Week Eight: Summer of Color (Orange)

Here is a close up of this weeks' color offering of orange. Really, the only three things that are actually orange are the eye, beak and legs (oh yes, the toes too!) ~ but there is a reflection of golden pale orange from the hot hot sun that the crane is flying in view of, on the body and upper wing. This guy was painted onto used tea bag paper with sumi-e ink, india ink, acrylic paint and watercolor paint.


Here you can see the grouping of eight tea bag paper sketches which will compose the greater part of a little journal.

Pop over to the Summer of Color event hosted by Kristin, and see what other artists are up to! This has been a very fun event for all. I want to thank Kristin from the bottom of my heart. Due to having to come up with something every week for eight weeks running now, I for the first time really have some sort of grasp on using paint brushes and india ink and acrylic and just generally more able to let go of the fear of failure in an attempt to make art. If I fail the sky does not fall in. I just throw the paper out and start again. Every attempt teaches me something. Every attempt is a building block to where I want to go.

Thanks for dropping in! *smiles* Norma

What is on your workdesk Wednesday

AND A GIVEAWAY!


Yesterday I started what I thought was to be a very quick sketch for today's post and it was going swimmingly until I started to sketch the pinecone! Have you ever drawn a pinecone? I immediately ran into trouble so knew I'd have to do a preliminary sketch and when I carefully began that part I came to realize that a pinecone is probably one of the most difficult things to capture in a drawing there ever was (in my opinion now). So I slowed right down and did the best that I could. I have a new appreciation for those little things!
This giveaway will be drawn on Sunday. It is an unknown flower seed pod, another heart rock that I found the other day, a pinecone, and with a few real lupin seeds thrown in for good measure. India ink, watercolor pencil on used tea bag paper. Just leave a wee comment for your name to be added!

Thanks for dropping in! *smiles* Norma

What is on your workdesk Wednesday? Drop in to see what great art happens!

Week Six: Red (Summer of Color)

A fire bird takes flight. He has these gold globe shape things on his head and when he gives his head a 'flip' they scatter to the wind. More continually grow back. We don't know exactly what this means. Look for gold in any event. It may lay where you least expect it!
Week six of the Summer of Color gave us the color red to work with. Thank you to Kristin for hosting this fabby and fun and 'teaching me how to work with acrylics because I actually have to produce something' event! *smiles* Norma

Week Five: Brown (Summer of Color)

Donkey (well yes he is a rabbit but his nickname is Donkey) keeps watch. He keeps finding golden round things and has started to collect them. He has two sections of his warren set aside to house them (he is thinking BIG and he is one of my favorite friends because of this trait of his) and so far he has about eleven golden round things. Where do they come from? It is a puzzle.
Week five of the Summer of Color asked us to use brown. I immediately thought of earth. So an underground habitat came to mind for me.

Still life botanical sketch on tea bag paper

Sweet peas, lupin pods and a heart rock feature in this sketch. Done on used tea bag paper with india ink and watercolor pencils. This will be another giveaway so just leave a comment and I'll pick out a name on Sunday. I had so much fun doing the last one I decided to do more!! *smiles* to you all, Norma
P.S. This will be my post for What is on Your Workdesk Wednesday? Have a look at what other folk are doing. It's so interesting and varied and fun.

The sentiments of the hearers were various.

Summer of Color: Week Four (Yellow)

In the yellow house lived a lady with yellow hair. She was a soothsayer whom it is said, had the "sight." In the corner of her parlour sat a golden samovar that never ran dry. It was here that she told fortunes by reading tea leaves. Some believed more than others.

Do you believe?

Have a look at what others are doing in the Summer of Color.

Giveaway of a botanical sketch on used tea bag paper

I've been itching and itching to do a sketch on tea bag paper. Specifically, a botanical sketch. I'm working on other projects right now but this has been pressing for some time now. So tonight as I walked home from the grocers I picked a small unopened bud of a cream color peony and then a few blocks later spotted some maple seeds hanging from the branch and ready to fall. The maple tree has a medium size dark burgundy color leaf and there is very very dark plum colors on the edges of the cream peony.
When I got home I put dinner on the stove which would take about 30 minutes to cook and so when the timer rang to tell me dinner was ready I stopped sketching and that is what I am giving away.
It is done with india ink and watercolor pencil. As it is done on used tea bag paper there are the normal holes and wear and tear of the paper. Usually I manage to tear another hole in the paper as I press too hard in a spot or two. This did happen with this sketch. And of course, there is the usual india ink blob. A solid dot that speaks for itself. So this is not fine art I am giving away here. It's a sketch. I am thinking it will be easy to mail out and you can use it in your art somewhere. Maybe part of a collage. Or maybe you can just spray it with adhesive and put it on a card. Anyway, just leave a comment below and I'll pick a winner on Sunday. Talk soon, *smiles* Norma

This post will be the Wednesday post for What is on Your Workdesk Wednesday. See the button on the sidebar and have a look at what people are doing!

Thanks for dropping in!

More blue birds...

The second week of The Summer of Color hosted by Kristin featured the color green with a hint of citron.
I started with the color citron to make yellowish-greeny flowers and then went from there. A green tree and the birds just came on their own. They happened to be blue so maybe I am thinking they will be related to the first blue bird. We shall see. When I was coloring in the blue of the eggs I got carried away and forgot I was working on tea bag paper which is fragile and so when I pressed too hard the paper broke through and I am not kidding I felt like I had just broken a real birds egg. The feeling is awful. So in the nest are two eggs and a broken egg. Such is life.
All of the birds seem interested in one direction and what are they noticing? Do they hear something? Smell something? Imagine something? We shall see!
Of course you know I am leaving a part of each picture unfinished in case I want to tie in a theme as I go along, or at the completion of the ten pictures.
Hope you are all having fun with this event, *smiles* Norma
P.S. I wonder what those gold round things are coming from the tree? Or are they coming from the sky? It is a puzzle.

