Creating in Faith - Endurance

Some times it takes us a while to recognise the answers were right there all the time - read more here

Creating in Faith - Belief and Understanding

It's been a while since I shared what I have been doing with the Creating in Faith series, I have still been combining the word for the week and images,  Check out the following:

Whose report will you believe? read more Here

Where will good fortune fall - Prayers still needed for my brother.  Read more Here

21 Secrets - Tracie Hanson

Spending more time with the 21 Secrets, coming to the end of the workshops and there has been a rich resource of workshops.  There is a new one beginning in April next year, so make sure you check it out

Here is some of the work that I did in Tracie Hansons workshop.  If you would like more information check out my Realityarts blog Here

21 Secrets - Alma Stoller

Since coming back from a long break in the sun I've playing catch up with the course that I am doing 21 Secrets - see Realityarts for the write up.  Have been playing with making frames among some of the things that tutor Alma Stoller teaches in her videos.  It has also proved a great way to recycle material!

It has been a great surface to collage on and then paint what ever design you want...

I have played with making oval and round frames,

and once you start, you won't want to stop!

I will be sharing some more of the art work from the courses as I go along.  Stay blessed!

Creating in Faith - Bookmark covers

Hope - what are your hopes for your life....?

I am continuing to find ways to express my art.  My faith is part of my foundation and my art I hope can lift and encourage.  As part of a group called Creating in Faith on Motley Soul I have been contributing weekly write ups which include reflecting on a word for the week, looking at scripture and creating a piece of art.  You can choose to do something in your journal, make something out of fabric, or however you want to allow your creativity to express itself.  

Fear - what fears and doubts are you carrying around that you should ditch?

I decided to make a weekly decorated holder for a book mark.  On the bookmark I write about what the word means for me and any prayers that I may have which is for my eyes only.  This is then encased within the bookmark holder.  I would at some point like to collect all of them over time and bind them together.  If you go on my Realityarts site you will see how I made them.  Your quite welcome to join the group where we have further discussion about the words and how they impact on us.

Weekly Sketching

Trying out different styles again..

Weekly Sketching

Feeling a bit more adventurous this week, wanting to practice characters with background.  This mother is lucky enough to be able to look out on her balcony to the garden below, while the baby sleeps peacefully!

Weekly Sketching

Grace came to say hello, she is going to be one of the characters of a story I did last year. Sketching weekly is enabling me to think about some of those long forgotton projects and breathing new life in them!

Weekly Sketching

Starting to use my 4b - 8b pencils again, forgot how lovely and soft they are and how the effects can be so very different.

Weekly Sketching

Been practicing drawing from different angles, its funny once you get started and in the flow you don't want to stop!

Weekly Sketching

Decided to get back into sketching and will be doing a mini sketch daily.  Will share the ones that speak to me most - that seem to have a story behind them and that I would like to further develop.  More and more I've wanted to draw faces from my imagination, rather than photograph.  Hope they bless and encourage.

Dress Series - Clothed in Peace

Been playing with a few techniques - 

the dress is made out of cardboard and the hanger out of wire, more to come...

Coaster Art

Still working on the the smaller pieces of art on coasters that enable you to try out an idea and then work on it in a larger scale if you like the results.   For this miniture piece I had done a sketch of Cameron Diaz many years ago.  For this piece I scanned in the image and reduced the size to fit on a coster 9cm x 9cm which had been layed with paints and background paper

This is the young lady that began to emerge, she has a scerene look about her but she still wasn't finished.

 

For the next image I lay down some background papers and paint and did a faint outline with charcoal

Adding some more layers of paint to try and define the face a bit more

 

will probably add some embellishments to this

Little bits - Mysteles Creative Hub

I have been playing around in Mysteles Community Hub and decided to do some smaller pieces of work 

This is an old childs' jigsaw that I applied gesso to and then laid out some background papers and paint.

This young lady emerged and not sure what story she has to tell just yet.

 She is an artist, and loves expressing her creativity.  She is confident and she loves wearing flowers in her hair!

This next one was done on a coaster 9cm x 9cm

The face came from another picture I had drawn, photocopied and printed off.  I applied gesso and started to bring some character out of her.

At first she couldn't decide if she wanted short or long hair

In the end we both agreed that a nice bob would suit her

Here she is with her bejewelled flower in her hair and a few homemade embellishments.  

It's great to work on these smaller pieces, especially when you want to be creative but have little time.  They also use up bits and pieces you might have laying around.  I will be doing more of these on a regular basis and sharing some of the results. 

A Bit of Play

Been spending some time playing in my art journal and repurposing art.  The panel was originally done on board with foil, I have added an image and the letter panels on the side are made from recycled fabric that has been painted and stitched, it is now the cover of a small art journal that will be eventually bound.

I wanted to have a series of smaller paintings with encouraging words, 

not yet got one for this piece.....

but I am remembering to be gentle with myself as I am still a work in progress!

What's New for January 2012?

I hope 2012 sees even more creative energy, inspiring techniques and even more creative interaction. 2011 was indeed a busy year, and I’ve been trying to find my flow in regards to my work and its direction.  Towards the end of the year I got into a lot of pen and ink work and have still been keeping it up.  Want to get back to painting on canvas and doing more journal work. 

 

I found these journals in my local supermarket and it reminded me of the moleskin ones ‘it looks like a Moleskine but isn’t a moleskin’ – (the Golf advert) comes to mind......

The pages are thick around 200gsm and take paint well, it is stitched and glued.  

The only criticism is the glue binding the signatures together is not very strong, 

as you can see below the signatures started to come apart, but I glued it back, 

will have to be a bit more gentle with them. 

 

but the paper quality far outweighs the problems with the binding, here is what I have done in them so far

  

You will see more in the new art work section.

I am taking a few courses this year, so looking forward to applying what I learn to my own work. The Sketchbook Challenge will be going for another year, January's prompt is Doodling, so check it out. 

I think its vitally important to be constantly growing and developing.  

I will share the experience of the course as I go along.  

Where do you want your creative dreams take you this year?