Cinnamon Pink

Happy Easter 2013

Wishing You a Lovely Holiday. Enjoy this Beautiful Day!

Try a Faux Venetian Plaster Finish for Your Next Mixed-Media Art Project

 

I came across this tutorial on how to Paint a Faux Venetian Plaster Finish. I love the texture of this finish. Although the tutorial focuses on painting walls, I think the technique would also work on large canvases - as part of a mixed-media art piece.

Note: I believe this original post appeared on the Better Homes & Gardens site but I was not able to find the specific link.

 

Try a Faux Venetian Plaster Finish for Your Next Mixed-Media Art Project

 

I came across this tutorial on how to Paint a Faux Venetian Plaster Finish. I love the texture of this finish. Although the tutorial focuses on painting walls, I believe the technique would also work on large canvases - as part of a mixed-media art piece.

Note: I believe this original post appeared on the Better Homes & Gardens site but I was not able to find the specific link.

 

Capturing Your Ideas

Let's say that you're out for your morning walk and a creative idea for an art project suddenly appears in your mind. And darn - you don't have a pencil or paper. You decide to note the idea down in your journal as soon as you arrive home. It's such a novel breakthrough - You won't forget it.

But when you come home - the idea is gone - floating around in the atmosphere somewhere - out of reach. Does this ever happen to you? Then check out these articles for tips on capturing your ideas.

• How Do You Dissipate Your Creative Energy? Part II written by Rice Freeman-Zachery
• Capture Creativity written by Aviv Shahar 
• How to Turn Ideas into Action written by Adarsh Menon

How do you capture your ideas?

Inspired: Free Digital Magazine from Artists Network

In need of some Inspiration?  Then check out the latest issue of the FREE digital publication, Inspired Magazine courtesy of Artists Network.

Magazine features include: 

• Artist Know Thyself - Discover Your Creative Voice & Artistic Style.
• Lost is Found -  Create Collage with a Zen Aesthetic.
• Fourteen Flower Paintings to Inspire You.........and more.

Check it out! If you missed the first issue of Inspired, you can read it here. I've found that Artist Network always puts out a quality product.

Colored Pencil Tips & Techniques Round-Up

Recently, I've been working with colored pencils. Today, I found some interesting posts on the topic of Colored Pencils Tips & Techniques. Hopefully, you will find these articles helpful too.

I even like to check out articles targeted to beginners because there is always something new to learn. For example, in the Beginners article, the following Col-Erase pencil tip was new to me:

Draw a light sketch with a Col-Erase pencil to guide your drawing and coloring. These latter pencils are the perfect partner to colored pencils. The Col-Erase pencils blend well with traditional colored pencils, and also let you erase if you make a mistake.

I had always used graphite pencils to create my initial sketches. But that can be messy. Now, I'll try sketching with Col-Erase pencils. Now, on to the Round-Up:

• 10 Tippy Top Colored Pencils Tips for Beginners from Making Art Fun.
• 16 Colored Pencil Tips from Artists Network.
• Colored Pencil Techniques from Fantasy Art Resource Project (FARP).
• Colored Pencils Tips & Techniques from Carol Moore.

 

 

 

 

GELLI ARTS Prints - Experiment # 2

To create the swirly and linear designs that you see above, I cut fun foam with inexpensive pinking shears. I made the small squares border by cutting into the foam. For the circles design, I used a drafting template.

Here is a photo of the actual foam tools that I made. After each pass that I made on the plate, I wiped the excess acrylic paint off the foam to achieve a sharp design. When I make new tools, I plan to glue two foam sheets together, before cutting designs, to give some weight to the tools.

For the right-hand print, I used a detailed stencil. So far, I've found that stencils with larger openings produce sharper designs.

Usually when I'm done with printing - and have already cleaned up the paint and plate, I begin getting new ideas for stencils/masks and substrates. Today, I wrote those ideas down so that I'll be ready for my next printing session.

Top Marketing Experts from Launch Grow Joy

If you sell your mixed-media art, take some time to check out this List of Top 36 Product Marketing Experts You Need to Know from Andreea, host of Launch Grow Joy.

Visit each expert's Web site, including Andreea's site, for a wealth of marketing knowledge and information. In fact, you may want to bookmark the post so that you can check back later.

Art & Spring Cleaning

What does Art have to do with Spring Cleaning? Well, I like to declutter my home when the Spring season arrives. I was in the middle of cleaning when I came upon this box filled with old copies of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion magazine. (I do hope Mary publishes this magazine again.)

I began leafing through the magazines. Soon, I quickly became engrossed in the inspiring articles and photographs. I had always enjoyed the magazine's stories about artists and their studios. Before I knew it, I was coming up with some new ideas for my own art work.

