Not much painting

I'm still having the flu

and didn't do much this past week. Just some small quick paintings to get to mess with paint.

A tulip always makes me smile this time of year, and this one did too. It always gets me in a better mood to play with colors.

This last one was very quickly done, and I love the result. It seems I can't get enough of rough handmade papers. Have a nice week everyone.
 I'm linking to Paint Party Friday.

Preparations

Once in a while I like to paint a larger piece

and in those cases I find it very useful to research my subject.

I always try to find the right lines or the most typical movement of my subject. As you see this time it's all about magpies. I really love this bird, and I have 4 or 5 of them in my garden on a daily basis. They're much fun to watch but they can be rather mean to one another.

At this point I have no clear idea of how I want my new piece to be, the composition, I'm just playing with lines and movements until I get a feel of it all. It's also very useful to try different colors so that I can find what I'm searching. How do you approach a new larger painting?

I'm always surprised of the white color, nearly every time it's in use it's every other color than white that bring the eye to see white. Think of a white flower, how is it we paint  the white??
Oh, how I love working with colors, always so much to learn and to understand. My Neocolors have become my favorites, for the longest time I've preferred the twinks but now it's changed.

How do you like the greedy one? I so fell for this one, photo from Steve Lyddon, PMP, it just HAS to be the main focus in my piece.
To my great joy I discovered that a pair of magpies are nesting in one of our apple trees, I hope they will stay there and hopefully get fledglings. That would be great fun.

I have to thank you all for all your well wishes last week, I'm still coughing like crazy. This flue is said to last at least 5 weeks, so well, one week down.

Linking to PPF. Have a nice week, friends!

Still cold

We're still having this very cold weather

and I'm sick of it. I want spring, not more snow!! In addiction I've caught a terrible sore throat that makes it hard to swallow.......... Ok I promise, no more complaining. I have some art to share today as well.


I very much love to paint on a black substrate, so that was what I did here. I used twinkling H2O's for the initial layers but didn't like that as much as I'd hoped for. Next I did was to add neocolors on top of the twinks, and that really looks good and exciting.

The above painting was considered ruined so I didn't put much effort into the layering process, but I do see the potential here. If I don't cover all the twinks, they do shine through and add to the final result. I'll most certainly try this more

The substrate I've used on the above painting is actually matte board. I went down to a professional framer in our city and asked them for cutouts and pieces too small for them to use. I did offer to pay for them, but they gave it all to me. These pieces have a snow white and an off white side. So far I have used the bright white side only, and I love working on this substrate. Still using the Neocolors.
I'm very pleased with this one.


Just a few days before Christmas I started making a new Mochilla. It's quite a challenge to keep it all even and flat, but I love doing them. Below is the bottom of it.

To keep it smooth and even up the side is also hard and very time consuming. I have put it aside for a while  but think it's time to finish it off. Not many rounds left to go here.

 I'm going to make a patterned strap and a Kumihimo tie to close the bag. There will also be some tassels. I'll show it when done.

I'm linking to PPF, thank you for visiting and your lovely comments. I really appreciate reading every  single one of them.

For all those who require a name and e-mail to leave a comment, I will not do so. Sorry for that.

Friday again.

Where did this week go?

I've had such fun painting that I didn't notice the days passing.

Have you heard of a site called Paint my photo? I'm a member there and use the site to find wonderful photos to paint. All my paintings in this post are from pmp photos.

The owners/ photographers are allowing one to use their photos as reference, and we are free to do whatever we want with our art pieces. Most times I try to alter my piece a bit from the photo, that way it feels a bit more mine. The blue flower above was orange in the photo, so I downloaded it and turned it into a black and white copy, that made it easier for me to know where the light and dark should be.

I always upload my result to the pmp site and thank the photographer for the use of his/hers photo and at the same time they can see the result. It's a great way to have reference photos that are free to use. 

This last piece is a mixed media one, and I had great fun making it. The photographer was very surprised with this and he said he loved it.

