Inktober 2024 - 23 Eiffel Tower

Inktober 2024 Challenge

23 Eiffel Tower

I used the Staedtler Technical Pen on Mixed Media 154lb paper.  I followed a tutorial on how to draw the tower.

Parker Quink blue black ink bought for the fountain pen.

The technical pen is a great addition to my tools.

Inktober 2024 - 12 Doodle Around

Inktober 2024 Challenge

12 - Doodle Around

Dip Pen with Black Daler-Rowney Acrylic Ink

on Canson Fluid Mixed Media 154lb paper.

I created the circle then just drew shapes leading out from it.

I then filled each shape with marks being careful to not touch wet areas with my hand.  Not easy but possible with patience.

Triangles, circles, straight lines, wavy lines, scallops all came into play on this piece.

 

Inktober 2024 - 07 Boxed In

Inktober 2024 Challenge

07 Boxed In

Feeling a little bit like that this week.

I cut 3 squares measuring 3", 2" and 1". I traced these in pencil into a geometric design on my 5x7 Fluid Mixed Media 154lb paper. 

I used my dip pen with Rotring Payne's Gray acrylic ink to trace the boxes.

I added the pop of yellow in the .75" circle. 

Inktober 2024 - 03 Sailboat

Inktober 2024 Challenge

03 Sailboat

My third piece is a sailboat at sunset.

Sketched in a small format. I had to make it taller so when I translated onto my 5x7 mixed media paper I added height. Penciled with a Staedatler 4H.

Drawn with a Pigma Micron black marker then watercolored.

This one was pretty challenging but I am happy with the effort.

Sympathy Card - Watercolor

 

While I had the time I painted this card for my cousins who lost their Mom recently.  We were away at a family reunion for the other side of the family when we heard my Dad's sister had passed away at 90 years of age.  She is the last of the 3 siblings to pass.

We were very close to these cousins when growing up.  They visited us often especially during the summer holidays. There was 8 of us and 7 of them and were very close to the same ages.  Lots of fun.

This card is a half sheet card measuring 5.5 x 8.5 inches.  I chose a SU Summer Sun card base.  I painted on a sheet of mixed media 150lb paper.  A tree with a meadow of flowers.

Funeral took place Aug 10 2024.

Art Show - AAC - Juried Member Show 2024

I dropped off these 2 pieces at the Art Gallery on Saturday morning to have them accepted or rejected for our Allied Arts Council - Juried Member Show.

Title: Tar Brush Strokes

Size: 13.00 x 17.00 inches

Medium: Photography

Print: 09 x 13 inches

Mat: 13x17 Dark grey with white second mat

Frame: 13x17 Metal Dark Grey 

This print is a triptych of 3 sections of tar brush strokes made by a tradesman at the end of the job of coating a cement parkade.  I expect the brush was 12-18 inches wide and the brush strokes covered an area of 8 x 12 feet or so. 

I chose the most dynamic sections.  I framed them with black lines and inserted it into an opening in a double mat of white and dark grey.  

                                     ________________________________________

Title: Patchwork Fields

Size: 11.00 x 14.00 inches

Medium: Mixed Media - Watercolor and Pen and Ink

Art Size: 04 x 10 inches mixed media paper

Mat: 11x14 white with a wide narrow opening

Frame: 11x14 Black Metal Frame with non glare glass

I was inspired by aerial shots of dry stone walled fields in the United Kingdom. Featuring a river running through them with a long red roofed farm building.

UPDATE: Sold on May 28 2024

                                          ____________________________________

I returned at 3:00 pm to find that both pieces had been accepted into the show.  Looking forward to the reception.

Art Project - Inktober 2023

#9

I decided to participate in the Inktober 2023 challenge.  They published a daily prompt list which I did not have time to follow.

I have been inclined to try this medium for a while and when the I was made aware that there was a Flickr Group I could join, I did.

I have some permanent fine tip markers. I used 90lb watercolor paper for my first few pieces because that is what I had on hand.  I pulled out what supplies I had and got started. 

#1

I used a Ultra Fine Point Sharpie marker for this piece on the light weight watercolor paper.

I was always inclined to want to paint afterwards which why I used watercolor paper.

I laid out my wavy river lines then marked up the vertical and horizontal lines on either side.

I added dimension with the color.