Why not take some time to dig into the boxes in your attic, basement or storage area. Check out those overstuffed drawers and cupboards in your home too. Your next idea for an awesome art project may be only a few boxes away.

Watercolor Painting - Taking a Risk

 

When I do a watercolor painting, I usually do a pencil sketch first. For this painting, I took a risk and drew all of my flowers with Liquid Frisket. After the latter dried, I added a blue sky, green grass and some text stamping to the background.

I rubbed the frisket off with my fingers and then painted in the flowers. I'm satisfied with the final result but I do see some areas that I can improve upon in subsequent paintings.

I actually did this painting in my Art Journal. I wanted to create a casual painting so I wasn't focused on perfect.

The frisket I used is Grumbacher Miskit (liquid frisket) which is orange in color. For best results, the frisket should be removed within 24 to 48 hours. This is the first time that I tried this product and I like the way it performs.

Keeping an Idea Notebook

I know that many of you do Art Journaling? But do you keep a Notebook of Ideas? I've been filling notebooks with ideas for many years now. I believe it's the writer in me that likes to capture my thoughts with pen and paper.

Here are two posts from other people who also keep Idea Notebooks:

• On Keeping a Notebook in the Digital Age by Elizabeth Spiers

• The Spark File by Steven Johnson

I like what Johnson says about ideas:  

"...... Most good ideas (whether they're ideas for narrative structure, a particular twist in the argument, or a broader topic) come into our minds as hunches: small fragments of a larger idea, hints and intimations. Many of these ideas sit around for months or years before they coalesce into something useful, often by colliding with another hunch."

In order to exploit this particular quality of idea formation, Johnson keeps what he calls a 'spark file.' He explains: “A single document where I keep all my hunches: ideas for articles, speeches, software features, startups, ways of framing a chapter I know I’m going to write, even whole books.”

Johnson doesn’t try to organize them. The randomness is intentional. He reads them over every few months and finds themes emerging — connections between fragments that wouldn’t seem apparent if those fragments were presented in isolation.

Take a few minutes and read both of the above articles to determine how you might benefit from cataloging your thoughts. In my own Idea Notebook, I jot down notes for articles as well as ideas for mixed-media art projects.

What kind of Idea Notebook would you keep?

Increasing Creative Output

Today, I was thinking about ways to increase my creative output. These thoughts led me to doing a Google search on the subject. I came up with two articles that caught my interest:

• 7 Steps to Take Now to Increase Your Creative Output written by Amy Neumann & Eliza Wing. I like what the authors say about Respect the Practice:

"The only way to create a habit is to start doing something habitually. As writer of the best-selling Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott says,'discipline is the path to freedom.' Setting expectations for yourself, forcing yourself to show up regularly and articulate what was just a wisp of a thought at the edge of your mind is what gives you a lift over your hopeful brethren -- you know the ones -- who are left wondering why they can't ever write more than the first chapter of that novel they know they have in them."

• How to Increase Your Creative Output written by Scott H. Young. I agreed with what he said about The Space Between Ideas:

"Boosting input can boost output because it allows you to form more connections between ideas. It’s the space between ideas where creativity comes from. If you are exposed to two high-quality ideas per week, that gives you one potential connection. If you are exposed to four high-quality ideas per week, there is at least six combinations. If you’re exposed to eight, that gives you 28 possible connections. An idea-rich diet offers far more space in-between ideas for you to create."

Take some time to read both of these articles for even more great ideas. BTW, how do you increase your creative output?

 

 

150 Places Artists Can Sell Online from Artsy Shark

Do you remember the Artsy Shark list, 125+ Places Artists Can Sell Online which I posted about a while back?

Well, Artsy Shark founder, Carolyn Edlund has expanded the list to 150 Places to Sell. The list is in alphabetical order and at the same link. Grab a cup of coffe and check out the additions to the list.

On a different note, my laptop crashed yesterday. It's at the Repair Shop now. I'm typing this post on Ron's laptop. I am feeling a bit lost since I don't have access to a scanner. Hopefully, I'll get my laptop back on Monday. Maybe Tuesday?

 

Shake Up Your Next Watercolor Painting - Tips from Sandrine Pelisser

Painting entitled Early this Morning - Sandrine Pelisser

Need to jazz up your watercolor paintings? Then check out the Empty Easel article, 10 Creative Ways to Shake up Your Next Watercolor Painting written by Sandrine Pelisser.

Here are two ideas, from the article, that immediately caught my interest:

• Splash your finished watercolor with water. The above painting by Sandrine Pelisser uses this technique
• Mix dry pastels with your watercolors.

