CED Weekly Roundup

This is a roundup of my creative journey this week. Besides the daily doodle drawings and blog reading for inspiration, I spend quality time with Jim and Mama every day.

Bear in mind that the drawings are works in progress, and are experimental playing. I may or may not ever finish them or use them, but I am learning a lot from them and am a lot more relaxed when painting or drawing now. I've learned it doesn't have to be perfect to be fun or make someone smile. So, I hope at least one of these makes you smile. :>)
Monday-I did this doodle drawing spread in my Moly sketchbook, and, using a round sumi brush and watercolor, swished some color in. I put added a layer of fluid acrylics to the canvas ptg, "Hart." I also took a creative fall over Sammidog. You can read about it here if you want. Also went grocery shopping with mama and Jim.

Tuesday--I guess I was feeling a little Picasso-ish on the top one. It's a doodle in Moly wc book, where I outlined all the lines in a black ultra-fine sharpie instead of pulling out a specific image. I was going to leave it like stained glass, but after I filled in all the spaces with watercolor, this head emerged, so I used white gouache over the background, outlined the head in heavier sharpie with a red inktense pencil line on top, and embellished the eye. I actually kept going back to it over 3-4 days and doing stuff to it, but I did the doodle today. :)

The rabbit is a doodle in the M sketchbook. The image has been pulled out with a heavier pencil line. There could be something else to pull out, but I like it like it is. Color will come later.

I also re-joined Facebook, per a friend's invitation and worked on setting up my page.

Chasing Rabbits
Wednesday--Touched up the Picasso-ish page above, drew doodle of the sleeping dog in M sketchbook, and studied it for more images. There may be some more to it when I get time to focus. Sleeping dogs seem to be a recurring theme for the time being. Could be because I'm a sleepyhead. Also spent time with a dear friend chatting, drinking coffee, and laughing.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Thursday--I drew and pulled the image above out of a doodle. I don't know what it means, but this was daddy's birthday and I was missing him so much. I also wrote a personal piece post on Scribbles about my week's mishaps. I've collected some very creative boo-boos this week. :)

Group Hug

Friday--Doodle sketch in M wc book, pulled out image, added watercolor to dampened page and let bleed together. Went over outlines with black sharpie and re inktense pencil, then spattered paint on, just for fun. I toned down some parts of the "Hart" canvas painting with acrylic washes. I made three photos of Sammidog and the cats, then painted another layer of acrylic on ptg, and we rented the movie "Max Payne" on PPV and ate popcorn. Pretty good flick.

2 Kittens and a cow skull

Dancing With The Moon

Saturday--I watched a video on Black-eyed Suzie's blog. It was from Etsy featuring her making doll portraits. Pretty interesting. I also played with my camera and made a bunch of dog/cat photos, then painted some more on "Hart" painting. The above image emerged from my doodles in the M sketchbook. These sketchbook images will all become journal entries as I write on them.

I Do Not Have A Nose Problem!
Sunday--Played on my Facebook page some more, pulled the above image from the doodle marks in the M sketchbook, made photos of drawings and uploaded, and posted to blog. Took a loooooong, soothing, lovely shower and ate a pancake breakfast with Jim while we watched the tractor pulls on TV.

Hart Strings

This is the second photo of the "Hart" painting. It is still waaaaay too intense, even for me, but I'm getting there. I thought I'd have it done for the Artygirls challenge this week, which is wire, but I'm not going to. I'm going to put copper wire for the strings on the hart that she is playing, once I get the rest to suit me. I'm thinking about adding a layer of white unruyu paper to it to add texture and to dull it down a bit. The colors will still show through, only not as intense. I'm still pondering though.

This is what I do. I get about half way through a project, then can't decide how I want to finish it. So I move on to something else for a while. Frustrating!

Oh, well, it'll come to me eventually. :) So this was my creative journey this week. Hope you enjoyed making the trek with me. Can't wait to see how my journey continues next week. :)

Have a wonderful, creative week!

Late Valentine (I tried) & CED Update

First, I hope you all had a wonderful Valentines Day. I made a pretty digital card on my Hallmark program to post on my blogs for you, but then I couldn't get it to upload. So I went to a different program and tried to make another one, but got frustrated and gave up. I'm new to the digital art. Anyway, I tried. :)

Also, I'm waaaaaaaaaaay behind on answering comments and emails, but I WILL answer soon. I appreciate and enjoy all of your visits soooooo much!

Okay, now for what I've been up to creatively this week, amidst hubby being here and company every day and dishwashing and cooking...the house looks like it's NEVER been cleaned and we have company coming today also.

