She makes stuff...

Clear Gesso Rocks!

Oh I am loving clear gesso! Remember the realistic face sketch from the last post? I wanted to add colour to the sketch but still wanted to see some graphite. Well luckily I managed to get the last tub of clear gesso so rushed home and painted a layer over the sketch. Now I didn't really think that I'd be able to work over the top of it without some hideous smudging of graphite happening, but it really does work!!!

I was able to apply stacks of colour over the top :-) So now I had an angel face that I was kind of happy with. I cut her face out and glued her onto canvas...

A few pencil sketches to map out the overall painting and some roughly painted in hair and she looks much better!

Now I need to let her dry properly before I can work some more.

She has a rather serene look don't you think?

Maria x

I made a face!

A more realistic face that is.... not a funny face. I do those all the time :-)

So the plan is..... buy some clear gesso. Glaze over her face and cut it out. Stick her on a canvas. I want to keep a lot of the graphite shading on her face but add in some colour. Will paint in her hair and a dreamy background.

That's the plan!

I do like a plan ;-)

x

What a difference a day makes...

this morning I woke with a fire in my belly and the urge to get painty creative. I love it when this happens. Maybe angst, upset, anger and those sort of emotions are my mojo enhancers. Whatever, I had sooo many ideas that I needed to get down on paper. A 6.30 start saw me having most of them down by 9am! Mind the shower in my freezing bathroom helped me to move a little quicker too!!!!!

Last night my heating (which Mr Heating man had assured me would be safe to run to heat water) started screaming! and when I say screaming....I mean SCREAMING!!! The noise was quite incredible. My poor cats are traumatised (me too!!!) You have never seen me move so quick to turn off the electricity supply to the heating system lol

Sooo Mr Heating man is coming today to pour stuff in my system to de-sludge it before he comes to do the main work on thursday. I will report the screaming episode to him and if he's really unlucky I may just re-enact the sounds for him :-)

And onto the creative stuff.... well whilst in holland we worked on some sketches. I say we as Anita had a play with petites too. Although I have to say, hers are more dark and scary. Quite disturbing actually!!!! We decided that I do good fairy and she does bad fairy.

Which leads me nicely onto good fairy!

I worked on this background whilst away. I've used Glimmer Mists and rock salt. If honest it was a bit of a nightmare! The glimmer mists kept smudging, even when sprayed with fixative and then clear spray varnish!!! You can tell by the green tint to her hair!

Today I added some more colour.

Still a long way to go on this girly! I'm very impatient... I hate waiting for it to dry. But I must, especially with this smudgy background :-)

I played with my new paints today!

There are simply gorgeous to work with! Look at all those pretty colours... sigh

Also worked some more on my journal pages....

From this...

to this....

I love how this is progressing! Just a few more "painty" touches and then onto the journalling.

Remember my Angel petite from a couple of posts ago? Well she is no longer an angel

I clipped her wings lol. On account of they were just a little too big for the wood. Ah I may give her them back at some point. I worked on her background today.

This is it in the very early stages. I've painted the wood pink and overlayed with some patterned tissue paper. Next comes colorwash spray and paint. Then some stamping.... and it looks like this now

Her hair and eye colour will have to change as they really don't work well with that pinky purpley background!!! She needs a day to dry and then onto the next stage.

So thats todays work so far :-) I'm also sketching.... some more realistic faces. I may pop back later to share!

Maria x

PS Thanks for all your kind comments yesterday xox

Hmmmmm

Not sure what to call this post. So decided just to call it hmmmmm.

Today has been another cold one. In more ways than one. My heating, although not terminal, is not fixed. I'm not exactly sure when it will be fixed either. I would like to think tomorrow would be good. I fear next week is more realistic. The water pump is capoot. The valves leading to the water pump are also not working, there is some kind of weird pipe work going on that Mr Heating Engineer says are sucking air into the system. Also if that weren't enough the system is filled with a nasty build up of sludge which needs draining and a darn good flushing through. Mr Heating Engineer is the hubby of one of the girls at work so I trust his judgement, and when he lists all the work that needs done I almost faint at the potential costs involved! However, these aren't as bad as I had feared so whilst I'll be totally smashed skint for the rest of the month (and into next) the work can go ahead. And in the meantime I have become the queen of layers! I look about 2 sizes larger with all the clothing to try and keep me warm!

I hate being cold. Its my worst nightmare. Hey ho.

So today has been spent wrapped in a zillion layers, snuggled in a quilt on the sofa, working on my latest crochet project and feeling VERY sorry for myself. 

Its a lovely snuggly wrap in the most gorgeous jewel tones. I picked up the yarn in Holland at a lovely yarn stall at the market. Its cotton and milk protein blend and totally delicious to work with. Anita taught me to ripple....at long last I have the hang of the turning malarkey!!!

