Paint Party Friday and a few bits and pieces . . .

This week seems to have gotten away from me.  I've been doing a lot of nothing and nothing of a lot . . . but I did get these few things done, plus another which isn't scanned yet and another which is sketched and waiting to be painted.   That's how I roll.   It's feast or famine around here!



First a little piece based once again on the art of Modigliani.   It is different and yet it is similar to what I already do.   I believe in this life truth.  You cannot hang onto the past.  It will drag you down like an anchor.  Best to put it all behind you and let go.  Only then can you begin to move forward . . .



A Winter page for a project I am working on.   It says, when the bold branches bid farewell to rainbow leaves, welcome wool sweaters . . .   Not sure about my writing, but it's too late now!  It's done!



Then Summer . . . Among the joys of summer were picnics in the park.  Again with the writing.   There will be a narrative place in the middle of each of these.

And that's what I have been up to.  What about you?

Sharing this week on Paint Party Friday.  Hop on over to The Stamping Ground to see what everyone else has been up to!

Paint Party Friday and Modigliani . . .

So, I've been taking this painting class with Tascha of Time With Tascha.   This is the third class I have taken with her and I have to tell you I have learned a lot from her with each class I have taken.  She gives us beautiful notes and does really great videos that make learning new skills easy and fun.  I highly recommend any of her classes.

So this latest class is based and inspired on the work of the artist Modigliani.  One characteristic of Modigliani is long necks and faces . . . long noses, etc.    Here is an example of his work:



It is of his wife.   I find his work fascinating and am really excited about this class.   I haven't done a canvas yet . . . but I have done a few with ink and watercolors . . .



So this is the first one I did.  I called this Sisters.  They are, from left to right . . .  Clothilde, Bernice and Simone.   As you can see Clothilde is not very happy.  That is because Bernice gets all of the attention due to her raven locks and blue eyes.  She thinks it is hard to have dull brown hair and brown eyes.  Simone is long suffering . . . she tells Clothilde . . . "Do you not know you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar?  Great beauty comes from within.  A cheerful countenance chases away the dark."

I quite liked how it turned out and then I tried to think of actual real people I could do a portrait of . . .

 

Yes, this is Queen Elizabeth when she was a lot younger . . . I like to think I have managed to capture her "essence."  I quite like the Queen.  My mother and she looked a lot like each other when my mother was a young woman.  In fact the resemblance was so uncanny, that we actually thought that it was our mother's photo on our money.  (She did nothing to dissuade us from thinking that either! lol)



Anyways . . . I was trying to think about what Elizabeth would have been thinking about when I was doing her portrait . . . I think she was thinking, "I can't wait for this portrait to be done so Phillip and I can go for some Fish and Chips.  Maybe he'll even spring for a side of mushy peas!"

So, anyways, that's what is on my project desk for this Paint Party Friday.   Do hop on over to the Stamping Ground to see what's on everyone else's!

Thanks so much for looking!!

Princess's, Peas and Paint Party Friday . . .

I was contacted earlier this week and asked if I could do my Princess and the Pea painting with a little blonde girl instead of the brown haired one I have on it.  This is a very old picture of mine . . . been kicking around for a few years now actually.



It was a painting I did back when I was just beginning to get back into painting.  I liked it, but if I was going to redo a painting, I wanted to do it a lot differently than the first one.   That's just me.  You may ask why would I have to redo it?   Couldn't I just change the hair colour??  Well maybe someone who is competent with Photo shop could . . . I am not competent with any sort of technology. I do everything by hand . . . me.  So I had to completely redo it from scratch.



And so I did.  This one is in water colors.   Her bed is a tree bed. I like that.  I would love a tree bed, wouldn't you?

  

I put a lot more detail with this one, not only with the tree bed . . . but there's a nest in the tree with a singing robin . . . and a very comfortable looking cat fast asleep on the bed.

I'm sure that she is envious of his ability to sleep through anything.  I would be.

