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A Camel Becomes A Bird?

Happy Paint Party Friday! Painting with my fingers is pure joy. Using bright colors and seeing the paints blend is just happiness.     My inner critic was getting too loud, so I decided to finger paint.   No plan, no expectations, no goals.  Just fun.  After a few swirls and smudges, I saw a head.  An imaginary camel like creature came to mind.

Since this is just play for the sake of play, I played.   A quick, judgement free sketch of an animal body inspired by Carla Sonheim‘s wonderful animals & my fingers were back in the paint.  The blue smudged for the sky.  The orange for the ground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m in the zone – it’s all going well- I’m just going with it. Then it happens. I screw it up.  The gesso was supposed to be a much thinner layer so the colors and shapes were still very visible.  Oh well, the Universe said go in another direction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watercolored over the gesso to try to bring the shapes back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outlined it, doodled in it, painted in the doodles, still didn’t like it at all!

 

 

 

 

 

 

While visiting blogs, I happened into one that told about how 2 friends workded hard on a painting but it just didn’t come together – so they gesso’d over parts they didn’t like.  Wish I could find that blog again so I could share that link.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I kept the parts I liked with no idea where it was going.  Then dipped my fingers in paint and just let go.  Turns out that I was a bit influenced by the song on the Ipod – Forget You by The Muppets.  If you’ve seen the latest Muppet movie you might remember the chickens singing Forget You – I think that chicken music influenced me a bit because I saw a bird in this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mind you, this isn’t a normal bird- and I didn’t plan the egg it was laying there…A bit of outlining and I was almost happy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lines were too timid, so more lines, and now I was happy with my strange camel turned egg laying bird creature.

{ 22 comments… add one }

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  • Helen Campbell January 20, 2012, 1:00 pm

    What fun to see the emergence of your bird creature. I love how you persevered… and gessoed over what you didn’t like. I’ll remember that. 🙂

  • Ginny January 20, 2012, 1:07 pm

    Hi Carolyn, I was so taken with the bird’s eyes that I didn’t notice the egg until you mentioned it. This is a painting that makes me smile which is what I love about your art. It always brings a smile to my face.

  • Christine January 20, 2012, 1:12 pm

    This is so very creative, what a wonderful exercise!

  • carlarey January 20, 2012, 2:03 pm

    This is great…I love seeing the whole process and all the twists and turns before it became what it wanted to be.

  • EVA January 20, 2012, 4:18 pm

    What fun! It looks like you had a great time playning with your paints and creating these wonderful imaginary creatures.

  • Debbie January 20, 2012, 4:32 pm

    Very fun! I love seeing all the stages this painting went through. I love your colors and the looseness of your final design.

  • Faye January 20, 2012, 7:05 pm

    Wow, this looks just like it’s straight from Sesame Street! What a fun piece that I know must have been a lot of fun to produce.

  • gloria January 20, 2012, 7:46 pm

    Love your creature. Yes it does look like it came from Sesame Street. What fun! Thanks for sharing.

  • Tracey Fletcher King January 20, 2012, 8:00 pm

    I love love love that you post pics of the whole process so we can see it even when you aren’t happy with it… I love it as a finished piece and take heart from it not springing forth from your creative brain as a finished perfect work, but you go through the same frustrations as the rest of us…. have a great week xx

  • Cynthia January 20, 2012, 8:58 pm

    I LOVE your little camel-turned-chicken!! The colors are gorgeous! Thanks so much for sharing the process!!

  • Apni Avani January 20, 2012, 9:36 pm

    I really enjoyed going through the entire process of this painting. And it seems like so much fun letting the painting take a shape as it comes along.

  • Carol January 21, 2012, 9:44 am

    Fun and very creative ~ Love them all ~ camel or bird ~ namaste, carol (Share the Creative Journey) Happy PPF

  • Gwen January 21, 2012, 11:21 am

    I really like how this has evolved and I like the doodled version that you did not like.
    Great fun!!
    xx

  • anne January 21, 2012, 12:03 pm

    What a great post about playing in your art and not giving up when it doesn’t go your way.

    I love the colors of this piece and the playful whimsy of your bird! Beautiful!

    Happy PPF!

  • mandy at eight is enough January 21, 2012, 6:10 pm

    oh what joy to totally finger paint…these are awesome..i do use my fingers…but not totally..its so tempting me…heeheehee…xxx

  • Daniele Valois January 22, 2012, 12:33 am

    Painting with fingers is the best!!!

    I am really loving this. Really really loving!!!

  • Phoenix Peacock January 22, 2012, 1:42 pm

    Thanks for sharing the process. So interesting to see it evolve!!

  • Esther @ E Makes Art January 23, 2012, 12:04 am

    I have never seen a camel turn into a bird before! Ha! Fantastic!! And isn’t finger-painting the best? I love that you shared the whole process with us. Such a fun painting! Enjoy your week.

    xoEsther

  • JKW January 23, 2012, 11:27 pm

    How unique and different. I love how you changed the picture completely. Totally awesome. Finger painting use to go into my soul when I was a child. I hadn’t thought about getting back to it. . . Blessings, Janet PPF

  • geckostone January 24, 2012, 6:50 am

    So fun, puts a big grin on my face! Excellent!

  • Sheri Cook January 25, 2012, 12:05 pm

    What an interesting journey we follow you on today.
    This is really interesting to see. Thanks for sharing it.
    Belated Happy PPF!
    Sheri Cook/HappyHorseStudio

  • Timeless Rituals January 26, 2012, 4:19 pm

    Ahahah! That must be a very illuminating exercise!! Cool!