So You Think You're an Artist

 

After a super busy start  to Spring, I am finally able to catch my breath and create something new, This piece is a collage I created with mixed media from my water color journal. The background was water colored with a cheap box of water color tubes which, after finishing it, I promptly threw away. Most were dried up, but it only cost me a dollar at a garage sale.

After drying I tore (literally) threw a few magazines that my sister gives me when she and her neighbor read first (because I cut and tear whatever I want from them when they're done with them). I found the most delicious words to flavor my collage that pertained to being or becoming an artist, as you can see.

Some words were given dimension with dimensional tape, while others were glues directly onto the page. I found the very colorful woman's face in another magazine for my canvas' centerpiece. After choosing the right words to their most descriptive matches, I highlighted their importance by using arrow-shaped sticky notes and outlining them with white a Posca marker. 

For a little extra oomph, I cut out a penned Zen drawing, drawing in the shadowed edges with colored pencils to match the water-colored background. All that was left was to fill up a few empty spots with colorful items from other mags. I did use the white marker to create musical notes, my copyrighted logo under the woman's face, as well as a few tiny flowers above the paper vase on the left. The circle on her hat is a button I inherited and the butterfly is a leftover die-cut  I created at a scrap meet (a long time ago in another galaxy...)

There you have it. Enough media for the pickiest of artists. I think my message conveys what all artists need to be and do, don't you?

CHALLENGES I AM ENTERING:

AAA Colourful - Colourboard #17

 CSI: Color, Stories Inspiration - Case File #458

Mix It Up- AG/optional  Mixed Media

Morgan's Art World - AG

We Love 2 Create - Anything Mixed Media Goes

New Series of Challenges at the Path of Positivity

Today I offer a card inspired by one of the greatest sculptors in the world, Michelangelo. You may think it strange to pair the famous statue of David with the infamous character from Bugaboo Stamps, an image of Stella. But this fall at the Path of Positivity we are asked to "Surround Yourself with Positivity" in the form of the ARTS! Each month for the next three months we're asked to explore the positive influence of three different artistic concepts: Art, Literature and Music!

September will kick off this new series of challenges with Art! One of the best parts of having computers is having access to the works of the artistic masters at our fingertips! Anyone can Google famous artists from 'sandro Botticelli and Claude Monet to Pablo Picasso and Frida Kahlo, and see their works! Open the newspaper and check out political cartoons and comic strips. Ride the subway and discover artistic graffiti. The world is full of sand painting, wood carving, sculptures, pottery, glass work, metalwork, quilts, etc,

Michelangelo's statues are very realistic and very detailed. It is a measure of his talent to discover each fine detail on each part of his statues. My image's character, Stella, is a feisty broad who tells it like it is. She enjoys going to the Art Museum (we have a great one in Chicago). I thought she would be the perfect match between David and my sentiment. I know a few women who have felt something similar when strolling through the museum. Not judging!! I think ALL art should move a person, but each person should be moved uniquely. My card details are further down this post.

While this challenge is Anything Goes, if you would like a chance to win the prize for the Most Inspirational Creation, use ART as your inspiration and share your project with "how ART inspired you to create it" by linking it up at the Path of Positivity challenge blog. 

Keep in mind, you are thinking about how different kinds of art affects us as individuals.  It’s not really about doing something “visually" art-related. For example, any positive image that reminds us of any piece of art, or creating in the style of a famous artist on your project.

If you do follow the optional theme, be sure to add FT after your name so you will be included in the draw for the prize for Most Inspirational. Also please leave a comment describing how your creation relates to the concept of art and what you learned about yourself along the way, if it isn't clearly written somewhere in your post.

In order to be considered eligible for this month's prizes, ALL creations must be positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some nature. You don't need to follow the optional theme if you simply want to have a chance at the Random Draw prize of a $12 gift certificate from Bugaboo Stamps, one of our guest sponsors this month.

 You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win this month's sponsored prize of a $15 gift certificate from Lunagirl, provided by the second of our guest sponsors this month.

Card Details:

Core-dinations Teal Cardstock

Core-dinations  (Lavender) Cardstock

DCWV Abstract Paper Stack, teal mix

Neenah Teal cardstock
Various leftover embellishmets

Digital details:

Bugaboo Image- Stella Still Hot

Michelangelo's David photo from Google free clipart

Pixel Scrapper Jan Clark's ITP Paper 23

Pixel Scrapper Sharon Dewi Stolp's Paint Spray Stars

Decosse's Dynamite Doodles Button 04

Yellow-Gold Metallic Gel Pen

Challenges I am Entering:
Bugaboo - Anything Goes
Fabrika Fantasy - Add Pearls or Gems
Love to Craft - Anything Goes
World-Wide Open Design Team - Anything Goes (must be a DT make)

To Thine Own Self Be True

Today I want to share myself with you through a mixed media card I created.  After all, any artist will tell you that when you look at their work, you are seeing the artist.  When I look at what I've created, I feel like I'm looking in a mirror!
There's a wonderful and empowering blog in town called the Path of Positivity Blog.  I go there to get inspired, to lift my spirits when I feel down and to relax when I'm stressed.
How do they affect me this way?  By crafters and artists sharing their stories and projects and words! This month's theme is about Honesty.
To me, honesty is letting you see the parts of me that aren’t pretty.  Because, let’s face it, no one is perfect.  I snore at night.  I am overweight.  I am loud.  I have skeletons in my closet (and they’re not Halloween decorations).

When I create something—a card, a poem, a canvas—I am being honest.  I don’t know of a way to create without being honest, with both myself and with others.  My personality, my beliefs, my fears,my history, my strengths and weaknesses—it’s all there in living color for everyone to see. 

But mostly for ME to see, because even if I decided to discard something I made, it is still burned in my mind.  It can never be erased (just like putting something on the internet). 

So why throw it away, when it speaks honestly of ME – unique, imperfect, honest ME.
Whether you need a mood shift, inspiration or a new challenge for your art, check out the Path of Positivity Blog.

You Color My World

Now that my son's wedding is past and the road trip to visit my mother-in-law has come to an end, and I have recovered from a sinus infection, I can breathe a sigh of relief and get back to crafting for pleasure!!  Not that it wasn't fun to hand-make so many things for the wedding, but it's nice to sit down to Pinterest or a crafting magazine and think, 'this looks cool, I think I want to try it', and actually have the time to do so!

I did look online at my favorite sites and blogs, and found inspiration in Hambo's newest challenge.  So I got out my trusty Copics and printed up a favorite Hambo digi image and went to play.

The image I used is called Pig Artist and comes with three sentiments!  I used the "You Color My World" sentiment on the inside of my tri-fold card.

I cut a 12x5 inch strip of cardstock and scored it at 4" and 8".  Then I cut a straight line from the first 4 " fold to a point 2 inches from the end on each side to make the diagonal shape of the card.  The point didn't work for me so I cut about 1/2" off.

Then I had fun using my stash of leftover patterned papers and covered each flap of my card.  I had to make sure to attach two eyelets and two snaps (I thought they were eyelets) before adhering the pp.

My Pig Artist image looked lost on all the colorful papers, so I cut out a circle with which to frame him. Here is my card in its open position.

I would have put a little more embellishment on the card front, but  I wanted to include it in my growing pile of cards for the Troops, which has some very specific guidelines for what you can put on your cards.

So here is my Pig-casso in all his colorful glory!  Check out the Hambo Hoedown for more inspiration on using your eyelets and Hambo images on your cards.  Each player is a winner, getting a digi image just by entering!!

And as always, crafters, have fun!!