AEDM- The Final Day

The Art Every Day Month challenge has come to a close. Even though I didn't post to my blog every day, I can say I did create almost every day. I may not have been in my studio 7 days a week (more like 2 days a week if I was lucky) but I did sketch almost every night before bed. I have a nice little set up with pencils and water soluble markers and crayons. I might do homework from one of my e-courses or just sketch something random. My creative time may have only been 10 minutes some nights, but it was something. I'm happy I took this challenge because it got me into the habit of doing daily sketching and that was a personal goal. 

This past weekend I also created profit for the retail industry (Merry Christmas Shopping!) in addition to the work pictured below. 

This is some homework from my I Heart Drawing e-course. 

This is homework from my She Art 2 e-course (still working on her). 

This is from my sketchbook.

 

AEDM- Alton Brown, Thanksgiving Day Hero!

Cooking the perfect turkey is an art.  Ask anyone who has had a dry turkey!  The secret is in the brine, baby!  I learned all about brining from Alton Brown.  I'm a big fan of Alton Brown. He is the host of Food Network's Good Eats.  The show explores the science of cooking with a very fun and often silly flare.  He has a great episode on cooking the perfect turkey. I followed his recipe to the letter last year and it was the BEST TURKEY we ever had!  This year I'm only cooking the breast but I am still brining. The brine insures a juicy turkey. You can see Alton's recipe here. You can also check YouTube for the Alton Brown brining video! 

 

Salt, spices and an iPad help me make the perfect turkey. 

AEDM- I Heart Drawing Homework

I am taking I Heart Drawing from Jane Davenport. It started this week and it looks to be a very fun and informative class! We will be learning to draw the female figure 3 ways; realistic, whimsical and fashion. Below is homework. I haven't colored the girls in yet, but it's a good start. There is still time to sign up. If you click here, Jane is offering a discount for all my friends!

AEDM- She Art 2 Homework

Had a chance to start my first lesson for She Art 2; A She Art Girlie with a Face. I used a 9x12 canvas panel and created a painted background. Then I used paper from an old magazine to create the head and neck. I lightly sketched in a face. When I will be able to return to finish her up is always a mystery in my house.



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AEDM- Girl Tilting Her Head

I didn't get to create as much as I was hoping to this weekend. My son had sleep problems. I did manage to work on this in my sketchbook. I'm still trying to improve my shading and I've never done the tilted head before. In my first version it looked like she was trying to drain water from her ear. This attempt is much better. I think she's kind of cute.

AEDM- Playing in the Sketchbook

I had some time to play in my sketchbook today. This is a small one I try and carry around the house with me. Unfortunately, once my kids see it and my art supplies, they just want to play in it too. Luckily they were napping while I was sketching! I looked at some bird photos online and drew this little birdie then colored him in with my Derwent Inktense Pencils. Love them! The colors are so vibrant. They are also water soluble so I used my water brush to create a watercolor effect. The great thing about these pencils is they are ink based. Once they dry it's permanent. Therefore, you can use other water based media on it and they won't run or wipe away. Hopefully I will get a chance to play this weekend and add some texture to my little painting.

AEDM- Prep Work

Today was a prep work day. I'll be starting a new class on Monday, I Heart Drawing and I needed to gesso some journal pages. Very exciting. I have 3 different kinds of gessoes on hand: A Liquitex brand- I found it very thick and hard to spread on the page, a Liquitex clear gesso- that one went on the page very easily. The last gesso i used was from Daler Rowney and I found it in Walmart. gesso I found in Walmart. That one went on very smoothly. I don't know how they take media and drawing yet. They are drying at the moment. I am also trying my best to sketch every night before turning in. Even if it's just for 10 minutes. Trying to fit creative time in with toddlers, the approaching holidays and everyone being sick is a challenge. I am changing my attitude from "Ugh! I only created for 10 minutes!" to "Hurray! I created for 10 minutes!". I figure this way I won't be disappointed in myself.

Here are some collage journal pages to play with in the future and one of my "bedtime sketches".

