Simplest Things Journal

I added another painting to my Simplest Things Journal. I’m really loving the slow drawing process. It quiets the mind and soothes the soul 😊 This was a design I made in a smaller version and thought it would make an interesting big design. But instead of painting another circle, I wanted to try a freeform design.

What I love most about this design is how the lines overlap in some areas making thicker lines that look like folds and creases. What do you think?

Hope this inspires you to create this weekend!

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“Art is a natural as sunshine and as vital as nourishment.” ~MaryAnn F Kohl

This was my inspiration for the the painting above 😊

Botanicals Handmade Art Journal

I recently created a handmade journal in an online workshop hosted by Amy Maricle of Mindful Art Studios and Ali Manning of the Vintage Page Designs. Lately I’ve been immersing myself in creating botanical designs in the journal.

I’m trying out different things like using my brushes in new ways, mark making and just having plain old fashioned fun. What I love is that it keeps you in the creative zone even if you only have a small amount of time to spare.

It’s not about making an elaborate painting or drawing unless that’s what you’re aiming for. But instead I make my marks, don’t always like them and then use my creative imagination to save it 😂 But that’s where the fun is because you never know where it will end up 😊

Hope this inspires you to get out your supplies and starting playing! Thanks for stopping by!!

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“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will.” ~George Bernard Shaw

Simplest Things Journal

Last week I participated in Amy Maricle’s Simplest Things Challenge. On day 5 I created a few simple circles with different designs. I thought they looked pretty cool and wanted to make them much BIGGER! So I did full sized drawings of these two. What do you think?

 I love watching the watercolor paints mingle and mix. You never know what they’re going to do and that’s the fun part 😊

Hope this inspires you to create this weekend!

Thanks for stopping by!!!

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“We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents.” ~Bob Ross quote on creating art

This was my inspiration for the the 2 paintings above 😊

The Simplest Things Challenge

Amy Maricle @amymaricle at Mindful Art Studio hosted a challenge this week called
The Simplest Things which I participated in. The idea was to create art everyday, from the simplest things. It was a 5 day challenge which started Monday and ended yesterday.

Originally I wanted to create a handmade journal for this challenge but it’s been a busy week so I ended up using a 6×6 inch mixed media spiral journal instead. I normally like heavier paper for journaling but the 90 lb mixed media paper worked well for this challenge.

Day 1 Prompt: Cursive Letter L

The photo above is for Day 1 and since I’m in mega love mode painting my hearts for the Expressions of Love Collection I couldn’t resist painting a few watercolor hearts that I cut out and glued into the journal.

Day 2 Prompt: Thread

Now this one was pretty funny because I started with threads which turned into seaweed which turned into an underwater world 😂 You never know where your imagination will lead you!

Day 3 Prompt: Leaf

I painted watercolor leaves which I cut out and glued into the journal. Technically the prompt is leaf, meaning only one but it depends on how you look at it. Plus I was having so much fun playing with my gold pen I had to make some extras.

Day 4 Prompt: Write then Cover with Watercolor

I’m not the type to put all my thoughts and feelings onto paper for the everyone to see. So I poured my heart out into the journal with a watercolor pencil and then did a very colorful watercolor wash for the background. Since I did actually pour my heart out into the journal I thought it was only fitting to add the heart inchies I previously made to these two pages.

Day 5 Prompt: Watercolor Wash and Marks in Pen

I decided to keep this one simple with painted watercolor circles and patterns using a Sakura Micron 05 pen. But the white space was just too plain for me so I added some glitter and now it feels finished!

This challenge was lots of fun and Amy was wonderful in teaching new tips, techniques and different ways of thinking about art! If you’re interested in learning more, please visit Amy Maricle’s site at MindfulArtStudio.com. She created a new online course, The Simplest Thing Journal which is based on some of the practices used in this challenge. It’s currently on sale sale through 2/13 so don’t miss out!!

I hope you enjoyed today’s post. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!!

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“Art is not what you see but what you make others see.” ~Edgar Degas

Photo by Daian Gan on Pexels.com

Family Art Journaling

With Thanksgiving just a few days away, I thought I’d share these special journal pages with you. They were created by my family 😊

It was a fun time talking and laughing as we passed the journal around. The idea was that each person takes a turn drawing a line in the journal. You keep passing it around and adding more lines until it’s mostly filled up. It’s pretty funny to see the images that emerge from all the random lines. You can add some color if you like and you’ll end up with a fun family art journal that you can keep as a memento for your special day.

Hope this inspires you to create some fun memories this Thanksgiving. Thanks for stopping by!!!

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Make your own Magic – She Blooms in Ink

I finished another segment in Tamara Laporte’s online course, “She Blooms in Ink.” This was my first dark skin girl and she was ever so challenging. Her skin kept coming out blotchy and the more I tried to fix it, the worse it got. So I cleaned it up the best I could and called it a day.

After everything was done, I thought she turned out pretty cool, even with her blotchy skin. I loved the color combination on this one, the green gave it that extra pop. I added the quote using a stencil which I just got on amazon. It’s part of a 20 pc set of inspirational quotes and was very reasonably priced. The stencils are perfect for journaling.

If you’re interested in learning more about the online courses offered by Tamara Laporte, please visit her at Willowing.org.

Thanks for stopping by!!

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Art Journaling Flower Bouquet

I came across this painting recently and thought I’d share it with you. I created this flower bouquet quite a few years ago in an online class by Lori May who is a talented watercolor artist. So many things went wrong when I was painting it but I remember having such fun in the course!

Hope you enjoy my flashback. Have a great day!

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Watercolor Journal Angel Alaia

I’ve been busy working on my studio space so I haven’t created much art lately but I did finish the last angel in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8.5″ watercolor journal. Meet Angel Alaia.

I have to say, there’s a certain satisfaction in filling an entire journal with art. I have a total of 44 unique angels in this journal, each with their own personality. Now I need to work on the cover. So stay tuned…

Hope your week is off to a great start!

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Watercolor Journal Angel Lalani

I finished my angel, meet Lalani. I only have 1 more page to go in this journal. Whoohoo!! I’m having fun playing with colors and design. I really like how the sky turned out on this one. What do you think?

Have a fantastic weekend!!

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Watercolor Journal Angel Valentina

Meet Angel Valentina. I love painting angels in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8.5″ watercolor journal. It’s a nice creative warm up to get the day started.

What is your favorite way to warm up for a creative day?

Thanks for stopping by!!

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