There was real terror in my studio last week. Not artful terror. Animal Planet kind of terror. A 3 foot long black snake. As Indiana Jones said in Raiders of the Lost Ark, “Why did it have to be snakes?” Of course his were venomous and angry…mine was scared and harmless. But emotionally, I was [...]
Carolyn Dube’s Stencils
I had a plan that was inspired by a pattern on the sidewalk I noticed when I was on a bike ride. It was a crazy crazy plan. It involved precision. Straight lines and measuring. If this was a movie, you’d hear the ominous music playing. But this isn’t a scary movie, it’s play inspired by the everyday, this month’s Let’s [...]
Precious paralysis struck while I was making this art journal page. I was between a rock and a hard place. I loved this background so much that I didn’t want to ruin it. But I wanted to add more to the page. Was it a bad thing that I had a bit of paralysis? Not at all! One could [...]
What’s always been the hardest part of creating for me? Starting. Especially when there is a blank page involved. I used to be stopped by thoughts such as, “Will it be good enough?” or “I don’t have a good plan” or “I don’t have the right supplies” or “It won’t be good enough anyway”. I [...]
My art journal cover started as play. No goal. No plan. I was just along for the ride. I thought I was just playing until an O.O.P.S. struck and then the muse opened the floodgates on me. I didn’t see it coming but it was just what I needed. *An O.O.P.S. is an outstanding opportunity presenting suddenly. [...]
My muse was in an A-Team kind of mood today, minus the explosions and exotic locations. That 80’s tv show followed a formula which I loved so it shouldn’t surprise me that it showed up in my studio as I made this mixed media sign. Here’s how most episodes of the show went: There was a problem. [...]
It turns out that I have been using a cleaning product without even realizing it! Compressed air is sold as a way of removing dust. Never fear, I am not going to use it for cleaning. I am going to use it for art journaling in this week’s Let’s Play video. Once again, an Oops (Outstanding Opportunity [...]
What do I do about critical thoughts in my head? Do I let them rain on my play? Those judgmental thoughts..the inner critic…gremlins…no matter what name it goes by it used to squash my play. But it doesn’t any more and I’m sharing how one word can chase those thoughts away. My inner critic shows up as a [...]
I am a very careful planner. I think 20 steps ahead. Creating for me is very calculated and controlled. I can’t even type that with a straight face. I am the polar opposite of a controlled planner when I play. But you’ll see where I got stuck making this and how a penny rescued me! [...]
The muse inspired me with rainbow rain and she wanted it nice and straight and measured. All I was all in until the measured part…but I did get the look of measuring without going any where near a ruler. How? I let the stencil do all the hard work! This 4×4 raindrop stencil is part of [...]
