Glenkirk Landing/Bluff

 A sketch from memory of the scene down the river, as you come out of our local town. It's also home, as I happen to live a little further back on top of that bluff. When I was very little my dad worked at the rock crusher that made those caves to drive trucks back through. The red dot is the house roof of a neighbor that lives between us and the river. We can walk to the river in just a few minutes, but can't see it from our house. There are some mistakes that I didn't notice until it was done, but since it's just a sketch in my book, I decided to quit fiddling with it and maybe do one for real later!

7" x 10" 135 lb mixed media paper in W/N sketchbook from memory- I never get tired of this scene and the river.

Experiments with Alcohol and a Buffalo

 I have practiced my art sporadically over the last two, or three, weeks. Hubby nearly put his eye out while weed eating, then got food poisoning on top of it, then the shingles jumped on his head and face around the injured eye. The shingles have almost dried up, the stomach is better, and, hopefully, the eye is almost well. At least, it looks much better than a couple of weeks ago. He's on steroid drops for the eye now and has to go back to the eye Dr. September 1.

During multiple trips to doctors with him, I had to go to the dermatologist to get some places on my face checked out. The one that was most concerning to me, they said is ok, but they froze fourteen possible skin cancer cells off my face and hairline. They are almost healed now. All but one doctor was out of town by several miles, so they weren't quick trips. 

I hadn't driven in over a year, so I found out I can still drive, although I'm not that comfortable in our current car. We've had it almost six years, but hubby does the driving most of the time, so I haven't driven it enough for it to be second nature to me. Thankful I can still drive though!

These are what I've managed to do between trips, all in my 7 x 10" W/N 135 lb sketchbook...

This one is a watercolor from an original photo I took on our road trip out west in 2019, with just a touch of a colored pencil.

This one is acrylic inks (darker and more vibrant in reality). I spritzed alcohol on the paper, dropped the inks, spritzed alcohol again, and tilted the paper in different directions, then let dry. I added a micron pen and Pebeo India ink with a stick on top of the inks.

These two are on the same page, and are also acrylic inks dropped onto alcohol damp paper then spritzed with alcohol again and tilted around, salts added, and left to dry. The metallic copper is not showing up as pretty as it really is. 

The same two as above, but separated...

A page of experiments with alcohol, acrylic paint, ink, and watercolor.

This one is an experiment with gouache and water, which didn't work very well. I didn't like it, so I added parchment colored acrylic paint strokes for sort of an impressionistic effect (below). I'm still not happy with it, but I'm leaving it for now. I can't say that gouache has won me over yet.

Anyway, that's it for this post! Some days I didn't get to paint at all, but when I did, my soul sung, and I felt at peace! I hope you have something that makes your soul sing.

Characters, Horses, & Collage

 Just some random sketches and stuff that I did in June and have been holding off sharing until I finish the horse abstract.

A page in my Winsor Newton sketchbook where I cleaned off my acrylic paint palette. When it dried, four, possibly five, horse head images appeared to me. They are more visible in reality than the scanner picked up here. Anyway, I decided to bring them forth, but didn't quite know how, since previous horses I tried to sketch still look like the ones I tried to sketch in grade school. So I searched Pinterest for ideas and finally found one that mixes reality and abstract that I liked. I didn't copy it. I couldn't even if I wanted to, but it gave me a jumping off place.

The first phase in acrylic paint...

Next phase, I used the same colors applied with a paint knife...

I worked on it a bit more with a brush, then life happened...

It has gone through several layers and phases to get where it is now, and looks much different, so it's waiting for finishing touches...

I decided to go ahead and post this, because I don't know when, if ever, I will finish this one, but if I do, I'll share it. I'll have to work up the nerve to tackle it first. :)

I applied a different filter over the first abstract page above, and this came out. It could be one large horse head, or a cow head, or some other animal close up! I've saved a copy, just in case...