Ah Holland was just lovely. Despite a little.... shall we say drama.... on the journey there. I got the flight and managed to get myself on the correct train up to Groningen. Now the train splits at a station and half goes to Groningen and the other to Leeurvarden. I was sat in the carriages going to Leeurvarden....ooops! No problem.... just jumped off the train and onto the correct carriage. All was well until this announcement came over the tannoy. Well it was in Dutch! And I do not speak Dutch!!! At the next station stop EVERYONE was getting off the train. Well apart from Maria who did not have a clue! Anyways managed to find a nice train guard who told me that someone had jumped in front of the train before us so our train was going nowhere. Anita and Ries came to pick me up at the station but boy I was frozen solid!!! My bargain £4 hat was a god send. It looks slightly ridiculous but it kept my ears lovely and toasty.  Actually... where is that hat? I think I need it right now!!!!

So that was monday. We got back at around 1am.... chatted til 2am and then slept. Tuesday is market day in Groningen so we had an early start off to the market. The farmers market there is a pure joy. More freshly grown veggies than you could imagine. Stall upon stall of colourful produce. Oh and the smells.... yum yum. We stocked up on 2 bags worth of veggies and then headed off for some lunch... via the art store ha! I got me some bargain paints. One very happy lady! Liquitex acrylics.... totally delicious and a started pack with 48 colours. No more colour mixing disasters as I now have a decent array of colours to play with.

Will take some pics of them tomorrow. And also with more details of my trip.

Today is the anniversary of my husband, Danny, dying. It's been a sad sad day. Its 4 years. I can't quite believe that 4 years have passed. Today it feels like yesterday. I still can picture the horrible scenes vividly... the paramedics... accident and emergency... the doctor who confirmed what I already knew.

I still occasionally have nightmares about it all.

But life moves on.

We learn to live with our grief.

Anniversaries pass.

Tomorrow is another fresh new day.

But right now I could do with a huge fat squidgy hug and someone to tell me all will be well.

Sigh

Til tomorrow and I PROMISE a happier post!

x

Sneaky peek!

Ok the Holland post is coming tomorrow! I've been putting the finishing touches to my project for this weekends Birthday Blog Bash and by the time I had photographed said project and wrote the destructions I ran out of time to take photos of my holiday craftiness!!!

And there was quite a few holiday crafty projects! Oh yes we had a busy few days :-)

Soooo onto this weekends project...

Its a little something to hang on your wall, give as a gift or simply prop up and enjoy!!!

I thought I should pop up a list of stuff that you will need to make it. Now the whole idea is that you are using up your little scraps of paper, not rushing out and buying new stuff!!!! So if you haven't got the exact same product, fret not! Improvise!!!

• Ikea mirror / square canvas or canvas board
• gesso
• paints (lime green, red and sky blue)
• glimmer mists in lime, scarlet and blue (optional)
• butterfly punch or chipboard butterflies
• scraps of brightly coloured paper and also some creamy white larger scraps
• chipboard letters
• clear crystals
• tiny flowers or small flower punch
• Prima felt branch (or you can make your own from brown cardstock)
• heart punch (or draw a freehand heart!)
• fine doodling pen
• length of brown rick rack
• your usual scrapping tools!

Right am off to try and warm up. My heating is cream crackered and its blummin freezing in here. No little portable heater, fire, nothing. Am hoping it's nothing more serious than the water pump having broken. Fingers crossed. Well I would.... if they weren't so cold!!!!

Maria x

You are invited....

to attend a Birthday Blog Bash!!!!

Yes the lovely Rebekah is celebrating her birthday in the bestest way ever... a blog hop with free projects and giveaways. Lots and lots of mojo resusitation. AND its all FREE!!!

So when does all this happen? This coming friday 19th March at 7pm all the way through until saturday 20th at 10pm. Of course you don't have to do all the projects there and then. Oh no....they can be saved and done whenever time allows. Sounds good huh?

I have a lovely little project to share using all manner of scraps... cos we scrappers do collect scraps!!!

I hope to see you there x

PS will be back later with a full post to bore you all silly with my Holland trip :-)

An angel is born...

Today has been a good old messy day!!! 3 projects on the go all at once :-) A journal entry, a home decor project and a little petit angel

I thought instead of all the sludgy colours I've been using of late to zing things up with bright and cheerful colour! So my first journal entry... "celebrate and congratulate"....

This is the start of the pages. A little cute petit gazing skywards as she daydreams. I daydream A LOT!!! She is lost in her imagination. A good place to be methinks. Pencil work all done...onto the rest of the pages next and some painting. Tomorrow I think for that.

A view of my sitting room carpet. I am running out of creative space! I probably should have a bloody good tidy up and then I would have LOTS of space, but when you get the urge to make stuff thats what you want to do...not tidy!

I've primed the wood for my angel petit with gesso as I really want bright vibrant colour and the wood is pretty porous so that would mean lots of layers of paint... that and I just LOVE the smell of gesso. Weird I know!!!!