It's free to create an account over at Paint my photo, and there are thousands of photographs to choose from. Give it a try and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

All colors used is Neocolors ll. The last piece was done on a black substrate using gesso washed book pages and white and gold ink. 

Thanks for visiting and also for all your lovely comments.
I'm linking to PPF.

A lot has happened

A lot has happened

in my life since I was last time blogging. Last August I had an accident riding my bike and I broke my right hand wrist. It was, in fact, smashed to many pieces and it won't really heal again. That doesn't mean I'm in an awful lot of pain, it's just that it won't function as it should.  I'm waiting for a new surgery to remove all the added parts, like screws and pieces that has been placed there for support. Being in this waiting stage is driving me crazy, it seems I can't get anything done.

But finally I'm painting again. I have these lovely hand made papers that I want to use and flowers are always fun to paint.

 For this project I'm using Neocolors 2 and they're good ones. I started to lay down shadows using paynes gray watercolor. As you can see in my first photo, it looked a bit hard.

 It's quite a job painting all the petals, and get each one to stand out from the rest. But I so much love painting again it doesn't matter how long it takes. I love making one and one petal and make the most out of it.

I'm very pleased with the result. I chose to outline the petals using gold ink, not sure I'll do that over again. You see, I've decided to make at least four in this style, and while painting, more and more ideas keep coming. Oh how I love this.

Thanks for visiting and have a nice weekend.

I'll link this to PPF.

Winter work

What I did during winter.

To create and be creative is part of who I am and there will always be something new brewing in my mind. This last winter it was all about yarn, needles and hooks. Especially crocheting is near to my heart. It's such a joy to pick up some yarn and a hook and be able to create something beautiful with such simple remedies. It amazes me each time how little it takes to make something wonderful.

Through facebook I found a group making Mochilas and I just had to try that.  To make a flat bottom with much pattern was a hard nut to crack but oh so fun. Below is my first.

The next one is easier because of that pattern. I'm still working on those two Mochilas. Not sure when they're going to be finished but sooner or later they will.

The first one I finished, is a small one and it's quite nice. It might come to use during summer.

The last one were made for a friend who turned 50 in February, and who love love love sculls. I had so much fun making it, and I had to look out if she turned up at my house. It was a hide and seek kind of thing. Needless to say she was over the top happy for the bag.

Yarn and one hook, that's all it takes. This is just a small part of what has been made so I'll have to make a post or two later on to show you some more.

Linking to PPF, happy Friday everyone.

Self portraits

Have you ever made a self portrait?

Self portraits are very interesting to look at, they convey some of the artists views and thoughts of themselves. Even if one know the person, one might get some new insight to their personality, or perhaps change some of our beliefs.

To make my own portraits is quite another thing, very interesting and it might touch ones feelings as well. The one below is tiny me, and it was very challenging to make. Mostly because of the technique, small patches of paper torn apart from  pre-paint magazine pages and of course to get a certain amount of likeness. Even though the mouth isn't right, I'm very happy with this one, and it was unexpected to meet all the feelings that came along. Quite a journey, I'd say.

This next one is done in the same technique, and was a try to locate the different values in a face. From the lightest to the darkest, and I think I did it quite well. I didn't like not to make my teeth white, but that was part of the task. Not as detailed as the baby picture, but that were out of my focus. It is me, but it feels a bit strange. I think it's the hair that doesn't feel familiar, it's too short I think.

The green one is practicing values as well, but this time with paint only. It's made on a very special paper with lots of bits and pieces in it. This is a very good portrait of me, if I might say so myself, and it amazes me each time I look at it. It feels like "we" share a secret or two.

The last one is the newest and the one one could use to point me out in a crowd. It's made with my profile pic as inspiration, have a look at the top of this post and compare them. I made it towards the end of 2016, and it's carved in lino and hand printed. I'm happy with the result even though the space between my front teeth isn't quite that big.
I still haven't tried to just paint one, too afraid to try I believe. Perhaps some other time.

