Touch the Stream

Documented Life Project 2015

~The Journal:  Week 15

The challenge was acrylic paint,

the prompt was "Cry me a river."

I painted an imaginary scene by an

imaginary river, and added a quote.

Week 14 challenge was to

work with watercolors, and the

prompt was "water under the

bridge."  The border is watercolor

and pen cut from another piece

of painted paper, then glued to

the acrylic paint background,

and completed by another quote.

Linking up with Elizabeth

for T Tuesday, over at

Altered Book Lover Blog...

and sharing a 'tea' collage

from 2014.

Only a few days left for

this year's  Fake Journal ~ April's

International Fake Journal Month.

Visit Cottonwood Counterfeit Journal

to see what my character has been

up to in the Fake Journal. Maybe

you can guess what my character

does for a living. A couple of people

have figured it out so far...

leave me a comment with

your ideas!

Documenting Collage

Several weeks behind in

The Documented Life Project~

The Journal...

Week 13 was to create

your own design element.

I used some of my 

handmade painted papers

and graph paper to do profiles

of a woman's head, reversing

the position of the papers

in the second layout.

"Celebrate

your unique spirit."

My Fake Journal 2015

is over half done!  You can

see it unfold at

Cottonwood Counterfeit Journal.

Considered Truths...

Mad Tea Party

Art Journal Pages:

Sharpie pen and watercolor on

drawing paper in black hardbound

sketchbook, 8 1/2 inches x 11 inches.

It's not designed for water media, but

I use it anyway. A little warping of

the pages doesn't bother me.

Above, one of the pages I drew in March 

during our road trip: random

road signs that made me smile.  The

original Sharpie pen drawing needed

some color...

so a few additions of watercolor

seemed in order.

April is International Fake Journal Month.

If you'd like to see my 2015 Fake Journal, 

and see what my Fake character is doing,

visit Cottonwood Counterfeit Journal.

It's an experiment in trying to create

art in a different way...in ways that I

don't normally work...with a personality

that isn't my own...different characteristics

and ways of working. It's harder than

it sounds!  My own biases and

preferences keep creeping in...

Linking up with Elizabeth and Bleubeard for

their T Tuesday blog party, in which we 

share 'what we're up to,' what beverage we

are drinking (it doesn't have to be tea, but it is

a prominent theme) and general shenanigans.

My morning beverage is usually coffee with

chocolate added. But wouldn't a 

Mad Tea Party be fun!?

Some days I think

"We're all mad here."

And that's just fine...

it's not boring.

What are you up to?

◘  ◘  ◘

Coming Into Focus

Week 12 of the Documented Life Project-

the Journal.  Focal Point was the

challenge for the week. The dictionary defines

the Focal Point as the center of attention.

I tried to create the most detail in the

lily bloom, and high contrast between 

the background and the lily, in order to

 lead your eye to focus on it. 

Theoretically, the other shapes

 and spaces in the picture plane should

lead your eye around and back to the

focal point.  That's the definition I 

remember from art class. But most 

of the time I am not thinking about

those technical details when I make

a drawing. I just realize when the

drawing 'needs something.'

I also 'filtered out' extra details, as 

there were other stems in this 

potted lily, but I chose to draw 

just one plant.

  

The facing page, above.  You can always

use your own hand for a model! I have

rather small hands and short fingers,

but this does seem a bit distorted.

Linking up with Elizabeth for 

T Tuesday, and sharing my favorite

coffee cup.  I really need to do some

more cup drawings, and have been

thinking of comparing shapes of

coffee cup handles. I wonder how

long it will take for me to get 

'round to it?!

International Fake Journal Month

began on April 1, and I would love to 

have you visit my fake journal blog:

Cottonwood Counterfeit Journal.

I pretend to be someone else, who

 makes an art journal that is different

from the art I would normally create.

 Stop by and see if you can guess

what my character is like, and

what he/she does for a living.

"An artist paints with his brains

and not with his hands."

~Michelangelo