Colored Pencils

I  recently downloaded a bunch of art workshops that were offered for $5 apiece for one day only from Northlight Books.   I'm so glad I opened their  email that morning, because these are great.   Watercolor, mixedmedia,, colored pencil, gouache, and drawing workshops.   Expensive ones too, but just $5.     The first one I watched was on colored pencils.    I had recently taken part in a Webinar on Colored Pencils and it left a lot to be desired in instruction and this answered many of my questions.      So, last night I opened a  new package of pencils and tried them on some black  paper.      Lulu was sitting on my foot stool, posing, so I just had to sketch her.    I'm going to enjoy more of this pass time as it packs well and does not take a lot of room.    

Mixed Media - fused glass

One of our members (JC Strote) does fused glass.  She makes beautiful things she shows in the gallery.  On occasion I purchase some of them.     This month she invited our group to her home to make fused glass pieces, ornaments or whatever.   She had already cut and readied a lot of smaller bits of glass and had made a number of samples of what we might want to make.      Well, hardly any of us followed her samples, as we are a group of art rebels and resist following someone else's path - but we came away having had a marvelous experience with friendship and camaraderie in abundance.   She did the firin the next day and left a box in the gallery so we could pick them up.     Here's a pic of part of the group and some of the finished works.  Thanks JC for a great day.  And to Patti Wallace who was her helper setting up and getting ready for us.

Senior Holiday Faire

Last Saturday the senior center had their annual holiday faire.  the artist group that meets there weekly had tables reserved to show our art and do demos.    I didn't take anything to sell, but instead showed mail art I had received from around the country.   Maybe something you sent!     People were delighted with the whole idea and the variety of cards I had with me.    I didn't take any pictures, but wanted to note the event so I have it on record .     There were quite a few very fun games during the day, and food, and a number of vendors selling their wares.    Crocheted dish cloths were my big purchase.   I stocked up since I can't do these myself.     I won a pottery piece in a white elephant game.   It was something Frances wanted but she didn't want to play, so I won it for her.    I also bought a couple small paintings from the other artists, for my grandsons who are learning to appreciate art and know the gals who painted them.    Note to self -    Next year bring my camera!     

Party for La Dean

One of the artists at the senior center is celebrating her 90th birthday.     She's active, lively, and fun to be around.      Her party was this morning, so we all made favorite finger foods, and surprised her with a good turnout.      Here's some pics.   Even at a pot luck artists confer on new projects.     La Dean plans to live beyond 100 years.   She might just do that.     Happy birthday.  

December - a busy time

 Two of my friends had birthdays and we celebrated them on the same day  at Bev's house.   I made the round book for Sally's  birthday, and the beach  themed book for Bev.    In Bev's I used a lot of older photos and colored pencils.    

 this picture is of me working in Bev's book at the Senior center, on a day that Phyllis was putting finishing touches on some lovely scarves.    

Here's our little group working on projects at Bev's.

Altering an old atlas

What to do with an old atlas.   The world has changed so much since this one was published, it's no longer good for finding countries.  Borders and names have changed in some parts of the world.   But the atlas was lovely and I could not send it off to the library book sale, as it just refused to  leave home. 

  Then one day at our critique meeting, Roberta showed me the atlas she was using to paint faces.     AHA!    I can do that!    But I can also do a bit of collage and also use it to store some faces in print that I collected and love.   

Roberta is working in acrylics.   I chose to "paint" with oil pastels because the colors are so rich and I just needed a good excuse to get them out and see what they could do.     I did a couple in acrylics too, but will show them later.   

 You will often see the Modgliani influence with the faces I draw.  I love long necks and faces.   Even the girl with thte pearl earring has taken on his style.  LOL

Working in a series

My mailing list is pretty large, so I often make my post cards in a series, sort of mass production, although each one is a bit different from all the rest.   For this series, I used two kinds of paper napkins purchased from TJ Max yesterday.  I paid $1.69 per package of 20 napkins by Punch Studio in Culver City, CA.   It takes approx 1/4 of a napkin for each card.   

I had already decided and printed out the vintage image I wanted to use this year and glued them onto the post cards.    Next I separated the napkins from the back two layers of white.  That leaves a fine layer of the design which can be glued onto the surface.  I tore them into strips and applied glue stick to the card and pressed the napkin strips onto the card.     It's more lively and interesting to use both napkins on each card.

Try as hard as you can to find two just exactly alike - and you'll find it's impossible.    One of a kind, each and every one.

Next I will trim the excess off and do some colorizing with inks and stains.    Then a coat of liquid gel medium to make sure everything stays stuck down well.    I have not decided yet whether to stitch around the edges, or use some glitter somewhere on them, or whether to layer on some tulle.     I like the holiday cards to be extra special, so I"ll probably do more tweaking and adding as the days go by and more ideas spring to mind.    To keep me company this a.m. while I was working on these, I was playing a DVD of The Vicar of Dibley.      That also put me in a good holiday mood.      Here are the pics up to the moment.  

Art jourals

 what is an art journal?    hmmm.... a book type structure that holds clippings, sketches, ideas related to art?   Perhaps this piece is more of an altered journal.     It was going to be an art journal but went another direction.  This one started with a catalog that came in the mail.  Well, two catalogs arrived the same day, and both of them had Tshirts with cute sayings.    I wanted to remember them, so decided to cut them out and put them somewhere.     This little journal was purchased at Michaels in the dollar bin years ago and I had never touched it.    I covered it with fabric and then started collaging in the tshirts and other images and sayings from the catalog and from my stash.    Here are some pics.   This is going to be a gift for a friend.    These are just a few of the 62 pages covered with art... if you want to call it art.  My friend will get some good giggles from this little friendship gift.