Inspired by…the curious case of the ripped canvas

A work in progress...more seeds,flowers and ink work to come.

For months now this poor canvas has been staring out at me from  behind all of my other work. Sadly I put him to rest months ago when this happened..

RIP....rest in peace

One big rip.

I am still blaming my artistic affliction for this incidence…nothing is safe in this household when I am in one of my moods.

Well in honor of Louise Gales Color Challenge this month, and some New Years resolutions that have me concentrating on wrapping up loose ends, I have decided to resurrect this baby.

Thanks all for your comments (and support) on how to fix this problem. A special thanks to Serena who even sent me a video which helped to inspire this project.

So can one fix a rather largish rip in a canvas? I definitely know so!

You will need a scrap piece of canvas (purchased by the roll at most art stores), some gel medium and heavy books.
Cut off any loose threads hanging from the rip.
Cut out a piece of canvas a little larger than the rip. Place on back of canvas over rip and place gel medium between two layers. Make sure to wipe off excess on front and back of canvas.

Place some parchment paper on front and back of canvas and lay flat on ground. I used some good old elbow grease to rub it all down and make sure all air bubbles, creases etc were out.
Place very heavy books on top. Let it rest.
I removed books after a few hours (ok I peeked once or twice) and then gave it a bit of time to air dry.
 The final product. Not pretty, but mended.

I added a number of layers of gel medium on top of rip to help level out the surface and smooth it out. Use fingers for this step.

Then I sat and stared at it wondering how on earth I produced that orangey color……
I have to remember to always write down paint colors used on back of canvas so I can remember what to mix when I go back to a piece months (or even days) later.

I had a few difficulties figuring out the colors used for this piece. The new colors may be a little off, but whatever…at least it’s not ripped.

This is an awfully long post…

Off to continue work on this canvas…Part two and more info on the color challenge to come this weekend!

Thanks for popping by. If you have any suggestions or advice on how to fix a ripped canvas, please share!

Have a great weekend.

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Inspired by…alcohol inks

Loving my new Adirondack Alcohol Inks.

spray...stamp..splatter

Not loving the skull and cross bone Danger Poison signs pasted all over them. Would love to know how to use these, but unfortunately the instructions and uses are covered by First Aid treatment instructions. Supposedly the fumes are not only harmful, but may catch fire.

“If breathed in , move person into fresh air”

I could only laugh when reading that …after an hour of using them. Oh god..maybe thats why I am laughing..who is going to move me?

Of course I was so excited to get into them that I didn’t take a moment to actually read all of  these warnings.

stamping on canvas board...

Nothing is safe from them. Have been spraying my art journal, canvas, daughters homework folder, newspaper…nothing is safe.

Apparently I am not either!

art journal page

blotting...blowing...brushing

I have tried them on paper, canvas board, canvas, cardboard…the ink takes to everything!

Note to all ~ will also stain your counters, clothing and skin.

The hazards of creating…..dont get me started on Cadmium  paint…

Have fun with them! Always good to try something new.

Inspired by…pinterest and my new terrarium

The peaks are covered. The snow line is slowly drifting down towards the valley. There is a small scattering of snow on the grass and fallen leaves.

Ahh…winter is here. A very bittersweet feeling for me this year. I love winter. Winter is why I moved to Whistler.Unfortunately, summer never really showed its lovely side here and I am still craving all things summer….
So,to ward off any hard feelings I may be experiencing towards winter I have decided to fill my house with LIVE things.My goal is to create my own little oasis of summer right smack dab here in the middle of winter. It is going to be filled with big, bold beautiful colors. Lots of live plants and flowers. I may even get a fish or two as a centerpiece for my dining room table.
Recently an acquaintance and fellow flier friend of mine Julie from jaeartworks suggested we post how we have been inspired by Pinterest. My inspiration from pinterest is endless. I have posted many times about my love here and here…and slight addiction. While perusing one rainy morning I came upon this…

Source: etsy.com via Julie on Pinterest

Needless to say, it sparked my desire to create something alive and flourishing.
Here is what you will need to make your own terrarium, or miniature landscape.

• A unique glass container to house your terrarium. Possibly a mason jar or old fish aquarium. I was lucky enough to receive my wonderful container as a gift from my mom. She is constantly cruising the thrift store for finds and this one she got for $10. A steal! I have had endless fun creating centerpieces.
• Succulents. Water retaining plants or as I like to call them, self-watering. A must for me as the only green thumb I have is from finger painting. Choose 3-5 succulents, in various colors, size and shape.
• Bark Mulch.
• Small pebbles,sand, vegetable fibers, shells, birch bark….filler! Small lizards and turtles are also welcome…but not in my house.