Read the article for the other eight ideas. And check out Pelisser's Web site, ARTiful Painting Demos, for some great information and tips on painting.

 

Sweet Dreams - Art Journal Collage

To create this Art Journal collage, I gathered pages from old magazines and catalogs. I wanted to unify the white and light areas of the images. So I applied different colors of water soluble oil pastels all over the page.

Then I rubbed these colors with my fingers to create lighter shades of colors. Last, I took paper towels and wiped the colors out some more which created this distressed look. I especially like the distressed-look of the couch.

I entitled the piece Sweet Dreams because the page reminds me of a relaxing scene. And I also felt relaxed after finishing the collage.

To finish the page, I may add a quote.

Home is Where the Heart Is - Etsy Treasury

'Home is Where the Heart Is' by muddywaterscc

Hand Turned Rustic ... Ebnerturnings $185	MINI LOVE banner wi... victorianstati... $12	Potato Basket ReelDelite $25	Dog Bed Sky Blue/Gr... TheOliveCrow $44
Handmade Custom Cer... burningforkstu... $100	20% OFF SALE - Barn... thezenartist $289	Crochet Heart Coast... Chieu $7.4	Vintage Wood Frame ... WeeLambieVinta... $42
Patchwork Quilt--Ca... secondsanctuar... $509	Wooden Shelf - Towe... honeystreasure... $130	Colorblock Patchwor... StoryTellersVi... $30	Valentine Heart Ea... AtelierJen $22
Bliss Heart - Home ... KoppelStudio $12	Hand crafted solid ... ahrensstudio $295	Little Blue House O... nataliebonneyc... $5	Period HOME - Vinta... HandmadeByAlis... $60

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

Diane, owner of the Muddy Waters Ceramic Creations Etsy Shop curated this lovely Treasury entitled, Home is Where the Heart Is. She featured my Bliss Heart. Thank You Diane! Check out all of the unique items in this Treasury.

Diane handcrafts all of the ceramics in her Etsy Shop. I love her hand-thrown Robin's Egg Blue Ruffle Bowl . Follow the latter link to find out how she created the bowl.

 

 

The Muse Is In - Book Review

 

Cover: The Muse Is In book

Tired of the dull days of winter? Then indulge yourself with a blast of creativity from the book, The Muse is In: An Owner’s Manual to Your Creativity, written by Jill Badonsky. Here’s your life-long preventative maintenance - and service manual - for your creative soul.  

The book offers you the tools to conquer such creative malfunctions such as procrastination, perfectionism, self-sabotage and idea bankruptcy. Instead of labored language, you’ll find fast-paced and inventive text that gently eases you into creative flow.

Badonsky urges us to ask the following question frequently: “How can I make this easier?” And during this time-stressed era, we all need easy.  

Instead of devoting large blocks of time to your passions which inevitably result in large blocks of resistance. The author suggests that you develop your perseverance muscles by showing up in small increments of time. Then you will eventually be able to be creative longer and longer.

As a start, Badonsky suggests five minutes. Small steps are a theme in her book and I think that’s what many of us need – small steps to help us succeed. I know I can do five minutes - and you can too.

Image from The Muse Is In book

The author introduces us to a simple tool to optimize our creative thinking called percolator questions. Here’s one example of a percolator question: “If focusing on my creativity were a top priority, what small things would I be thinking and doing now?” I found that reading about these “small thinking” tactics energized me and brought new ideas to the forefront of my mind.

There are also suggestions for high-powered self-talk to help readers overcome the messages that have not worked for them in the past. I especially like this joyful statement, “I can’t wait to see what I’ll come up with next.” Badonsky believes that if we woke up saying this phrase every morning we would set the stage for creative expression.

I liked Badonsky’s fanciful idea to “Take a voyage into your imagination. What will you pack? What will you wear? Where will you go if you could go anywhere?”

Image from The Muse Is In book

The author also helps readers troubleshoot that pesky fellow called procrastination. I was surprised to learn that procrastination is a form of punishment and that when you break through it, the esteem which you gain becomes a strength that you can use in all facets of your life.

As I read through the book, I highlighted on target quotes to later write down on index cards. In fact, her whimsical drawings inspired me to embellish the cards with my own doodles. Badonsky calls on us to loosen up and doodle either from a list in the book or your imagination. Render several variations of the same thing. Doodle abstract concepts. I loved the Henri Matisse quote, “Drawing is putting a line round an idea.”

 And so that you don’t lose your creative vibe after your first reading, there is a Day-to-Day Maintenance Datebook offering 115 pages of daily uplifting quotes and ideas. Essentially, it is creative support for the coming year.

