focus on creating art. There are some awesome free online art classes right now that I want to take advantage of!

If you are needing some additional creative inspiration, Carla Sonheim is offering a free pdf with 22 artists sharing their ideas. You can find it at CarlaSonheim.com Great ideas for all ages!

Have fun and stay safe! 🙂

First Blooms

The Buttercups are in bloom!!

My husband picked these flowers from the forest near our home.

The arrival of sweet, golden Buttercups must mean Spring is on its way in the Pacific Northwest. Hurrah!

I wrote this haiku to celebrate these first blooms in my art journal:

Golden petals show,

Announcing Spring’s arrival,

A forest treasure.

Next, I added quick mini collages. I enjoy experimenting with color combinations, texture and balance.

I was able to get outside and take two short walks this weekend. My hip is doing great!

I hope you are all staying well.

Cheers! 🙂

Glow Worm

Last Friday, I showed you the beginning of this journal page:

I added a drawing of a weird looking bug and then discovered the dictionary definition for a Glow Worm on my page.I decided to explore this idea further.

Next, I added some acrylic paint and colored part of my bug with Tombow markers:

I added some interesting facts about a Glow Worm to my page and finished coloring my “beetle” wearing a hat… why not! 😉

I enjoyed learning something new while playing in my art journal.

Cheers! 🙂

P.S. I have decided to blog 1-2 days a week. I will be posting on Mondays and possibly Wednesday. I will be posting more on Instagram where you can find me at art_jill_kuhn

Creative Play

Sometimes creative play in an art journal can be quite fulfilling.

I am discovering the joy of adding collage papers and marks without a outcome in mind.

This page I used a greeting card of a Ladybug that someone sent me. I altered it a little with my whole punch:

I had fun exploring funky flower shapes in this one and black and white stems:

My last one is a work in progress. As you can see, it involves BUGS!

I will show my completed page to you next week!

I encourage you to make time for creative play in your art making.

Happy Friday!

Cheers! 🙂

Slow And Steady

Hi Friends,

I am feeling a little stronger each day. My total hip replacement surgery was two weeks ago.

I am using a walker to walk around my home and hope to graduate to a cane soon. Tomorrow I see my surgeon to get my bandage off. YAY!

I created this weird bird to give you a smile today:

It is very colorful and wild which tells me I’m getting back to my old self which makes me happy.

One day at a time is my motto these days. I hope to catch up with your blogs soon. I have missed you, friends!

Happy Weird Bird Wednesday!

Cheers!

Ernie Was All Ears…

I hope you have earmarked my post today from Monday…

I completed my journal page and story yesterday:

Earnie was all ears whenever someone said, “Chocolate!” His large elf-like ears elevated his hearing to an extraordinary level of expertise. Everyone attributed Ernie’s extra large feet (size 11) to his enormous nose. Ernie was Eve’s son and she was extremely proud of Ernie’s ability to play the piano by ear, while riding a unicycle. A remarkable talent “earmarked” by many of Eve’s peers at an early age… as an exceptional child. Eve on the other hand was more reserved and preferred to express herself with wearing expensive and elegant clothes and shoes… And unusual hats!

I hope you enjoyed my silly story… I earmarked it to give you a smile!

Cheers! 🙂

Earmarked

I finished my beetle doodle that I started recently. I enjoyed working on it in the evenings.

I enjoyed adding gold ink in addition to black ink:

I started another story in my art journal. Perhaps you remember; Meet Linda and Bob – Part 2

This one is earmarked for more word play! I am using a thesaurus for my story prompts this time.

I plan to show my completed journal page this Friday… I hope you will earmark this post!

Cheers! 🙂

Rosie

There once was a bird named Rosie,

Who liked to pick pink posies,

Rose glasses she wore…

Leg bangles galore,

She even colored her toe-sies!

I haven’t done a Limerick in awhile… I hope Rosie gives you a smile today!

Happy Weird Bird Wednesday!

Cheers! 🙂

Meet Linda and Bob – Part 2

Below is the beginning of my art journal page from my last post:

And the completed page, focusing on using words with the letter “P”!

First, I drew a body for Linda and Bob, coloring them with color pencils.

I wanted to find an unusual last name for my characters, starting with the letter, “P” so I consulted this old book, “Cyclopedia of Names,” from 1911.

Here I found the name, “Pumbelchook.” The name’s description fit well into this section of my journal. (A bonus was many words starting with the letter, P!):

The part about mathematical problems, led me to a graph from an old book on Engineering Drawings to collage to my page. I liked the “patterns” and colored them with color pencils. I also created a few patterns of my own in ink.

Next, I gave myself some word prompts starting with the letter, “P” to generate ideas. I will share how I did this in a future post.

The title from an old paperback book, “Trouble in the Park” gave me a subject idea. It was a bit challenging to fit my story into the space provided so I printed it on my computer.

I changed the spelling of the last name slightly to “Pumblechook” for Linda and Bob:

I cut out the square drawing of the dog (Paprika) from December’s square-a-day project and glued it into the space under the story. I found the words, “peach pie” in an old cookbook. I created my pie slice image from a Gelli-print.

I really enjoyed the challenge of creating this way… What story would you give Linda and Bob?

I encourage you to add a story from your imagination to your art journal!

Cheers! 🙂