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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.

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When it snows I am filled such a magnificent feeling, okay, only when I am at home, warm and safe.  I do not feel this way about snowfalls when I am driving.  I wanted to be reminded of my snow feelings so I decided to create a journal page.

 

I began to flip through my art journals looking for a background.  I often make backgrounds with no purpose in mind.  This is quite handy when I need a starting point.  A purple tag background seemed to fit my mood.

 

 

 

 

Blue paper punched snowflakes glued down.

 

 

 

 

 

A gently tracing of blue Inktense watercolor pencil around the snowflakes then a touch of glitter and gems.  To create a place to ground the soon to be snowman, I cut text and watercolored it blue.

 

 

 

 

 

Added a snowman cut from textured wallpaper.  He was covered in all sorts of colors of paint, none being the right color.  Then a coat of gesso to tone it down.  Still not happy with the snowman at this point.

 

 

 

 

More gesso on top of the snowman.  Now I am happy with the contrast.  Typed up & glued down a bit of journaling.

 

 

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Aegeria

The Lifebook  course is fantastic.  This week was definitely something new for me as faces are not my strength, but I am getting more comfortable with them.

My muse finally chose to reveal a name to me!  Aegeria.  An ancient goddess of healing, springs, sacred knowledge, and inspiration.  I had already had a water theme with the background color & seashell stamps.  I love that Aegeria had lots to do with Rome – one of my favorite cities. The best part, Aegeria was a wonderful character on Stargate.  My sci fi nerdiness comes out…

As I went through this process I was surprised how she looked abused, beaten, and battered during certain stages.  The layers did soften as more layers were added. The process made sense logically, but I was skeptical until I tried it myself.

Splattered and stamped background.

 

 

 

 

 

Hair colored and words redrawn in black ink.

 

 

 

 

 

Glittered the words in the hair.

 

 

 

 

 

Added the die cut label and used India ink to write her name.

 

 

 

 

 

The name label is on the back  so that it rests upon her head when closed. This side isn’t finished, but it’s as finished as it will be for now.

 

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