I knew I had tools I had used in the 1980s for calligraphy so I pulled those out. Turns out I had Speedball holders and quite a few calligraphy nibs most of which had a reservoir. I had picked up a small metal box of dip nibs recently so I pulled those out and cleaned them.   There were a couple of straight dip nibs so I put one in a holder and tried it out.  I did have several bottles of Daley Rowney FW Acrylic Inks in my stash as well.

#2

This is my next piece which was a straight steel dip pen nib and DR FW Purple Lake acrylic ink.

I was able to achieve quite fine lines, tiny dots and marks. Filling in the darker spaces was a bit challenging and the paper was not smooth enough.

The watercolor paper tended to lose bits of paper fiber that would get stuck in the nib.

Composition quickly becomes a challenge and I was just making marks at this point.  I had check out a few videos on line.

#3

This one used blue acrylic ink. 

I used smooth 110lb white card stock I use for card making for this piece.  That worked better with next to no issues with the paper surface.

Still using the Macleans Best Ever No.2 steel dip nib and a black dip pen holder. 

It was not a very good composition.    I chose just a small corner that I thought worked out pretty well.

#4

The pen and nib were getting more comfortable and I dug more colors to play with.

This is a dark green in the same brand as before and the red is a calligraphy ink.

The grasses I managed to make some very thin and other a bit thicker.

The composition when drawing something actual instead of abstract worked out better.

#5

Here the drawing was a bit challenging.  I did make a light pencil to start with which I erased once the piece was dry.

More new colors was kind of fun.  

I was wanting to fill a shape with patterns - not realistic but artsy.

Other than the wing I am happy with this one.

After doing some checking on line for direction on a good nib for a dip pen I decided to visit my local art supply store - Delta Art and Drafting Supplies.  

The Zebra G nib was recommended on line so I purchased one of those at under $3. I was looking for a black ink which I could then watercolor on top. 

The Daler Rowney FW Acrylic ink was recommended on sale about $7. I had to leave it dry completely before watercoloring over it.

Now, I wanted a paper I could use.  After considering that I am a beginner and a $70 pad of paper was out of the question I settled on a Canson pad for fluid mixed media.  The pad was also on sale for just about $9.  I went home with supplies for about twenty dollars which I hoped would help advance my art pursuits.

I also found on line a video that recommended a container of alcohol to clean your nib as you were drawing. I chose an old film container as it seals tight.  I use put in enough to the depth of my nib.

I selected one of the dip pen holders I had in my stash.  I have no idea when I acquired this vintage Eagle Pencil Company - made in Canada holder.  It has been well used but still in good shape. 

That is the Zebra G Nib installed ready to go.

#6

Here's my first piece with the new tools and supplies.  The paper is very nice.  

I divided the page into 4 pieces with score lines which would make a manageable amount of space to fill.

I looked at several owl line drawings on line and composed one of my own using aspects of the ones I had found.

I am happy with this drawing.

And here it is watercolored.

I painted a light wash over the whole piece then added color to the owl.

I love the yellow eyes and dark wings.  Of course, the color is just out of my head.

I mixed all my colors mostly and used some black gouache to darken some of my colors.

#7

Here's my next composition.  I drew a meadow with a tree, flowers and a little mushroom.  The original was rectangular but with more flowers on the right hand side so I just cropped it to square.  I had to lose a bit of the tree to keep the mushroom which of course was necessary.

It was then painted. Again an overall light wash so I don't have a white background. Blue to the top and green to the bottom.

#8

Here's just an abstract where I drew lines then filled in the spaces with pattern.

I found this one quite dark as all the patterns are quite heavy.

It has been fun to work on these projects, learn something new, be inspired to draw and get the right tools and supplies to have some success at it.

I will make more projects and look forward to Inktober in 2024.

You will find number 9 at the top of the post. This is a smaller version of the owl for the Macro Monday challenge I do every week.  The theme was spooky but the limitations are that the piece photographed can only be 3 inches.  I scaled down my first one which was about 4 inches tall down to 3 inches.  I did not capture the ink drawing before I painted it.  I was on a deadline and missed a step.  That is how it goes.  Then photographed the painting with dramatic light and I think it did Spooky really well.

Senior Art Show at the Gallery

These are the two pieces I put into the Seniors Show which opened this week.  The reception will be on Saturday at 1pm. 

