Get up. Get Dressed. Paint: Seeing gold.

First painting completed in the book Release Your Creativity.  Found this assignment difficult having to work primarily with gold paint.

 There are four layers of gold paint with the white and red ink drips and splatters.  After the third layer I found myself growing tired of the process of covering up the previous layer and starting again.  The drying process for each layer tried my patience. 

The layers peeking through.

I created this canvas while working in the journal to give away for Art Abandonment.  I keep putting off dropping somewhere it as I worry no one will want it.  

Joining in at Paint Party Friday.  What color paint is on your fingers this week?

Get up. Get Dressed. Paint.:Lacking inspiration

What do you do when you face the journal page with no inspiration?  Some artists say the simple act of spreading paint ignites their inspiration.  Alas, this has never worked for me. This morning, after staring at this page then rummaging through supplies I was still uninspired.  It's my one morning I get to spend painting and I was determined paint!  I opened Pinterest to my Inspiring Art Journal Pages board and selected THIS bold and beautiful flower page by Marika Lemay.  

White card stock stamped with hand drawn flower and leaves.

Some artists say this isn't being creative but I beg to differ.  Having a vision of the finished page ignites my creativity and I can see how I want to create it. The color palette changes when I grab the paints that speak to me.  And as the page progresses I instinctively reach for stamps and stencils, adding my marks and scribbles until I feel the page is done.

The aftermath.

The Finished Page

What is your preferred method of getting inspired when inspiration leaves you staring at the blank page?  I would love to read what spurs your muse out of hiding.

Joining in at Paint Party Friday. What color paint is on your fingers?

Get up. Get dressed. Paint.: Dialoguing

My mind simply was not going to let go of the overwhelming feelings of sadness, anger, resentment and discouragement until I dealt with them.

I drew a heart on plaint white card stock then used a journaling technique I learned in Susannah Conway’s Journal Your Life e-course, dialoguing.  The idea is to write a dialogue on the page between you and someone/something else where you ‘play’ both parts. Feeling frustrated with the school’s inept leadership and behind the scenes favoritism, I let them have it and I felt better when I arrived at the bottom of the page.

I used my bits of scraps to collage the heart

Thinking about adding it to this abandoned spread in my Listen to My Heart art journal, but it needs something....

I found a piece of left over Sari yarn and stitched it on. Perfect!

The Completed Spread

The next page will peek through the cut out hearts.  Contemplating some hand stitched hearts.
What do you suggest? 

Joining in at Paint Party Friday.  What color paint is on your fingers?

Get up. Get Dressed. Paint.: The Power to Choose

As I embarked on my last week of summer vacation before returning to the classroom, I found myself becoming anxious and angry (I still have no idea where or what I am teaching).  All summer I have been working on mentally leaving the dysfunction, ineptitude, and constant inconsistency behind but this week it has begun gnawing away at me, disrupting my sleep, invading my thoughts and creativity.

I found myself inspired by a reading passage in Stephanie Dowrick's book Choosing Happiness.

Message: "Choose to pay attention to the positive rather than the negative..."
Admittedly, it is going to be tough.

Have any advice?  I would love for you to share it in the comments below.

Joining in at Paint Party Friday; What color paint is on your fingers?

Get up. Get Dressed. Paint.: Where did THIS come from?

During my morning reading ritual I came across this: “What am I needing right now for my heart and soul?  What am I neglecting?”  Perfect questions for my Listen to Your Heart journal.

Sometimes the best way to get started is to simply lay down some paint.

I was enjoying the process of grabbing various colors of paint and intuitively putting them down, adding layers of painted deli paper, adding more paint then I paused long enough to see this:

Wow!  Where did THIS come from?

Looking at the spread with new eyes the next morning I admitted it was too busy, there was nowhere for the eyes to land. I gessoed over the parts where certain colors met and looked muddy.

Looking through my scrapbook papers I spied this quote which reminded me of my weekly challenge, smiling more.

After adding some foil transfers, purple flower, and gold pen markings and I pronounced it complete.

What are you needing right now for your heart and soul?  What am you neglecting?  Need to make some simple (and not overwhelming) changes to boost your happiness?  Join me and we can embark on THIS challenge* together.  Week 4 begins Sunday.

Rejoining Paint Party Friday, what color paint is on your fingers?

* I am not associated with Amazon nor the author of this book.  I do not earn advertising fees from either.  I am taking on this challenge as I need to find a better way of dealing with the stressors from my daily teaching job.

Get up. Get Dressed. Paint.: Faltering with a new technique

Starting with a leftover paint painted & inked splotched page

I stumbled upon THIS art journal tutorial via Roben-Maria Smith's blog.  My interest was peaked as I watched artist Karen Gaunt use a palette knife to create the background.  I really wanted to try it!

Right away there was a problem as I couldn’t get an even layer of gesso on the page with the palette knife. Switching to a catalyst blade, what I’m used to, got the job done.

I went back to using the palette knife to spread the paint.  I simply did not like how it felt in my hand, gave up and went back to the catalyst blade.

I ran into a snag when she pulled out the Art Pops stickers as I don't have these.  A bit of a panic set in but then the idea of cutting up some painted deli paper would work (a technique I learned from watching Rae Missigman's videos).

I traced around a cardboard cylinder for the circles

Adding some of the same paint used in the journal background then making marks using
POSCA paint pens, these circles blend in nicely

I did not have the same Distressed Alphabet Rubber Stamps so I used these (know idea of the brand)

Beautiful messy aftermath!  In the right corner you can see the postcard I was creating at the same time.

Finished Journal Page

I altered the word from chance to change as I continue with the 52 Small Changes Challenge

HMPC for August.  As I pondered the word my partner needed , Spirit whispered, "DREAM".

What I learned

• While I prefer to use the artist's products (it helps support them)  I simply can't buy everything nor do I have the room for it.  There is nothing wrong with using what you have to recreate the page.
• On the postcard I did not paint enough black and the M was left hanging there.  I bugged me so I used a tiny brush to fill in around the M with black paint

Before

After

• In the lower right hand corner I had gessoed this black spot and hated it.  Using the same background paints I covered it up.

Before

After

While using the palette knife did not work out for me, I learned a new background technique.   I encourage you to watch the video and give it a try then let me know how it works out for you.