Experimentation Piece - More Resin! :)

Some of you may be wondering how my big experimentation piece turned out with all the new techniques and materials I've been trying. Well, it is by far the busiest piece I've ever created, lot's to look at for sure! But I did experiment and learn a lot so it has served it's purpose!

Here is what it looked like from my last post:

 The above pic is the second layer of paint and during the second resin coating. I used some dimensional paint, sparkly paint pens and coloured Sharpies and some acrylic paint. After the second coat of resin had cured, I noticed that some of the coloured Sharpies ran and blended into each other and the background - any definition I had intended to create with them was gone. I tried to go over it again on top with this last painting layer but it kinda ruined the layering effect I was going for.

You can see what I mean in the pics below... :(

This is not just a crappy pic, the marker is actually that blurry and smudged! Sharpies are not lookin' so "sharp" anymore! =D

 It also turned my "dark green" stems and nice shade of "green-blue" lol! 

Ahh well!

 

The pics below show where I tried to "fix" the smudged look by going over it again on the new layer of resin...

Before:

After:

I wanted this flower to look like it was in the background (first layer type thing) but putting a new outline on it with the new layer made it pop forward a bit.  I thought I could get away with it but nope.  Lots of learning on this piece! =D

This is the final layer of paint (among other things :D) Some rhinestone embellishments, more dimensional paint, the addition of a paper butterfly I made and some more sparkles.  Way out of my element and comfort zone here, I am not usually this "girlie" with the sparkles etc, but it was fun! :)

(See what I mean by "busy"? lol)

 And here it is, all taped up and ready for the final coating of resin.  As of now, it has been curing for 6 hrs with only a couple of reoccurring bubbles that came out of nowhere (they managed to fix themselves once the resin thickened up enough - yay!)

So that is that for another day! I have learned so much so far these last few weeks it's crazy! I will be working on commissions for the next few weeks up until Christmas so my posts may be a little irregular. These commissions are gifts and I don't want to ruin any surprises by posting about their progress.  I am keeping photos though so in the new year I can show you all what I was doing. :)

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone, I hope it's nice and cozy and warm where you are! (it's -36C here with the windchill right now... brrrrrrrrr!)

Good night guys! :)

Cindy 

Resin Experimentation - Part 2! :)

Here are some results from my resin experimenting I mentioned in my last post. Sorry for the delay! It's been busy around here! ;)

First up, here is what one of the pieces looked like in the beginning with just oil pastel on wood - then coated with a matte fixative as a sealant.

After the first resin coating had cured, I went in to do some detailing over top of the resin with coloured Sharpies... (above)

Then I added some 3D paint to see what it was like and added some coloured rhinestones. It this pic you can see where I ran into some trouble with the resin on the bottom right of the piece. I'm guessing I missed a spot with my fixative and the oil pastel repelled the resin away. It just wouldn't stick no matter how many times I tried to go over it so I gave up and painted over it anyway and thought I'd see what happened with the second resin coating.

Ready for the 2nd coat...

 Freshly coated pieces! Eeeee!

 1 hour in and so far the resin is sticking to the problem spot, YAY!

This last pic is my major experimentation piece, trying new materials and techniques - paint pens, masking fluid, scratching designs into dry paint and more sharpies etc. It is definitely a style I am not accustomed to but we'll see how it looks in the end.  This piece is going to get more "doodling" once this 2nd coating has cured and then a 3rd and final coat. Hopefully the layering will have give it some funky effects when it is all done! :)

Drawing Lab Challenge #5

This weeks challenge from Drawing Lab was #19 - Picasso Dogs! :D

This was a weird one for me, I have never attempted to draw anything remotely "Picasso-like" before.  It turned out not too bad though... interesting to say the least. We were instructed to draw and eye, flip your paper 90 degrees, draw another larger eye, flip again, draw a nose, flip, draw a paw/leg, flip again and draw a tail. Pretty straight forward you would think, it took me a bit to get the hang of it!

Here are some of my results: (excuse the absolutely horrid photography!)

Once again, all in all a fun exercise to get your brain working! I am still loving this challenge, I can't wait to see what's next!

I also made some good progress with my resin experiments from Wyanne's course mentioned in my last post.  I will post about that one tomorrow and let you know how they are coming along! So far not too bad, a few things to be fixed up though, crossing my fingers that they are actually fixable! :)

Good night! Off for some much needed sleep!

