Friday, June 17, 2011
You all no doubt know the story of the tortoise and the hare - well, I am definitely more like the tortoise than the hare - slow, but steady. I have so enjoyed the SheArt Workshop by Christy Tomlinson, that I have now signed up for her She Had 3 Hearts Workshop which begins on July 25th. I love watching Christy work in her videos - she is a whirlwind - not a lot of pre-planning, just lots of creative energy and it all comes out wonderful in the end. On the other hand, there is me, a definite planner - I guess that is the main thing that slows me down. I am going to try to be a little more spontaneous, like Christy, and work with whatever happens. It has amazed me to actually watch her work and run into problems and challenges and just change direction with ease; always able to make what seemed to be a mistake turn into a beautiful little rainbow.
I have slowly starting working on some canvas to try some of Christy's techniques. I put down a layer of pattern paper, sheet music and old vintage text on my first canvas and then began to play. Oh my, how much fun - stenciling, painting, stamping - using sprays, inks, watercolor crayons, paint; and playing with objects to put down interesting textures, like bubble wrap, etc.
Here is my first background before I started working on my girl. I can't tell you how much fun I had. I may back off a little the next time - it is a little bit busy for me, but I followed Christy's lead. Lots of color!
I thought it would be fun to experiment with the dress so I decided to use modeling paste with a little Adirondack spray (cranberry) added and mold some cheesecloth into a strapless couture piece....interesting to play with. It is hard to see in the photo that it is 3-dimensional. In fact there is a lot of dimension to this piece - I let the first layer of the tissue pattern paper crease and overlap in places to provide interesting texture.
So my girl in in place, her hair painted, dress on. I added some paper flowers, some rub-ons. I haven't decided on the text I will add yet. Sorry the pic has so much glare - the mod podge isn't dry. I can't do much in the way of outlining and doodling because I don't have my Faber Pitt pen yet from Dick Blick - still waiting! Regular pens, even extra fine Sharpies don't like to doodle on mod podge or paint I have found. I have also ordered some "smooch" paint, india ink pens, and Liquitex inks that Christy uses - they all look like fun. Definitely had fun with my first canvas and will begin some more. This was really an experiment with color for me - I tend to be a pretty "neutral" girl.
In the background I am also adding a little here and there to my fabric book pages. I have added a few more embellishments, lace, etc. I am also working on my background piece for the Towers and Turrets class I took....told you I was slow! I am just cutting up my painted stenciled pieces and laying them out to make the towers on the background - there are lots more steps to this project! And, I am watching the videos for another small online class from Sharon Tomlinson doing faces on fabric (muslin) using Inktense pencils. My Inktense pencils should be here in a couple of days and I think I will really like them! You can see Sharon's work here: All Norah's Art If you do visit Sharon's blog, be sure to click on the Morning Art tab at the top and watch a video or two - very neat!
Oh, and another online class I have enrolled in starts on June 21 and I am so excited. It is a Photoshop Essentials class with Kim Klassen at her Kim Klassen Cafe. I happened onto her site and watched some of her freebie tutorials and they were fabulous! So...I know I will learn a ton in her class. I told you, I love, love, love online classes. To continue to learn really nurtures me a lot and keeps me happy!
I wanted to share a few photos with you of Bleu and Quincy. Bleu is our Great Pyr - he is a year old and such a sweetie. In these photos you can see he has had his summer cut because it is soooo hot here in Texas. He broke his knee and leg when he was about 4 months old (went out a car window by accidentally hitting the electric window button - unbelievably traumatic event for our family). He had to have a knee replacement (which cost more than mine!) and rods put in one of his back legs. During that time we had to keep him really still and quiet as much as possible to heal after the surgeries - not an easy do! Sometimes my DH and I would have to lie down on the floor with him, next to his crate, to get him to settle down and rest. Once better, he refuses to be put into a crate of any kind (even though his is the biggest they make) - he is quite the Houdini and can bust out easily. So...we thought we would get Bleu his own "pet" to snuggle with and be kenneled with - hence Quincy. Quincy is about 4 months old, a little Yorkie pup. He won't get over about 5 pounds. My DH and I have never had a really small dog before so this is quite an adventure. It didn't take Bleu and Quincy long at all to become good buddies so we are very optimistic about them being together when boarded, so we may get to actually take a vacation once in a while. Oh - and Bleu - he is doing splendidly - he gets around really well and just has a bit of a limp because that back leg is a hair shorter than the rest.
For fun, here are a couple of vintage images for you to use in your artwork. I just love the lady making bread. The little girl is a photo from an old photo album I purchased - her name is Margaret and she has such a sweet face.
Glimmers of Faith
This Sunday is Father's Day as we all know. A time to let our earthly fathers know how much we love them, or be thankful for cherished memories of fathers who have gone on to glory. Of course, the most important father of all is our Heavenly Father. He has asked us to put Sundays aside as a holy day of rest and worship to remember Him. Seems like such a simple request doesn't it? But we tend to overlook it and tend to our own selfish needs and wants instead. Look at all we have - everything we see around us; even the very air we breath. He loves us so much and asks for very little. Although there are similarities in our relationship with our earthly father and our Heavenly Father; love, support, guidance, etc.; our Heavenly Father has characteristics that no one else has. He is Holy - without sin. He is all powerful, merciful and wise beyond our comprehension. And, because His love for us is so great, He provided for our eternal life - the ultimate sacrifice given for our salvation. This Sunday while we are honoring our earthly fathers, let us open our hearts, give thanks and honor our Heavenly Father above all and continue to do so day after day so that it becomes as natural to us as the air we breathe.
Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when the heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8
May God bless you!
Till next time,
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