I've spent quality time with hubby watching movies/tv every night. Does that count? :)

I thought I'd show you all of my efforts this week. The scanner didn't want to scan the pencil sketches for some reason, but maybe you can tell a little about them. Most are not finished yet. The scanner left a weird color on Mama Mia, but I liked it so I left it. :) Okay here goes:

Monday-I did a double page doodle sketch in my Moly sketchbook, which has slick beige pages, and experimented with Golden fluid acrylics. I enjoyed them for a change. They are transparent and work similar to watercolors. The photo of it is here.

Tuesday-Another doodle sketch, this time in my M watercolor book, and I layed in a two-color wc wash over the whole page and the image I pulled out. I looked through my sketches for entries for challenges I play in. That was a trip. I also painted a second layer of fluid acrylics on the "Hart" canvas WIP (photo in previous post) and read some wonderful blogs for inspiration. I also discovered that the licenses for the nearly 500 songs on my mp3 player had expired because I cancelled my membership to Rhapsody, and I couldn't play the songs there or on my pc either. I didn't understand how things work with them. I hadn't even heard all the freebies that I had downloaded. I got very creative trying to figure out what happened. Boy, was I ticked! I must have my music. I will get them back hopefully.

Wednesday-I layed in wc washes on a big yellow dog that I had doodle sketched a few weeks ago, then did a dbl pg sketch in the M sketchbook and layed in some wc washes on it. Also read a few blogs.

Thursday-I made photos of two challenge entries, edited and added digital text to both, and posted (the two in the post before this one), did a dbl pg doodle (didn't draw the image out) in the M sketchbook, played with digital imagery some on and read some blogs

Friday-I read a few blogs, drew the image out of yesterday's doodle, added handwritten words to it, then did another double pg doodle and drew the image and words out of it. I haven't added color to these yet. I added some written words to a previous journal entry, and added a layer of white gouach to the orangy spattered background pages I posted previously, drawing out a couple of images and adding a little texture. Then I set up a doll in a lace dress, made photos, edited, and posted on my other blog for the IMT challenge, which is lace. I also wrote the story behind the dress there. I rode with hubby to a nearby town to get cattle feed, enjoyed the scenery, we got ice cream at the Sonic and enjoyed it on the ride back home.

Saturday-Sent valentine to email buddies, experimented/played with the drawing tools in my Hallmark card program and made a pretty valentine with "drawn" flowers on it and pretty words to put on my blogs. I was so proud of myself. Then it wouldn't upload to my blog, so I changed programs and tried to make another one, got frustrated, and gave up. I loved the doodle line option though. I also did a doodle sketch and pulled the image out in the M sketchbook. I added written words to it and added some touches to the sketch I did Tuesday. I'm thinking she needs more. Then I made a "creative" stew for supper, which means I cleaned out the fridge and cabinet. It was tasty though. :)

Sunday-I did a doodle sketch and pulled out the image in the M watercolor book, outlined it in black sharpie, and scanned all these images in. I wrote this post, which took a fair amount of finagling and effort to get all these pictures and words situated. Sorry I didn't do it better, but my pictures starting disappearing , so I quit while I was ahead. ;)

Coming up: The air dry clay that I've been softening is now plenty soft and moist, maybe too much so. I've never played with this kind of clay before so it will be a challenge that I'm looking forward to. It's patiently waiting for me to get time to play at making a doll. Will keep you posted on that one. Nettie, the belly dancing art doll has been patiently waiting for her embellishments for weeks. Maybe I will find just the right ones soon and I can show her to you.

Hope you haven't been too bored, and maybe some of the pix made you smile. Have a blessed week and keep creating and playing! :)

Arty Girlz, CED, and Mojoart

The Arty Girlz challenge this week is flowers, and although my doll/tulip doodle sketch painting isn't about flowers per se, it does have one in it. :) It's also one of my Creative Every Day entries.

This is another double page art journal entry in my Moleskine sketchbook, done Monday, and right now it's exactly how I feel, as I have gained a lot of weight here lately, added to my already overweight body. The tulip in my drawings kind of represents my dad, whom I miss terribly. They were one of his favorite flowers.

Anyway, for this journal entry I decided to experiment with Golden fluid acrylics, which are thin and mostly transparent, much like watercolors. I still used a black sharpie on the outlines, but painted over the lines some. I started to make the white dots on her hands and feet rounder, but I decided that I liked them kind of ragged. I enjoyed the acrylics for a change and am also using them on the canvas painting I have started. The text was added digitally. I may or may not do some more to the doodle, but, in the meantime, I hope she makes you smile. :)

"2 Hearts Connected"

This one is an atc doodle sketch, done in inktense pencils (ink in pencil form)/water/black sharpie, and digital text. I've entered it in my Mojoart group challenge for this month.

