I want to learn to draw, especially faces. So I signed up for Carla Sonheim’s class, Faces 101. I am drawing faces! I love how she structures her classes. My kids were willing models for my quick left handed with a sharpie sketch. They are such good sports. Emma’s eyes are actually right across from each other instead of melting off to one side & Madeline has not been in weekly school yard fights to mangle her nose that badly. In spite of the fact that the faces I’ve drawn need serious plastic surgery, I actually like them. They just need a bit of rainbow colors on them next…
In my last post I showed you how I made background papers with gesso and slick stix. The papers obviously make great backgrounds but I also like to use it for die cuts. I cut a several at a time and then they are ready when the muse strikes.
The window really called to me today so I paired it with a photo I took of a parrot fish on vacation. It was a blast chasing that fish all around. Now that I had a start it was time to pick a background. As I looked for blue and green backgrounds I found my window just got lost. Decided to go with contrast.
The ocean is my happy place – and the fish had me thinking about that – so out came the Martha Steward punch to turn some blue vellum into my water.
What to put in the ocean? A word, of course! Had a challenge though – the word had to fit in the space since I had decided to use an old shopping bag ( that was the perfect color) with my die cut alphabet. The wings were just basic gold dresden but I added a bit of color with alcohol inks. Still need to do my jouranling – not sure where or with what color, but my muse will let me know when she’s ready…
I’ve been making space in my studio for 2012. What does that mean? Facing the reality that if I haven’t gotten to something in a very long while I probably won’t and that space needs to be freed up for other creative endeavors. I have had the slick stix by crayola for a very long time (got them at a great price in kids clearance at a craft store) and haven’t used them much. They are creamy and vibrant. So, I had a choice – use it or lose it! That is my perfect recipe for experimentation!!
Slick Stix by Crayola
Scribble on a magazine page. A slick surface lets more of the color mix with the gesso in the next step.
I also scribbled on art paper. It is not a slick surface but it too worked for this experiment.
Use gesso and cover the scribble pages. The look you will get will depend on your scribbling (hard, soft, lots of color, only 2 colors, etc.) , how much gesso you add, and how much you work the gesso around the page. Below are several pages I scribbled then gesso’d over. It is a very serendipitous way to spread color – just relax and play!
