February’s Square Project

Perhaps you remember, January’s Square Project?  I am adding a section of paper collaged squares and circles each month to complete a challenge I made for myself.

Well, I had to add a little stitching to January’s section with my sewing machine, not sure that it helps but it was super fun to stitch on paper:

February’s section is less busy… phew! 😉

I used two methods I learned from Carla Sonheim’s 365 class, the scraping paint technique and text collage.  I like to take her instructions as a starting point and then take them a step further to make them my own.

Below are my notes in my art journal (please excuse the chicken scratch and word misspellings):

My completed section for February:

I think it looks so pretty, how about you?

What I liked about February’s experiments:

I haven’t had much time to pursue creating fabrics with my designs… life has been busy.  I still want to do this but looks like it will be later in the year.

I am excited to see what ideas will inspire me for March.

Cheers! 🙂

Flowers And Trees

I inherited my mom’s journal with 40 years of flowers and trees she planted in the yard where I grew up as a child.

I love that it is in her handwriting…

 

I treasure it too because it connects us together… we both love flowers and trees.

I’m taking an online class from Lendon Noe hosted by Carla Sonheim called, Inspired By Lives and Letters, which gave me the inspiration to create this piece:

I made a copy of watercolor painting I did last year and a copy of mom’s journal page from the year I was born… to connect our past and present together as a remembrance.

It is a way for me to have a lovely conversation with my past…

A way for me to say, “Happy Birthday,” to my mom whose birthday is approaching in early March even though she is no longer with us.

I’d like to think she would treasure it.

Cheers! 🙂

Sonnet 43

How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways…

Today’s weird bird was inspired by Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnet 43:

In the book, Finding The Gift by Angela Howell, she writes; “Be the love you wish to receive…  Love you!  Love your life exactly as it is right now.  Happiness is an inside job!”

How do you love YOU?

Happy Valentine’s Day to someone special – YOU!

Cheers! 🙂

Sea Art

I drew this Sea Urchin shell over my handwriting in the post I recently showed you here:  Your Handwriting As Art – Part 1  I used pencil, white gel pen, watercolor pencils and a black Micron pen:

This art sparked an idea to create these hearts:

I sewed them together with thread on my sewing machine.

I plan to write a short note on the back and give it to a friend.

What sparks your creativity?

Cheers! 🙂

Your Handwriting As Art – Part 2

In yesterday’s post, I showed you some examples of using your handwriting to create collage papers.

Today, I’d like to show you an example of using your handwriting to create a completed piece of art.  (I did my art piece in my journal).

I  was inspired by a poem by Mary Oliver, titled; “Freshen The Flowers, She Said…” to create my handwriting as art from her book; Why I Wake Early:

I wrote her poem on paper in several directions with different pens and colors on watercolor paper that had previous drips of paint to create the collage paper for the vase.

For the table top, I wrote directly on the background paper.

I used scrap paper from the paint scrape technique for the flowers…  You can read more about that technique here: Scraping Paint…

I added some details with a permanent black Sharpie pen and a grey Tombow pen to create shadows.  I added highlights with a yellow Tombow marker.

Additional details were added with  a yellow Posca pen, pencil and Micron black .01 pen for foliage between the flowers.

I really like how this one turned out!  What do you think?

Cheers!  🙂

P.S. I will show you other ideas for handwriting inspiration in future posts.

Your Handwriting As Art – Part 1

Last weekend, I had fun using my handwriting to create collage papers.  I learned this technique from Carla Sonheim in her online class:  365 Daily Creative Practice.  

I enjoyed taking the lesson a step further and make it my own.  I started by using watercolor paper that I had previously painted.  The colors reminded me of the beach so I started writing about my memories of the ocean and the lake:

I used a black Micron .01 pen, a Uniball white and blue gel pen and a pencil.  I like the texture it created.

Next, I started with a white piece of 140 lb hot press watercolor paper.  I started writing my thoughts with an orange and blue gel pen, added watercolor on top in stripes, added more writing with a black Pentel pen, added Tombow markers, more watercolor, then a blue and a green Posca pen.  I just love how the layers give it a pattern:

My next one, I used a similar process as above, except I added a gold metallic pen and I started writing messier… Super fun to write MESSY!!

In both of these, I kept turning my paper a quarter turn as I wrote.

My last experiment, I used an old advertisement in a magazine for a girdle and wrote over it with a white gel pen and a Sharpie fine black pen:

For the above piece, I wrote about my memories of girdles… thank goodness we don’t wear these anymore!! 😉

I discovered that part of the fun in creating these papers for collage is the writing.

Tomorrow, in Part 2, I will show you ideas that may inspire you to use your own handwriting in your art.

Cheers! 🙂