Just a quick post today...our entire household has come down with the flu...it stinks and we all feel awful. I feel slightly less awful right now so I'm taking this opportunity to try and get a little bit of work and posting done before going back to my recovery spot on the couch.
This was our fourth lesson, a mini lesson, and let me tell you...it was hard! The face was actually the easiest part and I love this style...super quick and easy, not too fussy, just perfect. Adding a body was a whole other issue! The script around her waist reads "this was hard!" LOL! I got the proportions all wrong the first time and I had to gesso over everything but her head and start again. The second time around was better, but still could still use some work. I did really enjoy the lesson and the look of this girl so my message to myself is to "be brave" and try another ballerina girl again in the future!
Sometime last year I registered for an online Donna Downey class, to create the above painting. I loved how Donna used a stencil to create the face...seriously, so much easier than drawing by hand, and how her hair was primarily constructed of flowers...me, faces, and flowers? Why, yes, that's a fabulous combination! (You can sign up for this same class here) This stencil is called Three Quarter is was designed by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. You can see a video of Julie demonstrating how to use these stencils here.
While I was really happy with my final results, a year later, I can see so many areas where I would have done things differently. However, the one area that I adore is actually the canvas background, which was created by first randomly applying Wendy Vecchi's white embossing paste. I love how the paste looks once you apply paint (after the paste is dry)...like a chipped wall in an old building...be still my heart! I also added some stenciling using another Wendy Vecchi item, the Classic Words stencil (one of my favs!) The Bloom is from the Artful Thoughts stencil. I'm also really partial to all of the dots on the flowers...adds such a fun element.
Overall, I really enjoyed this class and am looking forward to finding a place to display my blooming lady...
Hi everyone! I'm back today with an art journal project, and a video, where I demonstrate another gesso resist technique...this one is where I use gesso as an ink for stamps. Fun stuff! (Tim Holtz demonstrated this technique at a retailer event that I attended a few weeks ago).
And...I'm working on my courage, showing you (in a big 'ol picture I might add) my very first face drawing. Ugh...it needs work but I finished...I did it, I drew something by hand (me, who can barely draw a stick figure), and I'm super excited about continuing to learn and experiment!
I do have to give a huge shout out to the following two ladies, who are the ones who provided a ton of inspiration and help when it came to some of the smaller details....Donna Downey, who just started drawing faces and her videos were a great help in pushing me to give it a try and Tamara Laporte, who is an artist I just stumbled upon (thank you Dyan Reaveley!) and I adore her art! Her faces are amazing and I love the colors she uses...purples and blues in the hair...stunning!
Here's how my projects came together...(A full product list can be found at the end of my post)
I started by using gesso as an ink and then stamping with the Collage of Digits images all over two pages in my Dylusions journal (the video will provide you with step-by-step instruction on how to use the gesso).
Then I grabbed three Distress Stains (Spiced Maralade, Dusty Concord, & Broken China) and "scribbled" all over both pages. A good spritz of water helped the colors to blend. Once the pages were dry, I used my hand and more water to create the droplets.
I need added more design by grabbing a few 6x6 stencils from the Crafters Workshop. Distress Ink gave color to the dark brown design and some Maya Gold gave color to another stencil. (I adore metallic on my projects!)
And then I started sketching the face! I started by using a charcoal pencil, which blends a bit when you go over it with paint (I used Golden Liquid Acrylics and Adirondack paint) but I like that extra shading bit. I then filled in my face with a mixture of Titan Buff and Yellow Ochre and added the features. Note...it's super hard to get the eyes the same size and once I'd finished I realized my lips were off center...had to repaint them! I have a whole new appreciation for people who have nature drawing talent...it's super hard! Once the face was complete, I painted the hair and added a shirt. Then I added this great quote!
Notes for next time...my eyes are huge, as are my lips, need to make both smaller. Need to work on the hair...it looks too flat or something, it needs more movement. Maybe next time I'll just go for one of those no-feature faces...yeah, I like that idea...LOL!
Here's my produce list and the video link is below the list (feel free to email me with any questions at kim@eclecticpaperie.com).
I created a video demonstrating the gesso resist-stamping technique. Check it out below! For your reference, it's also posted in the eClassroom where you can also check out our other videos. Enjoy!