Thanks for visiting! Have a blessed day! :)

Creative Every Day Challenge

WOW! Three posts in one day! That's a record for me. :) I've also posted my creative endeavors for the "Getting to the HeART of it" festival on Valentine's day (click on the exploring my heart badge on the sidebar for details) and this week's Arty Girlz challenge. Now for this week's Creative Every Day creativity efforts.

I've been faithful in keeping a log of what I'm doing, which hasn't been that much this week, I'm afraid. We had a death in the family and my husband got home. He's retired now, so I'm going to have to get creative about my creative time, I guess. :)

Art Journal Pages

Monday...Mama and I had breakfast at the truck stop in town with my aunt and her family. We don't get to see them often. We had some creative conversation over chocolate gravy and biscuits, which was delicious. Back at home I read some inspiring blogs and typed some email letters to friends. I also worked on softening up some air dry clay that had hardened in the box. I added water to it. I had had it so long that when I got the urge to use it to make a doll it was already hard as a rock. :)

Tuesday...I decided to do one of my doodle drawings on a gallery wrapped canvas (below), drew out the image, and layed in the base colors in acrylics. The colors are not exactly accurate and there is a glare at the top, but you get the idea. She is playing a stringed "hart" (a cross between a heart and a harp). I'll post another photo when I finish it. I also posted some journal art and wrote comments to go with it for the HeArt Festival on my writing blog. Read some inspiring blogs. Worked on the clay some more.

Work In Progress-canvas ptg
Wednesday...Answered emails, thought of challenge ideas, touched up a painting done previously, danced with joy, and finally figured out how to add a cute background to my blog, however, after several try-ons couldn't find one that fit and left it plain for the time being. The clay was beginning to soften.

Thursday...It was beautiful, but cold, day and Sammidog and I took the long way around through the woods and fields to check on the cows. The big pond has an ice skim fozen over it and the sun was shining on it and the ochre/sienna colored sage grass around it. Beautiful. We had a good time. Also did a lot of online reading while I thawed out. The clay was getting very soft and moist.

Friday... Mama and I took an hour's drive each way through beautiful, unfamiliar country, crossing the bridge with spectacular views of the river on either side, to pick up hubby. It was a beautiful day for a drive in the country. My clay finally softened back up, so as soon as I have time, I'm going to try an art doll out of it.

Saturday... I did a small doodle sketch and painted it for this week's artygirlz challenge, and picked out an art journal page for the HeART Fest. Read online. Had a long, creative nap.

Sunday...Made photos of art and posted for challenges (see two previous posts--today's date) and added digital touches (the words and the digital spiral) to the art journal pages shared on this post, which are watercolor and black sharpie. That's it so far. If I do anything else today I will come back and add it. Now I need to get creative with housecleaning. :) Thanks for visiting! Have a great week.

Getting to the HeART of it- Blog Festival

click on to enlarge----Art Journal Pages

My heart has been closed or guarded at different times and for various reasons during my lifetime. I have experienced all of the labels on the hearts in the jar at one time or another and was sad, unhappy, and miserable.

Four years ago we lost my dad and my husband's mom six months apart. I loved them both dearly. We had one trauma after another for the next three years of that time. It was almost more than I could cope with, sending me into depression, anxiety attacks, and other health problems. I barely could leave the house and only when I had no choice.

The light is finally piercing my heart again and gradually filling it with light. The scars will always be there, but God's light is healing, and my heart is opening up to living again. Art and writing have also helped the healing process immensely. I'm very grateful for a passion for both.

These days I'm feeling really blessed and my open HeART is much happier. Some days it even sings!


Mother Henna is hosting a "Getting to the HeART of it" blog festival on her blog on Valentine's Day. If you want to play leave your link on her link page and on VDay she will post all the entries so we can all visit and see each other's hearts. :) If you want to play click on the Exploring My HeART badge on my sidebar for details.

Arty Girlz-Red & White

This week's challenge at ArtyGirlz is red & white, so here is a little red cat that came out of my doodling. It's watercolor with white acrylic dots and a black sharpie in my Moleskine pocket wc book. The page isn't laying totally flat which makes it look larger at one end. It isn't. I just didn't want to tear it out yet. I think he has kitten pox. :)

The one below is a regular playing card stamped with alphabet, a face, and stars.

Hope they make you smile. Have a great Sunday! :)