Now What??

I'm not that excited about this after adding more papers and some acrylic. I could gesso over the whole thing and start over, or I could gesso over part of it, or I could just add some more papers. Not sure what I want to do at this point. So I'll just ponder on it and let my muse decide. The nice thing about a collage though is you can just keep adding and painting and then adding and more painting......

Third Panel

I'm beginning the third panel in my series of "graffiti" collages. This is a 7 x 13 panel of cardboard. I applied a layer of white gesso and marked a swirl in it while still wet. Then came a wash of acrylic. I then applied two pieces of paper -- the map and a scrap from a photocopy of another collage, and finally a large piece of a beautiful paper napkin. I will add some more scraps and post the next step in the next couple days.

Green Tea

This graffiti collage is so much fun. I like the fact that it doesn't need to look perfect. My favorite thing is to slap some paint on the surface and hunt for images to incorporate. I just got some Sumi ink and some oil based Sharpie paint pens.....new toys to play with. Both dry with a glossy finish which I like for a lot of my work. I sprinkled in some glitter (just a wee bit) to finish it. Now I'm going to do another panel. I will post above the first step. But meanwhile.....

Quick Collage

Traci Bautista was in town last weekend, and I was able to take a mini class from her. She is promoting her new product called Collage Pauge. I wondered what the difference was and why it might be better than Golden or Liquitex mediums. It gives a smoother surface - almost no brush marks. Also comes in matte, gloss and another one has a bit of glitter in it. I always love her classes and I think it's because she uses the vivid colors I love. I also love the graffiti look. It was fun and you can see the result of just a 1 hour class.

Thank you Trudi from Two Dresses Studio for the Kreativ Blog Award

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award - You will love Trudi's blog - Two Dresses Studio -- so creative and fun.

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog (and it's okay to brag).

3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.

4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.

• I'm married to a much younger guy
• I, too, survived a firewalk
• I'm retired from the recruiting business
• Oh, wow, I love anything lemon (yes, better than chocolate)!
• I once worked at the Mint Casino in Las Vegas
• I hate shopping unless I have to buy art supplies and then mostly online
• I'm a sucker for animals -- I would rescue every one of them if I could

5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers

6. Post links to the 7 blogs your nominate.

Sharon's Art from the Heart

Artistically Designed Diversions - Jennifer

Sparkle Seahorse Smiling - Denise

Every Life Has a Story - Roben-Marie

Michi Rhymes with Peachy

Janeys Journey

Expression Studio - Gail

7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs, letting them know they have been nominated.

From this...............

To This.....

To This

She Sells Sea Shells

Had my one-to-one class at the Apple store and I was lucky to have a tech who knows Photoshop. He showed me how to blend two images together. I was thrilled. I came home and immediately did it so I wouldn't forget. It still took a bit of doing, but I finally made it happen. I think I'll play around a bit more with this. He told me to save all my edits in Photoshop mode, so I can continue to make changes. I had to go on line after I could not upload it to my blog (of course it doesn't recognize the Photoshop format) to find out how to save as a .jpg image without losing my original Photoshop image. These are really small things for an experienced image editor but for me, the neophyte, it's like learning to drive. I have to think about every step and why I get the result I get and what to do to get the result I want. I get so excited when I finally "get it".

Companion Little Woman Finished

My "finished" piece? Because it is a 12 x 12 it does not fit on my scanner, so the picture is not as sharp as I would like. I'm not delighted with this one. I tried working with Shiva Painstiks for the first time. I should have experimented with them before working on a canvas. I find the consistency thicker than acrylic and therefore not as precise. I'm sure I just need to practice in my journal to get a more spreadable consistency. Also my charcoal pencil did not work over oil, so I wasn't able to get the definition with that last application of charcoal pencil. Lessons, lessons........

Companion Little Woman

This is a second in my Little Women canvas series. I intended to post the first layer and then post successive layers, but got involved and went on to the second and third layers. I'll post now and then continue with the progression. So far, first layer consists of various papers, second layer I brayered with different colors of paint and inked around the edges. Third layer I drew in the figure and painted the base for her skin.

First Little Woman Canvas

Since it's been a while, I thought I better post the first of the series. This is my first Little Woman collaged on canvas. After reading Kelly Rae Roberts' book
"Taking Flight", I was inspired to try her step by step instructions. After the companion canvas, though, I want to find my own style with these portraits.