Mixed Media Play Workshop

Here are a few pictures of the fun little workshop I taught at the Senior Center in Daytona Beach Shores, which is right across from the beach.  :) You can almost hear the waves crashing while sitting in this little building.

These ladies worked really hard, and they made some great artwork.  Just Lovely! Texturing and layering, giving the picture depth always looks great in mixed media artwork.  It's an easy process once you get the hang of it.  Then the best part… The doodling!  Yes, that's got to be the most fun.  We all love to doodle right?  I started doodling as a little kid… I'm sure lots of people doodled and didn't  realize how great it looks in artwork.  It's hard for me now not to do a little doodling on my work.

Flower pots, flowers, and a hint of a table.  

Aqua Markers

This picture was done for my little granddaughter Ellia.  She loves Ariel, the Disney mermaid, so I decided to make her a picture.  I also, wanted to try out my Aqua Water Based Markers.  They are wonderful to work with.  You can keep putting the color on over and over after it drys to make shading easy.  If you put some on pallet paper then use a water brush it really works the best.  The markers were   all I used for color, and I also used some gesso to lighten up different areas.  Using water color paper is really what is suggested for these markers, and I must say it worked well.

You can get these markers at Michaels using a coupon.   They are not expensive and they are a great portable option.  You can travel with these markers and a water brush, and you won't have the mess of taking water color paints and brushes.  Very nice to add to a travel art kit.  They will definitely be going in to mine.

Mermaid

MARKER SET #1

MARKER SET #2

Half of a Journal Page

This is half of a journal page, the other half is mostly writing and I really just wanted to share this half.  I did her with pastel pencils for the hair and colored pencils for the face.  I have never used pastel pencils before, don't know if I like them.  Probably need to use them more, they are really less chalky then the sticks and you can add more detail.  Well, I'm not really a chalk pastel user so I'm not a good one to really judge them.  I would like to try some Pan Pastels, they look yummy... Love that word! You can use it for a taste, and what ever else you want to.  It really explains a lot doesn't it?  You can almost taste it...

Resin Fun!

This is my first attempt at using Resin on my paintings.  I hope you can see the difference in the pictures because in person it's unbelievable how the colors just pop out at you after putting the resin over the painting.  This may be something I could get addicted to.

This is definitely a step I will add to my classes.  Really fun and very easy... I was so hesitant because I was afraid to make a mistake and ruin a picture.  But really if you scan your picture first, then at least you have that to make prints from.  I always scan my work if I can, and if not then take a good picture of it.

Here is the picture before and after.

This is the picture "Carmen"  BEFORE

AFTER!
I did this picture using water color crayons and Inks.  I wasn't sure if the ink would run, but it stayed in place.
There is a little glare from the light shining in from the window.

New Life Journal!

This is my new journal...  All my daily thoughts will go into this new journal.  It's a very wonderful adventure creating a Life Journal... This is a place to write down your daily thoughts and put in some meaningful pictures.  Doesn't matter if you draw or just cut out of magazines.  I'm hoping to start a class for this type of journalling soon.  I have kept an art journal and a writing journal, but this is the first combined journal for me.  I'm hoping this will encourage me to write and draw something everyday. This is a very therapeutic and creative way to help yourself through your daily life, and I think better than paying for a therapist and much more rewarding in the end...

I'm showing the front and back covers and also my first entry.  I hope you enjoy looking through my pictures and please leave a comment.  It's helpful to get feedback and it is greatly appreciated...

Happy Friday from the beach!   Have a wonderful day where ever you are...

Mixed Media Canvas Tutorial Look at the bright side

Mixed Media Art Journal Page #4

The Beach this morning was so beautiful, we found some pretty jellyfish and a lovely starfish in the sand. Still hot here, but the beach is nice with the breeze coming in. Nice and peaceful today, not many people hanging about, but I must say the tide was high.

My hubby hanging with me at the beach

Starfish in the sand

Sunrise this morning

Cool looking jellyfish 

My Little Russian Snow Princess

image_1, a photo by Gypsy4designs on Flickr.

This is a Mixed Media done with scraps of paper, color pencils (which I'm still experimenting with) and paints. I also glazed the white paint over gesso and added glitter. I don't know if the glitter shows up well in the scanned copy. This was very fun picture to do, and as I drew this little girl she reminded me so much of my littlest granddaughter, who has a little button nose and lovely hazel eyes.

