We're big fans at our house

Well, all of the boys at my house are big fans...of Star Wars. Me? Not so much but I am a big fan of The Big Bang Theory and recently saw a rerun where Penny quoted Yoda. "Do or do not, there is no try."

A couple of weeks ago I was discussing my dreams and plans regarding my career as an artist with my husband Doug and I kept starting my sentences with "I'm trying..." At one point he said to me, "Are you doing this or are you dabbling with this?" I immediately thought of Yoda's quote! Our discussion as well as my attitude changed after that. I AM doing this, I am NOT dabbling. I decided that this change needed to be documented in my inspiration journal and I had just the page waiting for some profound words!!

This background was inspired by the fact that my 12 year old son Sam wants to take a paint ball gun to the walls of my basement studio to give it more character so I thought a quote from one of his favorite Star Wars characters was appropriate for this page as well. If I had to pick a favorite Star Wars character is would definitely be Yoda too. Wisdom is sexy!!

I started this page by adhering strips of book text across the pages and inclusion. Then I white washed over them. Since I don't have a paint ball gun (and no one in this house is getting one any time soon) I decided to try to use a straw to create what was in my son's noodle...I watered down my acrylic paints in my happy colors and sucked just a bit up into the straw. Then I blew through the straw at the pages. I was using too much paint at first so I got some drips and big splotches that really just looked like I spilled paint on my page. Once I figured out to use less paint it became fun, just like Sam envisioned! To remedy the messy parts I stood the book up and sprayed it down with water. Parts still look like I just spilled paint but I can live with that...evidence of something I learned. I used white India Ink for the quote.

Here's one other thing I've been working on...

I started with a sheet of watercolor paper and smeared a blackberry all over it to get that purple background.  I loved the color so much I almost left it alone. I didn't want to lose too much of the purple with the next layer so I started to tangle with a white signo pen. After the first two designs I was on the fence...I lost quite a bit of purple in the tiny circles but the pen doesn't really like to write over the berry so it has a 'carved' (for lack of a better term) look to it which is really cool. It's difficult to see that detail in the picture. Anyhow...keeping more purple won out and I decided to stencil the rest of it with acrylic paint. Now I'm not sure what to do with it...I did make another sheet of berry pulp paper and have considered tearing a small rectangle from it to put a quote on and adhering it somewhere. I've also considered it might just be finished. I'm also not sure what to do with it when it is finished, it's my first piece that is not part of a journal. I'm not sure if it's 'home' when complete effects what happens to it next or not...maybe I'm really just over thinking it! If you have any thoughts I'd love to hear them!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a colorful weekend!
Dawn

       

You Can Not Use It Up

Creativity that is...they say the more you use the more you have. I am finding this to be true. VERY true and I am very happy about that fact. When I first started The Sketchbook Project I was scared to death I would not have enough ideas to fill all the pages and I would just end up scribbling with crayons on the remaining pages to get it done by the deadline. (That or I would just give up and not send the book in at all.) I counted all of the pages and made a list of ideas. Every idea got written on a sticky note and put on a page in my book. At first I did not have enough ideas to fill all of the pages which of course just reinforced my fears but I started to work on the ideas I had and as I worked new ideas came to me. Onto their sticky note and into the book they went. Eventually I had an idea on every page and I almost could not believe it. I double checked to make sure that the same idea was not on two pages. As I continued to work even more ideas came to me. Some of the sticky notes got removed from the book and replaced with new ones. Those that I removed I stuck on the wall in my studio. The deadline is January 15, 2013 but I am almost done with my sketchbook which turned out not to be a sketchbook at all. It's really a multi media art journal if I have to put a label on it. When it's done I will share all of the pages like a proud momma shares photos of her first baby. Which in all honesty this is my very first project since declaring myself an artist and there is a part of me that does not want to send it in. I have a feeling I might cry just like the day I sent my oldest son to kindergarten. Until I finish it I will share a page from my inspiration journal...yep, not only are there enough ideas for my sketchbook there are enough that I have three other art journals in progress!

For this page I just wanted to play with mixing colors. I intended to use only red, yellow and blue to create all twelve colors on the extended color wheel. I chickened out and added the three secondary colors as well as blue-green. I did do a lot of mixing on the page and learned a lot about color theory. I just used my fingers to mix the paints right on the pages so it was totally fun which was my other objective! Then I wanted to play with the black and white India Ink I had just purchased. When you blow on the ink through a straw it spreads differently on acrylic paint that it does on gesso or plain paper.  I didn't get the result I was looking for with the white splotches but I learned something new.

Thanks for stopping by and if you feel moved please leave a comment. Your words mean the world to me!

Another Page From My Sketchbook

A tribute to pink...one of my favorite colors!!