A Day For Experimenting

It's now week #4 of Wyanne's Mixed Media Resin course and we are learning how to paint on top of layers of resin.  So, I thought I'd get started with a couple of "experiments" today.  I had some old wood pieces laying around that I know I will never use for anything - if I mess them up - no biggie. 

I loved how my little "Whimsy Doodle" turned out so much I thought I'd start another one in the same way.  I put a coating of clear gesso down first and then grabbed my old oil pastels and starting blocking in some colour.  I have no idea how any of these are going to turn out, like I said, just an experiment to see what painting over resin is like.  Hopefully I can turn them into something cool! You never know... ;)

After watching Wyanne's video today, I was inspired to use some of her techniques.  Below is an acrylic wash with salt sprinkled on it and drops of alcohol.  I can't wait to see what I am going to do with it!

In the pic below, the one in the front is also inspired directly from today's lesson... it is smudged charcoal on wood.  I loved the effect the smudging had in Wyanne's painting so I thought I'd give it a shot. I'm kinda nervous, Wyanne makes it look so easy! I'm at a loss but diving straight in anyway! I always remind myself of this quote when I'm not exactly "feelin' it", "You shall not wait for inspiration, for it comes not while you wait, but while you work." (- Frederick Franck from "The Awakened Eye")  Wish me luck!

The little one in the dark in the back is my "Whimsy Doodle", I thought it would look cool with a shiny resin coating ;)

So, the resin projects are on the dining room table curing... so far not too bad. There is a little reaction going on with the oil pastel project even though I coated it with a matte fixative to seal it before the resin coating. I must have missed a little spot cause the resin keeps moving away from it.  Weird. Hopefully it will be fixable though as this is just the first coating and I will be painting over it.  I'll keep you posted on how these little projects turn out! I'm definitely learning a lot, Wyanne is great!
(Dust is from Satan by the way... impossible to keep a piece completely free of dust specs! boo!)

Have a great week guys! :)

Some Little Gifts From Scotland :)

Today I opened my mail to find a lovely little parcel addressed to me all the way from Scotland! I mentioned in an earlier post that I was a runner up in Love and Peas "Giveaway of Goodness" so I thought I'd share with you the goodies when they arrived! :)

So nice to receive a nicely wrapped little gift in the mail!

 She also sent the cutest little flower pin and little stuffed heart! I loved the handmade card too! It was nice to have a hand written greeting from so far away!

 And all together... with my sweet elephant cards! (thought I'd show you the back side of the card as well, pretty cool! :))

Thanks again Jenny! Such a great start to my weekend! *hugs!* :) :)

Zentangle Experiment!

I keep seeing these "zentangles" everywhere and after watching this video on Nutty's blog, I thought I'd give one a go!  Most of the ones I have seen are left black and white but I couldn't resist adding colour ;)

Here are my results...

I actually found it kind of challenging to fill in all the white spots with a pattern or something that I hadn't already used. Other than that, it was rather relaxing. I think it is a good way to get the juices flowing if you are having a creative block. :) I will be exploring these zentangles a bit further in the future I am sure!

On a bit of a side note, if you would like to see some fantastic "zentangled portraits", you have to check out the new blog of Rebecca Anthony here.  She is amazingly talented and so worth a look!


Enjoy the rest of your week guys!

Drawing Lab Challenge #4

This weeks Drawing Lab Challenge was #4 (Lab 33, Page 92) "Doodling On Steroids".

"Research has shown that doodling in meetings actually helps you pay better attention as it keeps your brain occupied just enough to keep you from daydreaming and missing the content of the meeting altogether." (Drawing Lab - by Carla Sonheim, pg 92)

The instructions were to listen to a podcast or audio book and just let yourself doodle whatever came out of your subconscious - as your mind should be focused on what you are hearing.

I ended up creating this doodle while listening to two of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories: "The Black Cat" - a horror story about a cat (published 1845 and rather disturbing) and "Angel of the Odd", a comedy about being drunk :D (published in 1844). I thought since Hallowe'en is approaching, Poe would be fitting ;)

It's a little smudgy in spots and it's not the best photo but it served its purpose! I definitely zoned out with this one ;)

The materials used were: coloured pencil, oil pastel, pastel chalk, india ink, brush pen, charcoal, pencil and an eraser "stick" for some attempted blending.  

This was an interesting exercise as I usually try to listen to something while I make art - whether it be a course I'm taking, music or audio book... I find it takes the pressure off trying to "create" something.  I never really thought that making art while listening to something would make me pay more attention to what I was hearing... very interesting theory indeed!