A fun collage, also in my sketchbook, made of original papers created by me, except for the washi tape strip across the bottom. Some are gelli plate prints, some I painted on tracing paper with acrylics and ink, some I stamped with bubble wrap, there's a newspaper clipping with a tree photo printed over it, some stenciling and stamping, some freehand sketching and mark making, and some found words torn out that say "Progress not Perfection". It's a bit busy, but I like it!

Another collage with some of my handmade gelli printed papers, text pages from an Anne Rice book with found words circled, a newspaper clipping with a tree photo printed over it, a window torn from a magazine, an abstract bird and nest painted in acrylics on tracing paper, a piece of scrapbooking paper, and a bit of sketching and mark making in ink. This one is a bit more calm and peaceful to me.

Just some face practice on these two girls. The top one is with a Stabilo pencil, a bit of water, and a bit of white acrylic paint. The bottom one is a 2B pencil. I need much more shading practice! Sometimes I just want to give up and quit trying, but something won't let me, so I just keep on keeping on...

Ok, this one got a lot chaotic on me. I think it has everything but the kitchen sink in it, but it also has a lot of meaning for me. I used some translucent wrapping paper, a napkin, a piece of pink collagraph image I did way back, a copy of handwriting from two of my best friends that they had written in my Senior year school annual, a bit of colored pencil, a one line ink sketch of a vase and flowers, and some other mark making. Chaotic fun!
                                                                                      

 

This character came out of my imagination one day. I sketched her off with a Stabilo pencil, then went over with a bit of water and brush. A couple of days later, I added some white acrylic paint. I couldn't get the light on the right cheek right, and it looked a bit like war paint to me, so I added the two dots under it and called her "Warrior". I wish I could remember to allow enough space that they don't run off the page. Someday...

Same girl with a background filter added, using Microsoft photo editing. Just playing around!

Same girl, face cut out...

Same girl, face cut out with glass effect filter over half her face...

Another character from my imagination. Again, I didn't allow enough room, and her hair ran off the page. At least, she doesn't have the typical long face that most of my girls have!

We are having really hot temperatures. So thankful for air conditioning, and I'm not outside much, but hubby is an outdoor person, and I do worry about him getting overheated out mowing, weed eating, etc. 

I'm staying indoors as much as possible. I can't take the heat anymore, so after these sketches, I've made a woven journal for a class called "The Magpies Nest" on Jeanne Oliver's website. The cover is woven, and I've made pages, sewn the signatures in, and I'm adding embellishments inside and out now, plus I took another Toni Burt class in another group of sample classes, which I'll post soon. And the dust is still piling up...

I'm having a number of health problems also. Not fun, but could be a lot worse. I am so thankful for art and creativity to take my mind off it. The only problem with it is it causes me to sit way too much. :o

Thanks for visiting! Hope to see you next post! Keep creating! Even when it doesn't turn out pretty, it's still therapeutic! 

First Pages in My Handmade Australian Piano Hinge Sketchbook

 I made this journal in a Sketchbook Revival class as a sample, with no intentions of using it, so I did the rest of the classes in my Winsor Newton mixed media sketchbook. I used paper from a very large mixed media sketchbook that I had left over from some college classes I took back around 2000, so the paper is pretty old, but it is acid free and seemed sturdy enough for this purpose. The hinges are from the same paper, and I added some gold marker paint to them since I first shared the journal (not shown here). I also added some stenciling to the front. It still needs something to fasten it, but I haven't decided what yet.

Anyway, I had an itch to sketch the other day, and I had paint drying on my W/N page, so I picked up this little gem and started playing in it. I like it, and will definitely be making another one out of better, and newer, paper. (See previous post for more about it)

I used the first page to clean off my palette of acrylics with a brush, just randomly covering the page, then added some Anthraquinone Blue, which I thought was Indigo, around the sides and let it dry while I cut out some of my squiggly artwork that I had printed off previously. When it was dry, I used a UHU glue stick to glue the squiggle art and a word phrase from a printout by Tamara Laporte to the page. I guess I needed that message that day, because it's the one out of a page full that spoke to me. 