New Work In Colored Pencils

I have never done a whole face in just colored pencils, so this was definitely a lesson for me.  Using just one medium was very different... I haven't done that in a long time.   These were quick little faces for my art journal. A practice lesson from one of the mixed media artist I take lessons from.  Both of the same sketch of mine... I used different colors for each.  Let me know what you think.  Thank you!

My New Little Cutie...

I'm trying to get faster at doing my art... To sit down and just stay in the creative flow without any interruptions.  It's sad, but most of my interruptions are myself trying to get other things done at the same time... crazy and frustrating.  I am trying to work better at finishing a project in one day... well, maybe even two would be good.  

She was done on MM paper, using gelato sticks, water color crayons (love these things), old book pages, acrylic paints, stamps, stencils, paper bag, spray inks, and who knows what else I threw into the mix...  Once you get going there are no boundaries and that's the great thing about MM Art.

It's been a crazy wonderful summer here at the beach. I'm so looking forward to teaching MM Workshops this October... Fun! Fun!  I can't wait to start on my new journey into teaching MM Art to great people here in Florida.  My wish is that they will come away from the classes enjoying their creative experience, and maybe even on their way to a more creative life.  For me, I will get to meet and make new friends.

To be continued............... 

This is a work in progress for beginner MM art classes that I'm teaching. Can you believe that the pretty piece in the center of the large flower was going to get put in the trash. It's the old hose bib handle for our water outside, but I couldn't part with it.  Then it came to me where it belonged! There will be lots more old goodies incorporated in this before it's done.  I have some old buttons and sequins in there too.

Having Fun with Art Journaling

Hope everyone enjoyed their summer and you're ready to head into fall...  Since this summer has been filled with lots of inspiration for me, I've taken the time to enjoy some online mix media classes and youtube videos. There is just so much going on out there in the Mixed Media World of Art that it can be overwhelming at times.

Like some of you who have enjoyed going on trips and following your dream to new places to learn and enjoy friends, I am going to make it my goal to take a journey next year to an Art Retreat... I don't know where yet but I'm going.  This year I finally made it to the beach next year will be an art retreat. Girls just wanna have fun!!!  Right?  Oh yes, I think so... :)

Check out the link below... Traci Bautista is one of my favorites... Enjoy!
She is my doodling inspiration.

Layered with some stencils and stamps.

Water color crayons, gauche, and acrylics.

Hope you can see the two Friends. 

The pics below are not new they just have pretty colors so I thought I would share.

Flower with scraps of paper, and lots of layering

Using scraps and layering with water color and acrylics

TRACI BAUTISTA ART JOURNALING FUN!

http://kollaj.typepad.com/kollaj/2013/03/artjournaling-fridays-video-art-journal-play.html

Journal Page "Heart Fairy"

 A practice piece in my art journal.

INSPIRATION! WOW! LIVING AT THE BEACH...

I'm finally adding some new  pictures of artwork, and also some starting from the beginning, (maybe not the very beginning) to the almost the end. Some of these mixed media pictures still need to be covered in resin or beeswax. I've got to scan them first just incase I mess them up... you just never know what a crazy artist can do to their work. LOL

I started this picture with a blank canvas and gesso, then I did a water color wash. To my surprise I had found Dylusions Ink at the Joann's here in FL, so I decided to use them.  Wow, they are fantastic to work with and the colors are dynamite (deep rich and amazing).  I did lots and lots of layering with stencils and the Dylusions Ink. Then I placed my girl on the canvas using soft gel.  Well, then I got my new water color pencils by Caran D'Ache and just had to try these out. They are absolutely magnificent if any of you have used these water color crayons there is a difference.  I was really in the mood to doodle so I started doing that and thought how nice my doodles would look with some color added. So why not try my new crayons out. This was crazy fun, the colors!

I don't know if any of you are old enough to remember Carmen Miranda, but my husband and I had been talking about old movies and her name popped up. She was a very talented, colorful (to say the least) Brazilian Star who appeared in many american movies. She sang, danced and acted, but the most impressive thing about this lady to me as a kid, was the way she held the headpiece she wore on her head while she sang and danced.  She was my inspiration for this piece and how it came together. But I may have to do another one of her in her full costume.

The name of this is "Carmen" what else could I call it. LOL

Here's the real "Carmen" she's just lovely.  Check out some of the movies she was in, they were great fun.

Caran D'Ache

Dylusions Ink