The How to…

• Remove succulents from packaging,keeping soil intact. I placed into container until I liked the arrangement.
• Spread bulk mulch around the plants, covering them until soil no longer visible.

• Now the fun part..make it your own.

I added small pebbles and pinecones, a few paper balls and moss. I am on the look out for some smaller pieces of birch bark and other organic finds from my garden and surroundings.

So easy to make and care for, a delight to look at plus it gets the creative juices flowing.
Trust me…this will not be the only one in my house.

My new terrarium accompanied with a beautiful orchid sitting center stage on my kitchen island and a scattering of fresh flowers will hopefully keep all ill feelings toward winter at bay.

Bring it on El Nina!!

Inspired by…the color palette generator

Blogtoberfest ~ Day 12

I have been thinking a lot about color these days. Color is not something that comes easily to me.I love color, but I have to really work my brain to get color from my mind’s eye onto canvas. I need all the help I can get…..

Yesterdays post about Pinterest and my pinning of favorite color combinations got me thinking of other ways that I “add’ color to my artwork.

Source: creaturecomfortsblog.com via Julie on Pinterest

I originally read about the Color Palette Generator on one of my favorite blogs, Creature Comforts. Naturally I found it so inspiring that I then pinned it to Pinterest.( have I mentioned lately how much I love my computer…)
The Color Palette Generator is so easy to use. You can link here for full details courtesy of Creature Comforts. It is all visual so no reading required. The above image explains it all.

• find image you looove
• right-click to view url of image
• “copy” image url
• go to Degraves.com website
• copy and paste link into Color – Palette-ify! box
• A ha!

You now have your beautiful image plus the main colors within the image. I find it much easier to take these colors and get my paint a mixing.

Of course, all of this color coding can also be applied to your blog or website. Have a beautiful image and want to base a header/ banner/ blog button around it? Color-Pallette-ify the image and A ha! you have the colors listed and their “ingredients” for you to use in your other web-based projects.

Easy -peesy. Love!

If you have any tricks up your sleeve…please share. I need help……

Thanks for visiting!

Inspired by…artist trading cards

Blogtoberfest ~ day 4

Did you ever collect bubble gum cards, baseball or hockey cards? Do you love art, maybe think about collecting it? If so,I think artist trading cards may be for you.

I am inspired by  little artist trading cards, also commonly referred to as ATC’s. These tiny pieces of artwork, 2.5″ by 3.5″ , are a perfect support for exploring new ideas and different techniques. They can be created with any media/ medium. Paint, collage,stamping illustration, scrappy….anything goes! Except the size. They have to be 2.5″ by 3.5 ”

It gets even more fun..there is a huge population of people out there who want to trade, swap or even buy your cards.

Below are a few of my favorites. I am not very good at trading..I have a hard time parting with them…

The best site I have found to date for collecting and trading is ATCs for all. They also have a wonderful community and forum. There is always a different themed swap going on..

Art trader magazine is an e-zine devoted entirely to ATC’s, altered books, journals, inchies..Lots of great info here including art workshops, how to articles and contests.

Flickr also has another good community for posting and swapping.

The process to create your first ATC is quite simple. When I was first introduced to the idea I had no access to art supplies. I searched the house (once again) and discovered that my son eats way too much cereal. We have cereal cardboard boxes everywhere.A perfect support for these little cards..

Here is everything you will need to create your trading card.

scissors, ruler, pencil,cereal box, old paintbrush, gesso

• Grab a ruler, pencil and any cereal, granola or cookie box. It should be sturdy (and not a corrugated cardboard box!).
• measure out 2.5″ by 3.5″ and mark it in pencil on your cereal box
• cut out rectangle. You can now use this one as a template and cut many more (bottom right in image)
• grab some gesso and gesso up one side. have fun..texturize..anything goes
• wait to dry

This is your trading card + apply your art = artist trading card!

Some tidbits of information to consider

I have traded some ATC’s only to receive cards back created on 90-120 gr paper. While sturdy enough they do not give it that trading card kind of feel. I also like to glue another piece of “pretty ” paper on the back of the card when finished. I add my name, title of the piece and any particulars. I use a protective ,transparent cover to place the card in. These are sold at most dollar and art supply stores. I appreciate presentation and I think others do to. AND finally, blank trading cards can be purchased all primed and ready to go.. I know, I could have mentioned this earlier. (What would I have blogged about then:)

Some tidbits of inspiration for your ATC..

use collage..tissue paper, leftover paper scraps, stamps

use leftover paint…add some acrylic skins

try different texture, crackle,gel medium

add magazine cuttings, text, old book pages, maps

play with paint color combinations

try different mediums..ink, soft pastels,

cut up some of your old art-keep portion you like and glue to card

try something you have always wanted to try…small scale

Lots of fun, easy to prepare, inexpensive materials

small = no stress!