If you look closely at the bottom right corner, there is the suggestion of a woman holding a crystal ball. I love when images appear out of chaos! And I love the cat, who looks like she is saying, "Don't you know you're enough?" I sketched her from a vintage Pinterest photo, which she looks nothing like, but I loved that she had two bows on her head. The one line vase/plant is from my imagination.

The next page is an angel with unusual wings. I had MTV videos on and happened to look up while this video was playing. It was the group, The Warning, and they were all dressed like this, in white, with the tri-colored wings, which transitioned from white at the shoulders, to gray, to black. Red heads always draw me, so I paused the TV and quickly sketched her in ink and later added a bit of watercolor. The video song was "Ritual", and although I didn't particularly care for it, it did have some stunning visual images in it.

Then I skipped over the pages to a triple fold out page that I had put in and went crazy with different media and marks to make another wild garden, which was inspired by a Karen Stamper class that I took. There is a stamped cat face on the bottom right and a sun in the top left. I love doing these with no plan or worry about how it's going to come out!

Then I went back to the third page and tried to sketch a ceramic angel, that one of my best friends made for me, in pencil, but it was sitting on the fireplace mantel across the room, and it was pretty dark from my recliner, so I messed it up. Then I re-worked it in ink. It looks nothing like a cherub, but I like it better.

The next day, I sat the same ceramic angel on the table next to my recliner and tried again in pencil. I recently learned that the reason my faces always look long and thin is because I'm trying to sketch them laying flat in front of me. I tried this one with my book standing up in front of me on an easel. Sure enough, I got a much rounder face! This one does look like a cherub to me. I've tried to sketch this numerous times, and this one is the best, so far...

This one was from a painting show on a Prime streaming channel. She was giving tips on quick sketching from life with paint and a large brush, but I found her face fascinating, so I paused the TV and sketched her. Again, I got a much better face sketched by setting my sketchbook on the easel straight up. I don't remember her name, but I actually got a tiny bit of likeness. Not happy with the hard lines on her eyes, but it is what it is, and I learned a lot!

This last one I sketched from a photo of myself. Very little likeness, and it's a much younger version, but that's not what I was after. I think it does look kind of like she's daydreaming though. Again, on the easel instead of laying down. Good practice!

What I want to do is go through mine and my mom's photo albums and sketch from our vintage family photos. I'm just having trouble finding the time and doing it without feeling guilty that I'm not cleaning or something. Guilt over not doing what you're "supposed to be doing", according to other people, is not a fun thing, even at my age. :(

I know it's been a while since my last post, and I do have some more sketches completed. I just haven't scanned them into the computer yet to post. I also have a post started that is waiting for me to finish an abstract to include. It involves horse heads, so it scares me a bit, and I keep procrastinating about tackling it...

My health is not cooperating with me either, so there's that. I'm thankful that hubby and I are doing as well as we are. We are in our late seventies, and life gets challenging sometimes, but we are grateful to still be here and able to help each other, with God's help.

Well, that's it for this post! I hope you enjoyed your visit. When you feel like you're not gaining, and your tempted to quit, don't. You never know what the next minute will bring!

Mastering Mixed Media Challenge 2026 Classes-Part 1

 I took some of the classes offered in the Mastering Mixed Media 2026 free sessions with Tamara Laporte the first couple of weeks in May. There were a ton to choose from, and I opted not to buy the VIP package to keep them all from now on, so I watched the videos and took notes for the ones I was really interested in. I know I could have learned a lot from all the awesome teachers, but didn't have time for all of them, so I concentrated on a handful, some of which I've done twice!

I was originally going to save all the chosen ones and share them in one post, but I decided to go ahead and share what I have finished, so far. These are the first three, and I'm working on the other three.

I love Toni Burt's work, so hers is the first class I took. The class was called "Wing It" and consisted of collage, loose sketching, and mark making. I used some of my gelli plate prints and some magazine prints for the collage, and I used her technique for the face sketch in pencil.