I chose to try something new for art.

I started with a 9x12 inch sheet of watercolor paper. I laid some deep rich colors with Nick Bantok ink.  I let that dry.

I chose white gouache to do my Dandelions but unfortunately what I thought was permanent was not so the color ran into my gouache.

I used a straw to draw my flowers by blowing the white around.

Title: Dandelions
Size: 11.00 x 14.00 inches
Mixed Media
Mat: Archival off white / black narrow
Frame: Silver Brushed Metal

On this piece I was thinking of deep space images from the Hubble telescope.

Once the deep colored layer had dried on the watercolor paper, I spattered both white acrylic and black acrylic paint using a toothbrush and kitchen knife.

I like the dark and light spots which suggest deeper places in space.

Title: Nebula
Size: 13.00 x 16.00 inches
Mixed Media
Mat: Archival white double mat
Frame: Wide Black Wood

Art Canvas - Fern

I created another mixed media canvas for the show tomorrow.

I chose the photo for this piece which is a fern from my 2015 Alberta Road Trip Calendar.

I selected the colors for the canvas from the photo and painted a ombre pattern in greens from dark near the bottom to light at the top.  I let it dry overnight.  Once dry, I spattered the canvas with white paint which quickly dried.

I mounted the fern photo to a layer of black card stock leaving a small border.  This layer was adhered to the bottom left hand corner.  It is mounted to the canvas with 3D foam tape.  I colored the sides of the foam tape with a black marker before putting it in place.

Being put into the Miniature Show at the gallery this weekend.

I'm also submitting the Nature Leaf mixed media piece I created a while back.

Art Canvas - Poinsettia

I painted this 8x8 canvas as a reworked piece from the Paris piece I did last year.

I painted the art canvas with corresponding colors from the poinsettia photo.  I used a 4x4 inch photo from my 2015 Floral photo calendar.  I mounted it onto a piece of black card stock.

This layer is mounted to the front of the canvas in the bottom left hand corner with 3D foam tape.  I colored the edges of the foam tape with a black sharpie marker.

Being delivered to the gallery for the Miniatures show.

Art Canvas - Aspen Grove

I finished the 10x10 inch painting I started in the summer.  I had to research impasto panting with a palette knife.

I mixed some Ranger Texture Paste, some Golden Regular Gel (Semi-Gloss) medium and some Deep Yellow acrylic paint by Artist's Loft.  I applied it with a palette knife to the top in the trees and a few on the snow on the ground. I let that dry overnight.

I created the aspen leaf and drew it onto deep yellow card stock then fussy cut it around the edge.  It is mounted to the bottom right hand corner with 3D foam tape.

I added a wire hanger to the back along with bumper pads in the bottom corners.



Being delivered for the Miniatures Show at the CAVA Gallery which opens on Friday.

 I'm sending my Cardinal in Birches as well.  See the details here.

Sidewalk Sale - Saturday

I will be participating in the Sidewalk Sale held at the Center for Visual Arts on Saturday.  I will be launching my 2017 Photo Calendars - Tea Time & Owl Art.

I will be clearing old stock of greeting cards so the prices on those will be good.

I have several pieces of mixed media art of sale.

I would love to see you and get in on the deals. 

Hot Air Baloon Mixed Media Art

I've added a hot air balloon to my painting that I did at reunion a couple of years ago.

I hope to be able to sell it today at the sidewalk sale.

Share Your Cup #208 - Cardinal on Birch

I did some painting this week with my aunt who is a painter.

I was wanting to make some art of the gallery show in December.  I did some research on the internet of birch trees.  Some were very graphic, some in between and some very realistically painted.  I was leaning toward the very graphic but ended up with something more painted.

I will describe my steps in the process.

Step One: 

Draw a sketch of your concept.  I was planning a card stock cardinal to be added after the painting.  I wanted a dark center to represent the woods farther away and the horizon line.  Medium color on the bottom for snow and lighter in the sky.

 
 


Step Two: Gather your supplies.  I chose Cadmium Red Medium, Cobalt Blue Hue, Cadmium Yellow Medium, Titanium White, and Phthalocyanine Blue.  I had several paint brushes and a 10x10 stretched canvas.


