Peaceful

I love being around the ocean and palm trees it always feels so peaceful. I enjoy  practicing painting scenes such as this one.  This is a watercolor painting on 9 x 11 cold press watercolor paper.

The first photo is the original painting scanned and for the fun of it I tried using a couple of filters in Photoshop Elements to change the look a bit.  The second photo is using the filter ‘film grain’ and the last  one is using  ‘poster edges’ filter.  I like how it changes the painting and each one gives a different feel to it.

Original watercolor painting

Film Grain Filter

Poster Edges Filter

Thanks for dropping by

Michelle

 

Inspiration

Simple Definition of INSPIRATION

Something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone and idea about what to do or create; a force or influence that inspires someone.

Pinterest is often my go to place to get inspiration especially from other artists who have shared their artwork their.  I love pinning my favorites and then going back and looking through the pins to get inspiration for a new painting or drawing.

An artist that has been one of my favorites for the past 5 years is Pam Carriker, pamcarriker.com. Although I have not been experimenting in her portrait style for a while this week I felt like doing something whimsical.

I created this little watercolor painting on a 9 x 11 400 lb cold press watercolor paper. I used my regular watercolor paints and also incorporated some watercolor crayons that I recently purchased from Opus by Gallery.  I already had another brand of watercolor crayons that I was not really fond of so thought I would give these ones a try.  I really liked the intense colors and how they moved with the water and they blended really well.

When I first started this painting I wasn’t sure if I was going to like the outcome but as it progressed I really liked the direction it was going and the whimsy of it all. I also used some rubber cement to keep some areas white as an experiment and I was surprised at how easy it was to remove at the end.  So it works pretty good as a masking fluid and it is much less expensive then masking fluid….only $5 at Staples and a much bigger bottle with a brush inside, though for finer lines you would need a smaller brush.

It really is enjoyable to try different styles of painting and explore new techniques.

Until next time happy creating.

Michelle

Do More of What Makes You Sparkle

“Do more of what makes you SPARKLE”

I really liked this quote as it is a great reminder to do the things that make you happy and bring you enjoyment.

I have been continuing on my watercolor journey while attempting to draw more body shapes.  Although this is still on the ballet theme doing legs is new for me.  This watercolor was done on 6″ x 12″ 140 lb cold press watercolor paper.

 

 

 

 

Until next time …..keep creating!

Michelle

 

 

 

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She believed she could, so she did….

This past week I have been drawn to portraits of ballerinas for some reason, perhaps my inspiration began from seeing photos of my dear friend in full ballerina costume for a recent recital. Where ever the inspiration has come from I am grateful for it because it has helped me discover that I can draw and paint the full figure which I was not very confident about before. I am discovering that if I believe I can draw something and I practice I eventually can.

I also appreciate the techniques I have learned from attending artist demos at Opus Framing and Art Supplies in Langley  http://www.opusartsupplies.com –  it has really helped me improve my art.

This painting was done in my art journal for practice but I really like how it turned out so I thought I would share it.

 

She believed she could….

Just Breathe

“If only our eyes saw souls instead of bodies, how different would our ideals of beauty be.”

Have been doing a lot of water colour painting and incorporating pen and ink into them as well.  Much inspiration has come from attending the art demos at the Langley Opus Art Store opusartsupplies.com where they host some very talented artists who share their techniques and style. 

With this particular painting I thought I would try the dripping technique and I really quite like how it turned out.  Painting really does bring a lot of joy into my life and I am excited to see how I improve the more I do it.

This painting is done on 11 x 15  Canson 140lb cold press water colour paper.

 

Watercolour …….

I have been trying for quite sometime now to learn water colour techniques and transfer them to my canvases.  Recently I decided to buy a Canson Watercolour pad so that I had lots of water colour paper to work with.  I have done a number of paintings and love using the artists tape to frame the picture before I start painting….still have to master taking the tape off without lifting some of the paper off at the same time….but it is practice that makes us better at our craft.

Here are two pictures I did this past couple of weeks and I feel that they are definitely an improvement over past attempts.

Both paintings were done on 9 x 12 – 140lb coldpress water colour paper.  I also used Staedtler porous point pens to accent the hair, which are water soluble so they work well with the water colour – I really like how it turned out.

The second one I decided to try the drip method to get a more abstract look to the portrait, by getting inspiration from one of my favorite artists Agnes-Cagnes-cecile.deviantart.com.  I think my eyes and lips are getting better!  This was pretty daring for me….lol.

Navigating Life

Lighthouses have long been a symbol of navigation or the guiding light on the rough waters, beaming their light offering safe guidance during the dark night or storm.  It could also be a symbol for life providing  guidance and steadfastness in relationships and the ability to weather any storm. Lighthouses can inspire hope in turbulent times, for the spiritual strength and emotional guidance which is available to us during the times we feel we are being helplessly tossed around in a sea of inner turmoil.

I came across a whimsical picture of a lighthouse and thought about it’s symbolism I felt that it would be calming and fun to paint. I did a quick sketch and  used watercolors to paint it and then finished up with some Conte pencils for shading some areas to give it a bit more depth.  I am still practicing watercolor techniques and still have a long ways to go to perfect this medium but I enjoy the practice.

Designing Greeting Cards

Well it has been quite sometime since I last did a post….life sometimes just gets in the way, not to mention when you get into a creative slump and I am happy that I am emerging into creative space again.

Today I created a greeting card for my Valley Women’s Network – White Rock Chapter to welcome our new members.  I basically took a number of watercolor paintings I have created and took them into Photoshop Elements, using layers and a few filters to create the image for the front of the card.  We have been using Send-Out Cards to send Thank You cards to our guest speakers and now we  have added new members.  It is great to be able to create images of my original paintings and then upload to Sendoutcards.com so that we have original personalized cards going to our members and I am grateful to have this platform to highlight some of my artwork.

If you are a small business owner or entrepreneur and want to meet other like-minded women to network with in the Fraser Valley, check out our website for meeting dates and locations.  I have been a member for 6 years now and I really love all the new friends and connections I have made over the years.

 

 

Joy

I have a lovely group of women  that I used to work with for many, many years and we get together once a month for lunch.  It is such fun to go to lunch with them and still keep in contact even though we are all now retired.  This past Tuesday we had our Christmas lunch and for fun we do a Secret Santa.  I decided to do a little Christmas painting to give as my Secret Santa gift.

It started out as layers of various papers and words and then I painted over with some white gesso and pressed a stencil into the gesso so that it would add some texture.  Next I painted the blue background then the tree and the word Joy.  I added some sparkle to the tree because Christmas always needs some sparkle.  Now I have sparkle showing up everywhere especially my kitchen floor…..

So when the gift exchange began my good friend Vera picked my gift…so delighted it went to her!   I feel so very blessed to have so many wonderful friendships that came over the 32 years that I worked at BCIT and I look forward to lunch with them every month.

The flowers below the painting are made from coffee filters.

Wishing all a Merry Christmas and a beautiful and fun New Year!

Michelle

 

Birds of a Feather Flock Together

I was in a Craft Fair a week ago and am so grateful to those who bought my paintings.

A very dear friend who is so very supportive of my art bought the following three pieces.

I have been drawing birds lately and these birds are the results.

The first is a 10 x 10  deep canvas mixed-media collage using papers, hand drawing, acrylics and Venetian plaster.

Sing Your Song

 

The second is a 6 x 6 encaustic on wood panel.

Hope for the World

The third is another encaustic on 6 x 6 wood panel.

Free as a Bird

Thank you for taking the time to check out my art work.

Until next time, happy creating.

Michelle