Tea or Coffee?

"This is what we do."

"We have fun."

Life was so much simpler

in elementary school...

...a wonky drawing of a tall-ish

square-ish coffee mug...

and some fun quotes. It's

also an example of what happens

when you watercolor over a pen

drawing that you thought was

permanent, and then discover

that it's 'not quite permanent'

after all. But the fuzziness isn't

too unappealing...

...an observation about one

of my favorite British tv shows,

Midsomer Murders. (click on the

image for a larger view)

Linking up with the

T Tuesday gang over at

Altered Book Lover blog...

"We have fun."

Graduation

Congratulations to

all the graduates out there...

BE REMARKABLE!

○ ♥ ○

Fabric of Our Lives

The fabric of our lives 

is woven by those with whom

we choose to spend our time...

The Documented Life Project 2015-

The Journal,  Week 18.

The challenge was to use fabric

on the page...one of my favorite

things to add to a collage!

Of course there had to be stitching

and painted papers too...and

I'm enjoying finding diagrams

to add to the mix.

Linking up to Elizabeth's

T Tuesday blog party...

visit Altered Book Lover blog

to see what the group

is sharing today.

Collage for Quick Relief

When I don't have time to do a

detailed drawing, I can still find 

time to do a quick collage from

doodles, various papers,

and scraps.

It fulfills my need to create,

and can be done in stages or

when I have a short period

of time.

Making the time to make

art every day is important

to my happiness.

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

April Fool!

Have some fun today

and enjoy a good laugh ~

Happy April Fool's Day!

The first post for my 2015

Fake Journal is up over at

Cottonwood Counterfeit Journal.

Stop in for a visit...

WorTh RepeaTing: DocumenTing Life Journal

The Documented Life Project, Week 8:

"It's Worth Repeating."  In the

collage above, I repeated shapes, (cloud-

shapes, flame-shapes, circles)

types of lines -thick and thin, and colors.

The diagonal lines create movement.

Below, a reference to the Periodic

Table of Elements...

Below, Week 10: Mark-Making as a

Layer Element. The shape, thickness,

and direction of the marks (or lines)

on the page will lead your eye

around the composition.

I keep in mind that in Western Art, we 

"read" things from left to right, top

 to bottom, and I place the elements 

of the composition in a way

 that leads the eye over the page

without getting "stuck" in one spot.

There are two pages for each

week's spread, and I've chosen to

do them separately, rather than one

large composition, but with an effort

to make them work together.

Above, Week 11: Borders...

"Borderline, feels like I'm going to

lose my mind..."  

I decided to create a brain diagram

inspired by early drawings/theories.

This is not scientifically researched on

my part...I just wrote in some characteristics!

Linking up with Elizabeth for

T Tuesday, and offering this 

Pumpkin Pie~Apple Muffin recipe...

to go along with whatever

beverage you are having today.

Of course, mine is coffee, rather

than tea. Join the T Tuesday 

gang for coffee, tea, art, or

whatever is going on!

Tomorrow begins my adventure into

Fake Journaling for the month of April.  

You can click on the pink (dog) icon

in the sidebar to read more about

International Fake Journal Month,

or visit me at

Cottonwood Counterfeit Journal

to see my real journal, by a 

fake character! No foolin'.

You might even decide

to try an alternate

reality and join us

in making a

Fake Journal!

Considered Truths...