Feeling ready for the next step? If you feel your ATC’s are absolutely fantabulous, you can go to Illustrated ATC’s . This is an exclusive trading site. All potential members must submit a portfolio to be accepted. You should take a look..there are some fabulous little pieces of art.

I really do love these little gems.My snapshots in time.

In fact, I am thinking these are going to be my next business card…

If you know of any other sites or tips and tricks, please leave a comment. They are always very appreciated!

Thanks for stopping by.

Inspired by…ways to stay creative

Blogtoberfest ~ Day 3

28 more days to blog and I have 29 ways below. I think I am covered:)

Inspired by…texture with found objects

Day 2 ~ Blogtoberfest

Dont tell anyone around here, but I love a rainy weekend. No excuse to stay in the house and paint, draw, read and now …blog..

After my crazy week I can only sigh. AHHHH… there were a few too many days creative-less. My new plan is to set away 30 minutes a day to just play and explore with my stuff. If I get more time, great. If not, no whining because I have at least had a bit of time to do what I want to do.

So after searching my kitchen for something new and different to paint with, I found this….recognize it?

It’s the mesh bag from my cherry tomatoes(right) and clementine oranges(left). Grocery shopping has become a bit more fun….

These marks are going to be bee hives. More layers and depth..tweak the color and it will be all set for some bees.

I havent a clue what I am going to use these for. I don’t usually use blue. Now I am thinking that maybe these will be for bees. Oh, the decisions…

I am really loving this texture. It’s good as it traps paint in its web. It is also a great over lay to paint on top of another color. Will definitely be using again.
Blue paint…maybe not.

If you have any interesting textures created with found objects, please share!! It’s always good to have an arsenal of materials on hand to get the creative juices flowing. The freer the better!

Inspired by…the doodle.

I am a doodler. I have always been a doodler. I will always be a doodler.

I dont like to dish the doodle. It gets a bit of a bad rap sometimes. Images of people chatting on the phone, pen in hand doodling on a pad of paper often come to mind when I hear the word “doodle”. The dictionary also describes it as drawing or mark making absentmindedly.

a little zen time

There can be an art to the doodle though. With a little time, thought on composition and pattern it can be an artistic learning experience.It can be a fun way to experiment with mark and line. It can be  therapeutic.

In my dreams

I think of doodling as my zen time. A time that I just sit, draw and let the mind wander. No preconceived notion of anything. No stress over what color to paint beside another.  Just time spent solving the worlds problems one doodle at a time.

All it requires is paper and pen.

I am not the only one who has taken the doodle from the front of the telephone book into a form of art onto itself….Check out these beautiful drawings

1. garden, 2. Weekly Challenge No 21, 3. William Morris has a Nightmare, 4. under the microscope

Need a little creative inspiration for your doodle time. Check out one of my favorite sites, Zentangles, over here

This weeks doodle for Illustration Friday – mesmerize

Inspired by…sketchbook pro!

I am very inspired by my favorite application Sketchbook pro. For the low, low price of $4.99 I have had hours of entertainment. So far it is the best freehand drawing app I have tried.

waiting at the airport...

There is nothing scary about it. No commitment to canvas.No wasted paint.
A very fun and free way to play with line, mark and color. If you dont like a stroke.. delete it! You are right back where you started.
You can save layers. You can import from your photo library. You can export to facebook, flickr and photoshop.

The possibilities are endless…

See what others have done with it here..

You can check it out here…

You can see it in action here…

I am not sure what happened here, but I did get a good laugh when I discovered my dirty fingers after using it!

still managed to get my fingers dirty?

A touch of Red – photo mosaic

Look what I learned how to do today!

Super easy once I found the info I was looking for. A lot easier and faster than playing around with photoshop. Tons of different styles to choose from.

I have always been intrigued with the different styles/effects I see on others sites. The fun badges, cool link-throughs, mosaics…Its similiar to decorating ones home. Its like adding interesting art to your walls. My goal is for you to sit down with your morning coffee and be thoroughly entertained.

Here is the link.

https://bighugelabs.com/

Tons of fun to be had on this site. Mosaics,color palette generator,music lots of photo effects….many ways to make your site a home.

(Kept me entertained for over two hours today)