Saturday, May 5, 2012

Art of Wild Abandonment Giant Bloghop


Hi!  If you're here for the "Art of Wild Abandonment" Bloghop, you have probably just arrived from Karen Maldonado's blog.  This is a HUGE hop and you are now more than half way through.  :)  Kudos to you if you have stuck with us this far. :) There is so much talent out there and I'm having a blast checking out all the inspiration...I hope you are too!  Don't forget to continue on by visiting Sheryl Callan Meilahn here.  And if you haven't started from the beginning, you can join in on all the excitement by clicking here to learn all about it.

When I first stumbled across Junelle Jacobsen's art, I immediately fell in love with her style!  So when Christy Tomlinson announced that she was partnering up with Junelle to teach an art journaling class, I was absolutely giddy!  It has been worth every penny!  I have soaked up the videos and although I haven't had as much time as I would like to create art, I've been squeezing some in here and there.

Here's a look at a little bit of what I've created so far.  Some of these pieces are from the art lessons we learned in class, so they may look similar to what you may have already seen throughout the hop.  

"Spring Lineup"
 This was my first entry in my new art journal.  I pretty much copied Junelle's idea and added my own meaningful words.


 I made my little nest from thin hemp string.

 White Sharpie paint pen...my new favorite for highlights!

Silly little bird!


"Spring Gifts"
This is watercolor on gesso.  I loved drawing the peas!  I never would have thought of something so simple and creative without Junelle's perspective.  So fun and playful!
 
 
"So Many Ideas"
Another one of Junelle's ideas I stole.  Hers was about laundry...mine is about all the creative ideas that are floating through my head.  It seems there's never enough time to get them all onto paper or canvas.  :)


"Bright & Beautiful"

Our neighbors have a small farm.  This spring I have loved watching the baby animals romp and play together.  This little calf caught my attention because she has a nearly perfect heart on her forehead.  I attempted to capture her in watercolors.  I'm such an amateur!  :)

Well that's it for now!  I have a sheep canvas I have finished (so cute!!), but I will wait and post it tomorrow.  This class has been so much fun!  I hope you will consider taking it.  You can sign up at any time here.  Don't forget to check out the next blog in our giant bloghop!  Thanks for visiting!


 

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Blog Hop


Over the past few weeks I have been taking an online class taught by Junelle Jacobsen and Christy Tomlinson called "The Art of Wild Abandonment."  I have LOVE, LOVE, LOVED this class!  If you have been following my blog, you know how much I have loved learning mixed media art from Christy.  And after taking this class, I've decided Junelle is one of the sweetest people around.  I immediately fell in love with her art style.  I have also been inspired to dust off the watercolors and try my hand at them in an art journal form.  I have loved learning new techniques, but most of all, I am learning from Junelle how to open my eyes to the beautiful and simple things that are all around us (like radishes!).   

This weekend, many of the participants in the class are having a HUGE blog hop celebrating our "wild" art.  If I did the time conversion right, it will start at 3:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, May 5th.  Be sure to check out the amazing art from so many of the wonderful women I have met through this online class!

p.s.  It's not too late to sign up for the course.  Check out all the details here.

Here's a peek at the first watercolor in my new art journal...




See you at the blog hop!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Hold Hands Tightly and Hearts Gently

Here's a simple 8x8 canvas I made.  This was my first time using a burlap canvas.  I love the deep texture of the fabric, although it was a little bit different than painting on a traditional canvas.


The background was made with acrylic paint and then a little stamping to add texture. I bought a bubble wrap stamp to use with my altered art projects, but I like stamping with real bubble wrap better.  Too funny!

 I didn't use many rub-ons on this project...just doodling and some stamping.


 I used white Liquitex acrylic ink over book paper for the roof because I wanted it to be transparent so the words would show through.

 This is one of my favorite quotes!  I'm sure I'll use it on more projects.  :)



 To make the cloud, I used the negative portion of a die cut and swirled light modeling paste over it like a stencil.  I love how fluffy it looks!

Now it's off to live at a friend's house.  Hope she likes it!