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!
Thanks for stopping by!!!
Share the Happy💖
“Art is a natural as sunshine and as vital as nourishment.” ~MaryAnn F Kohl
This was my inspiration for the the painting above 😊
Journaling is a great way to have fun and unwind from a long week. This was actually a warm up exercise which is part of an online class I’m working on by the very talented Katrina Koltes.
Art journaling is anything you want it to be. It can be an abstract or a more serious painting or anything in between. You can write your thoughts in your journal and then cover them up or don’t. But the choice is yours. The main goal is to simply do whatever your heart desires and makes you happy😊 So what are your waiting for? Grab your journal and have some fun this weekend!
Hope this inspires you in some way, thanks for stopping by!!!
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“What keeps my heart awake is colorful silence.” ~Claude Monet
I was listening to a recording of Wayne Dyer today and thought I’d share this wonderful quote with you on one of my abstract watercolor paintings:
“With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose.”
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
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 😊
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!!
Share the Happy 💖
“Art is not what you see but what you make others see.” ~Edgar Degas
A quick shop update. I always felt that we should express our love and appreciation to those we care about every day and not limit it to one day a year. And that was my motivation in creating this new line, Expressions of Love.
These 5×5 inch paintings were created on a thick 1.5 inch canvas so have the choice on how to display them. You can hang them in a small area or you could buy several and hang them as a nice grouping on your wall. The other option which I love with this thick canvas is that you can easily stand it on it’s side making it perfect decor for a desk, shelf or counter.
They are happy and fun paintings that will brighten up any space. They’ll come packaged in a pretty cellophane bag and tied with ribbon. These are the first two paintings I have available in my Etsy Shop and I’ll be adding more this week.
I love books and creating my own journals, it’s wonderful. When I heard that Amy Maricle of Mindful Art Studios and Ali Manning of the Vintage Page Designs were hosting a free online workshop called Botanical Books on how to make a beautiful handmade journal I was thrilled and couldn’t wait for the day to come.
Well, yesterday was the big day and I loved every minute of it! Ali did a wonderful job teaching how to create the journal itself and Amy taught how to fill it with botanical designs. I was able to create my the first two paintings in the journal and I’m looking forward to filling it up 😊
For the covers I used a watercolor paper design from my stash which I always like to have on hand. This one had a botanical design from a handmade leaf stamp I made so I thought it would be perfect for this journal. Plus it was really popping with color.
Definitely check out both of their websites as they’re packed full of fun courses, ideas and lots of inspiration. You can also find them on Instagram @AmyMaricle and @VintagePageDesigns.
Also, Amy is hosting a challenge next week The Power of Starting Simple. Just hop on over to find out more details about the challenge and join in on the fun!
Hope you’re having a fabulous weekend, thanks for stopping by!!
Share the Happy💖
“Art has the power to transform, to illuminate, to educate, inspire and motivate.” ~Unknown
I made this little village a while ago and bring it out every year as part of my Valentine’s Day decoration. It was created on an 8×10 inch canvas which I painted first. If you don’t have a canvas, a sheet of watercolor paper would also work just as well.
While the paint dried, I designed and cut some wonky, whimsical homes from Valentine themed cardstock. The doors and windows were made using shaped punches but you could easily cut them by hand.
Once I had all of my parts cut, I made sure everything fit together before gluing it on to the canvas. I added a few stickers, rhinestones and sequins for interest. And finished it off with some doodles, shading and highlights. Of course lets not forget the glitter for the bit of sparkly magic.
There are so many variations that you can make, just use your imagination and supplies you have on hand!
Hope this inspires you in some way, thanks for stopping by!!!
Share the Happy💖
“Love one another and you will be happy. It’s as simple and as difficult as that.” ~Michael Leunig
Flowing Waters Art 