And here she is.... my petit angel :-)) Her nose is a little too big, her lips a bit wonky but I love her. I'll adjust her left eye when painting her as its a little uneven! But I think all these little quirks make her unique and "special"!!!!!

So all in all another good day :-) I haven't done half the things on my very list but you know what? I don't care! I've had a lovely day.

Lets see what tomorrow brings..... x

A productive day indeedy!

Yes after yesterday, which was a bit of a washout, on account of the blummin migraine and over fiddling with painting... today has been pretty ok!

I managed to get the painting finished. Ok its not what I had imagined when I started her... but I think she looks ok. Not great, mind you, but ok. I did fiddle a bit more with the background! Couldn't not really as I wasn't happy with the colour. So added some colourwash to green it up a little more and added the text.

I love this quote. Its an anonymous one. I think it fits well with the painting.

This is one of those paintings that changes depending on the light. She has shiny gold stars and her eyes are painted using delicious Stewart Gill Byzantine paint and also some mica loaded paint that I've had for ages. They look pretty flat in the photo but in real life they just POP!!!!

I inked around the edge of the canvas with green stazon. NOTE TO SELF.... wear gloves when doing this in future. I went to work with green fingernails as try as I might I just could not get the ink off! I guess the clue is in the name with that ink!!!!! She has no name as yet. Still trying to think one up....ideas gratefully recieved :-)

So not only did I get her finished, but I also got my art journal cover done too! A pretty simple but colourful affair....

So what am I filling my journal with??? Well we get fortnightly prompts over in Suzi land, and anything else I want to add. Her first prompt is called Congratulate and Celebrate. We have to congratulate and celebrate ourselves.... hmmmm. Should be interesting. I'm in a more of a beat myself up frame of mind at the mo. May have to come back to this one hahaha

Anyways I plan to document thoughts, feelings and all that jazz in this little art book. All dolled up with purdy pictures :-)

Right I'm off to have a glass of wine and celebrate the start of my holidays!!!!

Tomorrow I'm planning a pamper me day.... lots of beauty products, rest and creativity

Til next time x

Fiddling....

Oh dear.... I will fiddle. And now I have messed up her lovely green background. I added some stamping...didn't like it so tried to tone it down. Ended up with a slushy green mess. Argghhhhh!

Soooo covered it with a brown glaze and it doesn't look too bad.... erm, if you stand 20 feet away and squint ever so slighty :-))))

However I refuse to get down hearted about it. I'm learning for gawds sake. And have learned not to meddle with a background you quite like!!!!

She needs a title and then she is done! Not fiddling anymore.... no sireee! Although...maybe if I add some green colourwash.....

Today has been a bit of a blah... day. Woke up with one god almighty migraine. Its ages since I had a migraine and it floored me for most of the day. However sleep and painkillers seem to have done the trick and I'm feeling heaps better. I think I need to get my eyes tested. I can see fine for distance but close up is becoming a bit weird!! Like a bit blurry :-) Oh dear...old age is creeping up on me!

So am in the middle of decorating my art journal. It NEEDS to be finished for my Holland trip as I want to take it with me and hopefully get a page or two finished whilst I'm there. I also have another petit in the making. A bright and cheerful affair :-) 

So just a quick post today... I have an art journal cover to finish!!!

Til next time x

Night shift brain...

I think my brain has gone to mush on account of a couple of night shifts! I don't like night shift. It messes with my body clock and turns me all weird. On the plus side... they passed by pretty quickly.

I have today to get myself sorted and back in day shift mode for tomorrow. Sigh. I need a holiday.

I managed to get hold of some stars for her. Thousands of little gold and silver stars. Only wanted gold but if you wanted a pack with different sizes you had to buy a mix of gold and silver. Oh the joys of sorting out the gold ones....not. Anyways. Sat last night, drank waaayyyyy too much wine and glued on what felt like a million little stars. Am happy with the result. Depending on the light you get a different effect every time you look at her.

Not too sure about the butterfly on the left... it may have to be painted out. So she is almost done. I need to add some more pencil work and some text but she is looking pretty much finished to me. 

I'm spending the rest of the day making my art journal :-) Now art journalling is something that I've wanted to try for a while and even got me a moleskine in preparation. How spooky is this? Suzi has just started an art journal group for us students with journalling prompts!!!! Its like I'm psychic or something! I clearly knew in the back of my brain that she would be starting this group and I needed said moleskine to make a start.

I think my journal is going to be a colourful affair. I adore colour and I find it really really strange that my first couple of paintings are pretty muted. Normally I use bold, bright colours. Maybe its because I'm a little afraid of colourful paint and feel safer with the softer palette.

Am thinking that this is maybe what I need to over my fear of painting with bright colour!!!

I really love Traci's use of colour and form. Sooo much going on in those pics! DELICIOUS!!!!!

Hmmm.... am thinking I may have to sign up for this ;-)))

Til later x