The book provides so many delicious ideas to dip into and reap quick results. You can open the book to any page and find inspiration. Because of this fact, you may want to pop this book into your artist bag along with your Art Journal. And then you’ll be ready to create anywhere and at anytime.

GELLI ARTS Printing - First Experiment

Yesterday, I did my first experiments with my 8” X 10” GELLI ARTS Gel Printing Plate. The above photo shows the stencils and masks that I worked with.

I created my own masks with Tyvek® which you can purchase from a home improvement store – or even better recycle the Tyvek envelopes that you receive in the mail. Out of all the prints that I made that day, I liked the results that I achieved with Tyvek the best.

 

Above are a few of the prints that I created.

Gel Printing Tips

• Set up your supplies first because things can get messy. I filled a baking pan with water so that I could easily clean the paint off my stamps. Keep a spray bottle, filled with water, nearby to clean your plate between prints. A roll of paper towels helps too. Line a table, or floor, with newspapers. Then, as you create the wet prints, you’ll have a place for them to dry.
• On your first try, there is a small learning curve as you experiment with the proper amount of paint to put on the Plate, the best paint, paper & stencils to use. In the beginning, I tended to put too much paint on my plate. I used both acrylic craft paint & tube paint.
• After working with 8” x 10 ¾” deli paper and 10 1/2” x 12” deli paper, I prefer the latter for my 8” x 10” plate because it leaves a nice, white border around the print which makes it easy to frame.
• Save your scrap paper, i.e., the papers that you used to clean your brayer – and the paper towels which you used to clean your hands. The photo below doesn't show the beautifuls blues and purples on the paper towels. You can use these discarded paper gems in your Art Journals, ATCs or other projects.

Next Steps

I plan to use my thin, commercial stencils for my next printing session. And I will be making more stencils w Tyvek®.  I also want to experiment with fabric, decorative papers, tracing paper, tissue paper and maybe even canvas paper.

Check Out The Matboard

Image from the Creative Bloq site

We all know about Pinterest but have you heard about The Matboard?

According to the site's developers , "The Matboard is a social bookmarking hub for the creative world which will enable users to explore, share, and inspire creative work via two of the most compelling elements of social media: creative visual content and social media sharing capabilities."

"The Matboard will offer the creative world a digital platform from which they can connect with others based on their shared creative tastes and interests."

The site is organized into categories such as Typography, Logos, Stationery, Magazine Design, Print, Posters, Vintage Design, Infographics - and more. I'm very impressed by the images that I found. You have to check it out.

Birds of a Feather Collage

I recently finished this 6" x 4" collage entitled, Birds of a Feather. I used a printed brown bag for the collage background and covered it with a wash of white paint.

I incorporated colors (rust brown & yellow) that are usually outside of my comfort zone but I'm satisfied with the outcome. What colors are outside of your comfort zone?

Puppy Love Art

I just finished this drawing, entitled Puppy Love, yesterday. I used Prismacolor Premier Soft Core Colored Pencils and a Prismacolor Blender pencil. I do enjoy working with these creamy textured pencils.

Some times artists encounter pencil breakage. There is a remedy for that. A few months ago, I attended a Prismacolor Workshop led by Fine Art Specialist, Diana Garrett. She recommends that artists turn the hand sharpener - instead of turning the pencil - when sharpening the pencils.

I do this now and I don't have any breakage problems any more. Check out the Prismacolor site where you can upload your art, receive critiques, find out about new techniques and get inspiration.

51 Ways to Explode Your Creativity from DUDYE

Image from DUDYE site

If you regularly read my blog, you know that I love exploring the topic of creativity.

And what's even better than creativity to me are tips to increase creativity - which brings me to 51 Ways to Explode Your Creativity from the DUDYE site. In fact, I even love the opening paragraph of their post:

"Creativity is the ability to find solutions to problems differently and with added value. Creativity is thinking about perception, its using thought as a tool to be more fluid and flexible. The purpose of creativity is to change or to flow with change. Creativity is therefore heretic, it's disruptive, it changes assumptions, it kicks in doors, it faces fear and it destroys conformity."

Check the tips out - Print them up - Tack them on your wall. Then when it's time to create, you'll be ready to go get 'em.

 

 

MOYO Magazine Issue 3 is Available

Image from MOYO magazine

For inspiring articles and images, check out the most recent FREE issue of MOYO magazine, Issue 3.

MOYO is the world's first magazine dedicated to surface pattern design and is brought to you by the founders of The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design. I especially enjoyed the interview with Amy Butler.

Kick up your creativity and take some time to browse this great magazine's pages.