AEDM- Monoprint Papers With Gelli Arts

I was able to do some creating today while my kids were visiting Nana and Pop Pop. I found a wonderful product from Gelli Arts. It's basically a gelatin plate without having to make it at home.

All you need is acrylic paint, a brayer, a variety of stencils, texture making materials, foam stamps and paper and you can have a paper making party!

I rolled out a couple of colors on an acrylic sheet (you can use a paper pallet or roll it on the Gelli Plate)

Then I put a variety of things down on the plate to create texture

Then I laid the paper on top. Gently rubbed around. Lifted the paper off to reveal my print. You can do this several times to create more layers and interest.

Here are the papers I made today. I used solid color scrapbook paper, crumpled tissue paper and plain copy paper.

Click here to see more about this product. It's lots of fun to use! I have also done this technique on the shiny side of freezer paper instead of the Gelli Plate with my kids. (if you want to try some monoprinting and can't wait for the Gelli Plate to be delivered to your door)

AEDM: She Art Angel

I made this angel for my cousin. I used the methods I learned from Christy Tomlinson's She Art e-course. Christy loves texture in her mixed media and that's what I was really drawn too. Her style is fun and messy and you can adapt and tweak what she teaches to make it your own. She Art 2 starts November 14th. I am very excited. Check out a sneak peak here if you are interested. Registration closes Monday.

Jane Davenport's New Class

I recently took Jane Davenport's e-course, Supplies Me. I was intrigued because this course covered how to use a multitude of art supplies. I have quite the stash do, this course was just right for me. Another element of the class was drawing girlies. I had zero interest in drawing girls, mostly because I thought I couldn't do it. Well, after drawing along with Jane, I have managed to make some pretty decent girls. I still need to practice to get better and Jane's methods are easy to learn and follow. Now, here is the best news. Jane has a new class starting November 21st. It's called I Heart Drawing. It is eight weeks of drawing the female form. Even better news, click this link and you can get a special discount because you read my blog. Jane has an awesome personality and an awesome teacher. Her classes have continuing access after the run so, you have plenty of time to draw along with Jane.

Here are some photos of what I've done taking Supplies Me.

AEDM.....Refilling the Well

I wrote earlier that I was going on vacation for a few days. I managed to make art on my plane ride but didn't have time to make anything else. I think I was doing something a little more important; refilling the well and connecting with family. I haven't seen these family members in four years! Even though the visit was short, it was totally worth it. I also needed a "Mommy Break". I'm a stay-at-home mom of two toddlers. I've gotten some breaks from the kids over the years. A few hours here and there on the weekends but, I was still available if I was needed. This vacation was a true break. I was many miles away and could not be called to come home. It was great! Don't get me wrong. I missed them very much. It was just nice to not hear "Mommy do it!" for a few days. Now I'm home and we are all sick with colds. Oh well! I'm going to try to get back into the groove of making art now that I'm home. I will also get back into the Mommy groove. And then there's the holiday groove...... Busy times ahead!

Here are my little ones on Halloween.

AEDM- on a plane

I managed to do this on a shaky plane. Not too shabby.








Lynda

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Teaching Myself

I never formally studied art. Not in high school or college. Everything I have learned has been through art store classes or books. Recently I've been working from You Can Draw in 30 Days by Mark Kistler. He has hosted the PBS Show, Mark Kistler's Imagination Station for years. I have some of his children's drawing books and he breaks down the drawing principles into simple steps. This is his first book for adults. I have to admit I found the beginning a little boring. It was a lot of shapes and shading. Then I made this guy

and it's been fun ever since. Other drawing lessons from my other books make more sense now and I'm doing pretty good drawing girls from an e-course I'm taking. I have not been doing the book on a daily basis so, the title doesn't apply to me. I am drawing better now then when I started over the summer so, it does teach you how to draw.
Lynda

Doing Some Soul Searching

The time has come for me to revamp my blog. The "21 Day Project" was a pretty cool idea, unless you are a mom of two toddlers under age four! I have been pretty good with creating almost every day. I'm doing several online courses (which I will blog about separately). They are keeping my creative juices flowing. And I signed up for Creative Every Day Month. I want to keep the momentum going. So, stay tuned for the changes coming.