Wednesday, December 31, 2014

COLOR

I know I am not alone when I say I have a phobia about color. I have tried to add color to some of my art work without very satisfying results. So with the purchase of this book:





I have decided to face it full on and get some help using mixed media. Each chapter is a new exercise using color and supplies. So far my work looks very similar to the authors but I figure I need to learn somehow and if copying in the beginning is how I am going to build this muscle, so be it. Hopefully as I work through this book a little more of my artistic genius will come out. The first two exercises:

 COLOR WHEEL



COLOR WORDS



I need to go back (something I have never done before, done is done) and add some tangles and spruce up the first page. I think this challenge is going to be fun.

I am also hoping to finish a complete journal this year. A journal that I will be doing along with about 150 other Certified Zentangle Teachers. I hope to share many of the pages of this exciting experience during the coming year. I will also try to keep up with the Diva's challenges and also Square One Facebook Focuses. It will be a busy year. I might even consider daycare once a week for the dog to free up some time!

One last thing. A word of my intent for the New Year. Last years was Forgive, this years is Wellbeing!

Looking forward to a happy, fulfilling year. Thanks for stopping by.

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Simplicity

I know I have been drawing many feathers lately but the challenge from the Diva this week is "keep it simple silly" aka K.I.S.S.

There is nothing so simple as drawing a line. This feather is made up of many single lines that come together to form something the looks much more complicated and beautiful!


Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Sakura spelled backwards is Arukas

Arukas is a new tangle which Molly Hollibaugh came up with and it is our challenge tangle this week. This will be the first time for me to try this tangle as I haven't found the time to play. It happens that today we are experiencing a Noreaster' here in the eastern states and it has provided me some down time. The weather is nasty (although the dog and I have been out in a lot of it today) and I have rescheduled some things so I could stay home and mostly out of the weather.

I did two tiles, one white, one black. After adding the "bubbles to the black tile I felt it took away a bit from the Arukas so I did not continue with them. I like the results anyway.



Sunday, December 7, 2014

Playing with feathers

I have always loved feathers. As a child I would collect all the feathers I found and stick them in around my mirror in my bed room. I don't know what eventually happened to all of them. I'm sure my mother had a field day when I left for college throwing them all out. I still love feathers. Since loosing both my mother and my eldest son in recent years past, I feel a special connection to feathers that happen to be in my path, as I think it is their way of keeping in touch with me.

I had recently been inspired by the talented Linda Barrett of a feather she had photographed with water droplets on it. Linda not only is wonderful photographer but she also is a bookbinder and crafty in many ways. She knows of my attachment to feathers and is generous with her findings along her way.

Here is her picture:

I have drawn feathers in the past but it has been some time and I have never drawn one with a water droplet. So I have been practicing, practicing, practicing. 

Here are some of my attempts:













And then I think I got it:




Thank you Linda for the inspiration. I feel very relaxed when doing these drawings. It might be the beginning os a series!