And that's what on my desk this Paint Party Friday.   Do hop on over to The Stamping Ground to see what everyone else is doing!

Thanks for looking!

Paint Party Friday and lots to see

As most of you know I have spent the past six weeks in Nova Scotia helping my mother to recover from a recent surgery. I did manage to get a lot of art work done while I was there, but couldn't get it scanned until I got home. This today is only a portion of it. I still have more to scan, believe it or not! I was very productive!

First up, I got started on my Christmas Card Line  for 2013!



Do You See What I See?

Based on the carol.

 

What Can I Give Him?

Again the carol



It's Beginning to Look

Another carol



Angels We have Heard



Dashing Through the Snow

I didn't just to Christmas Cards though.  I also did a few muses . . .



Stars Make Me Dream



The Prayers of Righteous Mothers



You Can See The Stars



Keep Your Face to the Sun



Places of Enchantment

So anyways that's my post for todays Paint Party Friday.   Hop on over to the Paint Party Friday blog to check out the other entries.  There's always a lot of talent to oggle!

Thanks for looking!  Have a great day!

Paint Party Friday . . . Gratitude, Thy Servant Heareth

So this week I got a few new pieces done.    I love it when I have lots of time to play.   It makes me smile.

My first piece was this one.

 

On Wednesday I had Spring and fairies very much on my mind.   That sometimes happens . . .
Especially when it's spring . . . and the cherry tree down the end of the street is about to burst into bloom and make us all smile in the special way that it does.    I love it in the spring time when it looks like it's snowing, but it's not . . . it's just petals falling . . .

Mind today it is actually snowing.    Spring magic . . .




And then this was yesterday . . . I was in a spiritual place.   I love it when that happens too . . . because I love feasting on the word of God.   That kind of nourishment never gets old . . . and it's not fattening either . . .

Do check out The Stamping Ground to see all the other entries for this week's Paint Party Friday.   There is sure to be something there that will blow your mind!

Paint Party Friday, Life, it's better with friends

Just a little watercolor I did this afternoon while I was waiting for the Toddster to come home from town.   I like crows.  They're such smart birds.   I reckon they would make as good a friend as anyone, and probably pretty loyal as well.

This is my entry for this week's Paint Party Friday.   Hop on over to The Stamping Ground to see more.  There's also an auction going on there this week to help benefit the Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Paint Party Friday and the Word of God

I have a deep love for the Word of God.   I like to think of the Scriptures as being somewhat of an owner's manual for our journey here on planet earth . . . and a bit of a directional map for where we ought to want to go.   I love it when my work is inspired by the Word of God.  I think that's when my best work comes out.




I am sure many of you are familiar with this famous prose from Corinthians about Love.   One of my favourites.



As is this one from the Psalms.  Don't you just love the Psalms?  I do, and I love that our Heavenly Father knows the secrets of our hearts.

  

But my absolute favourite scripture of all is this one from Jeremiah, the weeping prophet . . . these words have carried me through many a hard row to hoe in my life.

Just what's on my work station this Paint Party Friday.   Hop on over to the Paint Party Friday blog and have a gander at all the other entries this week.  You will be amazed at what you find.  There is a fabulous lot of talent out there.  I am terribly in awe of it.  It cheers my heart.

Little Red on a Paint Party Friday

Not a lot to show you on this Paint Party Friday.    I've been working on this newest paper doll.  Little Red.   I want to do a stand up background for her that is summer on one side and winter on the other.   Real life keeps getting in the way though.   I wish I could just spend all my time playing in my studio, but alas . . . I cannot.



I would love to be able to spend all week in here channeling Mary Englebreit and Joan Walsh Anglund and Susan Branch, my three art heroes . . .

 

I think sometimes I just have too many fingers in too many pies . . . but I have always been the sort who gets bored easily of the same thing day after day . . . so I need variety.  Variety is what feeds my soul . . .



I think I just love creating . . . be it a cake, or a cupcake wrapper . . . or a fairy or a little girl, or a paper doll . . . or a cloth doll, or a canvas . . .