By the way, I don't recommend listening to Edgar Allan Poe's "The Black Cat" before going to bed... I'm sure my dreams will be interesting tonight! :D

Some Artists Worth A Mention... :)

I was just catching up with all of you out here in blog land and came across a few artists that really caught my eye and inspired me, so I thought I'd share! :)


I'm sure some of you are familiar with Rachel Awes from All I Did Was Listen. I just discovered her blog a few weeks ago and I love her little colourful doodle messages, they are both hilarious and so meaningful. Some of my fav's are here and here, have a peek if you have a moment! 


Sheila Arthurs of Cloth Encounters is another amazing artist I found during The Creative Color Challenge. If you love colour and fascinating attention to detail, you have to pop over to her blog for a visit - some really mind blowing stuff!


And a fellow Canadian artist I have been admiring the work of lately, Kelly Watts of Kelly's Art Journaling. I am really enjoying the colour and especially the texture she is incorporating into her work...have a look at some of my fav's here and here

Last but not least, if you have an eye for the abstract, you have to check out Sally Trace's blog and see her awesome abstract paintings. I'm just recently finding a new love of the abstract and her work is truly amazing! Certainly worth a look!

I also got some great news in an email yesterday from Jenny Blair of Love and Peas. I was a runner up winner from her Giveaway of Goodness - YAY! I can't wait to get my little elephants in the mail, all the way from Scotland, so exciting! It was such a nice way to start the day! Thanks Jenny!

I hope you've enjoyed some of these links... this last week I have been busy with a couple of new courses that have started and a nice vicious cold! I'm feeling much better and am getting back into the swing of things (yay!)... new artwork is on the way! :)


Have a great week everyone and Happy Creating!

My Latest Resin Coated Piece!

Hello again!

I'm just loving the resin lately! So worth the time and effort! This latest resin coated piece was a client request.  It is an 8"x 10" high quality print, flush mounted on cradled wood and sealed with a two part epoxy resin. I'm so loving how these little projects are turning out I just had to share!

If any of you are curious, this version of the print will also be available in my Etsy shop soon!

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! Off to catch up on some more work! :)

Better Late Than Never... Drawing Lab Challenge #2!

Last weeks random assignment from the Drawing Lab Challenge was #26, One-Eyed Monsters! Tis the season! :)

Here are some of my ideas... I love this kinda stuff, so much fun, anything goes!

The one below is my favourite and I would love to add to him - in a future project maybe ?? You never know!

  The next two are inspired by a splotch monster a day - a blog I found a while ago by Steve that I just love.  This was my first attempt at making my own splotch monster, I think Steve makes it look so much easier :D Fun though to say the least! I later made the thing on it's tongue into a bird... seemed necessary, lol...

Then I broke the rules and made one with 2 eyes! :O

So I couldn't resist making an entire monster made of "eyes" - not nearly as gross as it could be! Needs some "detailing" LOL ;)

The next Drawing Lab Challenge is #3 "My Pet Project"- 10 minutes of gesture drawing your pet... do fish count? :D No detailing either! But I like detailing.... lol!

Until next time! Have an awesome weekend! :)

Being Thankful... :)

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends out there!

I thought I'd take this opportunity to remind myself of all the things in my life that I have to be thankful for...

1. Supportive family and friends - old and new
2. A roof over my head  (last year our home was destroyed by flooding and we had to "relocate" to say the least... such a disaster! (see #1 again) Very appreciative of our warm, dry home!)
3. My messy little studio (it might be small but a few years ago, my drawing table was a main piece of furniture in my living room :D (along with my bed, LOL - gotta love studio apartments))
4. My health - physically and mentally
5. My job (love being able to have that extra day off every week to work on my art!)
6. Rediscovering my love for making art (yes, it went away for a while)
7. Finding this wonderful and invaluable online community of artists - I had no idea you were even out there!
8. The fact that over the last two days, I have filled my belly with turkey, squash, yummy veggies, potatoes and wine :)

Ahh... it feels good to remind myself that life's not so bad! ;)

On a side note, while taking breaks waiting for paint to dry today, I started "doodling" over my "doodle" from this post and I thought I'd share the results :)

 Before the "redoodling"

 On the same black background

On a white background taken in daylight

I sprayed on a fixative to seal the chalk and then put clear gesso over top.  Then I went in with coloured pencil and acrylic ink. It was good to experiment! There is some detailing in the black spot to the right but it just didn't show up in any of the photos. Not a huge deal though... just a doodle! :)

Have a great week! :)

Drawing Lab Challenge #1!