Step Three:

Mask off the birch trees.  I borrowed 1/2 inch masking tape as mine was 1" wide.  My aunt suggested that I use shorter pieces so the sides would not be perfectly straight as trees generally do not have absolutely straight sides.  This would provide an opportunity for branches later.  I plan to put my cardinal in the top right hand corner so I masked off a negative space for him there.

Step Four:
Paint the background.  My aunt helped me mix up my colors.  The center is orange (created from red and yellow) and cobalt blue.  As you can see the color was not mixed into an even color but was left somewhat random and painted on with a large brush which produced a variety of colors.  I managed to get my dark colors lower than the center so the top would be taller than the bottom. We don't want the painted to be divided into exact thirds.






Step Five:
Remove the masking tape. Once the paint was dry I removed the masking tape to reveal my trees. Pretty flat and one dimensional at this time.

Step Six:
Paint the bands on the trees.  My aunt suggested double dipping the corners of my .5 inch wide flat brush in the white paint and the brown paint we had mixed.   Then as I paint I will be applying both colors at the same time.  I fortunately painted several samples of a test paper because she warned me not to paint them across from each other which is exactly what I had done on my test paper.  I alternated where the brown was sometimes at the top and others at the bottom and varied the distance between bands as well.  This is really a dry brush technique.

Step Seven:
Define the edges of the trees and add branches.   Again, continuing to mix a brown color I applied the edges of the trees with a very small brush.  Working on one side then turning the painting over and working on the other side of the farthest tree to ensure I did not put my hand in the wet paint.  I painted a branch for my cardinal in the top right hand corner.  Once that was done I created a thin very light brown paint which I applied to all the spaces with no bands to remove the flat white spaces on the tree.  This was applied with a bit of a curve to the stroke to create dimension on the tree.

Step Eight:
Paint the edges of the canvas.  I mixed a dark brown color from the same colors as before.  I painted the edges trying to keep a very clean line on the top edge of the side.  With enough paint on the brush it went pretty well.








Step Nine:
The cardinal.  After checking on the internet and finding several samples that provided aspects I wanted,  I drew the cardinal.  I wanted him facing the right direction and be looking out of the painting. I drew him in black ink pen so I could scan him and clean it up.

I printed it onto red card stock a couple of times then cut him out with fine scissors.  I then traced him all again with the same black marker.  I added the eye with a white paint marker with the center created with the black marker.  I mixed up some orange yellow paint and painted the beak.  Again going over with the black marker to redefine the edges. I then cut out the wing and applied the same process again.  I then added highlights with a white pencil crayon to the bird and the wing.  I adhered the wing with 4 Zots to create some dimension.  The bird is adhered to the canvas again with Zots to add just a bit of shadow.



Here's the final painting so far. I had planned words for the bottom left hand corner to balance the bird and add more dimension.  I have not decided yet if there will be something and what it will be.  I will add another photo when I decide. I would like to thank my aunt Maria for the invitation to paint with her and for her advise and encouragement.

Sharing with Share Your Cup #208 hosted by Carol at Art and Sand.

Miniatures Show - Nov 28 to Dec 16 2015

The CAVA Gallery is holding a special event which is a 2 day kick off to the Miniatures Show.  There will be a fun atmosphere at the gallery on the weekend and with the snow's arrival it's hoped that people will be in a Christmas shopping mood.  This show was designed to provide supporters and the public access to art in a small format.  The pieces must be 10x10 inches or smaller which generally makes them more affordable. 
I have my 8x8" mixed media collages in this show.  Of course, my 2016 Photo Calendars are still for sale as well as my greeting cards.  Drop by during the next few weeks, browse the art and cross off a few names off your Christmas list. 

Mosaic Monday - House Canvas

Here's my last canvas.  I wanted to make a house one which could be given to someone who just purchased a house or just place in the front hall.
I started by creating a gradient background from blue at the top to earthy colors at the bottom using artist pigments Carribean Blue, Laguna and Yellow Citron. I painted yellow onto watercolor for the bright windows. I cut my house from white textured card stock. The main body, the roof and chimney.  I cut out windows and framed them with paint.  I painted the door and cut it out.  I painted a path way to the door and the tree trunk in darker colors.  I cut out the foliage for the tree and added birds and flowers.  I crunched and stained tissue paper in green and adhered it to the bottom of the canvas to create grass.  Added some clouds in the sky, smoke from the chimney and a red heart in the peak of the roof.