Thanks for dropping in!

Blue Bird

The first week of The Summer of Color event hosted by Kristen has begun with the first color assigned being BLUE. I am working on used tea bag paper and have left some wiggle room for additions to my drawing in the event a story unfolds (of course it will!!!) and I might want to add an element or two later.


She sits on a branch looking out...dreaming...


There will be ten drawings in all to fill a skirt hanger. The next color is GREEN! So let's see where that takes this bird.

Thanks for dropping by! *smiles* Norma

Idyllic Dreaming

Today I began working on the first composition for the ten week long "Summer of Color" challenge hosted by Kristin at Twinkle Twinkle Like a Star. Each week we will be given a color and this first week it is BLUE.
I'd been wanting to work on the size of my new MOLESKINE and when I started mixing up some blue gouache I spotted out of the corner of my eye, a stash of prepared (dried and ironed flat) used tea bag paper. So I'll be using that as a ground. My subject is a blue bird from my imagination, who is dreaming. So the picture is called 'Idyllic Dreamer.' I've used india ink, acrylic paint, gouache, pencil crayon and rubber stamped lettering thus far, for this mixed media piece. I'm thinking very much of the fragility of things (and of life) as I am working because the paper is gradually tearing as I handle it. Everything is temporary. I love the metaphor.
Well you can see that the tea bag picture is hung from a clothing hanger (skirt) and at the end of the ten weeks it will be full. I have an idea to make a book but the muse will tell me what to do as time goes on. The hanger may be an installation piece.
Well nice chatting, and hope to see you soon. *smiles* Norma

Thanks for dropping in!

All is like a dream or a magic show.

It does seem like that these days. Like all is a magic show. The title of this post is a direct quote from a Tibetan Buddhist Treatise from the 11th century. Remember the story about how I found a book about submarines a few posts back? Well the magic is happening again. Same bookstore too!
Here is the lead up (to the story). I did scherenschnitte and fraktur back in the 80s and enjoyed it thoroughly. Over the past year or so I've been called to think about and notice these artforms once again and I sort of dreamily imagine things I would do. I even did a few cuttings and put them on ebay not too long ago. But I didn't want to just go over the same ground artistically speaking. Having said that, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. All I knew is this: a) I wanted script writing, not heavy gothic lettering, b) I wanted to join up scherenschnitte with fraktur in some way, c) I wanted a quote [this being the most important 'want' on the list], d) I wanted to incorporate india ink line drawing by my own hand, and e) I wanted to mix up the spiritual with the religious and add a dash of magic for spice. I really did not want to take it too too seriously. I needed to find some quotes that allowed me to quote from one religion so I could maybe use an image from another religion that had an organic attraction to one another. For example I have a cutting of Jesus on the cross in one cutting in my stash of cuttings I did years ago. He is surrounded by wonderful flowers and shrubs and urns and I was thinking that maybe I could put a line drawing of buddha in there instead. You get the idea. I thought that I'd have to google quotes and just start compiling quotes willy nilly.
UNTIL yesterday, when I found this book: The Quotable Spirit ~ A Treasury of Religious and Spiritual Quotations, from Ancient Times to the 20th Century.
The day before yesterday I went shopping and it means walking 3 miles and because I have M.S. I take the walking as a serious blessing and enjoy every step. I am glad to not be in a wheel chair. I have long periods of remission and I live my life not only a day at a time, but an hour at a time. But I do get tired. So anyway, I purchased purple onions and other heavy stuff and I just knew I would not have enough energy to do anything but go directly home. I wanted to so badly go to the library and sniff around and then pop into my favorite used book store but I wisely talked myself out of it. I made it home. But the next day, the pull was still there and so I just let myself drift in that direction and soon found myself browsing the stacks in the used book store. It did not take me too too long to find the book. I knew as soon as I put my hand on it that that was what I need and that is why I made my way to the book store.
Yes I know that if I'd of googled it and typed in the correct information, I'd of found similar books (it didn't occur to me to do that because it didn't occur to me that a book such as this exists) and I'd of been able to obtain a book like this, or even this book. But I feel the specialness of this event because I felt the specialness of the pull to the bookstore. It was s-t-r-o-n-g! So it may be just one of those things in life where you pay attention to what you notice, and notice what you pay attention to, but in the end I have this fabby book and I'm inspired. I have a 'vision.'
I think I will add f) a tiny bit of sparkle, to my list of what I want to do in my scherenschnitte/fraktur art piece(s)!
Okay this is all and well but I have to put this on my back burner because I have some paper artdolls on my plate, and a few other things. At least I know in what direction I am going with this.
Hope everyone is having a fun time. Talk soon, *smiles* Norma
P.S. look at those heart rocks on the cover beside the box of glitter. I just received them in the mail from Firuzan, a generous and wonderful artist who has become a friend.

Water Sign

A friend of Marylouise, 'Water Sign' will be swimming her way to go live with Wanda. Her friend gave her a silver bra as a friendship and going-away gift.

Painted on heavy watercolor paper with watercolor paint and pencils, colored pencils, and india ink. Embellished with sparkle. She was made for my swap partner at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fantasticflat_paperdolls/

Madam

Madam pauses for a moment to reflect upon what she will be writing in her journal. What she doesn't write is as important as what she does. Sometimes it is important to figure out what not to say; as important in fact, as figuring out what to say. Oh it's all a puzzle isn't it?

This atc artdoll was made for my swap partner. She is drawn onto heavy cold pressed watercolor paper with india ink. She is a collage of different elements and folds down into herself to conform to the 3.5 inch X 2.5 inch universal atc size.