The first project from the Drawing Lab Challenge just happened to be the first project in the book: Draw 30 cats - in bed :D lol.  Well, not all my cats were drawn in bed, some were on the couch, some on the floor, some while sitting cross legged in a chair.  I also tried drawing some cats with my left hand to try to loosen up a little ;) Overall, this was a fun exercise!

Here's the results! (Don't laugh too hard...some of them are pretty bad! lol)

I liked this little sleepy kitty the best so I inked it and then used my pen tool in photoshop to trace it out after it was in my computer.  It turned out a little choppy (I'm a little rusty with my photoshop skills) but it's midnight and I am too sleepy to go back in and fix it! ;)

Week one is done! I can't wait to find out what Nutty will choose for the next project!
Good night everyone! (or good morning, it's pretty late! ;))

Doodles n' Happenings

Once again, this last week was a busy one and the weekend wasn't nearly as productive as I would have liked! But such as life and as long as I still have time to doodle/paint/draw, it's not so bad ;)

I am really enjoying some of the "doodle" art that I've been seeing on some blogs as of late, ArtfulLee Designed by Lee Clements for one has been most inspirational :)) Here's an example of one of her doodles that I thought was intriguing!

Below is my attempt at creating a "doodle" of my own.  I broke out the old pastels I had when I was a kid (they're awesome, I like them and they are still good after all this time - who knew!), some chalk and some acrylic ink.  It doesn't quite feel finished but here ya go anyway ;) Turned out better than I thought it would! I love it when that happens!

 

Mixed Media on Wood

5.5"x 8"

Also, as some of you may know, I am taking the opportunity to take part in a few on line courses/challenges. Starting this week is the Drawing Lab challenge thanks to Gumnut of Facets and Fractals.  I have been drawing a lot of cats and I am definitely finding it challenging! :D  It's been hard to break out of how I habitually think of and draw cats, obviously these exercises are already working! Hopefully I'll find the right one to work with soon enough! :) I'll post my progression as the week goes on! 

The second one is a course by Wyanne on Mixed Media Resin techniques. It begins on Oct. 11 and I can't wait to start in on this one! I am loving experimenting with resin so far and I can't wait to learn more from someone a lot more knowledgeable than me ;) it's going to be fun!

The third is starting Oct. 18 and is called The Heart of Art and it is offered through Willowing and Friends by Tamara Laporte. Among some of the fun projects offered in the course: art journaling, altering a children's book, an art tag, an "empathy monster", whimsy creatures, portraits and a needs angel. This course sounds like a blast and the most awesome thing about it is that it's absolutely FREE! Woo hoo! 

And lastly but certainly not least, I am taking part in the Creative Everyday Challenge by Leah Piken Kolidas. This is a low pressure challenge that is ongoing and anyone can join at any time! The theme for this month is "Earth" so you can incorporate it's meaning into your work however you like, leaves, stones etc, whatever works! We'll see what I can come up with! 

So if this doesn't keep me busy for the month of October, I don't know what will! Wow! LOL!

Hope to see some of you in some of these challenges and courses! 

Have a great week!

Cindy

Shiny Blue Baby Mandala's!

My latest in resin coated pieces!

These two baby mandalas were completed a couple of months ago but kept secret until now! They were created using acrylic paint and ink on canvas with rhinestone embellishments. I thought they would look even more lovely with a beautiful shiny resin coating :) I hope you love them as much as I do!  Great, affordable, original artwork to add colour to any book shelf or desk top! ;)
(Yes, that's right, they are for sale and you can buy them right here!)

Blue Baby Mandala (1)

Acrylic and Acrylic Ink w/Rhinestones on Canvas

4"x 4"

 ©White Violet Art 2010

  Blue Baby Mandala (2)

Acrylic and Acrylic Ink w/Rhinestones on Canvas

4"x 4"

 ©White Violet Art 2010

Price Options

Blue Baby Mandala 1 $25.00 Blue Baby Mandala 2 $25.00 Both Together $45.00

These two cute baby mandalas were created with the intention of being displayed together as a pair however they are available for individual purchase :)  (I would love it if they both went to the same home though ;))

On a side note, this is also the first time listing items and using PayPal buttons on my own blog, if you have any feedback or experience you think would be valuable, please share!  As always, your comments are much appreciated!

Have a great week everyone! :)