Tag Archives: Pen

The Simplest Things Challenge

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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

Sunday Afternoon Art Journal

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I recently came across a pencil sketch I did a while ago of this vintage 30’s girl. I really loved the styles back then so I thought it would be fun to create her in my 9×12 inch Strathmore Watercolor journal and bring her to life with some color.

I named this one A Sunday Afternoon because she gives off a vibe of being completely relaxed wearing her pretty Sunday dress and hat. Her eyes are closed as she takes in a deep breath and gives thanks for all the beauty that surrounds her 😊

How do you like to spend your Sunday afternoons?

Hope this inspires you in some way, thanks for stopping by!!!

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“Flowers are the music of the ground, from earth’s lips spoken without a sound.” ~ Edwin Curran

Fresh Start Art Journal

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I finally finished my art journal layout. I tried new techniques with this one but wasn’t so crazy about it. I had to keep switching out my ideas because things kept going sideways but that’s a part of the process. So I’ll have to rethink this a bit. But nevertheless, it was lots of fun experimenting.

Since it’s still just a few weeks into the new year, I found the words “Fresh Start” in a magazine and thought it went well. One thing I really like is how her blue hair turned out with the gold highlights.

Some of my supplies came in so I’m going to work on creating a few new paintings. How are you going to spend your weekend? Hope you have something fun planned 😊

Thanks for stopping by!!!

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“I am open to the mystery and magic this new beginning brings.” ~Unknown

Watercolor Flower Journaling

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I wanted to share with you a fun journal page I made in my Strathmore 6×12 inch watercolor journal. I started with a loose, watercolor wash for the background and once that was dry, I drew in the flowers using a Sakura Micron 003 pen. It’s a good way to have some old fashioned carefree fun! As most of you know, I have a thing for sparkly magic so I added accents of glitter throughout the design✨

Hope this inspires you to create art today😊

Have a fabulous day and thanks for stopping by!!!

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“Flowers are the music of the ground, from earth’s lips spoken without sound.” ~Edwin Curran

For the Love of Outdoors Art Journal

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I came across an old issue of Romantic Homes Magazine and fell in love with some of the images. So I thought it would be fun to cut them out and turn them into a journaling layout.

I started with blank pages where I wrote thank you notes to all of my family members who are no longer here but inspired me on my artistic journey. It felt good to create this journal layout with all that gratitude as the foundation for these pages.

It took a bit of time to finish because there were quite a few layers and I had to be patient and let things dry. I was going to for a romantic and dreamy vibe. And I wanted to pull the viewer into my magical garden. What do you think?

Hope this inspires you create a fun journal layout with some images you love!

Thanks for stopping by!!!

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“Gratitude is the single most important ingredient to living a successful and fulfilled life.” ~Jack Canfield

Thoughtful Thursday Draw Yourself Calm Book Review

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Last year I had the pleasure of participating in Amy Maricle’s Inchie Challenge which was a lots of fun. I had so much fun that I bought her book, “Draw Yourself Calm.”

It’s a wonderful book that is well written and teaches you to simply slow down. The best part is you only need minimal supplies to get started. I find the practice of creating these mini works of art very calming and relaxing, a good way to destress. It’s also a good warm up for me to get the creative energy flowing.

In this video you an see the inchies I made for Amy’s 2022 Challenge that I put into a handmade book I created. I hope you’ll hop over to her site, Mindfulartstudio.com and learn more about Amy and her work. Highly recommended!

Stay inspired and create some art!

Thanks for stopping by!!

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


Stand out in the Crowd Watercolor Painting

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I wanted to share with you a fun watercolor painting I created a while ago. This is one of my favorite happy color combinations. For this piece I actually made 2 paintings. One was used for the background and the other was used to create the birds which I traced from a stencil, cut out and adhered to the background painting.

One thing I love about watercolor is that you can lift the paint off using various techniques. For the birds I used a stencil and a Wet Ones hand wipe to lift the paint off the paper. When using this technique, you want to make sure you have a fairly dark background so you can see the color variations where the paint was lifted.

To make the blue bird at the top even more different from the others I painted it with clear glitter paint. I also used a stamp with white embossing powder to add more interest. The quote in the bottom right was getting lost so I added a border to give it more pop.

You only need a few basic inexpensive supplies to create art and have fun. So what are you waiting for? Start creating some happy now 😊

Hope this inspires you in some way, thanks for stopping by!!!

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Candlelight Angel

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I hope you’re weekend is off to a great start! I thought I’d take a little break and play with some new ideas and techniques. I like the way she turned out but I’m not completely sold on this style. Looking for something more dreamy.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks for stopping by!!!

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Flamingo Mixed Media Painting

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I love flamingos, they’re such cool birds to watch. It took some time but I was able to finish my pink flamingo. There are lots of layers and texture in this 6×12″ painting. When I first started, I had no idea that a flamingo would end up here, but there she is. And she is my first 😊

Now I need to give this painting a title. Would love to hear your ideas. The ones I have so far are pretty nerdy 😂 So your suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

The photos below are a progression of this painting. I probably should have taken more but I really get into the creation process once I start and don’t always think about the photography part. But I hope she inspires you in some way.

Thanks for stopping by!!!

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A few interesting Flamingo facts:

  • The word flamingo comes from the Spanish and Latin word flamenco which means fire.
  • There are 6 species of flamingos in the world.
  • Chicks are born either gray or white and take 3 years to get their beautiful pink colors.
  • Chicks are born with a straight bill which curves as they age.
  • Adult flamingos hold their bill upside down when eating.
  • Flamingo colors range from pink, orange to red.
  • Their color comes from the carotene in the food they eat.
  • Flamingos can up to 5 feet tall but most are about 3 feet.

Family Art Journaling

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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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