I enjoyed doing the class with Toni so much that I did another one. This time I used one of my gelli plate prints, a print of a decorated face that I had sketched in another class, and I finger painted some black acrylic paint on my mini gelli plate and stamped it on, then I sketched a frame with sumi ink on a stick. I love her! I call it "Poker Face".

The second class I did was Brooke Henry's class on an "Intuitive Art Journal". It's an accordion folded journal, but the sections are stitched together instead of glued. I wanted to learn the stitch, but I wasn't planning on doing a larger one right away, so I made a mini blank journal to get the hang of it. The stitch was tricky, because it's made for the pages to lay flat, but after a few tries I got it. Above open, below closed.

After a few days I tackled the larger journal...

I started with two large sheets of printmaking paper (because that's what I had on hand, and it had been here for ages) and started making layers on both sides. Here's what it looked like after layers of sumi ink, watercolor, bubble wrap dots, and mini gelli plate printing.

Once it had about thirteen layers of different media on both sides, I cut both papers in two lengthwise, then folded the four strips into accordion folds, and stitched to ends together. This stitch is kind of like a blanket stitch with a twist, and it hinges the ends together, but still lets them open up and lay flat. It's also supposed to be a bit grungy. Below is what it looks like now.  7 1/2" x 4 1/2"

I wound up with three journals. I am going to add writing to the pages of the larger one at some point. I'm also going to decorate the pages of the mini one, and the one with the flap is from the leftover strip I cut off of the very large sheet of paper I started with, also to be decorated later. 

I may have  overdone it a bit with the mixed media layers, but it was a lot of fun, and I'm proud of myself for making it. I love it!

The third class was with Jenny Grant and "Layers of Play", and it was on layers of transparency, which was very challenging for me, and which I didn't accomplish.

The first layers, which I messed up on right away, because I left out a stenciling layer, which was supposed to come before the colored collage bits, but I kept on with it.

I got the ink and paint layers too thick (nothing was showing through from the other layers), so I used some citrasolve to take some of the paint back off so some of the other layers showed through. Not enough, but some, plus it gave me a lot of texture.

I kept tinkering with it and added a bit of gold stenciling on top, which is not showing up much in the photo, but I'm calling it done. Nothing like the teacher's, but I like it!

I decided to try the Jenny Grant class again. These are the first layers, and this time I used a much thinner white paint layer over those. Then I collaged the colored bits over this, but I messed up again and reversed two of the layers, but I kept on. I used different colors of acrylic inks this time in much thinner layers and let it completely dry before adding another much thinner layer of white paint (below).

I did much better on the layers underneath showing through, but still not enough. 

I took a bit of paint back off on this one, but not much, and tinkered with it until I liked it. My sponge was a bit too wet on the gold stenciling, and it's still not really transparent, but I'm ok with it. It's a learning experience, and I'm thinking about trying another one...

For now, I'm working on a project that includes sketching, collage, and a mixed media cat cutout. It's challenging and different. I have two more waiting in this session of classes.

During my creative play, life goes on. We had our last eye exams with the eye Dr. that I've been seeing for fifty-eight years Friday. He's seventy-nine, and we're happy for him, but we're going to miss him. So now, I'm not only looking for a new dentist, but also a new eye Dr., plus my P.A. found that I'm anemic and wants me to go for more tests. It is sad how much time us old people have to spend sitting in doctors' offices and dealing with doctors, bills, and meds, but it is what it is, I guess.

Anyway, I hope you're all enjoying a safe and happy holiday weekend! Don't forget to squeeze in some creative time!

Prickly Pear Blooms

 My husband has been very busy cleaning up yard damage from the last storm that came through, and a few days ago when he hauled off a load of branches, limbs, etc. down in the field, the prickly pears were blooming, so he brought me back three blooms and set them in a bowl of water for me. They are so gorgeous! Unfortunately the blooms were dead the next morning. Nothing left but the pears full of stickers...