Sunday Painting

It is a wet gloomy old day today... the perfect weather for inside activities like painting!! I finished a painting that I have had lying around incomplete for months. It's only a little canvas (10" x 8") but it's good to get it done anyway. Didn't have the most steady of hands today for using a paintbrush but anyway it's all good, not much in the way of fine, accurate work required for this one.
I seem to have a bit of a thing for autumn colours at the moment. Wonder if I have enough time to start another project...

Kim xx

Vice has a Mask

I tried something a bit different again today. A well worked over collage... talk about time consuming!!!
I am enjoying watching some tutorials and learning some new techniques. I watched some of Teesha Moore's videos on youtube which show how she does her art journal pages. Basically the process is as follows...

Step 1: Paint some pages (I used my Carandache Crayons which I sprayed with water and work with a large paint brush). Dry thoroughly whether you leave them for a few hours or use the trusty old hairdryer...

Step 2: Spend some time with many magazines (preferably with a coffee) finding interesting pictures and textures. Place border on paper first and then the inside image. I didn't have any subject in mind when I started this is just evolved into something that had to be about the masks people wear.

Step 3: Then start doodling with black and white pens. I also used my Pantone pens, Albrecht Durer chalks, Carandache Crayons. The trick seems to be just to go with it and dont be afraid to make a mistake because really you can't (if you do no one will really know anyway, it is not that sort of artwork).

Step 4: Keep doodling; layering and layering......
Step 5: Find some quotes that may be relevant to your "theme" or write whatever. Write them on - I used pencil first because I am not wonderful with handrwriting!

Hmmm and I just noticed I forgot to doodle the butterfly (but you may not have noticed that if I hadn't pointed it out...!!

So there you go something a bit different, not too bad for a first attempt. Check out Teesha Moores' work, it is pretty quirky, colourful and awesome.

Kim x

Todays Paintings

I actually finished 4 paintings today... okay they are all similiar and I did them all at the same time so that made it easier and they are only 5"x 7" each. I have had these ceramic hearts that I have been wanting to use for ages that I bought at a market while in Nelson, New Zealand over a year ago.


I am fairly happy with the results especially since they only took me a few hours to do. I took photos during the project so that you could see the process step by step...

Step 1: I sealed the canvases with black acrylic paint and dried.

Step 2: I collaged bits of paper onto the surfaces.
Step 3: I used white stazon ink to stamp on some text, then I started to add some "drippage".
Step 4: I added more paint, sprayed with water, added more paint ensuring I dried the canvases well between colours.
Step 5: I glued a narrow strip of tissue down the side, dried and then sprayed with some Moon Shadow and Glitz Spritz.

Step 6: I darkened up edges and inside with some ink and added some more stamps of script text this time in black. I varnished and then affixed some thread around canvas and attached the ceramic heart.
All done! Now I just need to figure out if I want to keep them or sell them....!

Kim x

Experimentations...

When I was in New Zealand recently my sister showed me Donna Downeys' blog. I was inspired how quickly she could do her work in her art journal (and how she uses "drippage"). I am generally a bit of a snail when it comes to painting, I overthink everything I am doing so using a small canvas, a couple of stamps, a sharpie, some paint, and my carandache crayons I created this in record time...
It's nothing awe inspiring but it is a quick start to get into the creative swing of things again.

Kim x