If you haven't tried to make your self portrait yet, I challenge you to do so. It's unlike everything else.

One year without posting.

Where did the time fly?

I've had a busy year and my life is good. My studio has been closed all winter, I've been playing with yarn and hook/needles, but now I couldn't resist any more. Studio is open and I deep into the paint. It feels so good and as always when I start the ideas keep coming faster than I can grab them.

From time to time I have several magpies in the garden and the other day we had lovely sunny weather and the magpies really showed them self off.

At first glance one can easily think they're just black and white, but they actually have the most beautiful colors hidden in the feathers. The magpies was what got me started, and since then I have not stopped.

Twinks, neocolors and watercolor pencils. Black and white ink.

I hope you have a gorgeous sunday.

A new bike, a package and lots of fitness.

You know, something just ends without me noticing

and something increases for no special reason. My health focus is one that increases. The other day I bought myself a new electric bike (elbike) and what a joy it is to ride it. The engine stops the minute I stop using the pedals, so I still need to use energy, but I won't be as outworn as with my ordinary bike and that leads me to use the bike much more often.

The seat is somewhat different from the one on my old bike, so I feel a bit sore " you know where". But I count on it to pass rather quickly. I'm really looking forward to spring and summer and many trips out on my bike.
Three times a week I'm also still walking the trails, so I've had quite a change in my days. Each Friday I have my sons company, and he pushes me more than anyone else. What started with 4 rounds has increased to 9 rounds now, thanks to my son and his pushing. Well, to quit smoking didn't exactly harm either.

Yesterday I received a package in my mail box, and the above charm and chain were in it. Thank you so much Kristin, I'll feel really special wearing it.

I've also made some more etegami, and I really love the simplicity of making them. Below is a card I made for my facebook friends for Easter, good wishes.

The next one contains a term we use to tell someone to shut up or behave. It says, Have a pear.

Above is a longing for spring, it says Everything is up for a new start. It's made on a dark substrate and I'm very happy for how it came out.
This last one was made after the bombs in Belgium and inspired by all the tomatoes I eat.

Thank you all for your lovely comments, it's really a joy to read each one of them.

Linking to Paint Party Friday.

Etegami, new to me.

Some days ago I read this blog post and my curiosity were lit.

Have you ever heard of Etegami? I hadn't until I red Susan's post.  I had to google it and found quite a lot to read.  This blog is very helpful to understand the "rules", and Debbie makes pretty etegami as well.
I don't have all the right supplies but it's fun doing it and I can see it might turn out huge if I take interest in it and develop my own expression. Here are some of my tries so far.

Notice, I even made my own stamp (chop) containing my initials. That is a must have in etegami and it has to be stamped in this red color.  This particular postcard( above) is already mailed out to a friend. Every etegami should be mailed out due to tradition.

I can see that my cards are made of a newbie, they don't look as balanced as I wish but I think it's a matter of practice.

Etegami is meant to be clumsy, it should be made on a paper that is bleeding so that the lines will have blobs.
In this blog you can see lots of examples on different topics. They're fun doing and I'm sure I will do more of them, actually I'll try to make one each day. They're quick done, not more than half an hour.

I'm linking to Paint Party Friday, have a wonderful weekend everyone and thanks for all your lovely comments.

Closer to Spring

I think we have a build in sense for spring.

At least my whole body is shouting spring to me.  The frost is still here, but the light and length of the days has increased a lot. And the garden comes alive. The Eranthis flowers are nearly done with their job and now the Snowdrops are in bloom, all over the lawn.

What does spring do to you?
I can tell you what it does to me, I get "crazy" in  a good way and it get worse each year. So filled with energy and the need to get things done. Humm.... almost like a tulip bulb. Hence me washing the kitchen, and now it's an all over clean up of the house that's on my list.

It's such a joy to listen to the birds this time of year, they're busy too. I wake up to the lovely sound of birds singing in our garden. When it gets warmer, we have more of an out door life as well. Can't wait for it to happen.

