Squeeze The Day!

I saw some cute paper napkins with lemons at the grocery store yesterday…

It was my inspiration for today’s weird bird:

Squeeze the day!

Something silly to brighten your day!

Happy Weird Bird Wednesday!

Cheers! 😃

A September Surprise

I wanted to show you my September square-a-day project for the first 12 days of this month.

I am limiting my art medium to watercolor or markers and a little collage.

Like finding the toy in a box of Crack Jacks, each square holds a collage surprise, can you find it?

Happy Friday!

Cheers! 🙂

Coloring Eggs

I splashed some watercolor paint around on hot press paper the other day…

It reminded me of coloring eggs as a child.

I cut some egg shapes out of my painted paper and decided to add them to my table for Easter brunch.  They will make good name plates as you can see in the right photo:

My grandma placed a few candies in paper muffin cups at each person’s table setting… it was such a fun idea that I use it too!

I had a few minutes yesterday to make an Easter sign for my table and color a few more eggs!  😉

Coloring eggs with watercolor on paper is so fun!  I encourage you to give it a try!

Cheers! 🙂

Cactus and Flowers

Hello Friends,

Thank you for your good wishes for my recent surgery.  I so appreciate it!  🙂

I have been drawing Cactus and flowers in my sketchbook since my last post and coloring them with different markers such as Tombow, Copic and Artist’s Loft (an inexpensive brand from Michael’s Store).

Did you notice the paper collage for the Cactus planters?

I was excited to buy U.S. postage stamps with Cactus on them this week!

Happy Friday!

Cheers! 🙂

Wild Horses…

I created this wild horse using a masking tape technique recently.  I scribbled copic markers inside the tape as my first layer before adding watercolor.

I hadn’t planned on creating a horse but after I removed the masking tape, he appeared! Lol! 😉   I added pan pastels and watercolor splashes to soften the image.

The masking tape was EXTRA sticky so I tried my next animal creature using washi tape.  Below is a before and after photo:

I learned this technique from Carla Sonheim. I think it would be a super fun activity to do with children.  (The washi tape was much less sticky and worked better than the masking tape for me.)

When I took this photo at the lake Saturday evening, I saw a horse head in the storm clouds afterwards:

Do you see it?  I must have had horses on my mind!

Hope your Monday starts out in a slow trot and not a fast gallop!

Cheers! 🙂

Just Words?!

I’ve been drawing my own patterns lately for collage papers.

I got the idea from Kara Kramer’s online class, hosted by Carla Sonheim.  You can check out her class at Improv collage

She got me thinking about words…

So I started cutting out JUST words that “spoke to me” from old magazines and junk mail:

It helped to think about words I like AND different lettering “styles.”

Then I created a page of words that I can copy and use in my own artwork:

What WORDS speak to you to write and doodle on a page?!

I have to say that YOU inspire me every day in your art, poetry, photography, blog posts and encouraging comments.  Thank you!

Cheers! 🙂

New Collage Paper Series

Paper collage is one of my FAVORITE art mediums!!

I thought it would be fun to show you how I create some of my own papers AND ways YOU can use collage in your art.

I hope you join in the fun each Thursday! 

Today’s collage paper is a random pattern I created with markers on a 9 x 12 inch sheet of 90 lb paper.  I used Uni Posca pens in this design:

Next, I copied my design on my HP All-In-One Printer that I recently purchased on sale for only $200! It is a HP 8720 – I have to say, very EASY to use AND it makes awesome color copies!

Can you tell which is the original and the copy?

I think the copy is on the right! Lol! 😉

Making color copies of my own artwork is one of my favorite ways to create collage material.  It seems so easy and it is!!

Next Thursday, I will show an example of how I used this copy of my patterned paper in my artwork.

I hope you join me!

Cheers!  🙂

 

A Colorful Doodle Fish

I had planned to create more than fish this week but life has gotten in the way!  So here is my doodle fish I drew with a black Micron pen earlier this week:

Last night I colored it with markers and color pencils – very fun! And colorful!

What do you think about coloring books for adults? Have you purchased them?

I find doodling and coloring to be very calming… how about you?

Cheers! 🙂

Fishing

I remember fishing with my family as a young child.  When we went in my dad’s boat on the lake, we would sit for hours (or so it seemed) without the fish taking a bite… talk about BORING!!  🙄

When I was a teenager, we started creek fishing which was much more EXCITING!  😃  We could actually SEE the fish swimming in the creek water.  And we caught fish!  Hooray!!  I recall how wonderful they tasted knowing I caught them! 👍

Two of my sweet friends from Germany and I are going on our own CREATIVE, fishing expedition starting September 1st and you are welcome to join us if you’d like!  🐡

My goal is to create 50 mixed media fish and post mainly on Instagram.  However, a fish or two may swim onto a blog post! 😮

I started experimenting with materials and here is a fish appetizer for you:

I will show you my fish finding tools on Friday.  I hope you join me!

Cheers!  🙂

Face It

OK, it was not easy to come up with a title for today’s post… if I must “face it!”

How do I describe these silly faces?!

They were created from my faces I did on Tuesday and then cut them up and mixed them up to create these new wacky faces!

It kind of reminded me of a meeting I had yesterday with a group of people where I felt totally out of place…  Not because they made me feel this way but because I realized that I didn’t fit into this group.  Have you ever felt this way?

They were all “left brains” and I’m more of a “right brain” thinker…

I realized that it was OK that we are different – we don’t have to ALL think alike…

Or look alike!

Or create art alike!!

Cheers to being different!  🙂