Home Again, Home Again...

Art work by Carol Wingert

Everyone will recognise Paulette Insall beautiful girls!

I'm back from the Inspired Event in Concord, NC. Wow, what a great event!

I met some really awesome people, made some new friends and created a few pieces of wonderful art work. I'll try to finish them up soon (almost done!) and post some pictures.
I just need a few days to recuperate, unpack and then I'll get to work.

Be safe.
Be creative and remember to dream BIG.

Art Journal

Those of you that read my blog regularly(or know me personally) probably know that my (awesome) husband is a college baseball umpire -in addition to being a sales engineer during the day.
Since I love to be with him, I often travel with him to his games. One of the things that I have learned is to carry projects with me that I can work on while riding in the car, sitting at a ball game or occupying myself while waiting on his return. Working on my Art Journal is one of those perfect projects!

I have put together what I call "my drawing/art journal case". It is basically one of those "Art Bin" type cases - except I went to Hobby Lobby to the scrapbook section, armed with a 40% off coupon (you DO know that you can get one of these coupons online, usually every other week, don't you...?

What?!
You didn't know that?

O!M!G!

Listen up dog...
Go to their website - they have wonderful sales every week but usually every other week they have a 40% off coupon on any one item. One coupon per person. I usually make my husband and my son go with me if there is more than one item I want..I mean need.

whoops...

Anyway, I purchased a nice, heavy plastic bin that I can slide the little closure things over in order to lock it closed (since I have so many little things in there). All I have to do now, when it's time to go (since I usually wait until the last minute to get ready...) is grab my handy dandy art case and head out the door.
I've got everything I could need to draw, shade, color and paint an art journal page.
A couple of my favorite things are Pitt Pens. The four pack that has xs, s, f and m sizes in it. I also love the Windsor Newton compact watercolor paints. That is really an awesome little set that has bold, bright colors in it.
The page that I posted was drawn with the above mentioned pens then colored with the watercolor paints.
Hopefully you'll be able to zoom in and see the tiny shading details on it.
I've been doing some more painting it the studio.
I'll try to get pictures of all that as well. Did some really nice background textures and started painting a girl I drew earlier for Paulette Insall's "Faces" class.
Gotta run right now, I'm traveling with my handsome hubby this evening to Western Carolina College in Cullowee NC. It's a nice ride and I'll plenty of time to draw, paint and nap - I mean write - on the way.

Paulette Insall "Faces"

I've been doing a lot of drawing here lately...
painting on fabric too.
I'm working my way towards making a book.
I want to add painted faces, ephemera, old documents,
transfer pictures of my family...
that kind of thing.
Oh, and room for documenting, for capturing a
moment in time.
Anyway, I've singed up for
Paulette Insall Faces on line class.
Even though I can and do draw and paint faces,
I have admired Paulette's work for a long time.
I'll be glad to add some new tricks to my art tool box!
Here is one of the newest faces that I have sketched out.
Now remember, it's only a sketch!
I have plenty of tweaking to do on it...
and I'm sure it will change as I paint it.

This last picture was before I went back and

did a little darkening of my sketch lines...

you can see the difference in the eyes especially.

The hair has also been worked on a little bit.

Hi everyone!

I haven't had a blog entry lately but I've been very busy...

sewing origami bags, rust backgrounds and painting awesome backgrounds on canvas and Aqua board.

I am really getting into the background techniques that I am learning from Wyanne.

It's so much fun to expand your creative horizons and give yourself a stretch.

I've also started a new journal,
with the prompting of my buddies Kristi Steiner and Susan Edmonson.

It's a Gratitude sort of journal...

I am taking an accounting of my Creativity each day...listing the creative things that I did, thinking about what activities really sparked my creative spirit...

then at the end of each entry I'll be writing a quick sentence of gratitude for the creativity in my life that day.

Kristi and Susan assure me that this activity will be a POTENT way to, a tangible way to give thanks and empower my creative spirit...

the spirit that each of us have within us.

It's so true that if you simply BELIEVE you can...

then you can.

I have experienced this so many times in my life.

Oh, you have to do The Work, to be sure,

but even The Work becomes so much more enjoyable,

so much easier when you BELIEVE that you can.

Speaking of Inspiration,

of Believing in yourself...

have you all taken a peek at Donna Downey's web site?
WOW!

I saw a link on Jane Powell's web site

or maybe her blog

to Donna's site and went there to look around.

What an awesome artist she is!

And the workshops, the videos, the books...

then there is the Retreat in May.

I sent in my registration this morning and I am SO EXCITED to be going!

Paulette Insall will be teaching...

Kelli Rae Roberts will be speaking...Kelli Rae!

And Paolo Liloc will be there speaking, capturing images from the event.

Susan Edmonson, who happens to be my soul sister...

Everyone told us that before we ever met each other.

When we did meet each other,

it was kinda spooky how much we REALLY had in common!

Jennifer Stewart

Carol Wingert

Cheryl Darrow

Tejae Floyde...

and a BUNCH of other artists that will be offering mini workshops everyday!

This is a "Must Go" event!

But you need to sign up NOW because there are only a few seats left...