 In general, I'm a sun person and love it when the temperatures rises. I'm quite sure I lived closer to equator in an earlier life, if there ever was such a thing.

Anyone who remember the film My Africa, at least I think that was what it was called. White people living in Africa back in the 1920/ 1930.
I have a silk dress from Africa and that period of time, and I came across it while I did some tidying. That actually inspired my next piece. Do you get the feel when looking at the photo below?

Crispy cooling fabrics, silks, linen and cotton. It doesn't take much for me to find inspiration when the spring is right around the corner.
Happy spring everyone!

Linking to Paint Party Friday.

Still keeping it up.

I've kept my health decisions so far.

Finally I've stopped smoking and I also do my Monday workouts each week. Today I even went out for an extra workout. I really feel this will work well for me and I'm so happy for it. The only thing I need to watch out for, is to not gain extra weight during this process.
I know from earlier that stop smoking has a tendency to end in gaining weight.

I made this piece to illustrate the addiction. I was told that a center in our brains ( addiction center) has a spot that can be compared with a nest filled with nestlings constantly craving food. My piece is more or less illustrating my situation for the time being. I am stubborn though, and know I have to win over my own cravings and that gets easier for each day now.
So, my focus has changed to be aware of what I put in my mouth instead. I know I can do it and everything is pointing towards my victory. Yay for me!

This piece is made using the technique  I learned in Magazine to Masterpiece class, thought by Roberta Laliberte. I'm very happy with the result, and of course, it has a special meaning for me.
Coming Friday I'll show you another one I did, it seems now that you all are done with your face month, I've started mine.
Well, just wanted to make things official and let you know what I've been working to overcome.

An interesting week

This week I finally did something I have thought of doing for a long time.

I made myself a gelliplate. It was easy to make and it works fine.  In the photo it's covered in plastic wrap.

I have made some prints and now I just need to plan a bit before doing more of them. It's fun and very addictive. Well I guess you all know this, I'm just a bit late in trying it.

I also had a good helper, little Lucas was allowed to pick which colors to use, and he loved touching the plate, without the paint on it. It feels cold and sticky. He even wanted to stand on it to feel it's surface against his feet. Later on we had some tower building to do, as you see in the photo.

Lucas is such a good and fun boy. He has been sick this week, and he stops eating, so we had to come up with some interesting new ways to eat. He loves fruits, so I cut then in small pieces and let him have a stick (close to a toothpick) to eat with. That was what it took to make him eat, and he even asked for more.

Now, last week I had a giveaway here, and boy was I surprised to see how many people who actually had room for one more piece of art. Thank you all for participating in this fun event. I'm very happy to give these three pieces away, and I ask the winners to e-mail me or leave a comment with their mail addresses. The comment with the address  will of course not be published.

The winners are:
#1 cozydoodle and she chose  #1 - the stack of cups.

#2 Nicole Beadwright Campancella she went for #6 - sunflower and insect.

#3 EAGHL (granny annie) #9 - the face.

Now I'm off to do some washing in my kitchen, tedious work but it needs to be done. I'm linking to Paint Party Friday. Happy PPF to all of you.

Friday again and a giveaway.

I did not notice where this past week went.

Making art and looking after the youngest grandchild took my week.

Have you ever thought of how inspiring the world wide art community is? The internet has indeed made a huge change in our lives. I still find it incredible how I can write something on my computer and within a few minutes have answers from the other side of the globe. How many people we meet online and connect with, it's nothing but a miracle.

I so appreciate you all, the followers of this blog, you who regularly visit the blog and not least you who take the time to leave a comment. It's very nice to get some feedback and read your point of view. But, mostly I appreciate you for all your sharing as well. To see what you do and read about your process, learn from tips and tricks you share are all things to learn from and  every time I read a blog post I get inspired. I am truly thankful for all your sharing, and what a variety there is to choose from.  These are thoughts that have been on my mind lately, and a need to give something back has occurred. And that brings us to the giveaway part.

