Wide Winged Bird

I finally finished stitching the body of my wide winged bird! Below is a close-up:

I am very pleased with how this little bird turned out and plan on framing it.

The beading and stitching were very meditative for me. I’m not sure what my next stitching project will be… but probably not a bird! Lol!

I am thankful Spring is FINALLY here and the birds are back singing! Hoorah!

Have a happy Wednesday!

Cheers! 😃

A Large Handmade Journal

This summer I want to work in several art journals and a couple of other projects while I take a weird bird break.

I started this handmade journal last November when I took an online class with Pam Garrison. It is made with 140 lb hot press watercolor paper.

I thought you might enjoy seeing the pages in a video before I fill them:

The journal size measures 15.25 inches in length by 11 inches in width for each page.

As you can see in the video, I made some marks on some of my pages as a starting off point.

Here are a few pages I’ve been working on:

I used stencils with watercolor in the bottom of the first page. And the page below is shown closed over the above page with some doodles and a butterfly.

Sometimes I like experimenting with collage and adding a quote:

A fish collage using my Gelli-printed papers inspired by the artist, Clare Youngs:

I used the watercolor circles to experiment with drawings in color pencils. And I added some whimsical lettering:

The insert papers are good for experimentation also. I used a stencil for the first one and collage for the second photo.

I was inspired by a wall calendar by the artist, Caroline Simas for the page below. I liked her color choices:

I am experimenting with collage, color pencils and water soluble crayons for this page…it is a work in progress! I find circles meditative.

I hope my art journal inspires you in your own art making.

What art projects are you working on? I’d love to hear about them!

Cheers!

A Carnival Ride

My mark making has the feel of being on a carnival ride…

I started this doodle over a month ago and just finished it Saturday:

I used Micron pens and a new set of Uni-ball fineliner drawing pens.

Perhaps it influenced this one in my sketchbook with Copic Markers and Micron pens:

And the bright colors of watercolor, Neocolor crayons and Copic Markers in this one, definitely make me feel like having some cotton candy! Lol!

Sometimes life can feel a little like a carnival ride with its unexpected twists and turns.

I find creating marks and patterns quiets my mind and helps me tune out life’s stressful times.

Peace be with you! 🙂

Cheers!

A Beetle Doodle

I have been sorting through closets and cupboards in my home this past weekend.

It feels good to get things better organized. I have discovered that I have too many hobbies however… and I need to get rid of a few as they are cluttering my mind.

Any suggestions? How do YOU get rid of art supplies you are no longer using?

In the evenings, I have been working on a beetle doodle:

I am using gold pen in addition to black ink. I noticed that REAL beetles tend to have an iridescent shine.

I cannot remember ever working on a symmetrical pattern. It is a bit more challenging. 😉

What did YOU do this past weekend? I hope you share it with me.

Cheers! 🙂

P.S. I will show you my finished beetle doodle when it is complete!

Autumn Color Explorations

Sometimes it is relaxing to explore different watercolor paint combinations without creating a masterpiece!

I was inspired by the colors in a Pier 1 Autumn catalog I recently received in the mail.

Although I’m not ready for Autumn yet in temperature…

I did enjoy looking at the colors in this advertisement!

I read somewhere that magazine covers are good inspiration for exploring color combinations because the editors want you to buy their magazines. Let their research in color explorations work for you!

I especially liked the colors on this page:

I didn’t try to duplicate the colors exactly. Just experiment!

Adding plastic wrap to the wet watercolor gave it great texture:

I had fun mixing colors of paint and letting the colors mingle on my paper. It helped me to slow down and enjoy the process.

I’m not done with my exploration but I thought you might enjoy seeing my process.

Happy color explorations!

Cheers! 🙂

A Copic Doodle

I have been experimenting with Copic markers lately.  I haven’t been a big fan of them in the past because the markers bleed through the paper.

I decided that I would give theses markers another chance.

I chose 140-lb hot press watercolor paper rather than a journal so I didn’t have to worry about the bleed through.  I like how these markers dry evenly on my paper:

Next, I used Micron sepia .01 pen to accent shapes:

I used both .05 and .01 sized sepia ink pens to add my finishing details:

Here are the pen colors I used for this Copic doodle:

It was fun to experiment in colors I don’t normally use and leave some white space!

Have you used Copic markers?  I’d love to hear your opinion about them.

Happy Friday!

Cheers! 🙂

I Spy, Collage!

I purchased a new art journal called, “Dylusions” by Ranger from Amazon last week:

I like the thick cardstock pages which are perfect for collage.  I also like that it has an envelope in the front of the book for storage:

The paper size is 11.25 inches by 8 inches.  The book comes in other sizes but I liked the size of this one.  I like that the cover is plain brown paper so I can decorate it myself.

I created one of my “hidden pictures” collages over the weekend.  I like the “I Spy” books, how about you?

There is something meditative about cutting and glueing paper that I enjoy.

I hope you have fun finding the items in my “I Spy, collage!”

What other treasures can you find that I didn’t list?

Cheers! 🙂

A Little Doo-da-ling

My title sounds like a silly song!

I started this little doo-da-ling…

 

When I was in a moo-da-ling…

 

I hope to show you my finished doodle next week!

Happy Weekend…

Cheers! 🙂

Cats And Doodles

My cat, Jack wouldn’t eat this weekend.  Three agonizing days were spent trying to get him to eat!  Sigh…

Finally, a fresh can of tuna was the winner!  Hooray!!

Sometimes life catches us off guard and we must find ways to unwind… like this doodle I started awhile ago…

I completed it this weekend when I needed a distraction from a sick cat:

I’m so thankful the cat is back to his old self and now I can start a new doodle!

Cheers! 🙂

A Doodle Sampler

Do you remember the needlework or cross-stitch samplers?  They were created to demonstrate or test a skill of needlework.

I have a friend, Marsha who creates the most AMAZING needlework!! I always enjoy seeing what projects she is working on!  🙂

This doodle reminded me of the cross-stitching I used to do…

A Doodle Sampler

It is like a sampler of doodle patterns that are all “interwoven” together!

It isn’t quite done but I thought you might enjoy seeing it anyway.

Have you ever done any kind of needlework or cross-stitch?  I’d love to hear what you have created with thread!

Cheers! 🙂