doodlepaintdraw

In the Studio!

 

I have been busy! I have several different projects going on, however, most of it is prep work! Some of these stages can be fun but most of the time you kind of have to sweat it out a bit so you can get to the good stuff!! For me Mixed-Media is all about the layers! Whether I am working on paper, canvas, boards, or fabric it's all about building each layer, one step at a time.

 

Canvas and canvas boards that I have collaged paper onto with matte medium. It makes a mess and sometimes it can be very difficult to stick down. However, using matte medium works so great because once it is stuck down it is NOT coming off. The paper becomes one with the canvas. I like to start my first layer of a painting with patterned paper that I can work in and out of.

 

This is our garage floor that I have also taken over! My car is mad at me I'm sure! These are large sheets of watercolor paper that I am working on (again, layer by layer).

 

Ok, here's one I'm already having fun with! These last 2 shots are of pieces of fabric that I've hand-dyed. Now I am going back and using stencils, fabric paints and pens, 3D fabric paint and more dye to build up the layers. 

Dyeing Fabric

 

From time to time I just have to take out a pile of muslin or drill cloth and dye!

And don't forget the wonderful world of scraps (below). This is a pile of cut up clothes and old unused fabric & pieces from the scrap and sale bins from fabric stores. 

Time to piece together all sorts of fabulous "scrappy" projects!

Journal Backgrounds!

 

Time to get messy and get some backgrounds done! It's always nice to have at least a few pages prepared for future projects or simply to have something fun to write on! Tear up your backgrounds for reminder notes or grocery lists. I guarantee you it will make you smile, it's so much better than a boring old list! 

Each of these pages are in a simple Canson, Mixed-Media Sketchbook. I used watercolor, acrylics, spray inks, India ink, Sharie markers and on the last page I used patterned paper that I glued to my sketchbook page.

Journal Background with random Circle Border.

I added a lot of white acrylic so that I could use this for notes.

Journal Background with Scribble Border.

Lot's of Scribbles!

    Journal Background with Patterned Paper.

More Scribbling! I couldn't stop today - I LOVE a good scribble!

 

Get Your ROCK ON!!

I am taking an online class this month, Create Daily with Alisa Burke. Today the assignment was to "decorate rocks." I LOVE this, I just painted rocks a couple months back with two of my nieces. Let me say, it isn't just for kids! It really is a wonderful surface and it's amazing what you can do with it! You can use all sorts of art materials. So, grab a rock and doodle, paint, draw!!!

 

Yeah for rocks! Look for inspiration in something you might walk by everyday...

Inspiration, a Field Trip

 

On Sunday I really wanted to go to the Zoo to take photos and get inspired! However, my Husband really wanted to go and couldn't... so I had to save that field trip for later. I knew I had to get out and go somewhere and I remembered The Leonis Adobe Museum in Calabasas CA. I have driven by so many times but have not stopped! So, yesterday was the day. I was the first one to arrive when they opened and it was very cool. After a short video and guided tour you are free to walk the grounds, take photographs, visit the babies in the barn and stroll down to Calabasas Creek Park. I had a fabulous afternoon there and certainly came home inspired! Lot's of fun stuff to use in the sketchbook!

Yesterday morning (Monday) I sat down with my photos and did some very quick sketchbook pages! Trying not to over-think, just working out ideas I can revisit in the future.

 

In My Sketchbook....

I love Sunday mornings! I got up really early this morning when it was still very dark and very quiet and opened my sketchbook for a couple of hours. Here are some leaf studies I did from some photos I took yesterday.

DOODLE PAINTINGS!

 

Here are a couple of little paintings I've been working on! They have a patterned paper background and then I used acrylic paint and all sorts of makers to doodle, doodle and doodle! I'm loving these, they start out looking very sad and I learned quickly that I just have to stick with it. It's really cool they suddenly reach a point where they get really fun and slowly start to come to life. 

These would make great journal backgrounds!!

 

 

Being a Student...

After a disappointing evening in the studio and quite possibly an even more disappointing morning in the studio, I have made a huge discovery. I realized that I'm just not quite ready. I'm not ready to work on larger pieces, to work on canvas, to fill my Etsy shop or to even think about a class I'd like to propose. The good news is that for the first time in my life, this doesn't bother me! I am so happy to make this discovery and so excited for the journey. I need to be a student, BUT a student of me, of my environment. I need to find out what truly inspires me. I need to get out in the world with fresh eyes, like a child. I need to photograph, sketch, take notes, play, dream. I want to be open to the whole experience of being an Artist. I want my work to evolve and grow naturally and authentically through exploration and hard work. That will never happen if I rush and obsess.

If you read (or have read) my About page you know that I have a Studio Art degree, and while I have the confidence to draw and paint...etc. I don't know where my work is headed, I don't know what I'd like my work to say. So today I decided to clean up my mess and return to my sketchbooks and basic supplies (watercolors, pens, pencils). I decided today to keep studying the art of drawing which is truly my first love and to continue to study things like color. Only then will I find out what I'd like to say and how I'd like to say it. I feel overwhelmed sometimes with all of the things I'd like to express. But for now I will be expressing myself in my sketchbooks and journals. Large pieces and paintings on canvas will just have to wait. For now I am happily wearing my "student" hat!"

About 10:30 AM. The aftermath...... 

 

Ahhh, 12PM and back to basics.....

 

One of those days.....

I was working in my studio last night and I just couldn't make it work! "One of those days" for sure... It happens as most of us know, although frustrating. The good news is that I woke up feeling inspired and ready to head right back to it.

It's always a little bit amusing to me how sometimes things just go so smoothly and "right" in a sense and sometimes I feel like I couldn't draw to save my life! For me working in my sketchbook has been going great but working on canvas and larger pieces, not so great. I guess that will have to come later. I'll let you know what happens today...  

That's Spencer, our dog, up there on the couch by the way.

 

Doodles!

 

 

Hooray for Doodles! Here is a peek inside one of my many sketchbooks! I used to doodle but much smaller....you know while talking on the phone or on my lunch break. However, now I love to sit and doodle away and try to fill up the entire page. Sometimes my pages stay very simple and sometimes they can get pretty involved. Either way I believe that doodling is a great way to practice drawing. Working with basic shapes and patterns to fill a page is a great drawing exercise.