Submitting this to Mosaic Monday hosted my Judith at Lavender Cottage.

Mosaic Monday - Leaf Canvas

Here's another canvas I have been working on.  I wanted to do some nature printing which involves taking real leaves, applying acrylic paint to them and printing them onto a substrate.  I the past, I have used card stock and used the prints in cards.  I thought I would to the same process on canvas.  Again, the lack of stiffness to the canvas presented a challenge.

I used Liquidtex Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red Medium, Titanium White, Phthalo Blue.  I have applied a thin layer of Texture Paste with a palette knife.

Overall it was not too bad but I found the final piece a little flat.  The maple leaf I had used for the printing was a deep dark color and was really gorgeous looking and I hated to throw it away.  With the canvas looking flat I thought this is just what it needs.  How to preserve it?  A bit of checking and I painted both sides with Modge Podge.  It needed a bit of strengthing so I using Modge Podge I adhered some deep burgundy mulberry paper to the back in strategic places.  That will do nicely.

I cut letters from card stock painted with deep dark brown paint.  I cut them with Stampin Up Little Letters framelits.  I brushed them with some gold acrylic then adhered them to the canvas with quick dry adhesive.

Sharing as part of Mosaic Monday hosted by Judith at Lavender Cottage.

Paris Mixed Media Canvas

I'm preparing some art work for an event in the Christmas season.  I have only done this type of mixed media once before.  Check it out here.
I am working with Gotrick Stretched Canvas 8"x8"and Liquitex Acrylic Paint. I taped the back with painters tape to keep it clean and provide a defined edge.  I mixed this toned down pink with Winsor Newton Permanent Rose acrylic along with some white and black Liquitex.  I painted the canvas with a large brush including the sides and left to dry over night.  The next morning I applied Tim Holtz Textured Paste with a palette knife through a Heidi Swapp Stencil and just pressed some paste around the canvas with the knife. I left it to dry while I took my morning walk.  I had planned on applying some elements by printing some Paris graphics reversed on freezer paper and transferring them to the canvas.  This DID NOT work. You need a solid and hard surface to press onto and of course the canvas is not.  Plan B.  I diecut the Tim Holtz Eiffel Tower in chipboard and a black shadow layer.  I applied 3 coats of Titanium White to the chipboard making sure I got the sides as well.  I adhered the black shadow just offset a bit to the right.  The white was pretty stark so I took a chance that my printing had not dried on the freezer paper.  It printed pretty well onto the painted chipboard with using a brayer to apply even and consistent pressure.  I cut the letters with the Cricut and the Storybook cartridge at 1.5 inches.  Again white letters with black shadows to repeat what I did on the tower.  The tower and the letters were adhered to the canvas with Quick Dry Adhesive.  I have rubbed some of the edges and corners with a bit of black paint. I then spattered the canvas with some black paint using a old toothbrush and a butter knife.  I'm happy with the way it turned out.

Submitting to Mosaic Monday hosted by Judith at Lavender Cottage. 

Blog Giveaway - Mixed Media Question

I'm wanting to expand my use of Mixed Media Techniques in my card making.  I started with Shrink Plastic and Alcohol Inks.  Check this post for how to.

Please answer this question: 

What mixed media techniques will you use or try this year?

I will pick 2 people randomly from those who leave a comment with a profile on this post. Anonymous comments will not be considered.  I will make the selections on February 20th, 2015.
I have the calendars below to give away.

I'm looking forward to reading what you are working on.

I did a bit of research on-line.

Alcohol ink on hard surfaces        Beeswax Collages                    Shrink Plastic accents             Packing Tape Transfers                Air Drying Clay                        Start an Art Journal
Mono Printing                              Sewing Machine Stitching        Using Fabric                                 Paste in a Stencil

Here are some sites which provide information on Mixed Media Techniques if you need some inspiration.
https://techniqueszone.wordpress.com/site-menu/mixed-media-techniques/
http://www.clothpaperscissors.com/mixed-media-collage/
http://mycreativescrapbook.blogspot.ca/2013/02/mixed-media-techniques-by-yuko-tanaka.html
http://artfulparent.com/2014/11/create-mixed-media-flowers.html
http://lindapetersondesigns.blogspot.ca/2013/07/8-of-best-of-mixed-media-monday-video.html