A Break from the Abstract

As much as I am loving playing around with abstract art work, I still need to make time for what I normally like to work on.

Just because I like to work on something, doesn't mean that I can't push my boundaries a little.  This is a little different than what I am used to.  Normally I like to work with watercolor and micron pens straight on to watercolor or mixed media paper.

This time around, I layered patterned paper on Bristol board and then placed a light layer of gesso over the whole thing.  The bird was drawn/painted with inktense pencils and highlights were added with gouache.  The whole time I was trying to ignore the itch to use micron pens.

A lot more materials were used than what I'm usually comfortable with, but overall I loved the outcome.  And I think that it still felt a like it was mine.  Definitely a process I would love to try again!

The Layered Pear

This one was bolder than usual for me.  Not only did I collage on some patterned papers, I also used acrylic paint.  If you didn't know me by now, I really don't like using the stuff.  For some reason I keep going back to it, just to see if I end up doing something that would make me like it.

I started off with taking strips of patterned paper and gluing them side-by-side on bristol, then painted on an off-white color to bring all of it together.  I stenciled over it to bring it together even more.  Feeling like the stencil was too bold, I lightly brushed on more of the off-white color.

I've got to admit, I've been craving pears a lot lately.  During one particular craving, I looked at the background I had done so far and thought that a pear would be a perfect subject.  So I quickly drew in a pear, painted the silhouette of the pear white and then inked it in.

I loved the outcome and was going to leave it there, but the more I looked at it I felt like something was missing.  A quick mix of watercolors onto the pear ended up sealing the deal.

I'm glad I pushed it a little more and added color, it made a big difference.  And to tell you the truth, acrylic paints grew on me a little with this one as well.

Becoming Mermaids

For about 6 weeks now, I have been participating in an online class called Mermaid Warriors, by Dancing Mermaid.  It is a class that teaches how to teach a 5 day "mermaid warrior" art camp from start to finish.

Below is the front and back of my journal cover for the class (please excuse the glare).

So far, it has been a great experience and fun to work on with my two little ones.  If you want to see some of what the kids and I have been doing for the class, be sure to visit my flickr set.

If you are interested in this class, it's not too late to download the pdfs and videos.  I believe it's well worth the purchase price.  And no, I don't get anything for promoting this.

If you liked this, you may like:

• So Lucky
• Hands On
• I Am