Click to enlarge 

 I have made these tiny pieces of art (10 by 10 cm only)  all displayed in the photo above. My hope is to give away three of them to three different persons as a tiny thank you for all the inspiration you provide me. I hope you have room for one more piece of art.
They are numbered 1 - 10 just to make it easy for you. All I need you to do, is to name which pieces are your first, second and third choice in a comment to this post. I'll draw the winners Thursday March 3rd. and publish the result next Friday, March 4th, here on my blog.
Anonymous comments will not participate.

Now, they're all mixed media techniques. The colors used are watercolors in some form, and they have all been coated with matte medium on top. The 10 x 10 cm piece of paper has been mounted onto a 10 x10 cm canvas.The edges are painted black/dark grey.

I hope many of you will find something you like and participate, and I'm very excited to see which pieces are your favorites.

Linking to Paint Party Friday, enjoy everyone!

Much going on.

I've been so busy making art the last few weeks

that I hardly noticing the time passing. Handyman baught me an online class (ehmm.... I told him to) for Christmas, and I haven't really had time to look into it properly until now. It's a fun class and a very good teacher. From magazine to masterpiece, is the class and the teacher is Roberta Laliberte. She has made me understand things that I somehow knew about but didn't really understand. Like the importance of contrast and lots of other stuff too.

This piece is made using her technique, and it was fun doing it. I did, of course, do some major mistakes mostly because I did it first and then re-watched her videos. Just the same as to read the instructions, first I do, then I read the instructions.
If you enlarge the photo, you'll see that what seems to be a window, in the background, actually are lots of faces.
Right now I'm working on a project that I enjoy so much. I'm making some tiny pieces of art, and they are looking so good if I may say so myself.
Sorry I can't show you any today, but be sure to pop in next Friday, then I'll make a post about them and have a tiny giveaway.

Linking to Paint Party Friday, enjoy your weekend everyone.

Something different.

Some time ago I felt the need to make something different.

What I wanted to do was to explore shape and dimension in a piece of work and at the same time try to achieve a texture which could remind of an oil or acrylic painting, by using watercolors/twinks.
I am happy with the result, but what you see here is not how it looks in person. The first photo is a scan of my piece, and the second one is a photograph. Neither of them are telling the truth. The darkest blue area ( where the red line ends) is darker in person, almost like deep purple. The brown areas are more correct in the lower one.

It's strange how some colors are impossible to get right. There is also a distinct aqua color above the lower ball, and that one color is nearly invisible in these to photos. 

Looking in the back mirror, I wish I had made a connection  between the upper ball and the white space, that would have been a better composition.

Just for fun I printed this piece and made some additional lines using Neocolors 2, but the result is no good. I have to practice a bit more on that. I'm sure it has potential though. Some of the line work  I did felt very good, but I over did it. Well, it's fun to make such experiments as this, and I'm sure it won't be my last one.

Busy week.

It's Friday again,

and this has been a busy week for me. Normally I don't have things I have to do, except housekeeping and such. So, when each day has something that I must do, it feels busy. I did find some time to play with colors though, and had much fun doing this page in my altered book.

 What I've used here is copies of some old work of mine, prints, rearranged them and add in some new. My old art turned new and the expression is completely changed. The background is in fact a sheet of paper I did for use in an earlier project, and before ripping it, I scanned it and now it came in handy. This is my week 5 piece in the challenge Color me Positive. The prompt was all about having big enough dreams. I changed it to one word, Dreaming.

At some point in my process I'm always photographing what I'm doing, to have a different look at it. And most times I then see things to change, so also with this one. The butterflies have too strong a color and the background need some more depth around the flowers.

 I also added the word, Dreaming in a lemon yellow color to give a bit more warmth to it. Notice how the small addition of the same color beneath the flowers makes a big difference. This is all made using water soluble medias except from white gesso. It was fun and fairly quick done, and you know, cutting and gluing just like in kinder garden. Fun!

Linking to Paint Party Friday, have fun everyone.