 

It has been ever so and I hope that it never changes.



May I always see the world around me through the eyes of my creative spirit.

For more goodies to fill your eyes and soul, hop on over to Paint Party Friday to see what's on everyone else's creative mind this week!  There's a lovely featured artist there as well.   I am in awe of all the talent that is about.   Aren't we creatures just so amazing???

Paint Party Friday

My goodness but the weeks seem to roll around quickly.   It's no sooner Monday than it is Friday again.   I have quite a few things to show you for the Paint Party today!

First up a new paper doll.

 

This is FiFi L'amour . . . she's a romantic paper doll with the heart of a CowGirl.   I have had ever so much fun doing her and plan on adding to her clothing range as time goes by . . .



At the moment her wardrobe is sadly lacking as I have been rather busy this week finishing up these . . .
 yes, it's more illustrations for the children's book.



This one was a bit challenging as there were so many faces in it and I wanted to make everyone look a bit different . . . like people do, no two alike.

 

This is one pretty amazing cat.   He reads.  He also looks rather lazy in this . . . but as we all know dogs have masters and cats have slaves!

 

Magic blanket anyone???



This was the real challenge . . . getting it to look like a night sky and like they were actually flying above a city.  I wish so much I could have gone to art school, because then I would actually know what I am doing.

 

This is one of my favourites.   He's sleeping.   I wish I could sleep that contentedly!



This has been a really fun project.  I still have a few more drawings to do . . . but it won't take long now.

I hope you've all enjoyed your visit with me here today.   Please hop on over to the Stamping Ground to see the rest of the Paint Party Friday participants.   They are a real talented bunch!

Happy Paint Party Friday and thanks ever so much for looking!

Paper Dolls and Paint Party Friday

This week I have been working on creating a special page for my paper dolls so that I can sell them as pdf downloads.   If you look up just under my header you will see the link which will take you to them.  I'm really excited about my paper dolls.   I always adored playing with them when I was a girl, and I used to love to collect the ones in Mary Englebreit's magazine . . . so long ago now.

This week I created a new page of clothes for BlueBell and ButterCup and they actually fit both dolls.



I really love creating new outfits for them.  It's so much fun.  I feel just as if I am shopping, but . . . it's costing me nothing but my time and imagination!

 

I've been enjoying playing with them as well.  BlueBell is all dressed up for school here, and check it out!



She's ready to party on!  I love her.

Today I took some which I had printed at a printers into the Gallery in Town for sale there.  But you can buy them to download and print out yourself in my BlueBell and ButterCup shop.   I will be adding lots of new pages and accessories too as time goes by, but that's not all . . .

 

They also have a new friend, and I think she's just as cute as a button . . . so anyways, that's what I am sharing for Paint Party Friday this week!




The Stamping Ground to see what everyone else is up to!  Thanks for stopping by and having a look.  Happy Paint Party Friday y'all!

BlueBell, The little girl that's a paper doll

This is what I have been working on this week.  A series of paper dolls.   I always loved paper dolls when I was a girl.   I did not have a lot of real dolls, but I had a whole big box filled with paper dolls.   I would spend hours playing with them, drawing and colouring new clothes for them.   It was so much fun.



Bluebell also has a friend.  Her name is ButterCup . . . but I haven't done her clothes yet so I can't show her to you . . . but she's a redhead, just so you know.

 

I envision them having all kinds of adventures together . . . and I GET TO DRESS THEM!
How fun is that?



I can't wait.  I'm so excited about that I could almost squeal with delight.   I see tea parties and trips to the zoo and holidays . . . I see all sorts in their future.    It will be so much fun.

 Of course, I'm not selfish.   I'll take you along with me on the journey.   I hope you enjoy it too.

Edited to Add ButterCup, BlueBell's bestest friend.

 



 

This is my entry for this week's Paint Party Friday.   Hop on over to the Stamping Ground to see what everyone else has been up to.   You are sure to fall in love with something.  I always do!